Fun and Interesting facts about Victoria, BC!

When most people think of Victoria, the key words that come to mind are: The Empress, and Butchart Gardens. There's a lot more to our beautiful city and we are a whole lot more than just Tea and Crumpets!

It’s extremely popular with tourists – probably because it’s such a pretty city with a lot to see and plenty going on. Restaurants are great and it’s close to a number of wineries too. It’s an outdoorsy place with loads of hiking and biking trails and in the summer the sea kayaking in the nearby Gulf Islands is superlative.

And for some background on Victoria – a city that’s been called –More British Than The British – here are some weird, fun, interesting and downright useful facts about the city.

• With a perfect growing climate, Victoria is known internationally as the City of Gardens.

• Friendly is an understatement: Victoria has been named both the Most Romantic City in Canada (five years running) and one of the top 15 Friendliest Cities in the World.

• Other accolades include Canada’s Best City to Live in for Women, and both the Seventh Best City in the World and Friendliest City in Canada (by international travel and tourism magazine, Condé Nast).

• Bright lights, beautiful city: As the provincial capital, the Parliament buildings have 3,560 lights and roughly 1,500 lampposts across the city hold hanging flower baskets every Summer.

• Victoria is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, with hundreds of kilometres of cycle paths, bike lanes and routes in the city, including the incomparable Galloping Goose Regional Trail.

• Time for tea? Half a million cups are served annually at the Fairmont Empress.

• Strong support for all things local: Vancouver Island has over 2,800 farms, with nearly 1,000 in the Greater Victoria Region and 700 in the Cowichan Valley.

• National Geographic recognizes Vancouver Island as one of the best cold-water diving destinations on earth and the renowned Jacques Cousteau Society rates the area second only to the Red Sea for diversity of marine life and water clarity.

• The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria has the most comprehensive collection of Asian art in Canada.

• Number of annual visitors to the internationally-renown Butchart Gardens, a National Historic Site of Canada? Over one million.

• The Royal BC Museum, founded in 1886, is one of the foremost cultural institutions in the world.

• Victoria has the second highest number of restaurants per capita in North America, second only to San Francisco.

• Victoria’s Chinatown is the second oldest in North America after San Francisco. You’ll find the narrowest alley in all of Canada here.

• Famous people from Victoria include singer Nelly Furtado, basketball star Steve Nash, musician David Foster, director Adam Egoyan, artists Nick Bantock and Jack Shadbolt,

• The highest temperature ever recorded in Victoria was 35.3 C on July 23, 2004. The coldest temperature on record was -15.6 C on December 29, 1968.

• Victoria is often criticized because it reportedly dumps 129 million liters of raw sewage into the Strait of Georgia every day. But according to Responsible Sewage Treatment Victoria , that number is far lower and as they say: The Victoria Core Area Sewage Is 99.93 Per Cent Water And Has Very Little Actual Solids. It Is Discharged From Two Deep Ocean Outfalls More Than A Kilometre From The Shore, After First Passing Through Six Millimetre Screens (Screening Since 1989). There Are No “Floaties.” You can get both sides of the story in this article – and it’s worth reading because this has been a hot issue in the city.

Looking for a home with a suite?

We have 3 "suite" options for you!

"In the Summertime"

Location: Sidney

Coming Soon!

It's a warm summers day and the children are splashing about in your 15 foot above ground swimming pool.

You're oldest has just opened the back garden gate onto Lochside Trail to take a scenic bike ride. 

It's time to pick fresh vegetables from your many raised garden beds for your garden party this evening. 

With 2 patios, and room for all of the children and their pets, your home is the place to be. 

Your upstairs home features:

• 2 large bedrooms
• 1 spacious bathroom with a jetted tub & skylight
• Open concept living and dining area with entry to your patio and backyard

"We are Family" 

Location: Fernwood

MLS# 389382

Full of colour and home to many of Victoria’s artists, Fernwood is well-loved by its residents.

Fernwood is a residential neighbourhood with Fernwood Square at the heart of its village centre. 

Your new community is home to seasonal markets, lively summer celebrations, unique shops and cozy eateries.

How wonderful to enjoy all of this, while being able to have your whole family under one roof. 

This 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom home features a unique UPSTAIRS suite. 

On the main level, you can enjoy a very spacious living room, and easily accesible 2 bedrooms and one batrhroom. The main level space is ideal for those with any mobility challenges. 

A spacious, sunny kitchen offers an eating area, with dining area room for the most stately dining table. 

Enjoy your English garden accesible directly from the dining room. There's even a gas hook up for the BBQ enthusiast! Shared laundry is in between the suites. 

Suite benefits of "We are Family"

• 3 roomy bedrooms AND a spacious office area!
• 2 large bathrooms with plenty of counterspace
• Generous, open concept sunny living room, dinining and kitchen
• Newly painted
• Upstairs views over local Fernwood gardens

Call Today to inquire about "We are Family" (250) 514-1663

"You're my home"

Location: Mill Hill

Coming Soon!

Well I never had a place 
That I could call my very own 
But that's all right my love 
'Cause you're my home

Looking for tranquility? Everything about this Mill Hill home whispers "privacy". Nestled in the quiet neighbourhood of Mill Hill, you are only 20 minutes from downtown, but off the beaten path. 

The Upstairs living provides a sense of pure solitude.

What you see: Cathedral ceilings, open concept living and dining,roomy bedrooms, skylit bathroom and eating area, and the stunning gold hues of the arbutus tree in your serene back yard. 

What you hear: Birds, children playing...that's all. 

Your main level suite is ideal for a nanny or a mortgage helper.

Suite benefits of "We are Family" 

• 1 bedroom suite perfect for a nanny or single person
• Open concept living / dining and kitchen
• Seperate patio for the downstairs suite
• Access to shared laundry and storage / pantry

Outside Influences Impact Spring Real Estate Market in Victoria...

April 3, 2018  A total of 688 properties sold in the Victoria Real Estate Board region this March, 25.9 per cent fewer than the 929 properties sold in March last year, but a 26.2 per cent increase from the month previous. The sales of condominiums were down 28.2 per cent from last year in March with 211 units sold. Single family homes were 30.8 per cent down from the year previous, with 337 sold this March.

"As we expected, March sales are tracking lower than in 2017," says Victoria Real Estate Board President Kyle Kerr. "This is likely due to a number of factors that have created hesitation in consumers, including recent heavy measures by the provincial government to reduce the value of home prices and the federal government's new mortgage qualification rules. Combine these factors with rising interest rates and you've got a housing market that is in transition due to outside influences. Every time there is intervention into a market, it takes a few months for the market to rebalance. With the continual changes of late from different levels of government, our market is experiencing a new cycle of ongoing uncertainty."