November 20, 2009.
Mark your calendars, and take part in the opening of Wintercraft, at Mahon Hall, on December 4th.
Lots happening, with craft sales / artists offerings...gifts for your special ones.
The following was emailed to me, from the organizer of Wintercraft (the alternate to ArtCraft, in the summer season):
"Wintercraft, along with two other traditional Salt Spring Island craft faires at Fulford and Beaver Point Halls, will open concurrently during the weekend of December 4, 5, 6. This festive, weekend-long, island-wide, market of merriment offers an impressive selection of the the finest handmade arts and crafts from the Southern Gulf Islands.
Handmade gifts range from; pocket and kitchen knives produced in Salt Spring Island's bronze foundry, high fashion wearables in silk and local fine wool, earthy & elegant tableware, afforable & astounding jewelry pieces, luxurious body products and everything in between.
The weekend events taking place range from; the seasonal, sell-out lamb feast at Beaver Point Hall on Friday, December 4th to crepes, lunch and decadent desserts produced full-tilt, from two community kitchens all weekend in Fulford. Wintercraft provides live music, weekend workshops and the widest selection of heartwarming gifts from stocking stuffers to dazzling presents Dec 4 - 20th. Travellers to the island please note that only Wintercraft runs through to December 20th.
Fulford Hall: Dec 4 - 6th
Beaver Point Hall: Dec 4 - 6th
Wintercraft at Mahon Hall, Dec 4 - 20th"
Enjoy all these venues! It's our "holiday season" and it's full of elan and verve, island style!
Gift giving...it's a pleasure to choose something "special" for those on our list. Family, friends, significant others...holiday celebrations carry such meaning, and the annual quality of same allows for a mix of memory and actuality.
As we get beyond the small children/grandchildren timeframe, though, with its expectation level of surprises under the tree, perhaps we could think about a different kind of gifting?
What about helping with the organizers of turkey dinners for the disadvantaged, those alone on small incomes, those who do not easily "fit" into society's norms? What about helping at food banks? How about hampers and gift packages for those who will not have a celebration this year? What about making up blanket/sandwich packages for street people? What about dropping into hospitals, perhaps reading to long term care patients, most of whom will be on their own?
To give funds and / or time, in the name of someone on our list, who can't help personally, is a gesture that will be very pleasing to most recipients. We all want to help out...it's a natural human reaction.
As we go into this holiday season, with its celebratory nature, let's also remember those who are alone, lonely, seemingly abandoned. Simple things can so "lift" their spirits, and isn't that what this main celebration is all about? Sharing?
Wow! We're in the middle of a "pineapple express" storm, here.
It's almost noon, and everyone has their lights on, driving...so glad I put up my fibre optic tree and a string of Xmas lights, at the office...helps cheer up the glooming grey.
A pineapple express is our term for the storm, straight from Hawaii, across the Pacific and into the Pacific Northwest Coast region. High winds can also accompany this, it's very mild, but it's the rain....comes in sideways, very "thick", and flooding can be a problem.
Can't see the top of the hills surrounding the Village...lost in fog/low cloud. The forecast says this is going to be with us for the next five days.
I have bright yellow rain clogs, plus an old fashioned yellow slicker that has a hood, and comes down to my ankles. Umbrellas don't cut it!
I know it's November, and supposed to be rainy and grey skies, but I'm glad there is a holiday celebration looming, so I can put lots of lights "everywhere"....sparkle is what's needed!
November 15, 2009.
On Salt Spring today? Check out Fulford Hall for the great gift ideas...artists are there, with their giftcreations. Candles, Skincare products, Kitchenware, Luxurious body lotions, Kids' toys, Chic baby boutique...and more! 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. -- Shop Locally is the tag line (and support islanders and their home-based businesses). See you there!
Don't forget it's Jazz night at Moby's (7 to 10 p.m.).
Today, at 2 p.m., is also the last show of the Having Hope at Home play offering (at Mahon Hall). Enjoy this Community Theatre production.
Bach on the Rock is also today, at 2 p.m., at All Saints by the Sea...tickets from ArtSpring (250-537-2102).
Mark your calendars: Scrooge Meets the Duke is at ArtSpring Theatre, on November 21 (at 8 p.m.) and November 22 (at 2 p.m.). The Newman Family Players and Swing Shift present the Billy Strayhorn/Duke Ellington "Nutcracker Suite" and selections from "Christmas with Scrooge". A fun event!
