Archive for the 'Real Estate News' Category

What’s Hot and What’s Not: June 2008 Residential Sales In Kuna Idaho

July 3rd, 2008 categories: Real Estate News

Total Active Listings=338

Total Sold in June=32

Absorption Rate= 11 mos (up from May’s 9.8)

#of sales year to date = 195

<150K= 36

150–200K= 105

200–250K= 30

250–300K=8

300–500K= 6

>500K=1

Average Sold Price= $185,583

Average List Price = $188,021

Pending Sales =47 (up from 29 in May)

Since I have a special interest in country properties, I looked at the “home with land” category and here are the numbers, like it or not:

Total Active Listings= 63

Total Sold in June= 1 (short sale for $265,000)

Pending= 4

Total Active listings in Ada county=332

Sold in Ada Co in June=15 (half of those in Eagle for a average price of $791,650)

So the Kuna market is continuing to be strong in the under $200,000 price range.

But if you are trying to sell a house with acreage be sure your agent is knowledgeable on that market. That’s what you are paying he/her for, knowing what buyers are looking for and what they are responding to in today’s market.

Tags: Sales, Absorption+Rate, Kuna, residential

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How Gas Prices Are Effecting Rural Residential Living?

June 25th, 2008 categories: Community Events, Real Estate News

“More and more Americans will choose to be middle-class in the country than scrape-by, oil poor in the suburbs.”

An interesting statement made by Curt Seltzer, land consultant and author of How To Be a DIRT-SMART Buyer of Country Property www.curtis-seltzer.com.

In his recent article Sooner Than Later We Will Change, he theorizes why he thinks people will choose to live in the country even when gas prices reach $8.00 a gal.

Having talked with those choosing to move out of Kuna and those that are looking to buy in Kuna, it’s all a matter of perspective and choice.

So I am taking a poll. I’m curious what people thing about gas and rural living.

Home prices are relatively thousands less than comparables in Boise. So there is the choice of paying for taxes and housing versus paying for gas. The average price for a 2000 sq ft home in Boise is $23,000 more than Kuna.

Living in Boise also could involve driving to social events, kids sports, and shopping that takes you all over the city. You would avoid the drive into town everyday but whether you would do more driving if you lived there…..?

Usually small towns mean things are centrally located and within a short drive or even close enough for a bike trip or walk.

So even though people in small rural settings don’t like the idea of their towns getting a Walmart, industry or changing too much, Kuna could benefit greatly with the addition of some shopping and jobs!!

Other options being tossed around is the need for public mass transit opportunities for those that do travel to Boise. As the Kuna Melba news reported last week, there has been a steady increase in participation of the ACHD commuteride.

There is also been talk of companies going to 4 day work weeks and telecommunicating to reduce driving. Smart!

So what do you think? Are people willing to live in a more economical town where everything is close, driving less while you are here. Choosing to working out of their home, carpooling, and combining trips to help make it affordable enough to enjoy and live in a rural community? I would love some feedback.

Picture taken by Neato Coolville See more of his pictures

Tags: gas, Kuna, rural

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Crimson Point Subdivision: Potential To Be Something Different

June 19th, 2008 categories: Neighborhood Reviews, Real Estate News

One of the nicest subdivision in Kuna, Crimson Point offers mid price homes(average price $200,000) in a community that supports a family friendly atmosphere. Since the new

elementary school is located in the middle of the subdivision, parents love the convenience of having their kids so close to home. Plus the school has attracted lots of families with children close to the same age. Talking with neighbors, they love having children for their kids to play with and a peaceful, safe family atmosphere to live in. Some amenities that may be coming ….

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For Sale By Owner In Kuna Idaho

June 15th, 2008 categories: For Sale By Owner, Real Estate News

This home for sale by owner has one great feature that should help attract potential buyers. It has great curb appeal. Located in a wonderful Kuna neighborhood, these owners made an effort to add uniqueness and beauty to the property. 

So often these things are not considered until it’s time to put the house on the market.  Unfortunately, shade takes years to develop and is a treasured addition in most yards.

I love working with clients that have beautiful yards.  Usually if the grass is green, weeds are pulled and some beauty has been added, it’s a good sign the rest of the house has also been maintained.

A modest home at a modest price begs to be viewed.  Let me know if you would like to see the inside.  I would love to show it to you and help you find the perfect home.

 

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What Does Kuna Have Plenty Of? Subdivision Building Lots

June 6th, 2008 categories: Community Events, Real Estate News

May 2008 Kuna has 242 building lots being advertised on the Multiple Listing Service.

23 of those building lots are not in subdivisions.

Kuna is still growing and people are still choosing to drive to this community to live.  How long will we have this kind of supply, even if sales picked up? I’m thinking we will have an abundance to choose from for a few years. Even if these sell, there is lots more land just waiting to be developed.

