If you are looking for waterfront homes for sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, your search is over.  I invite you to make short work of your search by simply clicking on the link below.  It will take you to every waterfront home for sale in the Coeur d'alene MLS, updated several times each day! Waterfront Homes for Sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Please don't hesitate to contact me for more information about our Coeur d'Alene Waterfront Market or more detailed information about any of the beautiful waterfront homes for sale that you come across in your search.   08/16/2014

How to get a killer deal on a HUD foreclosed home in Coeur d'Alene, ID is really very easy once you understand how it works. Most HUD  homes in Coeur d'Alene, ID are listed at a reasonable price and usually sell very quickly. The HUD homes with the best price are ignored by most buyers because the description is not accurate. Since HUD is a big government agency they have lots of rules to cover everything they do and they have chosen to adopt East Coast rules for the whole country. In the Eastern US they don't count the below grade (basement) square footage or the basement bedrooms. Here in Kootenai County we count all the heated living space and all the bedrooms regardless of what floor they are on. We have many 2 level homes here built on a slope with only half the basement in the gro... 12/16/2012

Congratulations to Michelle and Sam on the successful short sale of their home.  There were some serious challenges with this one, but we managed to persevere and get to a successful closing.  This was a USDA guaranteed Chase loan, and provided some specific hurdles to overcome.  It required extreme patience on the part of everyone involved.  Our buyers had the patience of Job and hung in there through thick and thin.  In the end, their patience paid off and they won the prize - their first home at a great value. historically low interest rates and a mortgage payment cheaper than rent. For my sellers, they won the prize of avoiding foreclosure, release of liability for the deficiency and a closing before the mortgage debt forgiveness act expires.  They will now be able to close this cha... 11/21/2012

There's no getting around it, I'm getting older!  But then so are you.  And so are 80 million baby boomers approaching retirement age! When it comes to homes, as we age we begin to rethink things a bit.  Stairs!  Recent years have seen a change in home designs to accommodate the desires of the aging population.  One level living.  Smaller homes but larger rooms and higher quality finishes.  More and more buyers are insisting on homes with at the very least, a main floor master bedroom suite.  The good news if you are looking to buy a home in the Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Hayden areas, there is an AMPLE supply of homes on the market with a main level master bedroom!  Click here to see a search of the Coeur d'Alene MLS that turned up hundreds of homes for sale with main level master b... 11/18/2012

Business opportunities for sale are always of high interest to people looking to supplement, or replace their income.  These opportunities aren't typically classified as real estate because there is often no land that is being sold.  Business opportunities are most often found in leased buildings, or in kiosks on leased property. Never the less, they are a hot commodity as long as they hold true profit potential for someone who isn't afraid of hard work.  A search of the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service turned up 45 business opportunities for sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  You may get the information on every one of them at the link below.  Business Opportunities For Sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This link will remain active for 30 days.  After that, contact me for a fresh link. 11/18/2012

Investors are out in droves, competing with entry level buyers, looking for affordable homes to invest in before market values rise.  Locally, prices and sales are trending up and it is generally thought that we have hit bottom and turned the corner.  Fence sitters are now hopping off the fence and hitting the ground running.   If you are looking for an investment opportunity in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the link below will take you to every foreclosure property listed for sale in the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service.  There are 166 foreclosure listings as of today, November 17th, 2012. Please give me a call if you would like further information or to take a look at any of the Coeur d'Alene foreclosure homes for sale that you see here. Foreclosure homes for sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 11/17/2012

Some of my happiest childhood memories involve huge piles of leaves under the ancient poplar trees that framed our house at 9th and Sherman.  They're all gone now, our home and those trees.  But each fall as the leaves pile up around town they live on in my memories. The city's annual leaf pick-up program has begun. Residents are asked to rake their leaves and pine needles into the streets beginning October 29th, about a foot out from the gutter line to allow for water drainage.  Please do not put bagged leaves, branches, rubble or refuse in the street.  There is no cost to you. City crews will be moving fast, beginning south of Sherman and working their way north.  You can help by moving your parked cars off of the street during leaf pick-up.  They expect completion by December 1st. On... 10/26/2012

