Whistler will celebrate and promote a healthier lifestyle next week with the 3rd annual Whistler Wellness Week. Taking place from May 31 - June 7 with events focusing on focusing on body, beauty and betterment with more than 100 seminars and yoga opportunities.

It is the event is quickly becoming recognized as a premier wellness event, attracting locals and visitors alike.

With this years focus on “boby, beauty and betterment” event manager, Glenn Iles comments “Wellness requires a holistic approach to life, so the seminars address everything from physical fitness and beauty to uncluttering your home to provide a more harmonious living space.  Participants will be able to choose from up to five sessions each day in these three areas.”

A new addition to this year’s event is the emphasis on the environment.  Whistler Wellness Week has teamed up with Envirofest and AWARE (Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment) to feature a number of workshops with an environmental focus.

A variety of hotels and spas are offering packages to coincide with the week.

For more details see www.whistlerwellness.com

The Valley Trail leads right to the door of this stunning alpine duplex. Located right off the Whistler Golf Course, inWhistler Cay Heights, your backdoor is just steps away from the trail system that connects you to all of Whistler.

Enjoy over 1900 square feet of newly renovated luxury in this 3 bedroom, 3.5 bath home. With heated slate and tile beneath your feet and granite and stainless steel at your fingertips, no detail was overlooked. Vaulted ceilings in the master bedroom and living room and a stone gas fireplace, complemented by large windows, make the space open and bright. Gas hot water heating keeps you comfortable indoors and a large veranda overlooking the golf course is a great place to enjoy the sun and the expansive mountain views. This property also offers a single car garage, mud room and central vacuum.

View this property at 6469 St Andrews Way, Whistler $1,588,000

The Four Season Resort Whistler hotel revenue numbers are up 14% from this time last year The Four Seasons Private Residence revenue numbers are up 37% from this time last year.

This provides better value for owners and buyers looking to invest in a Whistler residence.

Unique to Whistler, the Four Season Resort Whistler is a Phase II rental property which provides owners use of their suite 28 days in the winter and 28 days in the summer. The remaining days the suite must be made available for rental through the in-house rental agency Four Seasons and generating you revenue when you aren’t using your suite. Studio – 2 bdrm Suites available.This is a fantastic program for local and international travellers allowing them to invest in a property that earns rental revenue whilst also giving them the fantastic amenities of a five star hotel to enjoy during vacations in Whistler.

Being the Finest Residence in Whistler, The Four Seasons Private Residence allows owner the flexibility of using your residence for only your personal use or putting your residence into the nightly rental program with The Four Seasons Hotel. 2 bdrm – 4 bdrm & den Residences available.Contact us today to find out more about opportunities to own the two finest buildings in Whistler.

Whistler Real Estate Company will be handling the sales of resident restricted homes at Cheakamus Crossing the site of the athletes’ village for the 2010 Winter Games.

“I think we are very excited to be involved in this,” said Pat Kelly president of Whistler Real Estate, which celebrates its 30^th anniversary this year.

“For us we see it as a community contribution. We are being paid, but not significantly, just enough to cover our costs.”

The agreement reached between the Whistler 2020 Development Corporation and Whistler Real Estate will see the company get on average less than one per cent commission per unit. The revised business plan for the development, released in March, shows that overall $1.5 million has been set aside for the sales and marketing of the project including the future sale of market housing.

Buying your first home can be a daunting experience said Kelly and helping residents through the process is something realtors are trained to do.

“…We are able to make the process simple and understandable and at the end of the day a happy one,” he said.

“And it is nice to be able to do something where we are part of a greater good and given our long history in the community this is a natural thing for us to be doing.”

Only Whistler residents who are pre-approved for a mortgage and have registered on the Whistler Housing Authority waitlist will have the opportunity to purchase one of the 220 resident restricted homes in the $143 million project.

There are currently 759 people on the waitlist. The significant difference between supply and demand and the unique amenities of Cheakamus Crossing leads Kelly to believe there will be no trouble in finding buyers for the homes.

“It has a lot of unique neighbourhood features that I think a lot of people who will live down there will really enjoy,” he said.

“In the units themselves there is a lot of choice and I think that is also unusual for resident housing. There is everything from a 525 square foot studio… up to a 2,000 square foot duplex.

“I don’t see any reason right now why we shouldn’t sell every unit and that it shouldn’t be a great success.”

