Search results matching tags 'Caldwell Idaho Real Estate' and 'Idaho Real Estate'

Idaho mortgage rates plunge >> Huge one day drop

522844 — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:53:00 GMT

Did you know that mortgage rates took nearly a 1% drop last Friday the 28th of November 2008? This is great news for those looking to buy a home. Home buyers now have awesome interest rates to go with incredibly low prices on homes which include record numbers of foreclosures.

The federal reserve announcement last Tuesday the 25th of November, 2008 that it would spend 600 million dollars to buy up mortgage-backed securities and this news sent mortgage rates plummeting nearly 1 full percentage point on Friday, the largest single day drop in years.

One lender in my area quoted as low as 5.25% for 30 year conventional loans and 5.5% for FHA 30 year loans. With mortgage rates hovering in the 6-6 1/2% range for most of the year this is big news and a huge shot in the arm to a struggling real estate market.

I have been saying for months that mortgage rates needed to fall even below 5% to help our Idaho real estate market. With some of the best prices on Idaho homes in years this has to be one of the best home buying opportunities I have seen in my nearly 29 years as a licensed Realtor in the state of Idaho.

There is no guarantee this opportunity of low mortgage rates and bargain prices on homes will last long. Start your search for a home which includes bank owned foreclosures by going to Find My Idaho Home and contact me to get approved for a new loan. I have put my money where my mouth is and have recently purchased a bank foreclosure. Don't wait!

Idaho Real Estate Search >> Now includes Idaho Foreclosures

522844 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:03:00 GMT

Search over 13,000 listings in the Southwest area of Idaho in a new and innovative way. As of November of 2008 there is a new tool that will allow you the user to search all of the listings in the Southwest Idaho Regional MLS including Bank Foreclosures. You can also now search by percentage of price reduction and days on the market. This is totally new and includes searches for residential homes, investment real estate, farm and ranch and commercial real estate.

Not only can you search all listings by every member of the Multiple Listing Service but you can also save your searches and tell the system to email you any new listings that come on the market that meet your criteria.

Simply go to Idaho Real Estate Search and get started searching for your next investment in Idaho Real Estate.

Reasons to consider Idaho Real Estate to fund IRA's

522844 — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:31:00 GMT

I have written about this topic in the past but with the unprecedented buyers market we are currently in this topic certainly deserves to be reconsidered.

Unless one has been living in cave the past two years it is obvious that any retirement account funded by stocks or mutual funds has taken a huge beating. Experts are predicting that investment funds could experience a 25 to 30% loss before the fund/stock markets recovered.

Two years ago I was in a real estate class where the instructor spoke about the popularity of real estate to fund Individual Retirement Accounts. The instructor said that in many parts of the country there are companies that specialize strickly in guiding investors in the use of real estate to fund IRA accounts.

Basically your can take funds from an IRA and roll that money into Idaho Real Estate. You can use the funds to buy single family homes, investment real estate such as duplexes, triplexes, etc. and commercial real estate. You can even purchase an interest in an office building.

With Idaho Real Estate values at the lowest level seen in years and still falling we are seeing incredible opportunities for individuals to purchase real estate at near rock bottom prices and place these properties into your IRA. Even if these real estate investments were to double in value in three to five years, those gains would be allowable. It is very doubtful one can experience this upside appreciation in stocks or mutual funds.

In many areas of the Treasure Valley property values have dropped 25% or more and many foreclosures can be purchased at nearly 70% of what they sold for just two to three years ago. Real estate markets are cyclicle and historically have always rebounded. It is very likely that some great fortunes are going to be made by indivuduals that have the funds to purchase bargain priced real estate that is available today. I have heard several people tell me recently they wish they had money to buy real estate today. It makes a lot of sense to investigate the use of IRA funds to purchase investment real estate that has such an strong upside growth potential.

As always, seek legal and tax advice when considering any investment. As I have mentioned above, there are companies that specialize in the use of real estate to fund IRA accounts and will work closely with your, your attorney and or accountant. If you or your attorney or accountant would like the names of two or three of these companies please contact me and will happy to share some valuable information with you.

George A. Tallabas III
Associate Broker

7 ways to kill the sale of your Idaho home

522844 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 23:00:00 GMT

The Idaho Real Estate market has changed the past 24 months and no one will argue with that statement. I still find it interesting that many homeowners have not been given good advice in dealing with a challenging market. I hope these tips will shed some light on some very important facts.

