10 Alpine Greens has just come on the market at $995k. This is a 3-bed, 2 bath, 1,600 sq ft unit with mountain views across the gold course. These units have a great floorplan with and are light and airy. This one has updates, including a brand new kitchen, and HST is paid.
Click here for more details.
304 Snowbird has just been listed at $698,000. It is a 3 bed / 3 bath Benchlands townhouse, offering 1,623 sq ft and 2 underground parking spaces. That list price equates to $430/sq ft, which compares to median pricing on the Benchlands of $600/sq ft – it offers the best value in the Benchlands.
Click here for more details.
We are proud to announce that this Feb 4th, 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 4700 Glacier Drive in Pinnacle Ridge in the Village neighborhood, Whistler. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Townhouse for sale in beautiful Village.
Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of thisVillage Townhouse for sale.
As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.966.2084 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.
John Garrad-Cole
Thornhill Real Estate Group
Two quality log homes in great locations have recently come on the market.
2586 Snowridge Cr – prime ski-in/ski-out location just above Creekside. 5 beds, 3 baths and 3,000 sq ft. Renovated and listed at $2,195k (last sold for $2,600k in 2006)
3228 Peak Drive – one of the most prestigious street addresses in Whistler, offers commanding views of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. 4.5 bed, 3.5 baths, 3,300 sq ft. Was fully renovated in 2000 but has been lightly used since.
Click here for more details.
6154 Eagle Dr has just been reduced to $1,399k (from $1,459k). That’s a good price for a 4 bed / 4.5 bath home in this great location, close to the village. The house is well built and has a good back yard. Inside it needs some modernising, but for buyers with vision this home offers good value and huge potential.
Click here for more details.
There are some great cabins available in Alpine Meadows. These 3 are the best value opportunities out there:
8332 Needles Dr – 11,000 sq ft lot, s beds, 2 baths, double garage. Priced at $549k.
8617 Drifter Way – 11,000+ sq ft, 3 beds, 1.5 bath, 1,400 sq ft, very tidy. Priced at $649k.
8242 Mountainview Dr – half acre lot (subdividable), 3 bed home with 2 bed suite, 1,900 sq ft. Priced at $789k.
All of these have been on the market for only a short time and are likely to go quickly.
Click here for more details.
8322 Needles Dr: Here’s a great deal in Alpine Meadows – $549k for a 10,000 sq ft lot with a very well kept 3 bed / 2 bath cabin plus a double garage! This is a steal and won’t last long at this price. Click here for more info.
The latest update from Tourism Whistler reports that December saw record room night volumes and the rest of the season is tracking well ahead of last year:
“With significant wins in December and January and with February and March pacing well ahead of last year, this winter is shaping up to be one of – if not the – best winter season in recent years (post the 2008-recession) with regards to room night volumes.
Please note some highlights below:
Business Levels in Whistler:
This can only be of benefit to the Whistler real estate market.
A one bed unit in the Aspens has just come on the market at $295k! That is well below recent sales and compares to an assessed value of over $400k! This price equates to under $520/ sq ft for a condo in one of the best slope side buildings in Whistler. You will need to be fast to secure this one.
Snowridge Cr in Nordic Estates is one of the prime ski-in/ski-out locations in Whistler. You will see it to your right as you near the end of the Dave Murray Downhill in Creekside. Another plus is that the amenities of Creekside are easily accessible on foot – you are not stranded high up on the side of the mountain. Homes in this location are typically over $3m but two have just come on at closer to $2m. Click here to find out more about these new listings, and give me a call if you would like to view.
26 Cedar Ridge has just come back to the market with big price reduction – it is now $1,090k (compared to $1,299k previously). Cedar Ridge offers one of my favourite deals in Whistler – right next to the ski hill a short walk to the Village. The units have approved plans in place enabling them to be expanded to c.2,000 sq ft. That means that a fully renovated 2,000 sq ft slopeside townhouse with garage is achievable for well under $1.5m – a great deal!
Give me a call if you would like to view this property – it won’t last long.
Click here for more details.
3RD HOME is an exclusive club for luxury second home owners which enables them to get even more enjoyment from their investment. Members are able to enjoy each other’s properties by making weeks available in their own second homes. The club has hundreds of stunning villas, condos and estates with an average value of $2.5 million. About half are in America and the rest are spread around the world.
Irrespective of whether someone actually stays in your home, you earn the credit to stay anywhere else. Never before has owning a second home had such benefits.
I have put together a relationship with 3RD HOME that not only pre-approves you into the club but also waives the $495 joining fee making it completely free for you to become a member and start enjoying amazing holidays.
If you have a luxury second home that has some empty weeks and you like to travel, why not turn those weeks into vacations all over the world?
From a private island off the coast of Kenya, to a chalet in Whistler and a sprawling mansion in Thailand, 3RD HOME gives your second home a whole new world of benefits.
To see more of the many fine properties available, learn how 3RD HOME works and to take advantage of your free membership offer, please click here.
The Bank of Canada has just announced that its main interest rate is being held at 1% due to continued uncertainty in Europe. This has led to fixed term interest rates falling to historic lows – 2.99% is now available for a 5-year fixed and 3.84% for a 10-year fixed. Those really are extraordinarily low rates. With a combination of Whistler’s low property values and cheap financing, this really is the time to be buying that dream ski-home.
