I just had this artical written about me for Top Agent Magazine. It is always humbling to read what others say about you. If you subscribe to the magazine keep a look out for the article!

I can’t wait to see it….and it won’t be long before I am on Mountain FM so keep your ears open.

 Real Estate in Whistler has been moving along well for the first quarter.

 In looking at the numbers, total sales and dollar volume were measurably better in this first quarter when compared to the same period one year ago. The total number of properties sold increased by about 7% while the dollar volume of sales increased by approximately 20%.

Overall, we see a balanced market condition continuing to prevail and we expect this trend to continue to the end of 2012.

As 2011 comes to a close, here is a brief year-in-review when looking at trends in the number of listings on the market.

At the present, overall listing numbers have decreased but selection is still excellent.The numbers of available properties are down because sales have increased but it is not back up to the levels of 2006/2007 - let’s not kid ourselves. Sales have increased steadily because pricing is great but the number of listings have also gone down because some properties have expired as some sellers decide to keep their property for personal use over the ski season. This is a typical trend in December and January.

Well, the first snow fall in Whistler Valley has officially come and gone (and so has the second). All that remains are a few traces of snow in the shaded areas of our backyards. Although there is not much snow on the ground in the Valley the temperature is certainly low enough to feel like winter and make us all turn up our heat. At the office, everyone has put away their summer clothes and pulled out their winter jackets. The snow tires have been put on all the cars, snow brushes have been tossed in the backseat, shovels have been dusted off, skies and snowboards have taken the place of bikes and golf clubs, snow blowers have been dug out of sheds and lawn mowers have been stored for the season. Of course I still see the occasional person in their shorts and t-shirt who still seems to think it is summer – I guess for them it is not winter until there is a foot of snow on the ground.

The winter buzz is definitely in the air. Whistler is such an amazing place and as soon as the temperature starts to change you can feel a different electricity in the air as everyone gets ready for the upcoming season. Every day we are faced with the question “So, when is the mountain really going to open?”

The official opening day is not until November 25^th but judging by the amount of snow up there we all think it may just happen a little earlier. Some people argue that it could be as early as November 11th! One of our receptionists at the office pulls double duty also work in guest relations for Whistler Blackcomb and unfortunately even she has been unable to provide us with any insight on when that magical day might be but what she can say is that none of the lefties have been scheduled yet so the decision makers are doing a great job of keeping us all guessing.

On the real estate side of things, sales activity has improved by approximately 7% over where we were at this time last year. Sales activity has been especially strong in the townhome segment of the market and we expect sales activity for the remainder of 2011 to exceed that of 2010. Average sales prices in the most recent quarter have been as follows:

• Single family homes – $1,248,000
• Condos – $265,240
• Townhomes – $605,113

The high levels of interest in the Whistler market that we are currently experiencing should result in continually improving sales activity. It is expected that this will begin to be reflected in sales values. Increasingly, we see that well-priced, good-value properties are attracting offers quickly. So, if you see something out there you like, now may just be a good time to buy so that you are sure to enjoy every moment of the fast approaching ski/board season.

Steve

P.S. Check out my Facebook page for some great first snowfall shots from Whistler Blackcomb

The Labour Day long weekend marks the unofficial ending of the summer season. However, here in Whistler we are enjoying the late summer surge we have been waiting for…all summer long. So, with temperatures flirting with the 30 degree Celsius (86 Farenheit) mark this past week, the Whistler lakes have seen a healthy number of visitors looking to squeeze in as much as summer as possible before the crisp fall weather sweeps into town.

Now that summer is unofficially over, I think it is a good time to give a quick review of some of the awesome events that we have enjoyed here in Whistler this season.

The summer event lineup kicked off with the first Whistler Half Marathon which went down in early June. The event was a huge success and sold out 9 weeks before race day! Athletes, volunteers, organizers and cheerful supporters (and even the weather) came together to bring in summer with a great event that I am sure will become a summer staple here in town (next year’s race will be on June 2, 2012). The course was grueling for even the seasoned athletes but there were no complaints as the runners crossed the finish line.

