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Negative Equity Helping Boise
Market Page 2
Boise Home Price
Forecast Page 5
Top 10 Best Deals on
Market Page 12
Private (non-mls)
Listings Page 10
Help with Credit
Scores Page 14
Boise Home
Reviews Page 16
PRSRT STD
US Postage Paid Boise ID
Permit #649
Brought To You By:
Aug—Sep 2012 BROKERS Front Street Brokers.com
Sell Your Home
NAME YOUR PRICE Details Page 9
LOCAL
REALTOR SHARES
ALL SECRETS
Page 8
Treasure Valley Home Prices Up Over 25% Year To Date!
How? Why? Details Pages 4-6
By Mike Turner Front Street Brokers
The US housing market is experiencing a 21% decrease
in available homes on the market compared to last year. The cause of this sudden drop in
supply results from a string of events, including the lack
of or non-existent new construction market, fewer
foreclosure prop-erties entering the market, and the
biggest reason of all– negative equi-ty.
Homebuyers are often surprised and shocked when
they start to look for homes and find very few available
for sale. Most assume that with a sluggish economy, the market would be littered with
unsold homes. This is not the case because negative equity is keeping the bulk of homeowners from putting their homes up for sale.
Foreclosure numbers have impacted markets by pushing home prices far below what most homeowners can com-pete with. Although US foreclosure activity has now
decreased on a year-over-year basis for 20 straight months, allowing a chance for more non-distressed list-ings to sell, many of the markets that were hurt the most
during the housing crash have seen such steep price declines that most homeowners owe too much on their home to compete with today’s home prices. Thus we see
many homeowners not even attempting to sell their homes. The housing markets with the most homes underwater
are now seeing the biggest drops in the supply of homes. Oakland, CA has seen their inventory of homes on the market drop over 56% in just one year. In Phoe-
nix, AZ supply has decreased 44% in the last year. Figure 1 shows that higher negative equity equals
a lower supply of homes. However, I would argue that negative equity is also a cause for helping the housing market recover faster than
expected. Because negative equity is restricting supply,
it will ultimately help push up home prices. Phoenix, AZ
and Boise, ID are good examples of markets where the lack of inventory led to an extreme and quick increase in median list price for their markets. Phoenix home prices
are up over 32% year-over-year. Boise is up over 14% year-over-year and up 30% year-to-date. Here are the Top 10 Cities with the largest year-over-
year gain in median list price (provided by Move.com). Note that they all have huge decreases in total inventory. Every Top 10 city listed with big gains in median list
price has also seen a 20% or more decrease in available inventory. As home prices begin to rise, fewer homeowners will
have negative equity, which will allow them to re-enter the marketplace to sell their home and cause the market to cool down. Meaning, once cities experience the price
bump caused by low supply, real estate markets should return to a more gradual and healthy rise in home prices.
Summer is in full swing in my neighborhood, and there's something I've noticed that's pretty encouraging. As you probably know, I think it's pret-ty important for par-ents to teach their kids about finances. Personally, I feel like it's important to teach my own kids about entrepreneurship and owning a business. I feel these principles are overlooked or ignored in academia. My daughters are still very young but I hope to teach these princi-ples at an early age so it is second nature when they are older. The cool thing I've noticed in my neigh-borhood this summer is that I see more and more kids getting involved in business. I've gotten flyers for:
A pet-sitting/dog-walking service
Two grass-cutting services
A "snack-wagon" (little girl with her wagon selling snacks)
Hair decorations for girls
Home made scented candles
A used-toy sale (with trade-ins considered) All of these little businesses were operated by children. What's also pretty cool is that some of these ventures have been marketed via social media - Facebook and Twitter - with their parents' help. I'm not a huge fan of kids being on social media sites, but if they're old enough and supervised, it's fantastic that they're getting some lessons in modern-day marketing that they probably won't get at school. My wife drove by two adorable kids, probably 6 and 8 years old on a busier street around 7pm on her way to a meeting. When her meeting ended at 8:30pm, she drove that same busy street (this was not in a neighborhood, but actually in a high traffic area in front of a business park). The two girls were still there. She stopped and talked to them and found out they were raising money so they could help their team travel to Nevada for a sporting event. They went into great detail about the different lemonade options they had for just $1.00. My wife said these girls were so cute because they took their jobs so seriously. Pouring the cup of lemonade was like watching a doctor perform sur-gery. Complete and total focus. At 8:30pm no less. Amazing. I don't know whether it's the kids growing up enough to start under-standing how to earn money, or if it's that parents are seeing things like I am and encouraging their kids to be more entrepreneurial. I hope that's the case. I'd also like to think that the economy of the past few years has had at least one positive effect. I do believe that with high unemployment, less corporate structure and more mobility there have been more opportuni-ties for freelancers, contractors and the self-employed. If this economy can re-generate that American spirit of entrepreneurship, then we'll get something out of tough times. Apparently, it's working with some of the kids around town. I hope that by sharing that encouraging sign with you, you'll be a little more enthused that maybe there is an underlying upside to this down economy. - Mike T—FS Brokers
Negative Equity: The Cause for Low Supply in Housing
One Positive To A Down Economy
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store chronicles what happens when a little girl who scorns the idea of marriage and children (in favor of becoming a stiletto-wearing, attache-carrying Secret Agent), majors in Russian, minors in Vodka, and then one day finds herself with child… and in-laws.
“Empty bladder before reading.” -Laurie Notaro, New York Times bestselling author of We Thought You Would Be Prettier.
“Reading This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store is like going to your neighbor’s house for a play date and discov-ering that she’s just as clueless and crazy as you are.” -Stacy Dymalski, Confessions of a Band Geek Mom
“A.K. Turner’s witty essays explore the raw realities of raising children so they won’t become serial killers, show-ing that it’s okay to put the little darlings to bed and then guzzle a bottle of hooch. This is the perfect cross between Nora Ephron, David Sedaris and Chelsea Handler.” -Elaine Ambrose, Menopause Sucks
O ur very own Amanda Turner (Mike
Turner’s wife) has come out with another book this summer and it’s already taking
off like wildfire.
