Wouldn't you want to know if any of the following were true about your home or one of your listings?

1. That the agent and potential buyers felt that the home was significantly overpriced?

2. That the home was so dirty that the buyers were saying "ewwww" every time they touched a door knob or a light switch?

3. That some very minor staging or paint touch up would significantly improve how a home shows?

4. That there was pornography laying about in almost every room in the house?

5. That the home smelled so bad that the buyers couldn't remain indoors for more than a few minutes?

6. That there were several bits if incorrect information in the marketing and/or the MLS listing?

7. That there was a bag of an illegal substance and its paraphernalia in plain view on the coffee table?

8. That the yard was in severe need of watering and mowing?

9. That the neighbors caught you outside of the home and gave your buyers a number if reasons to NOT want to live there?

10. That there were unlocked firearms and ammunition in plain view? 

This stuff is just too good to make up!! I have showed 20-30 properties in the past month or so, and have found viewed every one of those instances above, some more than once and not a single one of those listing agents or sellers knows about it!! With all of those properties I viewed, only two agents requested and received feedback. Not surprisingly, those two agents' listings showed very well. In the most severe cases, I even initiated giving the  agents a "heads up" only to not have my calls returned.

The moral of the story is listing agents please do your job. Getting feed back from showings is crucial to correcting  barriers to getting a listing sold. Home sellers, make sure your agent is doing their job. They should be providing you with feedback from every potential buyer and agent who views your home. 

Chuck Ethridge
Buyers Agent
North Idaho Dream Team

I have lived in many parts of the country. I grew up in Central California, spent 6 years in San Diego, 2 years in Seattle, 3 1/2 years in Philadelphia, spent a lot of time in LA, Phoenix, Spokane and New York City, and finally 9 years in North Idaho. Without disparaging any specific area I can honestly say that the nicest people live right here in the Coeur d'Alene and North Idaho area.

The lifestyle here is fairly relaxed. An extremely long commute to work here is 45 minutes, where most people commute 10 - 15 minutes. The population is rather diverse, with people from practically all areas, all walks of life, and all demographics living and working right here, and continuing to move here. Family and Church seem to be important values to a large percentage of the population. The political climate is not surprisingly rather conservative. When you go to a grocery store, the clerks seem to like their job, smile at you, and treat you very well. This holds true in most businesses you walk into.

How is your area? If you lived in an area like this, how would you use that fact in your marketing? I would love to hear your ideas and comments.  

Do you feel that builders are doing their clients a disservice by not requiring their salespeople to be licensed Realtors®? I understand some of the reasoning behind it. Primarily the fact that they don't pay added commissions, MLS fees, licensing and continuing education costs ect. 

But when a buyer walks into a model home, and is helped by someone with no real estate education, limited knowledge of the local market, and not required to protect the buyer, is the buyer being best served?

In our local market, some builders hire Realtors® and some hire "salespeople." As a buyer's agent, I work closely with many of these men and women, and like and have a great working relationship with them. It is apparent however, when talking to those of the "non-Realtor®" variety that their knowledge and understanding of the service they are actually providing is limited.

What do you think of this practice? Why do you think some builders do it? Is it strictly a money-based decision? I myself wonder if builders switched to using Realtors® if their sales would actually increase, but can not prove it either way. How can the public be better educated about what they are walking into when they work directly with a builder. I know for a fact that I have gotten better prices for some of my buyers of new construction than they would have gotten going directly to the builder.

Hello again. I am finishing up on my visit to Stanley Hill, a beautiful neighborhood in the heart of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It features nice homes in many price ranges, amazing views of the gorgeous Coeur d'Alene Lake and even a little wild life. 

The first home on my visit was a home on E. Stanley Hill Rd.

  This home would be an amazing place to have parties and entertain. It boasts 3346 Square Ft. including 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, an amazing main floor master suite with a bay window and jetted tub, a huge family room with a full bar area. Other features include huge amounts of storage space, an open patio and a finished two car garage. Did I mention the views?!!! There are some decorations that are somewhat dated, yet still tasteful enough to be considered move-in. It is priced (a little high in my opinion) at $479,000. 

The next home is on N. Johnson Rd. 

This home is lovely and tastefully decorated. Its 2,137 square feet includes 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a den. The kitchen is spacious and the formal living room has great views. The lot is very private with no rear neighbors. The hardwood floors give it a warm and homey feel. This home is a bargain at $349,900.

To view one of these homes, or to help you locate the perfect home for you in beautiful North Idaho, give me a call today. For further information visit our website.

Chuck Ethridge

Buyer Specialist

208-769-9464 

While touring this beautiful neighborhood in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho I was pleasantly surprised to run into quite a bit of wildlife.

My 9 and 10 year old sons were in the car with me and were also totally enjoying the spectacle. There were at least 20 deer and 6 wild turkeys within a few hundred feet of the homes. The photos were taken from my car. Enjoy!!

Stanley Hill is a beautiful area on the Eastern end of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It is a popular neighborhood with the higher-end clients, but does also have some very affordable homes. There are many homes with Coeur d'Alene Lake views and wooded areas. There is a feeling of privacy from many properties, and you are also likely to see a little wildlife. The nice feature of this community, is that it has a more "remote feel" but is right in town. I toured a few homes there today and wanted to write a little about what I found. 

My favorite of the homes I saw today was on N. Johnson Rd. This home is deceptively large with over 3,356  

 square feet. It boasts 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a media room wired for surround sound, and beautiful views of the Lake Coeur d'Alene and surrounding mountains. The home is seemingly at the top of the hill and is very private on a .34 acre lot. It is competitively priced for the value at $529,000.

Take a look at a couple of the views below: 

View from the front yard

No Neighbors to the North:

If you would like to arrange to see this home, or to discuss finding the perfect home for you, please feel free to call or email.

Chuck Ethridge

208-769-9464

To view other Coeur d'Alene homes for sale, visit our website.

(see last comment for the update) 

How do you get a buyer to move forward?

I am currently working with a nice couple who have signed a buyer broker agreement. They are looking in a price range that, for our area, has very little currently available. What IS available is moving very quickly. I have only been working with them for 3 weeks, and they have seen a total of five properties so far. Two different properties that they wanted to make an offer on sold before they had a chance to do so. 

They do not use a computer or email, so there is a bit of a delay on the outset getting the available listings to them.

The other issue is, it is now March. In our area prices typically will start going up with the onset of Spring. 

They have owned a home in the past but are still afraid of the home buying process. I am spending a lot of time "hand holding" to help alleviate some of their fears, and they are working with a lender that I trust implicitly. 

How would you convey to them the urgency of their situation without being pushy or scaring them off altogether? Have you had clients in this situation, and how did you get them to move forward?