I have sold a property at 2826 Neyland Rd in Nanaimo. See details here
2826 Neyland Road has been loved, cared for and updated beautifully. Old world charm meets modern finishes as you walk through this thoughtfully designed layout, which makes life comfortable for you and your tenants or extended family, in their 2 bedroom authorized suite. With over 4000 square feet across 3 floors, you have lots of room for your future and plenty to be creative in.
Outside you will enjoy the private and peaceful surrounding of trees while entertaining guests from your gazebo or getting your hands full of the earth in the garden beds. Welcome To Your Future, Welcome Home.
Updates and Features: 2020 Newly Installed Heating System (8 Zone Hot Water Radiant Heater $16,000) - 2020 New Doors (Front Door Alone cost $9000) and Centra Installed 53 New Windows Throughout (cost $80,000) - 2020 Natural Gas Fireplaces - 2020 Newly Installed Hot Water On Demand - 2022 New Eavestroughs - Fully Fenced Yard - Metal Roof
It's one of Nanaimo's most loved and visited parks, and I'd never been… until today! The sun was out so I decided to take my first stroll around Westwood Lake Park.
My first experience with Westwood Lake Park was during our home search. We absolutely loved this neighbourhood and found ourselves comparing so many others to it! The homes near the lake are beautiful and what a cool spot to come home to. Westwood Lake Park is located in the South Jinglepot neighbourhood, near Mount Benson. Considering so many Nanaimo residents come here for outdoor activities, I figured it was about time for me to check it out for myself!
The main reason I have yet to explore this area is that it's about a 15-minute drive from my house… my purpose for today was to explore with my dogs which usually for me means a walk to Pioneer Park or to Invermere Beach. Westwood Lake offers an almost 6km loop trail around it, with many others to explore! These trails are on-leash only until you reach the off-leash area if you're with your dog. Today was an absolutely beautiful day and I'm so disappointed I was short on time because I didn't even make it to the off-leash area! it's located on the opposite side of the parking lots, halfway around the trail and I just didn't have time. Regardless, we did enjoy our time walking around.
Many people use the trails here for running which I quickly learned when trying to wrangle my leashed dogs out of the way of passing runners!
Speaking of Runners!
The park has hosted the Westwood Lake Triathlon for coming up on 6 years, with the next one taking place on May 14, 2023. The triathlon begins with a swim on the lake, followed by a cycle around the rural neighbourhoods of Jinglepot, Brennan Lake and Dumont Road. The run to the finish line is through the trails surrounding Westwood Lake!
Family Recreation
I mentioned in my Blog “Things to do in Nanaimo” that Westwood Lake is a popular swim destination in the summer, and I can see why! It's the city's only lifeguard-patrolled Freshwater Beach and is a great spot to hang out for the day, as there are washrooms and change rooms available on location. Their Campground is also open year-round for RV and tent camping, making it the perfect Vancouver Island staycation with the family. Rates are about ~$40 a night to tent, ~$50 a night for an RV and their cabins and cottage range from ~$90 to $170 a night.
Community Events
Westwood Lake hosts so many community activities! One of the more fun ones occurs at Halloween which is the Westwood Lake Witch Paddle! This is hosted by the VIU Student Union and is a free event which began in 2021, where people show up dressed as witches and paddle board around the lake. There are also extra activities like bouncy castles, a food truck and a bonfire to roast marshmallows! They've also set up fun treasure hunts on the trails. They do collect donations for this event but it always is for a good cause!
Fishing on the Lake!
Westwood Lake is a very popular spot for fishermen in Nanaimo. Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. releases catchable-sized rainbow trout in the lake each year. You can also find cutthroat trout and smallmouth bass. One interesting article I found was from 2019, where Anglers actually caught piranhas in the lake!! The belief is that some locals thought it was a good place to release their aquarium fish… which obviously was a not-so-great idea!
On Father's Day every year, the lake hosts a “Family Fishing Day” which coincides with B.C.'s Family Fishing Weekend. This is where the B.C. government waives the requirement for a fishing license for a three-day period.
