Rick Evans - Sandpoint Idaho Real Estate Waterfront, Ski, and Resort Property

Seasons at Sandpoint has announced that they will be moving forward with construction of eight luxury lakefront townhomes to complement the 72 existing condominium residences, all of which are waterfront with wide open views over Lake Pend Oreille.

This news comes on the heels of Seasons recent announcement that they have retired all outstanding bank debt on the property. This is great news for the resort real estate business in North Idaho, as it provides a stable environment and the means to move forward with a very high profile resort condominium development located in downtown Sandpoint. Seasons occupies a nice niche in the marketplace, that of a full-service luxury condo hotel, in town and on Lake Pend Oreille.

With the troubles that the Idaho Club has had of late its nice to see another development coming out with positive news. Dover Bay Waterfront Resort is another nearby resort community that is very stable financially and continuing to move forward with construction projects. The Marina Town condominiums at Dover are probably the closest offering to what Seasons of Sandpoint has, yet one or the other typically appeals to a particular buyer as they are each unique products.

The general contractor for the new Seasons townhomes will be Spokane-based Bison Builders. They will begin building these three-story townhomes, approximately 4000 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, 3 balconies, and private interior elevators. Buyers have the option of a pre-selected luxury finish or can complete their own finish package after closing. These townhomes will not only be the creme of the crop at Seasons but really will become some of the most luxurious residences in the region. All Seasons owners benefit from a full time concierge, destination spa and fitness, private beach and pool, and a personal boat slip at the Seasons marina.

The first four townhomes are expected to be complete by Spring of 2010, however they are available now from the high one millions with some nice sales incentives offered.

Real estate sales at The Seasons have actually picked up lately, however some of these deals have been resales at aggressively low prices. Buyers right now have a great opportunity here if this is the right product for them. There is currently a resale unit, with 1400 square feet and 2 bedrooms, directly lakefront, priced at $499,000. There have been 7 closed and pending sales this year at Seasons, which isn't bad at all. Prices range from the low point in Feb 09 of $450,000, to a 4000 square foot penthouse pending at $2.2 million. Prices seem to have stabilized as the same type unit that sold at $450k in Feb just went for $550k in August.

If you are interested in learning more about Seasons at Sandpoint, or Marina Town at Dover Bay, or perhaps lower price waterfront condos in Hope or Sandpoint, visit www.SandpointResortRealty.com or contact Rick at 208-304-5665, rick@sandpointresortrealty.com

The two week Festival at Sandpoint ended with a bang (literally, with fireworks) on Sunday evening after the Spokane Symphony's Benny Goodman tribute. Once again this Festival proved to be an amazing time with friends and family, listening to some great music.

As a member of the Sandpoint community, I feel obligated to support the Festival with season passes each year (even though I don't always get excited about every show). I think this is one aspect that makes our Festival so unique. There is a wide variety of music each year, from 70s rock, to reggae, to country, to alternative, you name it. My wife and I go to every night's event and end up enjoying most of them.

For example I have never been a big country music fan, other than classic Cash or Nelson. But Mandy, my wife, is a HUGE country fan. So I begrudgingly went to the Clint Black concert on Saturday night....and I LOVED IT! The opening act, GYPSY, was phenomenal. They had more of a punk rock look to them and played a combination of gypsy jazz (ala Django Rhinehart) and bluegrass. Instrumentally they were incredible.

For Clint Black I really expected a 'yawner', but the show was high energy all the way through. There is a reason that Clint is one of the top country music stars of all time, and we really are fortunate to get high caliber performances in little Sandpoint Idaho. His band was amazing, particularly the fiddler and his lead guitarist. Clint even hopped on the drums himself for one song. They played a wide variety of music, including an incredible Willie Nelson tune, some bluegrass, classics like 'Nothing But the Taillights', and probably my favorite was his encore with the Eagles song, 'Desperado'. He ended up getting the entire audience to stand up and sing along to several of his songs...including my wife Mandy who can't sing at all and almost never lets me hear her. :)

The Festival at Sandpoint is such a unique festival not only because of the caliber of musical acts, but because of the real neighborhood feel that you get. The venue is Memorial Field in downtown Sandpoint, under the stars on Lake Pend Oreille. You can bring your own blanket, picnic basket, or booze and just do your own thing. Babies and kids are running around, you run into all your friends, and it truly feels like a private party in the backyard. Memorial Field holds about 3000 people, which in a town of about 8000 is pretty good. But somehow it always feels more like 300 people.

Sandpoint is a town of festivals and community events, but The Festival at Sandpoint is certainly the top dog. Its another reminder of just how special of a place we have here.

Schweitzer Mountain has begun construction on four luxury residences at Trappers Creek, the ski-in/ski-out neighborhood located above the Schweitzer Village adjacent to the Basin Express chair. This will serve as the first real introduction to Fractional Ownership in the North Idaho resort market, a real estate sales model that has served other ski destinations very well.

Schweitzer has hired Brent Baker of Baker Construction here in Sandpoint Idaho as the general contractor. This was a great selection in my opinion, as Brent is very much a Sandpoint local with extensive experience building at Schweitzer over the years. Jim Ruscitto, a prominent Seattle architect, has been working with Schweitzer on the design, which can be described as ‘rustic contemporary' or ‘modern mountain', with a nice balance of woods and stone, large balconies to enjoy the summer, and orientations that will maximize views of Lake Pend Oreille. The full ownership home is slated for Lot 8 and will be approximately 3400 square feet, while the three fractional ownership homes will offer 3 bedrooms and approximately 2400 square feet.

