The Idaho Home Specialist Blog

Wow! Yet another high ranking in a national magazine for Boise-

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine recently published it’s 2008 best cities to live, work and play in the nation. Boise, Idaho came in at number four.

Pretty impressive, isn’t it?!

Eagle was touted rather highly in the report, as well, for it’s developing wine industry.

The magazine was searching for cities that have a creative class, and Kiplinger’s writer, Amy Bickers stated: “In Boise, there are obviously a lot of things happening at a lot of levels.” Based on the articles facts, The Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class in Boise is 33.2%. That’s a pretty large number.

The article asked how we got any work done with all the fantastic outdoor activities our area offers us. I sometimes ask myself the same exact question…

While Bickers was visiting Boise for the article, she visited the Discovery Center, and called it “So impressive”.

Congrats again Boise!

Click here to read the entire article.

Click here to view the Walking Tour through Boise.

Talk soon,

Inflationary fears have rates on the rise. Wall Street is keeping a close eye on any hint of rising prices and that’s going to translate into higher rates. If you like today’s rates you might think about locking. According to the survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.98% for the week ending May 22, down from 6.01% last week. The mortgage averaged 6.37% a year ago.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.55% this week, down from 5.60% last week. The mortgage averaged 6.06% a year ago. But 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages averaged 5.61% this week, up from last week’s 5.57% average. The ARM averaged 6.02% a year ago. One-year Treasury-indexed ARMs averaged 5.24% this week, up from 5.18% last week. The ARM averaged 5.64% a year ago.
Housing Market Conditions

One of the country’s most prestigious groups of market forecasters, the National Association of Business Economists, says housing and consumer credit conditions will stabilize and begin improving as the year moves on. Equally important, said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, chief economist at Ford Motor and president of the association: The entire U.S. economy will “slowly return to health” this year.

The housing market offered some immediate hints of that recovery with new home starts up by 8.2 percent last month and building permits up by 5 percent.

Inflation is not a major worry for capital markets investors at the moment — even if gas and food prices are over the top for most of us. The latest Consumer Price Index report — that’s the federal government’s measure of inflation — came in at just zero point two percent (0.2%) for April, which is very low.

Year over year, inflation is still only around 2.3 percent.

Despite these positive signs, the fact is that consumers are still worried about the overall direction of the U.S. economy. The University of Michigan’s bellwether Consumer Sentiment Index registered a 3.1 percent decline last month, continuing a steady downward trend. That’s not helpful for home sales for sure — and that negative mindset will certainly keep some buyers on the sidelines in the months ahead.

Most of the current numbers add up to an excellent buying opportunity. Prices are more affordable they’ve been in several years. There’s a bumper crop of houses to choose from. And mortgage money is cheap and getting cheaper.

If you have any questions regarding current interest rates as well as any mortgage related topics, please feel free to contact Cheri.

Cheri Ure
Source Mortgage
Phone: 208.794.0533
Email: cheriu@srcmtg.com
Website: www.srcmtg.com/cheriu

Talk soon,

Well it’s been about a week and a half since I last updated on the lowest gas prices in the area, and in that time I’ve seen about a 13 cent per gallon increase on average.

Yesterday, Crude Oil hit yet another record high of more than $135 a barrel before easing

downward in later trading.

When is this madness going to end? Will it end? Will it ease up at the pumps a bit after Memorial Day weekend has passed. Only one can hope!

Anyone working on alternate means of transportation? If you are, I’d love to hear from you!

And, if anyone knows of a lesser costly station, please Let Us Know!

With that being said, here is today’s gas price update.!

1. FRED MEYER (Fairview & 5 mi.) $3.60
2. SHELL- (Goldstone & Eagle Rd.) $3.71
3. MAVERIK- (Overland/ Locust Grove) $3.79
4. CHEVRON- Ustick & Venable $3.86

Please note, gas pricing can change. I sure hope the change is, in fact, for the better!

Time to go for a walk now!!!

Talk soon,

In a recent article on The Wall Street Journal’s website, Cyril Moulle-Berteaux, managing partner of Traxis Partners, LP, gives his opinion of the current housing market, and says “The Crisis is Over”.

