Happy New Year!

My wish for everyone is to live this last day of 2010 to the fullest and send it on its way. We welcome the New Year with a sort of muted anticipation. We are hoping that 2011 will be the year that more jobs are created to ramp up a very mixed and unknown economy.

To everyone, have a prosperous and wonderful New Year and Welcome 2011!



Plan for your home

If a new home is in your future this New Year, give it some planning. Getting the house ducks in a row will give you the upper hand when the time is right.

First things first, contact your housing professionals early to set your road map. The mortgage loan is taking longer to process, give it some time and give your lender a call. Once this is done you can move on to the Real Estate Agent, then you shop for your home.

Anything real estate takes time, don’t underestimate the timelines or you may be disappointed. Remember; always contact your trusted Realty professionals that have the experience to guide you through the home ownership roller coaster.

Predictions for the 2011 Housing Market!

Well 2010 is coming to an end and as we prepare for what lies ahead lets give our prognostication for the real estate market. If it is anything like our local weather predictions it will show opposite outcome for what has been forecast. It is like watching the old tonight show with Jonny Carson as Carnac, its all in the envelope.

Like you, I have been reading and listening to all of the latest data that has been belted out by media and “expert” statistical keepers. So far none of the information is of any foundation. Everyone can clearly see that the homes that have been sold to date have clearly taken the inventory down, but, there are no real trends.

Maybe what the “Expert” home sale people need to do is just take the whole year of 2011 from start to end and then come up with a “trend”. Forecasting the market viability gets you all kinds of responses depending upon who is asked. It is like our Idaho weather where the meteorologists have been less than 50% so goes the real estate market.

What we do know is the house market and real estate industry as a whole is working its way though the wild ups and downs. There are no trends that can be sustained for long and what is said today will not be the same tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Road to Ownership

2011 may just be the year to change your goals and prepare for your home purchase. The process of becoming a home owner has never changed, the game has. What do you need to know when you set out to make such a big decision?

First things first, with the economy ever changing the way it is, entering into a home purchase is going to be scrutinized up and down, left and right. Where to begin?

Employment is the largest looming aspect dealing with any real estate related purchase. Not just the fact you have a job, but, how does your job provide for you. Most first time home buyers are going to start with a home loan specialist or mortgage broker. They are gathering information about your life at this point in time.

Generally speaking, the mortgage loan industry guidelines will require that you have a job that you have been in at least two (2) years. You will need to show income tax returns for those years. If you are self employed i.e.: Realtor, Sales person, also a two year period of time with income tax returns to back it up. Credit scores must be good and your debt to income ratios (how much you owe compared to how much you bring home) must be in an acceptable area. Being a first time home owner will take an extra step. Taking a home buyer class is the first. This class will enlighten you on the upsides and pitfalls of the home buyer process.

Once the loan is in place it is moving to the home shopping is next. Knowing what you can afford is paramount when touring homes. This saves you time energy and effort. Of course hiring a Real Estate Agent that is experienced working with buyers will make it all worth it. Realtors know the ins and outs of the business. They will educate you as the buyer as you go through the home purchase process. Happy House Hunting!

Homes for those who serve

We are dedicated to provide our real estate expertise to you, the members of our Military. Providing all of the heroes the service they deserve. Whether you are active military or retired for over 10 years we give you the knowledge and ability to work through the red tape of Government programs.

Our team of lenders and realtors work hard to make sure your housing needs is met in a timely and professional manor. Relocation and long distance transactions are given the scrutiny to provide you with piece of mind for service men and women.

To start your journey give a call, email or fill out our easy to use form. We will get back in a rapid fashion.
Providing military real estate services and Relocation in the State of Idaho.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hoping you have a safe and joyous Christmas!

Everything You Own

Ahh you are out for your Sunday drive and go past signs pointing to a house up the winding road, the signs read Estate Sale. Wow, that must be worth checking out because there are not many Estates in the area. Well actually there are more than you know. Just what does an Estate mean? It is a legal term for everything you own, all of your personal property.

I have never really given it a thought that I have an Estate, but it is true, if you own anything, cars, chairs or toaster ovens they are all part of your estate. All of these treasures can be moved or transferred. So as a Real Estate agent what do I deal with?

The Real part is that part of your ownership that is affixed and not moveable. Land, buildings, fences etc. Real property is your house and anything that is built into your home. A real estate agents job is to sell or help buyers transfer your real property to another person.

So even though you do probably always have an Estate, you may not have real property if you for instance currently rent. Next time you describing yourself try to fit in the term Estate, it will automatically elevate your worth, (at least for a moment).

