Idaho is known for it’s potatoes, but you should be looking at Idaho real estate. Idaho offers many things including white water rapids, great fishing, awesome mountain biking and many spectacular places to see.
Idaho has 12 major cities: Boise, Nampa, Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Meridian, Coeur d’ Alene, Twin Falls, Caldwell, Lewiston, Rexburg, Moscow, Post Falls. Idaho has a population of 1.5 milliion and tons of land spread out throughout the state. Idaho is separated into 7 distinct regions, which can offer something to appease just about anyone’s desires from rough country to big city life and everything in between.
Fortunately for Idaho, the more tourists they receive, the higher its market goes and the better the home value averages become. Popular tourist places tend to have more people trying to live there as well. The top end of Idaho offers woods and one of the largest theme parks in the North West: Silverwood. There is some great history in Idaho and northern central Idaho boasts the location of Lewis and Clark’s search for a Northwest passage to the Pacific ocean. Therefore you can find plenty of hiking, mountain biking and historical sites to visit in Idaho.
The South Western part of Idaho contains the capital and a great night life. Not to far form there you can enjoy deserts and rock canyons. In Eastern and Central Idaho are the great mountains and associated activities. The Southern Central region has national reserves and state parks. South Eastern Idaho has a lot of native American history, volcano warmed hot springs, and many activities waiting to be enjoyed.
Some of the historical sites that you will want to check out are the The Nez Perce National Historical Park and Trail, Bear River Massacre Landmark, Massacre Rocks State Park, Caltaldo Mission, and the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Idaho Real Estate
With all the history, culture and adventure located there, it’s easy to see why Idaho real estate is still a hot commodity. Idaho contains cities that are just great to live in. Their job market is doing very well in a time where many industries are struggling around the rest of the nation. The unemployment rate in Idaho hit a record low of 2.8% in April of 2007. The hot job market only adds to the success of the real estate market. The Idaho commercial real estate business is doing very well too due to the strong economy. Potatoes are always in demand, not to mention the gems which Idaho is also famous for.
But, Idaho’s real estate market is definitely feeling some of the pains that the rest of the nation is feeling when it comes to large homes. Expensive homes in the Boise area are taking their time to sell, and it’s a good market for buyers. With a lot of houses available, sellers are dropping their prices. However, homes that are less expensive are goign quickly and the market is looking strong. Sellers are getting within about a percent of what they are asking for when selling.
In the Coeur d’Alene region in northern Idaho, home value averages are only slighly down from last year even though listings have gone up quite a bit. Sales are also down, so northern Idaho is not currently the strongest real estate market for Idaho.
Idaho falls and western Idaho has actually had a bumt in their average home values and prices are continuing to go up and the demand in the area seems to predict a continued rise. The inventory of homes isn’t building up so far that they houses take forever to sell.
As mentioned earlier, Idaho real estate is pretty good compared to the rest of the nation. The southern part of the state definitely the strongest real estate wise, and with Idaho’s strong employment rate and plenty of open land, Idaho should be able to endure the real estate market slump without feeling too much pain. Home values may not rise as fast as they once did, but the good news is that they are still on the rise.