Meridian Idaho Real Estate ~ Pam Pugmire

Once again, Forbes.com has recognized the Greater Boise, Idaho area as a great place to live and work! 

The Boise-Nampa area came in at #6 on the  Forbes list of "Top 10 Pay-Raise Citites"   with a wage increase of 2.2%.  Forbes.com cited "Idaho's quirky mix of agriculture, lumber, mining and high-tech manufacturing gives it a far different profile than most states. Unusual job skills for niche industries can remain in demand during recessions, since those jobs can't be filled by just anyone." 

The article states "To track the rise and fall of wages across the U.S., the Brookings Institute, using data from Moody's Economy.com, calculated average wages, adjusted for inflation, for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Cities are ranked by the rate of change between the last three months of 2008 and first three months of 2009."

So, if you needed one more reason to decide that Boise, Nampa, or Meridian Idaho is a great place to own Real Estate, there it is! 

Check out these Meridian, Idaho homes for sale! 

I just posted three new Idaho Forclosures/Bank Owned lists.  These cover Ada and Canyon County homes, as well as Residential -Income properties.  Combined there are almost 400 properties ranging in price from $32,000 for a starter home in Caldwell, up to a $1.5 Million Estate in Eagle and EVERYTHING in between!  If you are looking to buy a home or investment property, you are sure to find something you would be interested in. 

If you are unfamiliar with buying Idaho Forclosure/Bank Owned homes, read my Idaho Foreclosure/Bank Owned articles.  I cover the different types of foreclosure listings (pre-foreclosure, short sales, bank owned etc....) and help you decide which might be the best option for you. 

If you would like a customized list, that would include photographs, live links to the MLS, and only the homes that fit your criteria, please call or text me at 208-921-4800.  This is another FREE service that I offer to buyers to help you get the best deal on your Idaho home purchase.   

Pam Pugmire

Bridgetower Real Estate

The Idaho housing market has picked up recently~Great News, right?  While it is good news, it's still not enough to help many people.  You see.....the market has picked-up, but prices are still way down from 2005-2006 levels.  There are still MANY homeowners that OWE more than their homes could sell for in today's market. 

If you must sell your home, you only have 2 options.....

• A. Bring a TON of cash to the closing table (yeah right! ) or 
• B. Do a Short Sale on your home. 

What is an Idaho Short Sale?  In a nutshell, a Short Sale is where the Bank agrees to accept LESS than what is owed. 

Who is eligible for an Idaho Short Sale?   Anyone can ask their lienholder to approve a "short" payoff for their home.    Whether or not your lienholder will approve the short sale will depend on your financial situation and your agent's ability to negotiate wth the banks.  Each situation is different, and each lender has a different criteria for short sales.  It's always better to ask, and take action quickly!  Call if you have any questions!  208-921-4800. 

I am here to help you sell your home as quickly as possible!  I will handle your listing in a professional, confidential and non-judgemental way.  I realize that these tough economic times are affecting good people. 

If you have an Idaho property that you are considering listing as a short sale, fill out the form below and I will get the listing packet right out to you. 

How's business?

As a REALTOR in Boise Idaho, this is a question I've been getting a lot. Many people are hearing that the housing market has picked-up lately, and it's great that some good news is getting around!

So, what are the signs that our RE market is improving?

• Decrease in Foreclosure Starts Some of the best news lately was reported in the Idaho Business Review. " After three months of constant record-breaking in foreclosure starts, April finally bucked the trend. April's 712 foreclosure starts made for a 10.4 percent decrease from March in Ada and Canyon counties, according to Charlie Nate, president of IdahoDataProviders.com. Nate said in a release. "This is definitely a good sign that we did not see another record in April, but the 712 filings are still the third highest month in history for the Treasure Valley."" We are not out of the woods with Foreclosures, but this is a step in the right direction.
• Decrease in Absorption Rates An absorption rate is a measure of how many month's inventory of homes are on the market. Anything under 6 months is considered a seller's market, and anything over 6 months is considered a buyer's market. Being around 6 months inventory is considered to be a balanced market. The average absorption rate for the Boise area was 12.485 months in March. That number decreased to 11.292 months in April.
• Idaho job market appears to have stabilized The Idaho Business Review says "Possibly showing an early sign of better economic times to come, Idaho's job market appeared to stabilize in April even as the national unemployment rate rose to a quarter-century high." This is a good sign for the housing market, because without jobs, people cannot buy homes.
• Home Sales up Home sales in the greater Boise area were up 13.7% between March and April 2009.
• Interest Rates remain low Another bright spot in the housing market is the historically LOW interest rates we are seeing! Rates for the last few months have been hovering around the 5% mark and even under!

Now obviously, you can see that we aren't headed right back into the investing frenzy of 2005 (thank heavens). There is however, at the very least, an end to the free fall of the market, and in many cases signs of positive growth.

If you've been waiting for the bottom of the Idaho housing market, you may have found it! It's a great time to buy a home in Boise. As more and more buyers enter the market, the more competition there will be for the terrific deals, and the less sellers will be motivated to reduce prices.

Give me a call today~I look forward to helping you find a great home at an unbeatable price!

Click here to visit the Idaho Housing Market Report Blog

Search greater Boise area MLS

Pam Pugmire

call or text 208-921-4800

March 2009 Boise Idaho Metro Area market reports

are now available on the Idaho Housing Market Reports Blog at

.

My comprehensive reports include numbers of sales and active listings, Average sale price, Median sales price, and Absorption Rates. I've also included year-over-year comparisons for units sold, average and median sales price.

You will find monthly market reports for

Boise Idaho

Meridian Idaho

Eagle Idaho

and Nampa Idaho

The great news is that the number of pending homes is almost DOUBLE that of the homes sold in March. That tells us that April numbers will be high, and that the market is picking up! Buy now while interest rates are low, and while market conditions are still in your favor.

Feel free to call me with any questions about Idaho Real Estate. I hope you find this information helpful in your Idaho Real Estate decisions.

Pam Pugmire

Bridgetower Real Estate

208/921-4800