These stats are based on previously owned properties in Kootenai County

354 Homes Sold in June

Average Sales Price $614,781

461 Homes Were Listed For Sale in June

Average Days on Market: 47

In June We Had 1.1 Months of Inventory. That's a 45% Decrease Since Last June.

Sellers Are Receiving An Average of 101.9% Of Their List Price.

More and more inventory is coming on the market. February of this year, we had less than 150 homes on the market and now we have slightly under 350. Buyers now have more options.

Sellers are still receiving an average of 101.1% of their list price but we are seeing many price reductions because some sellers were unrealistic with their price to begin with hoping buyers from out of state will pay anything for a home even highly over priced and that has been proven to be untrue in many cases. Sellers have had to adjust their prices due to amount of competition in the market now.

Interest rates are still low and there is no shortage of buyers moving here. We are still labeled as one of the hottest markets in the US.

If you would like to sell your home or just know what it may be worth, please give me a call and I will provide your with a complimentary Market Analysis of your home.

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

If you have good paint that you can’t use, offer it to family, friends and neighbors, or call a local paint contractor. Some charities take paint too, especially those that do work helping the elderly with home renovations.

 Now that you’ve handled paint you want to keep or donate, it is time to dispose of what is left. Disposal is dependent on the type of paint. One gallon of paint can contaminate thousands of gallons of water, harm fish and aquatic plant life and eventually poison the food chain.

For latex and acrylic paints, you can solidify these paints and throw them away with the household trash depending on the municipality. To do this, mix your paint with a clay-based cat litter at a ratio of two parts litter to one part paint. Do this in a well-ventilated area, away from pets and children. Many hardware stores carry additives to put into your paint to solidify it for disposal.

 For oil-based paints, you will need to check if there is a scheduled household waste collection day in your community. You can also bring paints to a specified collection site along with other toxic products you want to get rid of, such as paint removers, used solvents, pesticides and herbicides and you can get that information from your local community waste programs. If your community does not offer this service, call your County Extension Home Economics Agent, the local waste management agency, your area’s water treatment plant or the local landfill, and ask what the procedure is for where you live.

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

HGTV's Tiny House Big Living has made the conservative lifestyle and living ‘small’ becomes more and more popular.Tiny homes and other downsized living have become a normal choice in the home buying process. If you have considered tiny home living, you may need to ask yourself a few questions before taking the leap. Here are 6 questions to check off before going “tiny”!

1. Can you build it? Smaller homes offer different challenges than building a full home, and you need to consider those differences before taking on the build yourself.

2. Do you have $20,000? If you don’t have or can’t easily get $20K, you may need to put the tiny dream on hold. Tiny homes typically require an upfront cost.

3. Can you wait for the build? They usually take a year or two from start to finish, so it is important to keep in mind you will need somewhere to stay.

4. Will you have enough room? While this seems like an obvious question, sometimes tiny home buyers don’t realize just how small the space will be. If you can live in the space of a one car garage, you will be fine.

5. Where will you park it? Do you have land to put the home on? This is a key step in your planning process.

6. Will you have a bathroom? Some tiny homes have running water capabilities, some do not. This is also a key choice to make if you are building your tiny home.

If you have figured out the answers to all of these questions and you are still interested in purchasing a tiny home, you're willing to take the next steps to becoming a tiny home owner.

If you live in Idaho, check out Tiny Idahomes as well as Tiny House Listings to start researching the perfect space for you. If you are interested in purchasing vacant land in North Idaho, please give me a call. I would love to be of assistance in your tiny home living.

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

We are all thankful for the many drawers and cabinets in kitchens today, but they make it easy for us to hide our clutter instead of getting rid of it. If you have reached the point where you can no longer open a door in your kitchen without having something fall out, it is time to declutter your kitchen. Follow these steps and you can begin a clutter-free life, starting with your kitchen!

1. Sort through your utensil drawer. Toss out any broken or unused utensils.

2. Open your pantry and get rid of anything that is expired. Take the time to organize your shelves by food type. Have a shelf for canned items, a shelf for boxed items, and so on.

3. Throw away any old or expired spices in your spice cabinet/rack.

4. Organize your Tupperware cabinet. If you’re like most people, this is probably the most disorganized area of your kitchen. Toss out any broken containers and any lone containers or lids. If the majority of your Tupperware fits those categories, toss it all and start fresh. Many containers on the market today have stackable/attached lids to help you stay organized.

5. Work your way from the outside to the inside of your refrigerator. Remove any old papers, coupons, or notes from the outside of your fridge. If it is something you don’t want to part with, like a card or invitation, place those in a box for safekeeping. Now that the outside is cleaned, declutter the inside as you did your pantry. Pull everything out and get rid of any expired food or drinks. Wipe down your shelves and replace the items you’re keeping, organizing them by type as well.