Real Estate Review 2010

As we look foreword to 2011, we view the past year with either good riddance or with glee. Now I don’t believe for a minute that many have a warm place in their heart for 2010. It was a year that was filled with ups and downs. The real estate market was in the middle of a major shift and Realtors were making adjustments themselves to ride it out.

Continued unemployment was the main reason for a poor economy and stifling paychecks. We had record low interest rates, yet not many were buying. Every economist in the country was predicting growth, yet they showed disappointment when that didn’t come to fruition.

There are some new aspects of the real estate business that came to the forefront during the last year. Many Realtors and real estate agents were embracing lateral income in the form of Property Management and Home tending, this is the practice of placing live in short term renters in vacant homes until the home sells. Home staging became popular with many agents offering this service. The bank industry added more and more new positions to handle all of the repossessions and foreclosures. New companies developed that take care of all of the banks short sales and foreclosed properties.

Yet in the end the year was not that great for the market. Real estate is and always will be one of the most important pieces of the countries money markets. It will rebound, but the question is when that will happen. If you listen to the government coffers it will happen in 2011 to 2012 that would be a well accepted timeframe. The only problem is that jobs need to come back before any predictions can be made.

I look ahead and welcome 2011, because you have to be better than our current times.

The Book of Listings!

How did Real Estate evolve over time to get where it is today? I remember when I was buying a home back in the late 80s, my real estate agent brought me into the room, (of her office), and plunked a very large book on the table. This book contained pages and pages of home listings; each was in a certain place.

Then you would read about each individual listing, by the way without pictures, and choose which homes you where going to view. This process may have taken several hours just to determine your list of homes on the market. Then off you went to look at your choices.

Today buyers and sellers have the ability to virtually walk though every house on the market if they wish. Remember, back during these times no one had cell phones either, so information updates such as if the home had a contract or was pending may not have been known for a couple of days depending upon the Realtors fast response returning calls off the answering device.

Information is golden, today just like twitter and face book, everything is instant. Generally speaking, a real estate agent will know right away if a home is still on the market. So now instead of going into a room to look through the Big Book, buyers can literally pre purchase a home before they even have boots on the ground to view it in person.

I will never know what it was like before the Inter web, but, I am so happy to be able to offer the services that we have available for all Realty marketing, for both Home Buyers and Sellers.

Location?

What are the trending searches for buyers today? Well with the market shift of the last few years, they have changed the top preference. No longer is the area location of top priority. They may start out with a wish to be in a certain location, but with time migrate to other places with the type of property that satisfies their wants for either a great price or gigantic home with lots of space.

Now I don’t think that they have given up on wanting to live in a desired area, I do believe that with the options out there for residential real estate, the location falls to a great deal.

The real estate market is changing daily to adjust from the old ways of thinking. Two or three years ago there were hot market areas and the “subdivision to be in”. As time has passed what goes around comes around. Some of those hot homes are now coming back out on the market again with drastically reduced prices. The short sale – foreclosure market is forcing new prices and bringing those homes some only dreamed about into their comfort zone.

The one statement that I have always held on to when I went to Real Estate School was “Real Estate is always Cyclic”, nothing today will be the same tomorrow. Kind of makes sense now.

The Quiet in between Storms

There it is again, can you hear it? The story goes; you have been pounding the metal on your current real estate transaction working to the bone for your clients. The furry of the high drama getting the deal accepted, going through the contingencies such as the inspection, getting all of your paperwork ducks in a row. Documents faxed back and forth, signatures, dates and Ts crossed.

Does this sound familiar? Then you get to a place where there are no more papers flying, no more faxes faxing. Where are you? The twilight zone you say? But no, you are in Dun Dun Dun Dun….UNDERWRITING! It’s that period of time just before you are ready to close your real estate deal. The bustle is done and it is in the place for lender review. All is quiet and the waiting begins until final mortgage loan approval is given to go ahead and fund.


We are in the stop and go period and it never changes. Your loan is being given the scrutiny of the microscope. Once it has come out of underwriting, the bustle begins again until your clients move into their new home. What a great time for Real Estate!

On the road again!

With the economy being what it is at this moment in time, why is there still activity from people moving to Boise from other States? Are they trying to come to greener pastures or are the reasons to have a better life style? Many relocate from other parts of the nation for work related transfers or in hopes of finding a great place to raise a family.

Real estate is still moving, it may be at a slower pace and the cost to move may strain many folks that may not have effected them five years ago. What does it involve to relocate to Idaho from the Realtor aspect?

