As the market shifted I found it extremely important to begin becoming an expert in FHA financing.  The FHA is quickly becoming the lending vehicle of choice for many wanna-be Home owners.  Here are some little known SECRETS of FHA Loans. FHA Can Help Clients With Blemished Credit History. New programs are coming out that will allow borrowers with credit score in the high 500s buy a home. Bankruptcy. You can obtain an FHA loan two years from the date of your bankruptcy discharge, as long as you've maintained good credit since your debts were discharged. Foreclosure. If you keep your credit in excellent shape after a foreclosure, an FHA loan will be available to you two years from the final date of your foreclosure. Ultra Competitive Rates & Terms * There is little or no adjustment to th... 07/18/2008

With the FHA loans becoming extremely mainstream due to the recent mortgage crisis, I thought I would share what they are looking for in their required Home Inspection.  If you are selling or considering selling you will want to make sure the home can meet these requirements.  Otherwise... you may be eliminating a large portion of the Buyers in the market.   FHA INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS: ELECTRICAL A single main shut-off breaker is required. If more than one breaker must be tripped to disconnect the power, a new service panel is required. The main service must be at least 100 amp. If it is less, a new service is required. NOTE: These electrical requirements eliminate most pre-1960 homes that have not had an electrical upgrade. If FHA is the only financing option, then a 203K program shou... 07/14/2008

As a resident of Paramount and a community real estate specialist I would love to tell you all about the wonderful Paramount Community where my family and I reside.  But since we have so many incredible things here in our community, I thought it would be best if you get it straight from the horses mouth. The link below was provided by the developer Brighton Corporation, take a look and get a great perspective of how we have become one of Meridian's Premiere Communities. http://paramount-idaho.com/realtors/images/Flip%20Chart.pdf If you would like a personal tour of Paramount from a residents perspective, contact me Paramounts Resident Realtor. 07/09/2008

Ramiro Guzman of Meridian is the proud new owner of the Saint Jude Dream Home in Star. Officials say 7,777 tickets were sold over the past few months, raising $777,700 for St. Jude Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.  When St. Jude organizer Lindsay Houseal called Guzman to tell him he won, he didn't believe it - and said he thought it was some sort of joke. Guzman forgot he had entered the drawing - and was one of the first 700 people to buy a ticket. Guzman told Houseal that the new home is a blessing for himself, his wife and their kids. Guzman will be given the keys to the $400,000 home in Star's Yellowstone community. In typical Treasure Valley style, residents came out in force to help raise funds for the hospital.  Another great story of the caring and giving people here in our won... 07/09/2008

Friday June 20, 2008 at 7 pm is the "Real Dairy Parade" in Meridian Idaho!  The Parade will start on WaterTower Lane, and proceed north on Main Street to Fairview Avenue.  Dairy Days has been celebrated in Meridian in some form or another since 1929.  This event pays tribute to Meridian's history as the Dairy Capitol of the Treasure Valley.  There are many events, but the Parade has been my families favorite since we bought our first home in Meridian as a young married couple in 1992.  This year there will be over 100 entries, all with a Dairy theme.  Dairygold usually hands out chocolate milk and string cheese, there is the new Rocky Mountain  High School cheerleaders and football players, and my boys favorite the Meridian Fire Dept. brings out some of the trucks. StarMedia and 24 Hour... 06/19/2008

Meridian Dairy Days is coming at the end of this week, June 18th through the 21st, highlighted by the parade on Friday evening.  This is truly one of our best small town events here in Meridian, and the weather looks like it's going to be perfect.  Last year there were thousands of folks who turned out to see the parade, which features tractors, horses and riders, a number of very creative floats, the cheer squads , bands, and teams from the local schools, lots of classic cars, and a few racing cars from Meridian Speedway.  A great time for everyone, celebrating our dairy heritage, and our small town Idaho community. The parade stages on Watertower, and gets started at 7pm, running North down Main Street, then back up 2 1/2 and 3rd Streets.  Come early, pick your spot, and remember to c... 06/17/2008

Meridian Idaho Real Estate Market Report The numbers are in for May 2008 Meridian Real Estate Market. These numbers include all Single Family, Single family with Acreage, Townhomes, and Manufacutured Homes on Owned Lot listings in the Meridian areas. Active listings   1317 Pending             134 Sold                   146 Average sales price $223,370 Average Days on Market  66 Sales price as percentage of Asking price  94% Northwest Meridian was the most active with 82 sales, followed by Northeast Meridian at 38, Southeast had 21 sales, followed by Southwest with 5.  These numbers look promising, with the high Sales price/Asking price ratio, and the low average days on market!  Meridian Idaho is a great place to own property.  Read Boise, Nampa and Eagle ID Real Estate Market Reports a... 06/03/2008

