With more stories of the Morris Properties scam still emerging in the last week or so and more and more people jumping on the bandwagon with complaints against various companies, it is about time that the investor took the advantage back. After all, it is your money that you are spending when it comes to any property investment so it will only be you who suffers if it all goes wrong.

In fact, although blaming the company that sold the property seems to be the thing to do at the moment (and in a good few cases, the correct thing to do as well), there is one thing all investors can and should do for the sake of their investment and peace of mind - ask questions. Too many investors do not ask any questions at all, and those that do rarely ask the right ones.

Whether you happen to be buying property at home or abroad, you should persist with your questions until you are completely satisfied with the answers. There are four essential questions to ask before putting a firm offer on the table:

What scale is the development?

If you are planning to buy property as an investment, then the answer to this question is essential knowledge. It is very also relevant to those buying a new personal home just in case they ever want to sell it. At any given time, 10 to 20% of the property in a typical finished development is either up for sale or available to be rented. If your potential home is on a plot of land with 1000 other units, you may find that it takes a lot longer to sell or rent out than if you had property on a plot with 100 other units. Of course, it is all relative to the particular case, but failure to consider this point carefully could lose you an awful lot of money in the long run. Sometimes, the smaller the better, although that’s by no means a hard and fast rule.

How experienced is the builder and where could you see an example of his work?

There are so many cowboys around today that most potential investors stress about how well the properties will be built. Will they be of good quality? Will they be safe to live in? Will the properties be structurally sound for the next hundred years? You need to know the answers to these questions and the only way to reveal the answers is by looking at the building company’s previous work. You should ask to see at least two properties and try to talk to the people who own them as well. If your builder is not sound then neither will your house be!

Have the people local to the area bought any of the properties?

The best people to ask about the success of a property development may not be in the building trade, but do have great knowledge of the area - the locals themselves. Locals will usually buy new builds if they are worth the money that is asked for and can be a very helpful source of advice. If the local people will not touch a new development with a bargepole, then you need to find out why because this will affect the profitability of your property if you plan to sell or rent it out. Make sure that they like the property, are buying into the development, and are happy with it being where it is!

Are actual sales living up to the extent of sales projections?

Sales projections provide the overall level of success that each property development achieves. All new builds are generally in demand and will get close to target if they do not manage to meet or exceed them. If sales projections are not being met though, there is almost certainly some kind of problem with the development. It may be that the advertising has targeted the wrong audience or that people have to meet certain criteria to qualify for purchase. Both of the above ‘excuses’ are unlikely but not outside of the realms of possibility. What is more probable however, is that there is a problem with the site or the property development itself, in which case the building company in question should not be trusted with your money.

Asking the four questions above will definitely help you to weed out the good investments from the bad and get you the investments you deserve instead of twenty or more years worth of heartache and financial difficulty.

The Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Columbia, Canada was recently voted the top ski destination for 2008, which is great news for property investors.

Whistler Blackcomb came top of the poll, produced by the UK Association of Independent Tour Operators, for the second year running. It’s the largest ski resort in North America and has numerous ski runs, off-piste areas for snowboarding, high speed gondolas and ski lifts. Whistler is very popular with skiers from all over the world and has a lively nightlife scene, yet less than 50 years ago it was merely a quaint summer getaway in the British Columbia Coast Mountains.

It was not just creative development and marketing that transformed this tiny mountain village into an internationally recognised ski resort. Whistler is renowned for having some the best snowfalls in the world. Last year, for example, there was 46ft of snow! What’s more, it is an all year round ski destination, albeit supplemented at times with artificial snow to boost the skiing conditions.

Already a popular area because of its fantastic snow, property in the resort is likely to become even more sought-after in the next few years as Vancouver and Whistler will be playing host to the Winter 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. There are already many properties in the area offering holiday lets for visitors, but demand will likely increase and this event will put the area onto the map for still more people.

As can be expected wherever any major event is occurring, infrastructural developments are already in action. One notable improvement is that work is underway on all major roads - $775 million is being invested just on upgrading the road that links Vancouver and Whistler. Another $2 billion is being spent on a brand new fast transit train line linking Vancouver Airport with Richmond, the city centre and False Creek, which will be the base for the athlete’s village. The transit line has already had a good effect on the commercial property market in the area.

So, if you’re debating whether to invest in ski property, Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia looks like it could be a very promising choice. There will be a demand for accommodation at the time of the Olympics, so if you want to take advantage of this in 2010, consider buying in areas close to the key Olympic locations. On a more long-term basis, with Whistler’s great snow record and good reputation, ski properties are likely to rent well for many years to come.

Property prices in Whistler Blackcomb currently vary, depending on the type of property you’re looking for and exactly where it is located. Whether you’re after a basic studio apartment or a large luxury chalet, there’s plenty to choose from, including many off plan properties. At the bottom end of the budget, some studio apartments can be found for as little as £123,000 ($240,000), but four bedroom chalets will set you back at least £800,000 ($1,560,000).