Currently Available—Current acreage listingsAverage Listing Price—Current acreage averageAverage Bedrooms—Current acreage averageAverage Bathrooms—Current acreage averageAverage Living Area—Interior living areaAverage Price / Ft²—Current acreage average
Listings, map and statistics cover properties of one acre or more on Vancouver Island north of the Malahat and the nearby Gulf Islands, as listed through the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. For the Saanich Peninsula, Highlands, Metchosin and Sooke, see Greater Victoria acreage homes.
Acreage homes, hobby farms, forested parcels, waterfront acreages and rural land on Vancouver Island north of the Malahat, from the Cowichan Valley to the north Island.
Acreages, Farms and Rural Land on Vancouver Island
Browse current Vancouver Island acreages and land for sale: homes on one acre or more, hobby farms and working farms, horse properties, forested parcels, waterfront and lakefront acreages, and bare rural land listed on the MLS® through the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board.
North of the Malahat, the Island's rural land runs from the farm valleys of Cowichan and Coombs to the oceanside benchlands of Nanoose and Qualicum, the farmland of the Comox Valley and the forest and river country around Campbell River, the Alberni Valley and the north Island. Parcel sizes, servicing and land-use rules change from one regional district to the next, so the same budget can buy two acres on the edge of Nanaimo or a much larger forested parcel an hour from town.
Acreage is bought for what the land can do. Usable area, water, septic capacity, access, zoning, Agricultural Land Reserve status and the condition of barns and outbuildings matter as much as the house, and they are the subject of most of this guide.
This page shows every property of one acre or more listed through the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board, whether it carries a family home, a cabin, a farm operation or nothing at all. Homes on acreage make up the majority, bare land is the next largest group, and a substantial share of all acreage listings border the ocean, a lake or a river.
Parcels range from a single acre at the edge of a town to large holdings of forest and pasture. Small acreages close to Nanaimo, Parksville, Courtenay and Duncan tend to sell for the most per acre, because they combine rural space with short drives to schools, shopping and hospitals. Larger parcels become more common, and cheaper per acre, as you move away from the Island Highway and into the valleys, the north Island and the west coast.
Use the map above to see where current listings sit, and sort the results by price or size to compare parcels with similar acreage, servicing and zoning.
The Cowichan Valley has a mild climate, long growing season and a farming history that goes back to the 1860s. Acreages here include hobby farms, horse properties, small vineyards and orchards, market gardens and rural homes on treed lots.
Rural acreage is concentrated around Cobble Hill, Cowichan Station, Glenora, Sahtlam, Cherry Point, Maple Bay and Westholme, with lake and river frontage around Cowichan Lake and along the Cowichan and Koksilah rivers. Much of the valley floor is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, and rural land falls either under the Cowichan Valley Regional District's electoral areas or the Municipality of North Cowichan, each with its own zoning bylaws.
South of Nanaimo, Cedar, Cassidy and Yellow Point are among the Island's most established small-acreage areas, with treed lots, hobby farms and waterfront along Stuart Channel. North of the city, Lantzville and Nanoose Bay add view and oceanfront parcels on rocky, sloping ground.
Inland from Parksville and Qualicum Beach, Errington, Coombs and Hilliers form a pocket of farmland, small acreages and horse properties along the Englishman and Little Qualicum rivers, while Qualicum Bay, Bowser and Deep Bay add rural oceanfront to the north. Rural land outside the municipalities falls under the Regional District of Nanaimo, which also covers Gabriola Island's regional services; Gabriola's land use is planned by the Islands Trust.
The Comox Valley holds some of the largest blocks of farmland on the Island, around Merville, Black Creek and the valley floor west of Courtenay, with dairy, hay, berry and mixed farms alongside rural homes and hobby farms. Royston, Union Bay and Fanny Bay offer rural oceanfront on Baynes Sound, known for its shellfish farms, and Denman and Hornby islands add acreage reached by ferry and governed by the Islands Trust.
The Comox Valley Regional District zones the electoral areas, while Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland have their own bylaws. Search the region through the Comox Valley land page and the Comox Valley real estate page.
Campbell River and North Island Acreages
Around Campbell River, rural acreages spread south toward Oyster River and inland along the Campbell and Quinsam rivers, while Quadra Island, a short ferry ride across Discovery Passage, adds forested and waterfront acreage.
Farther north, Sayward, Port McNeill, Port Hardy and the smaller communities of the Strathcona and Mount Waddington regional districts offer larger forested parcels at lower prices, along with remote coastal land reached by forest service road or by boat. Hospitals, emergency response, building trades and suppliers are farther away, and that distance shows up in both price and running costs.
Alberni Valley and West Coast Acreages
The Alberni Valley around Port Alberni carries a large share of the Island's acreage listings for its size, with farmland in Beaver Creek and Cherry Creek, rural homes on the valley slopes and lakefront along Sproat Lake. Rural areas fall under the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District.
