Our Story
Roots in Victoria
Helping people build a life they love
Perry's gift is helping people build financial roots. Anna's gift is helping people build emotional roots. Together at Happy Homes Team - eXp Realty, they help people build a life in Victoria, not just buy a house. The real estate transaction is just the beginning.
Happy Homes Team
eXp Realty · AI Certified Agents · Victoria, BC
Our 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. Roots in Victoria is about everything that happens after someone arrives.
Building Lives, Not Just Transactions
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.
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 zip 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. Roots in Victoria is the community resource 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.
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. 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, the rhythms and rituals that make a place feel like home.
Whether she's mapping out the perfect school catchment, identifying the dog-friendly patio closest to your future front door, or walking 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. After more than thirty years deeply embedded in Greater Victoria's business and social fabric, he understands that real wealth in this community comes from smart property strategy. Mortgage helpers, secondary suites, carriage homes, ADUs, and investment properties are not just additions to a house. They are the financial foundations that let people put down roots that last.
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 helps clients see beyond the transaction to the long-term wealth strategy that makes a house truly theirs.
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
Ready to Build Your Roots?
The Real Estate Transaction Is Just the Beginning
Whether 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.
Roots in Victoria
The real estate transaction is just the beginning. Explore our guides to building financial and emotional roots on Southern Vancouver Island.
