Real Estate

Vernon’s Green Valley Motel on police and council radars
VERNON - A notorious Vernon motel was thrust under the spotlight at a recent Vernon city council meeting. During a presentation by acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara, Coun. Brian Quiring brought up his concerns about the Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park. “It appears to be a haven for people that...

Vernon motel could be yours for just over $1M
VERNON - A downtown motel familiar to most Vernon residents is up for sale. The Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park is on the market for $1,195,000. Built in 1965, the motel features 27 units currently rented out by the month. A description of the listing suggests it has lots of...

Construction starts and real estate sales remain strong
KAMLOOPS - A warm start to 2015 has led to a brisk pace in both residential and commercial construction and the number of building permit issued continues to blow 2014 numbers out of the water. Permits for residential units increased by 80 per cent in February 2015, compared to the year before, though at $8.3...

February home sales best in years says real estate board report
KELOWNA – After a disappointing start to 2015, the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board is reporting a 34 per cent improvement in home sales in February compared with the same month in 2014. “After a more than usual slowdown in January, Okanagan-Shuswap home sales rallied along with consumer confidence during February despite weaker economic conditions...

One of the Okanagan’s most expensive, multi-million dollar homes is hiding in Vernon
OKANAGAN - If a Vernon home complete with its own theatre, library, and heli pad sells for the asking price — close to $8 million — it would become the third most expensive residential property in the Okanagan Valley. But if you look the property up on B.C. Assessment, it doesn’t even make the top...

Biggest jump in Okanagan real estate sales in seven years
OKANAGAN – Real estate sales across the Okanagan had the biggest jump in seven years last December, according to the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board. Overall the region saw sales increase 24 per cent during the last month of 2014, with apartment sales up a massive 42 per cent over the previous year. Townhouse and...

Splatsin First Nation acquires portion of rail corridor
ENDERBY - There’s been a significant advancement on the discontinued rail corridor between Armstrong and Sicamous. Following lengthy negotiations with Canadian Pacific Rail and the federal government, the Splatsin First Nation has acquired 29.25 acres of land along the old rail corridor, which was shut down in 2009. Splatsin Chief Wayne ‘Wunuxtin’ Christian says the...

Kelowna’s housing prices will continue to climb in 2015
KELOWNA – It’s going to continue to be a seller’s market in Kelowna over the next year as low interest rates combine with low inventory to drive prices up. According to RE/MAX Housing Market Outlook Report, the 2015 average residential sale price in Kelowna rose seven per cent over 2014. Although that is one per...

Housing sales continue to rise
KELOWNA – The housing market in the Kelowna and Vernon areas shows no signs of slowing down with sales up fifteen per cent in October compared to the same month in 2013. Numbers released by the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board show a jump of fourteen per cent in the Central Okanagan and twelve per...

Consumer confidence, low mortgage rates mean increase in home sales
KELOWNA – The home sales numbers are out for the Central and North Okanagan from last month, and according to the people selling the properties, it was the strongest September since 2005. Sales activity statistics from the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board show the Central Okanagan lead the way with a 32 per cent increase...
Park concept dashed with sale of historic Kal Lake estate
VERNON - One of the Okanagan’s top 100 most expensive residential properties—a historical home on the shores of Kalamalka Lake—is in new hands, albeit not the ones its former owner had hoped for. The 2.4-acre estate belonging to the late Margaret Ormsby, featuring 420 feet of waterfront off Coldstream Creek Road, was on the market...

Mount Baldy foreclosed, assets for sale
SOUTH OKANAGAN - Mount Baldy Resort and its assets are up for sale after being slapped with a foreclosure notice. Located east of Oliver and Osoyoos, the resort was closed during the 2013-14 season because of financial difficulties. G-Force Real Estate issued a press release last week that said the resort’s assets including land lots,...
Learn more about the Wiltse Area development plan
PENTICTON - A development plan that has been in the works for several years has been brought back to council, and soon, the public will have a chance to say a word or two. There will be an open house on July 16 at the Penticton Public Library for the Wiltse Area development plan. A...
Demolition likely for old Vernon rectory
VERNON - Buyers were interested in the century-old Anglican church rectory, listed on the market for one dollar, but they couldn’t find a moving company to get it off the property. “That’s been the story for the 2-3 seriously interested parties,” Rev. Chris Harwood-Jones says. “They all fell through for lack of a mover.” Over...
Adventures in Renting: Game of Thrones, crackheads and bearded dragons
WHAT YOU CAN FIND ON THE KAMLOOPS RENTAL MARKET KAMLOOPS - After a recent report suggested more rental apartments are available in Kamloops, we simply wanted to see what an average apartment looks like. But trolling through some online ads showed that money means nothing when it comes to choosing a room mate. By simple math, the...