Kelowna homes: Rutland or Mission?

I think it can go without saying that real estate agents enjoy meeting prospective buyers.  We’re often the first point of contact in someone’s new community and we’re able to remember some of the reasons we chose to live in Kelowna.  We can also remember the initial challenges we faced and how overwhelming it was deciding which part of this huge (okay, medium sized) city to live in.  Mostly everyone has some idea of what type of community they are looking for.  They may or may not care about living near a good school, access to shopping, busses, the hospital, airport or even which side of the bridge they prefer but too many people show up with the pre-conceived notion that in Kelowna, the Mission is a good place to be and Rutland isn’t.   A friend back in Alberta or Ontario may have told them this, they may have read it somewhere on the internet…who knows.   I know just about every Kelowna Realtor has heard this and is faced with the same dilemma. 

Photo: Contributed

When this happens I just take a long deep breath and try to determine why newcomers feel this way.  There are so many nice parts of Rutland with a mixture of newer and older homes close to good schools, parks, restaurants, YLW and UBC.  The working theory I’m going with is most people only know Rutland from the drive starting at Costco along Highway 33 to Springfield on their way to Big White and never get off the path.   If I can, I make it a point to show at least one house in some part of Rutland just to see if the “Mission-good Rutland-bad” mindset can’t be changed.  If so, it certainly makes looking for an affordable Kelowna house that much easier.  Rutland is a thriving little community with good elementary/middle and high schools, Kelowna Family YMCA,  the Wok-In has the best Chinese food in town and Ben Lee park is a civic jewel with a place for teenagers to skateboard and a water park for kids. 

The average sale price for a Rutland home this year is $349,000.  That’s about $150,000 below the Kelowna home average and more in line with what the average Canadian home sells for.  Ten years ago the average Rutland house sold for $187,000 which means buying there has been a wise investment for a long time.   Same goes for apartments.  If you bought a condo apartment in Rutland ten years ago the average price was only $99,000.  Even through tough economic times the average price has jumped to $161,000.   Currently there’s a shortage of affordably priced homes in Rutland.  There are 11 only homes priced under $330,000 which means prices might start to inch higher.  With about four months’ supply of housing based on sales volume, Rutland is likely going to be the first Kelowna neighbourhood to become a Sellers’ market.  Stay tuned.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.