My sister Kerri is a professional photographer, and she is never without her camera.   Our family benefits from having her snapping fabulous photos as a routine course of action.  Whenever she's over, she loves to capture photos of the food I cook for her file of stock photos.  Who knows where they might appear someday!  Balsamic Chicken  1 tsp olive oil3/4 C coarsely chopped onion4 garlic cloves sliced4 4oz chicken breast halves1 C sliced bell pepper1/4 C sliced mushrooms1/2 C Balsamic vinegar1 tsp dried Italian seasoning1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoesHeat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onion & garlic and saute for 3 minutes.  Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned.  Add bell pepper and next 4 ingredients.  Reduce heat to medium and cook 20 minut... 10/14/2012

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Short Sale Realtor As of today, there are 242 homes listed for sale as short sales in the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service.  Of these, roughly one third have contracts pending, 88.  The short sale homes for sale in Coeur d'Alene range in price from $21,000 to $$1,950,000 and are found in just about every neighborhood. Click here for information and photos of all 242 homes for sale listed as short sales in the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service. (This link will update daily and remain active for 30 days.  After that, give me a call and I will send you a fresh active link.) Short sales have been a significant part of our local real estate market as a result of the housing bubble we saw here between 2005 and 2008.  They ... 09/26/2012

A buyer sent me an email asking me to write up an offer on a short sale we hadn't looked at.  She said she didn't need to see it; she had been watching it closely for a long time and just wanted me to write up her offer and submit it.  It is in a tiny little town about an hour from Coeur d'Alene and really down in the boondocks.   Before I did anything I wanted to talk to the listing agent and find out what the short sale situation was.  We had a long talk, he told me about the seller’s situation, and confessed he didn't know anything about short sales.  And I'm here to tell you, he was right.  He didn't know ANYTHING!  I spent at least a half hour talking with him, and he agreed to visit with his seller about giving me authorization to work the short sale as the buyer's agent.   I call... 09/13/2012

I have enjoyed watching this late bloomer bloom his heart out on my desk.  Months after the magnificent display of the prompt and predictable bloomers, this determined little bloom finally burst forth.  I wonder what tripped him up and prevented him from getting to the bloom on time last fall?  He could have thrown his hands up and despair and said it's no use, everybody else already bloomed, I'm too late, I missed the bloom boat so what's the use?  Instead, he decided to give it all he's got.  No hesitation, no half-hearted bloom.  It's as if he decided that although he may be a late bloom, that wouldn't prevent him from being the most spectacular bloom he could be!  I'm sure there is a lesson in there for us.  I can't help but smile when I think that had he bloomed with his fellow blo... 09/08/2012

A woman overheard snippets of a conversation I was having.  She approached me to see if she had heard correctly, that I was actually keeping really busy in real estate. I told her that indeed I was.  She looked skeptical and astonished, and said, "That's AMAZING! Nobody has money.  Nobody's buying."  I laughed and said that I had just had two closings on Friday, one was for cash. I brokered a private deal with a happy buyer of their spectacular riverfront retirement dream home for $850,000 CASH!  I am working with other buyers looking for a their retirement dream home who will close as soon as they find it, for up to $400,000 CASH.  I have buyers under contract for a smoking hot deal on a lovely Coeur d'Alene Lake waterfront parcel on which they will build their dream home.  They have m... 09/07/2012

As a Realtor, I work with both customers and clients.  Do you know the difference?  I am a real estate agent when I'm working for my clients.  I am a non-agent when working with my customers.  The difference is whether or not you and I have entered into a written agreement for agency representation. Typically, sellers enter into a written agency agreement with the signing of the listing agreement.  There are exceptions, but not often.  Almost always, a listing agent is actually that, an agent of the seller. On the other hand, buyers tend to be more inclined to remain customers as they work with a Realtor to buy a house.  A buyer agency agreement will transform you from customer to client status.  I don't believe any buyer who understood agency would proceed without it. The biggest diffe... 09/02/2012

