You can shop Kelowna by video over winter and move in spring. Here is how to do it without flying in first.

By Michael A. Jones - PREC* | Royal LePage Kelowna

Watercolour of a laptop on a desk showing a Kelowna home video tour, with Okanagan Lake and snowy hills outside the window, buying a Kelowna home before you visit
The tour is on the screen. The house is a province away. That gap is what this guide is about.

Short answer: Yes, you can buy a Kelowna home before you set foot here. Many buyers from Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver shop by video through the winter, then move in the spring. It works when you hire a local buyer's agent, put real subjects on the offer, and send a licensed inspector to the house in person. A video walkthrough is useful. It is not a substitute for local eyes.

Planning a move from another province? Start with our guide to moving to Kelowna and the Okanagan.

Coming from Calgary or Edmonton? See what your Alberta equity buys here. From the GTA? Read what Toronto equity buys in Kelowna.

Shop by video over winter, then move in spring

Winter is a quiet time to look. Fewer buyers are in town. Sellers who need to move for work, a new build or an estate sale are still listing. You can view homes by video from your couch, narrow the shortlist, and plan a spring possession.

The trade-off is the same one I cover in buying a Kelowna home in winter. Snow hides roofs, pools and irrigation. Ask for summer photos and service records. If you wait until spring to walk the house yourself, build that into your subjects and your possession date.

Watercolour of a snowy trail through Mission Creek Regional Park in Kelowna, bare trees and a park bench beside the path
Mission Creek in late winter. Quiet paths, packed snow and the kind of day you can still tour a house by video from home.

What a virtual walkthrough shows, and what it misses

A good live video tour lets you ask the agent to stop, open cupboards, run the taps and look under sinks. You can check light, layout and how the rooms feel. Ask for a slow walk of the driveway, the yard grade and the street after a snow. Those details matter here.

What video misses:

  • Noise from Highway 97, a busy collector road or a nearby strata clubhouse
  • How steep the driveway feels underfoot
  • Soft spots in flooring and subtle smells
  • The true height of a retaining wall or the slope of a lot
  • How the house sits above or below the winter valley cloud

If a home is on your shortlist, ask your agent to go back with a checklist. Or book one short trip for the final two or three homes before you write. Many buyers do both.

Inspection by video vs a licensed local inspector

In B.C., home inspectors must be licensed by Consumer Protection BC. You can check a licence before you book. The inspector gives you a written report. That report is yours.

A video call during the inspection helps you follow along. It does not replace the inspector being there. I want a licensed local on site, crawling the attic and looking at the roof from a ladder when it is safe. BCFSA's consumer guide to property inspections is clear: a seller does not have to accept an offer with an inspection subject. If a seller pushes you to waive it, talk with your agent about the risk before you agree.

Subjects and conditions on the offer

In B.C., an offer can include subject clauses. Common ones are financing, inspection and, for a strata, a review of the strata documents. These conditions are usually for the buyer's sole benefit. If you do not remove them by the deadline, the contract ends and your deposit comes back. BCFSA publishes sample buyer inspection clauses that say the seller must allow access on reasonable notice.

For a remote purchase, I like a clear inspection subject, a financing subject and enough time on the calendar. Seven to 14 days is common. If you are still in another province, add a day or two so the report can reach you and you can talk it through.

Do not waive subjects to "win" the house unless you understand what you are giving up. Okanagan sellers generally stay firm on price. The number I watch is the sale-to-list price ratio on recent comparable sales. That ratio tells you how much room there really is.

Watercolour of a cream heritage wood-frame house with a front porch on Abbott Street in Kelowna, mature trees beside the walk
A house on Abbott Street looks fine on a screen. Local eyes still need to walk the porch, the grade and the street.

Local eyes on the ground

Your buyer's agent is your local presence. They book the video tours, walk the street, talk to neighbours when it makes sense and watch how the seller responds. They also read the small cues: a job move, a new build that is ready, or an estate that needs a clean close. Those cues shape the offer more than a price cut usually does.

You will also need a B.C. lawyer or notary for closing. Plan this early if you are still out of province. The Land Title and Survey Authority retired its COVID-era remote witnessing measures for land title documents on September 30, 2023. In most cases you will sign transfers and mortgages in person, or arrange an affidavit of execution under the Land Title Act. Ask your lawyer or notary how they handle out-of-town buyers, and leave an extra week or two in the timeline. (Source: LTSA, Retirement of COVID measures)

Timing the purchase vs the move

Buying before you move raises a second clock: the B.C. speculation and vacancy tax if the home is in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country or Peachland. The year you buy is usually exempt if you paid property transfer tax. The next year, you need a new exemption, most often that the home is your principal residence as a B.C. resident, or that it is rented for at least six months. You must also file a declaration by March 31 each year. This is general information, not tax advice. Talk to a qualified tax professional about your dates before you set them.

Coming from Vancouver? Read what Vancouver buyers often do not expect about Kelowna.

A short note for U.S. buyers: most non-Canadians cannot buy homes in Canada until January 1, 2027, with some exceptions. Check the current rules before you shop.

My take

Buyers who succeed from a distance do three things well. They hire a good local agent. They keep real subjects on the offer. They send a licensed inspector to the house, not just a camera. Sale-to-list ratios tell you more than gut feel. Okanagan sellers generally stay firm, so the edge comes from reading why someone is selling, not from hoping for a fire sale.

Bottom line: you can buy before you visit, if local people do the work you cannot do from a screen.

Thinking about a remote purchase this winter? Call me at 250-258-4663. I am happy to walk through a shortlist with you by video and tell you what I would check in person.

Sources checked Nov 6, 2026. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and numbers change. Confirm details with your lawyer or notary, your home inspector and qualified professionals before you buy.