Just Listed in South Nampa - 9135 Bowmont Road - 3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car. Newer home on large lot in rural location, yet 10 minutes to shopping and all other services. Large great room with wood laminate floors, space to install wood stove, large kitchen with granite tile counters, breakfast bar and eating area. Huge master bedroom with large walk-in closet, master bath features granite tile counter, tile floors and jetted soaker tub. Two secondary bedrooms, full bath and spacious laundry room. $72,900

Dog Parks in the Boise Area

Boise

Morris Hill Park - 10 Roosevelt Street, Boise - nearly 8 acre park with 1 acre fenced area, some amenities.

Sterling Park - 9851 Irving Street, Boise - Still under development, bring water.

Pine Grove Park - 8995 Shoup Drive, Boise - undeveloped park with one acre fenced, minimal amenities.

Military Reserve Off-Leash Area - 750 Mountain Cove Road, Boise - there are also off-leash trails in the area.

Information courtesy of City of Boise, Parks and Facilities website

Meridian

Meridian Bark Park - 1401 Watertower Lane, Meridian - nearly 1 acre with restroom and basic facilities.  Open Friday through Monday.

Information courtesy of City of Meridian, Parks and Recreation website

Nampa

Nampa Dog Park - 2900 2nd St South, Nampa (where Amity, Kings Rd and Southside meet) By far the best park in the area.  This park is a very well-thought out and planned.  There is a fenced small dog area with benches, covered sitting area and high and low water fountain.  The large dog side features a waterfall for dogs to bask in in the summer time, a hilly area with covered sitting area and lower flat open area for throwing balls with high and low water fountains and a fenced in central area with irrigation canal running through for the bigger water dogs or hunting dogs to play in.  Three laps around the center canal area equals nearly 1 mile .  So if you want to walk your dog and you too for exercise, the lap includes an up hill climb, but not too strenuous. Currently there is a portable toilet in the parking lot. Weekends are crowded, especially in the big park side.  You can find me and my family at this one on any given weekend, we have the ruby-colored Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Information courtesy of City of Nampa, Parks Department website and from personal use of the park. 

**If you have an additional dog park recommendations, please feel free to let me know and I will be glad to add them to the list.

Do you know what your listing information looks like in the MLS?

One of my biggest pet peeve’s is the lack of information and pictures that some agents fail to put in the MLS.  I see houses on the market for 90+ days, still active and not even “contingent short sale”. They have one picture of the front usually copied from the tax assessor’s site that is 2-5 years old and sometimes no picture at all. Or the pictures are so fuzzy you can’t figure out what it is trying to convey.  Or pictures of toilets, closet doors, beds and kitchen tables.  Your selling a house, not furniture, focus on the room as whole, not the pieces of furniture in it.

The agent fails to provide information in the Public Comments as to features and information regarding the house.  The Agent Comments section has little to no information regarding showings, offer details or anything.  I know it can be hard to come up with the right words to describe your basic starter home, but it can be done.

I’m sure many of these homeowners have no idea what is being conveyed or not about their house and then they wonder why it hasn’t sold or had many showings.  As a homeowner, you have the right to know what is in the MLS and what is being convey in the marketing of your house.  Your agent can easily send you a link to review the listing information and should invite feedback and suggestions.  While space is limited, a lot can be input into the fields.

Many MLS’s allow for 10-25 pictures to be uploaded and the maximum number of pictures should be present on all listings.  Sometimes there aren’t 25 pictures to take, but as many as possible should be uploaded.

I have always taken lots of photos used the best ones to upload.  I have had a couple of listings that were gutted on the inside down to the 2x4’s and I still uploaded pictures of the interior, see through walls, electrical wires hanging down and more. But I did convey a most accurate picture of the house and described the interior and exterior as best as possible.

When describing a house, I focus on the features, any upgrades, site location and nearby conveniences and if it needs work and updating, then I tell it like it is and say so.  

I highly recommend every seller take a look at their house on the internet and ask to see a copy of the MLS sheet.

What Happens When the Buyer Takes Possession Early?

Having worked in REO for many years, I am not without my experiences and confrontations with buyer’s who have taken possession prior to recording and without permission from anyone but their agents (OK, sometimes, but very rarely do their agents not know).

Many buyer’s and their agents have the mentality “well it’s bank-owned they won’t care or know if we move in early”.  Well they do find out and they do care.

Damaging the property in any way before the buyer legally owns it is illegal.  This includes getting inside to paint, tear up old carpet, repair plumbing or electrical, etc.  Moving into the garage is considered taking possession.  If the garage was broken into  and you items stolen or a fire broke out and your items damaged, do you think your home owner’s insurance would cover you? No, they won’t you didn’t own the house yet.  Do you think the seller’s insurance will cover you? No it won’t, they will consider you a tenant and will not cover personal items.  So in the end, you lose, was it worth it?

I have seen buyer’s climb through second story unlocked windows to get inside to paint and clean the interior, why because they had to rented out for 5:00 p.m. on the day of recording and needed to get in and get minor repairs done.  Um, sorry not on the seller’s time.  What if he had fallen off the roof of the house and injured himself?

I have seen buyer’s move freezer loads of meat into the garage.  Usually I arrange for power to be disconnected the day or recording, they power company is sometimes early and buyer’s don’t always remember to change the utilities over.  Can you imagine what would have happened to that meat in the freezer if it had defrosted?

I have had buyer’s allowed possession and given permission by their agent to tear out carpet, remove blinds from windows and move in a refrigerator 4 days before recording.  Needless to say that agent was called before the real estate commission.

A recent incident was the buyer changing the locks.  I drove 30 miles to pick up my sign, lockboxes and keys to find I couldn’t get  in the house.  I had a task due to the seller for a weekly property condition inspection that included time and date stamped photos of the interior and exterior.  How was I suppose to get in?  It wasn’t scheduled to record for 3 more days. I eventually got in that day, but it took one or two veiled threats to get the keys to the property and remain in possession of them and an additional trip back to the property.  Waste of my time, money and gas and all for a $35,000 property, but required by my seller.  Can the police be called and a report filed?  Absolutely.  As a matter of fact the seller of an REO/bank-owned property requires  a police report to be filed. 

In the end, I have a duty to my client, the seller, whether it is a bank-owned property or not.  I have tasks to complete and I have agreed to take care of the property and check it weekly as part of my listing agreement with the seller.

The worst offenders are investors purchasing for a rental or to flip the house.  Most buyer’s that are going to occupy the house are respectful and patiently wait, some don’t, but I think that has a lot to do with their agent not counseling them properly.

Please don’t plan to move in or start repairs early it could cost you in the end.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

I hope everyone is having festive day and enjoying time with family and friends. It’s a good day to spend time with children or find some alone time to read a book to escape.

 As a Realtor, it is one of the few days a year that I truly get off. No phone calls, no emails, no appointments. I can tune into family and really just relish the day!

 Thanks for stopping by!

Welcome! 

If you're considering a move within the Boise area or planning a move to Boise and the surrounding area, I will provide you with exceptional service and am always there for you.

Buying and selling a home is a very emotional decision and I am here to assist you through the hurdles, from marketing your home, to home inspections and through to closing. I am always available and I strive to make the process as painless as possible. I pride myself on taking care of the details, being straight forward about the options available and I work with top notch lenders who do not drop the ball at any stage during the transaction.