Dover Bay Waterfront Resort has selected a core team of Real Estate Agents to represent most of its property sales, including Bayside South condos, Parkside Bungalows, Cabins in the Woods, Cottages at Dover Meadows, Bayside North and Reedwalk Homesites.  This new team is comprised of myself, PJ Nunley, Carrie LaGrace, and Brian Harvey, all with Jeff Bond's team at Tomlinson Sandpoint Sothebys International Realty. TSSIR has and will continue to be the Listing Broker representing the sale of properties owned by Dover Bay Development.  This change has simply reduced the number of Listing Agents on the Dover team.  And rather than having two agents responsible for different neighborhoods, the four of us now form a core team sharing equally in the responsibility for all listings. What this ... 11/07/2009

First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended Into 2010! Plus...A New Tax Credit for Certain Existing Home Owners! It's official. President Obama has signed a bill that extends the tax credit for first-time homebuyers (FTHBs) into the first half of 2010. This program had been scheduled to expire on November 30, 2009. In addition to extending the tax credit of up to $8,000 through June 30, 2010, the extension measure also opens up opportunities for others who are not buying a home for the first time. So Who Gets What? 
The program that has existed for FTHBs remains intact with the one exception that more people are now eligible based on an increase in the amount of income someone may now earn. Additionally, the program now gives those who already own a residence some additional reasons to mo... 11/06/2009

Friends of Chris Owens, local residents and the logging community host a fundraiser to benefit the Owens Family. Chris Owens is a 30 year old Sandpoint native who was paralyzed in a logging accident August 17th, 2009. Chris is the father of three young children 3 ½, 2 and 5 months old.   Owens Family Fundraiser November 7th, 3:00=10:00 at the Bonner County Fairgrounds 4203 N. Boyer Ave, Sandpoint Idaho 83864 Dinner will be catered by Ivano’s and a no host bar provided by A&P’s. Please come help our Chris and his family get through these hard times. 11/06/2009

      Sandpoint Realty is a proud sponser of the Lake Dance Film Festival.  Joel Whitaker of Laser image played a great role in getting this pulled together this year.  The Historic Panida Theater is located at 301 1st Ave, Sandpoint. Tickets for the event are $8 for film blocks, or $6 discounted for seniors (55+), Active Military and Students over 18 with ID. Workshop tickets are $25 or $20 discounted for seniors (55+), Active Military and Students over 18 with ID. Festival Passes are $38 or $28 discounted for seniors (55+), Active Military and Students over 18 with ID. Festival Passes are transferable. Tickets and passes may be purchased at Lakedance.com and picked up at WillCall, which is located at The Panida Box Office and will be open one hour before all film blocks and workshops ... 11/06/2009

As we move into Winter, we are all expecting to see another 6 months of stimulus with the extension and expansion of the Home Buyer Tax Credit.  The current proposal being worked through the Senate keeps the First Time Home Buyer with an $8,000 credit and for people with ownership for 5 years or more a credit of $6,500.  We will keep our eyes and ears open as they iron out the unemployment bill that this extension and expansion is attached to.   Here is a solid commentary on the market from Mortgage News Daily, written by Victor Burek. Mortgage rates ticked higher yesterday as prices of mortgage backed securities were pressured lower by a selloff in the long end of the Treasury yield curve.   To remind readers, as prices of MBS and Treasuries fall, their yields or rate increase...price ... 11/05/2009

Lakedance Film Festival has gone through some changes since its beginnings four years ago. Its founder, Trevor Greenfield, wanted to bring a world-class event to small-town Sandpoint, Idaho. In the first year, there was no major sponsor, and the event was in the red. For the previous two years, Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort sponsored the film fest, and last year they went into the black, making a small profit for the first time. Schweitzer declined to be the backer this year, and Laser Image stepped in. Good timing too, because Lakedance was named to the Top 100 Film Festivals this year. Three years ago I started the Cedar Street Bridge art show called the Sandpoint Art Break as a two-day event that was put on in support of Lakedance. I have also catered the special events during the f... 11/05/2009

