This coming weekend is the big event of the year for Dover Bay Waterfront Resort, the waterfront residential resort community located 2 miles down the bike path from Downtown Sandpoint.  The weekend is supposed to be nice and sunny, and its a great time to come check out this emerging resort community and to see friends.  There will be live music, games, displays by local craftsmen, and great giveaways at all the open houses.    Schedule of events and information for Dover Bay Days Scheduled Activities Saturday   8:00a - 2:00p Volleyball tournament 11:30p - 2:30p Music in food area between café and fitness - Inbred Goat Ropers 12:00p - 3:00p Potato Sack Races and other kids activities on the Marina Town Lawn Sunday   11:30a Tomlinson Bear arrives 2:00p Concert in the park - Swing Band 4... 07/08/2009

Remember, you can view the complete Calendar of Events and much, much more, including hundreds of articles and web resources plus over 1,000 pictures of North Idaho by visiting my website. Go to www.SandpointID.net for everything you want to know about North Idaho. Weekly and Ongoing Events Sandpoint - Pend d'Oreille Winery has regular acts, 220 Cedar St. No cover charge. 208-265-8545 http://www.powine.com/viewevents.asp Sandpoint - Three Glasses Wine Bar and Restaurant has regular live music, 202 1/2 208-265-0230 Sandpoint: Di Luna's Café, 207 Cedar St. has music and other events. Check for ticket prices and line-up. 208-263-0846 Weekends: Sandpoint - Eichardt's Beer and Wine Pub has regular bands. This is one of our few places that has full bands jammin' out. 212 Cedar Street. Starts ... 07/08/2009

The first question always is: where are we going to celebrate the 4th? What I mean is, will we do the City Beach fireworks put on by the Lion's Club, or maybe we'll try Hope, or Hayden Lake, or Garfield Bay this year. While Sandpoint has what many believe to be the premier display, plus there is the cool factor of being able to walk about downtown and get a beer or a slice, there are a dozen other venues within twenty miles that offer the rocket's red glare all around Lake Pend Oreille and outlying areas. Sandpoint City Beach - Early before July 4th 2009 Nope, the decision made, Sandpoint became the choice, but where to park our party? Some people like to take in the pyrotechnics from their boats offshore. From past experience, the tiny gnats have made me appreciate an on-shore location... 07/05/2009

Sandpoint is ROCKIN' again this summer.  It seems like the 4th is the real kick-off each year. I am sitting up at SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN in the COLDWELL BANKER RESORT REALTY office enjoying the beautiful weather while dozens of SANDPOINT locals wander by mingling with the hundreds of tourists who have shown up to enjoy this incredible weather (sunny, 80 degrees with low humidity).  It doesn't hurt that, yet, another wedding is on tap for this afternoon at the top of the Great Escape chairlift.  That makes for quite an eclectic scene.  Hikers, mountain bikers, bridesmaids...I love it! (Look close...you can still see some snow up on the Ridge) (Chair lift rides all summer up to the top of the Great Escape Lift.) This morning was the annual 4th of July Parade in Downtown Sandpoint, combined w... 07/04/2009

  I am working with a few clients here in SANDPOINT, IDAHO who find themselves in the, all too, familiar plight of being upside-down on their mortgages and not knowing where to turn.  This has been the recurring theme of our economic crisis for the past six years and one of the major stumbling blocks to a housing recovery. Making homes affordable, especially with current homeowners, remains the hurdle that our nation needs to address.  Fannie Mae does have a program out there (the Home Affordable Modification Program) that takes a stab at helping these homeowners and, while this has been discussed often on AR, it is important to keep the information out there in hopes that this program gets adequately utilized.  There are some hoops to jump through, to be sure, but it is certainly worth... 07/04/2009

Sandpoint, North Idaho, & Eastern WashingtonWineries & Wine Bars North Idaho Restaurants Schweitzer Restaurants North Idaho Bars Idaho Cuisine First, Gary Lirette is the author of the book Passion for Wine published by Hastings House. So, wine holds a special place in this writer's life. While there are many great areas of wine production in the world, it is our opinion that neighboring Washington State makes the best wine on the planet. Travel the awe-inspiring landscape of Northern Idaho and its narrow, far-north "Panhandle" and you will find a loop of 16 wineries; four of the wineries are located Idaho's borders, the other 12 are in Washington.  Political boundaries are insignificant in this area, since all lie near the two-state border in the far northwest of Idaho, and the far nort... 06/26/2009

