Boise Real Estate Report

Idaho vineyard real estate... winery... grapes... winemaking... viticulture... enology...Snake River Vally ava!

Wine making in Idaho!

Snake River Valley Ava

Vineyard land for sale!

While we will be the first to admit that we are inexperienced wine makers, we are having a ball! We will also be the first to admit that we would love to help you hunt down a new location for a new Idaho vineyard winery! With a little more research and a whole lot of luck, we may even make some really good wine! If you are looking for a prime piece of viticultural land feel free to give us a call! The Snake River Valley ava is huge and there is always property available that would work great for your new Snake River Valley Idaho vineyard and winery.The Ava runs from near Twin Falls all the way down river into the canyon below Farewell Bend. That is a big chunk of country. If you are looking for some rocky knob to create your dream, give us a call 1-888-722-6453!

The Cabernet Savignon grapes pictured above are our first stab at wine from "scratch". We bought a home wine making kit for Christmas last year and experimented with that and several other types of concentrates. They put the must in a vacuum and it will boil at like 100 degrees. Those were fun but from here on out it is the real thing. While we had some ok success with the concentrates it is quite a bit more difficult getting the acid and ph levels set so that the quality is acceptable. With the grapes, in a perfect world, it kind of makes itself and you become a bit of a materials handler with a set of parameters that you must stay within if you hope to have something worth the time and effort.

We arranged with a local vineyard to buy a ton of grapes. We pick them up in the last few days of October and raced home to crush as fast as possible. With the rudimentary equipment that we had it took about 8 hours to crush the 1 ton of grapes and turn it into must. Tired and sticky, we shower and did the post crush crash!

I wanted to do the primary fermentation in the barrel but did not want to take the risk of not being able to get them put back together, so we used plastic food grade 55 gallon containers. The day after the crush we pitched the yeast in and were on our way from grape juice to wine! With in a couple of days we were bubbling away! Twice a day we punched down the cap of grapes that float to the surface. Once the cap stops rising it is time to press the grapes.

The press I rented locally was pretty dirty and I could not bear to put my precious baby through it without stripping it down. So we decided to forgo quantity for quality and just did free run. Free run is just the juice that is free of the skins and when strain with a large strainer naturally "runs out". We did do a little manual pressing, but still probably lost 15-20% of the wine to the skins. We ended up with about 110 gallons that was racked into 27 gallon Hungarian oak barrels. Having never done this before, we tasted it but were unsure if it was going to be any good or not. It was real puckery. Kind of like drinking a sweet tart. It has finally started to mellow out and in the last few weeks is showing signs that maybe it is better to be lucky than good.

What's next? Not sure. Because of the small barrel size and the fact they are new barrels, I am not sure how long I will be able to leave the wine on the oak. I have read or been told a year should be ok but have also seen in writing 6 months. My storage facility is just a tiny spot under the stairs that we squeezed 4 barrels in, so I do not have room for anymore in the climate controlled area. I was thinking about getting a neutral barrel and putting this wine in that just before the next crush. At that point I think I could leave it in my garage over the winter and do a natural cold stabilization of sorts(process normally used on whites to remove bitartrate crystals). Then bottle next spring as the temperatures start to rise. If anyone with more knowledge than me would like to offer up any advise or confirm I am on the right track please feel free to contact me.

Eat,drink and be merry, but mostly give us a call if we can help you hunt down Snake River Valley ava real estate!

Labels: Idaho wine vineyard grapes viticulture winery for sale

posted by Mike Carr at 7:13 AM

Use first time home buyers tax credit for down payment and closing costs- Boise Idaho real estate.

Boise Idaho real estate first time home buyers may now utilize a program from IHFA to use $7,000 of the $8,000 in federal tax credits for down payment and closing costs! What will they think of next.



IHFA’s Down Payment Assistance Tax Credit Advance


The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided a federal income tax credit for first-time homebuyers of 10% of the sales price, up to a maximum of $8,000. This tax credit is available to qualified homebuyers who purchase a home by December 1, 2009. In order to help buyers monetize this tax credit for down payment and closing costs when they purchase a home, Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA), through its IdaMortgage lending program, is offering a special short-term Tax Credit 2nd Loan to qualified buyers.