I have to admit my time spent here today was very minimal. But, the good news is I live here now! And you know what? I think you should too! so if you want to know more about relocating to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, contact me here!
As much as I love living in Nanaimo, no city is perfect. I surveyed the neighbours to find out our top downsides to living in Nanaimo!
I took a spin around my North Nanaimo neighbourhood and asked my community what they disliked about living in Nanaimo.
Where Are All of the Doctors?!
It's nearly impossible to find a doctor in Nanaimo! BC already has a shortage of physicians, but finding one on Vancouver Island, particularly North, can take years. A lot of people have added themselves to waitlists but even then it can take a really long time to be seen by a family doctor. Adding to this frustration, a lot of clinics have even closed their wait lists. Luckily, I was given a heads-up to this and I kept my family doctor on the mainland. I mostly do phone consultations with him and there's also the Telus Health app that a lot of Islanders use. There are only a few walk-in clinics in Nanaimo as well, so when I found myself severely ill, I had to drive up to Parksville to their urgent care. One of my neighbours also mentioned the difficulty of not having a cardiac unit in Nanaimo and having to drive about two hours to Victoria to be seen. Another neighbour mentioned that they received excellent care at the Nanaimo Regional hospital, so I don't want to discourage you completely! Just make sure that if you intend to move to Nanaimo you have a health care plan in place.
Litter Bugs
Even in some of the nicer areas in Nanaimo, it seems impossible to avoid litter. I'm convinced that a lot of this garbage is from people passing through, but I'd love to see more of a community effort to keep our parks and sidewalks clear of garbage. Sadly there's also been an increase in discarded needles. What's more concerning, is one of my neighbours shared with me that they found some of these needles in a school zone. I personally haven't experienced this. I did experience it a little bit in Vancouver, which is to be expected a little bit more in larger cities, I just didn't expect to hear of that happening in Nanaimo.
Lack of Waterfront Dining
In contrast to nearby Parksville and Qualicum, Nanaimo is seriously lacking some good Oceanfront dining! Which is a shame- because it's something that I truly enjoy! I'm not sure if this has to do with maintaining the integrity of our beaches but I'd love to see more options for waterfront patios. If you're from Nanaimo and would like to leave your best patio recommendation please let me know at ritafraserrealty@gmail.com
Stranded on the Island?
I've mentioned this one a few times… but when you live on an island, there's that extra obstacle of having to leave! It's not a total drag and I've covered a lot of the details in some of my previous blog posts. If you'd like to know more about my experience commuting using BC Ferries I'd recommend you check out that blog post next! My Experience Using BC Ferries!
More Hockey!
People in Nanaimo want more Hockey rinks! I actually received this feedback from two separate neighbours! As my family is no longer involved in this sport, I didn't even realize this was an issue!
This feedback came from one of my neighbours who is a women's hockey coach. He expressed difficulty competing with youth to find his player's ice time.
As an aside (just keeping with the winter sports theme) If you’re a skier, you’re still in luck! I researched how many ski mountains there are on Vancouver Island and found three. The most popular one is Mount Washington which is in the Comox Valley. Further up in Port McNeil there's also Mount Cain and in Port Alberni there's Aerosmith Mountain. I wasn't able to find a ton of information on this mountain online, so that's something that you'd want to check out if you're planning to visit.
I try to be as transparent as possible about my relocation to Nanaimo which is why I like discussing things that might help you decide if living in Nanaimo is the best move for you so if there's a topic you'd like for me to cover make sure you let me know!
If you're a first-time Homebuyer in BC, don't be surprised if you feel like you don't know where to begin! You're not alone. From a consumer perspective, the process is still very fresh for me as I moved to Nanaimo myself in 2021. In this blog post, I'll be summarizing the process of home buying and the information I'll be providing is for British Columbia only.
To help, my brokerage McDonald Realty has a very handy infographic laying out the process.
