About Bonner County, ID

This series of blog entries features the various seasons in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. Sandpoint, North Idaho, Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille have been featured in the national news repeatedly over the last several years. Autumn of 2011 found Sandpoint, Idaho being voted America's Most Beautiful Small Town by Rand McNally, and in the winter of 2011/2012 Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort was named the Best Ski Resort of the Season by USA Today/Rand McNally.

Real Estate in Sandpoint has been on the rise approximately 7% a year for three years, much in part due to the decrease in pricing. That being said, I have had some success in the area of waterfront sales in Sandpoint finding great values for my clients.

I am Gary Lirette, REALTOR® for Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty in Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene. I am also the host of the North Idaho Business radio show and the North Idaho Arts & Adventure radio show broadcast on the North Idaho Talk Radio Network. Locally, we are heard on KSPT 1400 AM in Bonner and Kootenai counties and KBFI 1450 AM in Boundary County and Canada.

These pictures and videos are part of my hobbies of hiking, climbing, and biking. My pictures were featured prominently in this year's Sandpoint Visitor's Guide, and I have contributed pictures to all area Chambers of Commerce.

When you are looking for a REALTOR®, you should want a local business owner and someone who is very connected to the community. Few here have interviewed over 1,200 business leaders, characters, charities, politicos, etc. My experience with the hidden gems of North Idaho, as well as intricate knowledge of this slice of paradise makes me your logical choice.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos in this series.

If you have questions about North Idaho Waterfront or Sandpoint Lake Pend Oreille property, give me a call.

Gary Lirette, REALTOR®
Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty
208-610-1384
garyplirette@gmail.com

or visit

www.SandpointID.net
www.SkiSchweitzer.net
www.LakePendOreille.org

This series of blog entries features the various seasons in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. Sandpoint, North Idaho, Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille have been featured in the national news repeatedly over the last several years. Autumn of 2011 found Sandpoint, Idaho being voted America's Most Beautiful Small Town by Rand McNally, and in the winter of 2011/2012 Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort was named the Best Ski Resort of the Season by USA Today/Rand McNally.

I have a snow globe on my desk. When I shake it and the dust settles, it reveals a big question mark. That's my answer when my customers ask me to predict the future mortgage rates this summer. Based upon the graph below (supplied by our "good friend" Freddie Mac), it looks like now is the time to buy, however. This was my answer a year ago and probably will be my answer moving well into 2012.

Home prices are down and mortgage rates are at the lowest point in 30 years. If you are in a position to buy, talk to your local lender and work out the best deal possible. Do not over extend, buy for the right reasons and enjoy your investment!

Big thanks to Cathy Pizzini of Evergreen Home Loans for the great graph!

If you remember North Lake Tahoe 20 years ago, you will appreciate Sandpoint today. These photos from yesterday say it all. The "immaculate Sandpoint/Schweitzer Winter" continues. In fact, today I rode my bike 20 miles in the bright/warm sunshine...this marks the 12th straight month of outdoor biking! That is truly amazing...especially considering I was skiing Schweitzer Mountain's soft powder on a 105" base yesterday just 11 miles from downtown Sandpoint!

No wonder we've been recently awarded, "Best Ski Town In The U.S." (Rand Mcnally), "Most Beautiful Town In America" (USA Today) and, for you investors out there, Most Under The Radar Ski Town (Sunsets Magazine)!

The photo below is not from yesterday. I thought it might be worth a look (for the uninitiated) to see downtown Sandpoint on the shores of Pend Oreille.

Well, this came as a bit of a surprise. I love it here in Sandpoint but...#1 ski town in the U.S.? The folks at Rand McNally really do love us. I guess I can just sit back now and fend off the onslaught of buyers hoping to be a part of this bonanza. I'm thinking that may not happen but our notoriety certainly can't hurt business. The great part of this is our geographical location...Sandpoint is located in a narrow valley between Lake Pend Oreille and the Selkirk Mountains. We're just not going to get a massive population explosion with sprawling neighborhoods. There's no room here!

I'm still perplexed by the #1 ranking, however. I've lived in a few pretty exceptional "ski towns" and, not knowing the criteria Rand McNally used in claiming Sandpoint the #1 ski town in the U.S., I would have to say that there are more than a few ski towns who could lay a stake to the #1 claim. Who can beat the restaurants and nightlife in Aspen and Vail? How about the powder in Park City? Then there's Telluride, Jackson, Taos & Sun Valley. ...but, who's counting.

As I write this, however, it is hard to argue with Rand McNally's findings. I skied today (we call it a lunch break) for the 5th consecutive deep powder day. I didn't require a snorkel but I did get my share of "face-shots". Tonite we'll be heading to Trinity At City Beach for their thin crust chicken pizza and a "very" cold adult beverage. (By the way, the photo above was taken from there last summer. It's about 300 yards from downtown Sandpoint). Yes, we can argue who's #1, but,I must admit, the arguement would fall on a few deaf ears around here.

Linked here is The Sandpoint Daily Bee's take on the ranking from this morning's paper.

To the left is a portion of the Schweitzer North Bowl on the back side. The sun is peeking through a perfect powder day.

To the right is the front of Schweitzter Mountain Resort.