There aren’t many B.C. vacation spots left, outside remote wilderness, where buyers can pick up lakefront recreation land for under half a million dollars–or sidestep B.C.’s speculation tax, which applies to non-resident owners in waterfront hot spots like Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver. But along the 400 kilometres of shoreline encircling B.C.’s glassy Shuswap Lakes, properties still go for as little as $450,000, says Salmon Arm-based realtor and Okanagan Mainline Real Estate Board president Marv Beer. Median waterfront prices sit around $765,000 (still a relative bargain in B.C.). “It’s a bit of a secret we have here,” Beer says.
Hot spot: Salmon Arm is the region’s largest city, with a population of 16,000.
By Kirsten Rodenhizer