Market Insights - BC Waterfront Real Estate

After hours, days and actually, years of work, I am happy to say that Simply Beachfront is finally live!

You see, while running Waterfront West for the last few years, it has come to my attention that a website for waterfront accommodations might be a nice idea.

So I have been secretly working on this project for a very long time and it is now finally ready for liftoff! As a valued blog subscriber, you get to be one of the first people to view what I hope will become a large and active site with waterfront accommodations worldwide (yes, lofty goals, I know), but for now, our first region is British Columbia, Canada.

ABOUT SIMPLY BEACHFRONT

As you will see, we have integrated the site with Expedia and have Expedia partner properties available for booking online; however, you will also find independent waterfront accommodations (vacation rentals, B&Bs and resorts) that are listed separately from the Expedia properties. 

SPECIAL WATERFRONT SEARCH FEATURES

Search by Activity: 

• Spa. 
• Surfing. 
• Glamping.
• Beachfront Weddings.
• Fishing (coming soon!)

 Find British Columbia:

• Beachfront vacation cottages (owner direct).
• Bed & Breakfasts.
• Resorts with vacation rental villas & suites.
• Waterfront lodges, hotels & more.

GET EXCLUSIVE TRAVEL PERKS & OFFERS - JOIN THE BEACH CLUB!

You will be one of our very first visitors, so please feel free to sign-up for our Beach Club, which gives you FREE access to special rates and perks at various waterfront accommodation providers throughout British Columbia. We currently have member perks in the Okanagan, on the Sunshine Coast, Galiano Island and on the West Coast of Vancouver Island (Tofino, Ucluelet). These perks are provided by our independent accommodation providers (not listed through Expedia).

Example of One of Our Current Offers

When you sign-up you will be able to edit your Offer Alerts by region or activity so that you only get the deals you want. If you are not interested in British Columbia, you can also just choose to put your subscription on ice and we will only send out updates when we open up new provinces, states and/or countries.

Once your FREE membership is set up , you can login anytime and get the coupon codes for the perks you see on the site. Then, simply contact the property direct or via our booking request form in the following 24 hours to make your reservation and get your offer.

PLEASE SHARE 

If you like the new site, we would appreciate any social shares using the tabs on the left of the home page. We would also appreciate any feedback you have.

P.S. If you know anyone who runs a waterfront hotel, vacation rental, B&B or other type of accommodation in British Columbia, we have a special very limited offer for the next 24 founding member accommodation providers who list on the site: $99+GST for one year.

I'm back on the blog after an extended break (from blogging, not work!) and looking forward to an exciting year for 2010. My husband and I have been busily renovating our newly acquired character home and I have been working on our new site, featuring BC  luxury real estate, which will be launched early this Spring!

Below are some of the highlights to come for Waterfront West in 2010:

We will be upgrading and redesigning Waterfront West to make the user experience more seamless and bring new technology to the site including new search capabilities, a video community and an "Ask an Expert" section.

We will be launching our new site which will be one of the first BC luxury real estate sites to feature a social networking community (like Facebook), a video component featuring in-house videos about sought-after B.C. communities and huge picture viewer for seeing luxury property photos.

We are continuing to send out our "Hot Properties" newsletter featuring properties of exceptional value in the BC waterfront market and we will also be featuring a "Property of the Month" in this blog.

So, to summarize, as you can see, this year holds a lot of promise and many changes will be happening in the months ahead. Stay tuned to www.waterfrontwest.com to see the evolution.

Recently, my husband and I found out that we have asbestos vermiculite insulation in our attic. Asbestos fibres can be dangerous when enhaled as they can cause a type of lung cancer called Mesothelioma. Appartently, the asbestos is safe so long as it is left untouched and undisturbed; (which at this point it is) however, this is putting a huge wrench in our plans as we hoped to add a 3rd floor to our house this spring. In order to get the asbestos out safely, we have to hire an asbestos abatement firm to come with their big suits and all. Of course, this comes with a hefty price tag. We have been quoted anywhere from $15,000-$18,000 to have this done. Plus we have to move out of our house for a week. After spending all this money, you don't end up with a deluxe new bathroom with soaker tub and walk-in shower, you end up with a big fat zero!

Hot Properties Newsletter

With the current economic turmoil, we realize many of you want to get the most value for your money. Sometimes, when searching real estate web sites, it is difficult to find the properties that may be undervalued or provide an especially good opportunity to get into the market. That is why we have decided to create our "Hot Properties" newsletter to single out some of these properties on our site.

Beginning in January 2009, Waterfront West will be sending out a new newsletter. This newsletter will feature our "Hot Properties" which will be hand selected from our site as representing exceptional value in the market. If you are already on this email list, you will receive the letter early in the New Year. If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please enter your email in the boxes below.