Many of the people moving to Idaho are coming with job related moves. As a Relocation Realtor, I must give them as much information on Idaho as I would provide information about finding them a home to purchase. The need to find schools that match their family goals, and located the home that qualifies as meeting qualifications for area and size etc.


Finding the dream home is just the start. An agent may only have a couple of days to provide everything that is required of the buyer before they have to return back home. It is a long distance relationship from this point. In this market of short sales and foreclosures, nothing is for sure at any point in the process. Sometimes multiple trips are needed before something is narrowed down. Yes it takes time, and yes it is worth the effort. If you haven’t been through this process it may scare others off. Patience is a virtue, knowing what is going to happen in the process is priceless!

Is the appraisal system broken?

With home valuations coming in all over the board, many have been asking the question if there needs to be some sort of conformity to the way that appraisals are done.

What is an appraisal? It is one mans opinion of the worth of your house compared to other like homes that have sold in the past 3 to 6 months. Ok, then how do the appraisers come up with the values they do? The answer is that there is no set rule to determine value of properties. Most Banks will hire firms to determine the valuation and then they determine how to market their repossessions accordingly.

The questions being, why do well kept homes that are maintained by the owners the same appraised value compared to a trashed home with no yard? The answer is the comparatives are only taken off of the local MLS for homes sold and occasionally from tax records. Does the appraiser go to all of these homes to see first hand the condition? The answer is NO. They currently use homes with the same square footage and number of rooms etc. and run them on paper. The sold amounts are what your home is up against.

The way that the appraisal has ruled the cost evaluation is probably broken, but the banks go along with it on a daily basis. Realtors can come up with the same value if this is the case. These after all are the comparables they use to find their list price. If truly comparing homes have nothing to do with it right now, then why do we need appraisals? Reform is needed.

A Virtual Realtor

As Real Estate moves more and more toward the virtual world, do you ever wonder what it will be like or what services would be offered?

For those of us that participate in the world of Face book, many have seen the Farmville posts that come up many times over in your profile. There are so many people that see the posts that you make and literally millions of people that play the Farmville game.

In the Real Estate world everyone knows that if you are not participating in the “social” aspects of marketing, you will eventually not do as well as those that have embraced the new ways of marketing and communication.

Marketing Real Estate and properties these days require you to have the best web presence that you can to get your listings seen by the millions of lookers and buyers every day. You choices are now trying to decide how big of an ad to place in your local newspaper with a very limited audience to figuring out the best keywords for your online listing, the online presence is going to give more exposure than only delivering your information to people locally.

How the world searched in 2010…

Over the weekend, Google unleashed Zeitgeist 2010: How the world searched.

Successful home selling

After finding a buyer, all you have to do to make it to closing is to avoid the traps, What kind of traps could there be after you have signed on the dotted line?

The first step is to make sure you have made the correct professional associations, yes; I mean that you have chosen the best Real Estate Agent to be your representation as your Realtor. When you have a contract that is signed by all parties involved the work just begins. Don’t ever think of this as the end of the process.

Many of the points in the contract now have to be resolved such as the inspection. This is particularly important when working with the Banks and Short Sale transactions.

Follow the link provided to ensure you get the information needed. The sale of a home is never done until the home funds and records. Don’t be sold short follow the directions of your Realtor.

Craigslist, love it or hate it!

One of the best ways to advertise your home for sale or any product that you wish to sell is Craigslist. It has been very good to me for advertising Rental property and house hold goods that I no longer wish to hold onto.

There are just a couple of steps that you need to know in order to make the Craigslist experience a good experience. When you list anything on Craigslist just know that the majority of the hits are going to be scammers. These are people that click on your ad and then send you an email with a website or email address to send back. Don’t click on anything that was not solicited. Just delete the email and all is well.

Craigslist operates on the premise that you remain Anonymous. This means that your address is not seen when it is online. You then click a link to send to the poster. You will know if the person is a legitimate customer if they request a phone number to call you. Allow them to call you; don’t call them back unless they give you a local non 800 phone number. You can still be scammed by calling an 800 number.


Never meet anyone to show your property or home by your self. If they request to meet you in an out of the way place, refuse to do this. Use these simple rules and it will make you online experience a good one.

Two Big Ones for Boise

Finally making it past the Boise Planning and Zoning is Whole Foods Market! The Austin Texas based store will bring refreshing and new business to downtown Boise. The 35,000 square foot market will have organic and natural based foods and products. The store will include an outdoor plaza and landscaped parking lot. They plan to break ground in 2011.

Another great development is the addition of a Henry's Market to be located at 15th and Idaho with the ground breaking in March 2011. The California based store will offer organic and natural products along with natural beef and poultry. They will also have a full service deli and local grown fruits and vegetables.

