Li's Blog

Affordable living on special Salt Spring Island?   Absolutley!

Here's a very appealing and quality upgraded townhome opportunity...walk to Seaside Ganges Village, to Upper Village, to indoor pool, plus close to marinas, golf, hospital, library/community centre, shopping...all the amenities and services are at a short stroll and yet this alluring small development offers that rural charm that adds to the Gulf Islands lifestyle.

Two bed, master ensuite, full guest bath, open plan living/dining, with vaulted ceiling and custom feature gas fireplace...wood floors...updated kitchen with fine finishes...breakfast area...easy access to private rear "garden"...sunny (morning and evening sunlight), and good privacy.

Significant upgrades by Bruce Gamble & Sons Construction...award winning team, here.

Move in and enjoy for now, or retain the good tenant (24 hr notice for all viewings) and arrive later...perfect retirement or seasonal retreat home.   Call me!

Your dream awaits...now a reality.

liread33@gmail.com

An excellent construction team is on Salt Spring Island...they design and build to your requirements...great expediters of dreams!   It's Bruce Gamble & Sons Construction, of course....

Currently, two of their stellar homes are for sale...a lucky buyer will enjoy the warm & fine finishes, the welcoming allure of their rural contemporary ethic.  

Their offering at 282 Pringle Farm Road is ready to move into and to enjoy the unique Salt Spring Island lifestyle.  

A magical  home, indeed...

wood floors, custom window treatments, summer kitchen to expand those warm weather living pleasures, a cook's dream kitchen, formal dining for entertaining...a WOW master/ensuite, guest bedrooms/full baths, family/media room...

easy access to expansive patio and decking choices...serene ocean/islands/mountain vistas.    The very best sun exposures (s/sw/w/nw...enjoy those sunsets).

A pleasing pastoral acreage, with stellar views, is adjacent...

perhaps purchase both...enjoy the stylish executive flair of this home, keep your classic cars in the three bay garage, develop the adjacent 6+ acres as your "farm parcel"...

keep  horses, sheep, put in a vineyard, an orchard, or?   You decide!   Zoned for main home, guest cottage, studio.   Great investment / holding property, for now!

Just off Sunset Drive, a prime address on Salt Spring Island, is this quality home (1041 Sunset Drive).   

4+ acres, rural charm, step in ready family home (would also suit a professional couple, working from home).   3 bed/3.5 bath gem, with open plan style and a custom kitchen to fit your dreams!   Expansive decking and patio areas...family room, too.   Separate guest cottage in place right now...guest/inlaw?   B & B?   Mortgage helper? 

  You decide!  

All three of these stellar offerings are close to warm swimming beaches, to park hiking/walking trails, and to all services/amenities...and yet they all enjoy that tranquil allure that the Island lifestyle offers.   Call me!

One of the "best buy" segments in a real estate suppressed market, especially in a secondary home/discretionary area, might be undeveloped land.


In a downmarket moment, a buyer isn't looking for a holding property & isn't interested in a building project. Prices may come down substantially from headier days, and may suppress further in raw land options than in residential choices.


As the downturn lengthens/sharpens, most sellers reduce prices and all are looking for offers...perhaps owners of raw land become even more aggressive in what they will accept.


It may be that we will look back in about two years & decide that the bottom-bottom of the adverse market was reached between Oct 2010 and Oct 2011.

If the market really began its downward slide in 2006, then we are now in year seven of a seven to ten year cycle...slowly creeping up?


So many concerns...the implosion of the eurozone, the explosion of economic power in China & India, the immense debt in the U.S., the fabric of mini-wars & societal distress, the reworking of our entire world view in the wake of the huge shift delivered by the Internet...a time of stress, collapse, & even opportunity. All depends on where you stand in the cycles....

And what about the currency itself? Inflation vs deflation, value of cash itself...a good idea to consider the holding of a unique asset?

Call me...let's view some amazingly good opportunities in land holdings, on a uniquely beautiful Gulf Island...low interest rates, affordability, good selection, motivated sellers...a recipe for investment? Hmmm....

liread33@gmail.com

January 26, 2012.