Upcoming events in Meridian Idaho May 2008 30        Economic Excellence Breakfast 7 a.m. Courtyard Marriott.  $25 Call 888-2817 to register 30-31   Meridian Senior Center Garage Sale & Bake Sale. 9am-2pm.  Donations Welcome 30-31   Fill the Boot - Help our Firefighters raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association   June 2008 1          Dedication of Meridian's First Habitat House 1 pm 4353 N. Heritage Woods Way 1-18     Senior Art Show 1012 N. Main St. Business Hours through Jun 18th 6          Family Movie Night, at dusk in Settler's Park - Madagascar 7          Paint the Town, For details call 343-4065 x 121 13        Family Movie Night, at dusk in Settler's Park - TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) 14        Old Town Clean-Up Downtown Meridian, 8:30am-2pm Volunteers needed ca... 05/28/2008

With Memorial Day right around the corner, I've been anticipating Summer here in Meridian Idaho.  There are many fun things to do in our own backyard, and with the price of gas, that will prove to be a very good thing this summer!  Boondocks Fun Center is one of those attractions that rates high with Idahoans of all ages.  There are the bumper boats, go-carts, minature golf, batting cages, laser tag, arcade and more. There are also many fun parks in Meridian.  Tulley park, Settler's Park, Storey Park, Bear Creek Park, and Generations Plaza are just a few.    Roaring Springs is also a family favorite. Roaring Springs is one of the largest Water Parks in the Northwest, and with attraction names like Vipers Vortex and The Avalanche, how could it be anything but fantastic!  Meridian Dairy D... 05/15/2008

A new interchange is needed at Ten Mile Road to access the Interstate, relieve traffic congestion, improve emergency response times to the area, and provide an additional north-south arterial through western Ada County The City of Meridian has some very exciting plans for the Ten Mile Interchange that not only involves traffic but the entire scope of the community development. The comprehensive plan for the area surrounding the future Ten Mile Interchange has been awarded a 2007 Grow Smart Idaho award for Policy and Planning by Idaho Smart Growth. This annual competition recognizes projects that use smart growth principles to encourage vibrant communities . Map of comprehensive plan for Ten Mile area The City’s hope is that this plan will allow for all the intricate parts of a community... 05/05/2008

Well, we had one of our first beautiful, warm (70* which I know isn't warm for some parts of the country, but for us that was almost hot!) days last Saturday.  It made me want to get out the camera and snap some photos.  Then I remembered that Shelly Houston from the Meridian Mayors office had already taken some fantastic pictures that she gave me permission to share.  Since I am naturally lazy, I thought I would not re-invent the wheel and just use hers....Here is a beautiful springtime picture of Meridian City Hall.  A new City Hall is under construction, but for now, this is it!Here is St. Lukes Hospital in Meridian.Here are some of the local subdivisions front entrances.  Thousand Springs and Lochsa Falls have beautiful waterfalls and flowers  The Lakes at Cherry Lane is one of the ... 04/14/2008

Bridgetower in Meridian Idaho Home for Sale  Check out the virtual tour for this home that I staged in Meridian, Idaho.  It is new construction, and so it was empty.  I think adding a few accessories takes the cold edge off of vacant homes, and helps people imagine themselves in the home. We decided to accessory stage it, untill it was completely finished (they had a couple little details to finish) and then if we didn't have any offers, we were going to add furnishings.  However, today I received 2 full price offers, so I guess we won't need to do that this time.  The home was built by Steel Creek Construction.  If you have any questions about the Meridian Idaho Home Market give me a call!  Pam Pugmire 208-921-4800 03/31/2008

I sat an open house today in Bridgetower subdivision in Merdiian, Idaho, and I was BUSY the whole time.  I took my laptop and aircard so I could blog while I was there (and go to bed at a decent hour) but I was so busy I didn't even have time to answer phone calls. Instead of leaving at 5pm as planned, I left at 6:30 when the traffic finally stopped.Some were just lookers, and that's just fine, but there were a couple actual buyers(like make an offer in the next few days buyers) out there.  It is nice to see so much activity.  If you go by the evening news, things have never been worse and there is no end in sight.  But that is not how things seemed to be on the street.  There was also a house on the same street that just went pending!  To top it all off, these homes are ALL over $300K,... 03/29/2008

