David Stevens

Victoria, having the warmest winters in Canada is proud of its benign climate and easy-going lifestyle, making it a favourite retirement location and popular tourist destination.

Cadboro Bay Beach

Cadboro Bay, Ten Mile Point and Queenswood
Cadboro Bay, an English-style seaside village community and bay, is located in the Municipality of Saanich and north of the Municipality of Oak Bay. Cadboro Bay is a neighbourhood nestled between the University of Victoria, to the west and the Uplands to the south. Ten Mile Point lies to the east and Queenswood, with its multi-million dollar secluded homes, to the north.

Cadboro Bay gets its name from the first Hudsons Bay Company sailing vessel brought to the BC coast, the Cadboro, which was the first vessel to anchor in the bay.

Shops at Matticks Farm, Cordova Bay

Broadmead and Cordova Bay
The village of Cordova Bay is a family area, with a mixture of newer and older homes, and a small village-type strip along scenic Cordova Bay. With its long sandy beach, and located east of Elk and Beaver Lakes and north of Broadmead, this quaint community is on the northern edge of the City of Victoria.

Broadmead Village Centre is the commercial shopping core for residents of Cordova Bay, Royal Oak and Broadmead.

The area was originally developed by the famous Guinness family, who also developed the British Properties in West Vancouver. Broadmead's Rithet's Bog (virtual tour) is the home to a wide variety of birds and butterflies and has a delightful walking trail of 2.8 km. You can view the History of Rithet's Bog.

View to University of Victoria from the Mt. Tolmie area

Cedar Hill, Mount Douglas and Mt. Tolmie
Cedar Hill area, generally speaking, is bounded to the north by McKenzie Avenue, to the west by Quadra and Cook Streets, to the south by North Dairy Road, and to the east by Shelbourne Street. Cedar Hill is a mix of older and newer residential subdivisions, with a commercial area located along Shelbourne Street to the east. It is dominated by the 18 hole Cedar Hill Municipal Golf Course, which is surrounded by a 3.5 km walking trail. Other parks and recreation facilities include Braefoot Park and the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre. There are two elementary schools and a junior high school in the area.

Gordon Head
A comfortable, middle class neighbourhood, Gordon Head has recently undergone a slow conversion process of single family occupancy homes to shared rental homes to meet the demands of the local student population. There has also recently been some very upscale housing developed at Gordon Point, the tip of Gordon Head, close to the north waterfront.

Oak Bay to Mt. Baker in Washington State, USA

Oak Bay
Oak Bay is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria. Oak Bay has been referred to as being located "Behind the Tweed Curtain."

Sidney By-the-Sea

Sidney
"Sidney by the Sea" as it is affectionately known, is located about 20 kilometres north of Victoria. It enjoys a temperate climate, natural amenities and friendly community character. Sidney is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and has enjoyed stead growth since 1952.

Sidney has extensive waterfront walkways, parks, restaurants and marinas. Sidney's popular Thursday evening street market runs through the summer and attracts visitors from around the region. This attractive town has a daily ferry service to Anacortes, Washington, U.S.A., the Victoria International Airport is under 2 km and a it is just a few kilometres from the B.C. Ferry Terminal to Vancouver. The city of Victoria is a 25 minutes drive.

For all your real estate needs please contact me --

David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty
250-893-1016
Email: davidstevens@royallepage.ca
www.victoriahomesbc.ca

Here are some interesting property prices across Canada, courtesy of Royal LePage ...

Victoria Real Estate Activity Increased in October, 2011

Real estate sales activity showed a modest increase throughout Greater Victoria last month with a total of 483 homes and other properties selling through the Victoria Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®), up from 458 sales in September. There were 467 sales in October of last year. Overall prices, meantime, remained mixed, depending on price measure and property type.

Victoria Real Estate Board President, Dennis Fimrite, said the increase in sales activity is good news and reflects ongoing stability in the market, "It is encouraging to note that sales last month were higher than in the previous month and compared to October of last year."
Fimrite added that there will always be month-to-month fluctuations in prices and that average prices are particularly susceptible to change depending on whether more higher priced or lower priced properties sell in a particular month. "There was some general softening in most price measures last month but it is interesting to note that while the overall average price for single family homes declined last month, the median price actually rose by almost $5,000," noted Fimrite. He added that that there were 14 single family home sales of over $1 million in
September including one on the Gulf Islands.

Fimrite added that the number of properties available for sale eased last month though inventory levels remained 16 per cent higher than a year ago. "The number of properties available for sale declined last month to 4,687 compared to 4,940 at the end of September."

The average price for single-family homes sold in Greater Victoria last month was $595,836, down from $622,393 in September. However, the median price increased to $539,750 while the six-month average decreased slightly to $619,828. The overall average price for condominiums last month was $307,329, down from $332,490 in September. The median price for condominiums in October declined only slightly to $277,000 while the average for the last six months declined to $323,039. The average price of all townhomes sold last month was $428,040 compared to $436,039 in September. The median price declined to $374,500 while the six month average declined to $438,167.

MLS® sales last month included 260 single family homes, 145 condominiums, 46 townhomes and 10 manufactured homes.

Summary Report and Graphs

Let me help you find a home in the gorgeous Victoria area or anywhere at the southern end of Vancouver Island!

David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty
250-893-1016 (Direct)
www.david-stevens.ca or www.victoriahomesbc.ca
Email: davidstevens@royallepage.ca

An Unusual Statue!

This "Pirate" is obviously near the sea - but which sea and where? I like the unusual style of this swashbuckling statue and have never seen them anywhere else.

David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty
250-893-1016 (Direct)
www.david-stevens.ca or www.victoriahomesbc.ca
Email: davidstevens@royallepage.ca

The Fantastic Lochside Trail is Great for Hiking/Cycling/Walking at Any Time of Year! Today was a lovely sunny Sunday, with many people picking up their plump pumpkins ready for Halloween.

The Lochside Trail runs from Sidney to Victoria and is an easy 29km long. Originally an old railway line, now converted into a recreational trail, this lovely walking, biking, birdwatching, running trail passes through beaches, farmlands, a nature sanctuary, old wooden trestle bridges, passing by horses, fat pigs, a remote-control Aeroplane Club, the Heritage Acres Society grounds and urban neighbourhoods, as well as a super ocean-side view.

The Trail is partly paved and partly gravel and you can easily get on or off it anywhere between Sidney and Victoria.

David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty
250-893-1016 (Direct)
www.david-stevens.ca or www.victoriahomesbc.ca
Email: davidstevens@royallepage.ca

Here in little old Victoria, BC we celebrated Oktober Fest at my house last night.



Music was a bit mad - Germanic, some might say ...

Schnitzel was somewhat over-done...

Bratwursts were Barbecued to a new colour - Black ...
and

Sauerkraut was sweet???

But - despite the culinary crises a great time was had by young and old alike, and what could be better, other than being in Munich for Oktoberfest!

CHEERS!