Owen Stacey serves clients throughout Greater Victoria
VICTORIA – Owen Stacey’s real estate business has been flying ever since launching his career with Engel & Volkers Vancouver Island eight months ago.
Perhaps that’s not surprising, as prior to starting his own Personal Real Estate Corporation he was in the aviation business for the past 25 years, as a Chief Pilot most recently, flying large aircraft around the world.
He hit the ground running, as he became a Top 10 producer in December, just two months after starting with the brokerage. He was able to serve long-time friends from Victoria and across North America looking to purchase real estate in Greater Victoria and is focusing on clients who need to downsize their living space.
“We want people to downsize their living space, not their lifestyle,” Stacey comments, adding he is a full-service realtor. “We have a lot of homeowners that need the right agent, who have experience to work with them for transitioning from a large house after the family has moved on to university, into their place, or to another area.
“I talk with clients every week that are in this ‘holding pattern’ that want to sell their property, but do not know where to start. They may have all kinds of family trinkets they don’t know what to do with, and rooms that used to belong to their kids and are full of memories that are no longer used, and we help guide them through the process.”
Strata properties are convenient for downsizing clients – particularly snowbirds – who can lock the door and leave for up to six months and their units are cared for. Stacey addresses strata fees, which some see in a negative extra cost, with a simple explanation.
“Strata fees are not a bad thing, really, because it is one fixed-fee for services you’re already paying for in a single family home. . .landscaping, heat/hot water, repair, etc.”
It was a combination of personal real estate investing plus struggles with the Covid pandemic, which convinced Stacey to set up in the profession in Victoria.
Owen Stacey was a Chief Pilot and in the aviation industry for 25 years
“Covid was a big change for me, being in aviation, I had been flying private jets globally for years,” he explains. “When Covid hit, we were tasked with bringing people home to Canada and in addition to being a pilot – I was doing extra logistics for flying duties, which was all consuming.
“For the last 25 years, my wife and I have been investing in real estate, and when we were in California and other places, we were always watching what was happening in the North American markets,” he adds. “We’ve brought that knowledge back to Victoria, and we have lots of clients here as well as those in the U.S. that want to buy in Canada, including pilots. We have streamlined processes in place that really make a difference.”
Relationships are important to Stacey.
“It’s all about relationships and trust, and I enjoy sharing my expertise with sellers and buyers. I have also renovated a number of properties, so I have made a lot of connections with some excellent trades within this market,” he notes.