Mr. Moulle-Berteaux has some very valid point. He states that the housing market is hitting the bottom right now, stating “For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005. That probably won’t happen for another 15 years. It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor.”

I think this is an article well worth reading and can be viewed here.

I’d love to hear your opinions!

Talk soon,

HousingPredictor.com recently named Boise Idaho among the Top 25 Appreciating Housing Markets for 2008.

Boise ranked #20 on the list with an expected 3.5% increase.

The Top 25 list is scattered around of the U.S. from East to West, and is showing a strong trend in which people are moving to smaller, less urban cities seeking a better quality of life. The Treasure Valley fits that bill quite well, doesn’t it?!

Idaho has gained a reputation for a higher quality of life than many other areas of the country, and is one of the most business friendly states in the nation.

Boise’s economy has been going strong for nearly five years, and it’s predicted to outpace the national economy in 2008 with a growing population fueled by job growth. New employers, including a handful of the nation’s largest companies have chosen to make Boise their headquarters.

The credit crunch has just begun having an impact on Boise’s local housing market, but we should weather the mortgage melt down well, despite an increase in foreclosures. Home building has been quite a bit slower than in past years, which should act to at least partially protect the market from major price declines. Housing Predictor forecasts Boise home sales to be off last year’s pace in 2008 and record appreciation of just 3.5% on the average home.

Click here to read the article and see the full list.

If you’ve been thinking about buying a home, now just might be the right time! And a hint to the ‘fence-sitters’ who are waiting for the bottom of the market to hit- well, you know you’ve reached the bottom when the bottoms hit and it’s too late.

Give us a call or email us if you have any questions or have decided that now is the time to make the move.

Talk soon,

In my last post, I was talking about making sure your house is in “Selling Condition” IE, Clean and Tidy, when it’s on the market.

It got me thinking about the Realtors that had these listings, and if they we’re telling their Sellers the “Whole Truth”. Did the agent let the Seller know that it would be wise to straighten up the house? Did they give them the neighborhood breakdown and let them know that the homes theirs would be competing with were, if anything, tidier?

It’s a pretty uncomfortable conversation when we’ve got to tell someone who’s thinking about selling that they need to clean up a bit. But, in my opinion, it’s also a necessary conversation.

When Gary and I take a listing, we give 100%. We want to make sure that our clients, the Sellers, get the best service possible- and this sometimes means having those not-so-comfortable chats.

We (Realtors) typically don’t struggle too much when talking about price (we have the cold-hard facts, taken directly from the comparatives that are listed/ sold in the neighborhood).

But when it comes to discussing personal issues- cleaning up clutter and mess, putting a lot of the personal items out of sights, making sure the family pet is not going to maul a Prospective Buyer- it’s sometimes a real toughie…

We never want to offend anyone. But isn’t it in their best interest to hear the truth? To have, if you will, a new set of eyes looking around- You bet ‘cha! We live in our houses day-in and day-out. Sometimes a fresh prospective is just what we need.

And even if it means having a short, out-of-my-comfort-zone conversation, I’m going to have it. I want to make sure my Client gets the BEST service possible.

So, if you are selling, or thinking about selling your house, make sure to let your Realtor know you want to hear ALL they have to say about your property. No sugar coating. It’s what’s best for YOU.

If you’d like to receive a FREE market analysis of your Home, Contact Us.

Talk soon,

It’s a tough thing, living in the home you have on the market.

Having to make sure everything is in tip-top shape all the time; even with a hectic life.

Sellers upset because the market is not that of 2005. Stick a sign in the yard and receive multiple offers.

Gary and I were out previewing homes for 2 different clients today. We looked at over 16 properties.

Want to know what still amazes me? With all the grief the current market gives sellers, there are still some owners out there who have homes that are FILTHY.

I just don’t get it. Someone obviously wants to sell their house when they seek out a professional, have it listed in the MLS, and then have their Realtor put a For Sale sign in the yard, right? I’ve been in Real Estate for some time now, and that’s been the impression I’ve always been under.

