Joint venture brings the true picture
This Tuesday is a big day for folks in Coeur d'Alene. Yes, it is Valentine's Day, so don't forget your sweetie, but it is also the annual Real Estate Market Forum presented by the joint Spokane - Kootenai Real Estate Research Committee.
This annual event will be held this year at The Coeur d'Alene Resort and will feature informative speakers to provide details on all aspects of real estate and how it affects each of you. If you like statistics and want a true picture of our area's real estate issues, status and projections, then you should plan to attend.
Experts will address the employment market and the changing demographics of our area, with an analysis of trends to give us all an idea of what the future may hold for our area. Dignitaries from the Department of Labor, Employment Security and the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Analysis are among our local presenters.
Experts from a variety of industries will also be speaking about our current status and what they project for our future in the way of employment and investment opportunities. Mining, Arts, Industry and Lending are all topics that will be covered in the morning session. There will also be reporting on several areas of real estate; single family homes, apartments, investment real estate, office and retail. All these reports answer many questions we as Realtors are regularly asked, the most frequent being, "How's the market?"
This forum, projected to be attended by 500-600 people is our annual dose of data that is always informative. We are fortunate to host this event in the Lake City and attract visitors from all parts of North Idaho and Eastern Washington. We often see interested investors and real estate practitioners from Montana and other areas as well which is a testament to the value of the information presented.
One particularly interesting draw this year is our keynote speaker, Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors. It is indeed a rare opportunity when little Coeur d'Alene gets a visit from a speaker who is in great demand from associations around the country.
Mr. Yun of course will talk about the national trends of the real estate market and forecasts for the other, most often asked question; "When will we see the bottom of the market?" If you really want to know what the current market conditions are you will be well served to attend this event. If you do attend, you certainly won't be disappointed by the information you receive in easy to digest capsules for all things real estate related and how they affect our economy, locally, regionally and nationally.
The forum begins at 8 a.m. and adjourns at 1:35 p.m., which leaves you plenty of time to dash out and get that Valentine's gift before dinner time. Please contact the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors to reserve your seat.
Trust an expert... call a Realtor. Call your Realtor or visit www.cdarealtors.com to search properties on the Multiple Listing Service or to find a Realtor member who will represent your best interests.
Kim Cooper is a real estate broker and the spokesman for the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors. Kim and the association invite your feedback and input for this column. You may contact them by writing to the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors, 409 W. Neider, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815 or by calling (208) 667-0664.