There are two new webcams broadcasting life in Sandpoint.
The first shows pics from First Avenue and the second from Gold Hill at this link: http://www.camscape.com/view/33718
Sandpoint Webcam from First Avenue
Sandpoint Webcam from Gold Hill
The second is at Selkirk Powder Company.
The count of Eagles on Lake CdA so far is lower this year than the peak of 254 for 2010.
This article appeared in the CdA Press on December 12, 2011: Eagles have landed
Just a few years ago I posted this article about the Eagles of North Idaho: Eagles of North Idaho - Awe inspiring, and a reminder of our National Heritage
This video from 2007 really displays them well:
Eagle perched along Lake Coeur d'Alene
Eagle hunting Kokoanee
Eagle as seen from Pend Oreille Bay Trail
Eagle as seen from Pend Oreille Bay Trail
Eagle in flight over Lake Pend Oreille
Lake Pend Oreille Eagle
Realtors Gary Lirette & Judy Delucchi, Sandpoint, Idaho
Last week Marcy Timblin, Manager for the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association appeared on my radio show: North Idaho Business.
Marcy was on the show to talk about two things: What’s happening in Sandpoint for the month of December and the new movement called Genuine Sandpoint.
Marcy Timblin, Downtown Manager for the DSBA
Downtown hosts Santa Claus, special events
This holiday season, the jolly old gent otherwise known as Santa Claus will be making visits every week until Christmas at "The North Pole" on the Cedar Street Bridge. All children are invited to bring their adults and visit with Santa; there will be an opportunity for professional photos, too. Here's Santa's visitation schedule:
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
every day Dec. 19-24
Also of note during the holidays, is Girls' Night Out, a special shopping social for ladies with special extended hours at many stores Friday, Dec. 9 till 8 p.m. Be sure to mark it on your calendar. The fellows get their own Men's Night Out the following Friday, Dec. 16 with store staffs on hand to prvide plenty of gift-giving ideas and advice.
And of course, every day and night through the holidays, the downtown is positively aglow with beautiful downtown Christmas lights, frequent strolling carolers, holiday programs at the Panida Theater, a plethora of unique boutiques, superb dining in Sandpoint's two-dozen-plus fine restaurants, and much more.
Questions, or for more information, click to e-mail DSBA's Downtown Manager Marcy Timblin at info@downtownsandpoint.com or call the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association at 255-1876.
We hope to see you in Downtown Sandpoint this Christmas season!
Genuine Sandpoint: Buy local, be local!
Why do your holiday shopping locally this year? Simply because it's smart, that's why! Not only do local merchants have a great selection of unique items you won't find in any big box store -- most often at competitive prices -- they offer real, personal service. And the money you spend with local businesses stays local, to lift our whole community.
In fact, those are just a few reasons. There's more to ponder before you head out on your Christmas shopping forays this year. Click to read these great stories:
We're calling our buy local campaign Genuine Sandpoint. We hope all shoppers will stop to consider how and where they'll spend their hard-earned dollars this year -- and what's really the best deal for the money.
Want to get involved? Here are some resources:
According to the Selkirk MLS, our market has a total of 2,677 various properties (condos, land, homes, timeshares) on the market.
Average Days on Market: 305
Total Price: $799,187,649
Closed Sales January 1, 2011 – December 8, 2011: $190,495,221
Total List Price: $206,855,029
That is 970 sales with an average Days on Market of 166.
These sales represent 92% of asking price.
There are an additional 125 properties Pending, representing another $29,736,360 in sales.
While historically this is roughly 100-200 below our averages during better years, it is significant considering that for 2010 we sold 940 for $200,536,119 in total sales, and in 2009 802 for a total of $181,738,748 for a year-to-year increase of 9.5%. By end of year, we should have also increased our percentages, showing a steady increase in sales.
Clearly land sales are lagging, and we are seeing, in some cases, prices we haven’t seen in a decade. Home Sales (Residential) made up 87% of closed sales so far for 2011 with an Average Price of $229,967. Again, this represents 92% of asking price. This information is especially helpful when advising buyers what to offer. Clearly there are bargain hunters out there, but for a seller to accept a deep discount is not the norm. There are very few homes being sold at 30, 40, or 50% off the asking price.
Why Are Sales Increasing in North Idaho?
Clearly sales are increasing. This is due in large part to the decrease, while incremental, in asking price. The Average Sold Price for homes in 2010 was $246,325. The Average Sold Price for 2009 was $262,783. We have actually seen price stabilization for most homes. Bank repos are still affecting the market skewing the numbers to look like our market is showing steady declines in value.
