Any realtor will tell you that location is everything.
The neighbourhood where you buy your home will be reflected in the price. For instance, a home in the Lower Mission — one of the most desirable places to live in Kelowna — will likely be more expensive than a similar home in most other neighbourhoods.
But Global News has learned that not all listings are accurate — that some real estate agents are listing homes as being in the Lower Mission when, in fact, they are not.
One home Fisher Avenue, for example, sold more than a year ago. At the time, it was listed as being in the Lower Mission when in fact it’s located in the Springfield/Spall area. Another home on KLO Road near Benvoulin under construction is another example; it’s listed as being in the Lower Mission, but, again, it’s not.
Global News found several other examples and asked the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board why are there so many discrepancies?
The board says it’s addressing the issue.
“We have taken steps to rectify these listings,” said Lynette Keyowski, CEO of the Okanagan Mainline Real Estate board. “There are listings that have been placed in the wrong sub-area, so thank you for bringing that to our attention.
“We have notified all of the people — the realtors who have listed in the inappropriate places.”
The Real Estate Board says because of our findings, changes are coming.
“As a matter of fact, again based on (Global’s) phone calls, many of them have called us and asked ‘What can we do to fix this? We didn’t even realize that it was wrong, can you please give us a hand?’ So we’ve worked with them and rectified the issue,” said Keyowski.
The Real Estate Board says it has also sent out a reminder to all of its member realtors and brokers that the listings they put into the MLS system needs to include the actual neighbourhood the home is located in.