I look foreword to our City moving ahead with the additions of these great Stores!

Help with Short Sales and Foreclosures

Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource

Boise House and Home dot com is a website with Realtors and Agents certified by the National Association of Realtors as the resource for your short sale and foreclosure assistance in Idaho.



Winter in the City

Winter in Boise Idaho at Night!

Christmas Scene in Boise Idaho

 Idaho Capitol Building Christmas Ribbons

 Christmas Tree of Idaho in the Winter Night

 Idaho Christmas Tree

 Downtown Boise Buildings at Night in the Winter

 Downtown Boise in The Winter Night

Wait, where did my Realtor go?

In the Real Estate business people come and go and move and shake all the time. You may see a Realtor agent at one company and then they are at another, what’s with that?

To begin with Realtors work for themselves, they are independent contractors and are responsible for everything in their business. A Realty company or Broker is the company that you place your license to do business. The brokers companies are as different in what they offer as are the Realtors that work under the company name.

There is every kind of Real Estate Brokerage out there; there are the big franchise companies, such as Century 21, Keller Williams, and REmax etc. Then there are the local smaller brokerage companies found in everyone’s town and city. As a Realtor you make commissions based on what is paid by the seller, in turn, the Realtor keeps the Broker in business by paying certain percentage of their commissions to the company. Many think that the realtor gets a great big commission and will live happily ever after. It is in fact just like a real job except that there is no payday; it is payday after you close a transaction.

Your Realtor probably has gone to a brokerage that is adjusting to the leaner times. Many of the smaller brokerages don’t take a percentage of the commission, but a flat fee. Many also help with the advertising, signs and lock boxes which could take up to half of the income for Realtors. It just all depends upon the current thinking of what your realtor is doing to make his business better for the current market. Support your Realtor!

Need to buy quickly?

You have a client that for one reason or another needs to purchase a home as an owner occupied residence, meaning they want to live in the house. What do you do to find the right home for your clients that will have a relatively short closing time?

You, as a realtor need to ask several questions to narrow the search right out of the gate. Some buyers with a needed “quick close” may try to lead you down a path that they still wish to have the best deal out there. The quick close and rock bottom price may not work. Searching for a quick close in most cases rules out all of the short sale homes with a few exceptions. The big exception being the short sale is thru a local bank with local decision making. These can usually be made with short time frame. Bank owned homes are the next that you can look at. This is providing that the Realtor has all of the documentation ready to submit an offer such as loan approval letter etc.


The bank owned or REO properties can usually have a decision within a week, if longer time is needed, rule it out and move on. The best one is the heralded seller that has no bank or short sale ties; yes I am talking about a clean sale. Most sellers have the prices set at market value, meaning they are priced at the same as the others have sold in the last 3 months. These have only the seller to make the decision and can close quickly. (Remember the way it used to be?) There are still ways to close in 30 days; it just takes some work on the part of the Realtor!

Snow Day

Dateline Boise Idaho, November 1, 2010. Snow all night long and most of yesterday making for a snow day schedule. Brand new 7 inches of the white stuff is on the road making for a winter wonderland. Schools are closed and most businesses are delaying the start of the day.

With the forecast of more snow today and then changing to rain with higher temperatures, it will test the driving skills and emotional skills of everyone on the road today.

 

Photos Via KTVB

Here is our list

Ok, this is our list of Bank owned and foreclosed properties that are for sale in Idaho. Just pick the city or town that you wish to view the virtual listings. If you have questions about any of these properties just give me a call or email me.

Bank REO or distressed properties as some call them usually have a shorter closing time that the short sales. There are some good values in these properties so take a look and click the link to view at BoiseHouseAndHome.com

Christmas Vacation

Ok so one of my favorite movies of all time is National Lampoon Christmas Vacation. I think is most brings back thoughts of what we all go through to get the outside house decorations up and running. Chevy Chase is on a mission and doesn’t understand why everyone else in the family could care less.

Far from those times, the decorating with Christmas lights is still alive and well in Christmas town. Now days you can buy multi string lights that are cheap and last for ever. Today’s homes usually come with built in soffit power plug-in receptacles’ and together with plastic string light holders you can have your lights up within an hour or two. The only other part would be the power if you have a home without the plug in box. Just make sure you don’t end up like in the movie when the drum roll happens and you don’t have power.

Decorate and have fun, but just remember, don’t let the squirrel in the house!

Black Friday for Real Estate!

As I prepare to trek out with some clients to find the almost perfect home, I think of all of the black Friday shoppers looking for the best deals. It is the same for the home buyers that are looking for the great deals and great homes.

