September 13, 2009.
Well, tomorrow (7 to 9 a.m.), I will be doing "Potpourri with Li", on the new community radio station.
With only one tower, so far, the fm bandwith (107.9 fm) is not always available...depends where you are on the Island, so far. They are using streaming audio off the station's website ( www.cfsi-fm.com ), and so you can pick it up there, if in Fulford, or in Toronto!
It's live, of course.
If you're a presenter, you have to do it all, the tech side/the speaking side.
I'm totally non-tech, so mentioned this to a client, and turns out her husband has experience in a control booth!
Great...he's willing to be my "producer".
Together, we'll turn up at 6:45, at the station, and with any luck, it will all flow smoothly, between 7 & 9 a.m. If we live through it, we'll do it every Monday.
Wow! Not sure how I got from agreeing to read station "id" announcements, and to advertising my listings (I read my own ads) & then into doing a morning show, but it should be fun.
No real estate...just music and musings.
The station is in growth mode; this is its official opening day. Lots of things still missing, of course, including the call-in ability...that comes later. This introductory show, then, really can't be very interactive...later editions!
If you have a minute, listen in, and all critiques are welcome...ideas for future shows are welcome...it's live, so I won't be hearing myself, and rely on you to let me know "how it went". My cell phone will be on vibrate, so if we forget to turn the mic on, someone call me, or email me!
Thank you!
liread33@gmail.com
September 12, 2009.
Mark your calendars! Photosynthesis 2009, showcasing 24 photographers in one show, from September 15 to Oct 4, daily 10 to 5, at ArtSpring. Opening receptions on Sept. 14, 5 to 8 p.m. Check out the website at: www.saltspringphotographers.ca Don't miss this...such talent!
The wonderful Fall Fair is Sept. 19 and 20, this year, at the Farmer's Institute. Bus makes the round trip, from outside the Tourist Centre, in "downtown Ganges". Park your car, and catch the bus! Each day offers something different, so it's great to take in the two day festivities/presentations. If you've never been before, you have a treat in store!
Grand opening of Salt Spring's newest art gallery! It's a cooperative venture, and the artists welcome you on September 17th, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 135 McPhillips Avenue. Welcome to the new arrival!
Tonight, at ArtSpring, you can catch Sid & Arvid with the Geezers Radio Cafe...they are taping their radio show for the new community station ( www.cfsi-fm.com). Or, catch it at 107.9 on the fm dial, if you are in a reception area. It's an interactive show, and it will go out on the station's airwaves. Be part of it!
The 13th season of the Folk Club is upon us...season tickets on sale at their Fall Fair booth.
At 8 p.m. at Lion's Hall, this evening, the book launch of Mother Tongue Press' latest poetry series is another place to "be".
September is a lovely month, mellow and inspiring, at the same time. Lots to do and to see...catch it all!
www.liread.com
September 11, 2009.
Take a moment, today, and remember the courage that was displayed at "9/11".
So many people lost, and a rupture in lifestyle, the effect of which is still being felt, today.
People from many countries were lost in the destruction and the collapse of the two towers; it was a 'world address', corporately.
The passengers on the planes, the firefighters at ground level, the feats of bravery within and without the towers, and on the airplanes...it defies description, and when one catches a flashback to the news reporting, the horror of the day is relived, intensely.
Take a moment, be silent, and remember.
School is "in", so make sure you pay attention to crosswalks, to speed limits in school zones, and especially to the "flashing yellow" crosswalk at corner of Rainbow and Lower Ganges Roads. The Outer Island students walk to and from the senior and the middle schools, to get to the "school boat" -- early morning and in mid-afternoon, be especially attentive, as often, they're not!
I know it's controversial to be speaking about a traffic light for Salt Spring, but I think it's an essential, and before someone is hurt in an accident with a car! The flashing yellow light idea, at the crosswalk at Rainbow and Lower Ganges Road, is not very visible.
To a driver, they are too far to the sides of the road, and drivers are generally "programmed" to expect a flashing light above the middle of the road, not way to the sides, and I see people drive right through, oblivious to the flasher (which doesn't show up well in daylight, anyway).
I can see, too, that Rainbow and Lower Ganges Roads are really a busy connector point. Long lineups impatiently waiting to turn left from Rainbow: a "real islander" heading into Ganges from Vesuvius direction knows to stop ahead of Rainbow when someone is crossing the "yellow flasher" crosswalk, so cars can turn left onto Lower Ganges from Rainbow. Tourists, however, may not know this "unwritten rule", and they block the Rainbow exit.
Also, people coming from the Fulford direction, don't always notice the flashing lights, as they are not easily viewed by oncoming traffic, and someone wanting to turn left onto Rainbow is also obscuring the through traffic vista of a pedestrian starting into the cross walk, from the Rainbow side. It's an accident waiting to happen, and before someone is killed, I think this is the one place that a traffic light would definitely help.
By breaking the traffic throughway, at this point, it may also alleviate other blockages, when ferries are in, the long line of traffic into/through Ganges, etc. Worth a try! I know some people are all for doing the circles, to break the rhythm, but this may or may not be easily done (is there the space for same, at this corner?).
With students using the crosswalk, people walking to Thrifty's and other businesses that use the parking lot on Rainbow, for employee parking, and cars coming down Rainbow from schools and from businesses....it's a serious problem, and I think it's way overdue to be looked into/to consider a traffic light. It's not the end of the world to have a light, and does reflect the increased traffic on Salt Spring Island.
My thoughts! And, yours? Always welcome!
September 5, 2009.
Feel like a daytrip off island? How about heading to Victoria's Inner Harbour!
It's the annual Labour Day holiday weekend Classic Boat Festival.
Worth wandering the docks and enjoying these beauties!
People who restore and maintain these sea gems are close cousins to those people who restore and enjoy classic cars. This is just an ocean "show and shine"!
Enjoy lunch at the Lure Restaurant at the Ocean Pointe Inn, and then take the little Harbour Ferry across to the Inner Harbour docks...a nice way to maintain the nautical theme!
Dinner at Cafe Brio, of course, and then the ferry home. Make a day of it.
If you see me, wave!
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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
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