Please help me narrow down an area? (Boise, Meridian: bank owned, short sales)

[jfbd6805]

We are relocating to Boise in a month. We have been on a house hunting trip and are bidding on a short sale in Eagle but if that falls through we are back to the drawing board and since I still dont' feel like I really know the area or really understand where we should be I thought I'd try the forum for advice.

Here are the pertinant facts:

• We have two young kids (2.5 years and 3.5 months) so parks, playgrounds and a nice friendly family oriented community would be perfect
• DH will need to commute to downtown Boise daily but his hours are not traditional commute hours
• I stay home with the kids
• Eventually education will be top priority so should we stick with Eagle area (in Meridian School District) or is Boise better? I have all the scores from Greatschools but nothing beats a local's perspective so I am interested to hear your opinions.
• We are a protestant Christian family so proximity to contemporary churches with good youth programs (AWANA?) and a MOPS program are important
• We enjoy the outdoors (fly fishing, canoeing, biking, walking etc.)
• We also love to eat out, go to the movies, go to farmer's market, etc.
• In my dream life I'd be able to walk to everything (shops, restaurants, movies) as I have a European background and that is more typical there but a short drive is ok too.
• Great preschools or montesorri education (any recommendations?)
• Decent sized yard to throw a football, etc.
• We have a diverse background - north american and european mix (incl. netherlands and the UK) and have lived all over the world. This is supposed to be our last stop so we plan to plant our roots in Boise/Eagle and raise our family so this is a very important move and your help is much needed!

Our price range is upto $350K and we need 4 beds and 2.5 baths minimum. We have looked all over Eagle and some of Boise but it was all such a rush and is all a blur to me now. If the short sale falls through I just wanted to get head start figuring out which areas we should focus on that are most suitable to the lifestyle we want to lead.

Specific questions I have:

• What's wrong with Garden City (particularly MeadowCreek and Riverside Village)? Is resale not as good there? We have heard mixed reviews
• How bad is the commute on State Street from Eagle to downtown? What time does it usually ease up?
• Any recommendations for preschool/montessori education? (ratings are not available on greatschools)
• Any recommendations for a church?

Can you match our family to a neighborhood? I feel like this similar to a blind date!

Thanks in advance for your help!

[MrGrumpy]

1. Garden City is full of trailer parks/run-down homes, rentals and businesses, so it's definitely not the best re-sale area. Given your price-range you can definitely do better. Might I suggest checking out the following thread, where I put out some decent points on certain areas. http://www.city-data.com/forum/boise...ise-eagle.html

[Hendrixed]

We are in a very similar situation. I am in love with the idea of jumping on our bikes in the garage and heading out on a long bike ride.... Or walking to a night out to eat or to have a barley pop. SE Boise seems to have those kinds of amenities. I am particularly fond of Spring Meadow sub due to the bike trails, proximity to schools and walking distance to restaurants adn the river. We will be in Boise in three days, who knows maybe we will FINIALLY pull the trigger. I cant wait to become an Idahoan. I do continue to foment the notion that its nothing but potato fields to whoever will listen, haha dont want the secret to get out. I would be interested to know what you learn as we seem to have similar needs. Good luck

[gimme it]

From my research, you might like the 83702 zip code. I think it's the North End. They have highly rated schools and I think you can walk to restaurants and shops. I think you can find something in your price range.

[jfbd6805]

Thanks so far for the responses.

Yes, we liked the Spring Meadow sub too (actually it was the first one we looked at when we arrived last month) but the two homes listed there are backing up to the new parkcenter blvd extension and we didn't want to back up to a busy road. We were sad! Otherwise that spot would have been perfect!

Thanks for the zip tip. I will do a search on that one.

Garden City is so confusing b/c of the split personality of the area - the subs along the river are gorgeous so I wasn't sure if the rest of the area made a difference. Is it likely that the trailer parkness of it will change in the future?

Thanks again.

[Syringaloid]

Originally Posted by jfbd6805

Thanks so far for the responses.

Yes, we liked the Spring Meadow sub too (actually it was the first one we looked at when we arrived last month) but the two homes listed there are backing up to the new parkcenter blvd extension and we didn't want to back up to a busy road. We were sad! Otherwise that spot would have been perfect!

Thanks for the zip tip. I will do a search on that one.

Garden City is so confusing b/c of the split personality of the area - the subs along the river are gorgeous so I wasn't sure if the rest of the area made a difference. Is it likely that the trailer parkness of it will change in the future?

Thanks again.

The area of Garden City that is West of Veterans Parkway has the nicer and more upscale housing and West of Glenwood is even nicer.
The area East of Veterans towards Boise is a lot more industrial, trailer parked, but is evolving slowly into an artistic district and new housing is being built along the river.

[boi2socal]

Maybe the story is different in Boise but most short sales are horrible to deal with. Escrow can be months sometimes and then canceled. I've seen homes foreclosed on while they were in escrow due to banks not communicating with one another, etc. Make sure your agent and more importantly the listing agent has experience with short sales. Sorry, that wasn't a "Boise" subject but just a FYI so you don't get stuck in some predicament.

[jfbd6805]

Thanks boi2socal! I am nervous about how it will work out but supposedly the seller's agent is very experienced in short sales and my agent is really good too so I have my fingers crossed! It has already taken longer than we thought though...


How about the commute from Eagle? What time does it let up? DH may have some flexibility in his hours - whats a worst case scenario and best case scenario for State Street?

Also, I am still interested in learning about churches, playgroups, etc. as in my original post. If any one has any insights I'd really appreciate it.

[boi2socal]

Well, best of luck with your purchase! If it doesn't work out I would stick with bank owned/foreclosures or a private sale.

5 years ago, when I lived in the area a commute from Eagle (where I lived) to Downtown Boise was on average about 20 minutes. 20-40 with traffic and 45-60+ if the road conditions are icy or snowy at rush hour. Do keep in mind that if the economy bounces back in Boise, Eagle will see a large chunk of this growth as large developments in the foothills are planned...we're talking virtually doubling the size and population of the city. State St is the ONLY major road into Downtown Boise from Eagle. Here is the largest of the planned developments: Home :: M3 Eagle

[kristinl5]

I might be the only person from the Boise/Meridian area that has responded yet...are you working with an agent right now? If so they can also give a good perspective of the areas. From what you have said Meridian area would be good for you..good schools, close to all amenities you're looking for, walking paths, parks, golf, close to lucky peak and the foothills for the outdoor stuff plus we have farmers markets, theatres etc, and only 10 min. from Boise..with your husband's commute you shouldn't have any problems..I would stick to areas that have access to Eagle road and Meridian road as those are the two main arteries to get on the freeway and connector to Boise. Plus with Meridian you're going to be able to have a large yard..the northend is great and lots of character, but these tend to be older homes too with smaller yards. Southeast and Northeast Boise you can find some larger yards, but they can be higher in price than Meridian. Some subdivisions you might want to look at are Thousand Springs, Tuscany, Sherbrooke Hollow, Meridian Greens..those neighborhoods have some good homes with large yards and close to Eagle road. Hopefully this helps...if you want I can send you some maps of the areas I'm talking about.
Also saw that you were looking for a MOPS program, there is one..there is also some other stay at home parent/kid networks that I can help you with!