Whistler residents are already lining up for a chance to live in the athlete's village that's under construction -- even though they can't move in until 2010.

Some 750 residents are on a waiting list hoping to buy into the 240-unit development -- and the previous tenants haven't even moved in yet.

"There is a certain cache to living in the athletes' village," said Melissa Mckay, who scouted out the location of her dream home this week.

"It's a beautiful part of the valley and I just can't wait to put my red dot on a unit," she said.

Whistler is suffering an Olympic-size housing crunch as some 14,000 residents try to fit into only 10,000 spaces.

The athletes' village may help alleviate some of the strain.

"The ultimate goal is to turn this into affordable housing so at the end of the games," said Rob Laslett of the Whistler Development Corporation.

The units will be sold by the Whistler Housing Authority for employees only. They get regular mortgages, but appreciation is capped at the rate of inflation.

Everything should be complete by 2009. Prices range from $200,000 to half a million.

It's far more affordable that the expected prices for the athlete's village in Vancouver. Waterfront condos there will go for as much as $600,000 to $3.4-million.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Carrie Stefanson