If you are looking for a good and funny book to read this summer then go to Amanda’s website: AKTurner.com, local bookstores, or Amazon to get
yourself a copy.
Amanda is not only a local author she is also very much involved in promoting the local writing commu-
nity so if you haven’t heard the radio show she pro-duces called “The Writers’ Block” or checked her Blog, then be sure to make your way over to
www.AKTurner.com.
FYI—Don’t be surprised if you’re at Front Street Bro-kers office downtown that you see Amanda walk into the office. She still handles our bookkeeping; at least
for now, until she becomes totally famous .
Congratulations Amanda on your latest Book!
- Staff at Front Street Brokers
Local Author
Months of Supply In
Ada County
White Line = 6 months Supply
Anything below that normally indicates a Sellers’ Market
Boise Home Prices VS Inventory (Supply) of Homes
The Tipping Point
Quick Stats
BOISE REAL ESTATE FACTS
Available Bank Owned Foreclosures –
Boise Metro
Down 90% Since Peak (Peak= Sep 2010)
Bank Owned Foreclosures
1.8% of Total Supply – Ada
4.0% of Total Supply – Canyon
Pending New Construction Home Sales
Up over 100% - Ada
Up over 270% - Canyon
Total Inventory Homes For Sale
Down 61% Since Peak – Ada
Down 66% Since Peak – Canyon
Median Home Price – Ada
Up 26% Year to Date
Up 16% Jun 2011 – Jun 2012
Price Bottom = Mar 2011
Median Home Price – Canyon
Up 31% Year to Date
Up 25% Jun 2011 – Jul 2012
Price Bottom = May 2011
Home Buyer Demand - Ada
Up 8% Year to Date over 2011
Up 11% from last month
Home Buyer Demand – Canyon
Down 13% Year to Date from 2011
Down 5% from Last Month
Monthly Average 30yr Interest Rate
3.55 % in July 2012
4.55 % in July 2011
CANYON County-Pending
New Construction
This chart uses a 3% appreciation line versus actual median sale price for homes in the Treasure valley. You can see in 2002-2004, the local housing market was growing at a healthy pace. We all know what happened next… Massive and uncontrolled growth. We peaked in summer 2006 (6 YEARS AGO). The
bubble burst and 5 years later we appear to have bottomed out in the Treasure valley in winter/spring of 2011. From looking at this chart one could make a strong argument that the local market overcorrected, but with a recent explosion in median home price we appear to be close to where we should be. We are
forecasting the market will start settling out and will begin to follow a similar pattern we saw 10 years ago. Affordability of our marketplace is keeping demand levels strong. For reasons why Boise is seeing such a strong come back in median home prices...see page 6.
New Construction Explosion in Treasure Valley Shocking numbers in the new home sector of the market. New Construction home sales are up over 100% in Ada county and up over 200% Canyon county. This has to translate into JOBS and a lot of them. I’m guessing that a lot of the jobs will go to folks who are NOT col-lecting unemployment benefits, so I doubt we will a huge drop in jobless claims but this
should translate to a great natural stimulus for this local economy. Right now it seems build-ers can barely keep up with the demand. I have spoken to many builders about this new wave of demand and most of them are excited but are concerned about the lack of quality lots for buyers. Either the best lots have already been taken or the quality lots were pur-chased by sellers in the past at double today’s rate and they are holding onto the land until prices comeback. I expect to see other markets have a jump in new construction by next spring as Boise has been a leading indicator for many other markets for the last few years.
Page 5
Why Boise Home Prices Are Up Over 20% Year To Date
In February of 2012 I wrote about how I expected to see
double digit increases in Boise area home prices for 2012
and possibly even 20+% increase.
Of course everyone thought I was crazy for saying this.
Even in the summer in 2011 when I announced on the radio the market bottom in Boise was the 1Q of 2011, I still got
people telling me that I was being over optimistic.
But the reason I was so confident in making these outlandish forecasts of the Boise area housing market was because I wasn’t predicting a 20+% increase in appreciation, but rather
a median price bump due to rapidly decreasing foreclosures.
In the Boise market the majority of foreclosure properties are found in the bottom price ranges. Only 1% of foreclosures
can be found in homes priced above $300,000.
If all of sudden we lose 50% of the inventory of homes priced below $120,000, it is logical we can expect the aver-
age and the median price of homes sold to go up substan-
tially.
On Chart 1 you can see that home prices in Ada County
have jumped as much as 29% Year to Date. Chart 2 shows how the supply of available distressed property in the Treasure Valley decreased 90% in the last 18 months. Chart 3 depicts
how Ada County had almost zero home sales priced below $100,000 prior to 2009. The tidal wave of foreclosures drove down the median price of homes, having the largest affect to
home prices in 2011 (when we hit the market bottom locally). Chart 4 shows how the number of homes listed below $120,000 in Ada County is steadily decreasing, thereby almost guarantee-
ing that Boise area home prices will increase on the whole. You would need to see the inventory of homes available for sale priced below $120,000 to increase to get back to the median
home prices we saw in early 2011.
This disappearing bottom price range is starting to effect other markets that have seen a large decrease in foreclosures. Phoe-
nix is a good example of another market that has seen a sur-
prise jump in home price exceeding 20%.
As mentioned before we don’t want to confuse this jump in
home price as appreciation. It is rather a price correction that has been skewed by an abundance of foreclosures grouped in
the lowest price range on the market.
However, you may be able to sell your house for 10% or more if it is priced below $200,000. The reason is now the foreclosures are almost gone in the Boise market, but people want to buy
them now more than ever, but they are not finding them so
they are forced to look at non-distressed listings. For example, a client of mine bought a small 3
bed 2 bath newer home in Boise in 2009 for $125,000. At the time they thought they got a great deal because the home had been previous-
ly sold in 2006 for $189,000. In 2011 that same house could have been purchased for $110,000. Fast forward to summer of 2012, that home can
now likely be sold for $130,000. That is almost a 20% increase in 1 year. Do you think that has anything to do with appreciation? I think not. As
foreclosures become less impactful on the mar-ket we should see more natural increases in
home prices.
