A balanced mix of rural life and urban lifestyles, Nanaimo has a lot offer. Nanaimo has more than 5,273,000 square feet of retail and service space, and a population of aprox. 80,000.

Time Magazine declared in 1990 that Nanaimo had more retail space per capita than any other city in North America. With $ 1.127 billion worth of retail trade done in the city during 2003. Nanaimo has 10 major shopping centers and countless stand alone stores that serve the needs of locals and visitors.

Nanaimo has several distinct neighborhoods all with there own flavor;

North Nanaimo – This is probably one of the most expensive area to buy real estate. Homes in this area start around $300,000 and go up to million dollar waterfront properties. New development in this area has been a driving force in the Nanaimo Real Estate Market. Bare land can be as much as $400,000 for a 1/3 of an acre.

Hammond Bay – Hammond Bay is a road that runs from the base of Departure Bay beach to the North part of town. Hammond Bay runs along the water and includes areas such as Stephenson Point, Rocky Point, Pipers Lagoon and Glen Oaks. This real estate has some of the best views in Nanaimo and as a result prices begin around $340,000 and go up to $1,200,000 with the median about $560,000.

Departure Bay – This established area has a mix of new homes and old. Many of the existing homes were high end at the time they were built. Subdivisions include Sherwood Forest, Cilaire, Beach Estates, Lynburn Estates and Country Club (near Nanaimo Golf Course). Homes in this area range in price from $300,000 up to $1,400,000 with the median around $450,000.

Uplands – This area runs primarily along uplands road and includes Sunshine Ridge, Long Lake Heights, Glen Craig Estates, Northridge Estates, Long Lake Villa and Rutherford Hills. Originally uplands road was a dead end, it now connects all the way to Rutherford road. Homes in this area sell between $280,000 and $370,000 typically. Some homes along the lake sell up to $1,000,000

Pleasant Valley – Many recent new subdivisions have been built here including Lakeside Estates and the Meadows. This area was rural for the most part until the 1980’s. There are still some areas that have mobile homes on land as well as mobile home parks. Metral Drive is where most of the commercial development is including our office.

Diver Lake – Dogwood, Coal Tyee, Lakewood, Heatherwood, Autumnwood Madison Court and Willow Park are the main subdivisions here. Many of the homes are just off Labieux or Rosstown Road.

Jinglepot– Until the 80’s this was mostly rural area and had many areas had dirt roads. Cathers lake, Rockridge Estates, College View, Benson Meadows and College Heights have really changed the flavor of this area. Much of the new homes in Avonlea have been sold as fast as they are built.

Central Nanaimo – This includes the area around the hospital, and the slope down to Stewart Avenue. Many of the streets names towards the water are named after trees; Juniper, Cypress,

Nanaimo (Old City) – This area is really the core of Nanaimo. Much of the waterfront real estate was reclaimed land that was under water. The downtown area is rapidly changing with plans for a new convention center and several large new condo complexes. A sea wall from central Nanaimo leads you all the way downtown past a new open air bandstand to the inner harbour.

South Nanaimo – Nanaimo is over 150 years old and this part of town grew quickly after world war two. The Bastion was built in 1853. Employment in Nanaimo was primarily in four main areas; coal mining, fishing, forestry, and of course Harmac (the Pulp Mill). Nanaimo was a working man's town, primarily blue collar. As a result many of the homes in South Nanaimo were simple and smaller by today's standards. You will find some homes in this area have smaller closets reflecting the size of wardrobe of that time. Some homes were built in phases, adding a bathroom when the city switched to indoor plumbing as an example. With the price of land increasing new subdivisions are popping up in South Nanaimo with homes that rival anything in the city. Older homes with character are also undergoing major renovations and restorations. Some homes that were really nothing more than miners shacks are being torn down to make way for newer construction.

Cedar- This area is an eclectic mix of real estate; large acreage, farms, land with mobile homes and million dollar mansions. Some of the most prized land is situated along the water around yellow point with spectacular view of False Narrows and Gulf Islands.

North of Nanaimo lies Nanoose Bay , Craig Bay, Parksville and Qualicum. To the south Duncan, Ladysmith, Cowichan Lake and Chemainus which are not much more than a 30 minute drive away.