So, mountain bikers and hikers have long known how totally outrageous North Idaho is for the sports for some time. But in 2005, when the NORBA National Championship was held at Schweitzer Mountain, the rest of the world found out our little secret. There are so many great runs and trails, it is hard to quantify. However, we will try to do just that in this web. Hiking in and around Sandpoint and North Idaho can vary from simple flat trails, to full-fledged mountain and rock climbing that could satisfy even the most X-treme athletes. Mountain biking in Sandpoint and the surrounding North Idaho area is much the same, with challenging verticals, to flat, easy trails. So read on my young peddler or mountain stumper, and gain the energy of North Idaho trail knowledge. Priest Lake is awesome ... 06/26/2009

Golfing in Sandpoint, Bonner County, & North IdahoSandpoint Area Golf Courses Well, the thought of golf in North Idaho may not occur to the avid golf enthusiast, but lovers of the links are finding out why so many are making the Idaho Panhandle a golfing destination. Most recently, Jack Nicklaus bought award-winning Hidden Lakes in Sandpoint, designing the course himself. Apparently, though Jack Nicklaus companies owns many golf courses, he only has designed a handful personally. So, this course should be something really special. Unfortunately, the beautiful clubhouse (shown below) burned down winter 2008. Rumors abound that Arnold Palmer has been looking for a spot to build another of his challenging courses in the same area. Coeur d'Alene has another world-famous, award-winning golf ... 06/26/2009

I spent 15 hours at the  FORD IRONMAN COEUR D'ALENE TRIATHLON on Sunday.  (As a spectator...my son was a FINISHER and is now an IRONMAN!).  The human spirit is alive & well!  I am in complete awe.  From the moment I arrived at the beach to watch the the swim portion of the event (2.4 miles) until the end of the triathlon I was fighting back tears of pure emotion. The spectacle of seeing 3,500 participants waiting on the Lake Coeur d'Alene beach to begin the torturous swim in 56 degree water is almost indescribable.   These are people like you and me who have taken on the task to become bigger than life.  They have decided to do something that is almost impossible.  To watch them succeed gives me goose bumps even as I write this...2.4 MILE SWIM - 112 MILE BIKE - 26.2 MILE RUN...Are you s... 06/24/2009

Route of the Hiawatha Rail-Trail Here's a thought for your personal newsletter.  This is an article I wrote for my newsletter that had good comments from prospects who decided to come here to take this little bike ride.  I'm trying to feature more things having to do with local activities from a personal point of view. Trail of the Hiawatha     Let's see...where could I take the grandkids that would get us outdoors to see some amazing scenery, experience history's legacy, get exercise (but not too much), stop to picnic and talk to one another....all while creating treasured memories?     Three years ago, I found just that in the Route of the Hiawatha bike ride about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Sandpoint near Wallace, Idaho.  We rented bikes at Lookout Pass for 3 adults and 3 children and t... 06/15/2009

I am excited to be a part of the Brokers' Open on Monday, June 15.  I'll have two of the premier listings in North Idaho on the Tour.  The photo above is of "The Cottage On The Lake" and is a MUST SEE.  The home was built by a master mason and NO corners were cut on this project.  The home is a unique combination of North Idaho stone hand placed to create 18" thick walls with authentic, dowelled timber framed infra-structure including dramtaic metal connections and strappings.  You will not find a home with a warmer ambiance...built for a family to enjoy for generations.  This home is offered at $5,978,000...there are absolutely NO comparables on the market. SALISHAN POINT (www.salishanpoint.com) is the other listing we are proud to host during the OPEN.  SALISHAN POINT is the premier g... 06/11/2009

Many know in our current market there is a lot of inventory available, and we have had a real slowdown in home sales. In the old market, people could just put a sign up, list on the MLS, and in no time, everything was selling. In order to sell houses these days it takes special effort. We do things differently. We produce top-quality media, the absolute best web presence, and have a three man team. We do much more than that to sell homes, and we have listed that later on this page. The Right Ideas to Market Your Homes and Properties to buying consumers!        Our Qualifications: First, we always answer our phones, night and day. Jed and Gary are local businessmen and Real Estate Investors. Gary worked in commercial real estate for seven years, selling hotels and restaurants. He owned W... 06/08/2009

To search for Realty, click the MLS Search Button   Gary Lirettee-mail208-610-1384Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby'sInternational Realty Contact Gary for all your Real Estate needs First, the combination of Tomlinson, with our local expertise, and Sotheby's with it international reach, bring a unique philosophy, programs and services that are designed to serve homebuyers and sellers. We also offer training and resources to our market. Browse the categories below to discover what has made us the leading real estate company in the customer service in the world. Sandpoint is a small town that has relished its personal interaction and service with the community. This is in keeping with our philosophy. Hire only the best and top producers and become an integral part of the community. While the co... 06/08/2009