As far as the threat of a new foreclosure wave impacting the Boise Market, our only true indica-tor of this is tracking Foreclosure Starts. A fore-
closure start happens when a home owner stops paying their mortgage and the lender files an initial notice of
default.
Nationally foreclosure starts are down 10.6% so far this year compared to the previous year. In Idaho they are down 54.5% according to Realtytrac. Idaho appears to have cycled through
their supply of distressed inventory much faster than other states. In the Treasure Valley, new foreclosure starts appear to
have peaked in March 2010, which lead to the supply of foreclo-sure properties peaking in late 2010. Since then foreclosures
have been decreasing steadily.
This is all good news for the Treasure Valley marketplace. The worst is behind us, at least as far the housing market is con-
cerned. If anything changes in that regard, you can be sure you
will hear about it first in this publication.
Ada County Home Prices
CHART 1
CHART 2
Homes Sold in Ada
County Under
$100,000
CHART 3 Number of Homes For Sale
Priced Under $120,000
CHART 4
BEFORE AFTER
I am extremely impressed with Innovative Custom Homes as I am constantly running into their work
around town from Brand New Custom Homes they have built to homes that I would call serious fixers
that they have completely transformed in a matter of weeks.
They have truly figured out a great system. Instead of hiring many sub-contractors, they instead take
on many employees who are extremely skilled personnel. The benefit appears to be consistency and
speed. I watched them remodel this Boise home pictured here in about 3 weeks time. I also saw them
build an absolutely gorgeous home in “The Shores” in Eagle - start to finish about 85 days!
They appear to avoid the hassle of constantly trying to keep sub-contractors on the job to finish the
job. I think just about everyone has had a contractor horror story of something that should have taken
a week turn to months or a year.
With Innovative Custom Homes I can personally speak for their quality and it opens new doors for my
clients that really didn’t exist before now. Think about it. What if you see a home in a perfect location
for you and your family but the home is extremely dated or the layout is just all wrong. A big project
like that would discourage most buyers and for good reason. Typically large remodels can be extremely
expensive and take forever. However, with Innovative Custom Homes they have the experience and
the manpower to completely transform your home in a month. The end product is like a brand new
home, the cost is a fraction of what you may have paid another service and you get to move in and
enjoy the home in no time flat.
The next time I have a client who loves the location and yard but the house doesn’t work for them I’m
going to suggest they contact this company to see what it would take in time and cost to transform the
home. The answer just might surprise you… in a good way.
Also, if you can’t find a home on the market that suits you but you can’t afford the 6-9 months that it
typically takes to build a home. Now I can recommend a builder that can build a very high end quality
home in 2 1/2 months! How cool is that?
I highly recommend you give Innovative Custom Homes a call. The owners are Ben and Heather and
you can reach them at 208.695.5846 or go to InnovativeHomesBoise.com.
Also the pictures shown on the right are all from the same home. It is amazing they did all
that work in just a few weeks. FYI—This property is listed for sale by The Real Estate Shop, and is
priced at $374,890. I previewed this home and what you can’t see from the pictures is that this home
is located on a cool rim view property in the Boise Bench and it overlooks a baseball stadium. You
could literally watch a live baseball game from your living room or porch! Hello sports fans! This might
be the home for you. The address is 6014 Randolph Drive, Boise Idaho.
Look it up if you are in the market.
- Mike Turner, Managing Agent with Front Street Brokers
Builder Spotlight
FRONT FRONT
BACK BACK
LIVING ROOM LIVING ROOM
KITCHEN KITCHEN
FAMILY ROOM FAMILY ROOM
BEDROOM BEDROOM
www.InnovativeHomesBoise.com Page 7
B elieve it or not, there are secrets to
selling your home. If you follow these
proven strategies, you dramatically
increase your chances of selling your
home faster and for more money than you would
believe. But, before we talk about that, there are
three things we need to establish.
1) Why Homes Don’t Sell
If you tried and failed to sell your home recently,
it’s ok; it may have nothing to do with your
home. However, it’s very important for you to
understand why your home (or any other home on
the market for that matter) did not sell before you
think of listing your home. That way you don’t
waste any more time and endure the emotional
burden of wondering if your home will ever sell in
this market.
Believe me, I completely understand the emotional
rollercoaster of selling, the inconveniences of
listing your home on the market, the hoping and
wishing that someone would just buy it so you
could move on. I’ve been there. It’s a pain in the
butt to regularly have to vacate your home on short
notice for showings to have it judged by random
people… or worse: not having ANY showings in
months.
The good news is that your home WILL sell in this
market so long as you position yourself with the
right tools, strategies, and assistance. Selling your
home now as opposed to pushing it off could help
you finally move on to what you really de-
sire. Whether you are looking to lower stress
levels, or maybe seeking the ability to buy your
dream home, or the freedom to relocate for a better
opportunity… whatever your situation is, I often
see how selling a home helps people accomplish
their goals and I want to see that happen for you.
But first, we need to understand WHY homes
don’t sell, and then FIX THE PROBLEM.
2) Don’t Blame The Market
Yes, the market is extremely tough for sellers right
now, but the market is not the only reason homes
don’t sell. Homes don’t sell because it wasn’t
presented to the market in a way to give you the
best chance of selling.
I agree, having foreclosures in your neighborhood
is awful and adds a great deal of difficulty to sell-
ing your home now. But that doesn’t mean you
can’t sell your home for a reasonable price.
Understanding Foreclosures and the Buyers in this
market can actually help you leverage the situation
so your home can stand out from the crowd, and
even demand a higher price, and be sought after,
rather than being pushed aside. But you must use
the right tools and strategies.
3) Blame The Agent..?
