Jim Rader - Developer of Bearfoot Creek
I have spent my entire career in the real estate development business beginning with Jones Lang LaSalle (formerly Spaulding and Slye) and then starting Rader Properties, Inc in 1987.
Rader Properties is a full service real estate firm providing property management, brokerage, consulting and development services to a wide variety of clients. Much of the work we do is related to commercial real estate. We are well known for developing, marketing and managing office buildings, industrial properties and retail space. Most of the property which we develop we continue to own for the long term.
We are also developers and builders of luxury homes in resort communities such as Chatham Ma. and at Attitash. Our residential projects typically cater to second home buyers looking for high quality construction and amenities in a vacation destination.
My wife Holly and I have owned a ski condo at Mountainside for over ten years and before that we rented at Mountainside for several years. I have always loved skiing since an early age when my family used to head to Stowe Vermont for ski vacations after Christmas. My three girls also started skiing at an early age and were all active in the ski programs at Attitash.
As a result of skiing for many years at Attitash we have made some tremendous friendships with other ski families. Several of our friends at Mountainside had discussed with me their interest in finding a homesite that could offer the same ski in ski out access available at Mountainside.
When the abutting 26 acre property became available for sale, I knew it would be a great opportunity to develop single family homes with trailside access. We spent the better part of two years obtaining all of the approvals from Bartlett and the State of NH. We were ultimately approved for 24 homes on the property plus two new ski trails connecting to the trails at Attitash. We also received approval to construct a ski lift as part of the project.
Once the project got underway, we had ongoing negotiations with Attitash to involve them in the snowmaking, trail grooming and ski lift operations at Bearfoot Creek. We ultimately entered into an easement agreement with Attitash to extend their Abenaki Chairlift down into our property which would give their customers access to the ski trails at Bearfoot Creek. As part of the easement agreement, Attitash agreed to take over all of the snowmaking and trail grooming responsibilities for the Bearfoot Creek trails.
Essentially the Bearfoot Creek project was born out of my families' love of skiing at Attitash and the desire to create trailside homes for other ski families to enjoy. The project has given me the chance to bring the feel of Western type ski lodge design and construction to Attitash. We wanted the homes at Bearfoot Creek to reflect the natural materials of wood timbers, stonework and ski lodge themes that are often found at resorts like Aspen or Deer Valley.
Bearfoot Creek is a truly unique trailside development offering homes that blend with the natural environment and provide a great deal of entertainment. Whether its sitting by a warm fire watching the skiers go by your window or soaking in your outdoor hot tub after a day on the slopes, the lifestyle at Bearfoot Creek is spectacular. The shopping and great restaurants available in nearby North Conway further enhance the experience. There are plenty of things to do during the winter, spring, summer and fall seasons at Bearfoot Creek.
We continue to have strong interest in this exciting project. Four new homes have already been completed and several more are under construction to be completed before the beginning of the next ski season. We are just about 50% sold out as of now and expect to be completely sold out in the not too distant future. We will continue to build custom homes for buyers to choose from.