Boise Real Estate Faq's


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Bosie Relocation Guide For Moving To Boise

How Does Buyer Agency Work In Boise Idaho?

It is different in every state. Here is a link to state brochure regarding Agency and Buyers representation. In some states a hand shake is all it takes for the agent you are working with to be “your” agent. In Idaho the only way to go from customer status to client status and make the agent you are working with “your“ agent is by signing an agreement with an individual brokerage/agent. Until you do that you are a customer which means the agent you are working with has to be honest ethical and fair, plus disclose latent defects like, the roof leaks or the foundation is bad. Once you hire an agent to represent you it is the agent’s responsibility to make sure you are protected and point out and find out anything and everything about your new home. Our advice to everybody is find an agent you feel like you can trust and hire them to represent you. It does not cost you a penny more than going the customer route as the seller has already agreed to pay the commission on all homes, even new. With the exception of for sale by owners. We are open to interviewing with you to see if we are a match! This is like online dating for a realtor! Weird. Anyway, we add a clause on for sale by owners, if they won’t pay us we will eat the commission and still help you get closed! Idaho buyers agency is a no brainer once you have found an honest hard working realtors to help you out! Here is The State Agency Pamplet  for your reading pleasure. Have questions give me a call and I will explain it all in depth!


 

 Are New Homes In The MLS or Multiple Listing Service In Boise Idaho?

New Homes For Sale Boise IdahoYes, The Boise real estate market was void of the giant mega builders until the 1990’s. At the point the first builder to go big was a local builder who teamed up with a land developer from California. Up to that point all the new homes were done in subdivisions controlled by the developers who would hire a real estate agency to “option” lots out to builders. This would result in 20 or 30 builders in every subdivision of any size. The commissions where included in the price when they listed the spec homes and the realtors controlled the lot option process in conjunction with the developer. So all the homes except for sale by owners are in the MLS with a commission in the pricing. So you can hire a buyer’s agent and it won’t cost you a penny, even on new construction. Once some of the giant national production builders came they did not want to rock the boat and so kept in step with the tradition of listing the new homes in the MLS!


 

Downtown Boise Idaho Relocation GuideWhere Are The Most New Homes For Sale In The Boise Metro?

Most of the vacant land left in Boise is in Southwest Boise and way Northeast Boise By Harris Ranch! So this is where you will find new homes in Boise. Expect to pay more for in Boise the same new house as you would in Meridian, Eagle and Star!


 I Don't like New Homes Where Do I Look For Old Homes?

In 1970 there were about 100,000 people in the whole area, so not tons of old homes exist. For victorians and bungalows, the Northend, and East Boise, they have the oldest. Some 100 years and older. If you want post world war two boom or mid century modern, The Bench has homes built in the 1930's close in, by the time you get to the Cole road area you are into homes for sale built in the 1970's.


 

Where Do I Find Acreage Property For Horses Or Just Space?

Around the perimeter of Meridian and in Eagle. Southwest Boise has a lot of 1970’s homes with half acre lots and a smattering of 1 acre subdivisions. In Ada county you need a minimum of 1 acre to own livestock. 1 Acre lots are hard to find as changes in the zoning laws around 1975 made it impossible to split less than 5 acres unless you have all city services. So if you could split to 1 acre you could split to quarter acre too. So money talks, lots of quarter acre lots and hardly any between one half and 5 acres.


 

Does Boise Have Water Rationing? What Is Irrigation?

No the water supply in Boise is in good shape. If you are moving here and wonder how expensive it is to water your yard, the answer is pretty simple if you have irrigation, cheap. Less than $50 a year for a normal subdivision lot of around a quarter of an acre. The water that used to irrigate the corn now wets your grasses whistle. When it comes to irrigation the two types of water supply are surface water and ground water. Boise is blessed with an abundance of both! The ground water for drinking, bathing and washing clothes. The surface water to irrigate your yard and the hay field next door. We have an aquifer that runs from the Oregon state line all the way to Yellowstone. The geologist claim it is larger than Lake Erie. Most of the potatoes and crops in Eastern Idaho use this ground water for drinking and watering the potatoes, wheat and hay. Closer to Boise you will find surface water is the primary source of water for irrigating the fields and yards of the Boise Metro Area. The aquifer under Boise is used primarily for potable drinking water and house hold use. That said some older farms and ranch’s have ground water rights to irrigate. Water rights in Idaho are first in time, first in right. So if your priority date is 1930 and your well is 200 feet deep and your neighbors water right is 1935 and his well is 350 feet deep then it could spell trouble for the neighbor if your 200 foot deep well dries up. Where does it all come from? It amounts to snow melt held back by our 3 giant dams. The mountainous terrain of central Idaho has provided a unique and bountiful supply of water for the Boise Metro Area! Great spots to locate dams and lots of mountain snows to fill Lucky Peak, Arrowrock and Anderson Ranch Dams.

Lucky Peak Dam Boise Idaho


 

Tell Me About Waterfront Homes In Boise?

Waterfront homes for sale in BoiseBoise is high desert…So waterfront homes are limited to the river corridor along the greenbelt and old gravel pit ponds along the river that have been converted into developments with homes around the ponds. Most of these are downstream from Boise. The green belt blankets the river edges for much of its length through Boise proper. There is limited waterfront living in River Run in south east Boise. Downstream you will find water front homes Near Plantation, in Riverside Village off Glenwood Avenue. Heading downstream into the Eagle area you will find the bulk of the waterfront homes in developments that are along the river and lots around ponds that were previously gravel pits that have filled with water! Two Rivers, Mace River Ranch, Island Woods, Lakeland Village, The Shores and more. 


 

What About Boise Urban Living In High Rise Condominiums?

Downtown Boise LivingLiving in downtown Boise will provide the owner with the ability to walk or bike to most everything.  It will free up the time you spend in your car!  Minutes to the greenbelt, foothills and the BSU campus. Add in the city bus and you may not even need a car. There are many restaurants, nightlife and shopping.  From Trader Joes, Wholefoods and WinCo within walking distance to the downtown core. While many other downtowns are financial districts or completely unsafe, Boise is going through a renaissance. Safe booming and fun. During the boom of 2005 the first real downtown urban style living was created. Prior to that a single family home was so inexpensive the demand for city lofts just was not there. Today supply and parking is the problem downtown and always has been. More people are looking for a low maintenance home so they can travel and spend less time in the automobiles. While the selection is limited, the quality and style is not! Some of our favorite locations at The Jefferson, Tower Plaza (Chase Bank Building). Citywide Lofts, and the Afton Lofts. 


 

How Much Does A Home Inspection Cost In Boise Idaho?

Depends on the size of the house. Roughly $400-500.  There are many quality inspectors. We do have 1 or two we like. There are two we do not like in the slightest.


 

Do I Need A Home Inspection On A New Home?

Yes, yes and yes. We just finished an inspection of a new house and in addition to all the little dings scratches and missing paint, we found the following. A drain set above the grade of the concrete in courtyard and a patio that drains ever so slightly to the house, missing siding, a collapsed return air duct, grading and drainage issues on the side, trash in the crawl space, and tile cut at an angle at entrance to master bath at door. This list may be a little heavy for normal, but the quality of any builder is only as good as the $11.00 an hour man his subcontractor sends out to to do the work.



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