ABOUT VICKI

Hello and welcome to my web site. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself and my connection to Cortes Island. I have been a full time resident of Cortes Island since 1981. I have lived on the same property on Seavista Road since moving to Cortes Island. Cortes is not only my home but also my passion. This makes working as the island realtor a real joy for me. I was first licensed as a realtor in 1990 and worked for ten years as the only resident island realtor. I specialize in Cortes Island real estate only. As a resident I am able to answer community related questions and act as a resource contact for new residents. During the 90's real estate sales were very brisk as a number of new properties were created on the island and many new residents moved to this little piece of paradise. With new property sales and people coming and going on the island there were an average of 15 to 20 properties sold a year in the 1990's. Sales have continued to remain strong on the island with more people discovering the special lifestyle Cortes Island offers. I am grateful for the opportunity to live and work on Cortes Island and do what I love to do most ... share the beauty of Cortes Island with others and help make the dream of living on Cortes Island a reality.

I am licensed with Discovery Islands Realty, which is a small real estate company that specializes in real estate on the Discovery Islands. The main office is on Quadra Island. I work from my home office on Cortes Island. The other members of the Discovery Islands Realty team are Bill Bradshaw (realtor), Nancy Allwarden (realtor/manager), and Vibeke Pedersen (assistant).

My husband, Gerry, and I have been owner operators of Cortes Security & On~Site Services since 2000. This is a very popular island service for both full and part time island property owners. Gerry continues to run this service, which offers home and property care while owners are here or away.

In 2002 I started Cortes Island Vacation Rentals, which has been well received by islanders and visitors alike. Cortes Island Vacation Rentals is now owned and operated by long time island residents who also run Tai Li Lodge. Cortes Island Vacation Rentals continues to grow and provide comfortable private accommodation for island visitors.

From 2003 to 2006 I worked as the on site manager of Renewal Lands Siskin Lane projectRenewal Lands project. This was a very exciting opportunity to work on a new concept in land development from the inception to the marketing and selling. The Siskin Lane project went on the market in 2006 and was very well received by islanders as well as those interested in sustainable forestry and living lightly on the land. I was involved with the Siskin Lane development as on site project manager for over 3 years and more recently as listing agent for these properties... See my listings page for more information about the Siskin Lane project...

Cortes Island has been my home since 1981. We moved here with all our worldly possessions in a rental van and a trailer. Our 'family' consisted of a large number of rabbits, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats and earthworms. We subsistence farmed for the first year we were here and sold or traded farm products for other items we could not produce. Our property on Seavista Road had been recently logged and as it turned out our acreage had a very large slash pile which was a source of firewood for many years as well as a nursery for many litters of kittens and clutches of banty chicks and eventually became our home site. Our home for the first 13 years was the mobile home we brought with us. Building our dream home was a wonderful experience and we still marvel at how lucky we are to live in such a lovely home in an idyllic setting. Developing acreage from wilderness is a lot of hard work and a labour of love. Today we have a beautiful two-acre fenced garden surrounding our home and it is our oasis. The rest of our property is forest, which has grown back in the 27+ years we have been here, and provides a haven for all sorts of local wildlife.

For many years I had the joy of racing my beautiful horse, Blaze Star, around the island. We explored many places off the beaten path as well as visited neighbours and friends. I had a 4:00 appointment every day and would be gone for 4 to 5 hours exploring or visiting. You could not miss us as Blaze had a tie dyed tail and I wear bright colourful clothes and we usually were going at a fast pace. Blaze has moved on to ‘greener’ pastures but not before she produced two beautiful foals that still live on the island. They are all grown up now and to anyone who knew Blaze they are a fond reminder of her.

I have had many business ventures and jobs since moving to Cortes Island including homemaker for the elderly, carpenter, cook, researcher, housekeeper, caterer, pet sitter and gardener but my main love is real estate. It gives me an opportunity to explore the island and see places I would never have an opportunity to view. It allows me to meet with islanders and off islanders alike and share in their visions and dreams. If you have a dream of living on an island and think Cortes Island might be the right place for you I would be happy to help you make that dream come true.

I can be reached at my home office on Seavista Road on Cortes Island.