It has become a happy tradition for us at Scharf Real Estate to host an annual Client Appreciation pie giveaway for our valued clients, friends and support people. It is so much fun as we catch up with dozens of you who have touched our lives through the years. It's not all about the pie, it's all about you!Pie just sweetens the experience.This week we had a lot of pie fun we gave out about 60 pies to those of you who were able to pop in for a pie and a hug. Every year, as we stack up all those pies in the morning, I feel a twinge of concern that I will be left with a pile of unclaimed pies at the end of the day. Silly me, I should know by now that pie brings out the best in people, and pie brings people out!All kidding aside, we recognize how enriched we are because of the opportunity ... 11/18/2017

Are you considering the purchase of a home in downtown Coeur d'Alene? Homes for sale in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho bring a premium over similarly sized homes of the same era in other parts of town.  The attraction, of course, is the proximity to our beautiful lakefront downtown with it's sandy city beach and park, quaint shops, restaurants galore and hopping night spots. The closer to the center of action, the higher the price tag per square foot. Many historical homes, from bungalows to mansions, have been lovingly restored and remodeled with all the latest and greatest bells and whistles. Many are in need of fixing, and there is no shortage of people willing to snap them up the minute they come on the market. If you are looking for a charming home for sale in downtown Coeur d'Alen... 10/25/2017

Coeur d'Alene Leaf Fest 2017The city's annual leaf pick-up program begins on November 13. Some of my happiest childhood memories involve huge piles of leaves under the ancient poplar trees that framed our house at 9th and Sherman.They're all gone now, our home and those trees. But each fall as the leaves pile up around town they live on in my memories.Residents are asked to rake their leaves and pine needles into the streets, about a foot out from the gutter line to allow for water drainage. Please do not put bagged leaves, branches, rubble or refuse in the street. There is no cost to you for leaf pick up.City crews will be moving fast, beginning south of Sherman and working their way north. Once an area has been cleared they won't return, so if you're too late you're just out of luck.C... 10/25/2017

Welcome! You have just discovered a link to all of the homes for sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho MLS with a main level master bedroom suite.I recently celebrated another birthday. No getting around it, I'm getting older! But then so are you. And so are 80 million baby boomers approaching retirement age! My left knee hurts. My right foot hurts. But only when I walk! I need to schedule an eye appointment and face the music this time. Yes, I really DO need bifocals! My hairdresser keeps the gray at bay, and good genetics have blessed me with few wrinkles and an appearance years younger than my age.When it comes to homes, as we age we begin to rethink things a bit. Stairs! Recent years have seen a change in home designs to accommodate the desires of the aging population. One level living. Smal... 10/25/2017

Strategies in a Hot Real Estate Market Today is a very good day!  Yesterday we FINALLY got some happy buyers under contract on the purchase of a new home.  They had been frustrated for months, with homes in their price range being snapped up the minute they hit the market, and they were beginning to get desperate.  Homes to rent here are as difficult to find as a good home to buy in their price range.   Their realistic fear of being homeless in May was beginning to take hold. The market statistics on the day we wrote the offer prove what we all know, it is an unbelievable seller's market, with 1.4 months of home inventory in the town and price range of their soon-to-be new home.  Six months is considered a balanced buyer/seller market. Right now I have a long list of frustrated pre-appr... 04/08/2017

The Sanders Beach neighborhood in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho encompasses the area south of Sherman Avenue between 8th and 19th Streets, extending south to Lake Coeur d'Alene. Sanders Beach consists of a mix of 100-year-old cottages that have been loved and remodeled, 1950s-era homes, and new homes where the owners have razed the original structure and built their modern dream home. It includes waterfront properties, and from time to time a vacant lot will show up on the market.There are also some upscale condos and duplexes. One of the main assets of Sanders Beach is the stellar location. It lies at the foot of scenic Tubbs Hill, with its beaches and hiking trails. You're walking distance from the shops, cafes and restaurants downtown. Then there are the events on Sherman Avenue, from Car d'L... 02/15/2017

