Each year the Victoria Real Estate Board tracks where buyers are currently living at the time they purchase a home. The 2025 numbers are in — and they tell an interesting story about how our market is evolving.

The Big Picture

In 2025, 91% of all buyers were already living in British Columbia. Only 7% came from elsewhere in Canada, and just under 2% came from outside the country.

What stands out most is that local buyers are driving the market more than ever before — especially here in Greater Victoria.

Buyers Living in BC – 2025

Out of 6,592 total buyers last year:

• Greater Victoria: 5,008 buyers (75.97%)

• Lower Mainland: 491 buyers (7.45%)

• Southern Gulf Islands: 153 buyers (2.32%)

• Malahat & Area: 131 buyers (1.99%)

• Elsewhere in BC: 200 buyers (3.03%)

• North Island: 34 buyers (0.52%)

That means three out of every four buyers in our market already live right here in Greater Victoria.

Buyers From Elsewhere in Canada – 2025

Out-of-province buyers still play a meaningful role, especially for lifestyle and relocation purchases.

• Alberta: 207 buyers (3.14%)

• Ontario & Quebec: 177 buyers (2.69%)

• Saskatchewan: 25 buyers (0.38%)

• Manitoba: 25 buyers (0.38%)

• Atlantic Canada: 21 buyers (0.32%)

• Canadian North: 11 buyers (0.17%)

Together, buyers from outside BC represented 7.07% of all purchases in 2025.

Buyers From Outside Canada – 2025

International buyers are still a small part of the market, but they are growing again.

• United States: 92 buyers (1.40%)

• Europe: 9 buyers (0.14%)

• Asia: 1 buyer (0.02%)

• Other countries: 7 buyers (0.11%)

Total international buyers accounted for 1.65% of all purchases, nearly double last year’s share.

How This Compares to 2024

• Greater Victoria buyers increased from 73.07% to 75.97%.

• Lower Mainland buyers declined from 9.10% to 7.45%.

• International buyers rose from 0.94% to 1.65%.

In simple terms, the 2025 market became more locally driven, while long-distance Canadian demand softened slightly and overseas interest began to return.

What This Means for Sellers

If you’re selling in 2026, your most likely buyer based on last years’ info is not coming from Vancouver, Calgary, or Toronto — they’re already living here in Greater Victoria. Pricing, marketing, and presentation need to speak first to local move-up buyers, with lifestyle storytelling layered in for Alberta, Ontario, and U.S. interest.

Understanding who your buyer really is makes all the difference in how your home is positioned — and ultimately, how successfully it sells.

NOTE:  This information is based on data supplied by member REALTORS® who reported the unconditional sales of their listings during the reporting period. The answers supplied respond to the question: ‘Where is the buyer currently residing?’. This data cannot be used to deduce the nationality of the buyer.

I specialize in helping homeowners in Langford, Colwood and the Westshore understand how local price trends, inventory levels and buyer demand affect their property value — not just what’s happening across Greater Victoria.

If you’d like a neighbourhood-specific breakdown for your home or condo, feel free to reach out.

Cheryl Barnes
Westshore Real Estate Specialist
Macdonald Realty
📞 250-413-7943

Assessment notices for 2026 are out now — based on property values as of July 1, 2025. You should receive yours in the mail or online soon.

These assessments help your municipality calculate property taxes, and they give you a snapshot of how your home’s value compared to last year.

📅 Important: If you think your assessed value isn’t right, you have until January 31 to file a review with BC Assessment.

Curious how your number compares to others in your area? I can help break it down — just send me a message!

I specialize in helping homeowners in Langford, Colwood and the Westshore understand how local price trends, inventory levels and buyer demand affect their property value — not just what’s happening across Greater Victoria.

If you’d like a neighbourhood-specific breakdown for your home or condo, feel free to reach out.

Cheryl Barnes
Westshore Real Estate Specialist
Macdonald Realty
📞 250-413-7943

Yesterday I wrote about that quiet stretch of time where one chapter hasn’t quite ended and the next hasn’t fully begun. Today I’m still sitting with it — intentionally.

For the first time in a long time, I’ve chosen to feel the pause instead of rushing past it. No filling the space with noise. No forcing momentum. Just letting myself be in the in-between, even when it feels unfamiliar.

