Sandpoint, ID

We are in the 2nd day of the warm front...lots of wind, lots of rain...a few inches of new snow on top. This isn't all bad. The snow has compacted considerably across the whole mountain compressing the potential hazards from summer brush build-up. We can now look forward to a long winter with a solid base.

Even better news for Schweitzer, this "compressing" occurred during the early week when there are fewer ski visits...so it is not impacting a lot of visitors. This weekend looks like very good conditions! I am actually thankful this January thaw has occurred. We never did get the early season heavy, water-laden snowfalls we need each year. The off-piste hazards will be considerably reduced!

So...I am going to preview a couple of new condo lisitings on the mountain and then head up the lift to test out the strange conditions today. I've got to keep my ski legs strong for the NEXT DUMP! IT IS COMING!

As we see the increase in Short sales, there are a lot of requests for BPO's. According to Idaho Real Estate License Law, it is legal for brokers, associate brokers and salespeople to give their educated opinion on the value of real property for the purpose of a prospective lisiting or sale (CMA's). IN ORDER TO TENDER A BROKER'S PRICE OPINION IN IDAHO, YOU MUST BE LICENSED AS A BROKER OR AN ASSOCIATE BROKER.

As an Associate Broker, if you receive a fee for a broker's price opinion, you must run that fee through your designated broker. If you are a salesperson and are required to provide a Broker's opinion with a short sale packet or the like, ask for your broker's assistance in preparing one.

As this real estate market continues along its tumultuous course, we are finding more agents being lured into offering price opinions for troubled properties. This is a dangerous course and the ramifications can be painful...to say nothing of the fact that properly executed BPOs can take more time than they are worth.

Bottom line: Do not subject yourself to possible disciplinary action for practicing appraisal without a license by providing a broker's price opinion when you are not licensed to do so.

The Sandpoint Winter Carnival contines to get better as Dover Bay Resort adds to the mix of actitivies at Schweitzer and Sandpoint with the Dover Bay Winter Festival. Winter Carnival Weekend takes place January 15-18.

Dover's Festival takes place primarily on Saturday, featuring a Polar Plunge (in the pool), a Snowshoe Volleyball Tournament, and Snowmobiling Demos. The Dover Bay Cafe will offer an outdoor, lakefront BBQ with brats and beer, along with breakfast and lunch off the menu.

Also taking place at Dover on both Saturday and Sunday from 11-4p is the Midwinter Art Festival. Sandpoint's biggest winter art event will feature the work of dozens of area artists, all hosted in various homes and venues throughout the waterfront resort. www.MidwinterArtFest.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of art will go to local charities affiliated with Sandpoint's Winter Carnival.

The Art Festival is sponsored and hosted by both Dover Bay Development and Tomlinson Sandpoint Sothebys Intl Realty, through the Listing Agents handling Dover Bay's real estate. One of those Agents is yours truly of course. Credit should be given to Gary Lirette, another Sothebys Agent, for orchestrating this event. This is really a great way for Dover Bay to show local and regional residents all that it has to offer, in a fun and no-pressure atmosphere.

Schweitzer Mountain will have quite a bit going on over the weekend as well. The highlight is the Torchlight Parade and Fireworks on the mountain starting at 6pm. The torchlight ski parade is alot of fun and is open to anyone. Night skiing will of course be going on, and it is just awesome to ski down with torches as fireworks are going off. We did this last year during a snow storm- hopefully we'll be so lucky again!

Fortunately the Dover events are over by 4 or 5, providing plenty of time to get to Schweitzer for the evening festivities. There will also be live music at Taps along with St Bernard. (Incidentally the St Bernard has really become a fantastic place for dinner or evening entertainment since my pal Scott Bortz took over last season).

The entire weekend starts off with the Taste of Sandpoint on Thursday night from 5-8p. Originally scheduled for the Cedar Street Bridge, this has been moved to the Sandpoint Events Center this year. The Winter Art Trek will be in Downtown Sandpoint on Friday night from 5-8p, along with a bonfire and Rail Jam at Jeff Jones Town Square. The weekend is capped off on Sunday at 10am with the Eichardt's K9 Keg Pull, one of the truly unique events in Sandpoint.

For more information on Dover Bay, Schweitzer, or Sandpoint visit www.SandpointResortRealty.com or give me a call at 208-304-5665. Whether it is real estate related or not, I am happy to help out.

When we moved to Dover Bay Resort this Fall, we figured we could really enjoy the rest of the season here, with the biking, hiking, etc, until the snow came. Now that Winter is here we have found an entirely new appreciation for where we live. Everything is SO white, serene, and magical out here, and it feels like we are living in the country. Yet we probably have more conveniences than most... the roads and sidewalks are plowed before anyone in Sandpoint, we can open the door and walk the cross country and snow shoe trails, and we can wander to the Cafe and Market for breakfast, or Joe's for a coffee.

I usually walk our dog, Bentley, each evening after dark. At dusk yesterday we went for a walk along the trails to the Dover Beach, where we ran into a huge moose and its calf. It was quite the moment and I'm just sorry I didn't have a camera to capture the beauty of these huge animals contrasted against the blanket of white covering everything.

My wife received snow shoes and cross country skis for Christmas, which has really helped her to enjoy the Winter. She leaves our back door with our baby boy and our dog to go snow shoe or cross country along the trails throughout Dover. Our hope is that the trail system here will continue to be developed, particularly for the winter season to encourage these types of activities. We have found that our friends always enjoy coming to see us this time of year and making use of the access we have to the great outdoors!

Boy did winter arrive in a big way at Schweitzer this year! I am proud to admit that I have skied fresh tracks for 8 days straight, mostly in-bounds. Schweitzer was sold out over the holidays, and the mountain was certainly busier than most any time. Even so I think we had a couple of 5 minute lines at one point on Stella and Chair 6. Since Sunday us locals have had the mountain to ourselves, with new snow hitting

These are the times where you can ski with complete commitment to the line, with total abandonment, knowing the landing is always soft. I'm suddenly hitting bigger cliffs and just leaping over everything possible as we ski Puccis and the North Bowl chutes, or Lakeside, South Bowl shots with powder literally flying into and over my face.

What a difference the snow makes in the collective psyche around Sandpoint. I find myself driving around town just loving the snow, slush, ice, cold, the whole bit. This is the reason we moved here in the first place, to get out and enjoy the winters here.

My wife gets up and snowshoes out our back door onto the trails at Dover Bay Resort. Her two main Christmas presents were snowshoes and cross country skis this year, and I just love seeing her embrace the winters like I do. Having a 6 month old this year, we are figuring out how to each get our turns in. Fortunately Mandy is happy with the sunny days and leaves the storm days and first chair powder runs for me. We trade off in the lodge and hang out with our friends and other random people on baby sitting duty.

My brother and I are also teaching his 3 year old daughter Maile to ski. She is a natural!

And of course my wife Mandy gets her turn on the hill too.

My collection of Schweitzer photos (and memories) continues to grow. For more visit my flickr account which can be found on my website, http://www.SandpointResortRealty.com.