Here are all the homes for sale in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with a main level master bedroom suite!I'm about to celebrate another birthday. No getting around it, I'm getting older! But then so are you. And so are about 80 million baby boomers who are approaching retirement. My left knee hurts. My right foot hurts. But only when I walk! I need to schedule an eye appointment and face the music this time. Yes, I really DO need bifocals! My hairdresser keeps the gray at bay, and good genetics have blessed me with few wrinkles and an appearance years younger than my age. When it comes to homes, as we age we begin to rethink things a bit. Stairs!  Recent years have seen a change in home designs to accommodate the desires of the aging population. One level living. Smaller homes but larger rooms an... 02/15/2017

First of all, what is HUD? HUD is the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.What is a HUD home? It is a home for sale that is the result of a foreclosure action on a FHA-insured mortgage. In other words, it's a repo. HUD paid the insurance claim and now is the property owner. It is offered for sale to recover the loss on the foreclosure claim.By definition, a HUD home can be a 1 to 4 unit residential property. When first hitting the market, they are offered to owner-occupied buyers first. After the initial offering, unsold properties are available to all buyers, including investors.How Do I find a HUD home? HUD repos are HUD repos are available to the public on the internet by management companies under contract to HUD, and are often listed with designated HUD agents in our MLS... 02/13/2017

Historically, Coeur d'Alene home sale activity dips slightly in the fall and winter months.This fact contributes to a substantial number of potential sellers taking their homes off the market. They mistakenly believe that sales will plummet, that buyers are now hunkered in and won't come out again until spring. They're WRONG. Don't you make this mistake! Here are the true numbers of the percentage of homes SOLD each quarter in our Coeur d'Alene market: 1st QTR - 19% of annual sales 2nd QTR - 29% of annual sales 3rd QTR - 29% of annual sales 4th QTR - 23% of annual sales As you can see, plenty of people are buying here in north Idaho all year around. Savvy sellers recognize that winter is the PERFECT time for them to list their house for sale! It's all about supply and demand. For the ne... 02/03/2017

Ultimately, a home is worth what someone will pay for it. Everything else is an estimation of value.  A house is NOT worth: what you paid for it what you owe on it what you need to get for it what you have invested in it. It is worth exactly what someone will pay for it!  Everything else, including an appraisal, is an estimation of value. To determine a property's value, most people turn to either an appraisal or a comparative market analysis, commonly called a CMA. An appraisal is a certified appraiser's estimate of value of a home at a given point in time. Appraisers consider square footage, construction quality, design, floor plan, neighborhood and availability of transportation, shopping and schools. Appraisers also take lot size, topography, view and landscaping into account. A com... 02/03/2017

SECONDARY WATERFRONT is a classification of waterfront property for sale in the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service.  I often get questioned about just what that term means. Quite simply, it means that a particular piece of property has no frontage on the water, but it does have rights to water access.  Often, we will see this in waterfront communities where some of the homes have frontage on the lake or river, while others in the neighborhood do not. The non-waterfront homes or lots are granted access to the neighborhood beach, dock, boat ramp or park which does front the water.  For many, secondary waterfront in Coeur d'Alene is desirable in that it gives them easy recreational access to our beautiful lakes and rivers, while it protects them from the higher property taxes that acco... 01/30/2017

Many people buy their homes in the spring and summer. However is a fantastic time to buy a home with 3 distinct advantages.  Less Competition: One reason that people wait until spring of summer to buy a house is because they don't want to move their kids to a new school district in the middle of the school year.  While this can be factor for some families for others with children that are too you are too young (or old) to go to school. You avoid the price increases in the spring and summer:  As I just noted with spring and summer comes increased competition and the resulting bidding wars between buyers that can push that dream home beyond your budget. Your Mortgage Payment will go up if you wait: With the Fed increasing their rate with more positive economic news coming each week this p... 01/27/2017

Congratulations Steve and Julie on your new Condo!!  This particular on was a 3 bedroom 2 bath condo with cathedral ceilings, granite counter tops, new appliances and carpet. One car garage and beautiful clubhouse and fitness center with a great location.If you are looking for a condo in North Idaho give Rain Silverhawk 208-610-0011 a call 01/26/2017

The 899-acre Black Rock North golf course community was originally approved in 2005, prior to the real estate market melt-down.  It was planned as an extension of The Club at Black Rock.  Located on the west side of Lake Coeur d'Alene and then owned by Marshall Chesrown, it was a casualty of the recession.  Black Rock North went into foreclosure in 2009.   In 2010 Chesrown also surrendered The Club at Black Rock over to the bank.  At the time, I blogged about Chesrown signing Black Rock back to the bank, here.  Now, Rock Creek of Idaho Holdings LLC, a Las Vegas-based subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, who acquired the site in 2012, is proposing a new development plan of 411 lots in what had originally been approved as the Club at Rock Creek in Black Rock North. The development a... 01/19/2017

