Real Estate News
Stay informed on major Kootenai County real estate news. Browse our articles below.
Landowners, Adams district, Nez Perce Tribe restore 1.25 miles of the Little Salmon River
Fencing cattle off of streambanks can make a significant improvement in an area’s water quality
Two sides to foreclosure
Of course you know we are seeing a pretty active market in foreclosed and short sale properties this year. So far this year, roughly 40 percent of our residential sales have been of foreclosed properties. All indic…
Time really is money
You must have seen the news last week as headlines screamed, "Rising Homes Sales Point to a Recovery." It seems that the economy is so slow that any news is good news, although the discriminating reader is bound to…
Statistics show balancing act
March real estate sales figures show a geographical shift in activity. The long impoverished Rathdrum area showed a dramatic 77 percent increase in sales this year to date, although overall our sales are down 1 per…
Time is not on your side
If you are a homeowner in distress, time is running out for an emergency home loan. As reported on Friday, these programs made available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are for fo…
Glimmers of hope
Unemployment figures are falling. Not enough to make everyone happy, but after the long, job scarce market, any news of higher employment is welcome and at least some are happy.
Mortgage rates, tax deductions help homeowners
We continue to watch mortgage rates as their status remains tentative. The Federal Reserve is scheduled to stop buying Treasury Bonds at the end of May. Most agree that this will surely cause an increase in mortgag…
A little housekeeping
Every once in a while we like to bring you up to date on a variety of issues that may be important to you, but don't warrant a full column. Today is one of those days so here are some short bits of information you …
Foreclosures, sales increase
Driven by low prices in many areas of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) area, sales of single family homes on less than an acre are outpacing last year's sales. While Coeur d'Alene and the northern portion of the …
Sales are neck and neck year over year
Many of the agents we spoke with last week are saying they are busy so we wanted to see why. On Friday, we checked the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service to see how the market was stacking up to last year. Reme…
Seniors have housing options
The longer we stay in a home the less we use it. Or so it would seem. Many seniors are discovering that the house they loved, the home they raised their families in, now seems massive. Often they discover that they…
Discount for foreclosed homes widened in 2010
LOS ANGELES - The gap between the average sale price of a foreclosed home and that of other properties grew wider last year, giving homebuyers who snapped up bank-owned homes big discounts.
Seller beware of scam artists
These difficult economic times have some people grasping at straws for ways to make ends meet. This presents opportunity for "quick fix" scam artists that can rob people of the equity in their homes. Usually these …
White House wants less government in mortgage system
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration wants to shrink the government's role in the mortgage system - a proposal that would remake decades of federal policy aimed at getting Americans to buy homes and would probably…
Rising mortgage rates cause concern
Although our customary check of the Idaho Housing and Finance Association's website on Friday showed their rate held at 4.88 percent for a 30-year mortgage, other lenders are seeing increases in those rates. Freddi…
Industrial chic goes suburban
The builders of the early 20th century's factories and warehouses would be amazed. Elements used back then to create sparse, utilitarian workspaces - things li…