So why, when I walked into a few of the homes I was previewing, were they a mess? Some downright dirty and disgusting? These weren’t Bank Owned Foreclosures. They weren’t short/ distress sales. Just everyday folks trying to sell their house-

Cleanliness really does make a difference when someone is looking at your home.

Wipe the counters down. Insist that the kids pick up their clothes. Clean the toothpaste out of the sink.

I can guarantee you you’ll see a better return on your investment if you do just the basics.

WHY SHOULD YOUR HOUSE BE NEAT & TIDY AT ALL TIMES WHEN SELLING:

• Prospective Buyer’s have a hard time looking through your clutter.
• A clean house smells fresh- a plus when a potential buyer walks in.
• Tidy Houses look larger. Clutter makes everything feel smaller and closed in.
• If a Buyer walks into a home that is un-kept, the Buyer is thinking that there are probably hidden problems that they can’t see- The “Did These People Care Enough to Take Care of This Home” thought process.
• Houses that aren’t clean make our job, as Agents trying to possibly sell you property, very uncomfortable.
• Agents are more apt to show homes that are in “Showing Condition”.

So why wouldn’t you? It’s only going to help you in the long run.

If you’d like a FREE list of tips on selling your home, CONTACT US.

Talk soon,

Are you a yard sale junkie? Looking for a trash to treasure moment? Looks like this is the weekend to find your hidden gems!

The Banners are everywhere. Neighbors are gathering the belongings they no longer love, and offering them to to a new loving home- yours!

So put on your walkin’ shoes, grab plenty of h2o (it’s going to be a scorcher this weekend!) and head out!

COMMUNITY YARD SALES

• Bench Depot Neighborhood (Boise)

More than 20 family garage sales in the Bench Depot Neighborhood!
Between N. Latah and Crescent Rim Drive
Friday, Saturday and Sunday -May 16, 17, and 18

Addresses, days, times, and sample items below.

Crescent Rim
3108
3109 (Fri 9-3 & Sat 8:30-2)
3214
3220 (Fri & Sat 8-2-ish) Canning items, frames, pictures, quality bears, yoga, camping, pretties
3701 (entrance off Meadow, Sat 9-?) Furniture, fish tank & supplies, household goods, canopy

Meadow
3405 (Fri & Sat 8 - ?)
3528 (Fri, Sat & Sun 8 – 3) Library of books, power tools, furniture, camping items, household, AC, SS sinks, BBQ, building supplies, bikes, toys, sports items
3615 (Sat 8 -?) Antique brass bed, housewares

Morris Hill
3227 (Sat 8-3) Household items, toys, misc
3301 (Sat & Sun)
3315 (Fri & Sat)
3324 (Sat 8-3) Household items, furniture, misc
3500

North Pacific
500 (Sat 8 ) crafts, jewelry, misc.
512 (Sat 8 ) washing machine, W/D combo, household, misc.
517 (Sun, north of Morris Hill)

Kipling
3314 (Sat)
3302 (Fri only 8-4)
3509 (Fri & Sat 8-2) 100s of rubber stamps, paper, scrap-booking supplies; Games, books, toys, stuffed animals, PS2 w/ games; Wooden bar stools; home-schooling books

Camrose
3313 (?) Oak chairs, firearms / ammo, misc

• Bristol Heights (W Boise)

Located off of Eagle Rd. & Chinden

• Hobble Creek (Boise)

Hobble Creek Subdivision is behind Target in Northwest Boise. Cross streets are Eagle and Chinden.

Has a reputation for having lots of participants and lots of great stuff. Come and see us this Saturday, May 17!

• Valley Forge (Boise)

Neighborhood garage sale Saturday May 17th 8:00am to 3:30pm
4088 Valley Forge Ave, Boise, Idaho
Corner of Valley Forge Ave and Gloucester St.
Normal Yard sale items and Furniture

• Cornerstone (Boise)

Multi-Family, Neighborhood wide garage sale. One entrance off Cloverdale, two off Amity.
Saturday, May 17th, 8 am - 3 pm

• Charter Point (Boise)

SATURDAY FROM 8AM TELL WHENEVER. WE ARE MOVING AND NEED TO GET RID OF ALMOST EVERTHING. COME CHECK OUT WHAT WE HAVE. WE ARE LOCATED IN THE CHARTER POINT COMMUNITY OFF OF LAKE HAZEL BETWEEN 5 MILE AND MAPLE GROVE. FOLLOW OUR YELLOW SIGNS!

