My trip to Northern Idaho 7/24 to 7/28 2007 (Post Falls, Hayden: housing, jobs, health)

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

We looked at the Selle Valley as well. Really nice area also. Funny you mention about the bottom falling out. It already is happening here for about the last year, and is probably just now starting to hit areas like ID.

Yeah, I'd say it's been about a year since it really hit. One of my family members is trying to sell her log cabin out in the Selle, and it's been on the market for about a year and a half. She's getting desperate, because she put it on the market right before the the market started going down, and she expected to sell right away so she built another house!! Now she's in quite a bind.

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

The property my wife and I looked at in Moyie Springs, originally started out at $189,000 for 10 acres. My realtor called me today, and said they will now take $159,000 It has been on the market now for about 250 days or so. Sounds like it's becoming a better deal, but I am not sure we can swing it. I just can't seem to find much info online about land financing. Seems like the interest rates on land purchases are around 10% and higher, plus not sure you can get 30 year loans for land. and on top of that they want at least 25% down Not gonna happen

Maybe if you give it some more time they'd be willing to lower the down payment? In the meantime, you should contact a local bank directly and ask them any questions you have. The big three here are Mountain West Bank, Panhandle State Bank, and Horizon Credit Union, although there are a few others.

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

Saw another property online that is in Oldtown, on the south side of the Pend Oreille River. 10 acres with a 100GPM well Not sure about utilities though I assume it has electricity for the well pump?

Most likely. Oldtown is right along highway 2 and unless you're pretty far off the highway you're probably going to have power. If you're off the grid, there's always solar. In fact, if you have a well with an electric pump, I strongly recommend having either a gas generator or a few solar panels, because power outages are quite common. We have a few wind storms a year, and also depending on which company supplies your electric sometimes it just goes down for hours at a time with no explanation. If you are relying on electricity to have water, it can get tricky. I was down here with my family for the last big one (3 days) and we were using water from their saltwater fish tank to flush the toilets. Living in north Idaho requires some resourcefulness, most certainly...

I think the best advice I can give you is to come up, again, this winter. Prices are lower during the winter, as a general rule, and that way you also get to see what driving is like. You will definitely need all season tires and a four wheel drive vehicle, otherwise you are taking a serious risk, especially out on the backroads.

Hope I'm helping...

p.s. I asked around and it turns out that CEDU has reopened, as the Rocky Mountain Academy. It's a different company but I believe they are rehiring a lot of their old workers.

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by idahogallmh

I just found this site and noticed your post. We lived in Murrieta/Temecula area for 16 years and made the big move up here last August. We bought a place on 10 acres in Athol. We absolutely love it here. I don't even want to go back down and visit friends. I dread that traffic and rude people (not all of course). It was a major move for us because we uprooted our 3 kids 18, 16. and 12 but they adjusted within 6 months and really like it here too. I was really fearful of the first Winter last year but I took some lessons and I did quite well. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The only times it was a little hairy was when it was snowing hard and I had to drive in it but everyone drives very slow and courteous. We put the all weather tires on and they worked great. I wish you the best because we were feeling the same way you are at one time.

Congrats on your move I can't wait to get there, especially today. It is 102 degrees right now. It's boiling hot, and is expected to stay like this through at least Wednesday I hate hot weather.

Good to know about winter driving. Hope to make it up this winter for some practice I think folks' biggest problem with winter driving is to much speed and to heavy a foot on the brakes. I think bridges tend to get more icy than the roads too, no?

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Yeah, I'd say it's been about a year since it really hit. One of my family members is trying to sell her log cabin out in the Selle, and it's been on the market for about a year and a half. She's getting desperate, because she put it on the market right before the the market started going down, and she expected to sell right away so she built another house!! Now she's in quite a bind.

Sorry to hear about the family member trying to sell Ideally I would love to have a log cabin. We just can't afford it....yet. Hopefully if I buy some land the cabin will be in the near future

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Maybe if you give it some more time they'd be willing to lower the down payment? In the meantime, you should contact a local bank directly and ask them any questions you have. The big three here are Mountain West Bank, Panhandle State Bank, and Horizon Credit Union, although there are a few others.

Thanks for the bank links. I did read where it is better to get local lenders for land loans, since they are more familiar with the area.

