With nobody not left feeling the impact of the financial markets roller coaster ride, Whistler and Pemberton property owners and potential buyers are asking what next?  Do I hold on to my Whistler or Pemberton property?  Is it a good time to sell?  Do I continue to consider a Whistler/Pemberton property purchase or investment?

Times like these are when it pays to step back, breath deeply and take stock.  If you’re a buyer or potentially looking at purchasing property in Whistler, you’re most likely doing it for one or all three of these reasons; Lifestyle, Future Capital Appreciation and Rental Income.  By determining what the reason is for your potential Whistler property purchase, it can help you with your decision making process.

For example if you’re hoping to achieve a better rental income return, one of the best areas of the market is long term rental.  Whistler has a severe shortage of long term rental accommodation and high demand for Olympic rentals.  Looking for at a home or townhome that has more bedrooms or a suite might make sense for you.

If your goal is to achieve future capital appreciation, you want to be looking for a property that shines, based on list price or location.  From a value standpoint Whistler did not experience the increases in real estate prices that the rest of North America did during the past several years.  We also have not seen large amounts of new construction, which often results in increased inventory levels and drastic price reductions to keep the market going.  Whistler investors are looking beyond the risky real estate model of buy on pre-sale and flip or assign the property upon completion.  With little new development in Whistler you see more stable property values and good long term appreciation.  All this is good news for investors looking for a safe place and secure investment opportunity compared to some other investment options.

By following the market, working with a realtor who keeps you up to date and informed on good Whistler investment property options, you position yourself well to see future capital growth.  Whistler has a huge number of positive influences on property market moving forward the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games where Whistler will host the alpine ski racing, all of the sliding sports and the Nordic venues such as x-cross country skiing and ski jumping.  The new Nordic centre is drawing rave reviews as an amazing facility that is in place for public use, people are excited about taking a piloted bobsled ride as well.  We now will be host to World Cup events for all of these venues leading up to and after the Olympics. We have had an unbelievable snow year this year and last.  The highway between Vancouver and Whistler is under going a $640,000,000 upgrade.  The Peak to Peak Gondola will be completed by December 2008.  Check it out at www.whistlerblackcomb.com. Whistler also has the recent addition of the Tube Park and new Symphony chair adding over a 1000 acres of new high alpine terrain.  As you can see we have a number of positives helping drive our market. They also add to the lifestyle appeal of Whistler.

For Sellers the key factor that results in quicker sale of your property, is pricing it right from the start.  Too often Sellers choose to try a higher list price initially and miss out that key initial market interest, when a property is first listed.  Pricing needs to be very close to the anticipated final sale price by showing Buyers that you are seriously considering selling your property at a fair market value.  No longer can we hope that Buyers will ‘bring offers’ on grossly overpriced properties.  Overpriced properties are being eliminated from their viewings upon their initial review of what’s available for sale – regardless of the price range that your property is within.

Sellers that price a property right will attract attention.  I have seen it recently that well priced properties even attract multiple offers.  I dealt with one property recently that had 5 offers on it and went for $21,000 over asking.  Price it right from the start!  You want the market chasing you, not you chasing the market.  Feel free to contact me for free no obligation market evaluation of your property.

Whistler has been somewhat the polar opposite of other real estate market.  In the period of time post September 11, , 2001 and into 2002 we saw some of largest sales volumes.  In looking at the sales in Whistler since September 15, 2008 we have seen 19 sales of properties and in Pemberton we have seen 5.  The buzz in the local Real Estate community is that activity has picked up slightly compared to earlier in August. Obviously the slowing global economy, cooling of real estate markets like we’re seeing in Vancouver and plunging stock markets has slowed our sales down this year compared to last year.  Buyers are looking for what they perceive as value and we’re still seeing property that is priced right or viewed as outstanding value or unique in design, location and features selling.

While there may be uncertainty in the over all economic picture, Whistler continues to be a safe and secure investment opportunity for a home owner when compared to some other investment options.