I say almost perfect homes because there is give and take with any real estate transactions that are written now days. Many of the buyers wish to have the low prices, great mortgage rates and as much home for the money. All of these wishes can be attained with the inventory of bank owned and short sale homes. A black Friday deal can happen with everyone that is in the market.

So get your snow shoes on and go out in the crowd with the rest of them. Have fun and good luck!

This day is for everyone

My wish is for everyone to have a blessed and fulfilled Thanks Giving.  As we gather with our families and friends let us remember what we have and not what we need.  Have a safe and loving day.

Thanks Giving Weekend Fun Stuff

Festival of Trees

The opening event of the Festival of Trees is the Gala, a formal dinner and auction that attracts 1,000 people and is considered to be the holiday event of the year. Senior Day follows and is another Festival favorite in which senior citizens are invited to enjoy a discounted admission price, a delightful holiday tea and an afternoon of entertainment. Family Day is fun for the whole family with games, crafts, prizes and special appearances by popular costumed characters. Throughout the Festival, children also enjoy Breakfast with Santa, Pictures with Santa, Craft Corner for Kids, the Art Contest and of course, the fun and challenging Scavenger Hunt. The Saint Alphonsus Auxiliary Gift Shop will be there, too, offering the best in gifts and décor for the season. The grand finale of the Festival is the Luncheon and Fashion Show. This lovely afternoon features a runway show of the latest fashions for men, women and children, provided by local boutiques and shops. Of course, enriching all these experiences is on-going live entertainment and a forest of beautifully decorated trees, wreaths and holiday décor items for everyone's viewing pleasure.

Admission
•Adults $7
•Children (12 and under) $4
•Seniors (62 and better) $4
◦Senior Day Special $2 on Nov. 24
•Family Pass $30 (for 6 individuals)

(Click Here) For Details of Times and Dates

***

Winter Garden aGlow
 
Join us for the 14th Annual Winter Garden aGlow at the Idaho Botanical Garden and see our dazzling display of nearly 250,000 sparkling lights and color artfully displayed throughout the holiday season.


TIMES


Open daily from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Gates do not open until 6 p.m. - Last admissions at 8:45 p.m.
Garden closes promptly at 9:30 p.m.
Adults: $8.00; Children 4-12: $4.00; Members: $4.00


(Read More)

Winter is here!

Here are some websites and Phone numbers to check conditions in the Northwest!

Emergency Winter Information

National Weather Service

Travel Information

Idaho Transportation Department Road Report

Call 511 or 1-888-432-7623

Washington Road Report

Oregon Road Report

Nevada Road Report

Utah Road Report

Wyoming Road Report

Montana Road Report

Idaho Power

For immediate customer service needs or personal assistance, call 388-2323, or 1-800-488-6151 from outside the Treasure Valley area. Our general business phone number is

208-388-2200.

For all Life threatening incidents call 911

Emergency Preparedness!

You never want to be stuck out in a blizzard or snow storm. However, if it does happen to fall that way, you should always be prepared by putting a winter survival kit in your car. Here are the things that you should have with you wherever you go and why you will want to have them

1. A blanket. A warm, thermal blanket is going to help keep you warm should you get stuck. Staying warm is the main priority if you get stuck in the snow, and keeping a blanket in your car is a good start.


2. Chocolate. Most experts say that keeping chocolate or candy bars in a winter survival kit is a good idea because chocolate keeps for a long time and will give you quick energy when you need it. This will prove useful if you are trapped for some time.

3. Air horns. These are useful for signaling where you are. Air horns are very loud and will be able to let someone know where you are. If you couple this with some flares, there is no reason someone won't be able to find you.

4. Extra hats and gloves. In fact, just having an extra pair of everything is advisable. Mittens, gloves, scarves and hats are all going to be life savers by helping to keep you warm.


5. Flashlight. You should always keep a flashlight in your kit because if you get stuck out at night, you may want to try and use this to signal someone or simply to see what you are doing in the dark should your vehicle's battery die.

6. Shovel. You might just be able to get out of your snow bank by using a shovel. Always keep one of these handy.

7. De-icer. This can be found in all auto parts stores and is useful for de-icing your locks and windows. This is useful should you find that your windshield has been covered over by ice and you can't see out of it.

8. A bag. Having a duffel bag or backpack to carry it all in is much easier than simply having it strewn all over your car. You will always know where all of your survival gear is when it is stored in a bag.Having one of these kits in your car will make it easier when you drive in the winter and give you better peace of mind when the big snow storm eventually hits.

