In the $500,000 to $1,000,000 range of homes on Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho, I'm not doin' too bad. In October I closed a home on Sunnyside for a very nice couple from Virginia. The home was originally listed for $1,200,000. Through negotiations, we saved that couple almost a half million. Then, just yesterday, I closed a transaction for a home in Ponder Point on the lake for another couple from Virginia. Nope, they don't know each other, but soon will. I'll be introducing them to one and other in just a couple of weeks. Same story with this home. Significant savings. It is great to help wonderful families find million dollar homes for way under that price. Lake Pend Oreille, as the second largest natural freshwater lake in the West is pristine and perfect for this kind of fam... 06/21/2011

At last I've broken the 100,000 point mark. I promise much more to come. Gary Lirette and his love O'Hally enjoying life 06/20/2011

I was at a closing for a waterfront home today I was attending for my client. While I am very happy to be one of the few selling waterfront homes, I couldn't help but note how lovely the old building was. I listed a new waterfront home Thursday for $779,000 on Bryce, soon to be on the MLS. Anyway, the building houses First American Title Co. in Sandpoint and used to be our Public Library. So, not only did I have the good luck that comes with hard work in closing a great home for my clients, but was able to enjoy the nostalgia of a beautiful Sandpoint Landmark. Here are the pics: 06/20/2011

As I was driving through Sandpoint the other day, I couldn't help but note that Chuck's Slough is in full bloom. Pretty beautiful. What do you think? 06/20/2011

Living in Sandpoint definitely has its rewards.  Being a Coldwell Banker Realtor® on Schweitzer Mountain is reward enough...no doubt, but coaching the Sandpoint High School tennis team takes "rewards" to a whole new level. It's all about the kids and these kids are amazing!  This Spring, Sandpoint won the District championship for the 3rd straight year and qualified a record 12 players for State!  The Sandpoint girls not only won Conference & District championships but also won the Idaho State Academic Championship with a cumulative GPA of 3.87!  The boys team suffered an "anemic" 3.5 cumulative GPA.  In other words, not only are these athletes skilled at the game of tennis but they are true scholars, as well! It has been my pleasure, once again, to coach these kids...I'm sure I've lear... 06/05/2011

It has not been a "perfect Spring" for most of us this year...Sandpoint included.  It was nice to wake up this morning to a real Spring day!  After 3 hours of tennis this morning, one hour devoted to real estate and a few hours working in the yard...this is how the day ended.  A "Corona Moment".  It doesn't get much better.  Happy Memorial Day weekend!   05/29/2011

As another beautiful summer shines upon Sandpoint, Lake Pend Oreille, and North Idaho the NEW Dover Bay Café is updated and upgraded by the experienced restaurateur Gary Peitz and his team. You will remember fondly his Dish Home Cooking was featured in Country Living magazine and voted the Best New Restaurant in Sandpoint. Gary and his family gave a comfort zone to dining in Sandpoint. Also returning is Eddie Sneva who won the annual cookoff at the Sandpoint Summer Sampler. Many of the great and popular menu items will return, augmented by fresh seafood to compliment the experience of waterfront dining, with fare that leans on a Pacific Rim flare. Tired of fighting downtown parking? Dover Bay Café is just two miles from downtown Sandpoint with plenty of parking. The Dover Bay Café take... 05/14/2011

So, music was scheduled, but electronics and rain don't get along. Still, there was fresh bread and produce, bric-a-brac, and all sorts of sundries at the Sandpoint Farmers Market today. Anyway, I showed up early and took some pics: Rick Evans of Evans Brothers Coffee Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine and host of the Tuesday noon local radio shows: North Idaho Business as well as North Idaho Arts. E-mail Gary or call 208-610-1384Read Gary's BlogFor more detailed local info & real estate Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty 200 Main StreetSandpoint, Idaho 208-255-3474 www.SandpointID.net - To learn all about Sandpoint and North Idaho www.RealtySandpoint.com - For Sandpoint Realty www.SkiSchweitzer.net - To visit Schweitzer Mountain's Community Web 05/07/2011

