Bush Pilot Properties

Chilcotin Topographic Maps

I have uploaded just about all the topographic maps of the Chilcotin that someone could use. They are in PDF format and can be found in the Chilcotin 411 section, under Chilcotin Topographic Maps.

For more information please do not hesitate to contact me by telephone at 604-298-3235, mail at 3582 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V5K 2A7, or by email.

Rob Chipman is a realtor based in Vancouver, BC, who really enjoys flying, real estate and the Cariboo/Chilcotin. His company, Coronet Realty Ltd., located at 3582 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V5K 2A7, specializes in real estate sales and property management. If you’d like to contribute anecdotes, information or photos to this page, please drop me an email!

Charlotte Lake

Charlotte Lake is located about 3 1/2 hours, 285 kms, or 180 miles west of Williams Lake by road. Its about 30 kilometers south of Nimpo Lake. The latitude is 52.1915 north and the longitude is 125.3441 west. The elevation is 1169 m. or 3835 ft.

Fishing pressure is moderate, and the lake is drained by the Atnarko River. There are Rainbow Trout and Char. Like the rest of the Chilcotin, there is lots of wildlife on the land and in the air.

There is a forest service campsite on the southeast end, on Nielsen Road, and at least three resorts by my last count – Chilcotin Cabins, Atnarko Retreat Bed and Breakfast, , and The One Eye Outfit .

There are a few roads names there: Remarko Road, Engadin Road, Nielsen Road and Charlotte Lake Road.

Properties on Charlotte are in Land District 12, Range 3, and are various sizes, although most are small, being less than 10 acres most of the time. I believe that there are 25 titled pieces of waterfront property on the Lake, and 1 small piece quite close to the lake. On the south east end there is an old airstrip in unknown condition on private property.

Charlotte Lake bathymetric Charlotte Lake & Little Charlotte Bathymetric Map

Charlotte Lake bathymetric 2 Charlotte Lake Bathymetric Map

Gun Lake

Gun Lake is located in the Bridge River Valley,112 km west of Lillooet and 247 km north of Vancouver (4-1/2 hours), 78 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and just west of Gold Bridge.

It’s about 6 miles/10 km in length. The latitude is 50.8379 north and the longitude is 122.9066 west. The elevation is 886 m. or 2906 ft.

Fishing pressure is moderate, and the lake is drained through Gun Creek into the Bridge through Carpenter Lake. There are Dolly Varden, Kokanee, Bull and Rainbows. There is lots of wildlife on the land and in the air, including plenty of deer and bear.
Lajoie Lake Bathymetric Map

There is a forest service campsite on the west side. Its a steep bank to the lake, but not too bad. If its full you can also go to Mowson Pond (not a bad site and I’ve caught some big fish there on the fly).

There is a public boat launch at the north end of the lake.

There are a couple resorts by my last count – Gun Lake Resort and Highland Cream.

There are a few roads names there: Gun Lake Road, Lakeview Road, Weaver Road, Stafford Road, and Slim Creek Forest Service Road

Discount Real Estate

For sellers in remote areas of the province discount brokerages seem very attractive.

Part of this makes sense to me. Organized real estate doesn’t service remote areas well. Traditional service models don’t work when there are such large distances involved.

Still, as in many walks of life, it doesn’t make sense to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Realtors add value, and the market proves that everyday by keeping realtors employed. You can hold a different opinion, and believe that realtors aren’t worth what they earn on the open market, but witness this development from south of the border(courtesy of Agent Will):

ZipRealty Inc. is closing company owned and operated brokerages in almost a dozen markets, and will begin emphasizing personalized service and the experience of its agents over the commission rebates and discounted listing fees the company was founded on.

The restructuring and organizational changes announced Monday — which also include a local referral agreement in the Atlanta market, a first for the company — are aimed at helping the brokerage “achieve positive cash flow” in 2011, the company said.

“It’s a tough decision to pull out of any markets,” said Charles “Lanny” Baker, who took over as ZipRealty’s CEO and president, on Oct. 2. “We loved working with the agents in those markets, but our assumptions for growth in those markets had not been met.”…
The company also announced plans to shift its marketing approach “to emphasize personalized service, outstanding technology and experienced local agents that together connect consumers to great real estate transactions.”

Baker said that’s a departure from an emphasis on rebates. In markets where ZipRealty has a leading market share, it will emphasize the experience and connections of its agents rather than the company’s reputation as a discounter.

I think the lesson is clear, and I don’t think its surprising: service, knowledge and experience have value, and real estate services aren’t all about price. Quality of service and responsiveness to the clients’ needs are much more important.

iPhone Property Search App

I just got an iPhone, and I love it. Its way better for browsing the internet, email and messages. I don’t know what coverage will be like, and if it will be better or worse than the Blackberry, but I look forward to trying it out in the plane (the map apps and aviation apps more than the communication side).

I like some of the regular apps like the notes and voice memos, and think its superior, overall, to the Blackberry that I had. I’ve got the Otter case (which I also had with the Blackberry and which I really recommend if you’re hard on equipment)with it so it appears pretty bomb-proof.

For my first app I downloaded the relatively new REALTOR.CA app. It’s pretty interesting. Its free app and will show all the active listings across BC and Canada. The map starts out at the location that the phone is, meaning that initially it shows all the listings near you, but if you want you can simply shrink the map, slide over to another locale and see what’s for sale there. That’s where coverage will become important. Once you’re out of cel range you won’t be able to find out about a property close to you.

It will even let you search for realtors (I have to load a picture on their platform now!) complete with phone number (yes, it’s true, I’m just a tap away!) You can even find my listing on Tibbles Lake, near Quesnel.

All in all I’m impressed.

Bush Pilot Properties

Me and GWJC

My name is Rob Chipman, and I’m the broker/owner of Coronet Realty Ltd. in Vancouver.

Bush Pilot Properties is dedicated to fly-in, remote or waterfront properties in the Cariboo/Chilcotin area of British Columbia. I’ve always enjoyed this part of the world and want to provide flexible and effective real estate services to property buyers and sellers. In fact, I’m learning to fly and have a plane so that I can effectively combine flying and real estate.

Internet technology and an a la carte approach to real estate services offers some great advantages to buyers and sellers of real estate, especially in remote areas or smaller centers.

The web makes it easier to share information, whether photographs, documents or maps.

A flexible commission structure allows for a realistic division of labour, wherein the seller or buyer can do some of the work involved. By letting the buyer or seller do some of the legwork I can concentrate on doing what they need me to do – providing expert real estate services.

To find out if this approach is beneficial to you just follow the links.

Bush Pilot Properties

Chilcotin Properties For Sale

Chilcotin Topographic Maps

Charlotte Lake

Gun Lake

Discount Real Estate

iPhone Property Search App

Bush Pilot Properties