Resort Properties By The Lake - Finding The Right Lake Front Property Finding The Right Lake Front Property should be a great experience ... that is if you have the right agent! The first question that you should ask yourself is, "How do I find the right agent?" The answer is really quite simple, and it all comes down to the interview. Not your interview of the agent ... but rather that agents interview of you. The "Needs Analysis Interview" is the opportunity for any agent to get to know the needs of their client. Nobody wants to be pushed toward a property of someone elses choosing. Some listing agents may be trying to peddle their latest resort property listing. Who knows what you need better than YOU! Make sure that you select an agent that comes with an attitude of curiosity about ... 08/29/2010

Coeur d'Alene Parks - City Park Part III My Final entry on this important Coeur d'Alene park will be to mention some of the City Parks working features. Coeur d'Alene City Park Rotary Band-shell - the band shell is central to the park. Civic groups, events and annual activities al occur at the Rotary band-shell. It features a stage, restrooms and additional facilities. The shell, the cabana or any of the parks features can be scheduled through parks facilities coordinator for any event on a first come first served basis.   Coeur d'Alene City Park Cabana and Police/Fire sub-station   Coeur d'Alene City Park Sport Facilities include:           BASKETBALL                     VOLLEYBALL                     SWIMMING                     WALKING - with instructions on distance                 ... 08/28/2010

It may be a buyers market out there, but here's one little house that you can't buy at ANY price! Volunteers from Specialized Needs Recreation have been working for months to build a whimsical playhouse to raise funds for their organization.  $20 tickets for the 6-foot by 7-foot cedar playhouse will be sold through October 1.  Second prize is $300 and third prize is $200. The little house resembles a hobbit house, Scandinavian style.  The volunteers wanted it to look twisted as if it had 100 years of snow load on it.  There's nothing square about it except the floor! It has gables poking out of the roof at odd angles with a shotgun shack roof.  How much fun it would be to see my two tiny granddaughters playing in their own little fairy tale playhouse.  I'm buying a raffle ticket, cross... 08/28/2010

Coeur d'Alene Parks - City Park Beaches & Day Use As I noted in my first entry on Coeur d'alene's wonderful offering of Parks and Green spaces, Coeur d'Alene's City Park is in a manner of speaking the crown jewel of the park system. In the picture below showing the Lakes Public Shoreline at City Park it should be noted that the extensive green space of the park is to the left. This picture was taken on a cool day in late August and the interest in swimming was very low. On most days this beach is packed from morning to early evening, at which point the beach crew goes home and the sunset evening bunch comes out. Here is where the lake flows into the Spokane River. The history is evident on the river as the visiblity of mooring pilings dot the river. Logs were floated to this point and o... 08/28/2010

Mark your calendars for Thursday, September 2, for our Keller Williams Realty blood drive to benefit Inland Northwest Blood Center.  It will be held at our office in downtown Coeur d'Alene, at 1044 Northwest Boulevard, from 9:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m.  Sign up by calling my office at 208-667-2399, or online at www.myinbc.org with the sponsor code of KellerWilliamsNID. Come join us in donating the gift of life! From a grateful beneficiary: "If I could give you a gift in return, it would be to give you a peak into my kitchen window about 6pm any weeknight - to witness the chaos, hear the voices and laughter, and see the bountiful life in our home - because of you and your incredible gift." My son, Derek, turned 16 nearly a year ago.  He was excited this past year to be old enough to be a blood... 08/28/2010

Coeur d'Alene Parks - City Park Downtown Overview Of course Coeur d'Alene is known for its unparalelled beauty, and the abundance of parks offered to the public through the Coeur d'Alene park system are an added bonus to enhance even further the beautiful spaces that surround us. The Coeur d'Alene Parks Department offers a variety of different parks to choose from as detailed on this map. City Park is perhaps one of the key parks in the Coeur d'Alene Park System. Granted to the City in 1904 and located at the heart of the City of Coeur d'Alene, City Park echoes the pulse of the City. There are concerts throughout the summer. Art and Culinary events unfold at different times in and around City Park. Fireworks can also be enjoyed from City Park, whether at Christmas or during the 4th of J... 08/26/2010

