Our Story
Happy Homes Team
Homes with soul. Strategy with heart.
Anna Hakim and Perry Fanthorpe are the co-founders of the Happy Homes Team at eXp Realty – a boutique real estate team serving Greater Victoria, British Columbia. As AI-Certified Agents (Krem Institute), they combine cutting-edge technology with deep local expertise and a strategy-first approach to buying and selling. They are realtors and negotiation strategists who advocate fiercely for every client, especially out-of-province relocators navigating an unfamiliar market. The result is a boutique, personalized experience – credible, trusted, and built on decades of community roots.
Perry's gift is helping people build financial roots. Anna's gift is helping people build emotional roots. Together, they help people build a life in Victoria, not just buy a house. The real estate transaction is just the beginning – and as expert negotiation strategists, they bring a strategic edge to every deal.
Happy Homes Team
eXp Realty · AI-Certified Agents (Krem Institute) · Victoria, BC
Greater Victoria
Serving All 13 Municipalities
AI Certified
Agents – Krem Institute
eXp Realty
301-3450 Uptown Blvd, Victoria
Homes with Soul
Strategy with Heart
Rated 5.0 stars from 12 Google Reviews
Trusted by Greater Victoria homeownersOur Philosophy
A house with soul. A neighbourhood that fits. A community that feels right. A dog beach that becomes part of someone's weekly ritual. A coffee shop where they know your name. That's what roots actually are. The real estate transaction is just the beginning. The Happy Homes Team is about everything that happens after someone arrives.
Homes with Soul. Strategy with Heart.
Two Kinds of Roots
Victoria, British Columbia is an island jewel that rewards slow, deliberate discovery. Located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, it is a place where old-growth cedar forests meet spectacular rugged beaches, where local farmers markets dictate weekend plans, and where communities are defined by small local villages rather than expansive urban traffic. With a metro population of approximately 420,000 across 13 municipalities, Greater Victoria offers the cultural richness of a much larger city while maintaining the intimate, walkable feel of a coastal village. An average commute of just 25 minutes connects most residents to the Inner Harbour.
Perry builds financial roots. As someone who has spent over thirty years embedded in Greater Victoria's social and business fabric, Perry understands how mortgage helpers, secondary suites, carriage homes, and investment properties create lasting wealth. His expertise in ADUs, zoning, and building equity through real estate gives clients the financial foundation to put down roots that endure.
Anna builds emotional roots. Anna's gift is helping people find where they belong. She understands that the right neighbourhood is more than a postal code. It's the coffee shop where they know your name, the dog beach that becomes a weekly ritual, the school catchment that fits your family, the community events that turn strangers into neighbours. She matches people with the places and rhythms that make Victoria feel like home.
Together, Anna and Perry help people build lives, not just transactions. Happy Homes Team at eXp Realty is the team behind the community resources they created to share everything they know about building a life on Southern Vancouver Island, from mortgage helper regulations to the best dog-friendly patios, from neighbourhood guides to car shows and community events.
Why Choose the Happy Homes Team
What Sets Us Apart
In a market full of transaction-focused agents, we take a different approach. Here's what makes the Happy Homes Team different.
AI-Certified Technology Advantage
Both Anna and Perry are AI-Certified Agents through the Krem Institute, with ongoing bi-weekly training in the Krem AI Mastermind. Your home gets priced against this week's market data, not last quarter's. Your offer gets positioned using buyer behavior patterns most agents aren't tracking. This isn't a gimmick – it's a measurable competitive edge.
Boutique, Personalized Approach
We are not a volume team. As a boutique real estate team, every client gets direct access to both Anna and Perry – not a junior associate or a transaction coordinator. Your strategy is built around your life, your timeline, and your goals. That level of personalization is something only a boutique team can deliver.
Deep Local Knowledge
We're not transplants learning the market on your dime. With over thirty years embedded in Greater Victoria's social and business fabric, Perry understands neighbourhoods, zoning, municipal regulations, and the real cost of living across the region. Anna's behavioural psychology background means she reads the emotional landscape of a move – not just the financial one.