1. Statistics are meant to be analyzed. Look at statistics in your area and see what trends are developing. The MLS system in southwest Idaho allows Realtors to create what is called a CMA Summary which is the most important piece of data that can assist in establishing the price of your home. This summary will display how many competing homes are on the market, how many have sold in the past six months, how many are pending sales and how many homes expired or were withdrawn. This summary breaks down the average days on the market, average selling prices and more importantly, the average asking and selling price per square foot which is the most important data. This report is imperative for anyone selling a home. Without this report there is no possible way to understand where the Idaho Real Estate market was, currently is, and where it is headed.

2. Let go of your pride. I have seen too many sellers let their pride get in the way of pricing their home. I once had a couple argue with me that their home was better than any comparable sale I showed in my report and that I had not given them any credit for many features their home had that were superior to any of my comparables. They totally ignored my recommendation and hired a "Discount Broker" and listed their home $20,000 higher than what I had recommended. Over a period of time they lowered the price of their home four times and eventually dropped the price below my original recommendation but by the time they lowered it the final time they had missed the market. Their home never did sell and it has now been two years since they first put their home on the market. You would not argue with your doctors prognoses. Please listen to a professional Realtor that has countless hours of classroom study and experience.

3. Get exposed. The Idaho Real Estate market has changed dramatically over the last decade. You will rarely see a sophisticated buyer look for a home in any kind of print advertising. The National Association of Realtors has reported that 85% of all buyers begin their home search on-line. How do you know if your Realtor has a good intertent presence? Simply go to Google, Yahoo or any other search engine and type in the name of your Realtor. If you see their name smoothering nearly every line on the first and second pages it is a good sign that your Realtor embraces the net. Ask your Realtor how your home will be exposed on the net and have them prove this to you. Forget about asking to see your home advertised in print. Print advertising has nearly gone the way of wagon trains. If your Realtor cannot guarantee you strong internet exposure for your home run as fast as you can Forrest!

4. Make your home easy to show. I can't tell you how many times I read "Shown by appointment only". This is a HUGE mistake! With all the homes on the market the last thing you want to do is to make your home difficult to show. I can assure you that if your home is shown "By appointment only" that it will be passed over by 99.9% of all Realtors. The inventory of homes is at an all-time high and many homes are either vacant or the sellers are motivated and very cooperative. If you can't allow your home to be showed easily I can guarantee you that your home will be in most cases passed by when showing schedules are made.

5. Demand your Realtor gives you Web exposure on Realtor sites! This absolutely shocks me but there are many homes that are submitted to the MLS where the Realtor has removed the listing from "Public Viewing". This is like taking a boat away from a water skier! The skier will simply go no where! What does "Public Viewing" mean? When your home goes into the MLS there are many Realtor sites like Idaho MLS Home Search that allow surfers to find your home. If your Realtor keeps your home from "Public View" it will keep your home from being viewed on literally every independent Realtor site out there. I cannot in my wildest dreams understand why any Realtor would hurt their seller like this but many do it. Make sure your Realtor does not do this to you and make them prove it by giving you a copy of the same MLS printout other member Realtors see.

6. Prepare your home to show. This seems like a no brainer but is often overlooked. When you decide to put your home on the market park across the street and ask yourself what you see. Many of us take for granted coming and going from home. Look at your homes through the eyes of a buyer. If you cannot do this yourself have a family member or friend do it that will be honest with you. "We all live in our home in a certain way but we need to prepare it for the masses when we decide to list if for sale". This means cleaning out closets to make them look bigger, de-clutter and get rid of too much stuff and keep your home light, open and airy. With so many homes on the market you need to set your home apart from the competition. This is easy to do and you will see the benefit.

7. Don't be stubborn with price reductions. Keep in mind you are competing with a lot of "Idaho Short Sales" and "Idaho foreclosures" which are selling at incredibly low prices. Many of these homes are in very good condition and you are competing directly against them. Like it or not these homes are forcing the average price of homes downward. If you have done everything right in marketing your home and it still does not sell in 45-60 days you need to make price adjustments until you attract a buyer. I know this is a tough pill to swallow but this is our current market and this market will be with us for at least two more years. The longer your home stays on the market without selling the more it gets "shop worn" and Realtors and buyers begin to ignore it.

Take these tips to heart and I can assure you that you will dramatically increase your chances of selling your home in a very tough sellers market.

