Whistler Realtor Q&A: Ray Longmuir

Q: Why did you move to Whistler?

A: The easy answer is for love! I actually met my wife Stephanie (fellow Whistler Realtor Stephanie Sloan) on a ski trip to Switzerland and we had a great time with some mutual friends.

When we got back here she was living in Whistler, and I was living in North Vancouver. When we got engaged in the year 2000 we had a very brief discussion about where to live, and it was decided that Whistler was definitely the place!

Q: What do you enjoy about the lifestyle here?

A: There are so many things. But if I had to keep it short, it’s sharing adventures with family and friends.

Q: When did you get into real estate?

A: I got into real estate in 2001. I had been in sales all my life and was looking at different opportunities in Whistler. One of the biggest things in sales is that you need to have a passion for what you’re selling, so it made sense to me thinking “hey, why don’t you sell Whistler!?”

Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to buy in Whistler?

A: I think there are two pieces – one, to come as prepared as possible in knowing what your motivations are. Think about why you want to buy here opposed to getting stuck on thinking about property type or number of bedrooms.

Number two would be to find someone in the community that you know or trust and use them to help you with finding the right place, marrying your motives with the types of property we have.

Q: What’s your favourite thing about working with your clients?

A: The diversity of clients to begin with is fantastic – meeting such a wide array of people. The other side of it is the satisfaction of seeing their excitement when they find the right place.

Q: What do you think you would be if you weren’t a Realtor?

A: To be perfectly honest, this time I think would just retire and go travelling! Maybe learn some new hobbies, and try to pick up kite boarding

Q: What sort of hobbies do you enjoy in Whistler?

A: I love biking, all types – anything with two wheels. I really enjoy adventure motorcycle riding. The part that gives me the most pleasure is being out in the natural environment and enjoying that adventure with friends.

The scenery you get to see is incredible and travelling such a huge distance the variety of terrain and microclimates is amazing.

Q: What makes you smile the most?

A: It’s got to be what I mentioned before – sharing adventures with friends and family. Also, as an athlete it would be when you nail that perfect line on the mountain! That feeling in any sport!

Q: What was it like raising a family in Whistler?

A: I can’t speak to how different it is to raising a family elsewhere, but one of the reasons we decided to move to Whistler was how much of a wonderful place it is to raise a family.

One of things that I found so helpful is the support from other parents in the community.

Q: What accomplishment do you consider to be the most significant in your career or life?

A: I think in my career it would be the amount of people I have helped to find their home here. One of the things I love about real estate is being able to share this wonderful place.

As far as the personal side it would be a culmination of everything I have experienced along the way and where it has got me to today with a beautiful family in a beautiful place.

Q: Finally, in one sentence, why should people come to live here?

A: Well, you have to live somewhere, so why not pick a place that has all the recreation opportunities and likeminded people as Whistler!

Find out more about Ray and view his current listings HERE.