12/18/2025
Reak Estate is Local
This market punishes guessing. When things stop being obvious, bad advice and hesitation get expensive fast.
I ignore the noise, focus on local data, and pressure-test your options against real numbers instead of headlines.
That leads to clarity. Buy, refinance, or hold, but do it with a structure that actually works and a decision you won’t regret later.
There’s a big gap right now between what the headlines are screaming and what’s actually happening locally, and confusing the two is how people keep misreading this market. Buyers moved and followed affordability, leverage, and reality, and some cities absolutely benefited while others lost their shine.
BC was not a crash. It was a vibe shift.
KELOWNA lost some swagger as inventory built and buyers stopped paying lifestyle premiums without receipts, with prices down 3%–5%, or $30,000–$60,000 on a $1M home.
LAKE COUNTRY softened less at 2%–3%, roughly $20,000–$30,000, catching buyers who still wanted Okanagan energy without Kelowna pricing.
VERNON and COLDSTREAM stayed surprisingly steady at 0% to –2%, meaning $0–$15,000 of movement, because buyers didn’t leave the region, they just moved north.
The FRASER VALLEY made the migration obvious.
LANGLEY stayed desirable but expensive, ending flat to down about 3%, or $30,000–$40,000 on a $1.2M home, as fewer buyers were willing to stretch and suffer.
ABBOTSFORD slipped about 2%, roughly $25,000–$30,000, while buyers looked further east.
CHILLIWACK quietly won, up 2.5%, about $15,000 on a $750K home, because affordability never goes out of style.
This wasn’t a slowdown. It was a sorting. Buyers chased math, not hype, and the cities that still made sense kept getting picked.
CALGARY ran hot early, cooled later, and still finished the year up roughly 8%–10% year over year, which works out to about $45,000–$65,000 on a typical home. Momentum slowed, but migration didn’t, and tight supply kept prices supported.
EDMONTON stayed in its comfort zone, posting 3%–5% gains, roughly $10,000–$20,000, because affordability still works and end-users never left.
RED DEER did what Red Deer does best and stayed mostly unbothered, finishing flat to slightly up at 0%–2%.
This wasn’t a slowdown. It was a sorting. Buyers chased math, not hype, and the cities that still made sense kept getting picked. The headlines missed that part, but the local numbers never did.