All my best,

George

Communication and problem solving is the key

522844 — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:14:00 GMT

I am beginning to believe strongly in the saying "The more things change, the more things stay the same". This is certainly true when it comes to good old fashioned communication and knowledge. A few years ago a local farmer called me and asked if I would be his Idaho Realtor. He informed me that he was unhappy with his current Realtor and that I came highly recommended. After a discussion with my broker (the "other Realtor" was an agent in my office!) I decided to work with this farmer.

Three months into my listing contract with this farmer he calls me one day out of the blue to thank me for always returning his calls and for calling him on occasion just to see how he and his family are doing. At first I thought this was a joke. After all, doesn't every Realtor return calls and call their clients to see how they are doing? My client explained to me that he had worked with several Realtors in the past and I was the first to return his calls promptly and the first to call him regularly to see how his family is doing.

This farmer not only listed many farms with me but went on to refer me in excess of 10 million dollars worth of real estate business and continues to do so. Just two weeks ago I had another seller that had worked with many Realtors in the past tell me he was listing his home with me for the very same reason. He said he liked the way I communicated with him and he also had never seen this before.

About two months ago I took my favorite sunglasses into the local Walmart store because one of the screws would not tighten. After working on them for about fifteen minutes the lady assisting from the optical department came back and told me the screw was stripped and nothing could be done. I was really bumped because these sunglasses were my favorite. I didn't get rid of the sunglasses. I continued to wear them but they began to fit worse and worse.

Today I went back into Walmart to the very same optical department and a different lady helped me. I simply told here that one of the screws would not tighten properly. She told me to give her some time and come back. I finished my shopping and came back. To my pleasant surprise this wonderful lady had replaced the screw and the new screw worked fine. She also tightened the other screws and cleaned my glasses for me. My sunglasses now work beautifully!

Here were the very same pair of sunglasses and one lady could not or would not find a solution. Another lady accepted the challenge with a smile on her face and fixed my favorite sunglasses.

I am finding today that many Realtors that entered the real estate business the past few years entered real estate for the wrong reasons and are now leaving the business in near record numbers. The majority of the Realtors that remain are hanging on by a thin thread. What many of these Realtors don't do is 1) Communicate correclty with their clients and 2) Find creative solutions for their clients real estate needs. If it isn't an easy transaction they simply give up.

I have already explained how easy communication is. It is not rocket science and is what each and every one of you want. Even though I have been in real estate for over 28 years I am adamant about education and take numerous real estate classes annually. I have already this year alone taken four valuable classes that have clearly helped me with new knowledge to deal with the current real estate market.

I was raised on a row-crop farm here in Southest Idaho where challenges were very common. We always had to find a sulution on the farm and never were allowed to give up. "Thank you Dad". I love challenges and love to find solutions for those challenges. I can guarantee you communication and I guarantee you that if there is a solution for your problem I will consider it a challenge and will not give up until I have found a solution for you. This is why business is good for me in a year where success in real estate is very rare.

I thank all my customers and clients for making this a great year for me and I am anxious to prove to you that I consider your business a privilege and an honor.

Your Idaho Realt Estate Professional

Canyon County Idaho Posts Strong Growth

522844 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:50:00 GMT

While the vast majority of newcomers to Idaho headed to the most populated counties in 2007, new Census Bureau figures show slightly more of the people coming in from other states and nations settled in rural counties than in preceding years.

Based on county population estimates for July 1, 2007, just over 80 percent of the 35,500 increase in statewide population from mid-2006 occurred in the six counties with populations over 70,000. That compared to 84 percent of the growth between mid-2005 and mid-2006 and 85 percent from mid-2004 to mid-2005.

Those large counties - Ada, Bannock, Bonneville, Canyon, Kootenai and Twin Falls - accounted for 28,500 of the additional population, and only Bonneville County had a higher growth rate in 2007 than in 2006. Only Bannock County had a lower growth rate than the statewide average of 2.4 percent.

The new estimates covered the strogest 12-month period that the state economy has experienced in decades.

Statewide, the 2.4 percent growth ranked fouth nationally. Over 55 percent of the growth was the result of people moving from other states or countries, the ninth highest percentage amoung all the states.

Idaho's most populated counties rose 3.1 percent last year compared to 3.6 percent in July 2006 estimates while the rural population was up 1.3 percent compared to a 1.1 percent a year earlier.