Money Money Money
The first question you might have already asked yourself is “Am I financially ready to own my own home?”. Your realtor will be asking you what your budget is and the best way to know this is to speak with your financial institution and get pre-approved for a mortgage amount. They'll do this by factoring in your income as well as your “Gross Debt Service Ratio”. I'm not a financial specialist and won't be elaborating too much on this process but the CMHC website has a Nifty little calculator which you can use to help get a better idea of where you stand:
Not only will you be looking at getting pre-approved, but you'll have to calculate how much to set aside for a deposit- typically 5% of the purchase price. If you're putting down 20% or more as a deposit you'll need to qualify for a “stress test”. This is the greater of the Bank of Canada's Benchmark rate or your bank's mortgage rate plus 2%. This is because your mortgage will be uninsured and they want to make sure you can cover your monthly payments.
You'll also need to factor in closing costs, which are typically between 2% - 4% of the property value. These closing fees include things like insurance, inspection and appraisals and legal fees. Your mortgage specialist will be able to go through all of this in detail, so make sure you understand the costs involved.
Finding your Realtor!
Now it’s time to find a Real Estate Agent! Lucky for you- I’ve created a handy document on questions to ask your REALTOR® when buying your first home. That's available for free on my website www.ritafraser.com. Finding the right Realtor is a very important step in your home buying Journey. Realtor compensation is typically covered by the seller’s side of the transaction, which is great news for you but it's still important to understand what your Real Estate Agent charges for commission, in case you encounter a home that's being represented by a discount brokerage for example.
Should he decide to work with the realtor you've interviewed, they'll go over certain disclosure documents with you- one of these documents is the brand new Home Buyer Rescission Period which I'll cover a little later!
Do Your Research!
Once it's game on and you found the Real Estate Agent that you like and trust, they'll set you up on whatever MLS search platform they're using. This involves search criteria- preset by you- so that you can have listings sent to you directly to your email inbox. Create a list of homes that match what you're looking for and set up a time with your Real Estate Agent to view them. It's best to have these appointments set up with 24 to 48 hours' notice minimum, as a courtesy. Your agent will give you valuable advice on areas that you'll be viewing and be able to get you any additional property information you’ll need to help you make the most informed decision!
Make An Offer!
So you found the home you love and it's time to make an offer! This part can be scary and exciting all at the same time. Your Real Estate Agent will be there to guide you every step of the way so that you feel like you're putting your best foot forward during the negotiation process. Besides price, other things can be written into your contract as “subjects”- which means should the seller accept your offer, there are additional items that need to be fulfilled before the offer is completed. These can include things like home inspection, appraisal and financing. When writing your contract it's also important for you and your Realtor to go over included and excluded items in the home such as appliances and window coverings.
BC’s new Home Buyer Recission Period
Beginning on January 3rd, 2023, a brand new “Cooling-off” period will come into effect. The Home Buyer Rescission Period is a period of three business days after your offer is accepted for you as the buyer (for residential properties only) to rescind your contract to purchase. This period cannot be waived and bear in mind that should you choose to exercise this right, there is a financial penalty of 0.25% of the purchase price.
There are some key dates that you'll be writing into your contract with your realtor that will become big days in your home-buying journey, once subjects are removed and the purchase of your new home is a go!
Completion Day
The completion date is the day that funds and the title of the home are transferred. This ideally occurs between Tuesday and Thursday so that there's a business day on either end and occurs before you move in. This is also the date that you'll have to have your home insurance begin as well.
Possession and Adjustment Day
Time to book your movers! Possession day - also known as key day! Typically, possession day occurs a few days after the completion date, in case something happens during the transfer of funds. Usually, the same day as the possession is also the adjustment date. This is the day that adjusts for prepaid financial payments, such as taxes (which cover the entire year) or strata monthly fees.
I've left some more helpful tips in my blog “Moving to Vancouver Island BC Checklist” which you should definitely read next!t I hope this has helped you figure out some of what you'll encounter when purchasing your first home!