Unfortunately, most real estate agents (like 98%)
don’t understand marketing and buyer behavior to
a level sufficient enough to sell homes in this
tough marketplace. Agents, for the most part,
seem to take a quick guess about what they think
your home is worth and throw your home on the
Internet and MLS and then hope the market will
sell your home for you.
I caution blaming your agent because they might
be trying hard or doing everything they know to
sell your home, but without the right advertising
knowledge, market expertise, understanding of
selling strategies that work for buyers, and the
right available tools to use, their chances of selling
a home in this market are significantly low.
The problem is that almost every agent from what
I can see does the same useless stuff over and over
again. This one-size-fits-all approach to marketing
your home puts them (and you) at a disadvantage –
especially in this market.
Here’s the #1 Secret to
Selling Your House… In
This Market:
I know this may fly in the face of what your last
agent told you. The secret to selling your house is
not about price. The secret to selling your house
in this market is focusing on the buyer. The
reason your past agent didn’t tell you this, is prob-
ably because they don’t know how to do that. You
see, buyers want to fall in love with the house, and
then feel like they got a good deal. If the deal
leads buyers to start with… you attract the wrong
buyers. I could go into great detail on this but let
me just give you a few crucial insights.
Let’s talk about how most agents work. It’s a
dirty little secret in the real estate world, but it’s
time someone came out and admitted it. Most
agents primarily focus on just acquiring more
listings (often at 6-12 month long contracts) just so
they have better odds – with more listings they
have a better chance of selling a few of them to
make a living. It’s a numbers game, which is good
for them, but bad for you.
Now let’s talk about what it looks like when your
agent’s focus is actually on the buyer. Instead of
focusing on quantity, they develop their selling
strategies to attract the highest quality buy-
ers. They use aggressive and innovative marketing
to get the attention of people who are actually
interested in buying a home… not just looking at
house after house after house. They know that
when they focus on the buyers, they can control,
not just hope, that the home will sell.
I work with an agency that is extremely focused on
Buyers, almost the exact opposite of every other
real estate company in town. We go to great
lengths to engage, attract, and service home buyers
in this Valley. The reason is simple: if you have
the buyers you can better predict, influence, and
advertise to the people that will actually be buying
the homes on the market.
Silver Bullet #1 – Attracting the
Buyers
Most agents –if they are lucky– have just a small
handful of buyers or an office of other desperate
agents they can market their listing to. Unfortu-
nately, this is the norm. Outside of this small area
of influence they really only have the MLS to
hopefully attract other agents and buyers to their
listing. But at that point, for these agents, it is left
up to a lot of wishing and even more luck.
What kind of impact do you think it would have if
your listing agent could speak directly to not hun-
dreds, but thousands of buyers about your listing?
Do you think it would help you sell your home
faster? Heck yeah, it would.
Silver Bullet #2 – Keeping the
Buyers’ Attention
The perfect buyer for your home may not even be
looking when you first list your home. Therefore it
is extremely important to keep getting buyers
attention so your home doesn’t get lost or get what
we call Market Fatigue. We found we can accom-
plish this in many ways but one of the best ways is
to provide them information they can’t get any-
where else, even in this day and age where infor-
mation is everywhere; This is no easy task, by the
way. It takes a lot of hard work and money. But
for me and my team, it is worth every minute and
dime because this strategy alone (of keeping the
buyers’ attention) has helped us to sell a lot of
homes.
So to recap what if your listing agent had 1,000’s
Untold Secrets on How To Sell Your Idaho Home
for the Maximum the Market will Bear
Sell Your Home
NAME YOUR PRICE
EXCLUSIVELY BY
FRONT STREET BROKERS
SAVE THOUSANDS…
We know times are tough. Homeowners have lost a ton of equity in their homes. If you are going to sell your home in this market you need an agent who can market the heck out of your home but who will also work with you on the selling fees... Which leads us to...NAME YOUR PRICE. You want to sell your home and NET as much as possible. We want listings so we can prove how good we are at selling them. Therefore, for the month of August, homeowners who interview us about selling their home have the unique op-portunity to also NAME THE PRICE of our commission.
CALL 208-740-5000 for Details
Some restrictions apply...like we don’t work in all locations or list all homes. Mostly though we just want to prove to you we can do a superior job selling your home so we hope this offer gets your attention and that you will be finally com-pelled to give us call. Go ahead...We’re Ready.
of buyers seeking them out specifically because of the unique way
they provide information that buyers can’t get anywhere else? Do you
think that would give those listing agents a huge advantage to attract-
ing interest in your home? You Bet Your Bottom Dollar.
Silver Bullet #3 – Understanding the
Market
If you take the time to get to know us, you will quickly see that we
research and study the market at a much deeper level than what you
might have come to see with other agents. That’s because 99% of
agents won’t do this extra work. It’s not just because they are lazy…
it’s because many don’t know how to do it.
Really, it’s a little embarrassing to admit… but my team and I are
almost like addicts when it comes to real estate statistics and studying
the trends and micro-details of our local neighborhoods and cit-
ies. Frankly, we don’t understand how other professionals in our
industry can give advice on such life-impacting events (like selling
your home) without doing everything in their power to become a true
authority on that subject matter. In fact, it seems a little irresponsible
to us, which is why we do things differently.
By understanding where the market is, where it is going, and the
factors that can change its course, we can leverage that knowledge to
get in front of those trends instead of being left behind wishing we
had done something differently. In short, our market expertise helps
us find where the demand is and allows us to simply step in front of
that demand to get your home noticed and sold… and our results
can prove it.
Silver Bullet #4 – Understanding Buyers
Sadly, the lack of effort that most agents put up to attract buyer inter-
est in your home is SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH to sell your home, not
in today’s market. Your listing agent is your hired gun for selling
your home. With our research and market knowledge, we know what
is going to sell your home BEFORE a buyer even steps foot in your
home, PLUS we can help identify the little, often overlooked details
that will drive buyers away.
You would not believe how quickly these ―little things‖ can turn a
buyer completely off to your home. We are talking about truly easy
fixes. Not taking care of the little things can literally cost you the
sale.