Subdivisions in Alphabetical Order

Applewood– One of the newest with a few houses built for show. It is located off Hubbard/ Ten Mile North of Kuna. Lots start at $54,900.Applewood

Arrowrock Ranch– Large almost Acre Lots South East of Kuna.  Luxury Custom Built Homes. Stricter CCR’s. Only a couple lots left $104,900

Belmont Heights–Nampa address, Kuna Schools, 1 acre lots perfect for horses. Only a few lots left, some with daylight basement possibilities . Located north of victory on McDermott. $162,500

Denali Heights– One of the most exciting subdivisions in Kuna, large lots with upscale homes. Swimming pool and city park add to the nice things this community offers. Located North of Kuna on Hubbard.  $75,000  Denali Heights

Iron Horse– Luxury homes and large acre lots. North of Kuna west of Ten Mile on Columbia   $189,000

Mineral Springs– North part of Kuna, close to schools and conveniences. Large Lots and promises of water features and walking paths. $60,000 Mineral Springs

Placerville– 62 lots available in this new subdivison south side of Kuna off of Ten Mile. No building going on yet. $70,000

Regal View– Two lots available. 2.5 acre for 250K and 4.74 acres for 400K  Small subdivision on a bluff over looking Kuna on its south side off of King Rd

SchoolHouse–  Only 20 lots left and priced to sell! $37,000!  South of Kuna off of School Rd,.School House

Sutter’s Mill – Just a small part of this subdivision is not built out.Advantage being you can see what this neighborhood looks like. Custom built homes.  South of Kuna off of Ten Mile.  $79,900

WillowGlenn – Close to Schoolhouse subdivision, South side of Kuna off of School Rd. $39,900.

What has sold this year in Kuna?  42 Lots have sold or are pending  this year. One in Denali Heights, one in Willow’s Glenn, and 2 in Applewood.

The majority of lots are pending in the Schoolhouse Sub (19) and 17 lots sold to CBH homes for building in Crimson Point

New construction has slowed in Kuna. But you can be assured that we will always be growing and have need for more housing.

 

 

 

 

 

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What Is Rural Residential In Ada County?

May 16th, 2008 categories: Down to Earth Information, Real Estate News

I love to sell dirt!  There is something about helping clients that are looking for a little land to play with that I can relate to. 

I grew up on my Dad’s hobby farm.  He was a farmer’s son and it was in his blood to raise his food and spend his free time tilling the soil and feeding his family. The hard, back breaking work was never discussed, it was just part of our lives.

But it does get in your blood.  I love the smell of fresh turned dirt. And I’m always sneaking my husband’s truck to fill up with good rich well composted cow manure.

So it’s easy for me to connect when people call looking for a house with a little land too.

But what is rural living in this neck of the woods?

My definition of rural is defined as a community (that could include a city) of less than 20,000 where the majority of the local income is agricultural. So Kuna  and Star are the only towns in Ada county that I would considered rural and they will probably outgrow that definition in 10 years.

Suzie Benkstein from Emmett Idaho, defines rural as an area with no bright lights, not a lot of traffic, quiet, where you can ride bikes and you can see the stars.  I like her definition.

There are still plenty of larger acreage lots within Ada county that are not located in a defined rural community. You may have more road traffic, can’t see the stars all the time or have to put up with more noise, but they definitely meet the requirements for most people that want to raise animals, gardens, or numerous other reasons people need more land.

Rural living  is completely different from urban living. You deal with different issues, it’s easy to get involved in the community, entertainment is very different, and it’s easier to give.     Community Giving

Of course that’s only if you like that social interaction. You can be isolated and private in the country if that is what you need.

I think people get discouraged when they move to a rural community for the cheap land or housing, build or buy their dream home and then decide they don’t like driving all the time into the city to do the things they were use to doing with their free time or to conduct business.

My office is in Boise but I like being here in Kuna. I like dealing with people that like rural communities and know what that means. And if they are relocating, I make sure I understand what kind of community fits their needs before I start showing them homes.

This is my envision of someone that would enjoy living in a rural community. They enjoy quietness, don’t care for crowds, are OK with a slower pace, only go to the mall if necessary, they lift their heads to take in the smells of the country and they can’t wait for the weather to straighten around to venture out to do yard chores. Then rural living is probably something you would enjoy.

 

 

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Looking For A Home With Acreage In the Kuna School District?

May 12th, 2008 categories: Community Events, Real Estate News

So you’re searching for a home with a little bit of land for your horses, kids or for your peace of mind.  And you really want to keep the kids in the Kuna Schools.

So you look in the Kuna area right? 

