North Idaho Arts & Adventure December 17, 2009 Yesterday, Tuesday December 17, 2009, my interviews were as diverse as the colors of the rainbow. I host two radio shows: North Idaho Business and North Idaho Arts & Adventure. Both shows are broadcast, right after Rush, on KSPT 1400 AM in Sandpoint and KBFI 1450 AM in Bonners Ferry on Tuesdays. This is the fifth year I have been doing the shows and I have interviewed almost two hundred local leaders, artists, politicians, characters, and every walk of life in North Idaho. My first interview on the arts show was with Francesca and Brian from Land of Peace. They were promoting their idea for a new international peace symbol. While to many they may have seemed a bit out there, the symbol was cool. It was several circles, reminiscent of the on... 12/17/2009

We were graced with an early opening this year but the famous Schweitzer Mountain Powder never materialized.  Well, I woke up to 10" of the white stuff in my driveway this morning and booked up to the Mountain as quickly as possible!  (I was slightly delayed by a "snow-blowing" obligation).  I'm heading out now for a few turns...here's a scene from my office door - I LOVE IT! Update:  We are now in a full-blown blizzard!     12/16/2009

Sandpoint, Idaho has had so many great articles and accolades that it is hard to believe that right above is one of the world's best ski resorts: Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. The North Idaho Panhandle is truly a winter wonderland, with several mountain ranges, including the Bitterroot Mountains, Cabinet Mountains, Clearwater Mountains, Coeur d'Alene Mountains, Purcell Mountains, Saint Joe Mountains, and Selkirk Mountains. There are many outdoors things to do for the winter months in Sandpoint and the surrounding winter sports areas, but there is also Shopping, many Events, Art, and great Drives, Tours, & Scenery. Sandpoint and North Idaho also have great Attractions, plus there are scores of Cool Things to Do within 100 miles of Sandpoint. For a great guide, see this 2009 Visitor's G... 12/15/2009

Sandpoint Waterfront - End of year 2009 Having sold waterfront homes on Talon Drive, Bryce, and Derr Island, plus secondary and waterview lots this year, in this market, few other REALTORS® have had as much success as I have had. The market is slow, and while statistics are indicating we will see an 18-23% decline in prices this year, waterfront continues to be the one segment that maintains value. This doesn't mean that prices haven't slipped for a home with a boat dock. What has declined similarly are homes in less desirable waterfront communities. Those are typically riverfront homes, homes in communities that are more crowded, and areas farther away from Sandpoint or Coeur d'Alene. During boom times, these homes competed with the better locations in price. Now, those are typically 1... 12/14/2009

Sandpoint Center of Arts is hosting the weekend event for the Art Alliance's Holiday Art Soiree.  Event is December 11-12the, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm  at 518 Oak Street, Sandpoint Idaho.  Featuring hors d' oeuvres, music and wine.  Call 208 265-ARTS for more information 12/11/2009

December 12, 3:00-5:00 pm.  The Sandpoint High School Steel Drum Band will play Christmas music in the village.  Cookies and hot chocolate will be served in the Selkirk Lodge.  Christmas stories presented by the Selkirk Lodge.  Come out and spread the holiday cheer. 12/11/2009

Fannie Mae's shares are still falling, and they in turn tightening their lending requirements all together. One change is to get rid of all loans <80%LTV and no FICO's below 620.  This will mean a continued increase in volume for FHA loans that require a 620 FICO but only 3.5% down.  If you are selling a house that is in good condition, a good option is USDA Guaranteed.  No money down, and the income limit for a family of four is $73,600.   Condo approvals are available for Fannie and Freddie directly through MetLife.  We will have direct approvals for FHA as well by January 1.  There is no cost for my assistance in getting your project approved, and once all of the paperwork is in and accurate, we can have that approval to you for your borrowers within 72 hours.    If you have question... 12/02/2009

