About Sandpoint's Schweitzer

SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN REAL ESTATE. I'd love the sale from this, but...

Here’s the deal. I just got off the mountain. You can see from the pictures what I was dealing with. No clouds, no wind, bright sun and some of the most breathtaking views in the world. Sandpoint, Idaho and Schweitzer Mountain have, once again, lived up to all of my lofty expectations. …So, as a Realtor®, I have a dilemma.

Do I blatantly promote the area and reveal to the world what we have here in North Idaho so I can selfishly profit from the ensuing real estate sales and, in so doing, risk tainting the natural purity of Sandpoint and the surrounding area by enticing outsiders to invest here? Might the new arrivals who I, inadvertently, lured here not be in tune to the “vibe” we have going? As the old saying goes, “O.K., you’ve discovered Sandpoint, now keep it to yourself!” Or am I feeling too self-important? Do my little blogging sites really impact enough people to mess up the good thing we have going here? Then again, what if everyone did this? Why is it O.K. for me to expose the beauty of Sandpoint to the world but, God forbid, I can’t have anyone else jump into the blogging pool. Conflicted? …d'ya think?

The reality is, we’ll NEVER become another Vail. (I love to pick on Vail). I need not worry about tainting our “purity”. Yes, I guess we are the same distance from Spokane as Vail is from Denver. That is the only similarity, however. Denver is the largest city in the Front Range Urban Corridor. The population of the Front Range Urban Corridor is estimated at 4,251,663. (Compare that to Spokane and surrounding area of only 600,000). We’ll never enjoy the massive human influx that Vail has come to expect.

Oh, I know, Vail doesn’t have a lake (a giant lake) like Sandpoint but does that really matter? Who cares about our pure water resources and endless 4-season recreational opportunities?

Who cares that our elevation is around 2,000 feet in the valley? Altitude headaches at the big Colorado ski areas only last a couple days. It’s worth putting up with that just to get the opportunity to “schmooze” with the hoards of skiers in the lift lines. Silly Schweitzer Mountain doesn’t get lift lines. We don’t have that wonderful “schmoozing” opportunity. In fact, it’s tough for most of us to garner the strength to ski all day…with no lift-lines, our ski day consists of actually skiing. Maybe that’s why Idaho skiers are so much better (O.K., that’s a low blow).

In summation, enjoy today’s pictures. The beauty is unmatched. The skiing was good, not great. Skiing this early in the year, however? THAT IS GREAT! The powder is coming. It always does…and when it comes, it LASTS! (Another major difference between us and Vail – Don’t get me going).

IT’S THANKSGIVING AND I MOWED THE LAWN TODAY!

As I was mowing the lawn today, I kept thinking, “Man, this has ‘blog’ written all over it!” I don’t blog JUST for the fun of it. I also want my “thousands” of followers to understand that life in Sandpoint, Idaho is NOT your typical 48º: 18' N. latitude experience. (We’re only 8º south of Moscow, Russia for God’s sake!).

So, what’s my point? Sandpoint is special! The lawn is green, Schweitzer Mountain has had 45” of snow so far this season and is opening Friday, heat bills are nominal and I still get to enjoy four seasons…in comfort.

My wife and I thought long and hard about how to shape our future. We figured we had two options: 1) Just stay in Minnesota and travel as much as possible in the effort to break up the relentless winter months (basically November through March) or, 2) downsize our home and buy a second home in a warm/sunny climate? One thing was for sure, after enduring 27 Minnesota winters, something had to give.

Having studied our two options, we chose option #3. Where can we mow the lawn into December (I hate mowing, by the way, but it does work as a metaphor), enjoy a true Winter without getting frostbite and have a Spring that actually starts on March 21 like it is supposed to? SANDPOINT!

So, here we are and I mowed the lawn today.

Happy Thanksgiving From Sandpoint, Idaho! …and don’t let our latitude freak you out. It’s only a number.

No photos today, but there is a ton of snow at Schweitzer Mountain! I finally dusted off my gear and went skiing today-- just what the doctor ordered!

I had my mind set on skiing today, after hearing from my friends who have been skinning up for the past week or so. I arrived at around 1p and met up with a couple of buddies, Mike and Marty. We skinned in from the Spires, at the end of Tall Timber Road. Great way to get to the South Ridge fairly quickly.

It was amazing getting back on the snow after the off season. It dumped all day, and it showed. The conditions were actually really good, with some nice powder for at least 2/3 of the way. The rock skies won't even be necessary in a few days.

I skied A chute and just loved it. Word is that Schweitzer will open its lifts this Friday.

I'm ready for my favorite season in Sandpoint- Winter!

What are the best values for condos and homes at Schweitzer Mountain? This is a question that I always get from prospective Schweitzer buyers, and I take pride in having found and negotiated some tremendous deals for Schweitzer buyers in the past couple years. Today was the annual Schweitzer property tour for our Selkirk MLS, where we had a chance to preview 38 listings before the ski season gets started.

The best values to me overall are in the middle price levels, from $400 to $600k. Also I would encourage people to consider some of the condos and homes that are not necessarily ski-in/ski-out, as the price/value gets much better for some of these units. The Schweitzer Recreation District started a free ski shuttle on the mountain last season, picking people up from their residences within 15 minutes of calling. There is also a new ski bridge at the end of Telemark Road that makes the ski access to Musical Chairs way better than before for property owners in this neighborhood.

