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Is this too much for a Golf Website?

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Photo Provided by Rossland Tourism | Photographer: Dave Heath

The headlines today from business websites paint a difficult road ahead for Canada, and perhaps the world, from an economic standpoint. The Canadian dollar reaches a 12 year low at 70 cents and change. Some top analyst have the cdn dollar going to 60 cents and oil prices going to $20 a barrel before we see a turn around. The truth may be slightly less but all in all it’s a difficult scenario. While we lament our forgone trips to US hotspots and come to grips with higher lettuce prices we need to not lose sight of the opportunities.

Does this sound like too much info for a Golf Website Blog? Beer drinking and fun loving golfers are also keenly aware of how prices affect their ability to recreate and spend their hard earned dough. Why read on? Simple! Redstone and Rossland in Super Natural BC is one of the most beautiful places in the World and now it’s on sale. Everything from Golf to real estate is on sale with no specific ending date. Rossland B.C., the home of Redstone, is constantly being touted as one of the last great places. The New York Times, National Geographic Magazine and Sunset Magazine have all done articles on Rossland with the same theme ; a genuine town with super people and loads of recreational opportunities.

Malcom Gladwell has written many insightful and thought provoking books over the last ten years. Gladwell’s “Tipping Point” is a book I have read twice. I am obviously not a writer, nor would I presume to condense his book into a single sentence, but here it goes anyways… The book reveals a set of conditions that need to exists for a small number of people start to behave differently causing a ripple effect. Gladwell refers to “Mavens”, “People Collectors” and “Salesman”. You know a Maven. They meet someone on a chair lift or at the golf course and invite a perfect stranger to a potluck thus collecting another friend. You also know the salesman. The person who tells all their friends that they discovered Rossland and encourages or sells the idea that you should ski, golf or mountain bike in Rossland. They are so passionate about it that their enthusiasm encourages people to act. There are external conditions that also need to happen to make all of this work. I believe that there are Mavens and Salesman in our midst and perhaps the drastic drop in the Canadian dollar is exactly the condition that causes the cocktail to fizz and flow over the top.

For those of you that don’t know, in the late 80’s you could buy a home in Rossland for $10,000, the ski hill was owned by a club, the golf course was a 9 hole community run course and mountain biking was just starting to develop. On top of that Black Jack Nordic Trails were operated by a small group of volunteers pulling a small groomer with an old sled and downtown had empty shops and the infrastructure (pipes in the ground) were rotting due to age and neglect.

Fast forward to 2016. The ski hill was sold to private hands and has added 4 new lifts and renovated the day lodge. A couple hundred condos were built, Grey Mountain was added, a new hotel is being built. Redstone golf course was built with 51 new homes in the subdivision, downtown was renovated and upgraded and new specialty shops have popped up everywhere. Mountain biking has become an industry with 100’s of kilometres of Trails and Blackjack Nordic club has new day lodges, a biathlon course and has been upgraded with modern grooming equipment. With 600 plus members.

Have we tipped yet? Not yet. Our population is about the same as it was in the late 80’s but we have extended our reach. In other words, with all of the infrastructure built in the last 26 years and the capacity planned and developed for the next 100 years, Rossland is at the cusp of a giant step forward. The average person in Rossland does not see it, but they feel it. Especially this ski season. The lines at the grocery store are longer. The variety of languages in the check line are not as familiar. The faces at restaurants, shops and liquor stores are ones we just can’t place.

Have we tipped? Not yet. I predict (yes this may be stupidly bold) this winter is the year that Rossland, B.C. tips. Why? Over the years, all of the impressive articles written about the place were developed through the eyes of someone that could see the future. In many ways it has taken 26 years for Rossland to develop and fulfill all the promises that so many people have written about. The lower Canadian dollar will be the catalyst for a next wave of growth. I believe this impending growth includes population increases and increased development of services that people require. That’s the opportunity part.

Yes the dollar and lower commodity prices are painful, and will require adjustment to the Canadian economy, but Rossland has matured and planned for the next phase.  If you’re ready to live in the “Recreation Capital of Canada” then don’t hesitate, because once we do “Tip” you may find yourself saying, “I remember Rossland when it was X$’s to buy a home.”