My promise to my community and clients Commitment, service, and community are words bandied easily it seems these days, but not seen often. This is my promise. I promise to work diligently for my clients, friends, and family: to be a man of integrity, learning the newest methods, becoming not only proficient at cutting edge technologies and practices, but to become an expert for their benefit. I am committed to being their advocate, to helping improve their lives, both professionally and personally, in all ways I am able. I honor service: service to my home of North Idaho, service to my family, service to my country. I honor the service I have given, honoring my time as a soldier, my time as an airman, the many events, charities, and needs I have served. I understand the job is never do... 12/02/2009

SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN REAL ESTATE.  I'd love the sale from this, but... Here’s the deal. I just got off the mountain.  You can see from the pictures what I was dealing with.  No clouds, no wind, bright sun and some of the most breathtaking views in the world.  Sandpoint, Idaho and Schweitzer Mountain have, once again, lived up to all of my lofty expectations.  …So, as a Realtor®, I have a dilemma. Do I blatantly promote the area and reveal to the world what we have here in North Idaho so I can selfishly profit from the ensuing real estate sales and, in so doing, risk tainting the natural purity of Sandpoint and the surrounding area by enticing outsiders to invest here?  Might the new arrivals who I, inadvertently, lured here not be in tune to the “vibe” we have going?  As the old saying g... 12/01/2009

When my out-of-town friends visit Sandpoint, Idaho and Lake Pend Oreille, they are always amazed that there is actually a bounty on some of the best tasting fish in the world. Every lake trout of any size and rainbow trout more than 13 inches long harvested from Lake Pend Oreille through March, 2010, pays $15.00! This opportunity is pretty amazing and easy to cash in on.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Rules For Getting Paid: Only rainbow and lake trout are eligible. Rainbow trout heads must be a minimum of 2 3/8 inches long from tip of nose to end of gill cover. Only whole heads with the ent... 11/28/2009

IT’S THANKSGIVING AND I MOWED THE LAWN TODAY!   As I was mowing the lawn today, I kept thinking, “Man, this has ‘blog’ written all over it!”  I don’t blog JUST for the fun of it.  I also want my “thousands” of followers to understand that life in Sandpoint, Idaho is NOT your typical 48º: 18' N. latitude experience. (We’re only 8º south of Moscow, Russia for God’s sake!). So, what’s my point?  Sandpoint is special!  The lawn is green, Schweitzer Mountain has had 45” of snow so far this season and is opening Friday, heat bills are nominal and I still get to enjoy four seasons…in comfort.  My wife and I thought long and hard about how to shape our future.  We figured we had two options:  1) Just stay in Minnesota and travel as much as possible in the effort to break up the relentless winte... 11/25/2009

No photos today, but there is a ton of snow at Schweitzer Mountain!  I finally dusted off my gear and went skiing today-- just what the doctor ordered! I had my mind set on skiing today, after hearing from my friends who have been skinning up for the past week or so.  I arrived at around 1p and met up with a couple of buddies, Mike and Marty.  We skinned in from the Spires, at the end of Tall Timber Road.  Great way to get to the South Ridge fairly quickly. It was amazing getting back on the snow after the off season.  It dumped all day, and it showed.  The conditions were actually really good, with some nice powder for at least 2/3 of the way.  The rock skies won't even be necessary in a few days. I skied A chute and just loved it.  Word is that Schweitzer will open its lifts this Frid... 11/22/2009

It has been twelve years since Sandpoint won its last State Football Championship. Just a few weeks ago, both the girls and the boys soccer teams won state championships, and Sandpoint High School has an incredible tradition of state championships in a myriad of sports for both boys and girls teams. Sandpoint was up against highly touted Blackfoot. Blackfoot is a community, roughly half again larger than Sandpoint. It is in the farming community between Pocatello and Twin Falls in southern Idaho. They are an ethnically diverse community, and their boys were big, really big. We were an unlikely challenger, being fourth seeded, but our defense has played strong all year, and our offense stepped up to defeat all comers. In the first quarter Sandpoint elected to receive the opening kickoff ... 11/21/2009