You could be missing lots of great properties if you limit your search to a Kuna address.  The Kuna School District is very large and covers property with a Nampa, Meridian and even Boise addresses.

As a matter of fact some of the nicest subdivisions with 1–4 acre lots are not in Kuna. 

 Map of School Boundary

Larger acre lots tend to be West of Kuna into the Nampa area. Some great equestrian subdivisions, like Aram Estates, Belmont Heights, and Lexington Meadows are in the Kuna School District but are in Canyon county with a Nampa address.

Some areas north of Columbia Rd as far as Lake Hazel and in some areas even further north, have a Meridian address but the kids attend Kuna.  Danskin, Chisum Valley, Saddle Ridge and numerous small subdivisions with 1 acre or larger properties are scattered north of Kuna.

Around the Boise Ranch Golf course you will find various properties within the city of Boise but the kids attend Kuna Schools. 

So if you really want to be sure you are seeing all your options, start with an agent that is familiar with this area.

When you search for your piece of Idaho, be sure you use criteria that is most important. If it is the school district, leave the city names out of the search.  If you don’t want to live in a subdivision, there are ways to eliminate those in your search too. That way you will be seeing all the options that are important to you.

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April Statistics For Kuna: Surprise, Surprise!

May 7th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News

Total Active Listings: 285  up 14%

Pending Sales=36  (That’s good news, last month there were only 10)

Sold Listings= 32

Sold listings for March 2007= 41

Average Sold Price= $170,220

Average Sold Price in 2007= $192,741

Most Active price category= $150K-$200

Changes= More homes are selling for less this year. People who need to sell are competing for fewer buyers and are pricing their homes to sell. Builders are also trying to reduce their inventory by slashing prices. That is being reflected in the average sold prices.

Absorption Rate 8.9 months (Down slightly)

Kuna is offering some wonderful home prices for first time home buyers.  

But the opportunity is the greatest for those that what to move into a bigger home. If they have equity in their present home and can price it according to what is selling, they should be able to buy a lot more for less in the higher price categories.

Happy Home Buying!

 

 

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The Smart Growth Award For Ten Mile Interchange

May 5th, 2008 categories: Community Events, Real Estate News

A new interchange is needed at Ten Mile Road to access the Interstate, relieve traffic congestion, improve emergency response times to the area, and provide an additional north-south arterial through western Ada County

The City of Meridian has some very exciting plans for the Ten Mile Interchange that not only involves traffic but the entire scope of the community development.

The City of Meridian’s comprehensive plan for the area surrounding the future Ten Mile Interchange has been awarded a 2007 Grow Smart Idaho award for Policy and Planning by Idaho Smart Growth. This annual competition recognizes projects that use smart growth principles to encourage vibrant communities .

Map of comprehensive plan for Ten Mile area

The City’s hope is that this plan will allow for all the intricate parts of a community, including recreation,green spaces, commercial, and residential to work together and shape the outcome of this area. Hopefully resulting in an end product that will benefit its property owners and residents, and the community as a whole.

Of course this will involve change to an area that has been able to avoid change for quite sometime. The quiet country side will now be a outlet for the increase in traffic and I’m sure the citizens are not looking to be part of that solution. With this smart growth plan there is hope that this area will increase in value and not just increase in problems.

So many times these road improvements goals are just to solve a traffic problem. I think the City of Meridian did a good job of looking at the potential for development and capturing that issue before it became a unplanned hodge podge. Requiring developers to fit into their plan instead of the city having to work around the developers plans. Smart!

Tags: Ten+Mile+Interchange, Traffic, Ada+county

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Vacant Homes in Kuna

May 2nd, 2008 categories: Community Events, Real Estate News

There will always be a certain amount of homes for sale that are vacant, including resale and new construction. 

Right now there are 285 homes for sale in Kuna, 48% of those are empty!  Wow 78 new homes and 59 used residential for a total of 137 vacant homes.  That is not something we are use to seeing in Kuna.

Luckily for Kuna, these homes are  spread out over all of Kuna and not concentrated in one area.  According to the Kuna Police Dept they are not having problems with these vacant homes.  The best thing neighbors can do is watch for trouble.  If you see kids congregating around a vacant house especially after curfew, just give them a call and they will check it out.

So why is this important to know? 

• We need to help by keeping an eye on empty homes for our neighbors and community
• If you are selling, you need to price your home to sell.

1. There are lots of vacant homes which have owners that really motivated to sell!
2. Don’t make it difficult for buyers to see your home. Putting any restrictions on showings will kill your chance to sell.
3. Don’t have your house on the market unless you are ready to beat the competition.

• If you are buying, there are lots of homes to choose from with
1. easy accessibility
2. quick closing dates and
3. great prices.

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