Big White is AWESOME! Working here.

Okay, this is 'working here' version 2.31. I was gonna write a fresh new, pretty, bells and whistles blog... but... I didn't. Ha!

Working at Biggie - Woohoo!

Good Times!!!

First of all let me say (lots of) money is not everything, in fact in the big scheme of things money is not that important - some of the happiest people I know, the people who travel the most - went bankrupt, sounds bad, but it was liberating for them. Anyway, not earning lots of money is good because at Big White you will gain something far more valuable than the money you don't make - an experience of a lifetime. 

And (being philosophical here) life is nothing more than a series of joined experiences. You want to make money? Stay home, work in the mines, make a bunch of doh, get married, have kids, work 60+ hours per week, retire and then kick the bucket - Fun! Not. If you want to do something to remember the rest of your life, travel - come be a snowboard instructor, or bar tender, or whatever at Big White - have a rich and rewarding experience. And of course meet lots of people - this is giant hand Brad below - a sparky... find out more about Brad here, he is for sale.


What can I earn?Remember it is a 5-6 month resort. Businesses have to cover 12 months of fixed costs over a short period - rent, property tax, utilities (marginal), strata fees, their own salaries... They, like you, are not doing it to be rich, but (like you) for the lifestyle. And the lifestyle at Big White is pretty AWESOME!


I would budget somewhere between $1200 - $1600 per month in your pocket after taxes. More hours equals less snow time. But... be reliable. Hungover... tired... can't be bothered working today... my hair is a mess... forgot to put my make-up on... OMG where am I, and who are you...? Are not valid excuses. A foot of powder...? Yes, okay, that's a valid excuse.

Off on a tangent here-
I worked/bummed around a ski resort resort in my mid 20's - Chatel, in the French Alps - just on the Swiss border. Loved it! I worked in bars, kitchen's, chalets. The biggest hurdle for me then was the language - the French just refused to speak English. And my French was as advanced as my Latvian. Coming from the industrial North of England, languages were not popular - some even argue we don't even speak English. Which could be true-

Minimum wages - come work for us...

Here are a couple of common Wigan phrases. Some need double translation (see the parenthesis)

• Izziterzerizziteez - Is is her's or is it his.
• Ah wur fair clemm't - I was very hungry.
• Gerreminagen! - Get them in again (as in round of beer).
• Ee's peed aw is munny up waw - He has pissed all of his money up the wall (Spent all his money on beer)
• Sawreetferthee - It is okay for you.
• Izyedzawshapes - His head is all shapes.
• Avaddabuttifermitay - I have had a butty (sandwich) for my tea (dinner).
• Weeaffertguffertbuzz - We have (are off) to go for the bus.
• Astbinmenbin? - Have the bin men (trash collectors) been?
• Art brekkin um in fer an 'orse? - (this is trash talk to someone with big teeth) Are you breaking them in for a horse?
• Willy Eckerslike - Will he heckers like. (this is difficult, it means - he will not do that)
• Eezgoowinwom - He is going home.
• Eenose nowt abartit - he knows nothing about it.
• Geeuzakisswillta? - Give us a kiss will you?
• Art cooertin - Are you courting? (Are you dating anyone)
• Stop bluddy Maudderin - Stop Bloody Crying. (popular with my dad (RIP) after he cracked me one - spanked me)
• Stop maudderin yer bruvver - Stop bothering your brother (often followed by a crack and a Stop bluddy maudderin)

As you can see Wiganese eliminates numerous letters (H) and profusely uses others (Z).

Back to Biggie.
Of course it does not have much to do with working at Big White... but out of the jobs I did in France with my limited French and English working the bar was my favourite, being a 'Plunger' (use a French accent) was by far the most demanding - I would run around that kitchen barely breathing 9am - 6pm none stop.

So if you are looking for work at a ski resort... don't go to Chatel to be a Plunger.

However, if you are coming to Big White - 

Man, I wish I could get rich so I could have a vacation here.

• Bars and restaurants pay minimum (or close to)... but the tips are usually very good (being blonde, beautiful, blue eyed - helps, er... you know I mean female here). Be prepared to work late and suffer drunken Aussies, Brits, Canadians etc etc.
• Big White Housekeeping - steady hours, minimum wage, ski pass. Can be dirty - renters are not looking to leave their place 'ready for the next guest' if you know what I mean. But the benefits are free food, beer etc.
• Other housekeeping - same as Big White, maybe a pass - Ask!
• Ski/Snowboard Instructor - Sexy! Lowish pay (unless you are level 3 and above). Free ski pass and you have a cool job. Cool capital C. 
• Liftie - A bit dull but always steady. Ski pass and you get to ski a little whilst working.
• Telus Park - same
• Snow clearing. Intermittent hours, busiest when conditions are best... good wages, hard work and will keep you fit, but little snow means little work...
• Groomer - few jobs but you work mostly nights - ski/ride during the day.

