Local Craft and Produce

If you enjoy local produce, you’ll like the North Saanich Farm Market displaying and selling their produce every Saturday from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm.

You will find locally raised meats, plants, flowers, baked goods, wine and beer, not to mention handmade crafts and occasionally live music. Get your produce fresh while the summer lasts!

Find out more about them on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/North-Saanich-Farm-Market-114647165219152

Victoria Neighbourhoods - Gordon Head and Arbutus

People living in Gordon Head and Arbutus areas of Greater Victoria are very lucky to live in the best of all possible worlds. Beautiful homes and manicured lawns exist side by side with the jaw-dropping natural beauty of wooded areas, hills, beaches and forests. Combine that with excellent restaurants, centres for knowledge and the arts, wonderful entertainment, an ecological reserve, top-quality recreational opportunities, and an array of services make Gordon Head and Arbutus enviable places to put down roots.

There is a cornucopia of things to explore and discover in the Gordon Head and Arbutus areas. Mt. Douglas Park is a local treasure with well-used trails through pristine thickets of trees and local fauna and flora. Arbutus Cove is an idyllic open and naturalistic area with trails to the cove and sandy beaches. Families play at Lambrick Park, a large area with tennis and basketball courts. Budding scientists regularly visit the Ten Mile Point Ecological Reserve.

One of Canada’s top-rated schools, the University of Victoria sits serenely on a verdant and immaculate acreage in Gordon Head. As well as programs for every kind of student, UVic boasts a new world-class sports complex; both a law library and an extensive academic one;  theatres for movies, plays and performances; and an astrophysical observatory. On campus art galleries include the Audain Gallery and The Maltwood Museum and Gallery. The iconic UVic bookstore has a large collection of newly published books by local authors and an eclectic array of gifts.

University Heights Shopping Centre offers many speciality shops and a wide variety of services. For instance, Picture Perfect Gallery will take your favourite photos and digitally print them, frame them, or mount them on pressed wood. Three different fitness facilities will keep your body buffed and trim. Make your escape from reality at Landmark Cinemas.

Exquisite dining experiences are around every corner. Indulge your taste buds at the Thai Lemongrass Restaurant or Little Thai Place. Recreation Centres pepper Gordon Head: Gordon Head Recreation Centre with a leisure and river pools; UVic’ s public facility; and Henderson Recreation Centre. There are plenty of schools in the Gordon Head and Arbutus areas: Gordon Head Middle School, Hillcrest Elementary, Campus View Elementary School, Arbutus Middle School, Mount Douglas Secondary, Marie Montessori Academy, Reynolds Secondary School, and Lambrick Park Secondary.

Maybe it is time to be one of the 'lucky' ones?
PS: I just recently sold this townhouse in Gordon Head!

Victoria Residents Have the Best Average Credit Scores in Canada

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Equifax reports delinquency rates remain low and the average credit scores remain strong, especially for Victoria residents who have the highest average scores at 780 closely followed by Vancouverites at 776.

Credit scores range from 300 to 900 and anything above 750 is considered good credit. Lower scores might mean a borrower needs a co-signer and may have to pay higher interest rates.

Strong credit scores are needed to buy homes in Victoria that are more expensive relative to most of the rest of Canada. Paying bills on-time and avoiding maxing out credit cards help to build up one’s credit score.

Reference: https://bc.ctvnews.ca/residents-in-victoria-and-vancouver-have-highest-credit-scores-in-country-1.4561798

BC’s Robust Economy

Numbers released Thursday by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reflect how B.C.’s robust economy and low unemployment rate may be having a positive impact on resident’s credit scores.

CMHC senior economic analyst Pershing Sun noted that despite increased interest rates, the credit scores of B.C. residents are at an excellent level compared with the national average. Consumers in B.C. tend to be more stable financially and possibly more cautious about their credit activities in general.

Reference: https://www.timescolonist.com/business/mortgage-delinquencies-low-in-greater-victoria-thanks-to-strong-economy-1.23924761

Interested in Lanterns, Boating, Local History or Affordable Housing?