• Countryside Estates (Eagle)

More than 20 homes with sales…furniture, pool table, 1998 Jeep Wrangler, 1968 convertable VW Bug, tools, gardening supplies, toys, children’s clothing, decorative pillows, deep freezer, and lots more.

Cross-streets are Ballentyne between old State Street and Floating Feather.
Saturday May 18th 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

• Brookwood (Eagle)

Saturday May 17th starting at 8:00 AM

Subdivision is in Eagle off Eagle Road just north of Floating Feather. Once in the
neighborhood just following the signs!

• Eagle Pointe (Eagle)

Eagle Pointe NEIGHBORHOOD Garage Sale on SATURDAY, May 17 from 9am to 2pm.

Floating Feather to Salishan Ave (3 streets from Hwy 55 across from Lexington Hills). *** Lots of great items! ****Lots of sales! ****

MAP: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/2295+E.+Gleneagle+Dr.++Eagle++ID/

• Island Woods (Eagle)

Eagle Road and Island Woods Drive.

Island Woods Community Garage Sale Saturday May 17, 8 am to 12 pm. Multiple Homes Participating. Furniture, Toys, Clothes, Housewares, Books, Collectibles and so much more.

• Two Rivers (Eagle)

North on Eagle Rd from Chinden, West on Island Woods (into Two Rivers Sub), East on Grand Island, North on Arbor Island Follow the signs… See you there.

• Banbury Meadows (Eagle)

Saturday, May 17th, 8am
Neighborhood Yard sale. Banbury Meadows Subdivision. (On the golf course).
Eagle Rd, North of Chinden. Enter on Oakhampton or Colchester.

• Heritage Commons (Meridian)

Neighborhood Garage Sale in Meridian. Saturday May 17th -8 am. Heritage Commons Subdivision on Locust Grove between Ustick and McMillan.

• Bear Creek (Meridian)

Bear Creek Neighborhood Spring Yard Sale Fri. & Sat. May 16 & 17th . 8am-3pm
Located between Overland & Victory Road off Stoddard Road (west of Meridian Road)We are the neighborhood behind the new LOWES on Overland Road.
Look for Bear Creek City Park & start shopping.The whole subdivision is on sale!

• Birtchstone (Meridian)

Subdivision is on the Northwest corner of Ustick and Black Cat Rd.

• Hunter Pointe (Meridian)

Many homes to shop from, many quality items to choose from! Furniture, Toys, Bikes, Summer Clothing of all sizes, many Name Brands. Electronics, microwaves, quality home decorations, sporting goods, bedding, tools, etc… Come take a look, you’ll be glad you did!!

Saturday all day! Come early for best selection!!!

• Summerfield (Meridian)

Located off Ustick and Locust Grove

• Meridian Greens (Meridian)

MERIDIAN GREENS SUBDIVISION (CORNER OF SE 5TH & OVERLAND)
OUR SUB IS HAVING A COMMUNITY SALE. SATURDAY MAY 17TH.

• Tuscany (Meridian)

Saturday - May 17th - 8AM to 2PM
Please check out Tuscany Subdivision’s annual neighborhood sale.

Tuscany is located two blocks south of Victory Rd. off of Eagle Rd.

Check out www.tuscany-meridian.com for the size of our neighborhood- it is huge. It reaches from Eagle Rd. all the way past Locust Grove! Tuscany’s Village is just off of Victory and Locust Grove.

• Chateau Meadows (Meridian)

Something for everyone!!!!! Begins at 8:00 am!!!

Entrance off of Locust Grove. behind the Fred Meyer. (between Fairview and Ustick)

• Paramount (Meridian)

MULTIPLE FAMILY SALES ALL IN ONE COMMUNITY! SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE! BEGINS AT 7 AM.
ENTRANCE OFF CHINDEN (BETWEEN MERIDIAN & LINDER)
OR
ENTRANCE OFF LINDER (BETWEEN MCMILLAN AND CHINDEN)
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!!

