As if Rip Van Winkle were in charge of the Garden Valley real estate market, prospective buyers have been out cold since September.

That’s all changed in the last month.  Agents are busy showing properties, scheduling upcoming visitors and BELIEVE IT OR NOT, writing offers.

It’s true that some shoppers are looking at only distressed properties.   That is not the case across the board.  Fortunately, Garden Valley has relatively few homes headed for the auction block.

What’s waking everyone up?

• Maybe folks are just tired of having their lives on hold waiting for the national news to change.
• Maybe it’s fallen interest rates that seem to be back on the rise.
• Maybe it’s the fact that buyers have rarely had so much buying power, options and selection.

Or, could it be

• The near completion of the new Garden Valley school.
• The passage of the new Library bond.
• The completion of the bike path from the school to the community park.
• The expansion of a community church.
• The upcoming new facility for the Family Medical Practice.

Garden Valley residents are awake to the idea that the future is bright in our community.  Maybe buyers are starting to see it, too!

Rise and Shine!  There’s no inversion here!  Garden Valley’s future is as bright as a sunny afternoon.

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I was listening to my brother, Kieran, on the radio.  He does a monthly guest appearance on WUSR Radio at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.  It was great to hear his voice.  He’s so far away….   At Christmas time I miss him more than usual.

He dedicated a song for me on the show.  It was my favorite Christmas song.   It’s a fun and silly song that I have taught to all the family.  It made me laugh while I sang along on the live audio program.

Kieran talked to his audience about Garden Valley.  As he described the area it made me realize the everyday joys, the simplicity of life and the winter wonderland that is Garden Valley.  Kieran has visited here numerous times.  The way he described Idaho, the exuberance in his voice, the knowledge that many of his nor’eastern listeners may be unaware that a place like Garden Valley really exists.

He ended the show by reminding his listeners that during the Holiday Season  it is important to remember the real meaning of Christmas and consider those less fortunate than ourselves.   So I am offering a special Christmas wish to all who have never seen

“Feet” of snow
Christmas trees cut yourself
No traffic lights
Gravel roads
Deer and Elk
Snow capped mountains
The snow when it sparkles in the moonlight
Everyone waiving as their neighbors drive by

Thanks Kieran for reminding me of the best Christmas gift of all; Garden Valley!  Merry Christmas to you, your family and all of you bloggers out there.

And a Happy New Year too!

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The Garden Valley Chamber of Commerce Presents the Annual Holiday Bazaar.  Held at the Crouch Community Hall, the Holiday Bazaar is not only a great opportunity to start on your Christmas shopping, but a time to kick in the Christmas spirit with friends and neighbors.

Local artisans will be offering their many talented  products including, hand knitted items, carvings, quilts, jewelry, paintings, photographs and yummy baked goods, jams, jellys and cakes.

Don’t miss the good cheer, fun and shopping opportunities.

See you Saturday November 29th from 10:00 - 4:00

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Taxes are due in December 20 and can be paid in full or you have the option to pay the first half on December 20th and the second half on June 20.

Late Charges:

Your tax payment must be postmarked no later than the due date or a 2% late fee will be charged. Interest on delinquent fees plus late fees begins on January 1st and is charged at a rate of 1% per month.

Home Owner Exemptions:

If the property is your primary residence you are eligible for a Home Owners Exemption. Application must be filed before April 15th to get the exemption for the current year. The exemption is applied to the property improvements and up to one acre of land. The schedule of exemptions is as follow.

2007 - 50% of the value of your home and up to one acre of land with a maximum exemption of $89,325.

2008 and 2009 - percentage reduction is unchanged (50%), but the exemption maximum will raise to $100,938. (more…)

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Follow these Home Winterizing Tips.

1. Everything and anything that is sitting outside must be stored away. Otherwise, make a map of it’s location in case you need to dig it out from under the snow.
2. Disconnect hoses from all hose bibs and bury hydrants.
3. Blow out sprinklers
4. Stack a weeks worth of firewood in close proximity to the house. Keep the bulk of your firewood away from the siding and out from under overhangs of your home. Stacked wood can attract insects and rodents.
5. Clean your chimney
6. Ask Marsha, at the Trading Post, when she expects her next order of grain scoops. They are the best shovels for our snow type. Buy one now before the rush.
7. Mount snow removal attachments on trucks and tractors or contract with a local snow removal service.
8. Reverse ceiling fans. They should rotate clockwise for winter.
9. Close foundation vents
10. Insulate any pipes that may be exposed or that are running through unheated spaces in the house.
11. Check batteries in smoke detectors.
12. Prune away any tree branches or shrubs that will get in the way of shoveling.