When Where to Retire magazine approached me about being interviewed for a feature article, I wondered why they would choose me of all people. Still, the reasons they gave were compelling. With so many REALTORS® dropping out of the business, I have had several closings this year. As the radio host of two successful shows on North Idaho, there are few people that know the region better. As an avid community supporter, sponsoring and volunteering for dozens of charities and events, there are few people that are bigger cheerleaders. Finally, they learned from several sources that I was the guy to talk to. The article is very accurate about Sandpoint, and there were no misquotes. If you would like to read it, follow this link to Undiscovered Haven: Scenic Sandpoint, Idaho This website sponso... 11/04/2009

With over 100 websites, there are few private individuals that can compare with my web presence. While in a company meeting, our broker, Jeff Bond, suggested that having YouTube videos would help a website's position in Google. So, using my tiny netbook, I put two videos on one of my sites right then and there. This year those websites are on target to get over 450,000 hits. The websites range from pure real estate business, to art, community support, and a variety of other fields and interests, all about Sandpoint, North Idaho, and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. Other REALTORS® have to pay web pros to do their sites. They have to hire people to create content and write material. I am a Flash animator, with several published books and works, and have created all content, designed the s... 11/04/2009

Having just closed on 333 Derr Island - a beautiful waterfront home on Derr Island at the mouth of the Clark Fork River and Lake Pend Oreille - I can truthfully say that there are hardly any other  agents in North Idaho that have had more success in 2009 selling waterfront than I have had. My waterfront sales have included Bryce closed at $749,000, which had an asking price of $719,000. I also have sold Raptorview for $50,000 over asking price, and got a fantastic water view parcel for another young couple just a month ago for over $200,000 less than just two years ago, and for half of what is being asked for a similar lot in the same development. Another area that I have excelled in is in finding waterfront listings priced well below the rest of the market.  For instance, Derr Island w... 11/04/2009

Fred and Trevor Greenfield have contributed greatly to the cultural aspect of Sandpoint by bringing us the Lakedance Film Festival.  In its fourth season at The Panida Theatre, the Lakedance Festival is now one of the top 100 festivals in the country.  The event started on October 31 with a 'Horror on the Lake' Halloween special, airing four of the scariest movies of all time including Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead.  It then picked up last night for the actual opening night and will take place each evening through Saturday.  The first evening was devoted to North Idaho Filmmakers, a category this is growing each year and provides a unique opportunity for our local aspiring filmmakers. Evans Brothers Coffee, a new coffee roasting business owned by my brother and I,... 11/04/2009

This isn’t what I signed up for when I became a Realtor®…I don’t think. "The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences." — Chris McCandless, (Super Tramp from “Into the Wild”)   The above quote quite adequately sums up my involvement with the Sandpoint Association of Realtors (SAR) HARVEST PARTY last night.  Long story short…I played the role of Dracula in the Haunted House portion of the event and, in so doing, stepped far out of my comfort zone.  The fact that my wife was on the HARVEST PARTY committee and is also the vice president of the SAR MLS pretty much sealed my fate.   My “nature” would not typically allow me to volunteer for a role such as this but, in this instance, my “nature” was not part of the equation.  I squirmed a little, but I quickly realized this was a path I... 10/31/2009

SANDPOINT, IDAHO QUARTERLY MARKET TRENDS Here's a look at what happened in Sandpoint, Idaho in the third quarter (Bonner County).  I like the fact I can make some comparisons between the current quarter and the 2009 second quarter report and the third quarter in 2008. This was actually not a bad quarter for Sandpoint homes (relative to the general state of the economy).  We have seen an 11% increase in the number of homes sold and basically unchanged average sales price since the same time last year. The "remaining months inventory" has lowered in the under $250K range, which is encouraging, but the upper-end homes are still troubling...almost a three year inventory.  Overall inventory has decreased 25% from the same period last year...a very good sign.  A slow recovery appears to be ha... 10/26/2009

SANDPOINT TENNIS...FALL EDITION If you read my blog with any regularity, you'll find I am pretty impressed with North Idaho and Sandpoint, in particular.  There are many reasons for being such a "Babbit" for the area...world class skiing (SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT), world class lake (LAKE PEND 'OREILLE - 5th deepest lake in the U.S. and not overly cold), spectacular mountains (SELKIRKS, CABINETS, BITTERROOTS) and unlimited activities for sport enthusiasts. ...But you know what is really cool?  Sandpoint Middle School is one of the VERY few Middle Schools in North Idaho to have an organized tennis program.  This is just another reason to consider Sandpoint for your next home.  "Lifetime" sports are definitely a priority for the residents of this community. As the tennis coach for both t... 10/21/2009

