Sandra Govender Real Estate
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Helping you find your perfect home in the Capital city. Both organizations are helping people find homes.
I've created this page so that I can update everyone on my work in Real Estate and my involvement with the Victoria Cool Aid Society. As a Realtor®, I'm able to help make the transition into a new home seamless and stress free for my clients. As a Board Director with the VCAS, I am able to give back a little to the community and assist this amazing organization as they help house those who need it the most.
A quick snapshot of where things stand across Canada at the midpoint of 2026:
📊 The national benchmark price held flat month-over-month — the first time it hasn't dropped since early 2025
🏠 Inventory sits around 4.8 months, close to a balanced market
📈 Sales picked up for a third straight month as a late spring finally arrived
One thing to keep in mind: these are national averages, and real estate has never been more local. A condo and a detached home in the same city can be in completely different phases of this market.
The national numbers set the backdrop. What actually matters is what's happening in your neighbourhood. Want a read on your specific area? Reach out anytime.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/2026-mid-year-market-check-in-what-the-first-half-of-the-year-tells-us-about-your-next-move/
08/11/2026
The Bank of Canada held its policy rate again in July — and for anyone watching the market, "steady" is genuinely useful news. 🏡
For four years, the rate was the hardest part of any home decision to plan around. A hold, whatever the level, means the ground under your budget isn't shifting month to month. You can run real numbers and trust they'll still be real next month.
That kind of stability won't make headlines, but it's exactly what makes a confident decision possible — whether you're buying, selling, or just weighing your options.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/2026-mid-year-market-check-in-what-the-first-half-of-the-year-tells-us-about-your-next-move/
08/06/2026
If you've been waiting to buy until prices "hit bottom," here's something worth knowing: the falling may already have stopped. 🏡
For most of the past year and a half, prices were sliding, and a lot of buyers sat on the sidelines waiting for the bottom. But prices have started to level off in most of the markets where they'd been dropping. When the floor stops moving, waiting stops paying off.
It doesn't mean you have the upper hand everywhere, and affordability still takes discipline. But with conditions more balanced, you can make a move based on your life instead of trying to time the market perfectly.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/2026-mid-year-market-check-in-what-the-first-half-of-the-year-tells-us-about-your-next-move/
08/04/2026
For two years, most of us watched the market braced for one of two things: a deeper slide, or a rate-cut-fuelled boom. Buyers waited for prices to fall further. Sellers waited for the highs to come back. 🏡
Neither happened. Instead, the market started to settle — prices levelling out after a soft stretch, and activity picking up as a delayed spring finally arrived.
Whether you're buying, selling, renewing, or just watching, the second half of the year finally looks like something you can plan around.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/2026-mid-year-market-check-in-what-the-first-half-of-the-year-tells-us-about-your-next-move/
07/30/2026
Trying to make sense of the housing market this summer? Watch these three numbers. 📊
1. Rates — the best 5-year fixed is sitting near 4%, with the Bank of Canada expected to hold steady through 2026.
2. Inventory — about 5.2 months of supply nationally, right around the long-term average and squarely in balanced territory. More choice, less pressure.
3. Prices — CREA expects the national average to rise only about 1.5% this year, so you're not chasing a runaway market.
Put together, it's a calmer, more balanced market than the past few years — which tends to favour prepared buyers who know their budget.
Call/text/email us at (250) 888-3488 or [email protected] if you have questions
If you're hoping to be settled before the new school year, summer is your window — and the calendar moves faster than most families expect. 📦
A rough timeline that keeps things low-stress:
- Now–early summer: Get pre-approved and start touring. Knowing your budget first makes every other step easier.
- Mid-summer: Have your offer in and conditions cleared. From firm deals to closing often runs a few weeks to a month, so this is the sweet spot for an August move.
- Late summer: Closing, movers, utilities, and address changes — with a little breathing room before the first day of school.
The families who start early get the most choice and the least stress. Leaving it to the last minute usually means rushing the biggest decision of the year.
Call/text/email us at (250) 888-3488 or [email protected] if you have questions.
07/23/2026
Summer edition 🏊 Would you rather…
🅰️ A home WITH a pool — instant staycation, great for entertaining, but more maintenance, insurance, and cost (and a shorter swim season up here).
🅱️ A home WITHOUT a pool — lower upkeep, more usable yard, and budget freed up for other priorities.
There's no wrong answer — it comes down to how you'd actually live in the space. A pool is a dream for one family and a deal-breaker for another (and it doesn't always add the resale value people expect).
Drop your pick — 🅰️ or 🅱️ — and tell us why 👇
Let us know in the comments.
When the temperature climbs, so do your utility bills — but a few small moves now can keep your home comfortable and your costs down all summer. ☀️
A handful of things make the biggest difference:
- Change your A/C filter and book a quick tune-up — a clean system runs cheaper and lasts longer.
- Run ceiling fans counter-clockwise so you can nudge the thermostat up a couple of degrees without noticing.
- Seal the easy leaks — weatherstrip doors and add a door sweep so you're not cooling the outdoors.
- Close blinds on the sunny side during the day; it's a free way to cut the heat load.
None of these take much time or money, but together they can save a real amount off your summer bills — and they keep big systems like your air conditioning healthier for the long run.
Call/text/email us at (250) 888-3488 or [email protected] if you have questions.
The simplest ask in any home purchase is also the one buyers forget most: what actually comes with the house? 🏡
In Canada it comes down to two words: chattels and fixtures. Fixtures are attached to the home and generally stay; chattels are movable — the fridge, the washer and dryer, the patio set — and don't come with it unless they're named in the Agreement of Purchase and Sale.
So if you want them, ask — and spell them out in writing, right down to the make and model for big-ticket items. The worst answer you'll get is no.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/what-you-can-negotiate-in-a-home-purchase-that-most-buyers-dont-realize/
07/14/2026
The highest offer doesn't always win. Sometimes the most flexible one does. ⏳
To a seller, time can be worth as much as money. If they need a few extra weeks before handing over the keys, a flexible closing date or a post-closing occupancy can make your offer the one they accept — even over a higher bid. A strong, well-structured deposit signals you're serious, too.
That's the trade: give the seller the timeline they need, and you'll often get the terms you want in return — the closing date, the length of your conditional period, and how your deposit is framed. None of it costs you a dollar more.
Read the full article: https://sandragovender.myagent.site/what-you-can-negotiate-in-a-home-purchase-that-most-buyers-dont-realize/
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2541 Estevan Avenue
Victoria, BC
V8R2S6