Strategy-First Approach
Every buying or selling decision starts with strategy, not impulse. From pricing psychology and negotiation positioning to mortgage helper ROI analysis and investment property planning, we build the plan first – then execute it with discipline. That's why clients trust us as credible, long-term advisors, not just agents.
Where We Work
Service Areas Across Greater Victoria
Victoria
Saanich
Langford
Esquimalt
Oak Bay
Colwood
View Royal
Sidney
Serving the entire Greater Victoria region including all surrounding communities on southern Vancouver Island.
What We Do
Our Specializations
Multigenerational Living & Mortgage Helper Properties
Deep expertise in secondary suites, carriage homes, ADUs, and the municipal regulations across Victoria, Saanich, Langford, and surrounding municipalities.
First-Time Buyers
Guiding first-time buyers through every step with patience, clarity, and a strategy-first approach that builds confidence from day one.
Negotiation Strategy
Expert negotiation strategists who advocate fiercely for the best possible terms – a critical advantage for out-of-province relocators and competitive market situations.
AI-Powered Marketing for Listings
Leveraging Krem Institute AI certification to price, position, and market listings using real-time data and current buyer behavior patterns.
The People Behind the Roots
Anna & Perry
Two kinds of expertise. One shared mission: helping people build a life they love in Greater Victoria.
Building Emotional Roots
Anna Hakim
REALTOR® | AI Certified Agent 2.0
Anna helps people find where they belong. Before real estate, Anna built a career in massage therapy and emotional trauma healing – a background in behavioural psychology that means she reads what clients need before they say it. Her gift is understanding that finding the right home goes far beyond square footage and price points. It's about the neighbourhood that fits, the community that feels right, and the rhythms and rituals that make a place feel like home. As an AI-Certified Agent (Krem Institute), she combines that emotional intelligence with data-driven market strategy.
Her negotiation expertise ensures clients never feel outmatched – especially relocators who need a trusted advocate in an unfamiliar market. She maps out the perfect school catchment, finds the dog-friendly patio closest to your future front door, and walks you through the community events that will turn you from a newcomer into a local. Anna builds the emotional roots that transform a transaction into a life.
Building Financial Roots
Perry Fanthorpe
REALTOR® | AI Certified Agent 2.0
Perry builds financial roots. With over thirty years embedded in Greater Victoria's business and social fabric, and a background spanning business ownership and construction, Perry understands how mortgage helpers, secondary suites, carriage homes, ADUs, and investment properties create lasting wealth. As an AI-Certified Agent (Krem Institute) and expert negotiation strategist, he combines deep market knowledge with data-driven pricing strategy and the practical construction expertise to help clients see the full picture.
Perry's expertise spans municipal zoning, ADU regulations across Victoria, Saanich, Langford, and surrounding municipalities, and the practical knowledge of how building equity through property creates generational stability. He fights for the strongest possible terms on every deal – a critical advantage for out-of-province buyers who need someone with deep market knowledge and strategic discipline working on their behalf.
AI Certified Agents 2.0
Anna and Perry are certified through the Krem Institute, with ongoing bi-weekly training in the Krem AI Mastermind. That means your home gets priced against this week's market data, not last quarter's, and your offer gets positioned using buyer behavior patterns most agents aren't tracking. Our buyers and sellers get the advantage of agents who never stop training.
Verified Credentials
Credentials & Affiliations
AI-Certified Through Krem Institute
Both Anna and Perry, with ongoing bi-weekly Mastermind training
eXp Realty – Happy Homes Team
Full-service brokerage, Victoria, BC
Victoria Real Estate Board
Active member, MLS®
Licensed in British Columbia
Representative, licensed with the BC Financial Services Authority
Our Story
Why We Do What We Do
Anna's path to real estate wasn't conventional. Her career began in massage therapy and emotional trauma healing – work that taught her to listen deeply, read the signals people don't verbalize, and understand that the spaces we live in shape how we feel. That background in behavioural psychology is the foundation of how she works with clients today. She doesn't just find houses. She helps people find where they belong.