Tomorrow evening, at All Saints by the Sea, at 7 p.m., enjoy A Writer's Quartet...Jim Warren, Juli Macdonnell, Elaina Hyde-Mills, Lottie Devindisch...readings from their just released or about to be released first publications. See you there!

Don't miss the Salt Spring Photography Club show at ArtSpring's Lobby Gallery...runs till month's end. Amazing variety here, in individual responses....

Rock Salt Cafe in fabulous Fulford offers roast beef Sunday Dinners...worth the voyage to the "south end" to enjoy the delicious & eclectic menu at Rock Salt...don't forget live music on Unplugged Mondays!

Mark your calendars...Galiano Island's Literary Festival takes place February 24 to 26. Books...Windows to the Future. More info? Call: 250-539-3340.

Don't miss the artwork at Barb's Bakery & Bistro...runs till end of this month only...wow to the talent on this Island...great show!

January 30th is Salt Spring Folk Club presentation: featuring Colleen Eccleston and also TARA. Doors open 6:15 & show starts at 7 p.m. Soups, Suppers & Sweets by Fiddlehead Catering. Tickets at Acoustic Planet, Salt Spring Books, & Stuff and Nonsense. Lucky Islanders!

The Salt Spring Scottish Country Dance Club hosts a Burns Night at Fulford Hall, January 28th...never been to a Burns event? You have a great evening ahead of you!

Feb 4 to March 10th, each Saturday, be a part of the Master Gardener Course...presented at Hastings House. Taught by experts in their field, each Saturday presents a different aspect: soils, pests & diseases, vegetables & extending the season, small fruits & pruning, plant materials, garden design. Course fee: 499...includes lunch & breaks. Call Hastings House asap...see if there's a place still available. Certificate at end of this program is an entree to the global network of Master Gardeners.

Chinese New Year...tonight through to Monday, Jan 30th, by reservation only, celebrate the special menu at Golden Island Restaurant...the Year of the Dragon is with us!

Have you noticed? Every day is a little bit longer/lighter...yes, we're looking at early Spring, and that February feel is almost here...ahhh...at last!

Checked the snowdrops?

January 25, 2010.

It's Robbie Burns Day...as all good Scots know!

If you have the chance to attend a Burns Supper, hear the Toast to the Haggis, watch Scottish Country Dances, listen to the stories of Scotland's famed poet, and be inspired by his constant emphasis on the equality of all men, be sure to say yes...and enjoy yourself!

For those who studied English Literature, you'll remember Burns as a Pre-Romantic, writing in Standard English. He also collected Scottish songs & poems, in the vernacular, & often wrote in Scots himself.

Every New Year's Eve, around the world, people continue to sing his Auld Lang Syne....

Yes, it's been hundreds of years and yet he's celebrated still...looking for a romantic poem for Valentine's Day? Try his My Love Is Like A Red Red Rose!

A toast...to Robbie Burns!

Choosing a retirement home?   Check out special Salt Spring Island...a terrific place to retire "to"...definitely not a retiring "out of" option...lots to see & to do & to enjoy, here!

Very best buy opportunity with this ready to go oceanview gem!


Ocean & mountain views, private, sunny (s/sw/w exposures), quiet neighbourhood of fine homes...on community water, close to swimming beaches, & steps from park reserve hiking/walking trails!


Custom home from mid-90s was substantially upgraded in late 2011.

One-level living, with open plan living/dining, great kitchen, breakfast area, guest bed & full bath, expansive master with ensuite. Separate laundry. Attached double garage (keep those classic cars at home!).


Easy care "natural" property...paved drive...close to all services/amenities, yet wonderfully "apart". In phase 2 of prestigious Channel Ridge (address: 196 Channel Ridge Drive). Fenced area for your dog(s)!

Expansive decking, easy access from living & master...expand summer living pleasures! Wood floors, gas feature fireplace in living...this is a step-in ready gem!