I have loads of anecdotal evidence to support this but this is just a Golf Blog,

Cary

Real Estate Facts

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For immediate release
BC Home Sales Continue at Brisk Pace
Vancouver, BC – June 15, 2015. The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) reports that a total of 10,174 residential unit sales were recorded by the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in May, up 16.6 per cent from the same month last year. Total sales dollar volume was $6.4 billion, a 30.4 per cent increase in comparison to the previous year. The average MLS® residential price in the province rose to $632,182, an 11.8 per cent increase since last May.
“Home sales for the month were at an eight year high for the month of May,” said Cameron Muir, BCREA Chief Economist. “Strong consumer demand is pushing home sales up in most of the large urban areas of the province.”
“A dwindling inventory of homes for sale in the face of strong demand is putting upward pressure on home prices in many regions, with the single-detached market segment experiencing most of the gains. We haven’t experienced inventories this low since prior to the financial crisis,” added Muir.
Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume increased 35.5 per cent to $25.5 billion, when compared with the same period in 2014. Residential unit sales climbed by 22.4 per cent to 40,265 units, while the average MLS® residential price rose 10.5 per cent to $631,941.

The Redstone Subdivision has 7 homes under construction with a net value of approximately $3.5 million. While the Province has seen continued strength the West Kootenay has been more subdued. Its likely we will see increases in value and sales in 2016. Stay tuned for Redstone’s next release. We are seeing a need for homes with secondary suites for short term golf/ski rentals. If you would like to discuss a business opportunity in short term rental ownership call me at 250 368-1688.

Thanks

Cary

Where is the Purple Cow at Redstone?

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Imagine driving down a road and seeing a herd of cattle and one is purple. Do you think you would ever forget it? Not likely. I had read a book a few years ago by Seth Godin called “Purple Cow”. It’s a marketing book with the basic premise that in this day and age you need to have a REMARKABLE product or service. For years I have been grinding away trying to see a Purple cow at Redstone. I talk about our exceptional greens, incredible views, elevated tee boxes, variety of holes and super staff. On the real estate side I have written about great value, stunning views, fantastic weather and miles of walking trails. I was looking for one thing that really set us apart. One simple thing that makes us so good you and your friends just need to visit us or move to Redstone.

Then it hit me yesterday as I was standing on number 16 fairway. Redstone makes people feel good and they smile. Doesn’t that sound simple? People smile when they go for a walk down a trail weaving its way through the forest. The canopy birds singing and the fresh blossoms filling the air with natures perfume. They laugh and smile when they zoom by me on mountain bikes. They wave and smile as they walk the dog in the evening. When I see them on the course they sneak a wry grin as they improve their lie on the golf course.

I realize that like a single tree in a forest Redstone is not one remarkable thing it is a complicated forest of many amenities that all need to be experienced. If you want to see our remarkable purple cow then come to Redstone and by all means bring a smile because sooner than you expect, someone here will be smiling at you.

Thanks

Cary
PS I am smiling while I write this and I bet you are too.

Real Estate at Redstone

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Have you had a chance to drive through the Redstone subdivision lately? There are four new homes going up this spring with more on the way. I wanted to blog some information because I had a guest in and they were unsure of what we have available. We are currently working on the website with updates but here is the short version. We have three lots in the upper subdivision lots 8,9 and 10. We have three lots 500 metres from the Redstone driveway and we have just received approval for 5 lots near the entrance driveway. There is one 3 bedroom home being constructed and is near completion with availability at the end of May.

If you have not seen the growth in the subdivision we are now up to 47 homes built!

We are creating a specific list of people interested in Real estate at Redstone. As information becomes available we will email it our. Please email cary@redstoneresort.com if you want to be on the list.

See you at Redstone

Live it Up at Redstone Resort

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I have been living at Redstone for the past four years and absolutely love it.  I golf, Ski, hike and Bike.  There is more to it than that though.  The Massive number of Trails connecting Rossland is just outside my back door.  In fact everything I LOVE TO DO IS WITHIN 8 MINUTES OF MY HOUSE.  There was a moose on the green on 16 this morning.  I wake up early just to watch the sunrise.  I have no alarm clock waking me up to tell me to go to work.  I have no 45 minute commute.

I feel like one of those lottery commercials where the person can’t believe they won it.  I am inviting you to check out the homes on our website.  Better yet call for a visit and SEE IT FOR YOURSELF.  The value is unbelievable and the local amenities are world class.  If your not from the area check out the deals page on our website for a stay and play.  I guarantee we will not put the hard sell on you.  The locals here don’t boast about what they have but when you ask they will get a wry smile because they have something here that few people in North America have and they really do Live it Up! at Redstone.

Click on the thumbnails to see full size pictures:

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[sws_picture_frame90 src=”http://redstoneresort.com/images/IMG_2080.JPG” title=”Moose 1″ alt=”” align=”sws_frame_center” lightbox=”1″ album=”album” video=””] [/sws_picture_frame90]
[sws_picture_frame90 src=”http://redstoneresort.com/images/IMG_2079.JPG” title=”Moose 1″ alt=”” align=”sws_frame_center” lightbox=”1″ album=”album” video=””] [/sws_picture_frame90]

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