On Sunday I received a lead.  It was from a young man who wanted to buy some land between Boise and Mountain Home.  This cool development has large lots (1.5 acre seems to be the average).  The really cool thing about this development is that it has a private airport attached to it.  You become a member by buying a plot of land.   I actually wrote the contract before going to the land.    My offer was accepted so I decided it was time for a trip to the land.  It is around 1/2 hour from my home and I took my dog.  She likes an adventure and it is not often a Realtor can take her dog to work.   The homes are nice.   You have to build a well and a septic system but this seems doable.  I can see the appeal. If you like planes or wildlife this is a great place to build.   If you work in Mou... 04/21/2021

  It's a beautiful morning here in the amazing central Idaho mountains.  The birds are singing, the creek is rushing, and the sun is shining.  Our sleepy little town below is waking up.   We had a wonderful trip down Edna Creek Road last evening.  A little bumpy in places as the road yearns for it's first grading after the run-off of spring.  On one turn we reached a mountain meadow and two deer and a cow elk stood watching us as they grazed on fresh, green sprigs of grass.  When we reached the Middle Fork Road, we knew we were getting closer to our mountain hide-a-way.  Thoughts of campfires, s'mores, 4-wheeler rides and sipping coffee on the deck enter our minds the closer we get.  Rounding another curve in the road, we came upon a mama deer and her newborn fawn.  The mother raced up... 06/11/2011

The much-talked about $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers recently expired for most people, But if you're military or a certain government employee, this fantastic opportunity has been extended to 2011! You still can qualify for a tax credit of up to $8,000 even if you're not a first-time homebuyer. Briefly, if you sold a home because of "orders" between 1-1-09 and 4-30-10 and served at least 91 days extended duty, you will qualify for the homebuyer tax credit as long as income, sales price and age (18 years) requirements are met. You need to sign a contract by April 30, 2011 and close on your home by June 30, 2011. Who qualifies? Member or spouse of "uniformed" services or the US Foreign Service Employee or spouse of the Intelligence Community To also qualify, you must also hav... 07/08/2010

 Online Success Starts with a Great Domain Name.   Captain Domain Name provides many features that make it easy for you to manage your domain names quickly, easily and securely. Start Building Your Online Identity. There's no better time than the present to secure your domain and we make it easy and inexpensive for you to register. Obtaining a domain name is the first step to building a website and can be used to personalize an email address. www.CaptainDomainName.com"Let your career start here!"       With over 80% of real estate transactions starting online these days, it is more important than ever to assure that your real estate business is getting the exposure it needs on the Internet.  Captain Wayne Rowlett is one of the Nations leading real estate web marketing specialist.  He ha... 04/09/2010

It's Crunch Time - You just got orders, are buying a bigger house or just need to sell and move on.  You've dealt, as much as possible, with the major items (see Part I of this post) but what final adjustments should you make to your older home just before putting it on the market?  Some cost effective suggestions:Grab Your Agent - What the heck, you're paying him anyhow so why not put her years of experience to work for you.  One thing though - please don't ask for an unvarnished opinion of what needs to be done and then get mad at the agent when she provides it.Grab a Brush - Unless the interior paint is in great shape and especially if your colors are anything but neutral - buy a box of brushes, a few gallons of paint and a keg of beer then invite your friends over to repaint.  Hopef... 05/08/2008

The clock starts running on a new home when the Mountain Home, Idaho Building Department signs the building permit. Advances in building science and changing economic conditions work together to cause our homes to rapidly become something less than "state of the art" and worth less than the "next new thing". This is true of every home in the community, but 30+ year old homes need special attention to ensure that value lost by obsolescence doesn't negate value gained through other factors. It's important to recognize that older homes, in particular, are competing not only with other homes for sale but also with the options of renting in town or living on base.In Part I of this post we'll look at the "bigger ticket" items to consider and budget for.My Three Recommended (Major) Upgrades to... 04/15/2008

Don't get me wrong - homes sales are clearly off from a year ago and I currently have more time to catch up on old paper work than I care to. Still, despite the media's constant wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Mountain Home, Idaho real estate market remains in pretty good shape. There are a couple of reasons for our relative good fortune. The dominance of Mountain Home Air Force Base in the local economy is a powerful force in maintaining employment stability. The number of jobs at MHAFB, at least in the short term, isn't directly tied to changes in the economy. Although we're beginning to see some job loss in the construction sector, that lovable 800 pound gorilla eight miles east acts as a brake on wild fluctuations in total area employment.The other stabilizing factor is that ther... 03/25/2008