The 10-day Kokanee Crankworx Festival once again brought some of the world’s best mountain bike athletes to town. With gravity-defying stunts, break-necking downhill races and punishing cross-country rides this festival always bring lots of adrenaline, for both riders and spectators. In addition to the biking, there was also a demo zone, free concerts and the Deep Summer Photo Challenge. It is definitely the best mountain biking festival in the world (in my books at least) and I can’t wait for next year.

ArtWalk was another huge success as Whistler Real Estate played host as one of the ‘Hot Spots’ in the first round of opening receptions. For 2 months, July and August, visitors and locals were able to grab a map and see the work of some of Whistler’s amazing local artists as they toured the venues (everything from banks, hotels and offices to retail outlets, cafes and restaurants).

Finally, as if this wasn’t enough, the cherry on the cake came in the form of the free concert series organized by the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Celebrating the opening of Celebration Plaza (the same venue that hosted the Whistler medal ceremonies of 2010 Olympics and the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympics), the Muni put together an impressive lineup of artists who played open, free concerts throughout August. Among the performers, we had the opportunity to see the Barenaked Ladies, Tom Cochran, Jason Mraz, Bif Naked and Colin James.

The Canadian Cheese Rolling Festival was also back this year and proved to be a day of fun and good laughs. This summer also saw the return of the Whistler Farmer’s Market, the Comfortably Numb Trail Race, the Toonie Races (including Whistler Real Estate’s Retro Toonie), the Children’s Art Festival and the LunaFliks. Some of the new events included the BC Bike Race and the Whistler Warrior Dash. Wow! It is hard to believe that we were able to squeeze so many huge events into such a short period of time.
Although not officially summer events, I also just wrapped my Steve Legge Hockey Camp which took place last week and on this past Saturday, we had the 2nd Annual GranFondo where 7,000 cyclists rode from Downtown Vancouver to Whistler Village with the fastest finish time clocking in at just over 3 hours!

Looking back, it was an awesome summer in Whistler!

But now, we begin to turn the page as we welcome fall and begin think about winter. There are some awesome times to be had too, but that is material for another post. In the mean time, enjoy what is left of this late summer weather!

Steve

With the not-so-hot weather we had in Whistler this July we have slowed down compared to the last 3 months, however, we are still up over 2010. Here are the year-to-date stats for January to July 2011 in comparison with the same period in 2010. This is good the way I see it – we’re moving forward.

Well, this month I decided to enter the world of digital newsletters in an attempt to go with the new “Green” initiative we have going at the Whistler Real Estate office. Did you know that we now handle all of our internal office listings files digitally? It is a whole new digital world out there and I am doing my best to keep up. It is amazing how much less paper our office has to order now and we have only just begun!

Anyways, back to my newest indevour. Do to increasing market activity, I now plan to write a monthly newsletter in the hopes of keeping everyone informed of the Whistler real estate market conditions. My first edition of the Leggie newsletter has been a while in the making, so check it out:

Leggie’s July Newsletter

Not bad for my first newsletter? If you have any comments, questions or feedback please don’t hesitate to contact me.

  Option only available to those unable to vote in person

Source: Whistler Question

Author: Christopher Poon

Whistler council this week gave the first three readings to a bylaw that would allow voting by mail in Whistler for November’s municipal election.

Once given final approval, the bylaw would allow residents and homeowners outside of the municipality to vote via snail mail for the next Whistler mayor and set of councillors. The bylaw would also allow disabled or injured people currently in the municipality to vote by mail, providing their disability or injury affects their ability to vote in a conventional manner.

In a presentation to council at Tuesday’s (June 21) meeting, RMOW chief election officer (CEO) Shannon Story outlined what the mail-in voting in Whistler would entail, including who would be eligible and the demand that she’s received from out of town homeowners.

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls and emails about it,” said Story.

According to Story, mail-in voting would effectively negate the need for a ballot booth set up in West Vancouver for Whistler homeowners in the Lower Mainland, and would hopefully see an increase in voters outside of Whistler.

If approved for the fall, the mail ballots would be sent out via regular mail to those eligible at a cost of $3.50 per package. Those voting would have to sign up for a package starting Sept. 9 and should expect to receive their package between Nov. 3 and 17. Voters would have until Nov. 19 to return the packages.

