About Solido Properties Ltd.

It was 2000, March. Wifey and I wanted to live in a ski resort. Our plan was to get married, have kids, start a life, start a business. Big White was close enough (to Penticton, the hometown) to the out-laws that they could visit whenever they wanted... but not that close that they could 'visit' whenever they wanted... know what I mean?

So... we bought a small property in Snowpines to live and a larger property in Snowpines Phase II, to develop. 

First things first though, we needed to get married, well, 'needed' was a little misdirecting... we wanted to get married. After five years together, yep, starting in Bosnia and working for the United Nations... it was about time. 

June 24th, 2000, Krystalline  Chalet... we tied the nups.

Originally the company was called Mountain Developments Ltd. And Mountain Developments was the entity that we used to build our first project. White Wolf Lodge.

Originally White Wolf Lodge was gonna be a four-plex, log home... then a three-plex... then a duplex... then a four-plex wood frame... three-plex and eventually, and what was finally built. A duplex.

After White Wolf, a friend and I had the worst property development idea that you could have. You see he was a very good, avid squash player... and I was just avid... oh go on then... I was mediocre, and avid.

Our plan was to build this elaborate, townhome/apartment... eight units, with two squash courts... at a ski resort. Let me repeat that... at a ski resort.

Anyhoo... after a million sleepless nights, and a slow realization that squash courts were a bad idea... eventually I came up with an 18-unit condo block. Glacier Lodge was born.

By mid 2004 (I think, ye gads man, it's 20 years ago, gimme a break) Glacier Lodge was close to completion. Mountain Developments had become Sólido Developments and I'd acquired a business partner and another piece of land.

Another 18 unit condo block in Happy Valley. The Timbers. Of course there had been hiccups (concrete supply) but overall it was a very good project.

By that time I had investors knocking on my door, looking to become involved (and when I say involved, I mean financial) with my projects. The next project were two adjacent pieces of land... and basically a doubling of the Timbers. And so was born the 35 unit, geothermal, building called The Raven.

The Raven was less successful. The project would have been good except the structural engineer cost us probably $3m of mistakes. We had used the same guy from The Timbers... but you know, property developments were booming through the whole valley and he dropped the ball.

The Edge... nope, don't talk to me about the roofs. I know, I also know why they (some) had problems, and it's not what you think. I'll tell you the story over a beer one day if you like.

The Edge was born shortly after construction was started on the Raven... I'd focused all of my sales and marketing efforts on UK buyers... why not? The exchange rate was fantastic for them... until it wasn't.

By 2007 we had sold 16 Edge units, pre-construction. Mostly UK buyers, a couple local buyers....

Let's cut this story short shall we, (another beer, another story... one day). By mid 2009, construction finance was gone, buyers were gone, purchase financing was gone... The Edge was a slow moving train wreck... and I was left holding the ball. Nope, not fun times.

2009-2012 were some tough years... it's funny on paper I was this millionaire and we were living this great lifestyle and then all of a sudden the income stream fell off a cliff... and I became an inverse millionaire... and let me tell you, it's a lot less fun.

Around that time I was just finishing off my MBA and I had found some work consulting for a hedge fund, funding distressed properties in the USA... it paid the bills until the FBI got involved... yes yes, I know, another beer, another night...

I was also managing properties on the side. Actually, I'd been doing it since 2004 when someone asked me to manage a Glacier unit. 

I did some research, some number crunching and voila, Sólido Properties was born. It probably took a year to actually get going but it did and the rest well....