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Living in Kelowna British Columbia: What are Prices Like in Upper Mission

What Does it Cost to Buy a Home in Upper Mission?

On today's Kelowna Home Buying Tour I take you to three different homes in three different areas of Upper Mission in the southeast section of Kelowna.

The prices in Upper Mission range from (in August of 2022) $830,000 to $18.6 Million dollars and everything in between.

As of right now there is no multi-family development in Upper Mission, so you will only be able to find townhomes and single family homes for sale. 

Now don't let the term 'townhome' fool or confuse you, some of the townhomes in Kuiper's for example are well over 3000 square feet which in some cases is the same size as a single family property.

What's it Like Living in Upper Mission?

A few of the things that I love about living in Upper Mission are:

  1. The views. There are some really spectacular spots throughout the community that offer breathtaking views of the lake, the valley and the city. In my opinion, what you get from certain areas of Upper Mission like the Ponds or Fawn Run will give areas like Dilworth a run for the money any day of the week.
  2. Proximity to Schools. There are two levels of schools in Upper Mission, the elementary school is Chute Lake Elementary, the Middle School is Canyon Falls and the high school is Okanagan Mission or OKM. No matter where you live in Upper Misison, the commute time to the schools is very quick. You may even find your kids walking, biking or taking the bus to school, kind of like we did when we were kids. Remember that?
  3. The Quiet. Ok so I am not into the whole party scene anymore, living in the suburbs gives me my quiet that I love in the mornings and in the evenings when we are winding down. Upper Mission is a family friendly community with an average age in the mid 40s, probably not a lot of big parties happening, at least ones that I have heard or attended!
I talked about the commute times in a previous blog post and video, you can find out about the commute from Upper Mission in this post here if you're interested. 
 
Overall, Upper Mission is a great and friendly community with quick access to shopping, the beaches, hiking and biking trails and so much more.
 
If you are interested in learning more about the community you can always give me a call at 778-716-7527 or send me an email to kelley@kelleyskar.com. 
 

Watch the Video Below to See the 3 Examples of Homes in Upper Mission

 
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Living in Kelowna British Columbia: Kettle Valley Community Spotlight

What's it Like Living in Kettle Valley?

Today we are featuring the southeast Kelowna community of Kettle Valley.

If you come down Harvey Boulevard and take a turn onto Lakeshore and follow it all the way south it will eventually turn into Chute Lake Road. If you follow that road south you eventually wind up in Kettle Valley, one of the most view friendly neighbourhoods in the entire city of Kelowna.

If you are thinking about making a move and are looking for homes in Kelowna for sale, check out Kettle Valley, watch the video as we cover parts of the neighbourhood, the different home styles, schools, shopping and price points.

Kettle Valley truly is one of the premier neighbourhoods in Kelowna and has access to miles and miles of hiking and biking paths and is about a 5 minute drive from Okanagan Mountain Park if you are an avid mountain biker, you will love this location.

Wondering about beaches? You have a few options from Kettle Valley, you can head down Lakeshore Road and get access to Bertram Park or you can go straight down to Hobson Beach or Sarsons right off of Lakeshore Drive.

Most of your major shopping is going to be done in Lower Mission at Save On or off of Harvey at Superstore or Walmart, yes, you will have to drive. However for smaller items there is always the Kettle Valley Convenience Store!

If you are looking for homes in Kelowna for sale, then get in contact with us below, we would be more than happy to have a conversation about helping you to make a move to the Okanagan.

What's the Commute Like from Kettle Valley?

Make sure to leave yourself some extra time when you are leaving for work, you have two things to contend with all year long.

From May to September you have to put up with tourist traffic, this will bog you down and make you frustrated if you don't allow for it.

The second part is between September to June which is the school year, so if you are considering buying a home in Kettle Valley, you need to ensure you take this timeline into consideration when making your commute.

Of course if you work from home, just make sure you are getting the kiddos to school on time as there are no school buses that run through Kettle Valley.

Watch the Video on Kettle Valley and all that you need to know below:

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What is it Like Living in Upper Mission in Southeast Kelowna?

Is Living in Upper Mission Worth the Hype?

I may be coming at this blog post today with a little bias in me, full disclosure, I live in Upper Mission.

So do I think it's worth the hype?

Of course I do! But that isn't what this post is about, I want to introduce you to what it's like living in the Upper Mission, in southeast Kelowna.