Bonus Tip!

Get out the snow shoes and the sunscreen!

Enjoy the beautiful garden valley winter.

See more on Winter Survival at the University of Idaho Extension Service

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This Summary is a reprinted message from the National Association of Realtors
The Bill Will Help Homeowners and Borrowers

The Senate legislation responded to the criticisms that lenders have been slow and/or unwilling to work with homeowners and borrowers. It encouraged negotiation in short sales and consumer efforts to refinance or reconfigure existing mortgages:

• When the Treasury (or other federal agency that holds mortgages) acquires troubled existing mortgages from financial institutions, agencies are required to work with lenders and mortgage servicers to find ways to avoid foreclosures.
• All federal agencies are required to work with servicers to facilitate loan modifications that will consider the net present value of the mortgage.
• Similar refinancing and foreclosure prevention requirements apply to mortgages involving owners of multi-family properties and owners of commercial properties. Policy goal is to assure that tenants don’t lose their residence or their place of business when an owner has problems with the mortgage.
• Changes to existing mortgages can include (but are not limited to) revisions in principal, interest rate and period for repayment.

Tax Relief

The Senate added an extensive package of extensions of expired and expiring provisions that had passed previously on a vote of 93 - 2. Extended provisions include the 15-year life on leasehold improvements, brownfields clean-up deductions, deductions for mortgage insurance premiums and relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

The Bill Will Get Money into the Financial System Quickly

The credit markets are nearly frozen. Lenders can’t lend because they are receiving no payments on existing loans. The legislation allowed the government to buy troubled loans and mortgage securities. The funds that the institutions received when the government purchased the existing portfolios were to be available to issue new mortgages with more carefully specified and monitored lending standards. Provisions include:

• Create a Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase and guarantee the troubled assets from the financial institutions that hold mortgages and/or mortgage-backed securities.
• A new Office of Financial Stability within the Treasury to operate TARP, with input from the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC - the agency that works with failed and failing financial institutions to insure and protect consumers), the Comptroller of the Currency (bank regulator), Office of Thrift Supervision (regulator of former savings and loan companies) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
• Don’t give out all the money at one time. First release of funds to purchase troubled assets will be $250 Billion. Second release of up to $100 Billion must be authorized by the President. Final $350 Billion can be issued only on Congressional approval. Congress given 15 days to act.

Follow, Protect and Watch Over the Money

Congress will keep a tight rein on TARP. Congress will have the assistance of numerous agencies charged with specific tasks and reporting responsibilities:

• TARP Oversight Board at Treasury — monthly activity reports to Congress.
• Secretary of Treasury — detailed reports to Congress for each $50 Billion in transactions.
• Government Accountability Office (Congress’s auditor) — financial reports about TARP activities every 60 days.
• Judicial Review — Federal courts may issue injunctions when there is a finding that the Secretary of the Treasury has acted in a manner that is arbitrary, capricious or outside the law.
• Create a new Inspector General (IG) for TARP. An IG might be viewed as the “cop on duty” who has authority to investigate TARP’s activities. IG will make quarterly reports to Congress.
• Appoint a Congressional Oversight Panel - receive and process all these reports to keep Congress apprised of the state of financial markets, activities of the regulatory system and the use of TARP’s asset acquisition and disposition authority.
• Federal Reserve — provide reports to Congress on utilization of the lending authority created earlier this year. That authority was intended to assist ailing financial institutions.

Put Brakes on the Bad Guys

Congress wanted to curtail “bad acts” of executives who gambled and lost.

• Assure that skilled asset managers who buy and sell TARP assets have no conflicts of interest with prior employers or firms.
• No golden parachute or severance payments to executives of companies that sell assets to TARP. An executive who receives a parachute payment will be required to pay a 20% excise tax on it.
• No tax deductions allowed for any executive’s compensation of more than $500,000.
• All financial regulatory agencies are required to cooperate with the FBI in its investigations of fraud, misrepresentation or malfeasance in the selling or advertising of financial products.