Story said there are also some eligibility guidelines out-of-town voters should be aware of, such as the same qualifications apply if the voter were to be voting in person.

“They must be 18 years or older, a Canadian citizen, and they have to be a resident of B.C. for at least six months prior,” said Story. “They must also be a resident of the RMOW or a registered owner of… property in Whistler for at least 30 days before voting day.”

When asked about the option of couriering packages, Story said the municipality will only use regular mail to send the ballots.

The bylaw must be given fourth reading before being officially approved.

Former Canucks captain speaks at Leadership Sea to Sky graduation

Source: Pique Newsmagazine

Author: Jesse Ferreras

The Vancouver Canucks planned to win a Stanley Cup this year.

They came just short of their goal, falling 4-0 to the Boston Bruins in the final of a series that went to seven games.

The reason they got there, said former Canucks captain Trevor Linden, is that they had a plan and they executed it. It brought them closer to a Stanley Cup than 28 other teams.

Having a plan and executing it was the message that Linden brought to the graduation ceremony for the seventh cohort of Leadership Sea to Sky, a program that provides lessons on leadership to business people, politicians and other residents throughout the corridor.

As keynote speaker, Linden said the best coaches he played for were the ones who had a roadmap on how to reach a goal.

“We knew we wanted to win, but the best coaches I’ve played for, (Pat) Quinn, (Marc) Crawford, (Alain) Vigneault, they gave us players a road map about how to get there,” he said. “What small steps we needed to take to make sure we got where we needed to be and gave us the best chance of winning.”

Though Linden never won a Cup with the Canucks or the three other teams he played for in his career, he nevertheless led and played with some clubs that saw plenty of success in the National Hockey League. At 21 he became team captain and led the Canucks through six playoff runs including the 1994 march to the Stanley Cup Final.

The 1997-1998 season was a turning point in Linden’s time with the Canucks. The team took on manager/coach Mike Keenan and centre Mark Messier, and Linden relinquished his captaincy to the latter. Later that season he was traded to the New York Islanders and the Canucks missed the playoffs for four straight seasons.

Keenan, Linden said Saturday, was an example of a coach who worked without a plan.

“You can’t just tell someone to go work hard and hit everything on the ice and think it’s going to work out because you’re just going to get ventilated and that’s the way it looked,” he said.

“No plan to break the puck out, no plan to forecheck, no plan in the neutral zone, and you know, when I think about the Crawford era, when I think about the Vigneault era, you talk about structure, you talk about detail, you talk about what he expects of you.

“That’s not a hockey thing, that’s an everything thing, regardless of what business you’re in, that’s a staple.”

Linden didn’t just dwell on hockey to provide a lesson in leadership. He also talked about his time as president of the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA), the union representing players’ interests.

Elected to the job in 1998, he oversaw the association as it negotiated a new Collective Bargaining Agreement during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout. He helped negotiate an agreement that set a salary cap for all teams, tied to league revenues. The agreement clamped down on NHL teams stacking their rosters with major players.

Linden remembers having to find solutions to complex problems, and that meant hashing out disagreements with people on your own team. As NHLPA president, he remembers having more arguments with his own side than the other.

One in particular came with hockey star Dany Heatley, then a top-flight winger for the Ottawa Senators and a candidate for a major salary increase.

Heatley called him before the agreement was set in stone and said he didn’t agree with what Linden and the NHLPA were doing. Linden later got another call from Heatley, thanking him for his work, and the next day he opened the paper to find that the player had signed a six-year, $45 million contract extension, paying him $7.5 million a season.

“It worked out pretty well for you, didn’t it Dany,” Linden told a laughing audience.

He told this story as a way of telling future leaders that it’s important to hash out disagreements in a workplace. It’s better, he said, when people disagree and talk it out. If everyone’s agreeing, he said, there’s something wrong.

“You have to create an environment where your leadership group can come in and provide feedback,” Linden said. “Be the moderator, and at times create debate. Pull it out of people. The last thing you want is a group that agrees with you on everything.

“If I was a manager I would want a healthy debate bordering on arguing rather than everyone just agreeing with each other. Your leadership team needs to buy-in, and the best way to get this, is to ask them what they think is the right thing to do, and challenge them, and allow them to have their say.”