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

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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!