A hasty consideration of the Valley and Greenacres
Photos by TYLER WILSON Greenacres in the Spokane Valley has a healthy bunch of newer neighborhoods and homes that aren’t too far from the state line.
The Twin Bridges neighborhood near Greenacres.
Photo by TYLER WILSON A neighborhood in Greenacres near Liberty Lake and the Idaho state line.
We’re all about North Idaho real estate in this column space. Except for today.
Forget about the red state-blue state stuff for a minute and think about our mostly friendly relationship with our neighbors to the west. Folks there come to Idaho for many outdoor activities, and we head to Spokane for the “city” experience. It’s a good deal, and residents of Idaho and Washington come together frequently to complain about all those Californians.
Still, many in North Idaho scoff at the idea of living in Spokane, or, gasp! Spokane Valley, even when doing so might mean shaving 30 minutes off a work commute. Really, the Spokane Valley isn’t a half-bad place to settle down. And so let’s take one week out of 52 in 2019 to consider it. At least half-heartedly.
A surface investigation reveals the Valley as an affordable local option. According to data from Trulia.com, the median sale price in the Valley is $227,900, with median rent averaging $1,375/month. That’s a misleading figure for a few reasons, and you’re better off using a platform like Trulia to narrow the pricing based on your actual needs (more specific location, size of the home, etc.).
A deeper examination of the area reveals that not all parts of the Spokane Valley are created equal. It’s very much a community full of pockets. You’ll find some fancy, sizable homes in one pocket, and not far down the road you might find some older neighborhoods in need of rejuvenation.
That being said, let’s look a little closer at a Valley spot closer to the Idaho line — Greenacres, which is incorporated into the city of Spokane Valley. The average listing price this year is a little more than $272,000, down about 4 percent from the previous year, according to Trulia.
There are a number of new development opportunities in the area, starting with several larger homes popping up on Barker Road south of the freeway outside the main stretch of town. Some lots in a couple different new developments are for sale in the mid $200,000s. Meanwhile, there are some impressive finished homes for sale east of Barker and closer to the Liberty Lake area, with prices hitting all over the $400,000s (mostly for homes with 2,500 square feet or more. Some smaller but decently maintained homes closer to the main stretch of Sprague Avenue run in the high $200,000s and low $300,000s.
On North Barker road, between the freeway and the Spokane River features some more starter-level new construction priced from $255,000 to $335,000, with most averaging around 1,500 square feet.
Greenacres itself doesn’t impress with too many amenities, but it’s just a minute or so from the more sizable Valley options at Sullivan, and it does have a couple of decent public school options. The Central Valley School District is well-funded by recent supplemental levies, and new middle and high schools in development will serve many residents here, as well as in Liberty Lake.
One more consideration to mention — if you live close to the state line, you can still cross over into Idaho and feel like an Idahoan, especially when you want to save a little at the pump (the price of gas basically drops 30 cents as you cross the state line).
And visually, it looks about the same. You can see pretty mountains on both sides. As far as ideological concerns go, Neighborhood of the Week doesn’t play the politics game.
Phew. We made it. A whole column about how it might not be so bad to live in Washington. Now back to Idaho for the rest of the year.
- • •
Let us know about standout neighborhoods and developments to 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 confines of Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Rathdrum and Hayden.