Another trend that is small but significant are the number of Days On Market: 146 for 2009, 158 for 2010, 166 for 2011.
How Is The Local Economy?
I host the North Idaho Business show on KSPT and KBFI. In the last year, I have interviewed twenty-six new businesses. Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort has had three successive record breaking years. High water impeded our lake activities this season because of high precipitation, but local businesses had earnings that allowed them to keep the open signs on. I managed the new Dover Bay Café (sic Dish Home Cooking) which had a fantastic opening season. I also am the Wine Buyer/Steward at our local gourmet grocer Yoke’s Fresh Market and the company had a record season. This Yoke’s is the #1 store in the chain and the top seller of wine regionally. I was able, on a day-to-day basis, to see people spending their hard-earned dollars.
So, anecdotally, the appearance is that things are getting better. The stats back that up. The Idaho Unemployment Rate fell to 8.8 percent, the lowest level in nearly two years. Bonner County’s rate is higher at 10.8%. This current figure has not yet taken into account winter ski season hiring by Schweitzer Mountain. Any way you look at it the figure is considerably better than the 16.1% we experienced at the height of the recession.
One thing that people don’t know about Sandpoint and Bonner County is that we are a manufacturing town. Companies like Coldwater Creek, Litehouse Foods, Thorne Research, Unicep Packaging, Encoder, EZDog, Quest Aircraft, and many others make up the majority of employment here, followed by Government, Education, then Tourism.
From firsthand knowledge through hundreds of interviews I can tell you that entrepreneurs are doing well in Sandpoint. Are they getting rich? The answer for most is probably not.
Employment and dollars earned is not the primary reason most of us live here though. When Buck Knives relocated to North Idaho, they did so not because of ease of facility or tax breaks, but because of quality of life. Living underneath one of the Top 25 Ski Resorts in the nation, along the shores of 148-square mile Lake Pend Oreille, it is the draw of the wonder of the land and the joy of the people that makes this place magical.
What these statistics show is that our market is improving, albeit slowly. Still, it is reassuring that it has been steady and forward moving.
I teamed with Judy Delucchi this year. In a little over twelve months I was able to bring in over $3 million in accepted offers, mostly waterfront. While this in not enough to make me feel like the slowdown is over, it isn’t as bad as in other places.
Add to that, my brokerage, Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty is by far the top real estate firm in our region.
Finding success in Sandpoint doesn’t happen by accident. We work hard and go the extra mile for our clients.
You should visit Sandpoint and see why the year Rand McNally named Sandpoint America’s Most Beautiful Small Town.
To learn more about Sandpoint and North Idaho visit www.SandpointID.net
To learn more about Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort visit www.SkiSchweitzer.net
If you are thinking about moving here or want to know more about our little slice of paradise, call Gary Lirette 208-610-1384 garyplirette@gmail.com
Gary Lirette & Judy Delucchi, Tomlinson Sotheby's International Realty
Apex Syrah Was $24.68 and the New Great Lower Price!
$9.98
This great buy is one of our best values this year. This special buy in allows you to try one of the Great Syrahs from Washington State for a price we’ve never seen before. Salute!
Apex Cellars was launched in 1988 and has grown to be one of Washington's most respected wineries. Apex and Apex Ascent cover the spectrum from reserve-caliber, vineyard-designate wines to wines that be can beenjoyed everyday. Over the years, Apex Cellars has become known as a winery youcan trust - a producer of consistently outstanding wine that can be served andenjoyed with confidence.
Color is rich purple, almost opaque. Headyaromas of granite, smoky bacon and earthy black fruits with slight blackpepper. Palate is soft and generous with lush tannins and a persistent finish. Flavors of blackberry and licorice spice from start to finish. Ready to enjoy now!
See me at Yoke's in Sandpoint.
And for all your real estate needs, call me at 208-610-1384
Apex Syrah only $9.98 for a limited time at Yoke's Sandpoint
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Being host of the North Idaho Business radio show keeps me in touch with my community & helps me to be a top REALTOR® in our market. Featured in the December issue of Where To Retire magazine.
ABOUT GARY LIRETTE
Gary Lirette, featured in Where To Retire magazine, with almost three million readers in December 2009, Gary is a Sandpoint real estate professional and avid community supporter. As the host of two radio shows - North Idaho Business and North Idaho Arts and Adventure for many years - the position of interviewing hundreds of native Idahoans and transplants has given Gary a unique perspective.
"Having owned several homes and properties here gives me a view from your side, as a home owner and buyer. I owned two restaurants in town, and work with over a dozen charities. Certainly real estate is my job, but if you really want to have a guide for your life in North Idaho, with my experience, I hope you find me a resource for you and your family for life."
