It took a bit of work - but we have upgraded our website:  http://www.43re.com

Please take a look at the new site layout and let us know what you think! We have lots of information on our site - but it was overwhelming before. hopefully it is easier to get around now.

While many regions aspire to duplicate the success of Napa, only a few receive the coveted designation of American Viticulture Area (AVA).  In 2007 Idaho received approval for the Snake River Valley AVA.  With Eagle identified as a key viticulture region in the AVA, soon afterward, the City of Eagle designated the area between Hwy 55 and Hwy 16, north of Beacon Light, as the new Eagle Wine District and made changes to the Comprehensive Plan to stimulate further viticulture development in that area.  Vigne D'Aquila (Vines of Eagle) with its 5-acre vineyette estate lots, vineyards and 4,500 square foot Tuscan style homes, is the culmination of that dream for five families seeking what the NY Times described as the "vineyard lifestyle".

Welcome to Vigne D’ Aquila in the Eagle Idaho Wine District. Five total home sites of 5+ Acre “vineyettes” set at the base of the Eagle Foothills all part of a co-op viticulture operation and winery. Stunning views of the Boise Front Range from every home site. Imagine coming home to your 4 acre vineyard and your stunning custom Tuscan-style home in this beautiful wine country exclusive. Model home by Dynamis Group available for private tours – Please call listing agent.

I have spent the past few weeks learning how to use FaceBook and I have to say - IT WORKS! Facebook is now the number 1 referrer to my brokerage site! But - there are a few things you should know about using Facebook that I have recently learned:

1) Make Lists! Remember those photos from college? Yep - they are just waiting to get posted on your FaceBook page for all your business associates to see (don't worry - there are worse photos of them running around!). It's easy to make different lists for Business Associates, Friends, Family... and that way each list only sees what you want them to...and not those embarrassing moments! It's easy to do - in the upper left menu click on the "+create" link and your off on your adventure of separating everyone you know out into nice easy to manage groups!

2) Make a page for your business. This is easy to do and will help your friends understand what you do for work. FaceBook is a social networking tool on steroids - but having it all on one page can get overwhelming. Create a page for your business and invite your clients and colleagues to become a fan. Fans of your business page then will receive regular updates about your business on thier Facebook page... and guess what - their friends see your updates too! This is called WORKING YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE... and you can do it in your bathrobe!

3) UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDATE! It's easy to do... find a news story with positive news? Post it to your Facebook page and share it easily with everyone you are networked with. Did you pour over market statistics all night and you found the bottom? Declare it on Facebook!

4) Promote your FaceBook profile. This is the single most important part of the puzzle. First - you need to email a link to your new profile to your entire database so they either network with you - or at least they know your on the cutting edge of social media! Next - promote your FaceBook profile in all of your marketing - put it on your flyers, add it to your email signature... promote, promote, promote!

So, that's what I know so far. There is lot's more to learn in FaceBook - but I can tell you this - what I have done so far has made a significant difference in the traffic to my site! I've connected with clients and I've connected with people from 4th grade - it's amazing how small the planet is getting! Enjoy the connections!

Click the image below to check out our page - BECOME A FAN!

43 Degrees North Real Estate
Jeff Martel | Broker / Marketing Director
7400 West State Street, Boise Idaho  83714
Voice  |  208.860.3696
Fax  |   888.452.5257
Main Brokerage: http://www.43re.com
New Homes: http://www.NewConstructionBoise.com
ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/blogs/jmartel <!--EndFragment-->

My wife Lyndi and I just returned from having a wonderful time at an introductory wine tasting here in Eagle, ID. Sometimes with all the running around with the kids and with running a Real Estate Brokerage in Boise Idaho - I forget just what a spectacular place we live in. The wine tasting was set at a new restaurant in Eagle Idaho called Bella Aquilla (Beautiful Eagle). We were on the back patio overlooking the Boise River - it was just fantastic.

