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I may have the option to relocate to Boise from the midwest in the near future. I have read a LOT of positive things about the area, and my fiance and I love the outdoors. She is an RN, and it looks like there are a couple major hospitals to choose from. Does anyone have specific comments on them?
My potential job is in NW Boise, so I have been looking more at houses in Meridian. A lot of the available ones I have found are just south of I84. Is this where a lot of new subdivisions are being built? Is the traffic pretty bad?
We currently don't own a house but are conidering it if we were to move out there. Any pros/cons to be aware of? My salary would be about 75,000 and I'm not sure what average pay for an RN is out there. What price(s) should we be looking at for homes? We have about zero debt currently.
Any thoughts, concerns or opinions are GREATLY appreciated!
The two major hospitals are St Lukes and St Alphonsus. St Lukes is based here locally and is the larger and more comprehensive of the two, and generally has a better reputation. St Al's doesn't have a bad reputation, though (in Boise anyway). My first choice would be St. Lukes if I were in that field.
The area south of I84 in Meridian is probably the fastest growing patch of real estate in Idaho right now. The traffic can be heavy but it isn't too bad yet, you just hope they infrastructure can stay ahead of the demands. The nice thing about that part of Meridian is you have good freeway access, certainly compared to most of Meridian which is farther north, so getting around the valley can be easier. St. Lukes downtown is about a 20 minute drive.
I don't know exactly what an RN would make but it should be a decent salary. I can't tell you what sort of target price you should be looking for because that depends on your savings, lifestyle, income, and other expenses.
The two major hospitals are St Lukes and St Alphonsus. St Lukes is based here locally and is the larger and more comprehensive of the two, and generally has a better reputation. St Al's doesn't have a bad reputation, though (in Boise anyway). My first choice would be St. Lukes if I were in that field.
The area south of I84 in Meridian is probably the fastest growing patch of real estate in Idaho right now. The traffic can be heavy but it isn't too bad yet, you just hope they infrastructure can stay ahead of the demands. The nice thing about that part of Meridian is you have good freeway access, certainly compared to most of Meridian which is farther north, so getting around the valley can be easier. St. Lukes downtown is about a 20 minute drive.
I don't know exactly what an RN would make but it should be a decent salary. I can't tell you what sort of target price you should be looking for because that depends on your savings, lifestyle, income, and other expenses.
Thanks for the response! Glad to hear St Lukes is a little larger/popular. She has been looking at the St. Lukes specifically in Meridian. I noticed a lot of the housing south of I84 is brand new. Is most of that construction built by reputable companies? The houses sure do look nice.
As for target price, we have about 30k saved up, and we are typically homebodies. My salary may be around 75k plus whatever an RN could make out there. No debt between us.
For the most part they're decent houses, provided you aren't buying a CBH or Hubble (although even they're pretty good on their higher end homes). Most of the new construction in that part of town tends to run between $300-400k so it isn't cheap, although there are some going for less (including a lot of the existing homes). Obviously if you're going to stick to the standard 20% down that's going to drag your max price down a bit with what you've saved up so far.
St Luke's in Meridian is a smaller satellite hospital that doesn't offer as many services as the main downtown campus, but it isn't a bad hospital.
As far as wages are concerned in the Boise area, they are typically lower than many areas of the country but keep in mind our cost of living is lower as well so it offsets pretty well. Here is a link to the Dept of Labor for more details: https://lmi.idaho.gov/oes
As far as parts of town to consider, I suggest pulling up your favorite mapping program and see for yourself how short the commute times are from various parts of the valley to where you might be working. Many people used to hour commutes in other areas are surprised they can 30-60 miles away and commute depending on which direction you are coming from and what time of day. (most traffic comes into Boise/Meridian from the west).
As far as your question on financing options, that will depend a lot on the type of financing you choose. Each type has different qualifying ratios so you will end up with a different answer accordingly. There are options ranging from $0 down, however with 20% down you typically get better rates and no monthly mortgage insurance. Also depending on the type of loan your house payment should range about 30% of your gross income but some programs will allow you to go to roughly 50%. There are lots of different types of mortgages/lenders so be sure to shop around and be sure to pick one that is wiling to discuss your situation and help you pick the most effective loan program for you and your family. I have been a Realtor here for 25 years and there is a reason why I don't just use one or two lenders!
One reason why online you see a lot of new homes compared to existing is that many of the new homes are marketed as a TBB (to be built) listing. Since it isn't physically built yet, they stay longer on the market. Right now, things are very busy and homes sell pretty quickly so existing homes that people can walk into sell faster than ones people have to wait 4-6 months to get built.
For the most part they're decent houses, provided you aren't buying a CBH or Hubble (although even they're pretty good on their higher end homes). Most of the new construction in that part of town tends to run between $300-400k so it isn't cheap, although there are some going for less (including a lot of the existing homes). Obviously if you're going to stick to the standard 20% down that's going to drag your max price down a bit with what you've saved up so far.
St Luke's in Meridian is a smaller satellite hospital that doesn't offer as many services as the main downtown campus, but it isn't a bad hospital.
Wow Jim, thanks so much for the detailed posts! Both VERY helpful!
Unfortunately most of the options I have seen for housing have been BOTH CBH and Hubble! Our price range is going to be 200-250k most likely, maybe upwards of 300. I have read mostly positive reviews about CBH but not so much Hubble. Any particular feedback you can provide on CBH?
Wow Jim, thanks so much for the detailed posts! Any particular feedback you can provide on CBH?
CBH is Idaho's largest home builder by Volume of units built. I think they have built 15,000 homes to date. I have known Corey since he has started building 24 years ago and have no problem selling his homes. He is not very accommodating on changing much other than colors and finish items since he has it down to a process these days.
As long as you keep in mind that CBH is a volume builder and what you pay for their homes, it is difficult to be too critical. They have always been very fair to my clients on warranty work and have always delivered on schedule.
Like most builders in our area, they have on site representatives that represent the builder directly, but work with outside Realtors if you want your own representation for the same price.
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