Chris Penner ~ Real Estate Consultant Keller Williams Valley Realty

...No I am not kidding, as a matter of fact for all you thrill seekers looking to move to a city that can service all your extreme needs, Abbotsford is the place to be. I know what you are thinking: Is this really true? Can there really be that much to do in Abbotsford? The answer is yes, and let me tell you where and how.

I was originally going to do a post just about waterskiing and barefooting and then realized that there are other extreme thrill seekers out there that might not be into either of those things, so I decided to broaden my scope on this one. There are plenty of extreme sports to be apart of in and around Abbotsford like: Barefooting, waterskiing, snow skiing, kit boarding, white water rafting, skydiving, and bungee jumping to name a few.

Waterskiing and Barefoot skiing are a high light in my day so let me start with those. I know a lot of you new comers to the sport or people just thinking or wanting to get involved in this sport are thinking. "I will never be able to do this, what with the cost of equipment, boats, gas, insurance, and public water ways being over run." Well you are in luck because barefoot skiing doesn't require any equipment at all, you just need to have some fortitude to get in the water find a rope and some sort of vehicle to pull you up to a speed that is ideal for you to stand up on your feet (for that information contact me and I will give you the formula), much like the guy in this video (Be sure to click on "Chad goes Ditch Footing" once you are at the main page). Or you can always find a friend like Mike Sportack of Tournament Boats in Abbotsford to get you set up on your very own Prostar or X-Star boat for this season. With a private test site only 7 minutes from his shop you are sure to have a great buying experience with Mike. Here is a photo of me barefooting, and testing out a Prostar 190 with a supercharged 6.0L making over 450 horsepower for a photo shoot I did for some real estate marketing.

Well if that isn't your style and you have a few bucks and maybe even a ski or maybe you don't have a ski and you just want to try it out and get a feel for it and then decide if waterskiing/barefooting is something you really want to do, come on down to the Fraser Valley Waterski Club for a drop in day in July and August. Be sure to check back for final dates that drop-ins run on the website. Just to clarify you don't need a ski, you don't need a rope, you don't need a wet suite, you don't need a life jacket, you pretty much don't need anything because it is all there for you. How ever if you are a seasoned buoy slayer this to is a place for you. With a new Response Lxi from Malibu every year you are sure to have a great time all year skiing or training at our local tournament ready waterski club.

Did he say snow skiing? Yes I said that too. With 6 mountains less then 2.5 hours away you are sure to find a place to carve out some nice groomers or go shred the pow pow on a knee deep day. With world renowned Whislter/Blackcomb Village only a 2.5 hour drive from Abbotsord you are sure to find everything you need there. If that is too far for a day trip you might consider Manning Park which is a little less then 2 hours east of Abbotsford. Where you will find minimal traffic and a small mountain feel. With only a few chairs you are sure to have great snow and quiet mountain conditions. Now for those of you who want that seemingly endless powder day with virtually no line-ups just make your way across the boarder and with in an hour you will be at the world record snow fall holding mountain of Mt. Baker. I have skied almost exclusively there for the past 10 years with the occasional trip to other surrounding mountains, and let me just say, you will love it at Mt. Baker Ski Area.

If any kind of skiing isn't your cup of tea, then be sure to head down to Matsqui and check out the Skydive Center. Where all your skydiving needs will be taken care of. From beginner tandem jumps all the way to fully certified jumpers, you can do it at Abbotsford Skydive. What a great way to see the Abbotsford sky line.

For all you land dwellers that prefer to keep your feet on the groud why not go white water rafting on the Kumsheen. Only 2.5 hours east of Abbotsford in the Lytton Valley you can stay for a multi day trip or if your schedule doesn't allow for that you can always do it as a day trip too.

There is always Whistler Bungee which you guessed it. You get a bungee cord tied to your waist or ankles and you jump off a bridge that is 160 feet above a river where the water is rushing below. If this is your thrill seeking vice then be sure to check them out.

