Post Falls, ID

Post Falls Property Management Company Provides Great Service!

I have enjoyed hearing from several of our new clients that our service is considered "Top Level!" Coeur d'Alene Rental Group a relative new comer to the local property management landscape has already been recognized as offering great customer service to both tenants and property owners or investors. "I am absolutely pleased with the speed in which you placed a qualified renter in my home." Susan M. - Post Falls

"It starts with a commitment to want to help people" says Bob Nelson, co-owner of Coeur d'Alene Rental Group. "We made a personal commitment to always take a call or return a call within the hour. Of course no one is perfect, there are times when we miss the mark, however, our clients already realize that we are different, and different in a good way!"

Coeur d'Alene Rental Group is also available when people need help finding housing. Most of the local companies close by 4 or 4:30 ... just at the time people are getting off of work. Again we are open to help people on weekends when the typical home seeker needs help locating a new home.

Unscrupulous Post Falls Lender & Realtor in cahoots!

Have you ever said, "I never thought that would happen to me"?

So, I have a buyer all signed to a buyers representation agreement. This is a first time home buyer so I take the position of a patient teacher. We start looking at homes and I am learning their wants and needs. Well in a matter of a few short days this "represented" buyer stumbles across a less than honest lender in Post Falls, ID, nearby. This Post Falls lender states that I can help you qualify for a USDA loan but, "you must use my preferred Realtor." I get wind of this and talk to my client. My client apologizes and says that they didn't know that this was wrong. They had told the Realtor that they had signed a paper with me. Now, I have a confused client that is souring on the idea of owning a home and questioning my integrity as well.

Did the other Realtor call me to inquire ... NO! Did the other Realtor follow the code of ethics? It turns out that this lender does this quite frequently and steers clients that he qualifies to "his Realtor."

I called the Realtor (giving him the benefit of the doubt) and ask him what is going on? He hems and haws and makes excuses for his behavior and when I request that he break off contact with my client he indicates that he will not because he has not seen any signed buyers representation agreement. I responded that my broker is standing right here and she will confirm that she is looking at the buyers representation agreement. NO ... not good enough, he demands that we fax a copy to him. I refused, and my broker invited him down to the office if he indeed wanted to see the agreement. Needless to say, he didn't show.

Most Realtors are good people that are committed to their families and community. And by giving great service to the public help build stronger communities.

With patience and persistence I was able to demonstrate to my client that they are really what this transaction is all about and not myself or the other jackals hovering on the perimeter. ... but I must admit, I never thought that would happen to me!

I had to chuckle when I read that pending home sales "fell off a cliff". Not that the slump in the real estate market is funny, but the phrase was certainly catchy. And I couldn't help wondering why people seem to be so surprised by the fact that pending home sales are down dramatically after the tax credits expired.

In the Coeur d'Alene real estate market, we have known for many months that the uptick in sales has been fueled by the first time and repeat buyer tax credits. Nearly 70% of all sales have been under $200,000. And my observation is WELL under. First time homebuyers, for the most part. Yet we continued to hear a lot of positive spin of good numbers. I agree, anything positive to report should be reported along with all the doom and gloom.

Today came the report from the National Association of Realtors that pending home sales fell 30% in May. That is a measurement of new homes that went under contract after the deadline for the tax credit expired April 30. Apparently, no one expected it to be this shocking of a decrease. Really?

"The pending home sales report is a disaster," said Mike Larson, a real estate analyst for Weiss Research. "Sales fell off a cliff after the tax credit expired. It's the biggest monthly decline ever and the index is at its lowest level since NAR began tracking it in 2001."

Nation wide, pending home sales fell 30% in May from the month before, and are off 15.9% from May of last year.

A quick check of our Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service showed that locally, our May pending home sales were down about 28%. But here's the deal. For homeowners whose homes were NOT in the entry level price ranges being snapped up by the first timers, their statistics were already down in the pits. They fell off the cliff when the bubble burst in 2007. They were unaffected by the tax credit-induced surge in sales. And their location relative to the cliff is unchanged. I'm just surprised that so many seem to be surprised about the post-tax credit numbers plunging.

