Coeur d'Alene Archives - Pehr Black

Buying Real Estate?

June 14, 2016 By Faith

This time of year is perfect for buying real estate.

In Coeur d’Alene, now is when all our renters start shifting into new “better” apartments. You will see it all across town. The U-haul locations are empty, and more then a few old couches have hit the dumpster. At the Pehr Black Super Team it has us wondering why more people don’t buy houses.

In most cases, you can get a house for less then you pay for rent! No gimmicks, cheap tricks, or bait-and-switch. How is that possible? We will explain:

Government Programs. The government offers several backed programs for first time home buyers, and people with smaller incomes. Depending on your tax status, number of kids, and income, you can easily qualify for one of these special loan programs! First time home buyers have an especially good chance of getting approved! Government loans typically have a lower interest rate, and often require a minimal down payment. After prequalifying you can even have sub-par credit and still qualify for a loan! Interested? Email us for more info!
Holding out house keys on a house shaped keychain

Real Estate market trends. Right now, our local Coeur d’Alene real estate market is exploding. While that increases home prices in most areas, it also decreases the prices on some great houses. This cycle, many homeowners are upgrading to larger, more expensive houses, leaving their great starter homes on the market. Now is the perfect time to get into your first home for an incredible deal! These homes sit around 189-219k and are a great opportunity for a long-time renter!
Loan Opportunities. When a real estate market is hot, investors (the people who originate home loans) start scrambling to find new buyers. What that means for you is lower interest rates, and less stringent standards. We talk with lots of people who are nervous about a low credit score. In today’s market, you will be shocked by what lenders are accepting for potential buyers! The market is out there for you!

These are just a few of the reasons to consider buying real estate. Long term renters tend to let the home ownership dream fall by the wayside. The Pehr Black Super Team is here to give you hope! If you have considered buying real estate in the past, give us a call before you sign the dotted line for another year. You may just be shocked what options are available to you! Give us a chance to make your dreams come true. Its what we do best here!

~The Pehr Black Super Team

Summer Time!

June 2, 2016 By Faith

The Pehr Black Super Team is ready for summer time! In Coeur d’Alene, 9 months of the year are spent in the cold. Not quite bone chillingly alla “Alaska,” but pretty freaking cold.

HOWEVER

Summer time on the lake is amazing! For three all too brief months, Coeur d’Alene lake is warm and inviting, and the whole area wakes up in one giant summer time “Hurrah!” I think we all love summer! Barbecues, parties in the parks, boating, swimming, drinking, there are hardly any downsides. Putting up with bugs can be frustrating, and it can get a bit warm, but we can’t think of any real complaints with the sun shining down on our little northern world! Few things to keep in mind as we start the month of June!

Handshake Productions puts on several free concerts in the Coeur d’Alene Parks. They are amazing and a great family even you will all love! Check their website for more details.
GO BOATING! Why live next to an amazing lake and never go boating? Everyone has at least a friend or 2 with a boat. Go tubing, water skiing, or heck, even floating. In a few weeks it will be warm and inviting! Trust us, we’ve lived here a while!
Try out the food trucks at the farmer’s markets. On Thursdays downtown during the summer time, the City of Coeur d’Alene has a great farmer’s market! When we were there yesterday, at least 20 food trucks were serving people downtown! Food trucks (in case you have never eaten at one) typically serve 1-3 food items that are tasty, homemade, and unique. We highly recommend stopping down there and finding some great food, friends, and fresh vegetables!
Outdoor eating. A surprising number of local restaurants offer outdoor seating during summer hours, breweries especially. Something magical happens to a good beer when you drink it outside from a frozen pint. Give one or our local breweries a shot!

The Pehr Black Super Team (us) could go on for hours! But all the discussing of outdoor activities has us excited. Next week, we will touch on real estate selling in summer. Now? Some ice cold beer is calling to us…

~The Pehr Black Super Team

CDA Real Estate Update May 2016

May 26, 2016 By Pehr Black

CDA Real Estate Update May 2016

Our real estate market is booming! Many first time home buyers are moving in to the area, and it is putting some severe strain on our local housing markets. Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, and Post Falls housing prices are steadily increasing as we get into the middle of “real estate” season. Across the board home values have moved up by a few percentage points!