6. Clean off your sink and counter area. It is so easy to use the counter as a place to collect clutter, so take the time to go through each item and decide if it stays or goes. Consider buying an organizational tray for your cleaners and soaps, but find a home for everything else. Counters are much more beautiful without clutter.

7. If you have a medicine drawer or cabinet in your kitchen, clean it out. Throw away empty boxes and expired meds.

8. Find your dish towels and designate a drawer or shelf to keep them in. Sort out the ones you no longer use and toss them or keep them as cleaning rags.

9. Get rid of the cups you no longer use. We are all guilty of hanging on to collectible cups that remain untouched for years after we bring them home. If you don’t use them, donate them to a local shelter in need or toss them.

10. Whether we like to admit it or not, most of us have a junk drawer in our home - very often in the kitchen. Empty it and only replace the items you need and use. The sauce packets that have been there since you moved in are not going to be used now if they haven’t been used yet. Try to only keep items that you use often, like batteries or small tools.

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

If you’re on the home-buying journey for the first time, you may have the image of the perfect home in mind. Every wall a color you love, the best flooring, and the perfect backyard. While there’s a chance you may find your dream house, it is more likely that you’ll find that house with a few exceptions. So where should you draw the line? Are there things you should ignore if the price and location are right? The answer is yes! There are some things you can ignore while home shopping if it means checking the rest of your boxes. Here are some of the things you can overlook if you are considering making an offer on a home that has the perfect location or layout.

Weird carpet/wallpaper

While it may be tempting to wait for a home with new carpet or freshly painted white walls, overlooking old carpet or vibrant wallpaper can help you get your otherwise dream-home. Replacing the carpet or painting the walls doesn’t have to be an expense for you, and it is something you can negotiate with the seller to get the best deal on your home.

Rooms being ‘MISUSED’

You may walk into a house and see workout equipment next to a fridge, or a bed in a living room. Don’t let a room being used for something seemingly odd keep you from loving a house. It may be hard to picture your furniture somewhere, but use your imagination and give the room, and house, a chance. An exercise room today can easily be your kitchen next week!

Seller presence

Some sellers choose to not remove personalized items before putting their house up for sale. It can be overwhelming to enter a home covered with photos of someone else’s family. While that may be the case, it is important to keep in mind that all of that personalization will be gone if you buy the home. Ignore what you can change, and just consider whether you can make the home your own.

Even though you may need to over look some things when purchasing your first home, keep in mind, it doesn't have to be your last home. I like to inform my first time home buyer clients that it can be a stepping stone to your next. Make the changes you want and enjoy the home while you live in it, just like the previous owner did. Even though they may have lived in the home different than you, it's totally fine.

Purchasing your first home is an exciting time! I remember my first home and even though I don't quite remember the entire process, getting the keys at the end was one of the greatest accomplishments up to that point. So as you're out looking at homes, set real expectations and enjoy the process!

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

We could all agree that the simplification of the process through paperwork would be much appreciated by agents and buyers/sellers alike; but the attempt of replacing the agent by sites like Zillow and other third party resources can lead to a snowball effect of disaster. Think about real estate being smack dab in the middle of fast food and a doctor. You can use your mobile device to quickly place your order for a $20 meal, but when it comes to getting surgery, you'll want to put that phone down and visit a professional. Now think of your real estate agent being in the middle of all of that. You can use your devices to look for a home, look at market data the way you look at WebMD, knowing not to take it too seriously because you need a real professional's input, but it's fun and gives you a general idea of what to expect. But in there lies the issue, the data online is an oversimplified version of what goes into the process of buying and selling. The same way it oversimplifies medical diseases and surgeries, you'd still expect to get a professional's diagnosis.

Although a real estate agent isn't quite like a doctor, the industry with its legalities, contracts, and processes is similar in the sense that it needs to be taken seriously. Looking for a house online and wanting to put an immediate offer on one can be exciting and fun, but the issues that require a professional's guidance come after the initial contract is written up and the hard work comes into place to actually make the home your own. The same thing goes for sellers. If you decide to put your home on the market and want a website that will give you an automatic offer, how do you know you're not being taken advantage of with the price? Most importantly, how do you know you're not being taken advantage of in other aspects of the contract? There is a lot more to the sale of the home than just agreeing on a number.