Do you like lanterns? The Salish Sea Lantern Festival is coming up August 24th on the waterfront in Sidney. They need volunteers to help with set up/take down, site coordinator and parade procession assistants, equipment stage crew, face painters and bubble station operators. Shifts are from two to four hours and start at 6 p.m. Contact: Artsea.ca or by email to grants@artsea.ca

If you’re a boating enthusiast, the Maritime Museum’s Classic Boat Festival from August 30th to September 1st needs volunteers to welcome visitors, accept donations and answer visitor questions. Dock volunteers for dock safety, fulfilling ice requests, carrying a VHF radio, ensuring safety of all visitors. Familiarity with VHF radio and/or marine experience preferred. Morning shifts 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Contact: Rhian McKee 250-385-4222 Ext. 105.

Passionate about local history? Do you enjoy gardening in a beautiful setting? Are you a people person and a storyteller? Point Ellice House Museum & Gardens is looking for volunteers. Check out PointElliceHouse.com/Volunteer for details.

Habitat for Humanity Victoria is looking for people who are passionate about affordable housing to join its board of directors. If you have proven expertise in any of the following fields: land development, planning, retail management, risk management, finance/accounting, law, real estate, public relations, social work construction, lending or project management, contact Yolanda Meijer, CEO, ceo@habitatvictoria.com

Victoria Neighourhoods - Central Saanich

Urban and rural mix pleasantly in the pastoral setting of Central Saanich. If you love local produce and 100-mile diets, you will never be disappointed living here. This area is called “The Land of Plenty” for good reason. Farmlands held by generations of Islanders grow a great variety of fresh produce and local markets. Dan’s Farm and Country Market or Michells Farm Market grow and sell pesticide free fruit, vegetables and meat for every season.
If you enjoy unique products and crafts, you’ll find a small farm growing or making it here: Fruits of all kinds, strains of honey, tulips, lavender, and festive crops. In October, Michells’ pumpkin patch creates an orange vista easily seen from Pat Bay highway, and small unique farms like Lazy J Tree Farm grow Christmas trees and craft wreaths.
The selection of cuisine and beverage are unequaled here. Church & State Wines Brentwood, one of Vancouver Island’s largest wineries, serves award-winning wines paired with excellent local ingredients for lunch in their bistro. Trip Advisor rates water-front restaurants such as The Dining Room Restaurant, Blue’s Bayou Café and Sea Horses Café as “three of the best dining experiences with a view”.
Brentwood Bay is a beautiful community to live in, especially if you and your family love outdoor activities and nature. Nestled in the deep waters of Saanich Inlet, the community supports a thriving marina and ferry terminal where you will find services for kayakers, canoeists and small to medium size boaters.
Brentwood Bay is also home to world famous Butchart Gardens and the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. More than 100 years ago, Jennie Butchart began building a garden in an abandoned lime quarry which is celebrated as one of the world’s best floral display gardens in the world. Victoria Butterfly Garden is home to nearly one hundred species of butterflies in a tropical paradise of plants and animals.
Central Saanich hosts a variety of private schools such as Discovery School for kids with disabilities, and Maria Montessori Academy providing a Christian, self-directed learning environment for children. Public Elementary, Middle and Secondary schools are plentiful and can be found on the Saanich School District website: https://www.sd63.bc.ca/about-us/our-schools.
The pastoral settings of Central Saanich is the perfect place to connect with the land and raise a family.

The Number of Home Sales is Rising

The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) says home sales in July rose 12.6 per cent compared with the same month last year. In Victoria, home sales were up 13 per cent year-over-year in July.
It’s too soon to indicate a trend, but that significant uptick in activity reveals there are plenty of buyers are still out there. More have decided to stop waiting after lower prices and reduced mortgage rates increased their home affordability.

Reference: https://www.westerninvestor.com/news/opinion/will-newly-lowered-interest-rates-push-residential-prices-back-up-1.23913134