So do some homework, contact the businesses early, and find a place to stay... oh, that's where we come in - Sólido Properties - manages and rents their own and third party properties. If you need long term accommodation we can help. Like us on Facebook - we will like you :) ...maybe.

A (true) Story

In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait - I don't know the real reason, oil, CIA, strategic positioning, dictator reasoning - (this is similar to logic of the fairer sex). 

By January 1991 I found myself with a squadron of British Royal Engineers in the Saudi desert - by the way the Saudi desert is not sand it is hard, dusty dirt - a sand storm is not sand, it is dust so fine it hangs suspended...

But but but, that is not the story...

I was a dispatch rider (on the British Armstrong 500) and heavy equipment operator (bulldozers, scrapers, excavators etc) with my Squadron, so my bike was also my transport to get to site, as and when needed. 

Anyway I found myself building up the defences of an American squadron of Blackhawk helicopters, probably 20 clicks from my home base. I would leave camp at early o'clock, ride to the Blackhawk camp, work, and then ride back.  The route was drive from the camp to the 'road' I use the term 'road' very broadly as it was basically a big pot hole with bits of tarmac sticking out at acute angles - not to dissimilar to shark fins in an ocean. I would then drive the road to the turnoff for the Americans and drive their track to their camp - simple.

But the road was treacherous, it was easier driving the ugly desert than the ugly road. One night I finished late and I thought I would take a short cut - as the crow flies, drive the desert to the camp. At best is was a weak plan, but at 21 - I made the mistakes of a 21 year old.

The rumour was Iraqi death squads had infiltrated the area and were looking for easy targets - a loan squaddie on a bike? An easy target.

I set off and pretty soon it got dark, and dark in the desert is dark. There are no lights, no glow of distant towns or cities - the only light is from the moon (none that night) and the stars (lots). I kind of get lost and because it is a war zone, every military camp is on black-out.

I am riding around and looking for the camp when the bike's timing belt goes. Now the Armstrong is a simple bike, heavy, low power, easy to fix. The timing belt had gone multiple times, and I had replaced them multiple times - on this very bike. I had the tools and I had a spare belt. I also had a flashlight to see what I was doing - easy.

Not so easy. The timing belt cover plate is held on by five (if I remember correctly) bolts. And the bolts on this plate had been removed so many times that they were difficult to remove at the best of times - in the dark, using one hand (flashlight in the other) I could not get the cover plate off. I was in a bit of a pickle...

Trying to work out my options I see the lights of a truck on the horizon, driving right to left. My instant thought was 'friendly forces or not friendly?' (Iraqi insurgents?) It is a war zone and the allied standing orders are no lights after dark - but I also assume any Iraqi forces would have the same order. My conclusion was unfriendly forces would be less likely to drive with lights.

With my headlight I flash the morse code for help (SOS) - dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. Nothing, I'm thinking any military guy would know this, why are they not turning? They must be able to see me I am the only flashing light, in a sea of darkness. I try again - dot dot dot, dash dash dash, dot dot dot. Nothing. I am at a loss - why are they not turning - Iraqis? I try again and again and again, eventually the headlights... although by this point I am not certain I want that.

The vehicle gets close and I realize it is an American military pick-up truck with a driver, passenger and looking very much like they should - very good. The driver, drives his vehicle up to me, winds down his window and says...

Now recall, I am a lone soldier, in the middle of the desert, bike in a disassembled state, it is a war zone and I am signalling a distress signal for help.

... in a southern drawl "Can you tell me where the AT&T phones are...?"

Desert, war zone, distress signal, soldier all alone... looking back I ask myself, just what was he thinking when he drove up to me - "hey look there is a soldier, all alone, in the middle of nowhere, flashing us so he can give us directions..."

The Armstrong 500

Big White is AWESOME! And Healthy!

So, you want to lose some weight? er yes please Mr. Pickles.

Hold on captain, what is the picture to the left? Well that is Scafell Pike - (with gravitas please) "It is the highest peak in England my son..." Yes a whole 87m high... not really, it is 978m.