November 17 to 29th, catch the interpretation of five dynamic Salt Spring artists, of "interiors". At ArtSpring's Bateman Gallery, the five artists are: Louise Goodman, Megan Manning, Gillian McConnell, Hamza bin al-Wathan, and Stephanie Denz. Opening reception, with artists in attendance, on the 20th, from 5 to 8 p.m. Such talent on our Island!
The annual Christmas Light Up Decorating Contest is on Friday, November 27th. Categories are Best All Round, Best Use of Lights, Most Creative, Best Use of Materials. Salt Spring Businesses step forward every year, and it's always fun to see the creativity that goes into the windows we walk by, every day.
So many great businesses in the Village...have you been into Laura Roveda's Windflower Moon lately? Lots of super gift ideas, here, for your nearest and dearest, and also treasures for your own enjoyment. Windflower Moon's logo is: Gifts for the Spirit. Check out the Zen alarm clock, the crystals, the gift books, the specialty jewellery, the clothing, the cards...etc.
A softer time of year, a time to slow a little, and to notice the treasures we rush past in the busy summer months...our friends and neighbours are on display, in the Village...enjoy!
This Monday will be my last Monday Morning show on the community radio station (www.cfsi-fm.com) -- streaming audio off the website is the way most people listen, as the 107.9 fm only works if you're in the range of the single tower on Island. I've really had fun doing the two hour show, every Monday, and so appreciated the people who agreed to get up early and come in to be interviewed (most chose the 8 to 9 a.m. time slot!). I had help with the production side (I'm not a techie, and the station makes the presenters also do the "mechanics" of the broadcast) was Mark Voyce, co-owner of Bocados Bistro,in Grace Point Square. Mark has film experience, and is taking on a position with the production of a new film, so will be off island during this time. That means I will be losing my valued "side-kick", and techie guy. Seemed a good moment to bring the Morning Show to a close, and let someone else step to the plate of keeping the Island and the talented Islanders "front and centre".
New owner at Cafe Talia, takes over this next week...if you've been on the Island for some time, you will remember Louis Renaud, and Luigi's. Louis is returning to the food biz, and plans to retain the charm of Cafe Talia. Welcome him, next time you're by for cappucino.
Enjoy the Island's "winter pleasures".....
Holiday decorations and lighting are starting to show up in my area.
No shopping malls where I live, so it's up to the individual retail merchants to do the decorating.
At this darker time of year (on the shortest day of the year, which isn't that far off, it's dark here by 4:30 in the afternoon), it's a pleasure to see the lights showing up.
We would have to invent a celebration for this season, if it wasn't already in place...to spill light into the darkness is a message of hope to all who pass by.
Our local weekly newspaper usually has a "theme", and the best decorated window at a store, or a bank, or an office, gets the prize. One year, the local credit union, who had a lot of separate offices facing the sidewalk, decorated each one like a Victorian shop window...the butcher, the baker, the dressmaker...they deserved to win! Such creativity bounces out at the passersby, and, again, brings pleasure to all.
It can be lonely at this time of year, for those who are by themselves, with only memories of "fuller" celebrations. To enjoy the lights, to walk the Village and admire the windows...it's a simple thing, but can be very meaningful.
In these more uncertain times, with stress and duress visiiting many people afflicted by the economic downturn, it's essential to remember to practice the simple things, and to light up that darkness that lurks in December.
To remember, too, that the foodbank and the hamper program from the grocery stores, and the gift tree from the bank (pick a suggestion, from the tree, and buy a gift for that person...boy of 8, girl of 11...that kind of thing), all need our extra help at this time of year.
Charles Dickens understood the point of the season...instead of watching a film or cartoon of same, why not read the original, and pick up a book or find it at the library. A Christmas Carol was written by Dickens at a very troubling time in his life, when he desperately needed money...out of his adversity came a classic with an uplifting message.
Remember to light the lights!
 |
|
|
Successfully connecting buyers & sellers on Salt Spring Island & on all Southern Gulf Islands, since 1989. I offer superb market knowledge & work for the best interests of my clients. See Li!
I love my career, and have been a real estate agent on Salt Spring Island, also selling on the adjacent Southern Gulf
Islands (Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna, & water access only options, in between (Wise, Parker, Secret, Gossip, DeCourcy,
Phillimore Point), since 1989.