Fractional Ownership, or Private Residence Clubs, are a new offering in the Inland Northwest, but offer a model that has been very successful in other resort and ski destinations around the country. Current plans at Schweitzer call for 1/8 shares that would include club amenities yet to be determined. Michael Burns, an experienced Fractional Ownership Consultant has been working with Schweitzer's ownership to develop this plan.

The beauty of Fractional Ownership is that owners are given a deed to property (unlike a timeshare), providing the benefits of equity and appreciation, yet without the hassles of having to be responsible for a home that is only part-time. If someone is spending $350,000 (as a random example), they could stay in a fractional residence that might cost $1.5 million rather than buy an older, smaller condo on their own for the same price.

So what is the catch? Perhaps the biggest impediment is in securing good financing for fractional ownership, at least in today's financial market. Schweitzer may be addressing this issue by helping with some of these finance options, which would be a very smart move on their part. The other challenge is that the dues structure tends to be relatively high for residence clubs, in order to pay for not only the amenities of the club but also the increased administration that it takes to effectively run one of these.

All in all I believe this is a very smart move for Schweitzer. A big goal for ownership is obviously to bring more bodies to the slopes, to spend money on ancillary services and support a vibrant village. Fractional Ownership makes this happen, while also opening up a price point that will be significantly lower than a full ownership offering in the same location. If all goes to plan, Schweitzer will be able to launch this sales effort in time for the 2009 Christmas Holiday, with the first model fast-tracked and ready for occupancy as soon as February 15, 2010. The other units would then be completed near the end of the upcoming ski season and ready to close by late Spring 2010.

If you'd like to learn more about Fractional Ownership opportunities at Schweitzer, or other possibilities in the Sandpoint market, please send an email to Rick@SandpointResortRealty.com, or call my direct line at 208-304-5665. You might also visit my website at http://www.SandpointResortRealty.com to stay up to date on the latest resort real estate offerings in North Idaho.

Larry with Competitive Instincts Bike Shop in Sandpoint Idaho is THE person to see for any bike repairs in the area, whether road or mountain. His business is one of those 1-man places that just adds value to a town like Sandpoint.

Larry is the kind of guy that knows pretty much everyone in town. He is extremely honest and is always concerned first and foremost with saving the customer money and in getting him on the road as soon as possible.

I became sold on using Competitive Instincts for all my bicycle repairs after buying an old Torelli road bike, which is a classic bike with a handmade Italian frame and parts that just aren't made anymore. I started having problems immediately with the shifting and all the tweaking did nothing but make it worse. I visited several area bike shops and was looking at spending $500 minimum for the new parts I would need.

After learning about Larry from a buddy (referrals are probably the only source of business as Larry keeps costs low and doesn't do any advertising to speak of), I visited him with my bike problem. He spent a great deal of time researching the options and was able to find rebuilt parts from an Italian company. At the end of the day he completely fixed my bike for about $100.

I have since taken my mountain bike in a couple of times. No matter how busy he seems to be, Larry always is concerned with getting my bike ready for the weekend or whenever I plan on riding next. The turnaround is typically a day or two no matter the repair. Last time I took the bike I mentioned wanting fatter tires and he happened to have a very slightly used pair. He gave them to me for $10 - tires that were $200 new.

You can visit Larry's small shop located just off Hwy 2 and Ontario, on 448 So Ella or call him at 208-255-2986. Just be prepared to visit for a few minutes because he'll definitely want to tell you stories and loves to talk. :)

I swam across Lake Pend Oreille in the Long Bridge Swim yesterday! What a cool event! This swim race is probably the premier swimming event in the Northwest, and is truly one of Sandpoint Idaho's quintessential events.

In its 15th year the Sandpoint Long Bridge Swim sets a new record for participation every year. This year I believe there were close to 900 swimmers, ranging in age from 88 to 5 years old. That's right, 5! We all gathered at City Beach prior to the race and were bussed over to the south side of the Long Bridge. The race is 1.76 miles across Lake Pend Oreille, running parallel to the bridge, and finishing at 'Dog Beach' on the Sandpoint side. What's really unique about this race is that it is so great for spectators, because they can literally walk the Long Bridge and cheer on their favorite swimmers from above.

Pretty much the entire town of Sandpoint comes out to either participate or watch this event. More than anything this is a fun event that makes for a great morning and afternoon for participants as well as spectators.

This was my first time doing the Long Bridge Swim, and 1.76 miles is definitely the furthers I've ever swam. Last year I was registered and ready to go, however my son Trace was actually born on the day of the swim so I ended up in the hospital all afternoon waiting for my wife to hurry up and give birth. :) This year it was fantastic having Mandy and Trace follow along and watch me from the Bridge. Afterwards Trace and I swam around at Dog Beach and enjoyed the afternoon.

The conditions for the swim this year were excellent. The air temp was probably 95 degrees by the end, and the water must have been high 70s or 80, with almost glassy conditions and no current to speak of. The water was super clear and it definitely made the distance much easier having 900 people swimming with you!