Big White is AWESOME! True Story... But beware of Scams if you're coming for the season.

Scams.

Sadly the sophistication of scammers is increasing; I write this to try and save maybe you or your friends from falling victim to these characters. I wanted to use a different word but you know... PC n' stuff...

I've lived at Big White for 26+ years, I got married here, my kids grew up here, went to school here... heck, their big yellow school bus was the big yellow gondola... well, during the ski season anyway. Want more? I'm a ski instructor (Whistler these days), so is wifey, so is my son (who was also a senior freestyle coach), so is my daughter and my daughter is also working ski patrol these days.

Even more...?

I was a realtor for a couple years in the early 2000's and I developed & built around a 100 properties at Big White... including The Timbers, The Raven, Glacier Lodge and The Edge (you know the ones with the funny roofs) and and and... this is where this blog was born... I started Solido Properties Ltd - a property management company looking after property catering to seasonal staff only.

So my point...? 

Well I'm very familiar with Big White and I've seen lots; Including different variations on scams... so, if you are coming for the season, I have some tips for you (or your friends).

Too good to be true...

If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Nobody is going to rent you something below market value - they won't. Think about it for a minute, would you pay $1.50 for something you can get the exact same thing for a $1? Same with a property owners, they know market value. If it sounds too good to be true... it is. End of story.

Found on Facebook?

Not a bad thing, you gotta find them somewhere, right? And I post mine on Facebook, well I do things like this blog and provide links to my crappy website. But, my crappy website has this blog which I have been writing for almost 13 years - you can see every blog I've ever written. Yeah, my website needs work but I can't fake 13 years of blog posts... and most of the blog posts lead to my website, Facebook page and include some legitimate way to contact me.

The thing is, scammers are phishing on Facebook too - it is where most of their targets are spending time looking.

And Facebook is easy these days. Especially with AI stuff. Imagine telling an AI engine "go and find X properties, download 10 pictures from each, create a website promoting these properties as seasonal rentals. Fabricate a new Facebook profile, join the Big White Facebook groups and start advertising on these groups. Pretty easy eh?

So... Things to look out for with Facebook...

• Brand new Facebook profile?
• No, or few Facebook friends?
• None or few posts - i.e. no pictures. 
• No actual pictures of the person?  
• In truth, these could all be legitimate, but they do warrant further investigation.
• The owner/landlord is away, or lives out of country...? Rubbish, they have a cleaner, friends, building manager, property manager. If they won't let you do a video walkthrough then it probably does not exist.

If they won't let you or your friends see it...? Again probably doesn't exist. 

Which leads to... 

Fake Websites.

I was once contacted by a renter who had 'found' a place. "Is this legitimate?" she asked. There was a website, 50+ images, address at Big White, Kelowna office and phone number, email, Facebook profile... the only problem was the unit did not exist. The office didn't exist, the phone number was fake... the email worked. The building existed (The Legacy if you want to know) but the actual unit, not so much.

Deposits and Pre-payments.

Don't pay anything until you or someone has seen the place - anyone asking for a 'security' deposit without a viewing? Find out why, and don't believe any crappy excuse.

Too Easy...?

Your landlord may have a lifetime of savings and work tied up in their property. They are going to want to protect their asset, they don't want party animal druggies... (wait, am I allowed to say druggies these days?) They will want referrals, they will want to know the names of anyone staying in their property. Some landlords I know have demanded to know Social Security numbers and others have requested passports - I don't, but I'm not everyone.

So, if your 'potential' landlord is not that cautious and more interested in getting money out of you rather than checking you out... that's another red flag for me.

Video Walkthroughs

With my places I always do a video walk-through... for two reasons. 

• One, I want my potential tenants to see the property, I want potential tenants to know exactly what to expect. I show them everything, including outside. It is impossible (as far as I know) to fake a live, video walk through. 
• The second reason - I want to see my potential tenant and I want them to see me. 

Before you commit to paying anything, do a video walk through - they only take 10 minutes... and you will feel far more confident about your new place... and your new landlord... true story.

Find a Friend...

Get a friend to see the place - there are lots of people living on the mountain. Businesses, trades people, restaurants. You are probably gonna find a job ask your boss or supervisor - if they don't know the place or the owner be cautious. Not always, but you know, time for you to do more checking. 

Get referrals.

Find people who have been, find out where they stayed, where they worked, who was their boss/supervisor etc. Who their landlord was...

Staff Accommodation.

What about Staff Accommodation? Great question, Big White is by far the largest employer on the mountain - my recommendation if this is your first season, get a job with Big White and ask about accommodation - Big White prioritizes first timers in helping find places to live. And and and... if you work for Big White, you would qualify for a season pass - of course there are limitations, but they are not that onerous. 1500 people a year can't be wrong.

Finally... if you are looking for my recommendations... I think the best advice is pay attention to your gut, if it feels somewhat 'off' then do more investigation. Ooh... I'll tell you a little story :) 

One season I had a young couple come stay in our, one-bedroom suite, in our house. It was their first time to Big White, they were coming from Australia, he worked the mines in Western... he (I'll call him Lachy) was very nervous. So what Lachy started doing was to follow me on Strava... he could see what I'd done, and tell his girlfriend "Look, he's just been for a bike-ride again." We found out later she didn't care at all.

Lachy was nervous but his 'detective' work wasn't bad - pretty hard to fake Strava bike rides... no? The downside for you guys, if you're thinking 'I'll do that with Christof Lummy Pie'... I stopped riding in October... but I do hike every day... but that's not on Strava... but my yoga is, obviously yoga is a bit static in location... but but but... you can see where I live... hmmm do I really want that?

Lastly...
Cos' I didn't think I should use 'finally' again... if you are coming to Big White I am just starting to take enquiries - this link will take you to our 'contact' page. You may notice that I am rubbish at responding... but keep chasing, you know the old idiom 'squeaky wheel gets the oil'. This link will take you to my Facebook stuff.

Work...

Alright, now I promise this probably the last 'last' bit... I hope anyway. If you are looking for accommodation and work then look at these businesses. It's not a comprehensive list but not a bad place to start. But, you gotta do some work yourself by doing a search...

• Trades - especially plumbers contact Billy's Waterworks. Or for this one you can message me at Solido hopefully that email works. The only downside is Billy can be a little chaotic... he's one of my best friends but you know. Added bonus with Billy, he has some staff accomm.
• Ski instruction, ski patrol, lifties, Big White direct - they also have a ton of serving jobs.
• Bars and Restaurants. Try Black Diamond (Don and Theresa), Fourth Ace and Bullwheel (Heighten Management - they may have accomm), Six Degrees, Underground Pizza and Fat Marmot (find Mooney Supply), The Cabin (Russ)... Snowshoe Sams - find Gio.
• The Market hires 50+/- every season. Mark and Patty will look after you if you do your job but if you don't... well, you won't have one. True story.
• Cleaning - Okanagan Vacation Rentals (Eti) and then there is Luxury Mountain Vacation Rentals. There are others, do a search.
• Hot Tub maintenance - try Snowy Nights.
• Snow shovelling - BWB Services. Find Reuben.

And no, this list is not comprehensive.

So, if you're looking for Accommodation contact me through my website if you are a property owner looking for...

• Risk free rental streams.
• Guaranteed income - we've never missed a rent payment in 13 seasons.
• Comprehensive due diligence.
• Full season or part season rentals (minimum 12 week blocks)

Then you can email me direct at me.