I was born and raised in Idaho, and my family moved to the Meridian area when I was eight.  So I'm not going to give away my age, but I have lived here a long time. ; )  Anyway, I got to thinking about how much things have changed around here.  My husband and I graduated from Meridian High School when it was the only High School in the Meridian School District.  Next fall, Meridian School District will be opening it's 7th High School, Rocky Mountain High. My husband and I bought our first home in Meridian in 1992 (for $70K can you believe it?).  When we moved in we thought that if Meridian just had a Taco Bell and a cheep pizza place life would be perfect.  Now you never have to leave Meridian to eat out.  There are Thai restaurants, Sushi places, great Mexican restaurants, as well as a... 03/27/2008

  Bridgetower is a new Master-Planned Community in North West Meridian.  It has many amenities that make it very sought after, even in today's slower Real Estate market.  One of the most obvious, is it's TWO community swimming complexes.  Bridgetower is a large community, but with two swimming complexes, everyone is close to the pool.  How nice is it to enjoy having a pool, but not have the maintenance headaches, or worry over small children getting hurt?  There is also a community park with playground, and walking and bicycle paths. Another huge benefit of living in Bridgetower is it's close proximity to schools.  Hunter Elementary is right in Bridgetower.  Sawtooth Middle School, and brand new Rocky Mountain High School are located just across Linder from the Eastern edge of Bridgetow... 03/26/2008

     I'd like to introduce to you a quaint little neighborhood located in Southeast Meridian. Glacier Springs is a charming neighborhood of only 51 homes tucked nicely away from the hustle and bustle, yet within minutes to shopping, restaurants, schools, entertainment, hospitals, houses of worship, as well as having fabulous I-84 freeway accessibility. Glacier Springs is located just east of Meridian Road off of Victory Road. The community backs up to 10 Mile Creek and provides an open, grassy area to play or relax and a water-front walking path to enjoy the serenity nature has to offer. Currently, there are 7 homes available, ranging from $409,000 to $525,000. Glacier Springs Highlights Only 51 Beautiful Homes Convenient Southeastern Meridian, Idaho Location Fine Builders include: Boru... 02/23/2008

On thing that is always fun, especially if you're in the market for a new home, is the Building Contractors Association of SW Idaho's annual Fall Collection.  This past weekend was the opening weekend, but the show continues for the next two weekends, Saturday and Sunday October 13, 14, 20, and 21.  The homes are open from 11am until 5pm on those days.  Admission is free!This year, the Fall Collection has 26 homes on tour for you to visit, with homes in Boise, Star, Eagle, and Meridian.  A majority of the homes this Fall are in Meridian, and they are relatively close to each other.  The Meridian communities represented include Bridgetower, Paramount, the new community of Crossfield, Stradda Bellissima, Saguaro Canyon, and Settlers Bridge.  Some of the builders with homes on the tour are... 10/09/2007

Here’s a snapshot of August's real estate activity for Meridian, Idaho: Available Homes # Available: 1,508Average Asking Price: $333,348Median Asking Price: $284,000Pending Sales# Pending:  160Average Asking Price: $334,133Median Asking Price: $279,400Closed Sales – August 2006 # Closed:  285Average Sales Price: $289,332Median Sales Price: $272,000Closed Sales – August 2007 # Closed: 154% Change:  -46%Average Sales Price: $272,752% Change: -5.7%Median Sales Price: $249,200% Change:  - 8.4%Data taken from Intermountain MLS and pertains to single-family residences on lot or acreage.  Data does not include condominiums or townhomes. 09/02/2007

Getting a handle on the real estate market is never easy. Is the market going up? Down? Flat? If you’re looking to buy or sell, the intensity can get ugly. You grab listing brochures, read the local paper and talk to your neighbors. Your hunting for facts. We all know things are tough out there, but how tough is it really? I’m providing an inside look to a specific subdivision found in Meridian, Idaho. Lochsa Falls. I picked this development because it’s fairly new, has a variety of homes in it and it gives good representation for similar developments in the area. Here’s a scatter plot chart to review. This chart include MLS listings since 1/1/2005. I’ve extracted the SOLD data from this chart, but will provide the sold scatter plot chart separately. I included a polynomial trend line t... 08/21/2007

Here’s a snapshot of June's real estate activity for Meridian, Idaho: Available Homes # Available: 1,516Average Asking Price: $329,283Median Asking Price: $294,900Pending Sales# Pending:  209Average Asking Price: $312,973Median Asking Price: $294,900Closed Sales – June 2006 # Closed:  344Average Sales Price: $284,120Median Sales Price: $267,250Closed Sales – June 2007 # Closed: 185% Change: -46.2%Average Sales Price: $282,537% Change: - .6%Median Sales Price: $261.027% Change: - 2.3%Data taken from Intermountain MLS and pertains to single-family residences on lot or acreage.  Data does not include condominiums or townhomes. 07/30/2007