Ten minutes south of Calgary in the town of Okotoks, homebuyers and builders continue to buck the regional trend of declining housing starts.

In fact, the growing town of just over 29,000 people (based on the 2018 civic census) saw an increase in housing starts in 2019 that is expected to continue into 2020, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Housing market conditions continue to follow similar trends to last year, with gains in sales.

At the same time, there have been further reductions in new listings and inventory, and more declines in prices.

Sales activity in October improved by nearly 10 per cent compared to last year, driven mostly by improvements for apartment and attached product.

For the third consecutive month, sales activity improved over last year's figures, and year-over-year new listings and inventories eased. This trend will help support more stability in the housing market.

When custom-home designer Kathy Yuen purchased her first home 13 years ago, she quickly realized it wasn't the perfect fit.

"I think your first home really teaches you what you like and what you don't like," she said.

Known for its forward-thinking environmental initiatives and long-term sustainability plans, Okotoks is once again showcasing some outside-the-box thinking.

New listings coming onto the market continued to decline in June, which is helping to reduce the oversupply of homes in Calgary.

March saw a modest decline in city wide sales activity compared to last year. However, sales have been rising for more affordable product in the detached and attached sectors.

Shifts in the lower end of the market have not outweighed easing across the higher priced product. First-quarter sales dropped to 3,108 units. This is nine per cent below last year and 28 per cent below typical levels of activity.