About Coeur d Alene's Garden District

Janna Rankin Scharf, AB, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Short Sale Specialist

Yesterday, within an hour of posting this Coeur d'Alene Idaho short sale in the MLS and on my Facebook wall, I received a full price cash offer with a quick closing, sight unseen. After a few phone calls, the offer was accepted and the rest is history.

The Sellers, and others, have been asking why anyone would buy a property they hadn't seen yet. That is a great question and here's the answer.

The buyer's agent, from a competing brokerage, trusts me. He trusted me to know what I was doing and to give him straight answers to his questions. He knew what his buyer was looking for, and knew that this house had it after speaking with me. He knew that it is competitive in this price range and he needed to act fast.

The other side of this coin is that I trust this buyer's agent. I trusted what he told me and I trusted that there would be no monkey business from him or his buyer in the coming weeks, and I assured my clients of that. This is no small thing.

The buyer's agent and I completed a cooperative transaction a few months ago, when I had the buyer and he represented this same client of his, in flipping the house my clients bought. We were the first people to look at that house when it popped up on the MLS! I was out of town and this agent and I had some verbal agreements over a couple of days. He trusted me, and I delivered. I trusted him, and he delivered.

What makes all of this noteworthy is that unfortunately it is NOT always this way in the real estate business. I had a stressful closing this week that was full of drama from beginning to end, because of a lack of professional good manners of the other agent. In the future I will steer clear of him if at all possible. I don't trust him and it was difficult protecting the interests of my client while dealing with him.

If you want a hard working real estate agent who has earned the respect of her colleagues and knows how important professionalism is to getting your Coeur d'Alene home sold FAST, please give me a call and I will get to work for you!

Janna Rankin Scharf, CLHMS, WCR, SFR - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Homes for Sale

I was fortunate enough to grow up in what is now known as The Garden District in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It's defined as the neighborhood encompassed by 4th Street on the west, Montana Avenue on the north, Sherman Avenue on the south and 11th Street on the east.

There was no better spot on earth to call home in the 60's and 70's than 9th and Sherman! The Garden District was home to my friends and schools and and the little stores where I bought penny candy, for a penny! I think I have walked every single inch of it. I have fond memories of time spent in many of the charming, historical homes with childhood friends who have long since moved on.

Phippeny Park is the site for today's 7th Annual Garden District Picnic for all residents at 1:00. Bring a dish to share, something to drink, and a chair to sit in. Plan on having a good time visiting with friends and neighbors in the spirit of community. If you would like more information, call Bob McAdams at 208-815-5045.

Phippeny Park is the site of what was the original Coeur d'Alene High School. That big, stately brick building served as my junior high school and lots of memories came flooding back yesterday when I paid Phippeny Park a visit. The building that was the old high school field house still stands at the southeast corner of the park. I had some junior high P.E. classes in that building, and it's where I experienced my first public showers in the locker room after our workouts! (I told you the memories came flooding back!)