Track current acreage and land market conditions across Vancouver Island north of the Malahat, including asking-price ranges, days on market and active inventory for homes on one acre or more, farms, hobby farms, forested parcels and large building lots listed through the Vancouver Island Real Estate Board. The figures below are generated from current MLS® data and update as properties are listed, sold or repriced.
Island acreage market caution: This report mixes bare land with improved acreage estates, so the average price and especially the price per square foot mean little: a multi-million-dollar farm and a six-figure forested lot sit in the same table. Bedroom, bathroom and living-area averages describe only the listings that include a house. Sort the table by price or acreage and compare parcels of similar size, zoning and servicing.
Vancouver Island Acreage & Land Market Acreage homes, farms, forested parcels and large lots from the Cowichan Valley to the north Island
How to Read the Numbers
Understanding Vancouver Island Acreage and Land Market Data
Land is valued by what it can be used for, and the rules and services behind that use differ from one regional district to the next.
01
Bare Land vs Acreage Homes
Vacant parcels show no living area, so price-per-square-foot and bedroom averages are computed from the improved properties only. Within that group, a small cabin on forty acres and a large estate home on two acres produce very different figures for the same acreage.
02
ALR, Zoning and the Islands Trust
Much of the Island's best flat land is in the Agricultural Land Reserve, which limits non-farm use and subdivision, and the regional districts (Cowichan Valley, Nanaimo, Alberni-Clayoquot, Comox Valley, Strathcona and Mount Waddington) each zone rural land differently. On Gabriola, Denman, Hornby, Lasqueti and Thetis the Islands Trust adds its own rules.
03
Water, Septic, Access and Timber
Most acreages rely on wells and septic systems, and many are reached by private or gravel roads. Well yield and water quality, septic capacity for the intended house, road maintenance, hydro availability and the value or cost of standing timber can matter more than the acreage figure in the listing.
04
Active Listings, Not Sold Prices
These statistics describe current asking prices and days on market, not sold values. Valuing a specific property takes recent comparable sales in the same community and adjustments for that property.