Canada, a land of great natural beauty and beautiful, warm, welcoming people. On Canada Day, reach out to all your friends, family members and acquaintances and wish them a day filled with fun and laughter. Say Vive Le Canada!

Did you know that the name Canada derives from an Iroquoian word for "village," kanata, that French explorers heard used to refer to the area near present-day Quebec City. Today, Canada comprises ten provinces and three territories.
Wishing you and yours a very happy Canada Day!  Celebrate on July 1st.

I just sold this Condo at 608 751 Fairfield Road, Downtown Victoria, BC .

View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales.  Astoria was built by Concert Properties from Vancouver in 2006.  Award Winning Builders.  This high rise is twenty floors high with mixed use of Commercial and Residential.  High Security Building with Resident Caretaker - Mr. Gilles Brouard.

OAK BAY REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

In the popular Oak Bay area of Victoria, you will see the activity in the different map areas starting with South Oak Bay;

South Oak Bay has 47 listings total.  Thirty of the 47 are single family dwellings starting at $575,000 up to $11,500,000.
Gonzales area has seven listings all being 'homes' starting at $728,000. - $5,500,000.
North Oak Bay has ten listings, 9 being single family dwellings.  Homes starting at $499,900. - 1.395,000.
Estevan area has seven current listings with four of them being 'homes' starting at $649,000.
Henderson has twelve listings starting at $459,000. - $995,000.
Uplands has fifteen listings starting at $1,250,000. - $4,400,000. The Uplands is Oak Bay's exclusive subdivision where homes are set well back from the street with manicured lawns and underground electrical.  Click to view a current Uplands listing and learn the location and size of this home.
 

Oak Bay Sales By Price Range For May 2010

Notice the price range between $1,500,000. - $1,749,000. This was an active range for 'over' the Million mark.  $750,000. - $800,000 was also a active price range.  No homes sold between $900,000. - $950,000. in Oak Bay during May.  The graph will also show you the activity by price range in the Victoria real estate market as well.  If you have any questions just call me direct at 250.744.4556.

I hope this helps give you an idea of the Activity in Oak Bay since the start of the year.  Stay tuned for more updates on the listings and sales in the Oak Bay Real Estate Market.  If you would like to read about the Victoria Market please read the current update. 
Thinking of buying or selling in the Oak Bay/Fairfield area - have a question or need help please let me know.  I have been a licensed REALTOR® since 1990, raised in Oak Bay and currently live in Fairfield. This year I was presented with the LIFETIME AWARD OF EXCELLENCE at our BC Royal LePage function held in Vancouver this May at the Pan Pacific Hotel.  The LIFETIME AWARD is given to Royal LePage REALTORS® attaing a Presiden'ts Gold Award (top 6-10 percentile or any higher award level) ten out of fourteen consecutive years with Royal LePage.  Please stay tuned for more updates... and that's Oak Bay!

Follow Brenda on Twitter at http://twitter.com/brussell6

I just sold this Condo at 3 1132 Mason Street, Victoria, BC .

View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales.  In April there were 78 Condo sales in the Victoria map area which consists of Downtown, Fernwood, Fairfield, James Bay, Rockland, Central Park, Hillside, Vic West and 302 sales since January.  Ten sales in April between $275,000. - $300,000. price range for example. 

If you are relocating or have any questions regarding Real Estate in Victoria, BC please call me direct at 250.744.4556.  Please stay tuned for more updates.

Royal LePage National Garage Sale for Women's Shelter - Raised over $300,000 Across Canada!

This was the biggest fundraiser in the history of the Shelter Foundation and the biggest charity garage sale ever in Canada. In 2009 we were thrilled to raise $120,000 at our first National Garage Sale for Shelter.  This year, because of the effort and the generosity of Royal LePagers from coast to coast, we shattered that record to raise more than 2 ½ times last year's total to put towards helping abused women and children across Canada.

Because of you, families lives will be forever changed. 

Because of you, children will be able to sleep through the night and women will be safe.

An extra special thank you goes out to our extraordinary sponsors - Atlas Van Lines Canada, TD Canada Trust Mobile Mortgage Specialists and Advance Commission Company of Canada.  Their generous support and unparalleled commitment to our cause and Royal Lepage is incredible. 

Every dollar raised by the National Garage Sale for Shelter support local women's shelters, as well as national and provincial progarms to help stop the cycle of violence. All proceeds from the garage sales go directly to the cause because Royal LePage underwrites 100 per cent of the adminstration costs.

