A rosy outlook for the neighborhood

All throughout 2019 in Neighborhood of the Week, local real estate agents and experts in North Idaho spoke of steady growth and a healthy homes market.

New construction continued to thrive (admittedly resulting in longer build times for some buyers) and North Idaho remained a seller’s market. Prices on existing homes continue to increase as well. In October, The Press reported the median price of a home in Kootenai County was $305,000, about a 9 percent increase from 2018.

Those figures are consistent with what agents have been telling me all yearlong, which means congratulations, Realtors! I didn’t catch you in any big lies this year!

While this column space can’t predict the future, it can repurpose some information from a Press story by Mike Patrick on Dec. 11 about economist Dr. John Mitchell’s annual presentation to the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce. Mitchell reported steady job growth in Kootenai County, and he touted the Coeur d’Alene metro area as the fourth highest housing appreciation rate in the country as of the third quarter. Spokane, by the way, was fifth in the nation, according to Mitchell. So stop picking on them!

That’s all good news for those looking to sell in 2020. Buyers should probably expect prices to continue their upward trajectory. Luckily, you have Neighborhood of the Week to help you search out the deals.

Sure, constant drama in Washington, D.C., and a looming presidential election could have some impact on everything, but the “right now” and the “pretty soon” are looking good.

Attention Realtors!

Now we’ve come to an annual tradition: Scolding the real estate agents in the area for not reaching out to Neighborhood of the Week more often. The people of North Idaho want to know about all the new developments in our area, and they want to hear about underappreciated neighborhoods with good value and vibes.

Yes, I drive around looking for this stuff all the time, but you can help me out occasionally, right? It’s great exposure for both your listings and your overall business. If you sound smart and personable in the paper, then people will want to work with you!

A recap of the Neighborhood of

the Week rules:

We try not to repeat specific areas within a year of previously covering them, but you can always write in and offer reasons for covering them again.

While we don’t usually feature individual Realtors more than once or twice a year, there are plenty of reasonable exceptions. If you have been featured recently, perhaps you know a colleague with an inside track on a new development or noteworthy neighborhood. Help that colleague out and suggest they reach out to me.

We don’t feature specific properties in a neighborhood, but we try to provide a spectrum of prices and the types of homes available. This means we’ll likely be talking about your listing in an indirect way.

The article will include the featured real estate agent’s contact information, including phone number, email address and website. Free advertising!

So reach out. And readers, share your ideas for what you want to see in Neighborhood of the Week. Contact Tyler Wilson at twilson@cdapress.com.