Perry came to real estate through business ownership and construction – hands-on experience that gave him an intimate understanding of how properties are built, how municipalities regulate them, and how smart financial strategy creates generational stability. After more than thirty years deeply embedded in Greater Victoria's community, he knows this market from the inside out.
Together, they built the Happy Homes Team on a shared belief: that real estate is about more than transactions. It's about trust, strategy, and the kind of honest, human guidance that turns a major life decision into a confident one. Their philosophy is simple – Homes with soul. Strategy with heart.
In Their Own Words
What Our Clients Say
The relationships we build don't end at closing. Here's what our clients have to say about working with the Happy Homes Team.
See what our clients sayAnna and Perry were more than a part of a team but more like family members in whom we could trust. They really wanted what was best for us and we are very grateful for the care and attention we received.
E
Family-Like Care
Beyond being excellent realtors, Anna and Perry are genuinely kind, caring people who truly put their clients first.
BP
Farm Purchase
Anna and Perry provide a safe and sophisticated approach to being in service.
EB
Cross-Border Move from USA
The Full Team
Meet the Four-Legged Members
of the Happy Homes Team
Every great team has members who bring unique strengths. Ours happen to have four legs, oversized personalities, and an unwavering commitment to joy.
Chief Canine • victoriadogs.com
Lady Sahara
Senior Lifestyle Specialist & Certified Bionic Dog
Lady Sahara is the calm heart of the Happy Homes Team and our resident expert on peaceful walks, sunny patios, hidden beaches, and the quieter side of life in Victoria.
Known throughout Greater Victoria's canine community as a five-time Gold Medal Champion in Dry Grass Rolling, Lady Sahara has spent years perfecting her technique and remains one of the most respected athletes in the sport.
Her greatest achievement goes far beyond athletics.
Following a serious knee injury, Lady Sahara underwent TPLO surgery and tackled recovery with extraordinary courage and determination. Through months of rehabilitation, patience, and perseverance, she made a full comeback and returned to doing what she loves most.
Today, she proudly holds the title of the Happy Homes Team's first officially Certified Bionic Dog.
Lady Sahara reminds us that true strength lives in quiet resilience, steady determination, and getting back up one more time.
The Champion Grass Roller
Signature Move: Rolling in the Grass
Lady Sahara rolling on her back in the grass, her signature move. Once she starts, there is no stopping her.
Lady Sahara on her back in the grass with a blue leash, soaking up the sunshine. Five-time Gold Medal Champion for a reason.
Specialties
- ◈ Quiet beaches and peaceful trails
- ◈ Dog-friendly patios
- ◈ Championship-level grass rolling
- ◈ Professional napping
- ◈ Emotional support and calm companionship
- ◈ Teaching humans how to slow down and enjoy life
Achievements
- ◈ Five-Time Gold Medal Champion, Dry Grass Rolling Division
- ◈ Recipient of the Happy Homes Team Courage Award
- ◈ Certified Bionic Dog
- ◈ TPLO Recovery Champion
- ◈ Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Relaxation
Fun Fact
Lady Sahara firmly believes every great day should include sunshine, snacks, a comfortable nap, and at least one perfectly executed grass roll.
Ziggy & Lady Sahara
The Origin Story
When Ziggy first came home as a puppy, he was an absolute little shark, biting everything and everyone. Lady Sahara, ever the patient senior, developed the most hilarious coping strategy: she would gently put her entire mouth over puppy Ziggy's mouth to give everyone a reprieve.
It was her way of saying "enough!"
Now that Ziggy is a full-grown Rottweiler, there is absolutely no way Lady Sahara could ever pull that move again. It's one of the team's favourite memories.
The Bond
Two Souls,
One Den
Before Ziggy arrived, Lady Sahara had the house, the couch, and the bed all to herself. Then a Rottweiler puppy with zero respect for personal boundaries showed up and decided that Lady Sahara was his favourite piece of furniture.
What started as tolerated mischief became genuine devotion. These days, the two are inseparable, sharing naps, adventures, and an unspoken understanding that life is simply better with a four-legged friend by your side.