The next time you're digging through public sites for homes for sale, and getting instant home valuation estimates, keep in mind that this is a simple process to give you an idea of your market. A very general idea. After you've found the perfect house, or after you've decided that the numbers make some sense for you to sell, call your favorite real estate agent and make sure they give you a more detailed look into the market and assist you through the full process, not just the exciting first parts. It is going to be in the middle of a contract when the lending is falling apart, or negotiations can't be made on repairs and emotions are at an all-time high, that you are going to wish you had put down your laptop and had an agent fighting for you by your side. Use the internet, have fun with its amazing resources, but don't let it replace your Realtor®. We aren't in an age yet where technology can do everything a professional can.

Laurel Jonas

208-758-9000

208HomesForSale@gmail.com

If you’re getting ready to move, whether you are trying to sell your home or you’ve already purchased a new one, one of the first things that tends to cause stress in the process is the fear of packing all of your stuff. Whether you’ve been in your current space for a few months or several years, you’ve probably accumulated plenty of things you use and love, and even more items you haven’t touched since you brought them home. Now is the perfect time to purge those items and start fresh in your new home with intentional decor and less clutter. Here are some of the things you’ll save when you let go:

Save Time

Instead of waiting until you’re ready to move, start sorting through your items now. Sell, donate, or trash the items that you’ve decided don’t have a place in your future home. When you’re ready to pack up for your move, you’ll save so much time because you’ll have less to pack (and unpack).

Save Money

Maybe some of the stuff you’re considering letting go of is worth something. If that is the case, consider having a garage sale or selling your clothes to resale boutiques in your area. Donate or dispose of whatever you don’t sell. Not only can you make money, but you can save money by moving less stuff. You may be able to fit what you love into a smaller moving truck if you get rid of those items that have gone unused for years!

Save Energy

Sometimes items can take up a great deal of emotional energy. It is often in our nature to cling to things that may have meant something in our past, but have no place in our future. Get rid of that baggage and create an intentional environment with positive energy in your new home.

Save Space

Instead of taking the clutter from your current place into your new home, save space by getting rid of it now. Open spaces in your new home will bring you peace of mind and joy.

If you've done all this saving and you're ready to save even more on a new home, give me a call!

Laurel Jonas- REALTOR®

Northwest Realty Group

2022 N. Government Way Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

208-758-9000

208homesforsale@gmail.com

208homesforsale.com

Granite countertops are in many homes across the country, but the knowledge of how to keep them clean and protected is not as widespread. Granite requires more than just a wipe down, so here are some tips to keep that countertop looking brand new for years to come.

Practice regular cleanings

Regular counter cleanings should be done with warm water and dish soap. DO NOT use vinegar, Windex or bleach on granite. Granite isn’t as porous as marble and is therefore less prone to soaking up oils, spills and stains. Preventing stains is key to maintaining granite countertops, so regular cleanings will keep you ahead of the curve.

Remove stains quickly

Make sure to remove potential stains before they have a chance to set. Create a paste of baking soda and water and then scrub the spot with the paste. Rinse off the paste and continue to clean as normal. If you come across an extremely tough stain, let the paste sit for several hours until it dries. Once it has dried, you can wipe it up with a warm cloth.

Reseal when necessary

Every 2-4 years, your countertops will need resealed. This is a job typically best left to professionals. Even if you are cleaning your countertops correctly, normal wear and tear will weaken your sealant, making your granite susceptible to stains.

Laurel Jonas

Northwest Realty Group

208-758-9000

208HomesForSale@gmail.com

208HomesForSale.com

Dalton Gardens is a small suburb that sits between Coeur d'Alene and Hayden Idaho. It's so small, that it's no bigger than 3 square miles and backs up to Canfield mountain. According to 2018 census, 2403 people live there. Dalton Gardens is a unique area with both older and newer custom homes. The large draw to the area are the lot sizes which are referred to as "Dalton acres". Each lot is at least one acre and some much more. It feels like you're in the country.

Even though Dalton Gardens is so small, it is a city of its own with a major and city council. When driving through Dalton Gardens slow down, fawn are very popular in the area. If this area fits your style, click here to view ALL the active properties for sale: Dalton Gardens Homes For Sale.

Laurel Jonas

208-758-9000

208HomesForSale@gmail.com

May 2021 Market Update for Coeur d'Alene and Surrounding Areas. Based on previously owned properties.

393 Homes Sold in May

Average Sales Price $631,592

644 Homes Were Listed For Sale

Average Days on Market: 53

Inventory Was Down 61.5% Compared to May 2020

Sellers Are Receiving An Average of 101.2% of Their List Price.

Here is a graph from the Coeur d'Alene MLS. It shows our inventory from 2019 to May 2021.

Inventory of homes

May 2019 we had 1248 homes listed for sale.

May 2020 we had 988 homes listed for sale.