This step is where we can often help you the most. We understand
buyers and their fairly eccentric behavior. We study them on a daily
basis, which means we can put you on the fast-track to leveraging that
expertise. Together, we can get buyers to stop and really pay atten-
tion to your home.
We are definitely not shy about pointing out what will turn away
qualified buyers. It’s not that we are going to criticize your home, in
contrast we will bring perspectives and insights that can mean the
difference between showings and selling.
We are constantly amazed when we see crappy photos used to sell a
nice home. I mean come on. Your agent should be hiring a profes-
sional and the photos should be so good you question even moving
when you see them. Not making this a priority is absolute insanity.
The Fine Print
You may not have heard of Front Street Brokers. We are not focused
on being the biggest company in town, but we do want to be the most
successful and effective brokerage in the Valley.
If you have any interest in selling your home I invite you to give us a
call. We’d be happy to swing by your place to give you our profes-
sional opinion on what your home could sell for in this market.
But there is one catch… you actually have to take the first step and
call us. We can’t do that part for you. By calling us you can get
professional insights about your home and the market, and discuss
timing. There is no obligation or fee to meet with us. But we would
love opportunity to meet with you.
Sincerely,
Mike Turner—Front Street Brokers PH: 208-740-5000 Page 9
Private listings NOT ON THE MLS!
THE PROBLEM:
* The hassle of having to drop everything and frantically clean your home for the random, unex-pected showing request from an agent.
* Worry that someone will misuse the lockbox on your front door.
* Answering questions from neighbors as to why you are moving.
THE SOLUTION:
With a private listing you can avoid:
* Having a sign in your yard.
* Having your home on the MLS, which causes potential unwanted interaction with agents, neighbors, etc.
WHY LIST YOUR HOME PRIVATELY?
With our PRIVACY LISTINGS you get the full power of the Front Street Brokers marketing systems to sell your home, without having all the normal hassles of listing your home. If we find someone interested in your home either through our brokerage or through another agent, we make sure they are well qualified and your home definitely meets their criteria before we call you to set up a private showing. Our database of buyers is likely twice as large as any other brokerage in town, and we use different marketing techniques to sell our homes that most agents haven’t even heard of. Some of our privacy listings sell within a few days, due to already having a large database of able buyers looking. We have also been able to obtain higher prices on our priva-
cy listings due to the home always remaining at Zero days on the market, buyers are less likely to lowball the seller, compared to when they see a home listed on the MLS for 90 days+. If a PRIVACY LISTING sounds like a good fit for you, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information. 208-740-5000 Or go to: PrivacyListings.com
An ideal place to raise a family! Gorgeous semi-custom home in a great neighbor-hood, close to schools. Plus the home is just across the street from the community clubhouse and pool!
Great modern craftsman style on the exterior and thoughtful traditional finishes in-side. 3,000 sq ft: 4 bedrooms , office, and 3 baths. Lots of upgrades including exten-sive hardwood, trim work, molding, and built-ins. Chef’s kitchen includes granite coun-ters, warm cabinetry, and stainless steel appliances. There’s also the ultimate “man-cave” complete with a full wet bar and outdoor deck access! Fully fenced .33 acre
lot. Was $335,000, now privately listed at $324,900. Call Sandi Rubio, 208-740-
5000.
Family Home in Great Location!
Beautiful custom luxury home in desirable Castlebury subdivision in Eagle. 5,917 sq ft of luxuri-ous, move-in ready space. 4 bedrooms, 7 baths, and a second level bonus room that could be converted into a 5th bedroom. Gourmet kitchen with granite counters, two dishwashers, pro-fessional-grade appliances, custom tile, butler’s pantry and a wine fridge. Other upgrades in-clude extensive built-ins, custom paint, and dual HVAC systems. Outside, you’ll love the low-maintenance in-ground saltwater pool with diving board. Roomy covered patio features an outdoor kitchen and entertainment space with sound system. Plen-ty of room leftover for play and gardening. The whole acre lot is nicely landscaped. Private
listing priced at $979,500. Call Sandi Rubio, Front Street Brokers, 208-850-3681.
Eagle Custom Luxury Home with Saltwater Pool
2.5 acre lot, beautifully landscaped (over a hundred trees planted). Unobstructed views
of the Owyhee Mountains. 5+ Bedrooms, 7,650 sq ft, huge drive-through shop and other amenities too numerous to list. Home is in Wilder, a scenic 35 min drive from Boise. Small subdivision (there are 3 or 4 houses on this street). There is even a small
putting green, and grape vines. Perfect country family home or empty nester spot. Original owners put a ton of money in this place, and had it on the market for $1.29
million, so the current $525,000 price the sellers have
it at is awesome. Read more of Mike’s review at: http://frontstreetbrokers.com/Wilder-Home
3443 N. Triple Ridge Pl. Absolutely ideal family home and horse
property in a desirable Eagle location. Five irrigated acres (water rights) with horse set up including barn and pasture. 6 huge bedrooms with Jack-and-Jill bathrooms and a spacious master suite. 4,374 sq ft. Year round sunroom with fireplace. Two furnaces and two water heaters ensure whole-house comfort. Open kitchen with granite coun-ters. Listed at $625,000. Call me to have a look at the property today: Sandi Rubio, Front Street Brokers, 208-850-3681
What Mike Thinks
6474 N. Hillsboro: Nestled on a foothills lot with killer views of the city and valley. Bright, open floor plan with tons of windows and a contemporary but time-less feel. 5 bedrooms, 3.75 baths, 3,875 sq ft. Outside, you won’t be able to get enough of
your million dollar views, appreciated from the in-ground pool or wrap around deck. Yard opens straight up to the foothills–no behind neighbors. A ton of house and amenities for the below
market value price of $679,000. . Remember, this home is NOT on the MLS, so you have a chance to get in on a great, under-the-radar deal. Call to schedule a showing today: Mike Turner, Front Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
What Sandi Thinks
Eagle Luxury Home and Horse Property
Private listings
What Mike Thinks
NOT ON THE
MLS!
