Sandpoint's Saturday Drama Queen - Lake Pend Oreille The whitecaps and rollers are invading from the North...aided by a 40 mph wind.  The snow covered peak is Schweitzer Mountain after a Saturday morning dusting. This is the scene from a new listing I garnered yesterday in Sagle, on the South shore of Lake Pend Oreille looking out at the shores of Sandpoint.       10/03/2009

SNOW!!!  THE SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!  TRAILS OPEN: 0;  LIFTS OPEN: 0;  NEW SNOW:  YES!   As I was driving up Schweitzer Mountain this morning, heading to my office in the Village, I noticed at about the 3,000 foot elevation the rain that has been invading the Sandpoint Valley below was turning a little slushy.  This phenomenon happens each Fall, of course, and my corresponding reaction is also the same each Fall.  OH MY GOD, THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!  There is going to be snow in the Village!   The first thing to do? …crank up KPND (the local eclectic and wonderful fm station) and ride it in!  I’m not the only one in Sandpoint who gets excited about snow.  SANDPOINT is a ski town, after all.  The next 10 minutes of the drive was consumed with AC/DC and the frenzied sound... 10/02/2009

SANDPOINT SUNRISE...6:25 a.m. When I wake up in the morning and see something like this, my first thought is, "This can't be real."  When I realize it is, I find myself crawling on the rocks trying to capture it.  As wonderful as this picture is (shot with an Olympus Camedia C-3030 camera...$150.00), it cannot give justice to the "real" beauty the universe decided to unleash this morning.   In the words of Tom Robbins..."When a person accepts a broader definition of reality, a broader net is cast upon the waters of fortune." Thank you Sandpoint, Idaho.  The world is a good place after all...         09/27/2009

Below is an email to my running friends with a race report about the Inaugural Sandpoint Half-marathon in Sandpoint Idaho.  It was a pretty course, well-organized and the people were just wonderful.  Very nice race and a nice addition to the running schedule.   Howdy everybody!  Numbers first, I guess.  I turned a 1:47:31 for the half which placed 4th in my age group, 52nd overall at the Sandpoint Half.  While it's a minute per mile slower than I ran 5 years ago, it's still really nice to be able to step to the line and race.  I didn't realize how much I missed racing. So the course - it's advertised as the scenic half and it lives up to that name.  The course takes off from the beach in the city center and, after a couple of left turns takes you out the long bridge across the lake.  It... 09/21/2009

  Construction is under way for the Sand Creek Bypass.   This bypass has been on the planning table since the 40's and highly debated for years. I for one think that it will relieve the congestion we are feeling in downtown Sandpoint and that businesses downtown will be accessible once again.  Want to see more aerial photos see http://calljerry.biz/BywayProgress8-09/  Jerry of Aerial Photos Property Watch & Technical Jobs 208-265-4609 Fax 815-572-5461 jerry@lutherworks.com   Also visit IDTs photogallery at  http://www.itd.idaho.gov/slideshow/sandcreekbyway_ss/default.htm 09/20/2009

Every day I am amazed by North Idaho.  I cannot tire of the beauty around here (Sandpoint, specifically).  As I was reading the blogs of some of my "associates" on ActiveRain, I ran across Steve Loynd's picture blog he submitted yesterday of beautiful New Hampshire (one of my favorite spots in the world).  It happened to be another gorgeous day here, so I went out and took some shots myself.   I read Steve's blog while doing my Sunday floor duty at my office on Schweitzer Mountain Resort.  Literally, I stepped outside my door and snapped this shot looking down to the Sandpoint valley and out to Lake Pend Oreille (Kootenai Bay) in the distance.  Those are the Cabinet Mountains off on the hazy horizon.  It was a little quiet up there (they call this the shoulder season) but with this outs... 09/14/2009

Aerial Picture Tour of Sandpoint and Lake Pend Oreille There are at least three ways to see the City and Lake Coeur d'Alene: one by helicopter and two by plane. I have been told these are smaller planes, but the tours are great; can't say about the chopper. The choices aren't limited to Lake Coeur d'Alene; Hayden Lake and several smaller bodies of water are minutes away. Sandpoint Seaplane Service offers a tour around Lake Pend Oreille, but also can fly you over Lake Cocolalla, Twin Lakes, Spirit Lake, and the magnificent Priest Lakes. Lake Coeur d'Alene offers significantly more urban scenery, but still has the feel of wilderness. Lake Pend Oreille is much more pastoral, and Priest Lake is awesome. These pictures are from a 45-minute tour over Lake Pend Oreille. Check out this link for... 09/12/2009