The National Garage Sale for Shelter helps restore hope to more than 30,000. women and children across Canada. Half of Canadian women will experience abuse in their lifetime and 360,000. children are exposed to domestic violence each year.  Watch this short video to hear some real life experiences of how this is making a difference.

Since 1999, The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation has donated more than $10 million to support women's shelters, violence prevention and education programs across Canada.  Royal LePage is the only Canadian real estate company with its own charity, empowers its sales representatives making a tangible difference on both local and national levels.  Here's how it works:  In every transaction I am involved in a portion of my fees are donated to The Womens Shelter for Victoria.  It's that simple and is obviously very effective. 

Let's face it,  we live in times that are complex and often can be very harsh.  I think all of us know someone, or have ourselves been involved in an abusive relationship at some point in our lives, whether it is someone taking your money from you, throwing furniture across the room while you are holding your baby on your hip or more slowly and insidiously taking control of your life by isolating you from your family and friends. Maybe it is all of those things.  Maybe it is being humiliated in front of your child by your boyfriend or spouse. Maybe it is rape or some other form of violence then escalating to murder.  Abuse comes in many forms.

No one should have to live with abuse - ever.  It takes an incredible amount of courage to step away and stay away from the abuser.  It can be done and must be done.  From that moment you are a different women and are changed forever. 

Thank you to all of you that brought items for the garage sale last weekend and those of you who purchased items from the garage sale.  Everything is helpful.  By helping others we are actually the ones getting the gift.  I know the Shelter feels that they are receiving the gift but I feel I am getting the gift.

If you have any questions about the Womens Shelter or Victoria Real Estate please call me to discuss.  I am an experienced award winning REALTOR® licenced since 1990.  I look forward to hearing from you and until then please stay tuned for more updates or you can follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/brussell6 and know that together we can make a difference.

     

I just sold this Condominium at 303 3010 Washington Avenue, Victoria, BC .

View this recently sold Condominium or see all my home sales.

I just finished uploading this ocean view Condo for sale, 503 2605 Windsor Road, Oak Bay, Victoria, BC

South Oak Bay ocean view penthouse condo for sale after 30 plus years. Shhhhhhhhh... The Best Kept Secret In Town.  Hidden atop an unassuming, slightly older but well kept, quite building across from Windsor Park in Oak Bay, is this rare find: A 2600 sq. ft. Penthouse Suite with balconies looking out over the Park on one side and the Marina and Bay on the other.  One of only two penthouses. First time on the market after a lifetime of being well cared for, this home is such an ideal combination of being a private palace sitting on top and indeed wrapped in the conservative good taste of the building. Add to that the convenience and prestige of living 30 seconds away from Beach Drive in Oak Bay. The outside of this concrete building is currently being painted and will be completed in June 2010.

Oak Bay Marina and Restaurant is within walking distance and bus transportation is across the street which can take you to the Oak Bay Village 'the Avenue', downtown or to the University of Victoria (UVIC). The strata fee of $616.00 is based on square footage and includes the Hot Water, Garbage Pickup, Gardener, and Building Insurance. 

Below is a map showing (A) - 2605 Windsor Road Penthouse for Sale, (B) - Oak Bay Marina and Restaurant located at 1327 Beach Drive and (C) - Victoria Golf Club located at 1110 Beach Drive.

View Larger Map
If you have any questions about the Oak Bay area or Victoria Real Estate please call me direct at 250.744.4556 and stay tuned for more real estate updates.  Twitter Brenda at http://twitter.com/brussell6

ROYAL LEPAGE COAST CAPITAL REALTY And ATLAS VAN LINES, Huge Garage Sale May 15, 2010 Victoria BC

Proudly Announces the National Garage Sale for Shelter and all this will be happening May 15, 2010 at #137-2924 Jacklin Road in Langford.

In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, three women in our country will be assaulted by an intimate partner and each and every year, 360,000 children witness domestic violence.  The Royal LePage Shelter Foundation is making a difference in changing those statistics as Canada's largest Foundation dedicated exclusively to funding women's shelters and violence prevention programs.  As the only company with our own charity we've raised more than $10 million to help 30,000 women and children at 150 shelters each year.  This contribution has been supplemented by many individual acts of kindness from Royal Le Page offices and individual sales representatives.  Because all of the administrative costs are covered by Royal LePage 100% of your support goes directly to the cause.  Together we are changing lives and restoring hope and safety to families in every province.

I just sold this downtown Victoria Condo at 501 732 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC .  The SOMA is located across the street from the Greater Victoria Public Library and above the Ministry of Attorney General Government offices.

