VICTORIA, British Columbia, Feb 20, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- It's a real (estate) interesting paradox. The weakening U.S. economy means more, rather than fewer opportunities for the team at Bear Mountain Resort, outside Victoria, British Columbia. What better city than Phoenix to capture the attention of discerning individuals seeking vacation homeownership opportunities which offer luxurious resort living and superlative golf?
Bear Mountain Resort, the premiere master-planned resort community on Vancouver Island, defines resort living. Boasting Canada's first and only 36-hole Nicklaus designed golf offering and Nicklaus Academy, the lush mountainside community features a montage of residential and vacation real estate opportunities adjacent to The Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort& Spa. Chance vision of ex-NHL star Len Barrie -- the Bear Mountain Resort community offers a complete lifestyle experience with boutiques, art galleries, bistros and a mountain market at The Village, medical and traditional aesthetics at the acclaimed Sante Spa, a dining mecca with eclectic and world-class restaurants, and state-of-the-art Mountainside Athletic Club, all within minutes of the beautiful seaside harbor of Victoria, British Columbia.
Bear Mountain Resort's target demographic generally isn't affected by the subprime crisis, and that demographic never stops looking for real estate opportunities. Dale Sproule, Bear Mountain's director of real estate, says they opened an Arizona Presentation Center to take advantage of the many U.S. individuals who are increasing Canadian holdings, including the resort-style real estate that Bear Mountain offers.
Arizona has been identified for years as an exclusive golf resort mecca. Emulating a similar luxury resort lifestyle, Bear Mountain attracts golf aficionados with its mild temperatures and superior Nicklaus golf offering. By creating a home base in the desert, Bear Mountain has already wowed Arizonans seeking relief from the heat in the summer months with its stellar real estate opportunities and superlative amenities.
"The U.S. market is slumping, but that has meant opportunities for us. We have found that many alert real estate buyers are bullish on Canada, especially the West Coast. Victoria, with its solid economic fundamentals, strong real estate market, and superb West Coast amenities, looks very good to a certain type of American buyer. Even with the two currencies nearly at par, they see value in Canada," says Sproule. "I just had a call from a U.S. client who bought property at Bear Mountain a couple of years ago. He thanked me for convincing him to buy at Bear: he told me it's the best real estate investment he's ever made. We're also seeing interest from International clients who have no intention of buying U.S. real estate because they have no idea at what price point that market might bottom out. These are markets to be explored, so we're jumping in."
"We've seen an immediate response to our Phoenix advertising. Phones at our Presentation Center have been ringing off the hook and our Web site has seen a significant increase in traffic. The amount of local interest in Bear Mountain Resort has encouraged and excited all of us," says Stacy Germaniuk, International Director of Sales.
Bear Mountain Resort Real Estate Offering
Bear Mountain Resort offers a wide variety of real estate options for both residential and vacation ownership. Residents enjoy access to all of the Resort's amenities including VIP Services, which offers concierge services including transportation, entertainment arrangements, child care, cleaning and catering. Bear Mountain Resort does enforce design guidelines for those wishing to build a home on their property including height, set back restrictions, exterior finishing materials, colors and landscaping so that residences at Bear Mountain Resort are individually unique while still ensuring a cohesive community feel. The current real estate available at Bear Mountain Resort includes:
Estate Lots
-- Ranging in size from 18,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet
-- Prices range from $650,000 to $1.7 million CAD
Homesites
-- Ranging in size from 6,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet
-- Prices range from $260,000 to $650,000 CAD
Townhomes
-- Ranging in size from 1,300 to 3,600 square feet
-- Prices range from $700,000 to $1.6 million CAD
Condominiums
-- Both low- and high-rise condos available
-- Ranging in size from 530 to 2,400 square feet
-- Prices range from $325,000 up to $1.8 million CAD
Executive Fractional Ownership
-- Ranging in size from 1,900 to 2,600 square feet
-- Prices range from $189,000 to $299,000 CAD for a 1/4 share
Bear Mountain Resort is the chance vision of President and CEO Len Barrie, a former National Hockey League (NHL) star-turned-golfer who found himself battling with his Victoria-based Royal Colwood Golf Club over a few trees he chose to cut down to create a better view from his backyard. Forced to pay a fine and resign his membership, Barrie opted to build his own golf course and in 2001, he purchased the parcel of land that is now Bear Mountain Resort.
Although Barrie's initial plans were modest to include one golf course with a few homes around it, Barrie approached many of his NHL colleagues to become a part of the project, and momentum began to build. Attracted to Victoria's cache as a popular year-round vacation destination and plans to create the first Nicklaus designed course with a Nicklaus Academy on not only Vancouver Island but in all of Canada, Barrie's NHL friends soon became Bear Mountain Resort investors. No one, not even Barrie, could have predicted that Bear Mountain Resort would soon become the largest development in Western Canada and the foremost real estate opportunity and vacation destination on Vancouver Island.
Situated on 1,300 acres, Bear Mountain Resort has become the region's premier destination for travelers and real estate buyers alike. The cornerstone of the community is the Jack and Steve Nicklaus co-designed Mountain Course, which will soon be joined by the Nicklaus designed Valley Course in fall 2008 as well as Canada's first and only Nicklaus Academy. Together, the two courses and the Academy will be the only 36-hole Nicklaus designed golf offering at one resort in the entire country, positioning Bear Mountain Resort as a frontrunner for luxurious golf living on the Pacific Northwest.
With luxury condominiums, townhomes, fractional ownership and single family home sites offered, Sproule notes that both local buyers and purchasers from across Canada and the U.S. are coming to Bear Mountain Resort because, as the Resort and Village continue to grow and take shape, they want to live there full-time or spend large chunks of time there. "It's always been about the golf and resort-style amenities, but now The Village is becoming what we envisioned," said Sproule. "We have the trolley system, an art gallery, insurance company, hair salon, a furniture store opening a month from now, athletic club, restaurants, coffee shop. We're seeing more and more purchasers that want to live here and take advantage of the amenities, rather than speculators."
For information, go to http://www.bearmountain.ca.
To make an appointment and visit the new Phoenix Presentation Center, contact Stacy Germaniuk, Director of International Sales at 480.281.3005.
About Bear Mountain Resort
Bear Mountain Resort, the premiere master-planned resort community on Vancouver Island, defines resort living. Boasting Canada's first and only 36-hole Nicklaus designed golf offering and Nicklaus Academy, the lush mountainside community features a montage of residential and vacation real estate opportunities as well as The Westin Bear Mountain Victoria Golf Resort& Spa. Medical and traditional aesthetics at the Sante Spa ranked one of the top ten medical spas in the world by SpaFinder, a dining mecca with eclectic and world-class restaurants, the state-of-the-art Mountainside Athletic Club and The Village round out the complete lifestyle experience, all within minutes of the beautiful seaside harbor of Victoria, British Columbia.
SOURCE Bear Mountain Resort
http://www.bearmountain.ca
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