A photographer that I sometimes use for aerial photography of larger listings is taking ongoing aerial shots of the Sandcreek Byway Project in Sandpoint Idaho.  This gives a really clear picture, for better or worse, of where the new highway is going and how it will fit into the current Downtown Sandpoint picture. Here is the link: http://calljerry.biz/BywayProgress8-09/ My personal opinion on the Sandpoint Bypass is that it is needed, but that we really missed an opportunity to have a much better and less obtrusive routing of this new highway bypass.  I think everyone in town agrees that there were more preferable routes that would have allowed us to retain the smaller town feel along Sandcreek, including the famous rope swing.  There will definitely be some negative impact from this l... 09/07/2009

Chris Schreiber, CCIM | Kiemle & Hagood Company | 208-770-2593 212 North 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID Full Service Lease! All utilities included! Direct retail street frontage in downtown Sandpoint, high quality, professional building. Office $1,656/month Sq Footage 946 DESCRIPTION SandCreek Landings is a quality four story office building right in downtown Sandpoint on the east side (water side) of 1st Avenue. Plenty of parking available in immediate area. Building is leased on a full service basis and rent is based on useable square footage! see additional photos below RENTAL FEATURES - 946 SqFt, Ground Floor Space - All useable square footage - Full Service Lease - High speed internet available - Highly effecient building LOCATION FEATURES - Downtown Sandpoint - Substantial vehicular a... 09/04/2009

Chris Schreiber, CCIM | Kiemle & Hagood Company | 208-770-2593 212 North 1st Avenue, Sandpoint, ID Street level office/commercial space in high quality, professional office building! Retail/Commercial $1,736/month Sq Footage 1,074 DESCRIPTION SandCreek Landings is a high quality, professional office building in Downtown Sandpoint. Located along the east side of 1st Avenue (water side), this four story building is fully elevator served with common restrooms on each floor. Multiple suites are available for lease OR PURCHASE! see additional photos below RENTAL FEATURES - Full service rate including utilities, heat and air - Rate based on useable square footage! - Direct street level exposure LOCATION FEATURES - Right on 1st Avenue in Downtown - High quality, full service professional buil... 09/04/2009

Today, a group of about 12 Sandpoint Rotary volunteers and a few assorted other "nature lovers" converged upon the Sandpoint Fish Hatchery to continue the efforts to revitalize this vital piece of Sandpoint history.   The Sandpoint Hatchery, located on the south shoreline of the Pend Oreille River about two miles south of Sandpoint, was created by the Idaho Department of Fish & Game in 1904 to help stock Idaho Panhandle lakes.  The Hatchery survived until 1985, shut down for five years, then reopened in 1990 in response to public demand in the Panhandle Region.  Hatchery production costs rose due to limited water supply and the Hatchery morphed into a small-scale specialty station rearing Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Chinook Salmon, Kokanee Salmon and Kootenai White Sturgeon. The San... 09/03/2009

Dover Bay Resort is now offering incredible finance incentives for standing inventory, to anyone who initiates a Purchase offer before October 1.  Dover Bay has worked with Mountain West Bank to create this opportunity, with rates that really provide an exceptional savings.  However this is a short term offer that applies to any Purchase & Sale agreements that are initiated by October 1. For conforming loans (up to $417,000) the following rates are being offered:  3% Interest Rate for year 1, 4% Interest Rate for year 2, and 5% for years 3 through 30.  This is based on excellent credit, 10% down, and a primary residence purchase.  Second home purchases however should be much the same, except for potentially requiring 5-10% additional down payment.  For a Bayside South condo priced at $3... 09/02/2009

2009 marks the year that Sandpoint puts it's name on the "tennis map" with THE BLACK DIAMOND TENNIS INVITATIONAL...aptly dubbed, "The Most Beautiful Tennis Tournament in the Country!"  (Maybe the world).            Invitations were sent out to the top players from the Inland Northwest with the idea that the first 24 to respond would get the "invite".  A few hours later the tournament draw was filled.  This event will be EPIC!  Not only can we look forward to great tennis, but the event dovetails with the Schweitzer Fall Fest & Music Festival...a celebration of another great summer on the Mountain.  It will be just a matter of weeks before the first snowfall graces the Schweitzer slopes and Sandpoint will be burning once again with SKI FEVER. While Fall Fest is technically a microbrew ta... 08/27/2009

