Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Waterfront Homes For Sale I had an opportunity this week to spend an evening out at Beauty Bay visiting with some clients of mine.  They have a spectacular Coeur d'Alene Lake waterview home for sale, and it always a treat to get to "work" in their "neighborhood!" I snapped a few photos on my way home, as the sun was starting to set.  You may not know that Beauty Bay, in addition to being the location of a public Coeur d'Alene Lake boat launch on the north side of the bay, and a wonderful Boat Park on the south side of the bay, envelopes some spectacular protected wetlands on the western end of the bay.  It has been adopted by the Coeur d'Alene Audubon Society. The wildlife and waterfowl that congregate there are a splendid sight... 07/30/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist  Here's an interesting glimpse of the Coeur d'Alene real estate market activity in the luxury home segment beginning at $1,000,000.  The statistics in this report cover Coeur d'Alene area luxury home sales during the six month period immediadately proceeding July 29, 2011.  224 - Number of Active Listings  6 - Number of Pending Listings13 - Number of Closed listings2.7% - Pending Ratio37.3 - Months of Inventory (Assumes all Pending listings close) 65 - Number of expired listings$1,922,699 - Average Original List Price of Sold homes$1,573,131 - Average Final List Price of Sold homes$1,398,269 - Average Sale Price88.9% - List to Sales Price Ratio -Based on Final list price241 - Average D... 07/29/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFT - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate It's Where is it? Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene Idaho!  Take a look at the photo below and see if you can guess the location from which the photo was taken. Coeur d'Alene is such a spectacular place to call home, with beautiful sights and sounds at every turn!  Be the first to identify where the photographer was standing to take this photo and you will win a quirky prize when you pop by my office to say hello.  Hope to see you soon!   07/27/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate Market Report The market statistics are in for second quarter 2011 real estate activity in and around Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  Let's take a look at the sales statistics for a variety of popular Coeur d'Alene, Idaho neighborhoods for the second quarter of 2011. CDA Place - The most sales in the 2nd quarter occurred in CDA Place with 18.  The average sales price was $224,522 and there were only 2 distressed sales of either a short sale or REO. The Landings at Waterford - Next comes The Landings with 16 closed sales in the 2nd quarter of 2011.  The average price was $169,337 but look at the number of distressed sales!  Almost 50% - 7 homes - were sold as either short a short sale or REO!  Hawks Nest - There were 12 sales ... 07/26/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Real Estate   I thought it was interesting to learn that Coeur d'Alene has a forest of "street trees" managed by the Urban Forestry department of the Parks Department.  Did you know that it is the responsibility of every property owner to assist in the care of our city's trees? Coeur d'Alene's Urban Forestry ordinance sets tree care standards and gives guidelines for the care and maintenance of all public trees and shrubs.  Public trees include all those growing in the city rights of way such as the grassy area between the sidewalk and curb.  On those streets without a sidewalk, the city could own a right of way of 4 to over 20 feet inside your property.  The Urban Forestry department can check your address if you aren't sure w... 07/22/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Short Sale Homes for Sale Coeur d'Alene Idaho Short Sale Success Stories - By the Skin of Our Teeth! Any day that I have a chance to notify a client of mine that their Coeur d'Alene short sale has successfully closed, is a GOOD DAY! Today is such a day, another Coeur d'Alene short sale success story and happy ending. I can breathe a sigh of relief to know that I have succeeded in the challenging job I was hired to do nearly a year ago - to bring about the best possible outcome for a weary homeowner fighting valiantly to avoid foreclosure.  When our official approval letter finally came on this one, it only gave us two weeks to get it closed.  That HAD to be a mistake, and I was sure that I could get our negotiator at EMC Mortgag... 07/20/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho It's Where is it Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho! Here we are again, ready to play Where is it Wednesday in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  I am really curious to see how fast my Facebook friends can figure out this one.  Normally they are LIGHTNING FAST! This photo was taken last fall from the vantage point of one of my listed properties.  Who will be the first to identify what neighborhood we are looking down on in this picture? Winner will receive a prize, and all you have to do to collect it is stop by my office to say hello and pick it up!  Ok, where is it in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho??????   07/20/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Homes for Sale This week I paused from my work to pay tribute to one of two local young men who lost their lives on August 7, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq.  The procession from the airport to the funeral home went right past my office. It was with a lump in my throat that I watched the family cars following the remains of Spc. Nicholas W. Newby as the procession went by.  My son, Spc. Dallas Rankin Scharf, walked away unhurt from the blast that killed his buddies.  There but for the grace of God, go I.   07/17/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale It's not exactly a news flash to those of us who live here in beautiful Coeur d'Alene Idaho.  But once again we have made the A list on a national scale.  Well, actually a pair of them this past week. Coeur d'Alene has been spotlighted by two notable media entities extolling our virtues. Forbes Magazine placed Coeur d'Alene as 18th on its list of "25 Top Small Metros" in its July edition. And Yahoo! Travel put the Lake City as Number One on its list of "8 Perfect Summer Lake Towns." These just add to the accolades that Coeur d'Alene, Idaho has received in recent years.  Like I said, not big news to those of us who are blessed to live here.  We get to experience all the fantastic aspects of Coeur d'Alene first hand... 07/14/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale Hey gang, you know the drill.  Be the first to guess the whereabouts of this picture and you win a quirky prize!  True to form, last week's photo was solved in lightning speed on my Facebook wall.  Let's see how you do with this one! WHERE in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is this picture taken, and WHAT in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho are we looking at? 07/13/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale With no time to spare, here is this week's installment of Where is it? Wednesday.  I have had a wonderful day welcoming my visiting son and daughter-in-law and two beautiful granddaughters from Colorado, as well as my daughter from Utah.  