Wait, what..? Well this blog is about Big White, (which is Awesome by the way.) And Big White is 2,319m - 9.4379 times higher than Scafell...

Ok, this is the point. Living at altitude is believed to increase your base metabolic rate - the number of calories you burn. So if you live at Big White, going to Kelowna makes you fat! And you all thought it was food.

Research.
A study in Germany tested 20 obese men whilst in Munich and at 8,700ft. Whilst at altitude the men lost an average of 3lb each in a week. 20 is not really enough to pass muster with the FDA - still according to the journal of made up statistics (doing a course right now) Colorado has the lowest levels of obesity out of the whole of the USA - less than 20%. 

This link provides more info 

I don't know what the stats are for Big White, I think it is around 0%, apart from the odd chubby Golden Retriever - obviously they have not read this article or the stats...

Now the question is, does Big White attract healthy people or make healthy them?

I think probably a bit of both.

Of course you also have to work - nothing is free, my preferred activity is squash - look at the chart squash burns more calories per hour than any other activity. 1520kj (1 Calorie is roughly 4 kj) per 30 minutes for a 70kg, 40 year old woman. If only I could play like a woman.

Running also helps, but soft snow and high altitude makes it very challenging - like running up a giant sand-dune without oxygen.

So anyway back to my point, not only is Big White a great place to live and raise a family, it is also naturally, a healthy place to live - even better than Scafell...

Oh and the pitch - if after reading this you are convinced Big White is for you contact Sólido Properties or like us on Facebook for more information and rental options.

Big White is AWESOME! Random Musings.

Ok, so I may have mentioned that Big White is Awesome...? No? Well it is!

Last week it was warm, capital W, warm. And with the warm weather came lots of melt and with lots of melt comes everything buried in the snow, since October. Mostly garbage, the BW community organized a clean up and got to it. Well done everyone!

The Sherriff's played their part to a small degree - Snowbird Way is now has the equivalent of one garbage bag less of garbage lying around - Whoohoo! Unfortunately you cannot tell, Boo! - we will be out again :)

Of course in addition to the trash under the snow there is also Treasure - last year during the season I lost my iPhone :( and I never found it. But I did find a brand new iPhone 4s - all shiny and new, not a scratch on it. Perfect! I put it in a bag of rice (I'd heard this works) and two days later I plugged in the power... it instantly came to life (good old Apple) and instantly I was able to find the owner... in Australia, he was happy, me, less so - I needed a new phone but what can you do?

Actually speaking of Apple their products are quite durable, my daughter put her iPod Nano through the wash and that was fine. And one time I dropped my (first) iPhone in the snow, I found it the next day, and I am sure it would have been fine... if not for being crushed...

Other treasure - unopened beer in the snow, under the chair lifts - and yes, I do drink them - for practical purposes only, the can is much lighter to carry off the mountain without contents...

People. (no I don't find spare people)

There seems to be a lot of people around this year, the last time I ran up the mountain (yes that idiot is me) there must have been 10 others skinning/hiking/snowshoeing up/down. And there are always people at Globe (open everyday except Friday). The first year (2000) we did not see anyone for weeks, we arrived May 11th and that weekend it must have snowed half a metre - we saw a dog and that was it, Saxon (RIP).

Anyhoo... thats it from me for today - 

PS Forgot my pitch - anyone looking for seasonal rentals or rental management visit our Facebook page or website or email solidorentals@gmail.com

 

Big White is AWESOME! A bit on Seasonal Rentals

Roughly 1300 seasonal staff hit Biggie every year...

Seasonal staff on balance tend to pay over the odds, their choices are limited and they have a reputation for being hard on property. 

But I have rented to seasonal staff since 2003, and if you respect your renters and stay visible, they will respect you and your property - there is always going to be wear and tear but usually no more and often less, than vacation renters.

So, some tips for owners renting to seasonal staff.

1. Meet them or have your agent meet them.
2. Take 6 months rent up front or first and last months rent.
3. Take a damage deposit.
4. Get a contract signed by all or a head tenants.
5. Do not permit 'friends' to stay for a couple of nights.
6. Girls are (usually) cleaner than boys.
7. Check the property regularly.
8. Inform the tenants of any noise (or other relevant) by-laws before they occupy the property.
9. Direct deposit is the best way of collecting rent, followed by credit card, cheque and then cash.
10. Rent payment holds varying places on the list of tenants priorities - it is usually behind beer, snowboarding, socialising, shopping. :)
11. Couples can be good unless they break up, and remember for many this is their first time travelling together - break-ups happen.
12. Be Nice! Expect minor wear and tear, expect some noise, expect them to be untidy, expect them to get drunk. Most of these kids (it is a broad definition) are good kids, so treat them fairly.