Living & working on a Gulf Island is very different from a "city scape". Boats & floatplanes are also a part of one's
work life, not just cars & highways (although the sea is just a highway, really).
I now work under the Vancouver Real Estate Board, and achieved Gold Award MLS recognition for the past ten consecutive years, while at the Victoria Board (MLS President's Award for same). In the various companies i've worked for, since 1989, I was always a 'top producer', and connected many sellers and buyers. Sales awards (at company levels, MLS/Board levels, & internationally -- references upon request) are an indicator, from one's peers in the industry, of excellence in customer service.
By the way, "Li" is a nick-name for Liane, and it rhymes with "see". Thanks!
Say hello to Bobbi, my "unlicenced assistant"! Jack Russell Terriers are "smart cookies",and Bobbi
is also a calm one (yes, it's true!). When you view property with me, she's sometimes along for
the ride -- I supply the cookies!
Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands are "governed" by the B.C. Provincial Government,
under the Islands Trust.
The Trust came into being in 1974, with a "preserve & protect" mandate, to keep the Islands as these
pristine and park-like enviroments, for the benefit of all B.C. residents, "forever". Two trustees per
Island (not representative of population, then) are elected every three years, in the B.C. civic elections,
to manage the Trust bylaws/official community plan, on each Island. These strong zoning/density bylaws
control (& effectively "cap") growth. Limited supply, and a strong buyer demand, usually result in higher prices, regardless of market trend in play at any given time. There will always be a low inventory of properties for sale, then, on any Gulf Island, due to this Islands Trust mandate.
There is no industry on the Gulf Islands. Salt Spring Island is the largest and best serviced of the Southern
Gulf Islands (Gabriola, Thetis, Galiano, Salt Spring, Pender, Mayne, & Saturna Islands are the ferry accessed
options), with a year round lifestyle, and all the amenities required in the 21st Century.
One doesn't "have to" leave Salt Spring Island for anything, but it's easy to go to Vancouver or to Victoria or to
mid-Vancouver Island locations, on day trips. There are three separate ferries that service the Island, plus
three regularly scheduled (year round) floatplane services, so it's very simple to do daytrips to major centres,
and to return easily to the Island's charm. In the "season", there's also a floatplane service from Seattle to
Salt Spring Island.
Low supply coupled with high demand, though, often results in price escalation. The internet erased geography,
and so the buyer profile for this area is mainly from out of province, and often from out of country.
Although the Islands Trust wasn't set up to create an expensive "enclave" area, it has had this result. As soon as
one "caps" growth, for whatever reason (in this case, for environmental protection reasons), and the buyer
profile is a global one (post-internet), which means more buyers than inventory, regardless of real estate market
trends, at any given time, one has an expensive buy-in locale.
Sellers and realtors do not set a market; only buyers do that. The Islands Trust, however, is responsible for a
no-growth policy that guarantees an escalating price point in the real estate marketplace.
I have the knowledge and the expertise and the strong negotiating skills to help you to have a pleasing experience, whether selling or buying.
This is a magical Island, and I look forward to introducing it to you.
Please ask for me, by name, when you visit Salt Spring Island. I have an office in "downtown Ganges". A quick call to my cell (250-537-7647) will allow us to connect. My office is located at: # 4 - 105 Rainbow Road, across from the Harbour.
P.S. "Li" rhymes with "see"! "See Li for Successful Solutions" is my promise to my clientele.
Look forward to meeting you!
Toll free: 1-866-405-9229
liread33@gmail.com
It's definitely different than selling in a city enviroment.
For one thing, I work in what is known as a secondary home or discretionary market. No one "has to"
move to Salt Spring Island or another Southern Gulf Island -- it's all by choice!
In a primary residence (city) area, there might actually be "comparables".
In a discretionary/secondary home marketplace, though, it's full of "custom" homes and even
undeveloped land will be its unique self, without any "comparable".
Difficult for an appraiser, then, as there is so much that is specific to each property, with no real equivalent
anywhere else on the Island, plus, with a limited inventory "ever" (there's that Islands Trust, and its cap on
growth), it means the listing inventory is never very large, and so the "solds" statistics aren't very informative.
Time lags are a part of all sales, too. First, the prospective buyer has to hear about this area and
then they make plans to travel here, to view.
The entire Coast is very appealing, and so often the Island gets "interviewed", and then so do
other coastal communities. One has to sell the Island, first, thus, before one can get around to selling
a particular property on it.
