The Myplace Playbook // 035

Hey Everyone,

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about lakefront living around Cranbrook: you’re closer to work than half the people who bought “lakeside” in Kelowna.

Moyie Lake? Fifteen minutes south.
Wasa Lake, the warmest lake in the Kootenays? Under forty minutes north.
Jimsmith Lake? Ten minutes from downtown.
Wardner and Koocanusa? Twenty.

Even St. Mary’s Lake, tucked deep in the Purcells with views that make you forget the day, is only about forty minutes away.

Now compare that to West Kelowna, where “lakefront” means sitting in traffic on the bridge for half an hour. The average commute there is nearly twenty minutes on a good day. Around Cranbrook, lake life actually fits your daily life.

Stop Waiting for Later!
I hear it all the time: “After the kids move out, we’ll get the lake house.”
“Once school’s done, we’ll buy the place we really want.”

But if you wait, your kids won’t come back to a home they never knew…

Build the Bond While They’re Still Home! Buy the lake place now and you’re not just buying property. You’re buying memories. The dock jumps at Moyie, the early morning fishing at Munroe, the fires at sunset on Koocanusa, those moments anchor your family to that home for life.

A vacation home becomes a second home when your kids grow up with it. It’s not “Mom and Dad’s retirement place.” It’s their place too. The one they bring their friends, their kids, and their stories back to.

And school isn’t a hassle, that’s what the bus Is for. Again, formative memories 🤣
Cranbrook’s layout makes lake living practical. Moyie is twenty kilometres from town. Jimsmith is ten minutes. Even if the kids take the bus, they’ll get to school faster than most city kids.

Meanwhile, in Kelowna or Vancouver, “close to work” often means thirty minutes of traffic and frustration. In the Kootenays, it means peace, space, and water you can actually swim in, without giving up convenience.

Don’t Wait to Buy the Home You Love
The old advice says wait until retirement. The smart move is to start living now. Let your kids fall in love with the lake while they’re still home. Those memories will bring them back long after they leave.

And with lakefront properties around Cranbrook ranging from the low $400,000s to under a million, you’re getting far more value than in Kelowna, where “waterfront” starts around $1.2 million and climbs fast.

You can live on the lake near Cranbrook and still have a shorter commute than someone in Kelowna.

So stop waiting. Buy the home you love. Let your kids grow up on the water.

And if anyone asks how long the drive to school is?
Well, that’s what the bus is for.

Have a great weekend all,
-Andrew