Just remember to always have air horns, blankets, candy bars and other warm things and you should be good to go when the snow flies.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_Volk

Holiday Selling

What do you do when your home is on the market during the holidays? You will get all kinds of opinions on this subject all the way from take your home off of the market to keep it on the market; just don’t give too much information to anyone about your beliefs. Let them know you celebrate but don’t advertise any certain religious tone. (Santa and reindeer are good).

You have to laugh at all of the advice which comes from all sides. The bottom line is if your home is on the market, keep it on the market. Taking it off the market creates confusion and could give you a weaker position. Some may think you aren’t sure about your price or ability to sell in the winter months. If you wish to decorate then by all means decorate your home. Some advisors place way too much thinking into what buyers are considering when they come through your home.

Keep your decoration to a modest look. In other words don’t choose to go entering any decoration contests. Place your tree in the usual place that you do each year. When buyers are touring your home they are visualizing their own tree and decorations. Keep all of the wires hidden and take away the chance of tripping hazards. Yes there is all kinds of advise when It comes to selling during the holiday season, just remember to keep it simple and be ready to take the decorations down if your home should sell. Above all have a happy holiday season!

Free Information to download!

Did you know that I keep a rather large complement of documents and information that you can download to your computer for guidance? We have reference phone lists for Ada and Canyon County; these lists give you numbers to call for utilities and services. We also have all of the Housing statistics that you can print out and view. They are up to date to the last month.

Available reports for both the buyer and seller, information to help you prepare for the sale of your home or purchasing your home. We are your one stop for Real Estate related information.

Real Estate PTC Health Index

The PTC Index continues to show some positive signs among real estate variables in the month of October. New Homes Sales for Ada and Canyon Counties report an 11% increase when compared to September as well as a slight increase in Refinance volumes.

Ada and Canyon County’s Notice of Default filings are down over 25% collectively from October filings but only show minimal decreases when compared to the same period of 2009. REO and Short sale listings show small improvements with inventory inching down 1.75%. We expect further stabilization, but October has brought some encouraging numbers.

Download The Homebuyers Handbook

You’re at the point in your life where you’re seriously considering purchasing your first home. You’re sick of paying high rental costs when you know that you’ll never own that property and it simply makes sense to start investing in your own future.

Buying a home is an exciting adventure, and whether this is your first home or your second, it’s important that you take your time when evaluating potential properties so that you end up with a property that truly reflects your style, your preferences, your lifestyle and of course, the size of your family.

When considering properties, you also need to think outside of just the property itself. While that Cape Code on the corner may look like your dream home, what about the neighborhood?

New pedestrian bridge over Boise River

Pedestrians will be one step closer to a new connection between Boise and Garden City. A new 202-foot bridge was put in place over the Boise River between Quinn's Pond and Veterans Memorial Park Wednesday.


The 138,000-pound single-span steel bridge was assembled from five pieces shipped to Boise from Missoula, Mont.


Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/11/17/1422142/new-pedestrian-bridge-installed.html#ixzz15e9jJlnO

The Land of Seasons!

It’s that time of year again, the fall colors change to the cold breeze of winter! The time change this week reminded me of why we move an hour back in time. I come to the conclusion that I have no idea why we do it except to let people have time to enjoy the darkness for an extended period.

This brings me to my point, having four distinct and different seasons provides for unique challenges and opportunity. First it is a time in the next month when you can golf and snow ski all in the same day. Tire stores make some cash placing snow tires in place of road tires. Hardware stores sell show shovels and ice melt. There are still leaves of orange coming down and landing in the snow. This provides for dirty snowmen to be built.

Our nights are now in the frozen section and days will warm to provide shorts weather. Yes, we have it all here in Idaho! I just love it!

Photo of the Day - "More Fall Boise Colors" as taken by me!





Dream Home Automated Home Search

Looking for your dream home? Let our automated search work for you!


Now, at your leisure, you can review the latest properties (with the features you are most interested in) the day they become available. When you find a home you want to see, call or e-mail to arrange for your personal viewing.

Sleep and Dream of your new home while our Dream Home Program does the work of searching for a home for you! Our program searches the participating Multiple Listing Service Members database using your preset? Dream Home? Criteria, matches homes with the details you want and emails them to you the day the home enters the market.

The initial e-mail you receive will have information on all the homes that are now available which meet your criteria. Each day, as new homes come onto the market, the new listings will be searched with your "Dream Home" criteria in mind and e-mailed to you!

Photo of the Day - "Boise State Balloon" as taken by me!

Fannie Mae Escalation desk

Fannie Mae now has an “Escalation desk” that Realtors can access to help speed up the short sale or foreclosure process. It is an attempt by the government organization to work with the agents for a smoother conclusion.