On the west coast, Tofino and Ucluelet have little private acreage. What comes to market is mostly forested land along Highway 4 or near the inlets, where building sites, access, servicing and environmental setbacks need careful study before you write an offer.
Buying an Acreage on Vancouver Island
An acreage purchase combines a house purchase with a land purchase. The checks below are the ones that most often change the value of an Island acreage or the plans a buyer has for it.
Hobby Farms, Horse Properties and Farm Status
Many Island acreages are bought as hobby farms. If you plan to farm, look at BC Assessment's farm classification, which can lower the property tax on the farm portion of the land. It depends on meeting a minimum gross farm income: $10,000 a year on less than 0.8 hectares (about two acres), $2,500 on 0.8 to 4 hectares, and $2,500 plus 5% of the value of the land above 4 hectares on larger properties.
For horses, the things that matter are pasture quality, winter drainage, fencing, a barn and shelter, a riding area and trail access. A level, well-drained five acres can carry more animals than a larger, wetter or steeper parcel.
The Agricultural Land Reserve
Much of the flat, arable land on the Island is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, administered by the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission. ALR land is protected for farming: subdivision and most non-farm uses need commission approval, and local zoning can add its own limits.
The housing rules are specific. Without an application, an ALR parcel can have one principal residence of up to 500 square metres of floor area and, in most cases, one additional detached residence of up to 90 square metres on parcels of 40 hectares or less, or up to 186 square metres on larger parcels, as long as local zoning allows it. Plans for a larger house, a second full-size home, a business or fill placement should be checked with the local government and the commission before you buy.
Wells and Water Supply
Most rural parcels rely on a private well or a small shared water system, and some island properties also collect rainwater. Under BC's Water Sustainability Act, groundwater used only for domestic purposes, including household use, household pets and livestock and a garden of up to 1,000 square metres, does not need a licence; irrigation for a farm or water for a commercial use does.
Ask for the well record, a recent flow test and water-quality results, and test again as a condition of your offer. Wells near the ocean and on the smaller islands can run low or turn salty in late summer, which matters if you plan gardens, animals or a second dwelling.
Septic Systems
Rural homes use onsite sewerage systems. In BC a system must be designed and installed by, or under the supervision of, an Authorized Person: a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner or a qualified professional. The Authorized Person files the plans with Island Health before work starts and submits a Letter of Certification within 30 days of completion.
For an existing home, ask for the filing, the maintenance records and a recent inspection, and confirm the system is sized for the number of bedrooms. For bare land, confirm there is a suitable septic site before you buy, because a parcel without one may not be buildable as planned.
Bare Land: Access, Power and Building
Raw land prices look low until servicing is added. Confirm legal access, including registered easements for any shared driveway or private road, the distance to BC Hydro service and the cost of a line extension, internet and phone options, driveway grade and a realistic building site.
Zoning sets the minimum parcel size, the number of dwellings, setbacks and permitted uses, and development permit areas often protect streams, wetlands, shorelines and steep slopes. Building permits come from the municipality or regional district, so speak with the planning department about your plans before removing subjects.
Forest, Timber and Wildfire
Much of the forest on the east side of the Island is privately owned, a legacy of the large land grant made to the Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway in the 1880s. Rural parcels often border private managed forest land, where logging can return on a regular cycle and change the view and the feel of a property.
Timber on your own parcel can be an asset, a clearing cost or both. Ask about recent logging, covenants and the condition of trees near the house, and follow FireSmart BC guidance on clearing fuel around buildings. Insurers may ask about the distance to a fire hall and the nearest hydrant.
Financing an Acreage
Many lenders value only the house and a limited amount of surrounding land, and bare land usually needs a larger down payment and a shorter term than a home purchase. Farms with commercial operations, several dwellings or unusual buildings may need a specialized lender, so talk to a mortgage broker before you start making offers.
Taxes and Second Homes
Property transfer tax applies at 1% on the first $200,000, 2% up to $2 million and 3% above that, with a further 2% on the residential portion above $3 million. If the acreage will be a second home, check whether it is inside one of the municipalities covered by BC's speculation and vacancy tax, which on this part of the Island include Nanaimo, Lantzville, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Courtenay, Comox, Cumberland, Ladysmith, Duncan, North Cowichan and Lake Cowichan; rural electoral areas are outside it.
Vancouver Island Acreage Buyer Note
Before buying an acreage, confirm the zoning and Agricultural Land Reserve status, the usable area, legal access, well yield and water quality, the septic filing and capacity, hydro and internet, the permit history of barns and outbuildings, covenants and rights of way, wildfire exposure, farm classification and how a lender will value the land.
Search Vancouver Island Acreages and MLS® Listings
Use the listings and map at the top of this page to compare current acreage homes, hobby farms, horse properties, waterfront acreages, forested parcels and bare land across the Island, or return to the Vancouver Island MLS® listings page to compare every property type. Island-wide price and inventory figures are in the Vancouver Island Acreages & Land Market Report.
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