BC Island Homes is a privately owned company that was started in 1999 after a year of market research. We are growing quickly but we try hard to satisfy our advertiser's requests and we evaluate every suggestion seriously. The company is home based and family owned. Your Real Estate Marketing specialists are Rebecca & Pam Flentjar. In 2001 BC Island Homes was awarded Business of the Year from the Comox Valley Home Based Business Association and The Best Local Business Web Site awarded by NEBS Business, Canada's Community Newspapers Association and The Comox Valley Record. BC Island Homes has taken 'FOR SALE BY OWNER' property sales to a whole new level. We market homes on Vancouver Island and surrounding islands including the Gulf Islands, Powell River & Sunshine Coast areas.

Contact Us

Email: info@bcislandhomes.com
Tel: (250) 338-2999
Toll Free: 1-866-630-SOLD (7653)

If you reach our voicemail, please leave a message. We are either on the other phone line or on the road and we will return your call within 48 hours. We look forward to speaking to you. We are closed on weekends.

Fax: (250) 338-2972
Mailing: P.O. Box 3622,
Courtenay, B.C. V9N 6Z8

• Q. Who is BC Island Homes?
  A. BC Island Homes is a privately owned company that was started in 1999 after a year of market research. While we are growing quickly, we try hard to satisfy our advertisers requests and evaluate every suggestion seriously. The company is home based and family owned by Rebecca & Pam Flentjar.
  
  
• Q. How much does advertising cost and why is there no commission?
  A. Advertising can cost you as little as $49 or as much as $400. It really depends on how much information you'd like to include with your advertisement and what (if any) products you require. We don't charge commission,we are not Realtors. BC Island Homes is an successful advertising company that specializes in marketing real estate.
  
  
• Q. How does BC Island Homes make any money without charging commission?
  A. While we've been told by successful sellers that the service that BC Island Homes offers is well worth even a $1000 per listing, we're not interested in 'gouging'. We're keeping our service affordable and competitive. A company doesn't need to charge a commission to be successful. Our clients have proven that you don't need to pay a commission in order to successfully sell your own home or property. BC Island Homes makes money through your paid advertisement's, not through commission.
  
  
• Q. Whats the difference between BC Island Homes and other FSBO (For Sale by Owner) companies?
  A. BC Island Homes is locally owned and operated (Courtenay, B.C.) and we are not a franchise. Most of the Franchised companies are charging much higher rates not because they are more successful but because they have higher overhead and operating costs to cover. There are some FSBO Companies who offer free or listings for under $100. This is because they are new and unknown and cannot be found on search engines. The number one advantage with advertising on BC Island Homes.com is that our web site can be found on major search engines. If you plan to advertise your home online, there is no point if your home will never be found. Therefore ensure the company you advertise with can be found online.
  
  
• Q. How does a prospective buyer find my home on BC Island Homes.com?
  A. While most sellers find out about our service from friends and BC Island Homes own advertising of our web site/services, 90% of viewers to www.bcislandhomes.com find us through search engine searches (ie. Yahoo, Google, etc.) We also have a large number of repeat clients.
  
  
• Q. How successful is this advertising service?
  A. In the summer of 2005, the average listing time with BC Island Homes was 3 weeks. While some homes have sold in a few hours, some homes are still for sale a few months later. Most homes and properties do sell within a few weeks. While that statistic seems to relate mostly to advertisers that include photos, it is not limited to such. Keep in mind that a successful sale can also be directly related to a reasonable 'asking price', location, and home/property features.
  
  
• Q. How many people look at BC Island Homes.com?
  A. There is a difference between visitors and hits. Most websites advertise hits (which can be misleading as hits counts a person each time they visit a different page). Our last statistics through the spring and summer of 2005 showed over 25,000 visitors per month, which translates to about 1/2 million hits monthly.
  
  
  
• Q. How and Where is BC Island Homes web site advertised?
  A. BC Island Homes advertises in the telephone yellow pages extending throughout Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Periodically through the season we also advertise in Alberta papers, community newspapers on many brochure racks. One of our largest priorities is maintaining our top ranking amongst most popular search engines. We are often asked what is the difference between BC Island Homes and the other 'for sale by owner' companies on Vancouver Island and in Canada. The #1 reason to use BC Island Homes is that we can be found on search engines, alot of others can not. If you wish to advertise your home on the Internet, there is no point if the web site your advertising on can't be found.
  
  If you do not find the answer to your questions please email us at info@bcislandhomes.com