Li Read

Who is Li?

Contact Li Read at Sea to Sky Premier Properties on Salt Spring Island

Toll-Free: 1-866-405-9229 (ext. 7)

Cell: 250-537-7647

Office: 250-537-8763

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, 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. In the various companies i've worked for, since 1989, I was always a 'top producer', and connected many sellers and buyers.

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.

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 a personal office in "downtown Ganges". A quick call to my cell (250-537-7647) will allow us to connect.

P.S. "Li" rhymes with "see"! "See Li for Successful Solutions" is my promise to my clientele.

Look forward to meeting you!

1-800-731-7131

liread33@gmail.com

---

What's it like, as a realtor on an island?

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.

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 three 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 irrrelevant.

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 an Associate Broker, with Sea to Sky Premier 
Properties, and I have a personal 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 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

Call Li today!

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

1-800-731-7131