My team has always believed in strong advertising. While it is wonderful that people blog, and have a cool website, one cool website, it is not enough. Our clients deserve more. Plus, our community deserves our best efforts, and promoting and growing our team's business is very important, both on a local scale, and nationally. Here are our initial summer ads and efforts: We have taken out a full page ad in the Real Estate Book for the next six months. We have bought the full page inside cover of the Sandpoint Guide: Relocation Guide. We have one-minute ads running during drive times on KPND, K102, and KSPT Talk Radio for the summer. We are the exclusive REALTORS® for Homes.com, including page 1 placement for over 150 keyword placements, including the terms "Sandpoint Real Estate," "Sand... 06/08/2009

The supply of property in Bonner County continues to grow, with 3226 total listings in the Multiple Listing Service as of June 1, 2009. There have been a total of 237 residential sales since the first of this year, most of which have been in the $200s and $300s price range.  This is due in large part no doubt to the excellent financing that is available for first time buyers and anyone in the conforming loan range (under $417,000).  Since the first of the year, there have been 2093 new residential listings.  This equates to 5 years of inventory at the current pace of sales.  11% of the listings are currently selling, with the balance expiring before they sell. I like to break out the figures for Sandpoint specifically, focusing on residential without the land.  We all know there is a to... 06/05/2009

'Talk Dirt to Me' is Dover Bay's first Home & Garden Show, taking place throughout Dover Bay Resort this Saturday, June 6.  This is an outdoor event that will take place from 11a to 5p, centered around Dover Bay's waterfront Marina Village. There will be classes from KXLY Garden Expert Phyllis Stephens, an All Seasons Garden & Floral demonstration on editable landscapes, the first annual Rusty Tiller Sailing Race, kayak and canoe demos, food and all sorts of vendors.  My friend Arthur's band, 'Bright Moments', will be playing near the Dover Cafe, a fun band playing lively jazz. Each of the neighborhoods at Dover Bay will also hold an open house, where you can enter to win prizes at each location.  We have a fantastic prize to give away at the Parkside Bungalows (the new homes located on... 06/05/2009

When my family and I decided to relocate to Sandpoint, Idaho, one of the considerations we had was in moving and investing in a region that had solid real estate fundamentals with a long term value proposition.  In comparison to other places we had considered, such as McCall, Idaho, and Bend, Oregon, we certainly felt very confident in our Sandpoint decision.  This is a place that has some of the finest natural amenities on the planet, with a hip and cultural progressive community, yet with very reasonable real estate pricing and supply relative to other resort destinations. Within Sandpoint we found that Dover Bay had perhaps the strongest underlying fundamentals of any of the resort communities in the North Idaho area.  This is why I personally decided to represent Dover Bay property ... 06/04/2009

An incredible amount of market analysis went into the development plans for Dover Bay Waterfront Resort & Marina.  Distinctive real estate products were developed with specific customer segments in mind, and even within each neighborhood there have been variances in design to appeal to subsets within these demographic groups. The beauty of the Dover Bay Community concept is that there are 11 distinct neighborhoods appealing to people from all walks of life. Obviously, the resort is geared toward the water and snow‐loving crowd, but the diversity of the product offerings appeal to everyone from young first‐time homebuyers to well‐to‐do executives or retirees looking for a luxury custom second home on the water. A young couple in their twenties can purchase one of the bungalow properties ... 06/04/2009

Continuing with the discussion of the unique features that make Dover Bay Resort a solid investment, here are some key differentiators from other resort real estate communities in and around Sandpoint Idaho. A. Concept of Independent Commercial Entities In today's market, one of the biggest sales challenges a second home development has is the love/hate relationship between real estate and the club. Many communities require homeowner's to be club members, using and paying for both the amenities and homeowner's association services. This is what sets Dover Bay apart from the rest. The commercial aspects of the Marina Village, the Lake Club Fitness Center, Café and Market, Marina and future amenities are "stand alone" facilities. The homeowner makes the choice to have a boat slip or belon... 06/04/2009

Given the economic environment of late and the troubles that many resort developments are having, a common concern with many of my clients relates to the underlying strength of the resort community in which they are considering buying.  Dover Bay Resort is one community that is certainly in a very solid position even in today's market. Developer/Developments Credibility/Communities Financial Health   Dover Bay has been involved in successful residential, commercial and property management projects such as Warren Island, Holiday Shores Condominiums, East Hope Marina, Holiday Shores Resort, Sandpoint Marina and the Old Powerhouse Building. Those successes have allowed Dover Bay Development to forge close financial relationships with a number of very stable local banks. These strong finan... 06/04/2009