Can you help??????With homes sales UP and the inventory of homes for sale DOWN, it is proving to be a REAL CHALLENGE to find our buyers what they need!   We have a list of highly motivated buyers who are ready to buy RIGHT NOW except that we can't find homes that meet their needs.   Here is what we are searching for:  Dave is looking for a craftsman style home with upscale finishes, up to $650,000.  He needs 4 bedrooms, a few forested acres up to about 10, and within 15 minutes of Coeur d'Alene. Dennis is looking for a home on up to 20 acres with no visible neighbors and within 20 minutes of Coeur d'Alene.  He'd love a pretty view.  His budget is $550,000 and he isn't adverse to some updating or fixing up.  He also needs a shop. Richard has a budget of $450,000 and needs treed acreage w... 01/17/2017

Coeur d'Alene residents have become concerned that deer are coming into town at increasingly higher numbers in search of food.  They worry that there isn't enough food for them with our deep snow cover and are starting to feed them.Idaho Fish & Game have cautioned us that it hasn't gotten to the point where emergency deer feeding is necessary.  They do keep track and are prepared to implement emergency feeding if it becomes essential to our dear deer's well being.  They assure us that local deer have a sufficient supply of food to carry them through the winter.  They also caution against the dangers of people feeding the deer.  When people feed deer the fawns get pushed out and don't get enough to eat.  Deer have been known to die at food sites because their stomach acids aren't suited ... 01/16/2017

Downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho homes for sale bring a bit of a premium over similarly sized homes of the same era in other areas of our real estate market.The attraction, of course, is the proximity to our beautiful lakefront downtown with it's sandy city beach and park, quaint shops, restaurants galore and hopping night spots. The closer to the center of action, the higher the price tag per square foot. Many historical homes, from bungalows to mansions, have been lovingly restored and remodeled with all the latest and greatest bells and whistles. Many are in need of fixing, and there seems to be no shortage of people willing to snap them up as soon as they come on the market. If you are looking for a charming home for sale in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, you will appreciate the link b... 01/06/2017

Absorption rates vary WIDELY from town to town and neighborhood to neighborhood, and also from price range to price range within those communities.  If you are trying to sell your house, one of the pieces of information that should be factored into your pricing strategy is the absorption rate for homes in your specific community and PRICE RANGE. An absorption rate will tell you, based on current market activity, how many months, or even years, it should take to get your house sold in our current market, at a particular price.  The formula is really very simple if you have the statistical info that you need.  Let's say you have a home to sell for $250,000. And let's say that there were 10 homes that sold for $250,000 in the past year. Currently there are 10 competing $250,000 homes. It's... 01/05/2017

A look at the Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service Hot Sheet on any given day will show that there were expired listings, as well as those that sold, pended, were withdrawn or canceled. The expired count will usually soar at the end of a month from the normal few to perhaps several dozen. But this morning I was stunned to see that a whopping 706 listings expired on the last day of 2016!  This translates to a huge decrease in the number of available listings in the Coeur d'Alene MLS while we were sleeping last night!  What does this mean for you?  If you are a seller with your home currently on the market: This is wonderful news in that there will NEVER be less competition for buyers over the course of the coming year than there is right now! Hold your agent's feet to the fire to keep ... 01/01/2017

Fair Trade Sale Dec 3 & 4  in Coeur d'Alene ID    Think outside the box (big box stores that is) this holiday season and shop for unique handcrafted items which benefit other countries and surprise those on your gift list with a unique item.  Or, consider making a purchase for a birthday, anniversary or hostess gift.  Your purchase of fair trade goods makes a positive difference in the world.    Mark your calendar and don't miss the sale at Trinity Lutheran Church the first weekend in December.   Fair trade - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_trade Fair trade is a social movement whose stated goal is to help producers in developing countries achieve better trading conditions and to promote sustainability.   12th Annual Fair Trade Sale Dec 3 & 4 in Coeur d'Alene ID  11/22/2016