I think it was ad-out in our doubles match today when we all had to take a break (A POETIC MOMENT) and gaze at what was happening in the park outside the courts...you've got to have priorities in life. (By the way, I was playing with my lender and one of my clients. Real Estate never rests.)

It was a little cloudy but warm, calm and beautiful here in Sandoint, Idaho.

New Zealand never received the brunt of the September 29th earthquake, as predicted, but they sure got a nice rainbow out of it. The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude-8.0 earthquake, the world’s largest in two years, that struck south of Samoa. Waves reached at least 20 feet high in parts of American Samoa and swept more than a half mile inland. This photo was taken by my daughter (a New Zealand resident) from Takapuna Beach outside of Auckland during the event. That is Rangitoto Island several miles in the distance across the Pacific. (The sea was up a few feet, but no giant surf).

The photo below was also taken on September 29th, but in Sandpoint, Idaho. That is Gold Hill, a few miles across Lake Pend Oreille viewed from my dock on Kootenai Bay. If we had a rainbow, the visual would be almost the same. It is a small world.

By the way, it is still Saturday here in Idaho, but it is Sunday in New Zealand...hence...SPEECHLESS SUNDAY.

Sandpoint's Saturday Drama Queen - Lake Pend Oreille

The whitecaps and rollers are invading from the North...aided by a 40 mph wind. The snow covered peak is Schweitzer Mountain after a Saturday morning dusting.

This is the scene from a new listing I garnered yesterday in Sagle, on the South shore of Lake Pend Oreille looking out at the shores of Sandpoint.

SNOW!!! THE SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN!

TRAILS OPEN: 0; LIFTS OPEN: 0; NEW SNOW: YES!

As I was driving up Schweitzer Mountain this morning, heading to my office in the Village, I noticed at about the 3,000 foot elevation the rain that has been invading the Sandpoint Valley below was turning a little slushy. This phenomenon happens each Fall, of course, and my corresponding reaction is also the same each Fall. OH MY GOD, THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN! There is going to be snow in the Village!

The first thing to do? …crank up KPND (the local eclectic and wonderful fm station) and ride it in! I’m not the only one in Sandpoint who gets excited about snow. SANDPOINT is a ski town, after all. The next 10 minutes of the drive was consumed with AC/DC and the frenzied sounds so closely associated with ripping through the powder of the Schweitzer back bowls. (Trust me, I'm no "head-banger" but I can certainly relate when thinking about making turns in the powder)

(The picture to the right is the "RIDE 7B" cap. The local license plates have 7B on them which designates the owner as a Bonner County resident ...home of Schweitzer Mountain.)

This year, SCHWEITZER MOUNTAIN RESORT has added a 4 million gallon holding pond near the top of the mountain to feed the snowmaking system which, we hope, will insure a Thanksgiving opening. Schweitzer is rarely in need of natural snow (average snowfall is over 300” per season) but, Thanksgiving openings are a rarity.

Investing in Real Estate at a ski area is an act of PASSION. It certainly can be a wise financial move and, given market conditions today, it appears that is currently the case. Prices are low (especially here at Schweitzer compared to other major resorts) and interest rates remain very favorable. Actually pulling the trigger to make an offer, however, is about PASSION. People who own at Schweitzer are here because they love and NEED the North Idaho mountain experience. The three seasons leading up to winter are electrifying with natural beauty and wonder. The hiking, mountain biking, berry picking, animal watching, people watching, music festivals, tennis tournaments and "LIVING" are what gives our lives purpose up here. But let’s face it… the skiing is “to die for.” (#3 BEST TREE SKIING IN NORTH AMERICA • #1 SKI AREA IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST • LABELED THE #1 MOST EXTREME TOWN BY THE BANFF FILM FESTIVAL U.S. TOUR (I’m not exactly sure what “most extreme” refers to ...but I like it).

My AR friend Russel Ray likes to chastise me about the impending onslaught of winter from his San Diego “paradise”. Well, Russel, the winter onslaught has begun and with each snowflake the excitement level crescendos. The beauty of working up here on the mountain is that my clients ALL share the PASSION. We live and breathe this stuff and it really is a joy to help customers find the perfect ski-home. The snow is falling…now is the time to make that leap of faith…life only gets better as you imbed yourself in the Schweitzer experience.

…8 WEEKS AND COUNTING…

MSN REAL ESTATE has written yet another bogus article for consumers about the value of Realtors®. This one is classic...

"10 things your real-estate broker won't say

1. "Your open house is really just a networking party for me."
Hire a real-estate broker to sell your home, and one of the first things he'll likely suggest is hosting an open house so that potential buyers can casually check out your property on a weekend afternoon. But while open houses are promoted as a great way of finding a buyer, a National Association of Realtors study found that their success rate is a mere 2 to 4 percent.

No matter. Holding an open house serves another important purpose — for the broker. "It gives him a database of clients," says Sean McNeill, an independent real-estate broker based in New York City who says that he doesn't like open houses, preferring to match clients with appropriate buyers. "At open houses, you get all kinds of people walking in. Some are (trying) to see how much they should sell their own places for; others just want to get a look at what's out there." All are perfect pickings for a broker looking to increase his roster of buyers and sellers. "Think about it," McNeill says. "The broker is devoting a couple hours of a weekend. He won't do that unless it helps him in a big way." But it doesn't necessarily mean that a seller should forgo an open house altogether — "It's still a real good way to showcase your house," McNeill says."

First, the 2 to 4 percent statistic is completely manipulated. I agree that open houses are not necessarily a buyer gold mine, however, there are agents who consistently do well at open houses. I am not one of those but my wife is! As Real Estate professionals, we pick our strong suits and offer those services to our clients. For MSN to imply that we all offer open houses to all of our clients for strictly self serving means and, further, misrepresent our intents is nothing more than a form of media sensationalism. In fact, I know of very few Realtors® who even recommend "opens". Those that do encourage "opens" are the ones who have found success at them and put the required energy into them.

Second... If, in fact, an open house is a "networking party" as MSN maintains, I can think of nothing better for the client. If people are walking through a client's home and networking, how is that a bad thing?

Third... Then the author wraps up his opinion by saying, "It's still a real good way to showcase your house." What? I thought he just got done saying it doesn't work and it is self-serving?

Oh well, enough ranting. I've got some GREAT price reductions to work on. (I wasn't even going to post a blog today!).