Donna Henry

My open house visitors got a treat when I called on Mother Nature to bring some sort of unique excitement for those dull open houses and we all got more than what I bargained for! This little baby is starting to feel very comfortable in our little gated community. Luckily, we don't have gates on the sidewalks so he's been strolling in and out without having to know the gate code! Not sure how long he'll hang but I'll keep you all posted!

Hearty Market here in Spokane(Another reason why Spokane is one of the best places to live!!)

written by:

Parker Howell
Staff writer for Spokesman Review
February 27, 2008

When Debbie Mills put her late mother's northeast Spokane house up for sale in November, her Realtor suggested she ask just less than market price. Mills received a full-price offer in a little more than a week.

But in a time of tightening credit nationally, the would-be buyer couldn't secure financing and the contract expired. Mills expects a new, $119,900 deal on the roughly 900-square-foot bungalow to close soon, and she attributes her success to pricing.

"I looked at other houses that were $5,000 to $7,000 above," said Mills, 50. "There's just a ton of them out there, so by pricing them just under, you're definitely going to get the exposure."

While the Spokane housing market is cooling from a few years ago, it's still robust compared with much of the rest of the nation, which has seen falling prices and sales.

A new federal report says Spokane was among the 20 markets that saw the greatest real estate price appreciation in 2007, with prices of homes bought or refinanced in the city rising 7.12 percent.

Coeur d'Alene experienced 1.82 percent price appreciation last year, but saw a slight decrease during the fourth quarter, the federal report says.

Nationally, home-sales prices dropped 1.3 percent in the last three months of 2007 and 0.3 percent during the year - the first annual decline in 16 years - according to the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's index. By another measure, U.S. home prices dropped 8.9 percent in the final quarter of 2007 compared with a year ago, according to the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released Tuesday. That marked the steepest decline in the index's 20-year history.

For the best online MLS mapping search for the Spokane area that is updated daily, check out (http://www.donnasellsspokane.com/)

For the complete Story, check out http://spokesmanreview.com/business/story.asp?ID=233672

Near Nature. Near perfect. It's more than a slogan in Spokane's reality. With all the big city amenities you could wish for, abundant natural beauty, four distinct seasons and 260 sunny days each year, the Spokane Region is truly a special place.

Spokane is the perfect base for an amazing number of outdoor recreational opportunities. You'll find mountains for skiing and hiking...hundreds of miles of trails for mountain and road biking... and dozens and dozens of lakes and rivers for swimming, boating and fishing. And even though our outdoors is really without equal, our indoors will stir your senses as well.

The very best Broadway shows, intriguing art galleries, world-class museums and powerful stage performances will capture your imagination And what trip would be complete without shopping and fabulous food? Once again, we've got you covered!

From eclectic to classic, you can shop in sparkling new malls, renovated historic buildings, unique boutiques and well-renowned department stores. And when it's time for a little refreshment, you'll find restaurants serving up some distinctly regional tastes paired with Spokane's own incredible wines.

Contact me if you have any interest in moving here to Spokane. I'll send you a free relocation packet and get answers to any of the questions that you might have about Spokane or Spokane Real Estate!

www.DonnaSellsSpokane.com