In conjunction with an IdaMortgage loan, a subordinate loan will be offered to qualified first-time homebuyers in the amount not to exceed 5% of the sales price or $7,000. A fee will be charged of $250 with $150 refunded upon repayment of the loan on or before the loan due date. The loan will accrue interest at 3.0% with a due date of July 1, 2010. The Tax Credit 2nd Loan is expected to be paid off from the borrower’s tax refund obtained through the application of the federal tax credit. The borrower must be a first-time homebuyer and qualify for an IdaMortgage loan. If the homebuyer defaults on the loan and cannot repay at that time, IHFA has the option of pursuing foreclosure as described in the deed of trust, or modify the loan to amortize over the remaining term of the first mortgage loan at an interest rate of 3% higher than the first mortgage rate.
Borrower qualifications are:
1) Must be a first-time homebuyer,
2) Must have a FICO score of no less than 640, and a total debt ratio of no more than 45%, (NOT including this second mortgage loan payment). Some MI’s may require higher credit scores,
3) Homebuyer qualifies for an IdaMortgage loan, which includes the monthly second mortgage payment in the debt ratios for this Community second loan just like the Good Credit Rewards second loan,
4) Homebuyer Education required.



To find out more about this great program and a lender who is versed in the in's and out's give me a call(888-722-6453 or 208-375-0203) or send me an email!

Labels: boise idaho real estate- first time home buyer down payment assistence program.

posted by Mike Carr at 7:37 AM

First Time Home Buyers Need To Act Now -Boise Real Estate

If you have been wondering if now is the time to jump in to the Boise real estate market, the awnser is yes!. There are signs that the market is slowly starting to hit bottom. The old adage of buy low and sell high rings true here. You have to buy low before you can sell high, so lets get started! I have worked with many first time home buyers over the years and will be able to help you make sound decisions in regards to all aspects of procuring your new home. There are several reasons why now is a good time to jump!

Labels: Boise idaho real estate for first time buyers

posted by Mike Carr at 7:11 AM

Boise Idaho real estate - First time home buyer special!

Wow Baby!
North end row house that would be perfect for first time home buyer!
Upgraded throughout and walking or biking distance to downtown, parks, restaurants and night life. Cherry cabinets and hardwoods throught main level are just a few of the features of this lovely home. Unfinished bonusroom over garage can be finished into apartment to lower your payment or make it a cash cow when you move on to your next home.
$170,000 3 bedroom 2 bath 1.5 car garage
MLS# 98396130
Not working with an agent? Ask about our new client signing bonus!

Labels: Boise idaho real estate for first time buyers

posted by Mike Carr at 12:29 PM

Weak blogger now dedicated to my blogisphere!

I am guilty and from where the sun now stands I will blog like crazy forever.....
Well maybe for a while.

Now for the excuses, wine making, chukar hunting, remodeling rentals, soccer season, turkey hunting.... And of course work itself.

Over the course of the next few weeks I intend to add a little something about all of these items. Lets start with the Boise Idaho real estate market. Everyone get down on one knee and promise to buy a rental house this year. Or buy anew house and make your current house a rental. It seems as though we may have about hit bottom. The numbers and the statistics point that way. Forclosures are slowing, sales were up in April, rates are low and will probably remain there. If you still have a job and want a bigger house, this is not a bad time to try and play the real estate shell game. yes you have lost a lot of equity, but so has the one you want to buy. One result of the high numbers of short sales and forclosures is a lot of people who can not buy for two years. In Boise Idaho real estate lingo they are renters. While the rents in meridian are pretty stagnant, those in close in Boise seem to be climbing a little, or at the very least solid. So it may be a good option to rent out the home you are in and make the move to your new home, wait til the market comes back and sell the rental. Fha loans require only 3% down, so it is a pretty affordable way to buy a new piece of Boise Idaho real estate and possibly make something on your current home in a years time. give me a call if you have questions about home something like this might work for you.

Labels: Great deals on Boise Idaho real estate

posted by Mike Carr at 11:48 AM

Pottery Barn meets the Boise Bench- Boise Idaho Real Estate

Top to Bottom Remodel.

149,900

Labels: Great deal on Boise Idaho Real Estate

posted by Mike Carr at 10:55 AM