After running my weekly analysis of what's going on in the Mountain Home, Idaho real estate market, I'm now of the suspicion (and working towards the conclusion)  that new home prices may have finally reached the point where local builders are drafting new game plans.  In 2007, for the first time in practically forever, the median size of a new home was smaller than in the year before.  The difference was small, only about 6%, and one year does not a trend make but it is something I'm watching closely.Apparently at least one Mountain Home builder has taken notice and is offering a line of smaller homes but built to the same quality levels as his larger homes.  These "mini-mansions" eliminate all wasted space and generate maximum utility from every square foot of house.  They're attracti... 02/13/2008

An Interesting Fact that's probably as true in Mountain Home Idaho as anywhere else.  Did you know that nearly 1/4 of all fatal home fires begin in the garage? These fires are especially deadly because they spread quickly and are well underway before  occupants are alerted to the blaze. Gas Cans, fumes from spills and leaks plus the inevitable collection of rags and boxes provide a ready fuel supply.  (Technical note:  Those propane cylinders for the family bbq stored in the garage fall outside of the fuel category and into that of explosives.)The Typical Garage also provides several ignition sources from "home brew" electrical wiring to light bulbs that are of higher wattages than the fixture is rated for.The Substantial Costs of a garage fire become even more significant when the loss... 01/24/2008

Activity and Prices By historical standards, 2007 was a good but not record setting year for Mountain Home. Sales of both new and existing homes were off about 19% from 2006. During the same period, the median price of existing homes increased by 12% to $152,000 while new homes saw a price drop of about 5% to $192,000.  Much of the decrease in new home prices is because fewer, more expensive homes on acreages were built in 2007.Marketing Time The average marketing time (from date of listing to date of closing) is currently 59 days, an increase of 7 days for the year.  However, a recent spike in the average number of days current (unsold) listings have been on the market suggests that the 59 day figure will increase significantly in the near future.2008 Forecast  Although activity has re... 01/08/2008

According to Canadian scientists, increasing energy efficiency also increases overall energy consumption.  You heard it here first - consumers are taking their newly acquired energy savings and plowing it back into more and bigger energy guzzling products.The conclusions by CIBC World Markets were reached, in part, by studying the effects of increased efficiency standards for new, Canadian homes.  The results indicate that, despite huge gains in energy efficiency, per capita energy consumption grows by ever increasing amounts.The major culprit in the housing sector is demand for larger homes which include more and more energy gulping goodies such as media rooms, deluxe appliances, additional water heaters and the like.Jeff Rubin, CIBC's Chief Economist, suggests that the problem stems f... 12/12/2007

Residential energy efficiency is a lot like the weather - everybody talks about it but nobody does anything.But the good news is energy conservation and lower utility bills don't have to start with expensive projects - it only takes $8.  Stop by any one of a number of Mountain Home, Idaho retailers and you'll change back from a ten for a 4-pack of compact fluorescent bulbs.  At this price, payback for the higher priced bulbs is reduced to just a few months.A couple of hints about what to expect and how to best use these bulbs.They may dim over time so pick a bulb that is rated 20% higher than the bulb you're replacing.  For example, replace 60 watt (about 800 lumens) with CFB's rated at (950-1000 lumens).  Fortunately, the conversion is indicated on most packaging so you won't need to f... 11/13/2007

Time to put aside all the media hysteria, gloom and doom and look at a couple of fun things that have absolutely no relevance to Mountain Home Idaho real estate. Naked Carpenter Acquitted! A Bay area (why does this not surprise me?) carpenter has been found not guilty of indecent exposure for building a client's bookshelves while nude. After a three day trial, the jury determined that even though 51-year-old Percy Honniball of Oakland was working naked, he was not acting lewdly or seeking sexual gratification. Honniball explained that he likes to work unclothed because it "gives him a greater range of motion" and keeps his clothes clean too.  The incident was reported by the client's neighbor who "was disturbed" by seeing Honniball nude while carrying his tool box into the client's hous... 11/07/2007

