idaho: Happy New Year Everyone and my fondue recepe
- 01/01/12 03:40 PM
I want to wish you a Happy New Year from Boise Idaho! I celebrated as I ussually do with family members (who are in town) and a few friends... This year seemed a little sadder since 2 of our 3 sons were in other countries. My eldest skyped us at 11:50 PM Boise time with a video call from Beijing and we shared the New Year with him. My other son was fast asleep in Cambridge by the time we had our New Year. I always make a cheese fondue and a few other appetizers...My middle son brought cheese fondue … (0 comments)
idaho: Should I take my home off the market for Christmas
- 12/19/11 01:52 PM
Wondering about the wisdom of taking a home off for the market for Christmas As Christmas approaches there are less homes on the market…. Who wants people going into your home while you are getting ready for the holiday? Your family is coming…. You have presents to wrap…. Parties to go to and make…. The holiday is a lot of work! The holiday is also a lot of fun! Who wants to show or buy houses now?
I have sold homes….One on Christmas eve…. I have a listing at 105 E. Bridgewater Ct., Boise, ID 83706 …. Since I have … (4 comments)
105 E. Bridgewater Ct., Boise, ID 83706 is a beautiful home where I helped the investor on the renovations.... I listed it in September .... Nothing happened..... After Thanksgiving we reduce the price.... Nothing happened..... I was becoming nervous.... When my other listing at 722 Pearl St., Boise, Idaho 83705 went pending I took more action.... My buyer was settled and I started spending my Sunday afternoons at the home.... I had good traffic.... But still no offers..... Worse yet my fellow agents didn't seem to notice my price change.... Gulp....$10,000 off … (7 comments)
idaho: Grrrr..... Why do some agent try to bully other agents....
- 12/16/11 05:35 AM
Just like in real life there are real estate bullies.... Most of the agents I work with are hard working professionals who are trying to look out for their client and get the job done.... I respect that.....There are a few that are threatening when things aren't going perfect..... For example.... I am the buyers agent for a couple in Meridian Idaho...We went pending on 11/28 and had the inspection on 11/30.... Not bad timing....The loan officer supposibly ordered the appraisal on 12/7... It is a big bank (Wells Fargo) and we all know they usually take a little longer....On Monday … (4 comments)
idaho: Lets make some lemonade .....
- 12/14/11 03:05 AM
Well on Sunday I made a mistake....I don't know why I made a mistake...Maybe I was in a hurry...Maybe the other phone was ringing....Maybe I was to busy trying to get ready for the open house.... I received the first call from an ad on 12/5/2011... The lady was about to get married and she and her husband wanted to be in their new home by the wedding....I asked when was the wedding? 12/17/2011 less then two weeks away....Talk about planning....I suggested if they could pay cash it could happen but otherwise it would take a little more time then they … (7 comments)
idaho: Always set up an exact time and meeting place.....
- 12/12/11 11:50 AM
Well today started well..... But I made a big error when I set up my buyers appointment....I didn't set a place to meet....I didn't have her cell phone number....We were supposed to meet between 1 and 2 pm today... She was supposed to bring her granddaughter....At 9 AM I started trying to reach her....I have tried every hour since then. I left 2 messages and an Email.... I hope she doesn't have a system that tracks the number of calls.... I don't know what happened....Perhaps she didn't have my cell phone number....Perhaps she stood me up....I got to watch netflix and … (3 comments)
As a physical chemist I am a numbers type of gal. I like numbers….Breath numbers…. Think in numbers….I am married to a numbers type of guy …. A Math Professor at Boise State University. I started blogging in January of 2008…. I did it here and there but didn’t pay any attention to the points…. I took a break from blogging (OK I occasionally signed on and blogged). I started a wordpress blog to attempt to deal with blogging and social media and then called activerain and they grandfathered me in so I didn’t have to pay. Now … (12 comments)
idaho: Boise's Winter garden aglow
- 11/27/11 03:12 AM
I have been in Boise for 20 years....I have raised my children here....Last year for the first time I went to the Botanical garden's ...This sparkling event runs from December 2 to January 8. It fun for the whole family and takes an hour or so. For more details click on the Idaho Botanical Garden website.
It was a delightful display of lights in the darkest times....We especially liked the Monday night carload special...For a virtual tour click "Winter Garden Aglow". The Idaho Botanical Garden is one of the many things I like about living in Boise, Idaho.... I can … (3 comments)
idaho: Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
- 11/24/11 03:20 AM
Wishing all my Active Rain friends a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all take time to spend the day with your family and friends....Now its time to start cooking TURKEY and all the trimmings....Here is hoping it is fully defrosted! This picture is a natural hotspring in beautiful Lowman, Idaho....Just 60 miles from Boise, Idaho! From Debbie, Randall, Jesse, Jon, Josh Annie, Ursula,Jolly, Max and Simcha.... … (5 comments)
idaho: I live at the bottom of a Ski Hill.....Come see beautiful Bogus Basin....
- 11/18/11 02:58 AM
I am not a skier but Boise is a great place for winter sports. We live just 16.5 miles from Bogus Basin Ski Resort....Bogus Basin earned its name when early gold miners thought they had found gold but it was just fool's gold... The real gold is the pristine beauty of our ski mountain in the heart of the Boise Front. For just $249 a beginner can get 4 lessons, an equipment lease and after the lessons it is converted to a season pass....That means you can go up to the slopes whenever you want... There is both Alpine and Nordic … (3 comments)
idaho: 722 Pearl St., Boise, Idaho 83705 -- open Sunday 1-4 PM 11/20
- 11/15/11 08:35 AM
722 Pearl st. Wonderful quiet location for this 3 bedroom, 2 bath 2300 sq ft home. Beautiful hardwood floors throughout the Living room, dining room, and all three bedrooms. Home also has a beautiful step down family room with lots of shelves. All on the main level! Plus nearly 800 sqft basement with bonus rooms, utility room. Home comes with Pella windows, gas heat and air conditioning. Large covered patio plus fireplace. This is a beautiful home in a great location. All you need is your furniture! MLS # 98475211 … (1 comments)
idaho: Do you have health Insurance? My plumber now has a $100K lien on his home....
