44 Years at a Glance

Campbell River – Zone 1 – Single Family, 1982 to 2026

34 of 44 years prices went up  |  10× growth in the average price  |  35 of 35 ten-year stretches ended higher  |  5.4% average yearly price growth

Red Happens. Green Wins.

We recently rebuilt our Campbell River market history charts, going back to 1982 for single family homes and 2000 for condos. Every year gets a colour: green when the average sale price went up, and red when it went down. Step back and look at the whole picture and one thing jumps out. There is some red, but the green wins, by a wide margin.

Single family homes rose in 34 of the last 44 years; condos rose in 17 of 26. Source: VIREB Graphstats.

What the Colours Tell Us

The average single family home in Campbell River sold for $75,087 in 1982. Over the last 12 months it was $764,814, roughly ten times as much. The red years were real, but they came in short clusters: the early 1980s, the late 1990s, 2009 and 2011, and 2023. The biggest single-year drop was 11% in 2009, and every dip was followed by a return to green.

Condos tell a similar story with bigger swings. The average condo went from $104,652 in 2000 to $431,488 over the last 12 months, about four times as much.

Each dot is a year: green when the average rose, red when it fell. The red dots are real, but they barely dent a line that climbs for four decades. Source: VIREB Graphstats.

Time in the Market Beats Timing the Market

Here is the number we find most reassuring. Pick any 10-year stretch in the single family numbers since 1982, and the average price ended higher than it started. That is all 35 of them, including stretches that began right before a dip. Even the weakest decade, 1993 to 2003, still finished 13.6% higher.

Condos ended higher in 16 of their 17 ten-year stretches. The one exception, 2006 to 2016, is a good reminder that patience matters: the condo average took about ten years to climb back past its 2008 high. Most people buy a home to live in for years, and that is exactly the timeline where the green adds up.

Leave the Timing to the Professionals

Waiting to buy at the exact bottom sounds smart, but it is very hard to do. A dip is only obvious in hindsight, and the rebound usually starts before the headlines catch up. After the 2023 dip, the single family average was back above its previous high within about three years. Buyers who wait for prices to fall further can end up paying more, or miss the home that was right for them.

Timing the market is a job for professionals who watch it every day, and even we would never promise anyone the bottom. For most families, the right time to buy is when the numbers work for you: steady income, a mortgage pre-approval, and a home that fits your life. From there, every mortgage payment builds equity in a home of your own.

Every Market Has an Upside

When prices are rising: Owners build equity, sellers have strong prices to work with, and buyers who got in earlier are rewarded for it. Right now the single family average is up 2.4% over the previous 12 months, a steady, healthy pace.

When prices dip: Buyers get more choice, more time to decide and more room to negotiate. Sellers who are also buying often come out even or ahead, because the next home costs less too. Today the average condo is still about 10% below its 2022 high, which is a real opportunity for first-time buyers and downsizers.

Up or down, a well-priced home in Campbell River keeps selling, and a well-prepared buyer keeps finding good homes.

Thinking About Your Next Move?

Whether this year's square turns out green or red, we can help you work out whether now is the right time for you. Curious what your home is worth today? Request a free home evaluation. Ready to start looking? Set up your automatic property search.

A note on the numbers: these are average sale prices and are not adjusted for inflation. In a smaller market like Campbell River, a handful of high-end sales can move the average in any single year, which is why the long-term trend matters more than any one square. For what your own home is worth, ask us for a personal market analysis. 2026 figures are the 12 months ending August 31, 2026.

The quick read: More homes came on the market in August and fewer sold, but the ones that sold moved considerably faster than they did a year ago. Thirty-three days on market, down from forty-six. That is not a slow market. That is a selective one.

The Numbers

Single family detached

• Homes sold: 30, down from 33 in August 2025

• New listings: 60, up from 51 a year ago

• Average sale price: $730,400, down 5% from $772,001

• Median sale price: $740,950

• Sold for, on average: 98.02% of list price

• Days to sell: 33, down from 46 a year ago

• Active listings at month end: 143

Condo apartments

• Sold: 6   Average price: $420,650   Days to sell: 52, down from 71   Active: 36

Row and townhouse

• Sold: 6   Average price: $488,608   Days to sell: 81, up from 57   Active: 33

Land

• Sold: 1   Active listings: 66   Days to sell: 205

Single family figures exclude acreage and waterfront properties.

What's Actually Happening

The headline number is days to sell. Campbell River single family homes took 33 days to sell in August, compared to 46 in August 2025. That is a 28 per cent improvement at a time when sales volume was slightly down. Buyers are not sitting on their hands. They are waiting for the right property and then moving quickly when it appears.

The second number worth understanding is the sell-to-list ratio, which fell to 50 per cent from 64.71 per cent a year ago. Sixty homes were listed in August and thirty sold. Read those two figures together and the picture is clear: there is more inventory to choose from, buyers are being choosier, and roughly half of what comes to market is not finding a buyer that month.

On price, the average sale came in at $730,400, down five per cent year over year. But the median was $740,950, which is higher than the average. When the median sits above the mean, it usually means a handful of lower-priced sales pulled the average down rather than the market broadly softening. Homes still sold for just over 98 per cent of asking price, which is where that number has sat for two years.

Looking at the year as a whole, the rolling twelve-month average is $764,814, up 2.38 per cent from the same period last year. Month to month the market wobbles. Over twelve months, Campbell River prices are up.

Where Homes Are Selling

Of 259 single family sales in Campbell River from January through August, nearly half were in one neighbourhood.

• Willow Point: 125

• Campbell River Central: 87

• Campbell River West: 23

• Campbell River South: 18

• Campbell River North: 5

• Campbellton: 1

Willow Point continues to be the centre of gravity for this market. It also spans the widest price range of any sub-area, from a sale under $350,000 to eight sales above $1.25 million.

By price, the bulk of activity sat between $600,000 and $900,000, which accounted for 158 of the 259 sales so far this year.

If You're Selling

Thirty-three days to sell is a good number. Fifty per cent sell-to-list is not. Both are true at once, and the gap between them is almost entirely about pricing.

The homes selling in Campbell River right now are selling quickly and close to asking. The homes that are not selling are the ones priced ahead of the market. With sixty new listings competing in a single month, a buyer who thinks your price is optimistic simply looks at the next house instead. There is no shortage of next houses.

We track Campbell River sales daily and can show you what comparable homes in your neighbourhood actually sold for, not what they asked. Request a free home evaluation at erikahaley.ca/home-evaluation.html.

If You're Buying

You have choice, and you have time to use it. One hundred and forty-three single family homes were available at the end of August, along with 36 condos, 33 townhouses, and 66 pieces of land.

Two things to know. First, the right property still goes quickly, so have your financing sorted before you start looking seriously. Second, land is moving slowly, at 205 days to sell with 66 active listings, which means there is real negotiating room if you are considering building.

If you are watching a price range or a neighbourhood, set up an auto-property search at erikahaley.ca/form_matrix.html and new listings will reach you as they come on.

The Bottom Line

More listings, slightly fewer sales, and homes selling nearly two weeks faster than a year ago. Prices are holding, with the twelve-month average up over two per cent. This is a market that rewards accuracy on both sides: sellers who price to today, and buyers who know what they want before it appears.

Questions about your own situation? Let's talk.

Erika 250-202-1058  |  Jenna 778-348-3599  |  erika@erikahaley.ca

Statistics courtesy of the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board, Zone 1 Campbell River, August 2026.