Neighborhood of the week: Downtown Coeur d'Alene condos

If you're new to the area, you're not surprised at the sight of the high-rises downtown. But longtime residents of Coeur d'Alene weren't sure what to make of the new buildings when they first rose over Sherman Avenue.

"When the first condos began to appear in town, folks didn't know what they were," said Tom Fisher, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty and a North Idaho native. He told of people peeking into the buildings as they were constructed, thinking that they were hotels.

But once the condos - including complexes such as Coeur d'Alene North, Parkside, The Lofts, McEuen Terrace - were completed and the residents moved in, word quickly spread about the benefits of this new housing option. "It's absolutely the best lifestyle for Coeur d'Alene," Fisher said. "People never consider it; but once they do, a light goes on. 'We should have done this 10 years ago,' they say."

Coeur d'Alene North was first, opening in 1982. They've had very little turnover, Fisher pointed out; 75 percent of the original residents continued to live there until they no longer were able to.

"Years ago, everyone lived downtown," he continued. "Then folks began to move to the suburbs. Now, it's becoming popular to live downtown again."

Older couples were the first residents in the downtown condos, but now younger and middle-aged people are moving in - people with a lot going on, and not much time to spend maintaining a home.

Fisher said a lot of baby boomers are buying condos, as well. They're tired of maintaining a home, with all of the clean-up and buttoning-up necessary to prepare it for winter. "Everybody wants to visit, but no one wants to do the work," Fisher said.

The benefits of living in a condo are myriad. Condominiums offer full security, with secured entries and managers onsite. "It's not like a house," Fisher said. "No one can get in." Residents find their utility bills are much lower than they're accustomed to. With the common air in the hallways and condo units on every side of them, heating costs are usually less than in a house.

People say they don't want to live in a condo because they'll miss their yard or their garden, Fisher said. But once they move, they realize that they don't miss all of the work those things require and admit that didn't really like them that much, after all. "I have so much more time to do what I want," they say.

Living downtown offers a host of benefits. You rarely have to drive, Fisher pointed out. "It's convenient," he said. "You're walking distance to pretty much everything." And there is so much of "everything" downtown. "Coeur d'Alene makes every Top 10 list there is," Fisher said. The city has put a great deal of effort into making this a great place to live, including the wide variety of events that occur downtown each year. You're steps away from shopping and restaurants - or a quick bike ride along the Centennial Trail to the Kroc Center, Riverstone, or one of the many places accessible via the extensive trail system that crisscrosses our area.

Living in a condo is "like being in a motel," Fisher said. Residents have nothing to worry about. The building manager will collect your mail and water your plants when you're gone, even deliver your morning paper to your door. Most of the buildings are pet friendly, so you can bring Fifi or Fido with you. Each complex offers a different set of amenities to its residents.

"It's like being on vacation," Fisher said. He noted that people walk differently when they're on vacation: they stroll. Residents of the downtown condos seem to move at that slower pace; they have less to worry about. "They come downstairs in their slippers," he said. "You're living the great lifestyle of the rich and famous."

Prices of the condos downtown range from the high $200,000s to $2.75 million. Square footage generally runs from 1,000 to 2,500 square feet per unit.

The HOA dues are comparable in each complex, covering water, gas, sewer and maintenance (CDA North's are slightly higher due to the wide variety of amenities available, including cable, Internet, a salt-water pool, sauna, tennis, pool table, woodworking tool shop, and a common area that the residents can reserve). "You only have to pay one bill," Fisher pointed out.

Residents become fast friends, Fisher said. Parkside, for example, has four get-togethers every year. The HOA provides hot dogs and burgers, and the residents bring the rest. Ladies get together to play cards on certain days. "It's a family," he said. "The residents seem to be happy to have more contact with their neighbors."

You might never meet your neighbors in a regular neighborhood. Here, you're greeted when you arrive.

And then there are the views: the brilliant colors in the fall, the bright greens of spring, the blanket of white covering everything after a snowfall. "There's nothing prettier," Fisher said. "Between the lake and the mountains, we're so fortunate."

So, if you're weary of mowing, shoveling snow, weeding, and painting; if you imagine a life where you can lock your door and leave without worrying about frozen pipes or setting the security system, call Tom Fisher at (208) 660-9252 and discover how easy life can be in a downtown condo.

If you have a neighborhood you'd like to see featured in this series, contact Beth Hanggeli at (208) 659-8367 or bhanggeli@cdapress.com.