National Day of Prayer was Thursday. It was held in Farmin Park at noon for a time of prayer. Many groups from area churches were there along with live music. Pastor Craig was on the 1400 am KSPT radio at noon sharing prayers over the airwaves. The rain held off and the turnout was great. Nice to see so many people in town on a Thursday for a good event. Sandpoint Church of the Nazarene, First Baptist Church of Sandpoint, Sandpoint Assembly of God and many other churches were represented there along with individuals just wanting to participate in raising their hands and voices to God in a positive way. The theme for this year was "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," and this 60th rendition was televised nationally. It has been called ‘Conservatism with a heart' and events and televised broad... 05/06/2011

So, there are some trails that are not exactly legal, like the one off Brisboys and Lakeshore, or the Pend Oreille Bay Trail. Why go on one of those when there are so many great ones to choose from in North Idaho? Here are two great trails that are perfectly Kosher: North Idaho Bikeways - Sandpoint Biking Trail Map ...and Dover Bay has nine miles of paved trails Mountain bikers and hikers have long known how totally outrageous North Idaho is for the sports for some time. But in 2005, when the NORBA National Championship was held at Schweitzer Mountain, the rest of the world found out our little secret. There are so many great runs and trails, it is hard to quantify. However, we will try to do just that in this web. Hiking in and around Sandpoint and North Idaho can vary from simple flat... 05/03/2011

Nine years ago Lisa and Tom Guscott gave up the corporate life in New York and started their new life in Sandpoint, Idaho. Theirs was a storybook romance. Lisa had been a model and Tom worked the corporate world. They came here looking for a simpler life. The early years were fun and trying, Lisa with a new baby and the two of them starting a new life opening Arlo's Ristorante right next to the Cedar Street Bridge on Sandpoint's main drag, First Avenue.  They originally opened the restaurant with Lisa's brother, Chris Arlo, but soon the couple took over the reins, and Arlo's has become a Sandpoint landmark. Many of the menu items come from recipes that Lisa inherited from her grandmother. How cool is that? They had not been open long when a pair of geese started nesting on their balcony... 05/02/2011

Have you ever been so busy you wonder if you are actually accomplishing your real goals? I have had a good and busy week. Last week I added another million dollars in listings, and will add another mil next week. On Monday I will be finalizing an offer for a home in the $800,000 range. The client found me through my internet presence, which is considerable. I had a very good radio show last week, and the guests were pertinent and entertaining. You can read about them in my previous blogs. I also had a very good cooking demo at Yoke's Friday. My part-time job as Wine Buyer/Steward for our premier gourmet store is right up my alley. In 1997 my first book, Passion for Wine, put me on this path. Love this gig. This week I was also invited to be a guest blogger on the VisitIdaho.org website.... 05/01/2011

As another beautiful summer shines upon Sandpoint, Lake Pend Oreille, and North Idaho the NEW Dover Bay Café is updated and upgraded by the experienced restaurateur Gary Peitz and his team. You will remember fondly his Dish Home Cooking was featured in Country Living magazine and voted the Best New Restaurant in Sandpoint. Gary and his family gave a comfort zone to dining in Sandpoint. Also returning is Eddie Sneva who won the annual cookoff at the Sandpoint Summer Sampler. Many of the great and popular menu items will return, augmented by fresh seafood to compliment the experience of waterfront dining, with fare that leans on a Pacific Rim flare. Tired of fighting downtown parking? Dover Bay Café is just two miles from downtown Sandpoint with plenty of parking. The Dover Bay Café takes... 04/28/2011

Several years ago I had the great pleasure of meeting Jackie Henrion and Dan Earle. Dan was displaying his art at the annual show I used to host: the Midwinter Art Fest. This particular year the show was at the Cedar Street Bridge. The last one was at Dover Bay Resort, and each one was pretty successful. How do we measure success? For me, that was when most of the artists sold art. Click the link to see how the last one went. Dan not only had his art on display, he was painting demonstration art. While he did this, his beautiful wife was playing music. The combination was enchanting. So, last week I invited the two of them to appear on my show. Their love story is what captured me. See, Jackie was taking an art class years ago, and Dan was the model. According to Jackie, by the end of t... 04/27/2011

