Presidents Day Quote: President Herbert Hoover on home OWNERSHIP VS. renting

On this very special day, we look back to the past and give thanks to the wonderful men that have lead this country. I found a old quote from President Herber Hoover from 1931 on home ownership in contrast to renting. The words are actually powerful, and moving even today some 81 years later:

“Next to food and clothing, the housing of a nation is its most vital problem. . . . The sentiment for home ownership is embedded in the American heart [of] millions of people who dwell in tenements, apartments and rented rows of solid brick. . . . This aspiration penetrates the heart of our national wellbeing. It makes for happier married life. It makes for better children. It makes for courage to meet the battle of life. . . . There is a wide distinction between homes and mere housing. Those immortal ballads, ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ and ‘The Little Grey Home in the West’ were not written about tenements or apartments. . . . They were written about an individual abode, alive with tender associations of childhood, the family life at the fireside, the free out-of-doors, the independence, the security and the pride in possession of the family’s own home. . . . Many of our people must live under other conditions. But they never sing songs about a pile of rent receipts. . . .”

May the American dream never die of home OWNERSHIP! Please know that as a realtor I along with every other realtor are fighting in your behalf to make sure that opportunity continues and never goes away. :)



Happy Presidents Day! :)

Sellers or Buyers Market in Boise Idaho?? (Remember we're not concerned what the market is doing in New York!)

In case you don't read any farther then this, let me just inform you that currently the Treasure Valley Real Estate market is indeed a SELLER'S Market.

The numbers for the first month just came out for both Ada and Canyon county, and the numbers are pretty amazing.

First of all, in any market a "6 months supply of homes" is a STABLE market.  Now what does "months supply" mean.??.....

Currently there are 1,976 Single Family units on the market in Ada county. If starting today not a single home more was allowed to be put on the market "months supply" would tell us how long we'd have homes to sell before they were all gone.  (It's kind of like NASCAR.... if you watch NASCAR some times it shows how many seconds behind a particular car is from the leader. Basically if the leader car were to come to a complete stop, how many seconds would it take for the trailing car to catch up. Same idea..:) hope that helped)

In the January we just had, there were 381 homes sold. And now there are only 1,976 left. So lets do the math:

1976 ÷ 381 =  5.1    or 5.1 month supply of homes.  

Now remember 6 months supply is STABLE.  More than 6 is buyers market... however less that 6 is a Sellers market.


Not only is this evidence of a SELLERS market, but you can also look at the number of homes on that market as of Jan. the past 4 years and see a very shocking number!!

Total number of homes on the Ada Market in :

January 2008 -  4,307
January 2009 -  3,764
Januray 2010 -  2,991
January 2011 -  2,232
January 2012 -  1,976

As you can tell that number continues to drop, and with the number of homes shrinking, and the number of buyers increasing, it really is as simple as SUPPLY vs DEMAND!

Why so many buyers?:

1. Interest rates are still below 4%. If you are going to buy, rates have never been better.

2. Renters are tired of renting and hearing about their friends paying less on a mortgage.

3. Treasure Valley rental Vacancy at a 5 year low! Lots of renters, no place to rent = high rent.

4. Investors!!! With vacancy rates low, investors can buy a home and charge double the mortgage to instantly cash flow on a property.


The Boise market is unique! It doesn't follow what you, your parents, your barber, your yoga instructor, read and see everyday in the New York Times or on CNN.

As a licensed Realtor with experiance in the Treasure Valley Market, I am here to help you either buy or sell and make sure you get the best deal possible in THIS market!

You can call or email me with more questions you may have about our local market. 208-631-8775 or jeff@househuntersofidaho.com. Or just go to my website to search the market for yourself. www.jeff.househuntersofidaho.com

Everything is AMAZING, and nobody is happy.....?

I remember being about 12 years old one summer and helping my mom dig a ditch on our two acre lot in Nampa, Idaho. It was the "WORST THING IN THE WORLD" at the time! :) And for those of you that don't know about the terrain of the Treasure Valley area, you can't dig much deeper than 1 or 2 feet in some areas due to hard pan, and lava rock!! But the one thing I remember even more is how good the water tasted coming out of that hose attached to the house, best water I had ever tasted!!