And pay back the damage deposit promptly - these kids are usually broke by the end of the season.

But what about the Staff...? You ask? Well here is something I didn't prepare earlier.

1. Find your place early! Really, I cannot emphasize this enough - there are around 1300 seasonal staff arrive at Big White every year - 90%+ are looking for accommodation after they arrive. Starting in the hostels, and immediately scouring snowpines for places to share - the same as the other 1,290 people. It becomes a renters market - which means higher costs and lower quality accommodation...
2. Read Tip one again!
3. If you are doing this early enough you can decide where you want to live - what is important to you? Access to the village for work/recreation? Ski in/out? Amenities? I have lived in Snowpines, top of the village and Happy Valley - Happy Valley is #1 for me, but I have kids and dogs - school, cross country trails, skating rink, Moose Lounge and the gondola gives me immediate village access. These are important for me. Decide where you want to live.
4. Choose your roomies carefully! For many Big White is the first time away from home and people have different levels of personal hygiene... 
5. Decide on some common sense house rules - shared cleaning, groceries etc.
6. Damage - hmmm, do not buy a BB gun and put up a target - you will use it when you are drunk. But consider, if you have one guy (girls don't usually get punchy, although I did have one girlfriend...) who trashes the place - you are all responsible. See tip 4.
7. Keep in contact with the owner or contact person, let them know of any issues - if the fridge breaks they will fix it. If the fridge breaks because you chucked it off the deck, they won't fix it...
8. Pay your rent by direct bank deposit - it is much easier to prove you have paid.
9. Respect the property you are in.
10. Work out a budget for the season before hand, figure on $550 per month per person for shared accom, add $40+/- for utilities, and factor in - food, drink, socializing etc.
11. Don't sign up for utilities, have the owner keep them in their name and reimburse - don't make it difficult.

Big White have about 130 pillows they manage, dedicated to their 'first-time' staff - if you have never spent a season at Big White, this could be a good option. The rates are lower - $425 - $450 per month but your accommodation is tied to your job - lose your job, you lose your bed! Mostly bunks but probably better than the hostel.

Remember Tip 1. Whether you find a luxury place in Happy Valley, sharing with 6 other people or a basement dump in Snowpines sharing with 11 others, your rents will be similar - the quality variable is a function of time not money!

So here is my pitch - Sólido Properties rents and manages their own and other properties - if you need property management or guaranteed rental income talk to us, if you are looking for long term or seasonal rentals talk to us, if you need marital advice, have health issues, problem children/pets, drink/drugs problem or any other issue... don't talk to us.

www.solido-properties.com 

Yes, you cannot stay here! :)

C.

Back home at Big White! And it is AWESOME!

Yesterday my kids got to enjoy a ride on  one of the grooming machines (Thanks Jeremy) - how cool is that for a 10 year old boy!

I'm 45 and I thought it was cool... but I did not get a ride... cos nobody loves me... :(

There is still tons of snow and we woke to almost 6" of fresh today. Lack of snow is not why the mountain closes its lack of people - Kelowna there is golf, lake, wineries, mountain biking... etc etc.

But it is slowly changing, this year it feels like more people are on the mountain, Sam's was open, Globe is open during the day and the great big announcement (from the Doc's office) is the clinic will be open one day per week - woohoo!

There are a couple of bike trails here and there are countless kms of logging roads to dirt bike but it is the chicken and the egg - people won't come until there is stuff to do, business won't open until there are sufficient people to support them.

I often wonder what writers block is now I 

Not at Big White - Edinburgh instead.

I left Big White on Friday, just before the season ended - good, I won't cry, bad, the season ended :(

But I am enjoying the "delights" of Edinburgh Business School, at the Heriot Watt campus. I never did the university thing, I can't really claim to have done the school thing - I left at 15 to pursue a career in doing nothing. Whilst very successful in the beginning, I soon realized it was not very lucrative...

So, trying to kill two birds with one stone (travel & survival) I joined the British Army - to be the best I could be... So the formative student years were spent in Basic Training and army life. The Army has some differences to being a student and some similarities.

Well the obvious one is number of syllables - the army could only afford two whilst University (count them) has five!

Second
During basic training you are surrounded by a similar demographic - uneducated, Northern, working class men (British Army), good at drinking and fighting.