Prompted by the meltdown of the subprime mortgage market and the resulting flood of foreclosures, House Democrats have reacted (over-reacted?) with HR3915 the "Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007". Among other provisions, the Act would prohibit prepayment penalties on "High Cost" mortgages (including loans already in existence) and require that consumers receive "counseling" before entering into loans of this type. Borrowers won't be the only group that will need counseling if the Act passes as drafted. Lenders will be prohibited from steering any applicant into a loan that "isn't in the consumer's best interests" (could that possibly be any vaguer?). If you think that language will make lenders' blood run cold - read on. Not wanting to seem "pushy", Congress would ma... 10/31/2007

  Queysmaze is honoring Mountain Home Air Force Base and the Idaho Air National Guard with a specially designed holiday corn maze.   The maze includes an F16, the shields of the United States Air Force and Air National Guard plus the phrase "Defending Freedom".  The maze is located in MHAFB's flight path and properly oriented to be easily read by air crew.  It's worth the trip just to walk the maze but be sure to visit the Queysmaze website to learn about the other activities available.  The maze adjoins the Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park on Highway 78 and will be open to the public until November 30th. 10/22/2007

I just completed a year long (well, it took ME a year) program leading to certification under the ECOBroker program.  The primary goal of ECOBroker is to train real estate professionals about residential energy efficiency and home environmental issues (e.g. indoor air quality) so that we can can then provide knowledgeable advice to our clients.Unfortunately, it appears that I'm all dressed up but have no place to go.  Despite consumer interest in hybrid cars, synfuels and such; commitment to residential energy efficiency appears to be hovering at the lip service stage.  Nationally, 80% of home buyers claim that energy efficiency is a major factor in their choice of a home but  precious few are converting their concerns to cash.  To this point, about the only movement I've seen in the Mo... 10/18/2007

I'm not quite sure how to handle this (true) story. I'll try to do so with sensitivity and dignity but..... Several Boise investors were among those victimized in a $95 million dollar scam where a "1031 Exchange Accommodator" (more about this later) took the investors' money to purchase businesses for itself - specifically breast implant manufacturers in Great Britain and France. The company, Arrow 1031 Exchange (a subsidiary of Southwestern 1031 Exchange) allegedly lifted and separated the money from the victims over a period of several years but were able to repay accounts until the breast implant industry went flat. In hopes of moving this post from the salacious to the educational, I'll provide a very basic overview of 1031 exchanges. They are financial mechanisms where payment of i... 10/05/2007

If you've been keeping an eye on the "Market Conditions" page of my web site you probably know that it's my read that the Mountain Home real estate market is in "pretty good" shape at the moment.  However, much as I hate to, I recognize that there are a few hard cases out there that like more than me waving my hands vaguely in the air.If its numbers you want then absorption analysis is what you need.  Absorption analysis projects, by market segment, how quickly the current inventory of homes will sell (i.e. be absorbed) based on the current level of activity in the same market segment.The table below compares sales over the past 90 days (the small size of the Mountain Home market prevents using shorter periods) with the number of homes currently on the market.  Based on this, it appears... 10/01/2007

Hot on the heels of another successful Air Force Appreciation Day, Mountain Home Air Force Base will host a birthday bash honoring (oddly enough) the United States Air Force.MHAFB will be open its gates to the public at noon on Saturday, September 14th and a F15 flyby at 1:30 will officially open the festivities.  Members of the A10 West Coast Demonstration Team will be joined by a P51 Mustang, F86 Sabrejet and C130 Hercules for a heritage flight at 3:30 PM. Other activities will include Security Police working dog demonstrations, munitions loads and the base fire department's "wall of water" display.  In addition, each squadron will host a unit display to familiarize the public with the unit mission. Although not intended as a full-blown air show (Gunfighter Skies is scheduled to retur... 09/13/2007

Mountain Home's 47th annual Air Force Appreciation Day may go into the books as the biggest of all.  Festivities included a 2 hour parade, an A10 flyby provided by the Idaho Air National Guard and a free barbecue which fed over 5,000.  Downtown streets were lined by an estimated 10,000 spectators, most of whom then filled Carl Miller Park to visit the dozens of booths sponsored by local and MHAFB organizations.Music was provided by the 25th Army Band, a variety of country/rock groups and, my favorite, - the SleekIt Beasties - a Scottish drum and bagpipe band.This very public demonstration of the close bonds between the community and Mountain Home Air Force Base is  sponsored by the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce and recriprocated by the "Gunfighter Skies" event sponsored by the U.S. ... 09/13/2007