Near the downtown holiday lights

Many residents were understandably saddened by the cancellation of the holiday fireworks and parade in downtown Coeur d’Alene due to COVID-19. It’s a disappointing break in tradition, but thankfully, because of science, technology and the rapid development of a vaccine, we should be more-or-less back to normal by next holiday season.

Plus good news! The holiday lights will still be on full display in downtown Coeur d’Alene and along the Boardwalk on through Christmas and New Years. Opportunities to enjoy the magic of Christmas in North Idaho remain, and all it takes are a few social distancing measures, face coverings and a slightly longer-tolerance for the frigid outdoors.

There’s nowhere quite as Christmas-y as the Lake Coeur d’Alene waterfront, and people from all across the region make it a tradition to visit downtown Coeur d’Alene during the holiday season for shopping, dining and festive “oohing” and “ahhing.” Some folks, however, are lucky enough to live within walking distance, and those who want to move there usually need a little luck and a good chunk of change to land a permanent residence. In this holiday kick-off installment of Neighborhood of the Week, we take a sampling of the home market within walking distance of this magical land.

If this column topic seems familiar, we actually ran a similar article last December, though there were so few listings downtown that we had to be creative about finding available homes near other community light displays. By comparison, we managed to find a few more options this year downtown, though they all come at a premium price.

In terms of availability this year, “near the lights” still means walking several blocks to the waterfront. Outside of condo options or commercially-zoned lots, the next closest available properties are located on Garden Ave. between 3rd St. and Government Way. Even those cater to a very specific buyer. One listing is a lot with potential to develop multiple condos on it, and the other is a five-bedroom, 3,000+ sq. ft. craftsman-style home on an expansive lot. Understandably, that one comes at a robust price - around $872,000.

A couple blocks north from there are two recently-pending listings: a four-bedroom, 2800+ sq. ft. home listed at $624,000, and a sprawling 4,000+ sq. ft. home with five bedrooms listed at $925,000. If you scoffed at the prices… well, you snooze, you lose, because they’re on the verge of being off the market.

Since we’re already heading so far north, we might as well look at a couple of newer listings at a more-attainable price. At Government Way and Idaho St. is a four-bedroom, 2,000 sq. ft. craftsman originally built in 1911 but with recent major upgrades to the basement, roof, air conditioning and more. Price: $495,000. Just think: That house has experienced two major global pandemics.

The other one close (ish) is a much smaller property at an appropriately smaller price - a 1923 built home with two bedrooms and just over 700 sq. ft. priced at $335,000. A similarly sized home a bit north and just off Government Way is pending with a list price of $309,000. Head east to 6th St. near Montana Ave. is another pending home - an almost 2,000 sq. ft. home with three bedrooms priced at $620,000.

Again, the term “close to downtown” is relative here, but with a comfortable pair of boots, you can be mingling in the holiday lights on the waterfront within a few minutes. After that, you need to head further north to Harrison Ave. for more listings. At that point, a car and a few bucks for parking will be your best bet to enjoy the lights.

In an upcoming holiday-themed installment of Neighborhood of the Week, we’ll explore some listings near other holiday light displays. Let us know about other locations around North Idaho near amateur and professional light spectaculars that we may feature in this column space.

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Real estate agents can 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. Contact twilson@cdapress.com