Page 11
Top 10 - Best Buys on The Market
go to: www.FrontStreetBrokers.com
See The Full Details on ―WHY‖ These Homes Made The List
Million Dollar Price Drop
Group One
Keller Williams
Keller Williams
McCall Real Estate Company
Million Dollar Price Drop 2400+ Acres—Bank Owned
Creed Noah Real Estate
Keller Williams Boise Silvercreek Realty
Keller Williams Boise
Silvercreek Realty
Huge Price Reduction
4000+ Sqft Condo Downtown
Castle Estate On Boise River
Boise Foothills Foreclosure Eagle Short Sale Eagle Foreclosure
Go To FrontStreetBrokers.com homepage, to download this Top 10 list to see full property details and why we think these are smoking good deals.
Boise Rental Management Matt Rubio
208.473.2418
“I refer my clients to Boise Rental Management. Not only is Matt the kind of guy you want in your corner, he is all business with tenants and helps you
keep your investments profitable.” - Mike Turner, FS Brokers
Home Inspector Davin Strand
Bent Nail Home Inspections 208-869-5557
“Davin has been our recommended inspector for our real estate firm for years for good reason. He is the best.” - Jared Cozby, FS Brokers
OWN A SWEET TIMBERCREST CABIN IN MCCALL FOR JUST $68,000
CONTACT JARED COZBY FRONT STREET BROKERS 208-740-5000
Restaurant Review
Alia’s Coffeehouse
908 W. Main St.
208-338-1299
By Jennifer Sanders Peterson
You know you have a bit of an addiction when it’s a hundred degree day in August and you still can’t wait to get over to Alia’s for a cup of dark hot chocolate—the one that comes with extra dark chocolate shavings floating in
the froth-formed feather on top. The one that puts to shame other local coffee shops passing off generic-brand chocolate syrup squirted in microwaved milk as “hot chocolate.” Alia’s understands quality. Which keeps me
(and others) coming back. The fact that they quickly get to know your name and your drink of choice helps, too.
Located in a nice spot on Main St, next to the Idanha, Alia’s isn’t as sleek nor as bohemian chic as other down-town caffeine establishments. It reminds me a little of my bedroom in high school with various do-dad’s hanging
from the ceiling and a variety of hand painted murals that don’t necessarily make sense together. There’s also an interior iron gate that opens into the outdoor clothing store next door. But, somehow it all works to create a
friendly, welcoming space. Even when it’s busy (which it usually is) there’s always a place to sit down. And of-ten Violent Femmes on the stereo.
Perfect hot drinks aren’t all that bring customers back to Alia’s. They also have a huge kitchen pumping out all
kinds of homemade delicacies. From the generous selection of fresh bagels with cream cheese or house-made hummus, to the vegetarian menu, to the several varieties of quiche. And then there are the baked goods! Cookies
the size of your head. Muffins the size of a lumberjack’s fist. Fudge-like brownies available in flavors like cay-enne-spice, mint, Mexican chocolate, and cookie dough. Your stomach will leave happy and your wallet still
largely intact.
In the evening, Alia’s takes on the role of wine bar. So, stake out a spot on the mini outdoor patio and enjoy a glass while you take in the sunset and some prime people watching. Friendly service, quality product, nice pric-
es—there’s a reason Alia’s has carved out a lasting space for itself downtown.
Page 13
By Alicia Malone
Front Street Brokers
When one is attempting to purchase a home, especially in today’s market place, credit is critical.
With all the purchasing we do, credit is a vital part of our society. Yet many people are confused about credit, credit scoring, and “the big three” credit bureaus. In some cases, if you don’t have credit you can’t rent a car, get a cell phone, and may even find it difficult to get a checking account. And forget about debit cards! Try and go buy a car without credit--it’s like you’re a nobody. How many people have cash to buy a house? Unless you have sold another home at a profit, most of our population is not in that boat.
So how does credit work? What is a bureau? And what’s up with this scoring business?
Prior to 1970, a credit report would often include such things as whether you were black or white, whether you embraced a particular religion or were atheist, rich or middle-class, whether somebody thought you were an alcoholic, courtroom quotes from ex-spouses, and whatever else they could find. Likewise, bankers once withheld credit to those whose appearance just didn’t fit their idea of what defined a “good human being.” You could even be denied simply because the loan officer thought you looked strange. Sadly, many of the reasons were actually based upon racial preconceptions or similar prejudices.
If you applied for a credit account anywhere, a bookkeeper in some dusty backroom requested a credit report from your local bureau. In fact, in those heady days before corporate titans took over, all credit bu-reaus were local.
The problem with that business model is that it isn’t very scalable. Scouring an individual’s credit takes time, and it also takes skilled human beings to render careful judgments. That’s just not manageable if you want to extend credit to hundreds of thousands or even millions of people on a national scale. Automation, of course, was the answer, and such technology hasn’t allowed an individualized reading and analysis of everybody’s cred-it report.
Contrary to the prevailing perceived reality, there are no official bureaus. And while most Americans believe
their credit reports to have at least the same legal standing as their driving records, the truth is that the government has no role in establishing the for-profit companies which produce them.
Is it possible that there may be errors on one’s credit report? Is it possible that the “big three” may not have all the information? Do they care? The ultimate truth is that it is up to you to check your own credit regularly and to make sure that it is accurate. If you’re assuming that any other entity out there is rallying on your be-half, you’re sadly mistaken.
All one has to do is turn on the T.V. or read the newspaper to see the multiple foreclosures and short sales to see it is a vola-tile market place. In the past, one couldn’t buy a home with-out first having a minimum of 20% down, closing costs and job longevity. But today, if one has proven an ability to pay over a period of time and have been careful not to live outside their means, there are ample oppor-tunities to capture the American
dream of home ownership.
So, if you’re ready to take the plunge and purchase one of the largest investments in your life, make sure to keep your credit in mind. Go on-line to freeannu-alcreditreport.com, request a copy of your credit re-port, make sure there are no discrepancies, then call me to get started. And remember: Luck is what hap-pens when preparation meets opportunity.
