By Ray Francis, REALTOR®, Royal LePage In The Comox Valley
Forty minutes north of Courtenay on the Inland Island Highway, Campbell River is a working oceanfront city of about 35,000 people with a downtown on the water, a growing hospital and a housing market that has historically offered more home for the money than the Comox Valley. Ray has sold here throughout his career and treats it as part of his home territory.
Areas to know
- Willow Point: the south end, with the seawalk, family neighbourhoods and newer homes on the hillside above the ocean.
- Downtown and Campbellton: character homes, condos and the original townsite near the river and the marina.
- Quinsam Heights and the Ridge: newer subdivisions with view lots.
- Quadra Island: a ten-minute ferry to a rural island community with oceanfront cottages and acreages.
Why buyers choose it
Price, first. Campbell River's median has trailed the Comox Valley's for years. Then the outdoors: Elk Falls, Strathcona Provincial Park, the Discovery Passage salmon fishery and Mount Washington all within an hour. The hospital, built alongside the Comox Valley's in 2017, anchors a healthcare workforce that keeps demand steady.
What to check
Some older neighbourhoods have homes on larger lots with older services, and waterfront along the highway can carry traffic noise. Newer subdivisions on the hillside can have restrictive building schemes. Ray will pull the details on any property before you drive up.