Sandpoint, ID

Today, a group of about 12 Sandpoint Rotary volunteers and a few assorted other "nature lovers" converged upon the Sandpoint Fish Hatchery to continue the efforts to revitalize this vital piece of Sandpoint history.

The Sandpoint Hatchery, located on the south shoreline of the Pend Oreille River about two miles south of Sandpoint, was created by the Idaho Department of Fish & Game in 1904 to help stock Idaho Panhandle lakes. The Hatchery survived until 1985, shut down for five years, then reopened in 1990 in response to public demand in the Panhandle Region. Hatchery production costs rose due to limited water supply and the Hatchery morphed into a small-scale specialty station rearing Rainbow Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Chinook Salmon, Kokanee Salmon and Kootenai White Sturgeon.

The Sandpoint Hatchery relies heavily upon the goodwill and hard work of local, concerned citizens to bring this beautiful piece of Sandpoint history back to life and sustain it for generations to come. Given the nature of the Sandpoint residents, bringing the Hatchery back to life has not been a problem. In fact, the Hatchery has expanded it's vision and created an education opportunity on the grounds called the Waterlife Discovery Center. The original building has been refurbished into a "lecture-hall" great room where students learn about water, wildlife and how civilization impacts nature. Interpretive nature trails have been created by volunteers throughout the site. North Idaho is all about water...whether it is the lakes, rivers, streams or rainy seasons. It is a treasure that is truly cherished and respected in this part of the country.

Today our project was to create a nature-meditation bench overlooking a serene pond on the property along with smoothing out and seeding a 1/4 acre area to be enjoyed by visitors to the Center. Typical of North Idaho hospitality, it wasn't all labor. We sat down to a feast of grilled chicken, elk and moose at lunch time.

Many thanks to the continued efforts of the volunteers working in unison with Mark Taylor and the rest of the folks from the Idaho Department of Fish & Game. This is volunteerism at its finest making a difference in the Sandpoint Community! It is this type of effort that makes my job as a Sandpoint Realtor a joy...what better place is there to live?

Dover Bay Resort is now offering incredible finance incentives for standing inventory, to anyone who initiates a Purchase offer before October 1. Dover Bay has worked with Mountain West Bank to create this opportunity, with rates that really provide an exceptional savings. However this is a short term offer that applies to any Purchase & Sale agreements that are initiated by October 1.

For conforming loans (up to $417,000) the following rates are being offered: 3% Interest Rate for year 1, 4% Interest Rate for year 2, and 5% for years 3 through 30. This is based on excellent credit, 10% down, and a primary residence purchase. Second home purchases however should be much the same, except for potentially requiring 5-10% additional down payment. For a Bayside South condo priced at $388,000, your payments would be as follows: $1472/month in year 1, $1667/month in year 2, and $1875/month for the balance. No funny business with these loans- simple 30 yr fixed, but with Dover Bay negotiating what amounts to a 'rate buydown' for its purchasers.

Special finance packages at Dover Bay are also being offered on Jumbo loans (loan amount over $417,000) as well as Home Site Loans. The Jumbo mortgage market has been particularly challenging in the past year because of the lack of a secondary market to purchase these loan funds, and rates have typically been at least 7%. Dover Bay's offer will provide a 5% rate for year 1, 6% for year 2, and 7% thereafter with just 10 to 20% down. Home site loans will be offered with 25% down on a 20 year loan with 5 year call, at 7.5%. Of course all of these rates are subject to change based on market conditions.

For those people who have been sitting on the fence waiting for the right time to purchase the perfect home, this should provide the motivation for many to jump! Coupled with new pricing on the Cabins in the Woods, new floor plans and aggressive pricing for the Cottages and Parkside Bungalows, this is probably the best buying opportunity in the history of Dover Bay.

Signs have been pointing to a real estate market recovery, both nationally and locally in the Sandpoint area. Many don't realize that our market in Bonner County has actually been trending downward going into its 5th year, which is typically the longer end of down market cycles. The price per unit is definitely stabilized, with inventory leveled off in most submarkets. Our office of Tomlinson Sandpoint Sothebys Intl Realty, which accounts for roughly 1/3 of all transactions in the county, has been experiencing incredible volume in closings and pendings over the past couple of months.

To discuss the real estate market and buying opportunities in Dover Bay or the Sandpoint area, please email me at rick@sandpointresortrealty.com, call 208-304-5665, or visit my website at www.SandpointResortRealty.com where you can search the entire MLS and find more detail on Dover and other area developments.

2009 marks the year that Sandpoint puts it's name on the "tennis map" with THE BLACK DIAMOND TENNIS INVITATIONAL...aptly dubbed, "The Most Beautiful Tennis Tournament in the Country!" (Maybe the world).

Invitations were sent out to the top players from the Inland Northwest with the idea that the first 24 to respond would get the "invite". A few hours later the tournament draw was filled. This event will be EPIC!

Not only can we look forward to great tennis, but the event dovetails with the Schweitzer Fall Fest & Music Festival...a celebration of another great summer on the Mountain. It will be just a matter of weeks before the first snowfall graces the Schweitzer slopes and Sandpoint will be burning once again with SKI FEVER. While Fall Fest is technically a microbrew tasting celebration (plus wine tasting and soda tasting) there are events for the whole family...wall climbing, mountain biking, chairlift rides, bungee bouncing, hiking and FREEMUSIC!

THE BLACK DIAMOND TENNIS INVITATIONAL will be front & center this year, however. The tournament takes place on two courts placed in the center of the village between the two major high speed detachable chair lifts on Schweitzer's front side. The format is unique:

There will be a DRAFT by the 2 Team Captains on Friday (Sept. 4) late afternoon at Pucci's Pub on the hill, all are invited, including families!

Davis Cup Team Style format. Each overall team will have 6 doubles teams, seeded in order. The top 3 teams of each will play a round robin against the other team's top 3, as will the bottom 3 teams. Awards, prizes and t-shirts!