As Realtors, we have seen more buyers then ever looking to get into homes! Searches for homes between 225-279k have increased by over 30% since the start of the year. Also, people are upgrading homes in amazing numbers. We’re talking the people that bought starter homes 2-5 years ago. They are moving into the mid priced (300-425k) houses they use to dream about! With all the upward momentum, we should expect this home purchasing trend to continue into the foreseeable future! If you have recently considered selling your home NOW IS THE TIME! We have recently added more members to our team to handle our incredible amount of buyer traffic. The Pehr Black Super Team NEEDS YOU! We’re having unprecedented amounts of buyers looking for YOUR home. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Home Prices have never in our history been higher!
Homes are listed (on the MLS) for 20% less time then the last 5 years!
More people are moving to Coeur d’Alene then Boise!
Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Post Falls, and Spokane are all adding jobs at twice the normal rate for Idaho state!

There really has never been a better time to sell! The Pehr Black Super Team has recently been contacting every home owner in Coeur d’Alene with free information about your home’s updated value. If you would like to request a free comparative market analysis, please email us today! We also provide the most accurate online home valuation tool for your convenience. We are ready to help at a moments notice. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity!

This has been the CDA Real Estate Update for May 2016.

Pehr Black out!

Super Hot Selling Tips: Exterior Home Staging

May 19, 2016 By Pehr Black

This weeks super hot selling tip is a doozy on exterior home staging! If you often read my blog, you know that 95% of the work for selling your home is done by your Realtor. They do marketing, buyer contact, showing, etc…the list practically never ends. One of the most influential things to do as a seller is proper home staging.

Exterior Home staging is basically what it sounds like: how to best set up your home exterior for the best first impression. There are a few pointers that I want to give you that make the biggest impact on how your home will amaze buyers!

Mowing and Trimming. I think we all know this, but you would be shocked how many people choose to ignore simple lawn care! When a buyer comes to your house, they are looking for their dream home, and that home comes straight out of hollywood with perfectly coifed lawn and landscape! Cater to them, and make your lawn look beautiful. You only get one chance to set a first impression, so set an amazing one! Also (while I’m at it) get a nice new “welcome” doormat.
Potted Plants. Seriously, I almost didn’t write this down, but it absolutely applies. Buy a few plants for the walkway/entry to your home. It creates a pleasant and welcome atmosphere for the home.
Outdoor Maintenance 2.0. Back to first impressions. When selling, the exterior condition of your home is hugely important. Depending on your home value it is absolutely worth the cost to power wash your driveway, sidewalk, and home exterior. An exterior paint job can oftentimes pay for itself as well, depending on your specific home. Last thing: CLEAN OUT THE GUTTERS! Little changes make huge differences, and in this case the difference is more cash!
Outdoor Lighting. Oftentimes when a buyer is really interested in your house, they will stop by at different times of the day and night (creating that dreamlike atmosphere we all get when looking at new houses). Make sure your outdoor lights are all in working condition, and replace any broken ones. It will pick up the look of the place for potential night visitors!

Thats it for this week! By implementing a few of these suggestions, we can price your home even more competitively! The cost to value curve is extremely skewed to the sellers advantage! Exterior home staging will put thousands more in your pocket, so don’t skimp!

Pehr Black Out!

Coeur d’Alene is the new Boise!

May 9, 2016 By Pehr Black

Coeur d’Alene is the new Boise in Idaho state. Lets review the facts!

About ten years ago, Boise was ranked one of the nations hottest growing technology centers. Tech gurus flocked to the area because real estate was incredibly affordable, and Boise had the space to grow into a tech Mecca! In terms of state demographics, Boise started booming in population and all was well in the world. But there is a fundamental problem with Boise (if you have ever been there): the weather is hot, the landscape is flat, and theres no natural beauty. The “new way to work” movement has created highly talented young people that naturally flock to tech companies, and they also require “perks.” One of these perks is a beautiful place to live! Coeur d’Alene has long been a unique vacation stop for the United States. We get thousands upon thousands of summer visitors every year! For a long time we (the residents) have been able to keep our great city a secret, but its starting to get out! Coeur d’Alene offers to many opportunities for young tech workers to ignore, and we are starting to see a transition in the real estate market.