Yep you heard right, it wasn't filtered, or from FIJI, nor was it sparkling, but it was the reward of HARD WORK and the mere APPRECIATION of having water there to drink that made it taste so amazing!!

So many people work hard everyday across this great country, but some how we lose sight of  APPRECIATING all that we have! From the simple things to the technologically advanced complex things, we truly have so much to be appreciative of. I litearlly heard this song this morning....makes you think just how good we have it:

The future is here! The things we use, the entertainment we share, the conveniences we love, we ought to be thankful for all of them! Imagine what our great grandparents would have given to have even half of the time saving, heartache saving devises that we have today!   So here is to being the generation of APPRECITATION, and not the generation of "Spoiled idiots" like this video says below! Enjoy!

ATTENTION BUYERS: "THE 'GOOD STUFF' ON THIS MARKET DOES NOT LAST!!!"

There are a couple misconceptions out there today in the Treasure Valley Market, and they can have a negative effect on your buying experience if you are not aware and ready for the true nature of today’s local market. For example:

The meaning of "buyers market":

What many buyers "assume" Buyers Market means: ( and you know what assuming does) "Everyone tells me this is a buyers market, that means I call the shots. It also means that time is on my side, and that I'm in the negotiating seat. It also means that there are so many homes on the market, that I can take my time, worry about financing down the road when I find the right house, and then because I'm the only one looking at it, I'll offer extremely low and work my way up till we find a middle ground."

 THE ABOVE ASSUMPTION CAN NOT BE FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH!!!

If you or anyone you know has this mentality, there is a good chance that when they do find the "perfect house", by the time the act on it, it will already be gone!

What Buyers Market "REALLY" means in the Treasure Valley Market:

1. There are a lot of homes to look at on the market, BUT "the 'GOOD STUFF' on this market does not last,and is gone fast!

 2. It is very common that when something new comes on the market and is in even remotely good shape, there will be multiple offers on it instantly. THERE ARE LOTS OF BUYERS OUT THERE, and also lots of INVERSTORS (rental vacancies are at an all-time low, investors know how profitable rentals are right now) and they all want the some great deal you do!


3. Many REO and Short Sale homes will not even look at an offer without a "letter of loan commitment" from your lender or "proof of funds" from your bank. So if you wait to have your financing ducks in a row before you find the "right house" there is a very good chance that property will go pending in the amount of time it takes you do organize your financing.

4. The buyers negotiating "drivers seat" is instantly lost once there are multiple offers on a property. In fact, most listing agents will give all parties a shot at coming in with their "highest and best" offer. And if you are not at the top among all the offers, plan on continue looking at more homes....again.


In short, as a buyer you need to be PREPARED! Plan on what you want in a home, know what that is before going in. Have all your financial ducks in a row a head of time. And then when you find something that fits your criteria, MOVE ON IT! The longer you wait the less likely you will get the "deal" and the home that is going to fit you and your family the best.

As i said before " The 'good stuff' on the market, DOES NOT LAST, and is GONE FAST"

As an experienced realtor in the Treasure Valley Market, I'm here to help you or your friends know what a good deal is, and then help them feel comfortable to act on it once they do!

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORE IN 5 MIN.!!!

With interest rates here in Boise below 5%, heck below even 4.5% I have had lots of clients looking at funding and getting approved, and it isn't rare to see them a handful of points away from being able to be approved, or get a better rate!

In my two years of real estate experience, the FASTEST and most EFFECTIVE way to raise your score up to 25 points in short amount of time is " optoutprescreen.com  "

Most of us receive pre-approved emails in the mail all the time. The credit bureaus know that you receive these, and this does have an effect on your credit score! When you go to optoutprescreen.com, you can opt out of receiving these types of mailers for up to 5 years, and it will have an immediate POSITIVE effect on your credit!!

If you or someone you know here in the Boise area needs a little help getting there scores up, please let them know about this! And then let know to give me a call as well! I have a couple other tricks that can help significantly improve your credit score!  208-631-8775.