The process may begin after a contract has been written and sent to the listing agency. Then the listing Realtor contacts the escalation desk to see if all documents and needed paperwork is done.

The process does not guarantee a favorable outcome, but does show a willingness to begin to get through the backlog of foreclosed or short sale homes on the market.

Photo of the Day - "Boise Depot" as taken by me!

 



Condo vs. Townhome

What is the difference in the two types of properties? Talking specifically about the difference we need to explain that a town home and a Condominium is not a type of structure, but the type of ownership.

Condos generally are grouped into an apartment style setting with common areas shared by all of the other residents. The usually don’t have ownership of say the courtyard or even the entrances into the buildings. Now days some of the lines are blurred when it comes to back yards etc. Some condos now offer these amenities also. The owner is usually taxed for the living area and maybe a portion of common areas.

Townhomes are generally homes that share a common wall. Most of the time they have a small yard or outside area to have grass plants etc. The ownership is to a property line. Town houses are taxed including the living area and yard. These owners usually have an association that the buyers pay into for common areas and maintenance. Maintenance of the house and yard are generally the responsibility of the individual owners.

In the hurry up lives of many home owners they choose to buy a condo or townhome because the Saturday and Sunday chores are usually not the same as a single family unit.

Photo of the Day - Fall Color as taken by me!



Your Home on the Web

What do you want your Realtor to do with his marketing of your home for sale? The information that folks searching for properties are entering into the search engines are for pictures (lots of Pictures), virtual tours, (either movie or good stills), enough information to make an initial evaluation that it covers their wants and needs.

If your agent is writing the initial listing to the MLS with minimal information, then it is not going to give the web surfer anything to decide to view the home on tour. When I speak with my clients about the information in their layout, I advise that if you don’t catch the buyer’s eye from the start then you won’t get your listing viewed by everyone. The key is to bring buyers through the front door.

Marketing homes now days is an art that I spend many hours developing to give my seller clients the best bang for the buck. The listing should paint the picture enough to make the Web site viewers want to make the effort to come and walk though your home for sale!

Photo of the Day - Boise Depot as taken by me!



Happy Halloween!

There are plenty of things going on in the City and surrounding areas for Halloween this year. Boo at the Zoo, this is a yearly occurrence that is fun packed.

Boo at the Zoo-

Join Zoo Boise for the best Halloween event in town! Saturday, October 30th we'll have costumed characters passing out candy, costume contests for all ages, bat toss, pumpkin patch photos, face painting, and, of course, the zoo!


The zoo will be open from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, with last admission at 4:30 pm. Admission is $7.00 for adults, $4.25 for children (4-11), $4.50 for seniors (62 & over) and free for children (3 & under). Friends of Zoo Boise Annual Pass holders may enter for free (with pass and photo id) and have a special entrance gate!

Eagle Fire Department Haunted Woods

Today, Saturday, Oct 30 5:30p to 11:00p

at Merrill Community Park, Eagle, ID

Tickets are $10 for adults, children 5 - 12 are only $6. Advanced tickets for groups of 10 or more receive a $1 off. Bring a can of food for the Eagle Food Bank and receive a free glow stick.


Idaho Capitol

Trick or Treat” Halloween festivity on the front steps of the Idaho Statehouse on Saturday, October 30th from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Photo of the Day - Sunset off Hill Road as taken by me!

Marketing for winter

So you plan to place your home on the market during the winter months? What are some of the pros and cons to doing this? First of all, I am not against listing homes during the non warm months. I have had some very busy times from October to March.

If you have pictures that you have taken over the past year of your yard and landscaping, these will work fine if they are of good quality and clarity. Remember that pictures sell your home before the information that you place in the listing gets attention.

If you live in Idaho, your sprinkler system has been blown out and if the home is vacant the entire house has been winterized if the power and water are shut off, (that is another factor we won’t talk about right now). When preparing your flyers and listing for the Web, use a mix of winter and summer photos. Make sure you have shoe removal areas when folks come to view. Have the temperature set to a comfortable level.


Many homeowners will keep their home off of the market during the winter months due to the holidays and winter conditions. The thinking is that not many buyers are looking during this time. So grab the market and get it listed, there is always someone looking to buy...

Photo of the Day - Idaho City Masonic Temple as taken by me!

Real Estate Maintenance

What happens on a normal day when you are not showing property or writing contracts for your clients? This is it; you keep up on your blogs and websites. Having 4 websites related to real estate and buying homes and property takes a lot of work. Not just in the content of the sites, but making sure that they are in the search engines for all to locate.