I couldn't resist illustrating this post with these great pictures taken in Post Falls, Idaho. When I asked my talented photographer sister, Kerri thoreson, if she had a cliff picture in her file that I could use, she sent these over, with a smile. She, and my brother-in-law Bert, having a little cliff side fun, and a serious cliff dangler for good measure. Q'emilin Park has some of the best natural rock climbing walls in the region and attracts top climbers from all over.

Are you struggling with getting a SOLD sign on your house? Feel like you're hanging on the edge of the cliff about to come crashing down? Give me a call, sometimes talking it out will help bring a better course of action into focus.

In the summer Community 1st Bank in Post Falls, Idaho holds a customer and community appreciation BBQ on the third Friday of the month. They added a little "girl power" to the Celebrity Chef line up in May, inviting Chamber President/CEO Pam Houser and Post Falls City Councilor Kerri Thoreson to do the grilling honors.

My celebrity chef sister Kerri gave me a grillside phone call inviting me to come on over for lunch. It sounded like a nice diversion from putting out fires all morning, so I headed on over to join in the fun. The rain was holding off and the burgers and dogs were sizzling. It was fun and festive, as the bank executives cooked and served and mingled with their customers from throughout the community.

Kerri gave me a little background on Community 1st Bank, which was honored by the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce as the Small Business of the Year at the Chamber banquet in January. From that presentation:

"It's incredible to imagine that the recipient tonight has been in business for just over three years and has made such significant contributions with a staff of 12. Those managers and employees collectively serve on over three dozen community boards and committees. The corporate culture that this business has created is one of doing the right thing, in business and as citizens, with the example being set from the top down. Sponsorships are varied and consistent, including for education, health, arts and culture. In 2009, when times were tough, especially in their industry, they stepped up to co-sponsor the Post Falls Days Parade, golf tournaments, the needy, business education and economic development. Time constraints prevent me from providing the long list of organizations who have directly benefited in our community. Congratulations to Dave Bobbitt, Jerry Lyon, Bill Basom and the entire staff of Community 1st Bank. With their World Headquarters in Post Falls, they're the 2009 Small Business of the Year!"

I had the opportunity to chat with Bank President David Bobbitt as he grilled my juicy burger to perfection. It's no wonder Community 1st Bank has become such a valued presence and success in the community. They are small-town friendly and approachable. With a slogan of Do the right thing, I predict they will continue to grow and prosper and be a blessing to their community for many years to come!

Congratulations to Community 1st Bank in Post Falls Idaho for a job well done!

Last week I was showing property out by the Spokane River in Post Falls. Driving to meet my client, I passed the home on the corner of 1st Street and Ross Point Road. A crew was constructing a shop, and I thought to myself that it looked like a BEAUTIFUL shop, as far as shops go. On my way home, I noticed that the Custom Sheds, Inc. crew had set out a sign, and a hand made sign, at that. I smiled and had the thought that those guys, who were doing a great job of building a quality shop, were rightly proud of their work. I should take a picture, I thought. But time didn't allow, so I continued on back to Coeur d'Alene.

A couple days later, my clients wanted to take a second look at the Post Falls home. As I drove past the shop house again, the shop was completed and the fence company was in the process of putting up a privacy fence. The posts were in place, and the crew was securing the cross pieces. I regretted not taking a picture of the pretty shop because soon it would be hidden from view. I decided that on my way back home, I would snap a picture of the shop, and the sign, and send it to the builders.

As I came upon the house I was startled to see that in the 45 minutes we had been taking another look at the home, that fence was nearly complete! Not just the shop builders, but the crew from American Fence Company too, these guys work FAST! So I pulled over and snapped my pictures. I also met the landscaper, and the friendly sewer guy who was looking at the underground pipes with a snaking video camera. I met the fence guys, but unfortunately the shop builders were long gone. Everyone was smiling, and cheerful. Everything about his project was beautiful, quality and FAST!

If only we could say the same about all of our experiences with contractors and service people!