YES!  My new first time home buyers are as giddy as little kids on Christmas morning about having been pre-approved for their first home.  We have scheduled showings at their favorite prospective homes.  The message came in today that her husband has an opportunity to leave the job he's at for a better job, but he can postpone changing jobs if it will make a difference. I am SO PROUD and happy that my buyers recognized this as a potential land mine to their home purchase.  Because even if the new job is a BETTER job, a lender will require him to be seasoned at a new job for a certain period of time.  So although the job change wouldn't derail their home purchase entirely, it would certainly cause a delay for several months, or longer, depending upon the type of loan. Buyers, be sure to ... 08/29/2012

My 14 year old dyslexic grandson always amazes me but I was particularly interested in his work methods as I observed how he left his project last evening. You see this young man is interested in buying a car very soon as he starts driver training this fall.  So he makes a game called “Finn Pin” and sells them at the local farmers' market to earn money.     He is looking for a bigger audience to sell to so this spring he put in an application for “Art on the Green” in Coeur d’Alene the first week end in August and he was one of a few young people accepted as he has a very unique product and he makes everything himself.   As you can see he is in the middle of building an inventory for “Art on the Green”.  If you are in Coeur d’Alene the first weekend in August please stop by see him, his... 07/10/2012

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, SFR, CLHMS - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Short Sale Realtor Short short sales make up a substantial percentage of all real estate sales in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho these days, and according to CoreLogic that number is projected to nearly double in 2012 over the record set in 2011.  My personal business seems to bear that out as I currently have seven listings with contracts pending, and six of those are short sale transactions. One thing I have learned is that the valuation a bank sets for a listed property, establishing the amount they require  in order to approve a short sale, is a figure NOT cast in stone.  When the bank has set a valuation too high for the market, it is possible for a good short sale agent to challenge that valuation and get it lowered. I recently chal... 05/04/2012

Worlds Worst Hoarders & Tenants - Stomach Retching Photos - This actually happened to one of my properties.... We verified the application.  Tenant always paid on time.  We never had any complaints.  Then he lost his job after he ended up in jail for driving under the influence.   He quit paying rent and this is how we found our property! Here is the LINK if the YouTube Video is not working: http://youtu.be/aXfRx98QOPY 11/20/2011

Coeur d'Alene 3 bed 3 bath Home Near Bike Path! LEASE If you've thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to live close to all the energy and activity of downtown Coeur d'Alene," then you have found your next home. Close to everything ... but far enough away to have peace and quiet. This great home is across the street from the golf course (so no neighbor out front!) Only about 50 feet from the bike lane. Amenities include: 3 Bedrooms (2 Masters) 3 Baths Bamboo Floors Granite Counters All Appliances Custom Lighting Custom Plumbing Fixtures         This is a great opportunity for your next home.   Contact Scott at www.thebaldmangroup.com   or for an application go to CDARentalGroup.com and click on forms. 08/31/2011

North Idaho High Schools for Sports   COEUR D’ALENE-POST FALLS IS A HAVEN FOR CHAMPIONS!     One of the great thrills about living in the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls area plus a real drawing attraction to people looking for a beautiful and pleasurable area to move to is the abundance of exciting very successful high school athletics activities.   There are not very many cities in the United States the size of Coeur-d’Alene (with a 2010 population of 45,000) and Post Falls (with a 2010 population of 28,000) - which are located only five miles apart - that can boast of the many champions as these two.   During the 2009-2019 school year, Coeur d’Alene High School won the Idaho 5A Girls State Basketball Championship and the Idaho 5A Boys State Wrestling Championship, while Post Falls High Scho... 03/22/2011

National Junior College Athletic Association’s National Women’s Basketball Champions They weren’t favored and they had a huge task in the semifinals, but the North Idaho College women’s basketball team from right here in Coeur d’Alene, dug deep for strength, overcame the obstacles, and won the National Junior College Athletic Association’s National Women’s Basketball Championship March 19.   NIC, made of players from around this area – breezed in their first two national tournament games, then were faced with the huge assignment of playing against No. 1 ranked and unbeaten and favored Pensacola, FL Community College in the semifinals. NIC played at its best and won 90-75, handing Pensacola its first loss in 30 games.   In the championship game – against Trinity Valley Community College ... 03/22/2011