Finally to round out the top 6 most extreme adventure ideas in and around the city of Abbotsford here is Kiteboarding. Head on down to white rock while the tide is out and wind is high and harness the power of the wind to propel your self across the water at blistering speeds. Well maybe not blistering but at least moving enough to practice and learn to control you kite before you head to the mecca of kiteboarding in Squamish, BC. The ability to handle and train all skill levels in kiteboarding is sure to please all adventure seekers. Be sure to get some coaching from a professional before heading out in open water.

So there you have it. Extreme sports in and around the city of Abbotsford. I hope this is insightful and for those of you not from this area maybe just maybe it will give you a reason to come on by and check us out.

Go do something Extreme today and let me know how it goes tomorrow.

Cheers!

Chris Penner

Having grown up in Central California, I learned at an early age that sunshine is a key ingrediant in a upbeat, healthy life style. I am sure we can all agree that to be true. I mean really who isn't more willing to smile, wave, spend money, and buy houses when the sun is out and nothing can hold you down.

That being said I was forced to move to southwestern British Columbia, Canada when I was a teenager. Not that I was overly disappointed but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Anyway I have been here now for the last 12 years and I have slowly adjusted to the rain and have come to realize that we do get quite a bit of sun here in the Fraser Valley, even though it doesn't always seems like it.

As the years tick by and we here in the valley have seen our water ways get more and more crowded when it used to be a 30 minute drive east from Abbotsford to Cultus Lake to enjoy a great morning or evening of skiing and wakeboarding and maybe even have a chance to do a little barefooting. This is not the case anymore. You are lucky in summer to make it up there in 45-60 minutes as you creep along the 2 lane road going in and out of the park.

As Cultus quickly became a haven for learning how to use your new boat, crash/wreck your new boat, heavy drinking while boating, and testing out your new jetski, this lake quickly became a last resort for die hard skiers and barefooters. Even though you can still find good water early in the season like March and April it is difficult to use the lake any other time of the year for anything other than jetskis, wakesurfing, and crusing.

The next alternative was the interior of course. So that's what we did, we packed our bags and headed to Osoyoos, Skaha, and the big Okanagan lakes to get our waterskiing fix in the summer. Did it work? Yes it did, but really only on Skaha and Osoyoos. Due to the size of the Okanagan it really is only usable from July to September due to the size and long duration of warm weather needed to bring the water tempurature up to a manageable tempurature unless you have a dry suite.

But as I am sure you have guessed by now all of these places are begining to grow and be over run by vactioners and people looking to get out of town on a along weekend. Based on an increasing population alone these summer hot spots are starting to be over run too. I don't fault people for wanting to get out of town and be near the water or even be some where hot. It really has to do with water ways being over crowded and a lack of knowledge and respect for other boaters.

I know by this point you are starting to wonder how this relates to real estate. You are in luck fellow buoy slayers. This is what you are all here to read about. Private Water Ski Sites: where are they, and can we build one.

Well for all you Americans out there feel free to contact me for this information privately as I am sure you are all aware that there are a large number of private ski sites, whether they are sole owner, multi-owner or even a housing development around a single or multiple ski lake community. As well as waterski clubs that meet at similar sites.

Fellow British Columbians this is your section. For Valley dwellers we are in some serious luck, we have been graced to have a place we can call home known as Albert Dyck park or more specifically Fraser Valley Waterski Club. Membership is available to anyone who is interested and there are also a number of drop in days for non members to come check the club out. Those are in July and August.

I know what you are thinking. What if I want more? I would really love to live near or on a water way that I can ski on at least from March through to November. I am talking about waking up to glassy calm water and walk down the walk way to my boat dock, hop in with my buddies, or wife and kids and ski for an hour before work.

Well this is where we start our discussion. Can private waterski sites be built in Abbotsford, the Fraser Valley, or even anywhere in BC? Well I am currently working on this, due to restriction with ALR land and so forth this might be a bit of trouble. I am sure there are always ways around it.