The video below gives you a great explanation of where Upper Mission is, head up Lakeshore to Barnaby, this is the northern 'border' of the community. If you continue south on Lakeshore it will eventually give you an option to continue up Upper Mission Drive or to go right down Chute Lake.

If you go right down Chute Lake Road you will run into the southern 'border' street of Upper Mission in Lark, before it turns into Kettle Valley.

Isn't Kettle Valley Part of Upper Mission?

I would argue that it is. In fact I would argue that Crawford Estates, Kettle Valley, Thompson Flats and parts of Lower Mission are all a part of the Upper Mission.

The city of Kelowna had to make some boundaries when it comes to growth, taxation and school districts so that's why the separation. 

These two communities are so intertwined that they are a part of the same school district for Kelowna's southeast. 

Elementary school for both Upper Mission and Kettle Valley is Chute Lake Elementary. The middle school for Upper Mission and Kettle Valley is Canyon Falls Middle School and the high school for Upper Mission is Okanagan Mission Secondary or OKM.

What is There to do in Upper Mission?

Upper Mission is home to Kelowna Mountain, which as of this publication, is shut down. That said, Kelowna Mountain is still pretty fantastic for mountain biking as well as hiking.

Located right off of Upper Mission Drive, Kelowna Mountain is literally in the heart of Upper Mission.

If you're a lover of hiking then you should certainly check out Lebanon Creek which is at the end of Kettle Valley. You can get started at Lebanon Creek and hike towards Kettle Valley off of Lakeshore Road.

You can also start at John's Family Conservatory which is above Kettle Valley, you get there by taking Upper Mission Road and just follow it after it turns to dirt road, you'll find the parking lot there on the right hand side.

If being outside and getting fresh air and exercise isn't your jam, then check out Dunnenzies, Barn Owl Brewing, Kettle Valley Pub on Main or grab some Dominoes or Papitos and head down to Hobson Beach, Bertram Park or even down to Gyro Beach for a picnic.

All of these beaches and parks are less than a 10 minute commute coming from Upper Mission.

What is the Commute Like Coming from Upper Mission?

The locals will tell you that it will take you 15 minutes to get anywhere in Kelowna, that is certainly true outside of high traffic and tourist season.

If you are heading into the office from Upper Mission from September to June, make sure you leave some time to get where you are going. 

Coming out of Upper Mission between 8-9am can certainly be a nightmare, if sitting in traffic isn't the funnest thing you can think of doing first thing in the morning. If you leave early enough, then that commute time of 15 minutes doesn't matter what time of the year it is.

Getting up to UBCO will take you about 25 minutes with the traffic and the airport will tack on another 10 minutes, give or take.

For grocery shopping you WILL need your vehicle or you can take the bus, either way I would venture to guess that most of your groceries will be bought at the Save-On on Lakeshore which is a quick 10 minute drive. Otherwise you are headed to Superstore (15-20 minutes), Wal-Mart (15-20 Minutes) or Costco (same time) to get your shopping done.

Watch the Video Below and Make Sure to Like and Subscribe to our Channel

The Upper Mission video is below, if you want to subscribe to the channel you can do that here.


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Things to do in Kelowna BC: Hiking Knox Mountain

Get Outside and Hike Knox Mountain

There are so many things to do in Kelowna, BC from wine tours to beach time to golf and of course, hiking.

In today's vlog we are hiking Knox Mountain which is located on the North end of Downtown right at the end of Richter.

So, if you're visiting Kelowna or you've just moved here and you like to get outside, I highly recommend taking a look at hiking Knox Mountain.

If you have some experience hiking you will find this to be a relatively easy go, there's 250M of elevation gain and it should take the average hiker about 30-35 minutes up and about half that time down if you aren't stopping to take in the views.

Which is what hiking Knox is all about.... THE VIEWS.

Take in the beauty of the Okanagan Valley, the lake and downtown. Once you are the top take a little walk and you'll be able to view the north end of the lake up towards Vernon.

There are some placards over there as well that explain the geology of the area and how the lake was formed. Knox Mountain park also has a frisbee golf course, tennis courts and I believe you can play pickle ball there as well.

If you don't want to hike it, you can certainly drive it, either way, put Knox Mountain park on your list of things to do while you're here in Kelowna, BC.


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