Even though the websites are out there and ready for searchers all over the world to view, some of the content may be out dated such as open house dates, and other websites you may have linked to that have gone by the wayside. Then there is the Twitter, Facebook and other daily rituals that you attend that gets the word out...

Another aspect is checking your email and your email listings that you have going out to prospective buyers. At any time most realtors have a number of lookers that wish to learn what properties are out there before they buy. Then I must delete all of the website placement companies that say they can get me better exposure on the web. They insist that searchers can’t find our sites. If this is true why do I have up to 50 emails a day from companies that have found my sites?

Maintaining your sites is a big job, some pay to have others do this for them and make the time available to do other realtor things. I choose to do it myself and keep everything on the sites new and fresh. Visit the websites and see what all the fuss is about…

Photo of the Day - The Idaho Statehouse as taken by me!

Condos and Townhome Search

I have had many requests to make a page with just Townhomes and condominiums; here is the link to bring up all of the property for sale on the MLS that covers the class.

These contain all of the listing searches together including Bank Owned and short sale sellers. Give me a call if you would like to view any of these properties.

Sunday thoughts on home purchases!

As a real estate professional, I must look back and have re-gurgitation all of the past weeks news in the housing market and home mortgage news.

First of all is the Bank of America continued fiasco playing with home mortgage short sale and bank owned paper. I received an email from my broker last week stating caution when entering into contracts with homes that are owned by or mortgaged to Bank of America, the warning was that several transactions have been put on hold as they get to the closing table. In my opinion having dealt with BOA in the past on several short sale transactions, it is not in your clients best interest to write a contract with a bank that still does not have a handle on its past.

Too much work an energy go into the process and then there are the emotions of your clients that are heartbreaking to empower an institution to stall and slow an otherwise smooth process.


What have I learned from the experiences of dealing with this group? There are too many other properties out there to waste your clients time and dreams…

Visit the Boise Fall Home Show!

The fall home show going on at the fairgrounds Expo Idaho. October 22-24th, 5-9 Friday, 11-7 Saturday and 11-5 Sunday.

Everything for your home, get ideas on remodels, landscapes and just updating your house. Attend the semenars to raise your own backyard chickens…

Admission is $5 dollars for adults $4 dollars for seniors and all others are free.

See you there, visit this link for details.

World Center for the Birds of Prey

Taken just south of Boise, Raptors at the Birds of Prey Center! Enjoy...

Fall Parade of Homes

This year the theme is “Home Sweet Home”, don’t miss the final weekend for the Building contractors association fall version of tours. With 33 homes to view you will not be disappointed. Hours are 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, free for all.  Take a look at the links below for maps and information!

What is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist

he Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation program teaches the technical, business management, and customer service skills essential to competing in the fastest growing segment of the residential remodeling industry: home modifications for the aging-in-place. The NAHB Remodelers Council, in collaboration with the AARP, NAHB Research Center, and NAHB Seniors Housing Council, developed this program to provide comprehensive, practical, market-specific information about working with older and maturing adults to remodel their homes for aging-in-place. (read all)

Photography Spending Pays Off

No shocker here: Sales listings taken by higher-end single-lens-reflex cameras (SLR), preferred by professionals, garner higher prices than those properties whose sellers use point-and-shoot cameras, according to Redfin Corp., a Seattle-area real estate firm.

Redfin analyzed listings in Boston and Long Island and determined that houses with better photos sold for anywhere from $934 to $116,076 more compared to listings using photos from point-and-click cameras. The data also showed that properties with better photos got more online views.

Only about 15 percent of sellers use professional photographers and better cameras. Redfin says that about half of $1 million-plus listings were shot with cheaper point-and-shoot cameras.

Source: The Wall Street Journal, Emily Peck (10/04/2010)

Balanced Rock - Southern Idaho

These are pictures of Balanced Rock and Balanced Rock State Park located near Castleford Idaho and Hammett Idaho. 



Go BSU - BSU Balloon

Elk Run in Idaho City

Cabin Lots, Building Lots, Idaho City Land. An upscale rural residential community of 214 acres of forested mountains with underground electric, phone and internet capability. A total of 39 lots ranging from 2+ to 7+ acres. Each lot is approved for well and septic. CCNRs, two lane paved bridge, entryway and main entry road. Lighted and sheltered mailbox area at main entryway. Just South of Idaho City, one of the growing tourist spots, completely surrounded by National and State Forest Lands. Make this your second home away from home. Where Retirement and relaxation is at its best. Now with reduced Prices!



Boise at Dusk

Idaho State Capitol Building

Boise Depot