Coeur d'Alene Wooden Boat Show 2010 The static display of the world famous hydro-plane boats was awesome. These boats raced on Lake Coeur d'Alene back in the day. All of that horse-power to drive a light-weight boat over the water. Miss Bardahl   The owner fired up the Miss Wahoo in the parking lot ... of the Coeur d'Alene Resort. The Coeur d'Alene Wooden Boat Show 2010 was a great success and a highlight of the year in my opinion. The cockpit on these monsters is a throw back to an age gone by. The newer boats have actual pods that protect the driver and separate in case of a catastrophic event. 08/22/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR Coeur d'Alene Area Waterfront Homes Sold in 2010 - Coeur d'Alene Lake, Hayden Lake, Spokane River Although inventory remains high and buyers are few and far between, there have been 21 closed sales of waterfront homes between January 1 and August 20, 2010 on Coeur d'Alene Lake, Hayden Lake and the Spokane River.  That more than doubles the number from last year at this time! These statistics reflect only the closed transactions reported through the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service. FYI, last year for the same period, there were only 9 closed sales of waterfront homes on Coeur d'Alene Lake, Hayden Lake and the Spokane River.  But of those 9, five were over a million dollars (71%), and one of those was $6,750,000.  This year, although there were ... 08/22/2010

One thing I am thankful for every day of my life is wonderful clients, friends and family who give so much pleasure and meaning to my life!  Today, we at Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene are throwing a party in appreciation for all of you.  If you have a chance to stop by, I would love a chance to see you and catch up on your lives!  The fun starts at 4:00 at the Eagles Pavillion at Cherry Creek Park on 15th next to the giant fireman's hat.  There are going to be two roasted pigs and all the luau fixin's.  Fun, games, prizes, entertainment and even supervised activities for the kiddies so the grownups can visit!  Bring your lawn chair and plan to stay awhile. There is no chance you will be seeing me in a hula skirt or wearing coconuts, but there will be hula dancers, and the lovely ... 08/19/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Chesrown signs The Club at Black Rock over to the bank I can't say I was surprised to read the news reports that Marshall Chesrown has signed over the assets of The Club at Black Rock to Washington Trust Bank.  The Spokane bank is reported to have had $12,000,000 in outstanding loans to Chesrown's LLC.  The assets of The Club at Black Rock, namely the golf course and clubhouse, are reportedly to be valued well over that amount.  The Club at Black Rock is just one more casualty of the dramatic downturn in the real estate market, and follows Chesrown's recent loss of other high-end developments.  Chesrown invested his own fortune in its development, and it has become renowned as a top rated golf course. One thing I do know about Marshall Chesrown is ... 08/17/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Real Estate Are Open Houses worth the risk?  I'm not so sure, what do you think? Today I received the following email from the executive director of the Coeur d'Alene Association of Realtors: Open Houses can be difficult with multiple groups touring the property at the same time. Here is a recent example from a CDA REALTOR as a reminder of how critical it is to monitor your visitors: "I got a phone call from my seller at CDA Place. They had a box of check books stolen from their house they believe from the open house we had on Saturday. Their account was completely drained.Because of the writing they believe that it was a woman. I'm so bummed that it happened on my watch!!! Although the bank will make things right, it's just a ... 07/29/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR, - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate July is well underway, which means the MLS numbers have been crunched for the first half of 2010.  It is interesting to get a statistical snapshot of the real estate market, year to date in the Coeur d'Alene MLS, as compared to the same time period in 2009. It is always interesting to challenge assumptions.  For starters, I would have thought that new construction sales this year outpaced last year.  Many of the production builders were building in entry level prices targeted specifically to the first time home buyers.  They provided stiff competition to resale homes in competing price ranges.   But through June, 2010, new construction accounted for 18% of all single family residential sales, compared to 25% of 2009... 07/13/2010

Summer in Coeur d'Alene Idaho is always packed full of fun stuff to do!  Three weekends ago we experienced Car d'Lane and ogled the cool vintage cars as they cruised for hours.  The town was full of people for the car shows, cruising, and car auctions that filled the weekend.  But, it was chilly, overcast and drizzly at times.  Gloomy.  There was no one in the water at Coeur d'Alene City Beach! Two weekends ago Coeur d'Alene hosted the Ford Ironman Triathlon.  Thousands of locals volunteered and thousands of athletes competed. And tens of thousands of spectators filled the town to the brim.  Officials almost let the competitors wear booties for the swim because the water temperature was still in the 50's just a couple days before the event.  Again, it was overcast, chilly and raining of... 07/10/2010

