If you’re a developer with a love of outdoor winter sports, or perhaps a millionaire who likes the idea of owning your own ghost town, Bradian should be your next stop.

The small town is just two hours outside Whistler, and four hours from Vancouver, and is on the market for under a million dollars.

For the listed price of $995,000, the buyer gets 50 acres of rural land, complete with 22 buildings and all basic infrastructure, according to realtor John Lovelace.

“The next people who come along will have something to work with. Roads are there, hydro power is there, phone lines are there,” said Lovelace. “It’s got everything ... except you’d need to upgrade the services.”

Bradian is accessible year-round, although the winter months will see your travel time double due to seasonal detours.

The property, which consists of about 40 lots on four titles, was bought in 1997 by Tom and Katherine Gutenberg. Lovelace said the couple used the property as a summer retreat, and spent each summer with their kids fixing up the various buildings still in the town, which is near Bralorne, an old mining community.

Lovelace said the Gutenbergs have since installed proper roofing on many of the buildings to prevent rain from damaging what still stands.

However, he cautioned it’s not just a simple paint job that Bradian requires from its next owner.

Lovelace has received inquiries from dozens of prospective buyers since the town was listed in 2010 — many with dreams of turning a profit — but most people shy away when they realize the amount of additional work needed to turn Bradian into something viable.

“It’s an ongoing initiative for us. The problem is that, for someone to get involved, it’s going to involve some imagination and somebody with deep pockets — that’s always been the issue,” Lovelace said.

The area in and around Bradian is considered to be some of the best territory for snowmobiling, but without the severe minus 40 degree temperatures. For that reason, Lovelace thinks a developer could turn the town into a destination snowmobiling operation, the same way Whistler has become a mecca for snowboarders and skiers.

Alternately, a group of families may wish to buy the property together and use it as a summer residence, especially as the views and surroundings are picturesque.

“They have the satisfaction of owning this town and being able to do everything they want to do with it,” said Lovelace.

“Buying land in B.C. right now? It’s one of the best investments there possibly is.”

And while “everyone has ideas,” it’s the dedication that goes into implementing those ideas that will determine the future of Bradian.

“At the end of the road, there’s a big reward, as there would be in most things in life,” Lovelace said. “In this one, there’s the magic of owning a ghost town.”

Click here to view the listing for Bradian.

sip@theprovince.com

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