Retirement beckons? Here's your new home...quick possession possible.   Motivated seller, low interest rates, a delectable retirement choice, and a ready to go quality home....

Call me... liread33@gmail.com

January 23, 2012.

The Chinese Lunar New Year begins today...and it ushers in a full week of celebrations for Chinese, globally.

This is the Year of the Dragon!   The Water Dragon, to be exact....

In the Chinese Zodiac, there are 12 animal figures and each has a dedicated year. Do you know your Chinese astrological sign? Always fun to know your animal description and how it fares in any particular year!

A Chinese proverb is: "better to do it than to miss it". A Dragon year is innovative, bold, action driven...new discoveries can take place. It's a time to move forward. Yes, turbulence perhaps, but also positive energy.

Exciting, energizing, potential for profound change...hmm, not a time to bide one's time!

Fortuitous time to start a business? Change an existing one up?

Go for it!

Going to the 50th Anniversary Vancouver Boat Show?

Pop by my booth, showcasing my Salt Spring Island, Southern Gulf Islands, & Southern Vancouver Island listings! Booth 31, at your service!

Have welcomed Ed Davis on board as my licensed assistant, & Ed will be the mainstay of the Boat Show exposure! Drop by & say hello...Ed has been a successful realtor since 1982, and has now returned to the business after a five year hiatus. A pilot (floatplanes), a professional photographer, and with extensive knowledge of Salt Spring & the Gulf Islands, Ed brings a lot of expertise to our business model...welcome aboard, Ed!

Thinking of listing your property for the Spring Market? Give us a call & discover our difference...be a part of our Boat Show presence!

liread33@gmail.com

Looking for a serious investment purchase? Here it is, in special Salt Spring Island!

Approximately 400 acres, accessible and beautiful land...many dramatic building sites to choose from!


Lot 50, approx 160 acres, enjoys amazing ocean, island, & mountain viewscapes...see from Lower Mainland mountains, behind Sechelt area, right around to the soaring Olympics...Mt Baker & Mt Rainier are part of your views! Natural meadow areas, paved road access to driveway entry (off Anna's Drive), power at lot line, "hand cleaned" landscape after careful logging, some years ago, ponds, creeks, springs...be self-sufficient, here!


Lot 51, adjacent, is 80 acres...neighbouring 80 acres is a park reserve parcel. A mix of natural meadow, forest, with pond, seasonal creeks, springs...ocean & mountain & valley views from this parcel. Power to the lot line.


Lot 49, adjacent to Lot 51, is 160 acres, also a mix of natural meadow, forest, heirloom homestead area, valley views...driveway access from Musgrave Road. Currently "off the grid". There is an easement driveway across Lot 49 to access Lot 51.

Motivated seller...serious offers welcomed. Land is mainly level, with some gently sloping areas...very private & quiet...approx 15 minutes to Fulford Village & ferry to Victoria. Approx 25 minutes to Ganges Village & floatplane services to Vancouver Airport or Downtown.

Superb land holding, which would be amazing anywhere...just happens to be on beautiful & unique Salt Spring Island.

Family holding? Corporate investment? This is the kind of land that enjoys appreciation over the long term...take advantage of this opportunity!

Call me... liread33@gmail.com

Unique and special on Salt Spring Island, the tranquil setting exemplifies sunny, private, rural ambiance with welcoming. Pretty home close to all services/amenities. Walk to village shopping, pool, schools, and marina.


Relax on new cedar deck (2011) & survey your nearly 8 acres of garden, meadow, pasture, trees, with hint of Ganges Harbour in the distance.


The arable land is fenced, and features an apple orchard and fruit trees. There is grazing pasture for horses, sheep, etc. There are several outbuildings including barn, workshop, chicken house


Spacious & pretty, this recently renovated cedar home offers many options: it's a great family home (5 bedrooms, appealing large "gathering room" w/own entrance, remodelled laundry room with upgraded services (2011), lower level "in-law suite), B&B or hobby farm potentials.

Enjoy self-sufficient lifestyle, yet you can walk to town. Great Value Here!