FRONT STREET BROKERS WELCOMES
ALICIA MALONE Front Street Brokers is proud to welcome our new agent, Alicia Malone. Alicia was origi-
nally born in Montevideo but recently relocated to Boise from Twin Falls. She lives here
with her husband and loves to volunteer for C.A.S.A, golf, ski, snowmobile, ride horses,
and garden. She brings with her extensive knowledge and experience in serving owner/
buyer clients. Contact: [email protected] or 208-731-3604.
Home Buyer Tip:
KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR CREDIT
HISTORIC GEM IN THE HEART
OF TWIN FALLS
Built in the 1930’s, this home maintains beauti-
ful original details like cove
ceilings, fireplace, hardwood floors and built-
ins, while boasting upgraded amenities like a
new roof and HVAC. If you’re thinking about
making the move to beautiful Twin Falls but
want to maintain that Boise North End feel—
this is an ideal home for you! Call for more
details. Contact Alicia Malone
208-731-3604
LUXURY FORECLOSURE REPORT BANK OWNED IN QUAIL HEIGHTS! The sweeping city views make it total-
ly worth the effort to update cosmetic finishes and whip the yard into shape. 4 bedrooms, 4
baths, formal living/dining, great room, and
family room. 3,659 sq ft. Homes nearby are
priced in the million dollar range. This one is
foreclosure priced at just $493,000. This
home will move
quickly so call to
schedule a showing
today! Mike
Turner, 208-740-
5000. Listing Cour-
tesy RE/Max.
Bank-owned, roomy family
home and 5.96 acres in
Eagle’s Stillwell Estates.
Nestled in a hillside loca-
tion with horse set
up including corral, stables,
trailer storage, and shop
area. 4 large bedrooms,
office, 3.5 baths. 5,437 sq ft
- Includes two family rooms
and media room, Listing
Courtesy Eagle Hills Proper-
ty. For a showing, call Front
Street Brokers, 208-740-
5000.
EAGLE LUXURY ESTATE
10 ACRES OF HORSE LAND
Once listed at 2.2 Million,
Now $990,000
Situated on 10.01 acres of prime horse land in Eagle, accessed only by a private gate. Land-
scaped, sports pool, 600 sq ft greenhouse. Theater room/gallery, game room, even a library
with a secret entrance. The finishes are pretty over-the-top (think Venetian opera house) but
it is an unforgettable and completely luxurious property inside and out. 7,147 sq ft, 5 bed-
rooms, 6.5 baths. Listing courtesy Silvercreek Realty. For a private tour, call Mike Turner,
Front Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
LUXURY SHORT SALE 1 ACRE VIEW LOT IN STAR
Sold for $814,000
NOW $579,900
Beautiful Star luxury home in Hillsdale
Estates, located on a 1.01 acre view
lot. 4 bedrooms plus bonus space,
4,200 sq ft. Large basement family
room features media set up, 9’ ceilings,
and access to huge wrap around patio.
Other luxury details include custom
paint, extensive hardwood floors, built-
ins, and two HVAC systems. Irrigation
available and neighborhood has com-
munity equestrian center. Listing cour-
tesy Coldwell Banker Tomlinson EME.
Call for a showing: Mike Turner, Front
Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
Great Eagle location--Five horse-ready acres near Beacon Light/Horseshoe Bend roads
and Dry Creek. Plus a family-perfect home. Short sale priced at $449,900 and sure to
move quickly. The acreage property has water rights, corral, shop, and RV Parking. Open
property and hill views. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3,900 sq ft. Listing courtesy Coldwell Bank-
er-Tomlinson. For a showing call Mike Turner, Front Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
SHORT SALE
5 ACRES and HOME
in EAGLE
$449,900
2588 E. Boomer
EAGLE LUXURY FORECLOSURE
Was $895,000
Now $600,000
2370 W. Champagne 1.89
fully landscaped acres in Eagle’s
Tahoe Ridge subdivision, you’ll
enjoy hill and acreage views. 6 big
bedrooms, 6 baths, 7,426 sq feet.
44ft black bottom swimming pool,
fully fenced for safety, with a 1
meter Olympic-quality diving
board, spa and waterfall. 9 car
garage, RV parking. Listing courte-
sy Silvercreek Realty Group. Call
Mike Turner for a showing. Front
Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
EAGLE LUXURY HOME and 5.96 ACRES
Listed at $999,000 * NOW JUST $545,000
Page 15
Subscribe To Our E-Newsletter to
See our Weekly Home Reviews
FrontStreetBrokers.com
Group One
5,207 Sq Ft in The Colony
Somerset Ridge, Price Drop
Indoor Pool on Table Rock
INDEPENDENT HOME REVIEWS of the Latest Homes on the Market
FrontStreetBrokers.com
Group
1/2 Acre in Surprise Valley
Historic North End Home
Keller Williams
Boise City Views
02 Marketing Group LLC
Hillcrest Golf Course
Group One
Brookwood Luxury Home
Remodeled North End Charm
Creekside in River Run
Group One
1.8 Eagle Acres, Tennis Court
5.10 Acres in Eagle
Group One
6 Bedrooms and Pool Luxury Home in the Highlands
02 Marketing Group LLC
Woodhouse Group Silvercreek Realty
Coldwell Banker Tomlin-
Woodhouse Group
Keller Williams
Keller Williams
Coldwell Banker
PAGE 17
Great lot with no behind neighbors—allowing for privacy and
open views. Meticulously maintained inside and out. Huge
theater room, luxurious main-level master suite, gourmet
kitchen, upgrades galore. 5 large bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 4,115
sq ft.
Backyard designed for year-round entertaining with its huge
patio, outdoor kitchen and fireplace. Plus a custom pool con-
nected to the hot tub by a series of waterfalls. Super posh!