ABOUT SANDPOINT, IDAHO
While certainly one can lament that this fantastic place has changed over the years, it is still a quaint, high quality of life small North Idaho town with a population under 10,000. Year after year the national media has awarded great accolades to Sandpoint: Best Small Town in the West, Top 10 Resort Towns, America's Dream Town, Top 10 Adventure Town. The NY Times, USA Today, Sunset Magazine, AOL Travel, National Geographic and many, many more all have touted this place as a dream town, undiscovered and hidden from the rest of the world. Right above the city of Sandpoint is Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort, and similarly, over the last few years, Schweitzer has also garnered national attention, being named for the first time in 2008 to Skiing Magazine's Top 25 Ski Resorts, and #3 for Tree Skiing. Lake Pend Oreille, gargantuan with its 111 miles of coastline sandwiches Sandpoint on one side, with Schweitzer on the other. Manufacturer and national businesses have made the area home, with companies such as Coldwater Creek, Litehouse Foods, Quest Aircraft, Encoder Products, Thorne Research, and many more finding great employees and a quality of life few other places can offer.
With growth has come growing pains, yet the essence of this part of the North Idaho Panhandle has remained. It is a great place to live, raise a family, and enjoy what nature offers. Festivals and events pepper each season, and the people are friendly to a fault. Certainly if one looks, we find issues that are troubling, such as the cost of living, traffic, and attitudes the newcomers bring that differ with the local populace. Many believe, however, that these are comparatively minor aberrations; our slice of North Idaho heaven is still better than most of the places any of us have been before.
Our economy is suffering much like the rest of the nation, yet we still have good unemployment figures, optimistic future job growth, and are tackling our issues with fervent community involvement.
We are so, so proud of our little community, and while we worry about growth, we are also proud, and welcome more than we turn away.
Sandpoint is truly what they say about us. Perhaps Cabin Life, Cabin Living said it best calling our community "the quintessential Western outdoor lover's town."
After spending several years in commercial real estate, I found selling waterfront and view homes in Sandpoint to be my forte.
Neighborhood knowledge and my participation interviewing hundreds of people and businesses over the last several years has given me a unique insight to the inside scoop in North Idaho.
I also speak fluent German, and basic French and Spanish, and work with many Europeans every year. As one of the most successful agents in Hope and Priest River, as well as with intrinsic knowledge of Sandpoint and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort gives buyers and sellers the confidence to make the right decisions.
My promise is to work 24/7 for my clients, and always be available, not only in areas of real estate, but in mentoring new businesses, finding the right schools, and helping with your job search in this place, your new home.
EDUCATION
University of Central Florida - Accounting/Business
University of Maryland - Undergrad studies, Germany
Deutche Folkshochschule - Nurnberg, Germany
ASSOCIATIONS
Veteran - United States Army, 1/1 Armored Cavalry Regiment
Veteran - United States Air Force National Guard
American Legion - Member
National Association of REALTORS® - Member
Coeur d'Alene Association of REALTORS® - Member
Selkirk Association of REALTORS® - Member
Idaho Association of REALTORS® - Member
Sandpoint, Idaho
Sandpoint City Beach
Owner - 101 Enterprises, Inc. - Restaurant and hotel consulting firm, specializing in purchase and sale, restaffing and training, and all facets of management. In ten years of operation, opened, closed, and negotiated for purchase and/or sale 19 restaurants and hotels
Owner - Walker Donuts, Sandpoint, Idaho
Owner - Wigleys Cafe and Bakery, Sandpoint, Idaho
GC of seven classic home renovations
REALTOR® for Inland Northwest Realty, specializing in REO realty, including short sales, repos, and foreclosures
REALTOR® for Windermere Resort Lifestyles, specializing in resort realty
REALTOR® for Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby's International Realty, specializing in resort and premier realty
Radio host for the last six years on KSPT and KBFI of two North Idaho talk radio shows: North Idaho Business and North Idaho Arts & Adventure
Author of two published books, including Passion for Wine, published by Hastings House, a UPG Imprint
Webmaster and designer of over 100 websites, including www.SandpointCentral.com, www.SandpointID.net, www.Wine101.net, www.GarfieldShores.com, www.SandpointDish.com, and many more.
Instrumental in helping over 70 events and charities begin and/or continue in Sandpoint and North Idaho.
Schweitzer Mountain from Hope Marina
Wooden Boat Show at the Power House
Sandpoint from Schweitzer Mountain
Historic Panida Theater
Festival at Sandpoint
Sandpoint Aerial
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