Whistler Ski-in/Ski-out Real Estate For Sale

April 2025 Real Estate Market Update

I saw a meme recently that for me, described the Whistler real estate market. It said, “…buyers think it’s 2008 and sellers think it’s 2021…” Meaning that in the financial crash of 2008 buyers were instantly expecting big price reductions, and in 2021 the Home Price Index (HPI) for Whistler showed an average increase of 47% during COVID. So, the question is how did buyers react in those markets, and how will they react now?

March 2025:

sales 32,
listings 309
new listings 95.
sales to active listings ratio was 10%

Do non-resident Canadians pay UHT?

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Do non-resident Canadian citizens pay Underused Housing Tax (UHT) on their Whistler property? Well, regardless of where you live in the world and how long you’ve lived there for UHT purposes you’ll be recognized as a Canadian citizen, rather than a non-resident. Therefore, you are exempt from the UHT penalty.

However, in order to qualify for the status you need to have your personal name on the title. You cannot be a Canadian citizen who owns the property in a company name, and expect the same relief.

Do buyers pay GST on a phase 2?

Let’s talk about GST and a hotel-condo, for example, the Westin, known in Whistler as a phase 2 Property. Owners of a phase 2 can use the property for personal use up to 28 days in winter and up to 28 days in summer, but when it’s not in use it must be available to be rented out.

There’s no residential zoning in a phase 2 covenant, and with 56 days of personal allotted allowance, the phase 2 property can never be used as a residence. Therefore, this can make it a little tricky to secure financing. This property is listed as GST non-exempt, and the buyer will automatically defer the GST.

Can I rent out my Whistler property nightly?

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A nightly rental property is one of the 4 types of investment real estate in Whistler, BC. Whistler has restrictions on each property and development, so not all properties can be rented out nightly.

The Zoning for properties with the legal right to rent nightly is referred to as tourist accommodation zoning, and in this case, there’ll be a phase one covenant on the title. There are options to rent through an experienced rental management company, or self-manage your property.

Do non-residents pay UHT on phase 2?

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Yes! Phase 2 properties can be identified by the hotel name attached to the building, for example, the Westin. These are business income properties and for non-residents, the 28 days of use still applies to avoid the 1% UHT penalty.

The benefit of a phase 2 over a phase 1 is that you can use your phase 2 for up to 56 days and then rent out the rest of the year. Whereas the owner of a phase 1 property is up to 35 days of legal usage, and then must rent it out the rest of the year, if they are renting it out at all. Now that’s 3 weeks of legal use difference.