View this recently sold Condo or see all my home sales. 

If there is anything I can help you with, please call me direct at 250.744.4556. Licenced since 1990 and am a professional award winning REALTOR®.  Stay tuned for more updates.

 

I just sold this House at 165 Beach Drive, Oak Bay, Victoria, BC .

View this recently sold House in South Oak Bay or see all my home sales.

Market Update for the first quarter:

Victoria real estate professionals were busy this first quarter as market demand pushed Victoria homes sales up from the previous year.  The first quarter average home prices were up a robust 16 percent from the same period in 2009, reaching a first quarter average selling price of $633,150. (in Victoria not Oak Bay) "There has also been a significant volume of sales in the first quarter, with over 1,800 property transactions taking place, which is a significant increase over the 1,252 properties sold during the same period last year," notes Carol Guertz, president of Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty.  There were 954 single-family homes, 499 condominiums and 215 townhomes sold this first quarter.  In the last two weeks REALTORS® have noticed a shift in the market.  A large listing inventory now and an increase in mortgage rates have slowed the pace down and we are now seeing alot of price adjustments in this second quarter.

If you would like to talk with an experienced REALTOR® please call my direct line at 250.744.4556 in confidence or twitter at http://twitter.com/brussell6.  I look forward to hearing from you and stay tuned for more updates!

Below is a view of the Oak Bay Marina along Beach Drive...

I just finished uploading this Oak Bay House for sale, 1530 York Place, Victoria, BC

Victoria's Oak Bay Location - The perfect Executive home and then some. You've done well in your life and now it is time to live like it. Find this home at the top of a rise on an easy care lot where lawns are replaced by rock and shrubbery gardens which combine with decks and patios to offer numerous meditation rests and views galore. Offered for sale for the first time by the original owners. This home has no half measures anywhere in its design, construction, maintenance or decor. Traditional in taste and quality but contemporary in the state of the art details and fixtures and systems. Pamela Charlesworth, the Architect, who herself resided in Oak Bay, was especially sensitive to the unique requirements necessary to make a new house fit into the ambiance of the area. David Chapman, the Builder, is an expert at building on rock and dealing with unique lots. Together, in 1996 they were commissioned to build this custom home situated at the end of a private cul-de-sac. In 2008, under the supervision of Interior Consultant, Dianne Kettner, the owners did a substantial update. The list of details is extensive and impressive and much too long to be fully included here but to whet your appetite here are a few examples: A marble entrance and fireplace surrounds. Beech hardwood floors on the main level. Berber upstairs. Extensive mill work and built-in's throughout. Wired for surround sound in the living and family rooms. Wainscot panels throughout. Every bedroom has its own updated bathroom (Clivia sink, glass sink and Trough sink with Hansgrohe faucets). Three gas fireplaces, one being in the master bedroom that is operated by remote control and is double sided into the gorgeous ensuite that flows into the dressing room. Notice the Coffer ceiling, cherry wood cabinets and Absolute Black Granite counter tops (10 yr.+ sealant applied) in the kitchen. All appliances remain including the DCS professional 30", 4 burner gas range with convection oven and warming shelf. Take a stroll through Oak Bay Village or walk to the Marina. Play tennis at Windsor Park or watch the waves along the beach. This is one of Oak Bay's most sought after addresses and a very rare offering.

The Greater Victoria Public Library - Oak Bay Branch

 Less Than A Five Minute Walk From This House For Sale

I just finished uploading this Condominium for sale, 504 732 Broughton Street, Victoria, BC

SoMA Condominiums is a six storey structure of concrete, glass and steel and is located across from the Greater Victoria Public Library on Broughton Street in downtown Victoria. Offering 10 suites on the top three floors. Commercial space being occupied on the lower three levels, currently leased to the Ministry of Attorney General office. Part of a very limited collection of suites, they are thoughtfully laid out living space that flows seamlessly onto an outdoor terrace taking full advantage of the urban views and south exposure. This two bedroom layout features two bathrooms, in floor radiant heating, Stainless appliance package, Quartz island and insuite laundry. Covered Parking, bike storage and storage locker are available. Walk to the Inner Harbour, Victoria's shopping, restaurants like VISTA 18, Pagliacci's, Japaneese Village. Enjoy the Opera, Theatre, Movies, IMAX and Churches. Workout at the YMCA/YWCA, run through Beacon Hill Park and along the ocean. This list is endless...enjoy and experience the best of Downtown living in Victoria!