All the units, which are based on a cost of $231 a square foot, are going to be available for sale at the same time.

Whistler Real Estate is already contacting people on the waitlist, in priority order. They will be asked to provide updated information about the type, size and price of the home they are interested in and which of the six projects they prefer.

At the end of June the Cheakamus Crossing waitlist will be finalized and closed off.

In July and August Whistler Real Estate will contact all those on the waitlist in priority and confirm which specific project the purchasers prefer. Based on that information six project priority waitlists will be developed.

In mid-September Whistler Real Estate will begin contacting, in priority order, those in the waitlist to enter into a contract of purchase and sale. It is anticipated the contracts will be complete by December.

Buyers will move in after the 2010 Games.

Anyone with questions can contact Greg Ambrose or Frances Davis at Whistler Real Estate.

The U.S. housing market may be faltering, but thus far, those up North haven’t a worry in sight.

Canada’s dollar has had its strongest performance in years. From a record low of 62 cents on the U.S. dollar in January 2002, the currency now matches the greenback in value. And the second-home housing market at the high end, in places like Victoria on Vancouver Island and Chester, Nova Scotia, is flourishing.

In Pictures: Canada’s Top Second-Home Spots

Who’s buying? Along with affluent Americans unaffected by the recession, Europeans looking for more remote luxury destinations are also finding second homes in Canada. U.K.-based real estate firm Knight Frank is even in the midst of developing a property in Whistler, British Columbia, to attract skiers from across the pond. In the greater Vancouver area, for example, purchases of homes costing 2 million Canadian dollars and up rose 50% in 2007 (249 units vs. 166 in 2006), according to a report released by RE/MAX of Western Canada in conjunction with RE/MAX Ontario-Atlantic, a Western Canada real estate agency. In Kelowna, purchases of homes at this price point rose 64% (59 units vs. 36 in 2006) in the same time period.

An Insulated Market–For Now

Elton Ash, executive vice president with RE/MAX Western Canada, says troubles across the border are bound to affect Canada’s market within the next year. Soon enough, says Ash, Canadian buyers–many of whom work for companies based in the United States–will begin to act more frugally. The two economies are too closely related for there to be no Canadian downturn whatsoever. But he believes luxury real estate will remain insulated from any woes.”It’s a separate market that drives itself,” says Nash. “And right now, demand for high-end real estate–especially lakeshore property–is huge.”

The hottest spots include Muskoka, Kelowna and the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Whistler. Just two hours north of Toronto, Muskoka has proved a popular spot for Hollywood’s elite, including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Goldie Hawn, who all own property there. Limited shorefront property attracts the moneyed from the entertainment, banking and media industries, as does the short distance from busy city life.

The place with a bit more activity–but with equal glitz–is Whistler. Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are regarded by some as the best slopes in North America. And much like its counterparts in the Colorado Rockies and European Alps, Whistler is also a playground for high society. Christie’s Great Estates, which houses a luxury real estate database on its Web site, currently lists area homes ranging from $2.25 million to $18 million ($2.22 million to 17.77 million U.S.).

Kelowna, on the other hand, is a little more homegrown. On the Okanagan Lake in Okanagan Valley, the area draws homeowners from around the world with skiing, hiking, vineyards and wineries and its hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Many even call it the “Florida of Canada,” thanks to its lush, diverse countryside with both pine trees and cacti. The area attracts boating and water-sport enthusiasts with seaside homes starting at $1 million ($987,000 U.S.).

Luxury At A Lower Price

Other areas with a limited amount of luxury real estate (but a lot of buzz) include the west coast of Newfoundland and St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick, which is seeing increasing traffic from the U.K. and Ireland, according to Christine Martysiewicz, a spokeswoman for Re/Max Promotions.Although most homes in these areas don’t reach $1 million in price, they’re attracting attention from European investors who recognize the value. Most of the homes are right on the water, and job opportunities are growing–there is nearly $10 billion ($9.87 billion U.S.) in combined capital works projects pending for Newfoundland and Labrador’s Avalon Peninsula.

Whether you’re looking to invest in a property with potential or enjoy the spoils of an in-demand area, Martysiewicz says Canada’s variety is endless.”Canada, coast to coast, has an abundance of recreational property areas,” she says. “There is a phenomenal uniqueness from province to province.”