Sometimes you just need to slow down and look around at all the beautiful and wonderful reasons why you live where you do!

43 Degrees North Real Estate
Jeff Martel | Broker / Marketing Director
7400 West State Street, Boise Idaho  83714
Voice  |  208.860.3696
Fax  |   888.452.5257
Main Brokerage: http://www.43re.com
New Homes: http://www.NewConstructionBoise.com

I just listed the most spectacular home in Eagle, Idaho today. The details in this home are unbelievable

1810 N Valle Bello Way Eagle, Idaho

You will be absolutely stunned by the beauty of every room in this magnificent home. There are no other homes like this in Eagle. This home was built by an Architect and Interior Designer team from Sun Valley, Idaho. Chef's kitchen with French Stove and honed granite counters, custom cabintes and exquisite custom details throughout. Spa quality master bath. Amazing entertaining spaces both indoors and out!

To see photos visit this site

The Unbelievable List of Details:

Lacanche stove imported from France

Custom designed cabinets

Butler pantry with Dutch Door to outdoor kitchen

Walk-in Pantry

Wine Cooler

Two Refrigerators and Dishwashers

Large Island with Honed granite

Bar and Nook open to the Living Area

Multiple wood burning stone fireplaces

French Doors to Terrace

Panoramic views of the boise front

Black oak flooring

Sound system throughout home

coffered ceilings

Library with hand-crafted wood paneling

Versaille pattern travertine floors in entry

Authentic Fresco hand painted wall treatments

high ceilings with distressed beams

Custom designed limestone fireplace in master bedroom

Master bath with Ann Sacks tile

Kholer purist tub with ceiling mount bath filler

two showers and body spray

television concealed within mirror

Master bath has marble flooring

Outdoor entertaining space with hand laid Roman pavers

Outdoor Fire Pit

Beautiful landscaping with lighting features

Please contact Jeff Martel with 43 Degrees North Real Estate

208-860-3696 | jeff@43re.com 

"I just arrived at Southfork Landing and was greeted by many of the new residents.  As I entered the property I was happy to see Mr. & Mrs. Canada Goose, quietly swimming with their new brood of 12 chicks in the placid waters of one of our ponds.  Reflected in this liquefied mirror, was the mountains and ghost like images of a herd of fifteen cow elk quietly attending to their calves, who hopped and skipped in the meadow, exuberantly testing new legs with obvious enthusiasm for life.  The wild flowers are just beginning to peak out and I observed a coyote hopping along a creek, consumed by the task of breakfast and focused on a muskrat navigating a tumbling brook anxiously looking for an escape.

 Beyond this scene, I was captivated by the beauty of spring showers rolling over the west end of the valley, bathed in intermittent sunlight that highlighted cumulus buildup.  The beauty of the scene compelled me to take a walk along the river, slowly clearing, as high country runoff diminishes with summer around the corner.  I was transformed by the different songs sung by a plethora of birds that seemed to orchestrate their serenade in concert with the cascading water seemingly impatient to find its way to the pacific ocean.

As I took all of this in, I thanked my lucky stars for the beauty of it all, anxious to share its magic with residents of a more human nature."

 - This blog was written by my New Construction Sale s Manager - Joe Grubiak. When an agent can go to work and have experiences like these - then you know your company is representing an incredible project!

To learn more please visit:  http://www.southforklanding.com

A New Direction In Real Estate
Jeff Martel | Broker / Marketing Director
7400 West State Street, Boise Idaho  83714
Voice  |  208.860.3696
Fax  |   888.452.5257
Main Brokerage: http://www.43re.com
New Homes: http://www.NewConstructionBoise.com
ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/blogs/jmartel <!--EndFragment-->

Before I get into inciting a revolt, let me give you the quick snapshot of our market here in Boise Idaho. Here in the Boise Idaho Real Estate Market, our sub- $200,'s market has really come alive. Lots of transactions, lot's of activity - Finally stability - HALLELUJAH!  In the $200's to 300's things are starting to look better - not as good as below $200,000, but better. Above $300,000... not so much. Get into the upper-end homes above $600,000 and it's dead. Only the Bank Owned homes that cost over a million to build and are now selling in the $500's are moving...and moving fast! Multiple offers are now common on the Bank-owned properties.