What are the best values for condos and homes at Schweitzer Mountain?  This is a question that I always get from prospective Schweitzer buyers, and I take pride in having found and negotiated some tremendous deals for Schweitzer buyers in the past couple years.  Today was the annual Schweitzer property tour for our Selkirk MLS, where we had a chance to preview 38 listings before the ski season gets started. The best values to me overall are in the middle price levels, from $400 to $600k.  Also I would encourage people to consider some of the condos and homes that are not necessarily ski-in/ski-out, as the price/value gets much better for some of these units.  The Schweitzer Recreation District started a free ski shuttle on the mountain last season, picking people up from their residence... 11/17/2009

I have to admit I am just now jumping on the bandwagon to support our Sandpoint High School football team.  I really hadn't been to any high school games that I can remember....well, probably since I was in high school myself. But high school football in Sandpoint is really a fun and exciting event.  We live just a couple blocks from Memorial Field, and I remember earlier in the season hearing an incredible amount of noise coming from the stadium.  I had walked down with my dog and my son to check it out, and saw a completely packed house of raving fans cheering on the local high school team. This support seems to be there for every home game.  I have tried to stop in to check it out when I'm around.  And its always a good time, with seemingly everyone in town showing up to suppor the t... 11/16/2009

DO NOT move to SANDPOINT! I have coveted a life in Sandpoint, Idaho ever since I discovered this mountain town in the early 70's.  Life's twists and turns did not allow me to actually move here full-time until 2005.  I had many valid reasons for delaying the inevitable and I stand by them.  One of the big reasons, however, was that I was worried Sandpoint wasn't ready for me. I'm a tennis player.  I have been playing year around (indoors and outdoors) for the last thirty years.  This included local and regional tournaments, USTA leagues (summer and winter), fanatical tennis buddies who retained the same indoor permanent court times for 20 years running, tennis drills, tennis parties...you know the scene.  The question always was...can I be happy in Sandpoint without indoor tennis? Well,... 11/15/2009

 For the first time we will have a farmers market during the winter months.  Come join us from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday, beginning Nov. 14, through the end of April. Over 30 vendors will be selling their wares, Just like the outdoor Farmers Market in the summer - except indoors! 11/12/2009

The Bonner County Fairgrounds is hosting its annual ski swap. Come trade in your old skis for new ones. The proceeds benefit the Schweitzer Alpine Racing School. For more information see http://www.schweitzer.com November 14, 9:00am - 2:00 PM Bonner County Fair Grounds 4203 N. Boyer Ave, Sandpoint Idaho 83864 11/12/2009

As I was getting ready for a quick mountain bike ride the other day, our dog Bentley (a Shih Tzu) gave me the full guilt trip for leaving him at home.   I wasn't looking to work too hard anyway, so I figured I'd bring him along and at least let him run around for a bit before or after my ride. We drove to the trailhead off of Pine Street Loop just past Syringa, and I figured I'd go ahead and ride half a mile in on the flatter part and let Bentley chase after me.  I almost turned back in the first couple minutes as he was already falling behind.  But every time I started to go back for him he would be coming around the corner.  Long story short, we ended up at the top of this fairly substantial climb that ends just off of Janish Drive several miles away.  I almost called my wife to meet ... 11/10/2009

Idaho first-time homebuyers may be eligible for down payment assistance funds of up to $20,000 in conjunction with a mortgage loan from IdaMortgage, a program of the nonprofit Idaho Housing and Finance Association. The funds are available until Jan. 1. Anyone who meets income qualifications should take advantage of this limited-time funding opportunity that will allow them to purchase a home. The dollar amount buyers may receive from this federal program funding ranges from $1,000 to $20,000 and is based on need. Borrowers must be at or below 80 percent of area median income and be a first-time homebuyer to qualify for this no interest, due-on-sale loan. For example, according to the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, a four-person household in the Treasure Valley must make $50,000... 11/09/2009