Chief Canine • victoriadogs.com
Ziggy Stardust
Chief Morale Officer, Director of Advanced Snack Acquisition & Team Goofball
Ziggy's mission is simple:
Make every day more fun.
As Chief Morale Officer of the Happy Homes Team, Ziggy approaches life with enthusiasm, curiosity, and a complete dedication to being himself, dignity entirely optional.
A proud practitioner of the classic upside-down Rottweiler sleeping position, Ziggy can often be found belly-up, paws in the air, completely relaxed and entirely convinced this is the correct way to experience life.
His favourite treat is doggy ice cream.
His favourite game is Hide and Seek.
The rules are simple. Ziggy steals your favourite gardening glove, hides somewhere in the house or yard, waits patiently to be discovered, and then launches a high-speed chase that he considers both exercise and entertainment.
An accomplished grass roller in his own right, Ziggy is also credited with inventing the legendary Grass Swim™ Technique, a highly specialized maneuver involving gliding across wet grass on his back while wearing the expression of someone experiencing pure bliss.
Ziggy teaches us to embrace joy without hesitation, love without reservation, and live every moment with wholehearted enthusiasm.
Everyday Adventures
Rain or shine, the trails of Greater Victoria are their daily office. Ziggy leads, Lady Sahara sets the pace.
When Ziggy First Came Home
Day one. Belly-up, completely passed out on his very own cushioned bed. The Chief Morale Officer's legendary upside-down sleeping habit started right here.
Specialties
- ◈ Team morale
- ◈ Doggy ice cream quality control
- ◈ Advanced glove relocation services
- ◈ Grass Swim™ instruction
- ◈ Forest adventures
- ◈ Greeting visitors
- ◈ Making strangers smile
- ◈ Living life at full volume
Achievements
- ◈ Survivor of the Great Corn Cob Incident
- ◈ Certified Grass Swim™ Instructor
- ◈ Undefeated Champion of Finding Joy in Ordinary Things
- ◈ Multiple-Time Winner of the "Most Likely to Cause Laughter" Award
- ◈ Professional Belly Rub Enthusiast
- ◈ Lifetime Achievement Award for Being the Best Boy
Life Philosophy
Ziggy believes happiness is something you chase.
Preferably while carrying a stolen gardening glove.
His greatest gift is reminding everyone around him to live fully, love deeply, play often, and never pass up an opportunity to roll in the grass.
Because in Ziggy's world, joy is something you become.
Official Chief Canines of victoriadogs.com
About Our Team
What does it mean that Anna and Perry are AI Certified Agents?
Anna Hakim and Perry Fanthorpe are certified through the Krem Institute and attend bi-weekly training sessions in the Krem AI Mastermind. This certification means they use real-time market data for pricing strategy, current buyer behavior patterns for positioning offers, and ongoing AI training to stay ahead of market shifts, rather than relying on outdated comparables or guesswork. For buyers and sellers in Greater Victoria, this translates into sharper pricing, stronger negotiation positioning, and a team whose expertise is continuously updated.
More from the Happy Homes Team
This site, Roots in Victoria, is our community guide hub — covering neighbourhoods, mortgage helpers, outdoor adventures, car shows, and everything that makes Greater Victoria worth calling home. Our sister site, the Victoria Dog Guide (victoriadogs.com), covers everything dog-related in Greater Victoria — off-leash parks, beaches, patios, bylaws, and dog-friendly neighbourhoods. Together, they're the complete local resource library we built for our community.
For real estate — from mortgage helpers and secondary suites to investment strategy and neighbourhood matching — visit Happy Homes Team (happyhomesvictoria.com).
Ready to Get Started?
The Real Estate Transaction Is Just the Beginning
If you're looking for the right neighbourhood, the right investment strategy, or both, Anna and Perry are here to help you build a life you love in Greater Victoria.
Happy Homes Team
Homes with soul. Strategy with heart. Explore our guides to building financial and emotional roots on Southern Vancouver Island.