We've all heard the “Doom and Gloom” stories about how much it rains in Vancouver, but is the Nanaimo BC weather just as bad?
Vancouver Island certainly is beautiful, but how does Nanaimo weather factor into this? If you already live in Canada, you're used to all that comes with four full seasonal changes. Cold winters, mild springs, hot summers and brisk falls. But on Vancouver Island there are some slight nuances to each of these seasons that I personally really enjoy! (And speaking of Canada, we use Celsius instead of Fahrenheit to measure temperatures)
So let's start with why you all came here in the first place: to find out which month is the rainiest in Nanaimo? Well, the answer to that question is not surprising, it's November! In comparison to the mainland though, you won't see quite as many rainy days here on Vancouver Island. We average about 14 wet days here in Nanaimo, so compare that to North Vancouver with a whopping 19(!!) rainy days and your mental health alone will notice a huge boost! In my experience, we also don't see the same amount of torrential downpours at the same consistent rate, with many more sunny breaks throughout the day.
With the exception of an early November snow dump this year, we usually don't get hit with the white stuff until just before Christmas. I've had two winter seasons here in Nanaimo, both with huge amounts of snow… which I hear is very unusual Nanaimo weather! The snow doesn't usually stick around though, which is good because the streets aren't as regularly plowed here making it tricky to navigate through the city if there is snow on the ground! Temperatures hang out just below 10 degrees Celsius this time of year and rarely dip below 1.
Now on to my favourite time of year, Springtime: March until May. The days start to feel noticeably longer and the rain subsides… but just a bit! You'll see about a third of the month through cloudy skies but given that Vancouver, and especially North Vancouver, still has about half of the month with rain, there's definitely light at the end of the tunnel! You'll be spending more and more time outside with temperatures climbing back up from about 10 degrees into the warmer mid-teens during the day. Come late April and May and you'll definitely be seeing more and more people joining you at the beach!
Summertime in Nanaimo: there's nothing like it! We moved here during the extremely hot BC summer of 2021. Lucky for us, we chose to move to a beautiful oceanside city which made the heat that much more bearable, as trips to the beach were an almost everyday occurrence. This summer was definitely super odd as we didn't start to get warmer weather until about mid-July. I'd say I have yet to see a “typical” Nanaimo summer season. During the months of June till September, you'll see less than a week of rain, if that, and have beautiful warm temperatures in the mid-20s. One interesting fact is there's less rain here this time of year than in my hometown of Halifax Nova Scotia!
Besides spring being my favourite season weather-wise the month of October is my favourite simply due to how beautiful the fall changeover is. We had what was called “Hot-umn” this October, with high 20-degree weather days… which again is not usual Nanaimo weather! Typically, October is that really nice transitional month between Summer and the rainy season with temperatures still in the mid-teens during the day. We've had two Halloweens here so far with clear skies!
My 3 Tips for Making it Through the Rainy Season
Rain Gear
This goes without saying but rain gear will be your best friend through the winter season! A good rain jacket that's actually water-repellent is a must-have! You won't need to have anything too insulated in my opinion, but something you can layer underneath is definitely helpful. Have a good pair of rain boots and more than a couple of umbrellas stashed in a few different places!
Prep Your Home!
Prep for the rain wind and snow by clearing your drainage pipes and gutters and have trees trimmed before the rain starts. Dried-out tree limbs from the hot summer can break easily once they become saturated by water, potentially causing damage to your home. Homes with flat roofs are especially vulnerable to water damage (I speak from experience). Look for anywhere you could have a water breach and protect against leaks.
Positive Mindset!
Do what it takes to stay positive! If you work from home, switch up your environment and go check out a local cafe to work from instead! Make plans to meet with friends or have friends over and cozy up next to the fire with some wine and cheese. Whatever it takes to stay connected! Also find reasons to get out of the house, which will do wonders for your mindset! In my opinion, this is a huge benefit to being a dog owner <3
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