I stopped at Tango Cafe on the way to my weekly meeting for Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty at the Panhandle State Bank. Tango Cafe is a great place to have breakfast or lunch. You can eat in the beautiful lobby or even relax with your cup of Joe upstairs overlooking the water feature while surfing the web on the Wi-Fi provided. A couple of years back Judy Colegrove took over the reigns there and the cafe has done well since. My friend Justine is one of the perpetually smiling staff, and it might be the friendliest place in town. I was asked what it is we do in our weekly meetings in the auditorium-like conference room upstairs. If your REALTOR's company is not having these kinds of meetings, they might not be keeping up. Every two years every REALTOR must have a mini... 04/27/2011

I have this great part-time job as Wine Steward at Yoke's in Sandpoint. This is the #1 wine store in Yoke's chain and I am very proud of the selections there. In my book Passion for Wine published in 1997, I claimed that Washington state wines were the best in the world. I am not ashamed of that claim, though I was widely ridiculed then. In the last decade, the Wines from Washington have garnered more awards and ratings above 90 points than any other region on the globe. While to a large part of the nation, we in North Idaho are depicted as low-brow and uncultured, our store sells more wine than beer. The buying populace is sophisticated, and I appreciate that aspect of our community. Every Friday afternoon from 2:30-5pm I put on a cooking demonstration at Yoke's, often with an accompan... 04/26/2011

For a couple of years two Sandpoint landmarks have sat in Purgatory. Both the K2 Inn and the Coit House B&B had been owned by Gary Peitz, who sold them to an operator who went under. The new owner had done some nice upgrades to the Coit House, but has gone unsold in spite of a generously low price. The K2, long a ski haven in the winter and great priced place for rooms all year round was sold, renovated, and they had their ribbon cutting today at 12:15pm. Unfortunately I was at a wine tasting (story to follow) and could not be there. However, they did have a soiree this evening featuring food from Thai Secret Cafe, Arlo's, Ivano's, and Eichardt's. There was live music, and the rooms showed off well. Here are the pics: K2 Inn in Sandpoint Live music at the grand opening soiree at the K2 ... 04/26/2011

Today I will be presenting three great wines at Yoke's plus Banana Cake and finally a Strawberrry Sabayon. The wines are two of the great Columbia Crest Grand Estates new releases: Amitage and Moscato. The third we are making the Sabayon with: Barefoot Bubbly Moscato Spumante. I do this every Friday from 2:30 - 5pm. It's a great chance to try some new wines and see how some chef's dishes are prepared. Since we are primarily sampling dessert, two of the wines are dessert-like in quality. Plus, we teach you the proper sequence when drinking wine with sweets. The third is a Meritage (from the words Merit and Heritage) and is a full, Bordeaux-styled wine. Please join me for some fun and food thie Fresh Friday. Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine and host of the Tuesday noon l... 04/22/2011

Today on my North Idaho Arts & Adventure show I had the good luck to talk for a few minutes with Bill Collier. Bill is a Vietnam-era helicopter hero who, with some other army buddies, brought a H-34 Helicopter to Sandpoint to be used as a memorial. It arrived today about an hour after my show. I was in the 1/1 Cav and am totally in awe of these guys. I said to Bill, "These were like flying tanks right?" He corrected me by saying, "More like flying soda cans." These guys would take to the air, damn the bullets that passed right through the aluminum skins of their helicopters, and save lives. This is a great idea. I'll let you read the story in the Army Times here: Idaho veterans acquire helicopter for memorial I related the story about a soldier who was here on leave last year that I rec... 04/19/2011

Anyone who has listened to my North Idaho Arts & Adventure radio show knows I have a special place in my heart for Lake Pend Oreille. We all do. Time after time I have heard the story about how when first approaching Sandpoint crossing the Long Bridge, a love affair with this place has kindled from virtually every person who has ever been here. I have had the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Conservancy on the show several times. We all have the same goal. Preserve our majestic and pristine clear waters and forests. Today Jennifer Ekstrom of the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper visited the studios to talk about the Lake. Just this last weekend the DSBA and Waterkeeper held the annual cleanup of Sand Creek. According to Jennifer a record number of people turned out to help with the efforts. 37 peop... 04/19/2011