At Uni, (reduced syllables here to prevent Army from being jealous)
You are again surrounded by similar demographics, educated, Southern, middle class, good at drinking and not fighting.

Thirdly.
There is also a similar reward and control system in both 'societies'

At Uni,
If you are late. Nothing happens
If you miss a class. Nothing happens
If you fail an exam. You get to retake it, ad nauseam
If you lose your ID card. You get a new one.
If you don't shave, shower, wash your clothes. Nothing happens
If you don't iron your clothes. Nothing happens.
If you don't polish your shoes. Nothing happens.
Your day starts - when you want, or not at all - stay in bed.
Your day finishes - when you want, or get bored, or never even started, whatever.
If you fail your fitness test. What?
Classes last a whole 20 hours a week.
And a 26 week per year commitment.
Social skills are developed - you can talk to boys/girls.
Uni is high pressure. If you fail your exams, you may have to stay in this insufferable environment, longer.

In the Army.
If you are late. Go to jail.
If you miss a class. You are considered AWOL - go to jail.
If you fail a subject. Get beat up by your mates.
If you lose your ID. Go to jail.
If you don't shower, shave, wash your clothes. Get beat up by your mates, then go to jail.
If you don't polish your shoes, press your kit. Get beat up.
Your day starts at 5:25am.
Your day finishes at 11:25pm. (of course this is not always the case, sometimes your day does not finish)
If you fail your fitness test. Extra classes are provided free of charge during your down time (11:25pm - 5:25am)
The Army is 18 hours per day, seven days per week - 126 hours per.
The Army lasts 52 weeks per year, although it feels longer.
Social skills are converted into killing skills - 600 yards in a section fire action.
The Army is also high pressure - sometimes you are in risky environments where people try to kill you. Luckily the Army moves you to these environments free of charge. And whether you get killed or not, for the most part, they bring you home.

What the flump has this got to do with Big White? Well not much really, however, I am at Edinburgh Uni attending a course. And the campus is quite small and getting hold of some things (food) is sometimes challenging. The bar closes at 5pm, my classes finish at 5pm - not really the student experience I was expecting.

Last night I played squash until 9pm, I then went (tried) for dinner to the restaurant which, was closed, I went to the campus shop, which closed at 6pm and then went back to the sports centre to the only vending machines available - but by the time I got there... it was closed.

Tonight I went to the cafeteria first and had a baked potato - the only hot thing they had.

Have you ever had baked potato? It is one of my favourites, I like Mars Piper type potatoes, which I wash, dry, prick all over with a fork, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle generous amounts of sea salt, and bake for 90 - 120 mins; turning occasionally, until the skins are nice and crisp and the flesh is light and fluffy. A bit of butter, salt and pepper - hmmm delicious!

The campus cafeteria potato was prepared in a slightly different manner - it was washed (I think) then microwaved. I was offered Flora (posh margarine) but declined. Just touching on margarine for a second, I heard margarine is one of the only foods that if you leave it out in the sun for two weeks, other than melting, nothing will happen. Interestingly, flies will not touch the sun warmed margarine... its butter or nothing for me and flies, or is it flies and I?

Anyway, I think that is it from me, I did embellish a little with the army stuff, you don't go to jail for those things - you get to go for lots of other stuff too.

Have Fun!

Big White is AWESOME! - Mountain Growth

So Big White is awesome - look at the growth since 2000. 

Why 2000?
Well after a rigorous and difficult selection process, involving many variables added to a complicated formula; the result, surprisingly, was 2000 - a strange coincidence, because that is the year I arrived at Big White. 

Happy Valley Day Lodge and Game on the Rink

And what has happened since then?

Infrastructure.

Well, the skating rink was in the village and it was pretty small not the olympic sized rink we now see. 

Which leads to the Happy Valley Day Lodge with its restaurants, bar, live entertainment and cafeteria. The day lodge was built in 2001. And the Gondola built in 2002.

We have also had the tube park, the largest in North America. The Telus terrain park, and park chair. The Snow Ghost 6-pack express chair, Cliff chair and the two magic carpets down in Happy Valley.

Ice Climbing - Girl against the elements.

And the ice-tower another great alternative outdoor winter activity - man against the elements.

What about developments? 

Feathertop.

• Estate Lots
• Copper Kettle Phases I & II.
• Sundance Phases i & II and the Sundance cabins.

Master Bedroom in the Edge.