• Goldcreek (Kuna)

We’re located in Goldcreek Subdivision off of Deer Flat Rd between School and Ten Mile.

• Schoolhouse (Kuna)

Friday May 16th 9am-3pm, Saturday May 17th 9am-3pm

Kids Clothes Mens and woman clothes Bikes Home decor. The list go’s on. Please visit the School House Sub on Friday and Saturday for a YARD SALE!!!!!!!!

Just come into Kuna and make a left on Swan Falls. Go south over the tracks and make a right on Sunbeam. Next make a left on Jake and as you come up to a 4 way intersection make a right on Playground into School House Sub.

• Hillside (Star)

Neighborhood Yard Sale in Hillsdale Subdivision Saturday May 17, 8am to 3pm. West Deep Canyon Rd off of Highway 16 north of State St (hwy 44).

• Sherwood Meadows (Nampa)

OFF CHERRY LANE BETWEEN FRANKLIN AND IDAHO CENTER ROAD - SHERWOOD MEADOWS SUBDIVISION! LOTS OF GOOD THINGS TO BUY, COME SEE WHAT YOU CAN FIND!

• Houston (Caldwell)

Community Yard Sale in Huston. Take Hwy 55 West and turn rt. on Pride Ln. at the Post Office. Travel approx 1 mile until you see the old Huston Mercantile, turn rt. at the Mercantile and the road loops thru the community.

Over 10 families will be participating. Lots of interesting stuff! Don’t want to miss it!

Have a Fabulous time Yard-Saling!

If you have an upcoming neighborhood/ community event you’d like me to share on the blog, just shoot me an email!

Talk Soon,

Those new jumbo-conforming mortgages, created by Congress to make homes in high-priced areas more affordable, are finally getting cheaper.

Late last week, many lenders slashed their rates by about one-half of a percentage point on jumbo-conforming loans - mortgages between $417,000 and $729,750 that can be guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The rate cut makes them nearly as cheap as standard conforming loans below $417,000.On Monday, the rate on a 30-year fixed-rate jumbo-conforming loan with no points was around 6.125 percent compared with 5.875 percent for standard conforming and 6.75 for regular jumbo loans, according to Julian Hebron, a vice president with RPM Mortgage in San Rafael.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac generally require higher credit scores, better income documentation, larger down payments and lower debt-to-income ratios on loans between $417,000 and $729,750 than on smaller loans.

Housing Market Conditions

Existing-home sales are projected to trend up in 2008, with pending home sales showing a slight near-term rise, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of REALTORS^®. However, a recovery for new-home sales is unlikely before 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the worst part of the credit crunch has already worked its way through the data. “The unusual mortgage disruptions that peaked in August were clearly seen in lower home sales that were finalized in September and October, so the market was underperforming. Now that mortgage conditions have improved, some postponed activity should turn up in existing-home sales over the next couple of months” Yun said.”

Existing-home sales are likely to total 5.67 million this year, the fifth highest on record.

If you have any questions regarding current interest rates as well as any mortgage related topics, please feel free to contact Cheri.

Cheri Ure
Source Mortgage
Phone: 208.794.0533
Email: cheriu@srcmtg.com
Website: www.srcmtg.com/cheriu

Talk soon,

Aside from real life flesh and blood human beings GOOGLE is my best friend.

I spend a lot of alone-time with Google- it’s a window I always have up on my computer screen.

In a recent post, I told you about STREET VIEW. Googles cool new 360 degree view of homes, neighborhoods, streets etc.

After a quick map lookup today, I stumbled upon “EXPLORE THIS AREA”.

Google now provides a platform for users to add their photo’s of the area, videos that relate to the search, as well as “USER MAPS”.

How Fun! Users can create various maps of the area and post directly to Google. There are maps of the Foothill Trails, parking locations for the trail systems, things and places to do things in Boise +…

Try it for yourself! Go to Googlemaps.com, type in Boise, Id (or any other city you’d like!) and look at the left hand column. Click on EXPLORE THIS AREA and play away!

Make sure to click on the pictures on the map too- we’ve got some pretty talented photographers here!

Happy Googling!

Talk soon,