Known for fresh-water lakes, stunning mountain landscapes, and vibrant communities, the Okanagan Valley is a wonderful place to call home in British Columbia.

Boasting hot summers, mild winters, and picturesque vineyards, it's no wonder that the Okanagan Valley is a sought-after destination for vacation-goers and those seeking a high quality of life.

From bustling urban centers with strong economies like Kelowna & Vernon to quaint lakeside towns like Peachland & Summerland, this blog shows you the 8 best places to live in the Okanagan Valley.


The waterfront promenade and Tugboat beach in Kelowna, BC

Kelowna

Kelowna, BC is a vibrant city nestled in the heart of the Okanagan Valley, boasting a population of over 160,000 residents. As the largest city in the Okanagan, Kelowna boasts strong…

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Here’s what to know about the most popular and effective ways to come up with a down payment on your first home—or your dream home.

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Many folks have a misguided notion of what’s required of them for a down payment, so I’m going to share some options that exist for homebuyers.

The high ratio program does not change the requirement of down payment over 500 entirely, the down payment is stepped. Ie: 5% on the first 500k and 10% on the remainder.

Another option is the government's homebuyer plan, which allows you to tap into any Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) contributions you’ve made over the years—up to $35,000 tax-free. You’d then have the next 15 years to put that money…

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I’m discussing why selling your home in the winter can be a great idea, and waiting for the spring market may not be in your best interest.

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Many people think that the real estate market is dead in the wintertime. The spring and summer months are notoriously busier so people naturally think those are better times to sell their homes. In reality, that's a misconception about how the market truly works.

It has been statistically shown that some properties will sell for a higher price per square foot in January and February. There’s a definitive reason for that: The people who are shopping for homes during the winter are very motivated. These are people who need to move here, they have a…

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I'm sharing what I think the real estate market will do in 2020.

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Here we are at the start of a new decade, 2020! Today I’m going to share some market intel, and then make some market predictions for this new year. In my opinion, this year’s market looks reasonably good.

Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure:

0:00: Introduction to today’s topic

0:30: Comparing 2018 and 2019 total sales

1:05: 2019 inventory

1:50: The Rein growth arrow

2:55: What the headlines have been saying about the market

3:40: My eight…

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Today I’m sharing how you can improve yourself in the coming decade and how you can help us give to families in need this holiday season.

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Can you believe this will be our last blog of the decade? I was looking back at 2009 and thinking about where I was in my life, business, and relationships, and thinking about how far we’ve come. Have you reflected on how far you’ve come in the past 10 years? They say that people will often overestimate what they can do in a year but will almost always underestimate what they can do in a decade.

If you adopt what’s called a Kaizen approach, which is slow, incremental improvement over time, you can better your situation whether it’s income, net worth,…

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What is an iBuyer and how can Canadians take advantage? Find out here.

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Today we’re going to discuss something you’re going to hear much more about in the coming years: iBuyers. What’s an iBuyer? The “i” stands for institution. iBuyers are institutional buyers that are popping up in the U.S. like Opendoor, Offerpad, and now Zillow Offers. These are publicly traded, Wall Street-backed companies with billions of dollars that are looking to provide a new option to home sellers and hopefully grab market share.

As you can see by the graph at 0:35 in the video above, their growth in the marketplace has been exponential. In 2019, pardon the pun, the numbers have been off the charts! Big…

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The Purchase Plus Improvements Program could help you make improvements to your new home.

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Today I’m discussing a program that I love and one that many people don’t know much about. It’s called the Purchase Plus Improvements Program. It’s offered through CMHC, the government insurance company that insures high ratio mortgages. This is a tremendous product for people who have saved up for a down payment for a home, but if you’ve just drawn your down payment together, that doesn’t leave you with much room to improve the home once you own it. This program especially works for this particular type of buyer.

One thing we regularly find when working with buyers, especially those working with a…

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Here’s what you need to know about the government’s new first-time homebuyer incentive program.

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What do you need to know about the government’s new first-time homebuyer incentive program? Is it something you should take advantage of?

Before I answer that question, I first want to say that I think it’s wonderful that our government is trying to stimulate the first-time homebuyer’s market. This market is critical to the health of our market overall because it’s the start of an important domino effect—entry-level homes need to sell so everything else can sell.

However, in order to qualify for this incentive program, you have to fall within certain parameters.

First, you must be a…

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What kind of market are we in right now? Allow me to explain today by sharing an update on current happenings, as well as a few common terms that will help you better understand what’s going on.

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Have you ever heard a real estate agent use the phrase “absorption rate”? What about the terms “buyer’s market” or “seller’s market”? And if you have, do you know what kind of market we’re in?

Parsing out the meaning behind real estate jargon can be difficult for those who don’t work in this industry, so allow me to give you a quick lesson on these terms and phrases today, followed by an update on what kind of market we’re facing at a local level. Knowing what each of these things mean will make…

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how to hire a real estate lawyer

It doesn't matter if you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned property investor, home ownership can be one of your biggest assets in life or the biggest liability. Handling transactions of this magnitude should involve the professional counsel of a lawyer who will make sure your rights are protected, and help you understand all of the legal jargon and paperwork that's involved in the homebuying process.

Here are some easy tips to ensure that you find the best lawyer for your Kelowna real estate transaction.

Do You Need A Real Estate Lawyer/Notary Public to Process Your Home Purchase?

Before we dive into listing what you need to look for when hiring a lawyer or notary public, let's review the reasons why you should hire a professional to…

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