...and the heavens opened up before us, parting the clouds, for the angels sang on high... ...or at least that's how it felt. For a freakish two weeks we had incredibly unusual cool weather. Gone were the "I could have fried an egg on the sidewalk days" to "Dear Lord, can anybody spare a parka!" Not kidding. The norm of mid-90s to low 100 degree temperatures gave way to nightly lows in the 40s. Plus, given the atmospheric conversion, or is it inversion, daily downpours gave rise to the parting of the Red Sea/Lake Pend Oreille. Okay, enough with the Biblical asides. Seriously, seemed like daily a deluge would soak us right before show time, then dry for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately, Dyno, our Festival imperial leader, put it mildly when she stated, "It definitely put a damper ... 08/24/2009

Seasons at Sandpoint has announced that they will be moving forward with construction of eight luxury lakefront townhomes to complement the 72 existing condominium residences, all of which are waterfront with wide open views over Lake Pend Oreille.  This news comes on the heels of Seasons recent announcement that they have retired all outstanding bank debt on the property.  This is great news for the resort real estate business in North Idaho, as it provides a stable environment and the means to move forward with a very high profile resort condominium development located in downtown Sandpoint.  Seasons occupies a nice niche in the marketplace, that of a full-service luxury condo hotel, in town and on Lake Pend Oreille.  With the troubles that the Idaho Club has had of late its nice to s... 08/20/2009

The two week Festival at Sandpoint ended with a bang (literally, with fireworks) on Sunday evening after the Spokane Symphony's Benny Goodman tribute.  Once again this Festival proved to be an amazing time with friends and family, listening to some great music. As a member of the Sandpoint community, I feel obligated to support the Festival with season passes each year (even though I don't always get excited about every show).  I think this is one aspect that makes our Festival so unique.  There is a wide variety of music each year, from 70s rock, to reggae, to country, to alternative, you name it.  My wife and I go to every night's event and end up enjoying most of them. For example I have never been a big country music fan, other than classic Cash or Nelson.  But Mandy, my wife, is a ... 08/19/2009

Schweitzer Mountain has begun construction on four luxury residences at Trappers Creek, the ski-in/ski-out neighborhood located above the Schweitzer Village adjacent to the Basin Express chair.  This will serve as the first real introduction to Fractional Ownership in the North Idaho resort market, a real estate sales model that has served other ski destinations very well.  Schweitzer has hired Brent Baker of Baker Construction here in Sandpoint Idaho as the general contractor.  This was a great selection in my opinion, as Brent is very much a Sandpoint local with extensive experience building at Schweitzer over the years.  Jim Ruscitto, a prominent Seattle architect, has been working with Schweitzer on the design, which can be described as ‘rustic contemporary' or ‘modern mountain', wi... 08/19/2009

In Part I of the AR Series challenge, I examined the importance of a Realtors® personal profile.  A personal profile may reveal to a customer some of the unique qualities you possess that could weight the scale in your favor to earn him as a client.   In Part II, let’s look at the contents of your profile to find what is in there that can aid you at being the best Realtor® you can be.  Let’s break it down: 1)    Pledge to Clients.  After you write your pledge, read it from time to time.  If you are pledging a “passion” for this business or a “dedication” to your clients, then do it.  As soon as you can’t live up to your pledge, it is time to re-examine your focus. 2)    Education.  You can never get enough education, whether formal or informal.  In our industry, continuing your educatio... 08/16/2009

Economic outlook for Sandpoint and North Idaho: Summer 2009 By Gary Lirette, Host of North Idaho Business on KSPT and KBFI and Realtor for Tomlinson Sandpoint International Realty. How are things here in North Idaho? Besides being named to Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Resort Towns this year, Idaho was just named the nation's 8th healthiest state. In Sandpoint and Priest River, several new businesses just opened, including a Jack in the Box, Big 5 Sporting Goods, the Priest River Inn, and Zip's. The new Mountain West Bank building on the way to Priest River now graces Highway 2, and the Panhandle State Bank is a monument downtown. Quest Aircraft hired 60 new employees over the last two quarters, and the Sand Creek Byway is fully underway, as anyone crossing (or parked and not moving) the Lon... 08/15/2009

REALTORS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE, PART 1.  “What Do We Bring To The Table?”   We all know this is a DIFFICULT real estate market.  Sandpoint, Idaho is no exception.  Prices have declined to historic lows, personal financial portfolios have been trashed, home loan dollars can be difficult to secure (even though interest rates are also at historic lows), home sales are down, home sale prices are down, COMMISSIONS are down…LIFE IS DIFFICULT.  Being a Realtor® is difficult.      Most of the Realtors® that I know are “reinvented”.  They have “morphed” into the real estate industry by way of a rich and diverse career road.  It is this very career road that has helped pave the way to their success.  The  majority of Realtors® in my MLS Association (The Selkirk Association of Realtors) here in Sandpoin... 08/15/2009