Canyon and Jefferson counties wre among the fastest growing counties with over 10,000 population in the United States. Canyon County, which has benefited from living costs lower than neighboring Ada County, recorded a 4.5% population increase to rank 48th nationally, and Jefferson County, which is absorbing new growth around Idaho Falls, was up 4.3 percent to rank 57th. Canyon County posted a 4.9 percent increase in mid-2006 while Jefferson was up just 3 percent. Teton County with a population of 8,349 had the greatest increase at 6.9 percent.

Canyon County is only 15 minutes from Boise and approximatley 20 minutes from the Boise International airport. The affordability of homes and proximity to the capital of Boise has made Canyon County a popular choice of many relocating to Idaho and nothing appears to being slowing down this trend.

County Population Estimates, July 1, 2007
County	2007 Population	Change from 2006	% Change	Net Migration	Net Births
Idaho	1,499,402	35,524	2.43%	21,837	14,198
Ada	373,406	11,762	3.25%	8,301	3,630
Adams	3,546	66	1.90%	59	16
Bannock	79,925	459	0.58%	-430	890
Bear Lake	5,863	-47	-0.80%	-59	16
Benewah	9,243	32	0.35%	0	32
Bingham	43,466	377	0.87%	-170	544
Blaine	21,560	149	0.70%	-71	219
Boise	7,571	109	1.46%	94	21
Bonner	41,050	661	1.64%	580	99
Bonneville	96,545	3,012	3.22%	1,735	1,296
Boundary	10,872	259	2.44%	213	53
Butte	2,771	27	0.98%	2	27
Camas	1,102	35	3.28%	21	15
Canyon	179,381	7,797	4.54%	5,440	2,448
Caribou	6,862	15	0.22%	-26	42
Cassia	20,960	195	0.94%	-6	202
Clark	906	-1	-0.11%	-18	18
Clearwater	8,231	-40	-0.48%	-31	-10
Custer	4,166	58	1.41%	53	7
Elmore	28,856	475	1.67%	116	365
Franklin	12,203	173	1.44%	35	138
Fremont	12,517	112	0.90%	-19	138
Gem	16,496	198	1.21%	139	67
Gooding	14,250	75	0.53%	-27	109
Idaho	15,345	88	0.58%	66	16
Jefferson	22,851	940	4.29%	562	375
Jerome	20,066	402	2.04%	159	240
Kootenai	134,442	3,722	2.85%	3,008	792
Latah	36,299	173	0.48%	-23	192
Lemhi	7,717	-28	-0.36%	-29	-2
Lewis	3,581	-37	-1.02%	-44	10
Lincoln	4,497	105	2.39%	42	68
Madison	36,647	445	1.23%	-327	769
Minidoka	18,564	34	0.18%	-127	161
Nez Perce	38,932	384	1.00%	358	55
Oneida	4,106	14	0.34%	-13	29
Owyhee	10,835	82	0.76%	-4	90
Payette	22,751	610	2.76%	438	172
Power	7,684	11	0.14%	-89	99
Shoshone	12,838	-57	-0.44%	-39	-14
Teton	8,349	539	6.90%	413	127
Twin Falls	73,058	1,811	2.54%	1,289	562
Valley	8,945	272	3.14%	233	50
Washington	10,147	56	0.55%	33	25
Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Caldwell Economic Development for 2007

522844 — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 16:38:00 GMT

Caldwell Idaho is well positioned for economic development for the future. Commercial business growth has slowed due to the condition of the cool residential market but many good signs indicate Caldwell is well positioned when the real estate market sees improvement.

The new Title One building near downtown and the digital imaging facility at the sky ranch located east of Caldwell are wonderful and positive additions. The conversion of the former Idaho Athletic Club also added vacant office space to Caldwell.

A total of 276,422 square feet of industrial space in Caldwell is vacant and available for occupancy. Caldwell's vacancy rate stands at 12.5%. Most of this vacant space includes two large buildings which are vacant. Caldwell a lot of vacant ready for development which places it in a very good position for future development and expansion.

The major construction of the $25 million dollar Franklin Overpass east of Caldwell at I-84 is a massive reconstruction due to be complete in the fall of 2008. One of the most significant projects in Canyon County, the new overpass will upgrade the two-lane overpass at Interstate I-84 and the highway 20-26 with a six-lane bridge and longer ramps to reduce congestion.

Caldwell also saw continued work on Caldwell's Indian Creek Restoration Project which is uncovering and exposing many parts of Indian Creek as it flows through Caldwell.

Caldwell has become a major player in the commercial/industrial real estate arena and is well positioned to take advantage of the next round of strong economic growth.