I know there are a lot of these things in the USA in various forms and I would love to hear what some of your experiences have been as well as hear from some local people on whether this would be of interest and should be pursued further. I have talked about this before and the interest has been high. Due to the lake of publicly accessible water ways that are conducive to swerving at all times of the day.

Private waterski sites are the answer so let's get something going. For some real life info check out Laku, CO. This isn't a development but gives an idea of lake construction and so forth. Look forward to your comments and thanks for reading.

Cheers!

Chris Penner

In Abbotsford, BC, Canada, this seems to be the time when the sun starts shining again and people start buying and selling homes again, and for whatever reason they think that the market has some how magically turned back into a seller's market.

The truth is written below as to what exactly is happening but to answer the title question, this is the time for the buyer to sieze the opportunity to buy a home that just a year ago might not have been able to affort. However if you are selling to move-up into a bigger home there are lots of exciting opportunities for you too.

Sales are still down in the Fraser Valley markets (Abbotsford specifically) from what they where last year in the month of January. In condo sales alone in Abbotsford for 2009 we are currently sitting at 8 condos sold, compared to last years 52 sales by the 23rd of January 2008.

Don't let this alarm you, all this means is that we have not had any changes in the market other than in a continuing downward trend since late fall last year, with sales still down and inventory continuing to move up. This is, simply the first 8-12 months of our cyclical real estate cycle changing directions. If you look back 30-40 years you will see at least 4 of these "swings" or "shifts" in the real estate market. They call it a cycle for a reason mainly because it goes down and then back up and down again. Visually this looks like a sine wave. That's not too hard to understand. Is it?

Here is what is confusing to me. When the market value of a home is rising at a significant rate, you hardly have a chance to put the sign in the yard before you have 10 showings and 3 offers with in the day (I realize this is great for sellers and realtors), but let's take a look at it from the buyers perspective.

The buyer goes into the house, they like it, they want to make an offer. They might be a first time home buyer or they might have done this 10 times before, but as soon as they hear these next few words from me, "There is another offer coming in on that home." It immediately puts stress on the buyer and typically they have to make a rush decision. Real Estate Professionals are trained to handle this and make the process easy and enjoyable even in a higher then normal stress environment.

So in this situation it usually means the buyer will pay more for the home than under normal circumstances. I understand that this is the nature of a sellers market and people have to buy. What I can't figure out is when we turn the cycle around and end up in a buyers market like we are now. Where are the buyers?

Buyers you have come to the right place. I am more then happy to shed some light on the situation, here are few interesting facts.

1. First off it is called a buyers market for a reason, this being you have the control, where as before the seller did.

2. You the buyer have more selection to choose from which your realtor would be glad to sort through for you.

3. Generally, you have more time to make the decision (not always if the home is priced right).

4. You also typically have a chance to make a lower offer and get it accepted then you would have in a sellers market(a qualified Real Estate Professional will help you interpret sales data to determine a good starting point for the offer).

5. Interest rates are as low as they have been in Canada in 10 years. Prime rate is down. No signs of any increases coming (that doesn't mean this will last forever and rates are subject to change without notice).

6. This opportunity only comes around once ever 4-8 years and you can never time the cycle because no one knows when exactly it will swing back the other way. But rest assured when it does shift it shifts fast.

So my question to you the buyer is. Why wait to buy a home when the opportunity this market gives is tilted heavily in your favour. I hope this has given you some insight as to some of the positives to buying a home in this buyers market. Your new home awaits.

For more information on what's going on in your area and my TOP 10 BEST BUY LIST for your area. Call me Chris Penner at 604.807.9020 or email me at info@chrispenner.com or visit my web site at http://www.chrispenner.com or text me from the box on the side of my blog.

Cheers!

Chris Penner

Real Estate Consultant for Keller Williams Realty