Give the Taxpayers a Stake in the Profits

Historically, when the government has intervened to shore up a company’s or government’s financial dealings (such as the loan guarantees made to Chrysler and the aid given to New York City during a fiscal crisis), the long-term effect has been that the government has made money back on the deal. The legislation provided an “upside” benefit for taxpayers:

• Any profits generated when the government subsequently sells TARP assets would be used to pay down the national debt.
• The government will receive warrants in the companies that participate in TARP. The warrants are similar to stock, but do not grant any voting authority to the government. If the participating company pays dividends at some future time, the warrants would allow the government to receive the dividend. Similarly, if the government sells its stake in the company, the warrants would entitle the government to any appreciation.

Safeguard Savings

Increase the amount of federal insurance on bank accounts from $100,000 to $250,000. This will be particularly helpful to smaller and local banks and small businesses.

Recoup What’s Still Owed

If, after five years from the date of enactment (the date the President signs a bill), the program has lost money, the sitting President will be required to present a plan to Congress for ways to recover the funds from the financial institutions that benefited from the TARP relief.

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Come to the Community Hall, in Crouch, on Saturday October 4th from 10:00 - 4:00. It’s the annual Fiber and Fabric Faire. Each year the Garden Valley Quilters sponsor this fun event.   Here you’ll find, not only some great quilters, but knitters, weavers, spinners and fiber artists of all kinds.

Whether you want to learn about a fiber art, find a warm and fuzzy gift for someone special, watch a craft demonstration, or take a chance to win a hand made quilt,  this is an event for you.

I look forward to the Fiber and Fabric Faire each year.  The handmade items are truly works of art.  The textures, colors and patterns are beautiful and unique.  Last year I met several women who raise alpaca, spin the wool and knit the garments.   It was great to learn about this homespun, traditional craft.

Aside from treating myself, visiting with neighbors and friends and finding some great gifts,  I had a wonderful time.

Don’t forget that, by attending the Faire, you are also contributing to the community.  Part of the raffle proceeds go the the Crouch Ambulance fund.

Hope to see you there.

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Until the front door is painted.   Welcome to”Build A Lot” Home Sweet Home.

The siding is now on and painted.  The front door looks fun and inviting.  The walls are textured and painted.  Shelving is starting to go up in the closets and the trim work is taking shape.

Although the daytime weather is warm and sunny, there is a nip in the evening air.   Winter will surely be here before we know it.  But these “Build A Lot” folks aren’t worried.  They will be moving into their brand new, cozy, beautiful home, enjoying their 360 degree view, well before the first snow shovel is sold at Marsha’s Trading Post.

Visit me next week as “Build A Lot”  follows the construction of a home in Garden Valley, a new way of life for one happy family.

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Saturday, September 27

Visit Garden Valley Idaho

Garden Valley Parade of Homes

Southfork Landing Oktoberfest

What better time to visit Garden Valley, Idaho than winter, spring, summer and especially fall.  The air is cool and crisp, the leaves are turning and  their is lots of fun planned for this weekend.

The Garden Valley Parade of Homes will feature open houses on over 20 homes, available for sale in the area.  Just stop by the Garden Valley Properties office to pick up a parade route map.  There is no charge for the parade.  You can visit area homes at your leisure from 10:00 - 4:00.

Southfork Landing plans a fun day with an Oktoberfest.  There will be live music, a kids carnival, beer keg races, beer sampling and a dutch oven cooking competition.   Visit the Southfork Landing web site for more details.

While in town, take notice that the new K - 12 School is well under way.  The ground breaking for the new grocery store was two weeks ago and the dirt is moving.  Notice the new businesses and new homes under construction.

It’s true! I’m biased.  I don’t think there could be a better place to call home.  See you Saturday.

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Twice each year, Garden Valley Properties hosts a Parade of Homes.  This event, free to the public, features homes that are available for sale.

This year there will be 25 homes on the Parade.   The selection is great with prices ranging from the $100,000’s to the $600,000’s, including log cabins, nearly new starters, river front beauties, horse set ups and secluded retreats.

It’s easy to join the Parade.  Just stop by the Garden Valley Properties office, pick up a map of the Parade Route, and enjoy the day.  There will be someone to greet you at each of the homes.

Now is a beautiful time to spend the day in Garden Valley.  The air is cool.  The leaves are turning, the deer are everywhere.

Plan to spend the day in our beautiful mountain community.  Saturday, September 27th from 10:00 until 4:00.

For more information contact me at this link or call Garden Valley Properties at 208-462-4620.  You can also learn more by watching the Preview of Homes, this Sunday morning,  on Channel 6 TV.

See you on the Parade route.

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