- 10/27/11 02:15 AM
I was speaking to my plumbers wife to schedule repairs. He had been sick last summer and had a pacemaker put in. The workup and the procedure cost about $100,000. Like many small business owners they felt they could not afford health insurance.... Probably they couldn't or maybe they just figured they wouldn't get sick before they were eligible for medicare...... In the progressive state of Idaho those without health insurance need to first apply for indigent care.... If you qualify they will pay for emergency conditions and then put a lien on you or your home (if you … (5 comments)
idaho: My HUD bid was accepted!!!!
- 05/26/10 06:29 AM
Well my buyer found a home in Caldwell, Idaho she liked that was listed for $88,000. She got cold feet and didn't bid on the day bids were due. Fortunately for us neither did anyone else. I called her on Wed. and she aggreed to start the bidding. She first bid $75,000 then 80,000, then 82000 and finally $83,000. She asked for 3% closing costs and I asked for my commission. The contract was accepted yesterday and we should close in mid July. If the HUD process interests you see my last blog post. This home is a newer home in … (0 comments)
idaho: IndyMac the foreclosure crisis and politics
- 07/12/08 09:41 AM
In my campaign for Congress in Idaho, I have often focused on the foreclosure crisis. Yesterday, the crisis took down the bank IndyMac. As a real estate agent, I had no love for this particular bank but its demise is frightening. This was an example of a bank that specialized in high risk, irresponsible loans. Unfortunately, when banks fail, people suffer. Depositors who have over $100K will lose half of the uninsured value of their deposits. There are less banks available to extend credit. When credit dries up purchases cannot be made. This reduces the number of people who can buy … (12 comments)
idaho: Running for Congress and selling houses is keeping me too busy to blog....
- 03/28/08 12:46 AM
It seems my business picked up as soon as I declared my candidacy for Congress here in District 2 of Idaho. I also took a mini vacation for a cousin's wedding. I think that the business is unrelated to my run for higher office, since the run is not well publicized yet. The other agents tell me they seem busier too. I may have to narrow my work to Ada county until the run is over. I can't believe I haven't been on for over a week. I am blogging on political forums. So far like real estate, it is important … (7 comments)
idaho: OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND- To participate or not?
- 03/16/08 03:17 AM
The Idaho Statesman is hosting an open house weekend this weekend. For $40 you can participate. You are put in a directory (but not given an ad) and can compete with all the other agents participating. Two of the agents in my office are participating. I chose not to. I will host a normal open house on 1408 Dearborn St. but I chose not to participate in the gimmick. I feel that this could be useful for houses in new developments. For me I would be committing to sitting in a house not one day but two days. Competing against all … (2 comments)
idaho: Its time to buy in Boise Idaho!!!!!!!!!
- 03/10/08 03:18 PM
The Boise real estate market is doing better then most of the country. Sure houses have been sitting on the market longer than used to but we haven't had a dramatic price drop. Still we have deals here if you qualify for a mortgage. Here is a secret 90% of the people still qualify. It's only the ones with real credit issues that can't qualify. We have more foreclosures but its not like other places. Right now the prices are soft and there are bargains to be had. I think they will rise when this mortgage mess is cleaned up. I … (0 comments)
idaho: Everyone is trying to sell me something....
- 03/04/08 01:27 AM
Last week I had three people call me to try out their new and different websites... It didn't matter to them that I had two websites and a blog. www.debbieholmes.net, www.homepages.com/debbieholmes1 and this blog. If I just try their product my business will boom and my webranking will skyrocket!!!!!! Sounds to good to be true. Homes.com actually succeeded because they promised me a lot of exposure so my third webpage is.... drumroll........ http://debbieholmes.directhomes.com/ They gave me a great deal and had some cool features. I don't know if this will be useful. Plus I have 2 free featured listings. Got to … (9 comments)
Client number 1 not my actual client. Nice old man who is 81 years old with COPD. Needs an inhaler every time he needs to use the stairs or packs a box. He just remarried his ex-wife last December. He is an inventor who has lost $180K last year.
Problem: He has two loans out on his walkup condo. The first is easy, it is for 76K. The second is for $108 K. … (6 comments)
Every where I go people ask me: How is the housing market?Can I sell my home?Are we at the bottom of the market?When should I buy and/or sell my house?I'm upside down in my house. What do I do? Debbie before she became a real estate agent..... When I was a chemist no one asked me anything about my work but everyone seems interested in real estate..... I am not a fortune teller and I have no crystal ball: Here is my opinion. Don't sure me if I am wrong........ In the Treasure Valley of Idaho … (4 comments)
This is a blog about all things real estate (and a few extras). I blog about my buyers, sellers, listings, short sales, the real estate market. I am internet savvy and am trying to learn more skills. I like blogging because I get to share information with other real estate professionals and my clients. I can find you a great home in the Treasure Valley. I was the Democratic Nominee for CD2, Idaho for the US Congress. I have two website: http://www.debbieholmes.net.
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