So, back to the tile - it's time for a REVOLT! What do I mean? Well, we all hate not having control of a situation and any homeowner who wants to sell their home right now and is priced above $300,000 really has no control. So, collectively let's all take control of this situation. Most of these houses could never be rebuilt for the prices they are currently being dropped to so it's not that they are over-inflated - it's that the market is only wanting the entry-level pricing. So here is my 2009 revolt plan - but we need everyone on board - every homeowner who wants to sell and every agent wanting to help those houses sell. Collectively we all STOP lowering the prices and then we go the other way - RAISE PRICES. Put in the remarks that " The price of this home will go up by $1,000 per week until it's sold!". Boy, that will get the markets attention - don't you think. Let's shout out that we are done lowering our prices - if everyone joins in the buyers will have to jump in or they will miss the opportunity.

I am a contrarian with a dream... who's with me?

A New Direction In Real Estate
Jeff Martel | Broker / Marketing Director
7400 West State Street, Boise Idaho  83714
Cell: 208.860.3696  |  Fax: 888.452.5257
Resale Division: http://www.43re.com
New Home Division: http://www.NewConstructionBoise.com

The five “Do’s” every Buyer should know right now:

1. Do buy in 2009... or you will definitely whine! What I mean by this is that there has not been a buying opportunity like the one in DECADES. NAR's Housing Affordability Index rose 13.6 percentage points in January to 166.8, a new record high. Houses are ON SALE NOW!
2. Do understand that the Government will Stimulate things... Lot’s of things. Governments think they can “buy” their way to prosperity... And to some degree they can “jump-start” things. But Government action by increasing money supply (or as they like to call it stimulus) has a tiny little after-effect – INFLATION. So, when the government says “ooppps” we printed to much money and this little inflation thingy isn’t looking too good – they increase INTEREST RATES. Currently interest rates are so low – the last time they were this low Leave It To Beaver was still running “new” shows... Not the reruns we’ve all become accustomed to!
3. Do understand what VALUE means. Don’t confuse value with cheap. Right now it’s very easy to be price focused – and yes you should be – but Buyers MUST look for value in a home purchase. A cheap home is just that – cheap... And they tend to remain that way. A home that has true VALUE can be purchased today at a great price that will ensure a good equity return in the future.
4. Do make a choice to not believe the electronic Cyclops in your living room. The media only can report on what has happened. They use fancy charts and graphs. They have neat touch-screens and experts that went to really, really good schools. But, at the end of the day they are reporting to you on a time lag of at minimum 60 days and more likely 6 months. The only true way to know what a market is doing is to talk to a Realtor or a Title Agent. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE ON THE FRONT LINES. Realtors and Title Companies know about transaction volume before all others – and trust me – transaction volume is up – deals are being made. By the time the media reports that transaction volume is up for 3 months in a row... They are at least 5 months behind on calling the bottom.
5. Do buy a home for the right reasons. Homes are for you and your friends and family to gather in and to enjoy life in. Your home is not a reality show. Your home is not a bank. Your home is where memories are made, first steps are taken, and life is lived... That’s it. Pretty simple stuff – but we ALL forgot what a home truly is. A home is your connection to community, to family, and to friends. Buy a home in 2009 for all the right reasons and then we all will be better off in the long run!
   

A New Direction In Real Estate
Jeff Martel | Broker / Marketing Director
7400 West State Street, Boise Idaho  83714
Voice  |  208.860.3696
Fax  |   888.452.5257
Main Brokerage: http://www.43re.com
New Homes: http://www.NewConstructionBoise.com