I think it was ad-out in our doubles match today when we all had to take a break (A POETIC MOMENT) and gaze at what was happening in the park outside the courts...you've got to have priorities in life.  (By the way, I was playing with my lender and one of my clients.  Real Estate never rests.) It was a little cloudy but warm, calm and beautiful here in Sandoint, Idaho. 10/18/2009

New Zealand never received the brunt of the September 29th earthquake, as predicted, but they sure got a nice rainbow out of it.  The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude-8.0 earthquake, the world’s largest in two years, that struck south of Samoa. Waves reached at least 20 feet high in parts of American Samoa and swept more than a half mile inland.  This photo was taken by my daughter (a New Zealand resident) from Takapuna Beach outside of Auckland during the event.  That is Rangitoto Island several miles in the distance across the Pacific.  (The sea was up a few feet, but no giant surf). The photo below was also taken on September 29th, but in Sandpoint, Idaho.  That is Gold Hill, a few miles across Lake Pend Oreille viewed from my dock on Kootenai Bay.  If we had a rainbow, the visua... 10/10/2009

The Sandpoint Farmers Market takes place every Wednesday from 300-530pm and on Saturdays from 9a-330p.  For our size community to support two weekly markets from May into October is pretty cool in and of itself.  But this one always seems to have solid support from both the farmers and vendors, to the locals who make it a habit to buy their groceries at the market. My wife and I only recently started going to most of the Markets, and we're really hooked now.  Since we have been at the Market over the past few weeks, we've gotten to know most of the farmers who are just awesome additions to Sandpoint and the North Idaho community.  Most of these people are smaller scale family businesses.  You'll usually see all the kids chipping in to help out, talking to customers about the fantastic f... 10/06/2009

Sandpoint's Saturday Drama Queen - Lake Pend Oreille The whitecaps and rollers are invading from the North...aided by a 40 mph wind.  The snow covered peak is Schweitzer Mountain after a Saturday morning dusting. This is the scene from a new listing I garnered yesterday in Sagle, on the South shore of Lake Pend Oreille looking out at the shores of Sandpoint.       10/03/2009

SNOW!!!  THE SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!  TRAILS OPEN: 0;  LIFTS OPEN: 0;  NEW SNOW:  YES!   As I was driving up Schweitzer Mountain this morning, heading to my office in the Village, I noticed at about the 3,000 foot elevation the rain that has been invading the Sandpoint Valley below was turning a little slushy.  This phenomenon happens each Fall, of course, and my corresponding reaction is also the same each Fall.  OH MY GOD, THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!  There is going to be snow in the Village!   The first thing to do? …crank up KPND (the local eclectic and wonderful fm station) and ride it in!  I’m not the only one in Sandpoint who gets excited about snow.  SANDPOINT is a ski town, after all.  The next 10 minutes of the drive was consumed with AC/DC and the frenzied sound... 10/02/2009

SANDPOINT SUNRISE...6:25 a.m. When I wake up in the morning and see something like this, my first thought is, "This can't be real."  When I realize it is, I find myself crawling on the rocks trying to capture it.  As wonderful as this picture is (shot with an Olympus Camedia C-3030 camera...$150.00), it cannot give justice to the "real" beauty the universe decided to unleash this morning.   In the words of Tom Robbins..."When a person accepts a broader definition of reality, a broader net is cast upon the waters of fortune." Thank you Sandpoint, Idaho.  The world is a good place after all...         09/27/2009

Below is an email to my running friends with a race report about the Inaugural Sandpoint Half-marathon in Sandpoint Idaho.  It was a pretty course, well-organized and the people were just wonderful.  Very nice race and a nice addition to the running schedule.   Howdy everybody!  Numbers first, I guess.  I turned a 1:47:31 for the half which placed 4th in my age group, 52nd overall at the Sandpoint Half.  While it's a minute per mile slower than I ran 5 years ago, it's still really nice to be able to step to the line and race.  I didn't realize how much I missed racing. So the course - it's advertised as the scenic half and it lives up to that name.  The course takes off from the beach in the city center and, after a couple of left turns takes you out the long bridge across the lake.  It... 09/21/2009