Fourth afterglow - living close to the lake
Like many local residents this past week, our family enjoyed the July 4th festivities and parade in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The lakefront, city park and eclectic mix of shops and restaurants that stretches over to McEuen Park, the library and beyond is a vacationer’s dream, and we get to enjoy it all without dropping cash on lodging and travel expenses.
Maybe you want to enjoy it a little more often, or maybe you want to be close enough that you don’t ever have to pay for parking.
Neighborhood of the Week occasionally drops in on downtown Coeur d’Alene, looking more specifically at individual pockets, including the Garden District, Sanders Beach, the Fort Grounds area and even the condo/high rise options at the heart of downtown. For the end of this long holiday weekend, we’re going to look at the broader picture … as in, what’s it going to cost to live close to the lake?
It all depends on how you define “close walking distance.”
Simply typing “Downtown Coeur d’Alene” into your favorite real estate app will showcase the lakeview condo options, which can start at around the $400,000 mark and climb into the $1 million territory depending on location, size and amenities.
As for traditional homes, the active listings closest to the beach sit in the Fort Grounds area, with an almost 2,000-square-foot beautifully restored home with premium upgrades and three bedrooms listed at $600,000. Need some more space? A sprawling parkside home with six bedrooms and almost 3,500 square feet is within a block of the beach and listed for just over $1.6 million. There’s also a lot in a newish development near Memorial Field that’s builder-ready listed at $239,000. Remember, you still have to pay for the actual house.
A few more options await on the Sanders Beach side of Tubbs Hill. Yes, the waterfront homes still come with hefty price tags — $4.2 million will get you 6,000 square feet and lots of opportunity for fun, or go even bigger with a 13,000-square-foot property going for just under $8 million.
If you’re willing to walk a few blocks to the public strip of Sanders Beach, then prices come down nicely. Of the active listings, one or two blocks away will put you in the $600,000-$800,000 range. Put a few more blocks between you and the waterfront, and some intriguing opportunities await, from $550,000 for a nicely maintained 2,500-square-foot home to a two bedroom home with attic and basement expansion possibilities listed just under $400,000.
Your best options for affordable downtown living resides in the Garden District and the collection of older homes north of downtown between Government Way and 15th Street. Again, prices can really come down if you have a looser definition of close walking distance, but maybe think about what a bicycle can do for you? Anyway, you’ve got some wide ranging options here, starting around $250,000 for smaller properties and climbing into the $500,000 range for more space and/or recent desirable upgrades. Some of these homes are move-in ready, while others might need a more modern touch if you’re willing to put in the time and money.
If these options and prices seem unreasonable, then maybe reconsider the various parking options in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Compared to other areas, and especially what you see even in Spokane, parking is still cheap in North Idaho.
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Let us know about standout neighborhoods and developments that we may feature in an upcoming Neighborhood of the Week. Contact Tyler Wilson at twilson@cdapress.com.
Real Estate Agents, take advantage of Neighborhood of the Week by sending in your suggestions for featured areas, including sites outside the normal confines of Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls and Hayden.