Following are the properties that stood apart as being very good values relative to everything else on Schweitzer:

115 Crystal Run #10 - $299,021 -- 1600 sft, 2bdr, 3 bath -- Ski in/Ski out -- this is definitely one of the best buys on the market in my opinion. Located just above the Village with the ski trail to its door - nothing in this price range on the ski trail other than Selkirk Lodge. There are no rental restrictions. The downstairs garage was converted into a separate studio along with a hot tub room. You could rent out the studio separate from the upstairs main condo. This is a bit dated but you could fix it up pretty nicely.

Snowdrift Condo #B2, listed at $279,000, 750sft, 2/1. Snowdrift is located on the left just before entering the Main Village parking lot. This unit has been completely redone, and the ski and village access is great.

130 Stella Lane #202 -- not on tour, trustee sale taking place on 12/23 with First American. My sources tell me the bank would accept $215,000. The property next door is listed at $385k, near the most recent sale.

20 Snowghost, Cedar Ridge unit 2- $589,000, 2007 sft, 3/3. Very nice unit sold furnished including a huge flat screen, two story townhouse next to the St Bernard with good ski access from the trail behind Chapel Point.

Cornice Condos #202 - $349,000, 1330 sft, 2/2. Very nice, vaulted ceiling, 2+ loft, big jacuzzi tub in master bath, furnished, big fireplace; ski access is average but a very nice place for the money.

369 Telemark Road-- $495,000 -- 2268 sft, single family house, lake views, very nice open floor plan. This is a great house and one of my favorite places on the mountain. The ski access is much better now with the new bridge at the end of Telemark Road. One of the rare single family homes available, meaning no HOA, no rental restrictions or rules. Also has a good rental history.

205 Ullr - $550,000 -- Beautiful residence with high vaulted ceiling near The Ridge. Finishings are very high end including Viking appliances and hydronic flooring. 4bdr 3 bath, 2628 sft. A creek runs by the property. One of the nicer places on the mountain.

Whiplash Circle #10-- $339,000-- also at The Ridge, 9 of the 12 of these condos have sold, with the most recent closing at $365,000. 3bdr, 2.5 bath, and 1918 sft makes it best price per square foot at Schweitzer.

Granite Peaks -- several units still available, now at short sale prices starting at $359,000 for 1700 sft with high end finishes and near Schweitzer Village. Problem was the landscape engineering from the beginning, but these challenges have apparently been addressed.

Also noteworthy is that Schweitzer Resort is moving forward rapidly on the first three homes in their new neighborhood above the Village. Two of these will be sold as 1/8 fractions supposedly under $200k per fraction. The homes look beautiful at this point with unbelievable views. Schweitzer has done a nice job replatting the former Trappers Creek neighborhood into all single family residences, with a new plan that seems to make sense for the market.

For all of the details on any of the above, visit my website at www.SandpointResortRealty.com and go to Property Search. Or call me at 208-304-5665 or email Rick@SandpointResortRealty.com to schedule a tour.

DO NOT move to SANDPOINT!

I have coveted a life in Sandpoint, Idaho ever since I discovered this mountain town in the early 70's. Life's twists and turns did not allow me to actually move here full-time until 2005. I had many valid reasons for delaying the inevitable and I stand by them. One of the big reasons, however, was that I was worried Sandpoint wasn't ready for me.

I'm a tennis player. I have been playing year around (indoors and outdoors) for the last thirty years. This included local and regional tournaments, USTA leagues (summer and winter), fanatical tennis buddies who retained the same indoor permanent court times for 20 years running, tennis drills, tennis parties...you know the scene. The question always was...can I be happy in Sandpoint without indoor tennis?

Well, I'm here to tell you...if that is a stumbling block for any possible Sandpoint transplants today, you can put those fears to rest. (You'll have to also put some of your preconceived notions about appropriate "tennis weather" aside also. We just don't care about that here.) This place is EXTREME...the weather, the people, the geography, the politics, THE PASSION.

I just got off the court after a grueling 3 hour match with three of my close tennis buddies (Steve Kirby, Eric Plummer and Joel Wahlin). The match started in rather cool 31 degree weather and ended in a warmish 35 degree blizzard. Two amazing things happened; 1) the level of play never wavered and, 2) we just got the perfect 3 hour cross-training workout in preparation for the November 27th ski opening of Schweitzer Mountain - the pride and joy of North Idaho. The perfect start to the day!

While we were playing, there was an ultimate frisbee match taking place at the other end of the park. People don't hide from blizzards around here, they rejoice. (That is Eric above...he wasn't down long).

Bottom line, I'll be playing outdoor tennis here probably into December...I'll play about ten times indoors this winter in either Coeur d'Alene or Spokane...then, on February 25th, the high school tennis season begins (did I mention I coach the team?) and I'll be on the court five to six days a week until the middle of May. The middle of May marks the beginning of the "summer tennis season" (weather permitting...in other words, it will have to be pouring rain for us to "bag it"). Like my wife says, "Kent, you get your fair share of tennis in Sandpoint!" ...and that is my message to you. Do not let our lack of indoor tennis dissuade you from moving to Sandpoint! This place rocks it. (and, by the way, with a little luck we'll have an unbelievable indoor tennis facility here in the VERY near future...more on that later...)

When I am not playing tennis with passion (...or skiing), I am selling real estate with passion from the Coldwell Banker Resort Realty, Schweitzer Mountain office. CALL ME! I HAVE MORE STORIES!