Two high quality townhouse listings have just come to market.
27 Alpine Greens – 2 bed / 2bath end unit offering 1,090 sq ft, good privacy and views across the Fairmont golf course. Along with Blackcomb Greens, there are some of the best 2 bed units on the Benchlands, with good light and high ceilings. This one last sold for $800k in 2007 and is now priced at $679k with no HST. A good buy. Click here for more details.
42 Northern Lights – an end unit that has just been given a complete renovation. 4 bed / 4 baths and 2,800 sq ft – it has big living space with a good flow to it. The complex has ski-in/ski-out access and is within walking distance of the Village. This is one of the higher quality townhouses out there. Priced at $2,199k - click here for more details.
Now the excess of the Xmas period is over, it’s time to look back on how the Whistler real estate market fared in 2011. I will be producing a more detailed report in due course, but here are the headlines:
Conclusions: 2011 saw a certain level of capitulation by sellers, particularly of townhouses and condos (both Phase 1 and Phase 2) – they became prepared to accept lower selling prices which, in turn, boosted sales volumes. A key component in this was selling activity by Americans – the strength of the Canadian dollar allowed them to accept lower prices for their homes and still not lose too much on their investment. In addition, most buyers were from the Lower Mainland focused on getting themselves a ski home without tying up too much capital – that led to the surge in activity in the sub-$1m price category, further pulling down median selling prices.
Where next for the Whistler real estate market?
Short-term: I’m expecting to see a continuation of the strong sales activity we have seen in 2011. There are a lot of buyers out there – they remain price savvy but, equally, are excited by the opportunity to purchase at price levels not seen since 2001. There is still an overhang (albeit smaller) of US sellers out there and this will keep prices subdued for the time being. However, if the buyers keep coming, we are a relatively small real estate market and at some point it will turn sharply. Against this, the global economic backdrop remains uncertain – however, many Whistler buyers are not so affected by these issues other than psychologically.
Medium to long-term there are a number of factors that may benefit Whistler over the next 5-10 years:
Happy New Year and give me a call on 604 902 1047 if you have any questions regarding the Whistler market!
If you’re looking for value in the Benchlands, then take a look at this list. The units on this list are the best priced in the Benchlands in terms of $ / sq ft – they are all listed at under $530 / sq ft. The units range from a studio condo in Lost Lake Lodge for $245k through to a 4 bed townhouse in Snowberry for $899k. Owning a ski home in one of the premier locations in Whistler has never been so affordable!
Click here for more details.
258/259 in the Four Seasons Resort provides 2 beds / 2 baths and 1,430 sq ft. The price has just been reduced to $527.5k which implies a deal at c$500k is achievable (which is in line with the recent sale in the building). That compares to an original 2002 sale price of $1,138k for this unit! The fall in prices has been driven by the decline in income returns. However, at this price level the yields are looking attractive – assuming a $500k sale price, this unit generated a net return after all costs (except financing) of 5% in 2010. On 2007 income levels, that yield rises to 7.3%.
Click here for more information.
We are proud to announce that this Dec 17th, 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM we will be hosting an Open House at 4644 Blackcomb Way in Blackcomb Greens in the Benchlands neighborhood, Whistler. This is an opportunity to visit this excellent Townhouse for sale in beautiful Benchlands.
Please come with any questions you may have. In the meantime you can take a virtual tour of this Benchlands Townhouse for sale.
As always please do not hesitate to give me a call at 604.966.2084 if I can answer any questions before the open house, or if you would like to book a private showing.
John Garrad-Cole
Thornhill Real Estate Group
The week ended December 11, 2011 saw 12 sales (offers going firm), 17 completions, 27 new listings and 10 price changes in the Whistler real estate market. Of the 27 new listings, the majority were relistings of properties where listings had previously expired or been cancelled. There are now 809 active listings in the Whistler market.
Sales highlights this week were as follows:
- Another sale in Riverbend – that leaves only 2 of these brand new townhouses in Cheakamus Crossing.
- All other sales were townhouse and condo units for sub-$1m.
Market activity remains high with buyers looking in all price brackets.
Click here for sales completions in the week ended December 11, 2011.
Click here for new listings in the week ended December 11, 2011.
Click here for prices changes in the week ended December 11, 2011
The week ended December 4, 2011 saw 13 sales (offers going firm), 18 completions, 27 new listings and 16 price changes in the Whistler real estate market. Of the 27 new listings, the majority were relistings of properties where listings had previously expired or been cancelled. There are now 809 active listings in the Whistler market.
Sales highlights this week were as follows:
- A waterfront home in Emerald Estates sold for $1.5m vs the $1.6m list price after 5 months on the market
- A Nicklaus North chalet sold for $1.925m vs the $2.2m list price after over 18 months on the market
- A 2 bed / 2 bath Four Season unit sold for $500k – that compares to the orginal sale price of $1,159k! There is investment value here at these prices – the 2010 net yield on that sale price was 5%.
Market activity remains high with buyers looking in all price brackets.
Click here for sales completions in the week ended December 4, 2011.
Click here for new listings in the week ended December 4, 2011.
Click here for prices changes in the week ended December 4, 2011