June 2009 Newsletter

Welcome to Squamish Rocks Realtors E-News letter
New Foundations

June is the bright spot so far this year

June has brought increased activity to the sales market, which should be viewed with cautious optimism. The lower interest rates, along with the reduction in prices have allowed the first-time buyers back into the market. Sales of detached homes more than doubled compared to June of 2008, with attached units up by 22 per cent and apartments down in volume by 46 per cent. However, even with the decreases or moderate gains, when compared to last June this is by far the best month this year.

Where does the real estate market go from here? There are three main elements that determine how the market will react - listing inventory, interest rates and price. Prices are expected to remain the same over the coming months, due in part to the fact that inventory is staying the same or slightly increasing. Also, if interest rates start to rise, this will erode the purchaser's buying ability, therefore making the buying decision very price-sensitive. A balanced and stable market with increase sales volume can only benefit both buyers and sellers in the short term.

Squamish is well known and recognized as the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada. But ground will soon break on an exciting new project that will offer residents and visitors alike a new opportunity for some unique indoor recreation.

Construction of a $9.2-million gaming centre at the foot of the picturesque Stawamus Chief is expected to begin as early as this summer. Set to open in time for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the building will fea- ture wood and stone in an effort to blend into Squamish's beautiful natural sur- roundings.

The gaming centre, complete with slot machines from the British Columbia Lot- tery Corporation (BCLC), bingo, restaurant and gift shop, will also feature a sloped roof facing the Stawamus Chief, as well as a gorgeous patio deck directly facing the natural wonder.

But controversy and strong emotions come hand-in-hand when any such gam- ing facility enters a community. It still remains to be seen how Squamish as a whole will welcome this new development. Time will tell if a gaming centre is a gam- ble, or not.

Olympic Update

Volunteering for the 2010 Games

If you've thought about volunteering your time at the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games - make Squamish your first point of inquiry. As host of the 2010 Winter Games Sea to Sky Volunteer Centre, Squamish proudly serves as the primary regional hub for recruitment, deployment and training of volunteers for the Games.

More than 25,000 Canadians will be needed to help pull of the most successful Games yet, and most of those will be coming from right in Sea to Sky country - Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. Between now and 2010, thousands of volunteers are expected to pass through the Sea to Sky Volunteer Centre, filling the hundreds of different roles required in the Sea to Sky corridor at Games time.

The Sea to Sky Volunteer Centre is located in the new Spectacle building at 40437 Tantalus Road, right off Highway 99.