FREE Carriage rides in Downtown Spokane & Downtown Coeur d'Alene! FREE This is one of the reasons that I absolutely love living in the northwest. When the sun comes out and the air is warm everyone goes out doors to play. One example is the FREE Carriage rides in Downtown Spokane & Downtown Coeur d'Alene! You read it right ... FREE. So if you live in Post Falls, Liberty Lake, Spokane Valley, Rathdrum, Coeur d'Alene, Stateline, Otis Orchards, Veradale and Green Acres you are close enough to take advantage of this opportunity. Here is the web link: https://www.stcu.org/news/summer2010_carriage_rides.html 07/09/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Real estate dreams are still coming true in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho! Closing days are always good days for those of us in the real estate business.  But lately, the mood of so many distressed sellers getting taken to the cleaners has put a damper on what used to always be cause for celebration.  Today, I had a joyful closing with a happy buyer who is thrilled with her purchase! Sandy got a great deal, well under assessed value and she couldn't be happier.   Congratulations Sandy!  May all your dreams continue to come true! Adding to the pleasure is my favorite escrow officer, Heidi Simon.  The folks at Pioneer Title always come through for me.  I am so fortunate to have such a great team of affiliated professionals behind me.  Today was a GOOD day! 07/09/2010

During July and August, the Coeur d'Alene Arts and Culture Alliance presents a summer concert series at Riverstone Park in Coeur d'Alene.  Each Thursday from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. you can enjoy a free concert from a variety of local musicians.  Join the celebration on Thursdays from 6:00 - 7:30pm, July 8th - August 26th. Enjoy the lovely natural surroundings of Riverstone Park while music fills the air!  If you haven't yet experienced Riverstone Park, you are in for a treat.  It is beautifully located on a private pond near the Spokane River, on the Centennial Trail with a backdrop of timbered foothills.  July 8th: MotorBoatRock Hits from Yesterday and Today July 15th: Andy DayModern & Classic hits July 22nd: Ryan Larsen BandCountry July 29th: Ruth and FriendsMusic from the Great American So... 07/08/2010

4th of July in the Inland Northwest - Idaho & Washington If you are not sure where to watch fireworks tonight here is a list of local events as noted on several local news sites:   WASHINGTON: SPOKANE -- Riverfront Park, 10:00 p.m.; Avista Stadium after Spokane Indians baseball game LONG LAKE -- Lakeside Middle School, 10:00 p.m. DEER PARK -- Deer Park High School, dusk LIBERTY LAKE -- Pavillion Park, 10:00 p.m. PULLMAN -- Sunnyside Park, dusk MOSES LAKE -- across from McCosh Park, dusk SOAP LAKE -- North Soap Lake, late evening BENTON CITY -- Lion's Club, 1100 Ellen St., dusk PROSSER -- Art Fiker Stadium, Prosser High School, 9:45 p.m. SUNNYSIDE -- Clem Senn Field, Sunnyside High School, late evening BREWSTER -- Columbia Cove Park, dusk USK -- Pow Wow grounds at Usk, approx. 10:00 p.m.... 07/04/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR I soaked in the beautiful summer signts and sounds yesterday as I ran some errands with my sister around downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  What a delight for the senses it is when one lives in such a slice of heaven on earth!  I snapped some random photos as we cruised topless in Kerri's convertible, and these are my favorites!  If you look closely in the first photo, in the extreme lower left corner you can see the taped off finishing lanes for today's Ford Ironman Triathlon.  The finish line is in downtown Coeur d'Alene, on Sherman Avenue in front of the Coeur d'Alene Resort.  And if you find yourself anywhere in the vicinity of 11th and Mullan in downtown Coeur d'Alene, the best 50 cents you will ever spend will buy you an ice cold cup of lemonade f... 06/27/2010

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Parks Day Celebration July 10 at Sunshine Meadows and The Landings.  FREE food and fun! Parks Day in Coeur d'Alene, ID  began in 2008 after a Parks Master Plan survey disclosed that many Coeur d'Alene residents didn't know the location or amenities available at many of our area's beautiful parks. On July 10, both Sunshine Meadows Park and The Landings Park will be the sites of a full state of activities and entertainment.  These are relatively new parks, and both are large, beautifully landscaped and full of features for young and old. Head over to Sunshine Meadows Park for a 9 a.m. FREE pancake breakfast.  Following breakfast, there will be an inflatable castle, bicycle safety course, Art on the Edge, Bubbles the Clown, horseshoes, v... 06/26/2010

My son snapped this picture from his window on the first day of summer, moaning about the pouring rain and cooler than normal temperatures. Our afternoon high on Wednesday was a record low for the date of 49 degrees, 5 degrees cooler from the previous long-standing coldest maximum on June 16 in Coeur d'Alene of 54 degrees set 113 years ago in 1897. After a record mild winter that saw very little snow, local golf courses opening in February and predictions of serious drought, a record wet spring has made up for it, literally. By 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, our June rainfall total had reached 2.79 inches, more than an inch above the normal of 1.78 inches gauged in an entire June since 1895. Last June, in 2009, we measured 1.75 inches in Coeur d'Alene.  By June 17, more than 11 inches of... 06/21/2010