Lately, that pause has been filled with a kind of longing I didn’t expect. I find myself missing the old days — when my children were little, when life felt slower and louder all at once. I catch myself wishing I could go back for just a moment, to be in one of those quiet, sacred places that once held our small everyday magic.

The in-between doesn’t come with fireworks or fanfare. It feels like standing in a hallway with the lights dimmed, knowing you’re meant to walk through one of the doors, but not being sure which one yet. It can feel unproductive, even uncomfortable — like you should already have it figured out.

But this is where the real recalibration happens.

When you’re no longer chasing the old thing, but not yet committed to the new one, you finally get quiet enough to hear yourself again. You notice what feels heavy. What you’re done tolerating. What you’re ready to protect. The in-between is where your standards start to sharpen.

It’s where you stop asking, What do I want to do next? and start asking,
Who do I want to be when I get there?

There’s no checklist for this season. No timeline you can rush. It isn’t about forcing clarity — it’s about allowing it.

So if today feels slow, uncertain, or softly nostalgic, maybe that’s not a problem to fix. Maybe it’s the invitation. The pause before momentum. The breath before the shift.

I’m choosing to stay here just a little longer —
holding the memories gently, and trusting the next chapter is already forming.

There’s a strange, gentle feeling that settles in after the holidays.

The decorations are still up, the calendar hasn’t turned, and yet something has clearly ended. The rush is gone. The expectations have loosened their grip. The world feels quieter — not empty, just resting.

This is the in-between.

It isn’t the celebration.
It isn’t the resolution.
It’s the pause most of us rush past.

But this space between endings and beginnings is where the real work happens.

It’s where we notice what the year actually left behind — the lessons we didn’t recognize at the time, the strength that only became visible in hindsight, the relationships that deepened without ceremony.

The in-between doesn’t demand anything from us. It doesn’t ask for goals or declarations. It simply asks us to be present long enough to feel the shift.

Before the noise of the new year arrives, before the lists and promises begin, there’s this small, generous moment where nothing is required.

Just breath.
Just awareness.
Just gratitude for what carried us here.

I think we need this space more than we realize.

Because beginnings don’t start with momentum.

They start with stillness.

Some of the most meaningful calls I receive are from homeowners who have been on the market for months — sometimes six or more — without success. They’re frustrated, discouraged, and simply looking for honest guidance.

What I’m most grateful for isn’t just that they reach out — it’s that they listen.

Recently, one of those calls came from a business acquaintance whose home had been sitting on the market far longer than expected. From the very first conversation, they were open, receptive, and willing to have honest discussions about strategy, presentation, and price. They asked thoughtful questions, valued my experience, and trusted the process we put in place together.

That level of trust made it one of the best professional experiences I’ve had this year.

When clients are willing to collaborate, align on a clear plan, and make informed decisions based on today’s market — not yesterday’s — everything changes. Momentum returns, stress fades, and the path forward becomes clear.

I never take that trust for granted.

To the clients who are open to guidance, who value experience, and who allow me to do the work I do best — thank you. It’s a privilege to work with you.

(Yes — It’s Time to Get Your Sht Together)*

Let’s skip the excuses.

If your home isn’t selling, it’s not the market.
It’s not interest rates, the season, or bad luck.

It’s the price.

Homes are selling every day. The ones that don’t? They’re priced where buyers don’t see value. And today’s buyers are informed — they know what sold, what didn’t, and what’s overpriced the moment they see it.

Pricing is not about:

• What you need to get

• What you put into renovations

• What your neighbor sold for at the peak

The market doesn’t care. Buyers compare your home to every other option and decide in seconds whether it’s worth their time.

Overpricing doesn’t protect you — it hurts you.
It leads to fewer showings, longer days on market, and weaker offers once reductions finally happen. Momentum is lost, and buyers start asking what’s wrong with the house.

Selling successfully requires clarity, not hope.

That means accepting today’s market, pricing strategically from the start, and understanding that buyers — not sellers — determine value.

So if your home isn’t selling, don’t blame the market.

Fix the price.
Get focused.
And get your sh*t together.

Because buyers already have.

I specialize in helping homeowners in Langford, Colwood and the Westshore understand how local price trends, inventory levels and buyer demand affect their property value — not just what’s happening across Greater Victoria.

If you’d like a neighbourhood-specific breakdown for your home or condo, feel free to reach out.

Cheryl Barnes
Westshore Real Estate Specialist
Macdonald Realty
📞 250-413-7943