Two visits, then, if not three, become the pattern, and since the buyers aren't
"local", the time between trips can be as long as 5 to 7 months!
It can take, then, between one and four years to sell any property on a Gulf Island, including on Salt Spring
Island, and the main reason for this is because the buyer isn't "local", and the decision to purchase is a "choice",
both in the "where" and in the "when".
This time lag feature makes a "days on market" tag on an mls listing irrelevant.
In my area, there's a weekly local paper, and a monthly real estate supplement. Neither of these
are seen until the buyer arrives on Island, and so they do not offer an advertising vehicle that "brings"
a buyer. No one googles Salt Spring Island, or the Southern Gulf Islands, unless they're encouraged to
do so.
Print ads, then, in targeted venues, where the buyer profile lives, are still important in a
non-local/discretionary marketplace. If you think you saw an ad by me, in your area, you probably did!
I hope you responded, and went onto my principal website (www.liread.com).
We all do "floor duty days", but open houses don't work here, as the buyer isn't local. We're getting our
own radio station, but it's not up and running yet, so there's no t.v. or radio media spots, either. Signage
on a lawn (or up on a tree, if you're going by in a boat, and would see that more easily) is apparent, but,
again, not viewed until the buyer physically arrives on Island.
People don't move around on the Island; they arrive, they're here, then, if they have to leave
(usually only for personal reasons), they list. Then comes the search for the buyer,
who lives somewhere else in the world!
This non-local aspect to the buyer profile means that a realtor has to keep an eye on market
conditions in those buyer areas, as the B.C. market outlook won't have much relevance.
I wouldn't live anywhere else, though! This is an exceptional lifestyle choice!
If you drop into Salt Spring, please ask for me by name -- I'm the Managing Broker, of Sea to Sky Premier
Properties (Salt Spring), and I have an office in "downtown" Ganges Village (in the Clement, Murphy, Woodward law
office building, at the corner of the main road (Lower Ganges Road) & Rainbow Road. There's parking behind,
off Rainbow Road. My office (# 4 - 105 Rainbow Road) faces onto the main street, and enjoys a Harbour view. It's
adjacent to Stone Walrus Gallery). A quick call to my cell (250-537-7647) will connect us.
I look forward to meeting you, and to offering my expertise and my superlative market knowledge
and my strong negotiating skills for your benefit, during your search for your special Island gem.
Looking forward to your call!
P.S. Here's one of those "differences":
Selling real estate on Salt Spring Island & the Southern Gulf Islands is not like it would
be in a city or a town marketplace.
I was driving up a roughed in roadway, on a heavily forested acreage, recently, and
there, at the side of the roughed in driveway, were two baby racoons. The clients took
these photos, before we bundled them into my dog's car bed, wrapped in towels that I keep
for wiping off a muddy dog, on rainy days, so that we could deliver them to the Salt
Spring Wildlife Rescue Centre.
That was an interesting visit, too! Looking for a place to give a charitable donation?
Think of the Wildlife Centre -- on Lang's Road, it's not open to the public, and they have
a unique project there. Saving abandoned wildlife is one of them. (Yes, we did check with
the Wildlife Centre before we brought the babies in. Sometimes the mother is just off
foraging for food, but in the case of these racoons, they really were abandoned).
It was an adventure!
liread33@gmail.com
www.liread.com
Large list of satisfied clients upon request. Privacy is an important concern, especially in a small
community; I can supply references, but I prefer not to place same in this venue. Thank you!
With twenty years in the business, successfully connecting sellers and buyers on Salt Spring Island
and on the Southern Gulf Islands (Galiano, Mayne, Pender, Saturna & water access only islands
in between: Wise, Secret, Gossip, Parker, DeCourcy, Hudson, etc.), I bring to each sales transaction:
enthusiasm, expertise, superb market knowledge, strong negotiating skills, and a sincere desire to create
a successful buying or selling experience for you, the client.
Referrals are welcomed and are cared for.
"See Li for Successful Solutions" is my promise to my clientele. ("Li" rhymes with "see").
P.S. No one wants the cell tower near them, on this beautiful and quirky Island, and so when you call my
cell (250-537-7647), you might get the voice mail Please leave me a message. I do return all calls, asap, & will
find a cell zone to do so!
Appreciated!
liread33@gmail.com
Toll free: 1-866-405-9229
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