Snowpines 2

• The Forest
• Northern Lights

White Forest Estates
Bullet Creek Cabins
Woodcutter Cabins
Happy Valley.

• Southpoint
• The Raven
• The Edge
• Timbers
• Snowbird Lodge
• Solitude
• Trailside Homes

Rock Ridge

• Glacier Lodge
• Blacksmith Phases I & II
• Pinnacles

Cliff from the bottom.

Upper Village

• Timber Ridge (Phase II)
• Aspens
• Tree Tops.

Village

• Stonebridge Phases I, II, & III
• Stonegate Phases I & II.

And of course the school.
There are others, but my mind is not that young anymore. But the point remains, in thirteen years Big White has grown and grown and grown.

Of course globally the real estate market also had a significant boom, one of the reasons the market has lost so much ground over the last couple of years has to be related to the oversupply of property - and yes Sólido contributed to the inventory. But you make your decisions based on the information available at the time, and  the indicators said build. With the benefit of hindsight I not have made the mistakes I made... but with the benefit of hindsight I would have bought Apple stock in the 90's.

So Big White is awesome and yes I admit, I am biased, but the growth is hard to dismiss... Will it continue, yes of course, maybe not in the short term, but in the long term 3-5 years? Big White has better snow than Europe, it lasts longer, the temperature is family friendly (most of the time) and the airport is attracting direct flights from US, Mexico and hopefully soon, Europe.

With the drastic fall in real estate values at Big White, properties are very inexpensive right now, (lower than 2000 levels)  despite this real estate is still it is still a long term store of wealth, and hedge against inflation - buyers are buying again, for the first time in probably four years, sales have risen.

Anyway here is the pitch - if you own at Big White and are looking for an alternative to short term vacation rentals Sólido Properties can help. Like us on Facebook or visit our website for more information.

Big White is AWESOME! Real Estate.

The biased view :) Real Estate.

So I think I know a little bit about real estate at Big White. I live here, been a realtor here, owned 7 properties here and since 2001 have developed these developments below. Whitewolf, Glacier, Timbers, Raven and The Edge.

A bit of an evolution... if only I knew what I was doing...

But I don't really know how to start.

Do I start with property values, what they were, do I use my properties illustrating how far they have fallen - is this saying my developments have under-performed the market? Do I start with other properties and look biased to my own projects...?

Okay, let me start with construction costs and yes you builders out there can criticize.

In 2001 we built Whitewolf and the costs including furnishing were around 200 per sq ft. At the time my project manager was paying as low as $9 p/h for labor. In Kelowna at the time you could build around $95.

Glacier/Timbers and Raven continued to increase, eventually getting to $300 - $400 per sq ft including soft costs (marketing, real estate commissions, design, furnishings etc.) 

Edge, is a little harder to estimate because we completed the whole site, site-work, individual lot improvements, 100% paving, and infrastructure for the whole site. and land costs. However we only completed 60% of build-able space. But $400+ per... would not be too far off the mark - the glass in one building ran at $160k.

Why were Costs are so high?

Snow loads, 390lb per sq ft, means more concrete more structural elements, more design costs more labor... And getting labor from Kelowna? At the peak of the construction real estate boom, getting people to Big White when they are over worked in Kelowna? Not easy at premium rates...

Today?

Today is a different construction market, I have not built for a while but quotes are running at $200 - $250 per sq ft. for a single family home.

But What does this mean for real estate? 

Great question, glad you asked. We have a 1050 sq ft Raven for sale at $249k, we originally had it at $424k (back in the day) -  this is fully furnished, rental ready, heated floors, hardwood, geothermal... You can buy 1700 sq ft in Treetops for $199k - unfurnished and needing TLC but $199K?

So, before land costs, marketing (if), real estate fees, design costs, DCC's etc. At current construction rates Treetops would cost $340k+? As you can imagine very limited construction is happening at Big White.

But it also means (in my (biased) opinion that real estate values are unsustainably low. 

Another interesting Statistic.

Property values at Big White in some instances are below the levels in 2000, Kelowna on the other hand are estimated at roughly 250% of the 2000 levels - really glad I bought at Big White... But every market has its cycles, will Big White recover? I think so, I have more confidence in Big White recovering than the Kelowna market significantly improving. But remember I am Biased :)

And the Pitch :)

You can switch of now if you want.

But if you are still reading, and own a property at Big White that you want to rent, Sólido Properties can look after it for you. We are now already receiving enquiries for next season. And if interested in real estate values at Big White, look at Mountain Realty.