Coeur d’Alene Area

Every year, there are millions of studies done on virtually every subject you can imagine. In real estate, the Pehr Black Super Team keeps our ear to the ground! This technology movement is going to rapidly start to increase in the next few years as more and more millennials move in to the area! Kootenai county is very spread out, but with a brief read of the CDA Press its easy to follow the growth trends in real estate. What does it mean for us? More completive market space, less home inventory, and better return on your housing investment.

Keeping focused on our Real estate trends is part of what we do differently. We are deeply concerned with getting our sellers and buyers the best deals possible. If you are looking to buy or sell now is the time! Our area is about to grow faster then ever before, and we want to ride the tide to selling success!

Coeur d’Alene is the new Boise? Its only the beginning!

Great Spring Events!

April 22, 2016 By Pehr Black

In Coeur d’Alene, we have a ton of great spring events! Winter finally removes its cold grip from the landscape, and we can look forward to warmer weather! With the rising temperature, our fair city begins to awaken from the thaw as well! There are tons of cool events coming up shortly that are worth checking out. I will just mention my favorites, and leave further discovery to you!

The Downtown Farmer’s Market starts the second week of May. Known for it’s incredible variety of spring veggies, the market is a treasure trove of home grown (and baked, fried, and in general tastified) delicacies. A must stop for any local or vacationer, your going to love the market. It is hosted on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, and Saturdays. Don’t miss it!
CDA Resort and Casino Events. There are to many great names to list, but the Coeur d’Alene Casino goes crazy this time of year! Chock full of awesome performances, check their calendar for a full list of events.
The CDA Marathon. Marathons and half-marathons have drawn increasingly larger crowds in recent years. Our local marathon has become a powerhouse of activity for individuals looking to burn a few extra calories. Spread across several of our more gorgeous neighborhoods, the CDA Marathon is a super fun event for the whole family.
Coeur d’Alene City Park Concerts. The City of Coeur d’Alene puts on free concerts all summer long and invites everyone to come! Known for exceptional (even unbelievable) quality for a park concert, these outings are a great hit with our area families. The Concerts take part almost every Sunday afternoon, and are highly recommended by anyone that has been there! Check it out!
The Coeur d’Alene Murder Mystery Series. Each year, a very dedicated group of talented individuals produce the Murder Mystery Series! Designed to be family friendly, the murders are an absolute blast! Having gone several times ourselves, we know you will love the trip, and the mystery will keep you guessing until the very end!

While Coeur d’Alene is jam packed with great spring events, these are a few of our favorites. If you’re looking for additional activities, make sure and check out the community calendar and the Chamber of Commerce. Both are great resources for our community, and won’t steer you wrong.

Enjoy the springtime!

~The Pehr Black Super Team

North Idaho Real Estate

January 28, 2016 By Pehr Black

North Idaho Real Estate: The Market Climate in Northern Idaho This Year

North Idaho real estate is having a dynamite year!

With the inventory light and more ‘Sold’ placards going on top of ‘For Sale’ signs in front of homes, its a seller’s market, a good sign for many that the economy has drastically improved.

Although interest rates increased in December, we don’t anticipate this affecting our market too much, if at all. To learn more, watch this video!

Find out what your home is worth for FREE!

This time of year is perfect for buying real estate.

HOWEVER

CDA Real Estate Update May 2016

Home Prices have never in our history been higher!

Homes are listed (on the MLS) for 20% less time then the last 5 years!

More people are moving to Coeur d’Alene then Boise!

Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Post Falls, and Spokane are all adding jobs at twice the normal rate for Idaho state!

North Idaho Real Estate: The Market Climate in Northern Idaho This Year