Not a foreclosure but priced below market value
at $539,000. Call for a showing: 208-740-5000
LISTINGS
EAGLE
LUXURY
CUSTOM
HOME
LUXURY HOME
AND
ACREAGE
IN EMMETT You will feel like you’re living in a magazine in this gorgeous Georgian-style home nestled on
a 6.25 acreage property in the scenic Emmett foothills. Enjoy being outside the city… but not
too far outside! Inside you’ll find 6,505 sq ft of the most luxurious finishes. 5 bedrooms, 4.5
baths, 3 car garage and RV parking. Fabulous entertaining spaces with plenty of room for
guests. Family room, great room, and theater room with stadium-style seating.
Gourmet kitchen features a dramatic planked ceiling, custom cabinetry, professional applianc-
es, and huge eat-in island.
Outside, you’ll love taking in your country and hill views from the big wrap around porch.
Could also easily convert to a horse property and has irrigation available.
In the Boise/Eagle area, this would easily be a million dollar home–but, with the benefit of a
short drive, you get the luxury home AND the 6.25 acres for $737,000.
BOISE
LUXURY
FAMILY
HOME
Ideal six bedroom family home located in one of Boise's most desirable subdivisions, The
Hickories. Tucked on a quiet, safe cul-de-sac lot with plenty of room. Great schools, a walk-
ing path to the park, AND within walking distance of Hewlett Packard.
Formal living and dining rooms are great for entertaining. HUGE bonus room with bath-
room, and more than enough space for everyone to gather for movie or game night. Two
HVAC systems make sure both levels stay comfortably heated and cooled. 6 bedrooms, 4.5
baths, 4,338 sq ft
And wow! Just $349,000. At less that $100 a square foot, that's a TON of home, space,
amenities and a great location for the amount. Sellers are flexible and can close quickly or
allow for a delayed close date, Call Sandi Rubio , Front Street Brokers, 208-850-3681.
LIKE NEW
HOME IN
TUSCANY
Listed at just $278,900, this home isn’t in the luxury category price-wise but, trust us, it FEELS
like a luxury home! Meticulously cared for inside and out, this home has had no smokers, no
kids, and no pets. Located on a .22 acre lot on a quiet street in Meridian’s coveted Tuscany
Subdivision. Backs up to a common area. It’s also just two houses away from the community
pool and near the neighborhood elementary school.
Overall the home boasts 3 bedrooms plus office, 2.5 baths, and 2,453 sq ft in addition to an
extra deep 3 car garage. Outside, the owners have invested more than $30,000 into landscap-
ing which includes dramatic accent lighting and a water feature. Long covered patio with hot
tub set up is perfect for entertaining or just relaxing with your family. A really great property
and location for the price! Call to schedule your showing now and be ahead of the crowd
when this home hits the MLS. Mike Turner, Front Street Brokers, 208-740-5000.
YOUR BUSINESS COULD
BE LISTED HERE!
Boise Real Estate Newspaper, an extension of Front Street Brokers, works to de-velop thriving, interactive, and ongoing relationships with our readers, and to edu-cate about the Boise Real Estate Market, community news and houses offered in an informative, entertaining manner. ¨ Read by a target demographic of professionals, homeowners, homebuyers, and those just curious about real estate. ¨ Print copies are postage mailed to over 11,000 local households. ¨ Emailed out to over 20,000 online views for each issue. ¨ Distribution grows with every issue.
Limited time summer rates, Variety of plans to help you work
within your budget and marketing goals
Mike Turner, 208-740-5000, email inquiries to
-Reach this audience!- Email [email protected] for a price sheet and circulation details
LISTINGS Ideal west Boise location, right off Curtis and North-view, close to everything. Schools close by, and Win-stead Park /tennis courts half a block away. Here’s your chance to own a big family home, freshly remodeled inside and out. Updated interior paint, and flooring. Lots of built-ins for storage and display.
Bright, efficient galley-style kitchen. Huge basement family room has warm wood paneling and enter-tainment center. Plenty of space for everyone to spread out! 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2,952 sq ft. The .22 acre lot is dotted with mature trees, fully fenced, and has plenty of room for play and gardening. Was listed attractively at $204,900, now just
$194,900. With the bulk of the re-
modeling done for you, that leaves some nice financial wiggle room to con-tinue with the last of the updates that will truly make this house your home.
Call to schedule your showing today! Sandi Rubio, Front Street Brokers, 208-850-3681
REMODELED BOISE HOME
2417 Bruins Circle
Beautiful Eagle luxury home in coveted Lexington Hills Subdivision. Close to downtown Eagle fine dining and shop-ping, within walking distance of Seven Oaks Elementary, and an easy drive into Boise. Fine timeless design and finishes throughout. Two master suites with split level design. There’s also a theater room and office space. Overall the home has 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and 3,782 sq ft on one level with a walk-out base-ment. Outside, you’ll enjoy mature landscaping and a stream that runs right through your backyard on the .22 acre lot. Priced
at $455,000. Contact Alicia at Front
Street Brokers, 208-731-3604
Eagle Luxury Home
in Lexington Hills
1741 N. Sevenoaks
Get Your Home
Listed Here
Call Us
208-740-5000
MILLION DOLLAR HOME REVIEWS
See Idaho’s Coolest Homes—Fun Weekly Email
Subscribe at: Frontstreetbrokers.com
*Private Beach * 7 car garage * $2,995,000 * Eagle
Listed with Keller Williams Realty
August/September 2012 Events Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
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PAGE 19
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8th St, 9:30 AM Les Miserables, 7:30
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12-1pm
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Yanni,
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7:30 PM
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10 am,
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LABOR DAY!
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4-6:30
2350 Hill Rd
9/11
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Last Call Trivia
Solid, 8pm
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FS Brokers
Would Like To Say
Thank You For Your Referrals!
85% of our business is coming from folks like
you...Thank You!
One of the main reasons we provide this newspaper at no cost to you is we want to show you we are committed to our profession and we appreciate
you thinking of Front Street Brokers when your friends and family are in need of a knowledgeable real estate agent .
WWW.FRONTSTREETBROKERS.COM 877 W Front St, Boise ID
208.740.5000
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