My house is full of family and fun!  I didn't get a chance until now to post, but it is officially still Wednesday for those of us on Pacific Standard Time! Thanks to my sister Kerri for the photo below, taken Sunday at the Coeur d'Alene Ford Ironman Triathlon.  Where is it, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho?  Specifically, where is the location of the Ironman finish line?  Be the first to answer correctly (which usually happens pretty quickly on my Facebook wall) and you win a quirky priz... 06/29/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes For Sale It's officially Ironman week in Coeur d'Alene Idaho, so I decided to post an Ironman picture for this week's installment of Where is it? Wednesday! I took this picture along the route at last year's Coeur d'Alene Ford Ironman Triathlon.  I love to watch the triathletes from various vantage points, all day long.  My favorite time to be a spectator, though, is at the finish line, as the midnight deadline approaches.  Long after the elite athletes have crossed come the "regular" folks who set big goals and persevered to go the distance - usually in spite of tremendous obstacles to be overcome. There is nothing more motivational and inspiring, and moving.  This picture is another no brainer for local folks.  This week... 06/22/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, SFR, CLHMS - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale Here's today's installment in my Where is it Wednesday series.  Can you be the first to identify just where in Coeur d'Alene Idaho this picture was taken?  I'll warn you, the puzzle has been being solved in record time on my Facebook wall.  So, this week I have upped the degree of difficulty a smidge.  Winner gets a fabulous quirky prize that can be claimed by dropping by my office to say hello! Where is it?     06/15/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale For all you music lovers out there, it is time to mark your calendars for the FREE Summer Concert Series 2011 at beautiful Riverstone Park off of Northwest Boulevard in Coeur d'Alene.  I have some photos of the park on my YouTube video below, I'm sure you'll like what you see! Riverstone is a lovely venue, located along the Spokane River and beside a private pond with a big fountain painting a backdrop just as pretty as a picture! The Coeur d'Alene Arts & Culture Alliance free summer concert series runs from July 7, 2011 through August 25th, Thursday nights from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Did I mention that the concerts are FREE? July 7th will be the Pat Coast Band playing Blues, R&B and Roots Rock.  (I've never heard of ... 06/15/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes For Sale It's common knowledge that more than 90% of all buyers begin their search for real estate online.  I've seen statistics as high as 94%, and I don't doubt it for a minute. Along with the consumer's love affair with the internet came the mindset that print advertising is like throwing money down a rat hole.  Statistics are pretty grim as to how effective it is in selling a property. Barely measurable.  In general, I don't doubt that for a minute, either.    However, there are times when I do believe it is worthwhile to have my listed properties in print publications along with every possible internet real estate search site.  This is one of those times.  In the next few weeks Coeur d'Alene will be hosting the Ford ... 06/09/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Homes for Sale This Wednesday has been fast and furious, but it's still Wednesday so here is the latest Where is It ? Wednesday post for you to solve. This location is somewhere within the city limits of Coeur d'Alene.  Have you been there? First person to guess correctly the location where this photo was taken wins a fabulous quirky prize.  To receive it, you just need to pop by my office and say hello!  I'll warn you, the past Where Is It ? Wednesday mysteries have been solved fairly quickly on my Facebook wall.  06/08/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale I snapped this picture in February of 2010.  It was a beautiful, sunny February.  The golf courses were open, flowers were blooming and spirits were soaring.  In complete contrast to this years's wet and gloomy spring, but let's not go there... The first person to correctly guess the location where this picture was taken wins a quirky prize when you stop by my office to collect it! I'm not sure if this will be as easy as some of the others, but I think it just might be.  I imagine most of us who grew up in Coeur d'Alene spent some time here, ice skating or fishing.  I remember horsing around with my friends one night on thin ice when I was a teenager, falling through the ice, and fortunately surviving that as well... 06/01/2011

This Memorial day dawns soggy and gray in beautiful Northern Colorado.  I'm visiting my son and his family in Fort Collins, winding down a week of spoiling my beautiful granddaughters.  We will shake the doldrums in the morning by following my son's family tradition of taking flowers to decorate the graves of veterans in the local cemetery.  It's how they are teaching their children to pay respect to those in our armed services who devoted themselves to the protection and preservation of our liberties, and the liberty of countless others around the world.  My sister Kerri Thoreson is an accomplished photographer as well as award winning writer of local newspaper print and online columns. Her columns are rich with glimpses into the lives and faces of our local neighbors. She posted an al... 05/29/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale If you are trying to sell your house, one of the pieces of information that should be factored into your pricing strategy is the absorption rate for homes in your specific community and PRICE RANGE.  Absorption rates vary WIDELY from town to town and neighborhood to neighborhood, and also from price range to price range within those communities. An absorption rate will tell you, based on current market activity, how many months, or even years, it should take to get your house sold in our current market, at a particular price.  The formula is really very simple if you have the statistical info that you need. Let's say you have a home to sell for $250,000.  And let's say that there were 10 homes that sold for $250,0... 05/07/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, CLHMS, GRI, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Waterfront Homes For Sale I've been working on a waterfront Comparable Market Report this afternoon and thought I'd go ahead and post some of the information for you. I subscribe to a series of a dozen Total Market Overview Reports each week which gives me a wonderful glimpse of the real estate market in the greater Coeur d'Alene area.  What is so useful with these is that the information is broken out statistically, by price range as well as community and property type.  I have reports for Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Rathdrum, the Silver Valley, Spirit Lake, and Sandpoint.  Then there is a report for the greater Coeur d'Alene area which is a composite of stats for all of the above.  Then, there are separate reports for multi-fam... 05/06/2011