An Interview with David Steele – Developer of Qualicum Landing

One of the Most Spectacular Pieces of Vancouver Island Walk On Waterfront

A developer with 20 years of experience, David Steele is lively, enthusiastic and extremely proud of his project, Qualicum Landing on Vancouver Island. He has been involved in 85 different projects throughout North America.  He says he has “helped home owners, recreational property owners and investors acquire almost a billion dollars worth of real estate.”

Walk On Vancouver Island Waterfront Location for Qualicum Landing – Qualicum Landing is made up of a series of detached homes in the Oceanside region of Vancouver Island a few kilometres away from Qualicum Beach. David Steele chose the location due to the huge demand for waterfront real estate properties, especially for retirees wanting to live in the desirable Qualicum area. Steel developed Qualicum Landing with the unique idea of featuring detached homes on the beach where people own their own property within a gated community. The response has been amazing. Buyers love the beach front homes.

Qualicum Landing – Who is the Typical Buyer? – Most of the purchasers are people who are retired or are planning their retirement. Some of these buyers are purchasing their new home now and plan to move into it a few years from now. “This is an attractive option to many purchasers who are buying their property now, with occupancy for 2010 to 2011”, points out Steele. Qualicum Landing has phased their construction so that homes are being completed throughout the next 12-18 months. Phase I is under construction and is slated for completion in January, 2010. The show home will be completed in December. Steel expects the show home to create a wave of new activity resulting in more sales of the beach front homes.

Strong and Sustainable Vancouver Island Community – Steele’s vision for this community is what he calls “a strong, sustainable community”. He’s proud of the fact that he has designed a small community of 62 quality homes to be built on 15 acres. Residents like the neighbourly feel to it. At Qualicum Landing, residents know they live in a community where they can make new friends. We have designed this to be a gated community so residents have the comfort of being able to travel at any time, knowing that their home is safe and watched over, says Steele. Qualicum Landing will feature some green construction initiatives including the implementation of the new BC Hydro directives.

Project Amenities for Beach Front Homes – Project amenities include a Club for residents that features a pool, a media room, a fitness centre, two spans and an owners’ lounge. A community garden with up to 40 plots is available to strata owners who wish to have a plot of their own. There is also a waterfront recreation area, a sport court and a fantastic fish-bearing creek that runs down by the boundary of the property near the community gardens.

Six Floor Plans to Choose From – There are six floor plans to choose from. They range from a two bedroom, single level patio home of about 1,100 square feet (with prices starting at $399,000) to the largest home, a 4-bedroom unit right on the water for $1,249,000. Steele says the homes were designed and priced to include upscale features such as granite counters, hardwood floors and stainless steel appliances. The floor plan for the single level home was recently introduced to cater to those residents who have concerns about mobility. With the introduction of this popular floor plan on October 17 and 18, sales jumped to 60% after only 109 days on the market.

The Team at Qualicum Landing – David Steele acknowledges the impressive team of people he works with at Qualicum Landing. The builder is Palladian Homes (Mike, Chris and Chris) from Nanaimo and this company pays amazing attention to the details. John Larson from C.A. Design came up with the innovative design for the six different homes. Having John on site has allowed some purchasers to customize the model home designs to suit their needs. Jim Ferrie from James Alexander Construction oversees all of the construction and has great passion about building this community. Anna Difiore is in charge of the marketing and just loves the project, as does Ann Hickey who runs the sales department. Interestingly, a few of the people working on the project have ended up purchasing one of the homes. As Steele points out, “It’s really encouraging to know that some of the core people end up buying a home.  It really speaks volumes about the quality and location of the project.” For more information, go to www.qualicumlanding.com

This interview has also been posted as part of 1stView.ca’s Developer Interviews.