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Most likely. Oldtown is right along highway 2 and unless you're pretty far off the highway you're probably going to have power. If you're off the grid, there's always solar. In fact, if you have a well with an electric pump, I strongly recommend having either a gas generator or a few solar panels, because power outages are quite common. We have a few wind storms a year, and also depending on which company supplies your electric sometimes it just goes down for hours at a time with no explanation. If you are relying on electricity to have water, it can get tricky. I was down here with my family for the last big one (3 days) and we were using water from their saltwater fish tank to flush the toilets. Living in north Idaho requires some resourcefulness, most certainly...

The property was actualy on the other side of the river. It was listed as Oldtown, but whether it actually is or not, I don't know. There are plenty of other houses nearby, so power is in the area I "ASS"ume
That's a big 10-4 on being resourceful Power goes off here, because to many people running A/C, or a drunk hits a pole
We were without power for about 12 hours last week, because a transformer let go across the street. It was kinda nice not having lights. Really quiet too without all of those electronic gadgets operating.

Originally Posted by Xa'at

I think the best advice I can give you is to come up, again, this winter. Prices are lower during the winter, as a general rule, and that way you also get to see what driving is like. You will definitely need all season tires and a four wheel drive vehicle, otherwise you are taking a serious risk, especially out on the backroads.

That's the plan I hope. Still waiting for the boss to give me vacation approval... Maybe if the lot hasn't sold I can get it for 100K in the winter

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Hope I'm helping...

Yes!! Thank you

Originally Posted by Xa'at

p.s. I asked around and it turns out that CEDU has reopened, as the Rocky Mountain Academy. It's a different company but I believe they are rehiring a lot of their old workers.

That is good to know. It will be good for the economy up there.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

Congrats on your move I can't wait to get there, especially today. It is 102 degrees right now. It's boiling hot, and is expected to stay like this through at least Wednesday I hate hot weather.

Yeah, it's an absolutely beautiful day today. 78 and not a cloud in the sky, which is nice. I think it's starting to cool down as we get closer to winter. If you want to experience Idaho winter, I'd say try to come about February, earlier if you want to get the snow. It usually snows a lot from Dec to Jan or Feb, then it cools down tremendously. In my experience there's generally one week in late feb that dips below -15, but other than that temperatures are bearable, at least.

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

I think bridges tend to get more icy than the roads too, no?

Yes, particularly ones over water (as opposed to just over ditches, etc) It's because the ground remains fairly warm and keeps the roads warmer by proxy, whereas bridges don't have that, so they freeze over easier. All in all, though, everything gets pretty icy. The slush can be bad too.

[mauimom]

Sandpointian,your input has been awesome! So CDA has some trashy areas? I never had read that before. Is crime a problem there as well? I think we are definately leaning towards Sandpoint. We are really looking forward to visiting there the end of October. How is the weather then. Thanks!

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by mauimom

Sandpointian,your input has been awesome! So CDA has some trashy areas? I never had read that before. Is crime a problem there as well? I think we are definately leaning towards Sandpoint. We are really looking forward to visiting there the end of October. How is the weather then. Thanks!

Well, I'm not Sandpointian, but maybe I can help anyway. In my experience October is generally cool- I couldn't give you a specific temperature, but it's light-jacket weather. Rainier than summer but drier than spring. Sometimes a freak storm will dump snow down in late October, but that is getting rarer and rarer these days thanks to climate change. October is a great time to come because the trees put on a lovely show! Not really comparable to New England, but still among the best in the west.

[mauimom]

Thanks, now I know how to pack! I appriciate your info.

[IdahoEagle]

I dont' really think Coeur d'Alene has trashy areas. There are places here I wouldn't live, like the cookie cutter subdivisions on the prairie. A lot of people here dont' lock their cars.
Sometimes we get snow on Halloween but that is unusual.

[Julie Bowman]

Im glad to see another SC from "Horsetown" is going to move to Idaho. My husband and I are looking to "retire" to Idaho in the next couple of years, when our youngest graduates high school.
I can't wait, i've lived in "Horsetown" my whole life and can't wait to get to the REAL country...
The last two years we have gone to St Anthoy's for vac, we have sand toy's. The area is a little to flat for me, im looking for the mountains, valley's, ect...Ive been looking on the internet at Cascade and New Meadows something around that area.

[YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY]

Originally Posted by Julie Bowman

Im glad to see another SC from "Horsetown" is going to move to Idaho. My husband and I are looking to "retire" to Idaho in the next couple of years, when our youngest graduates high school.
I can't wait, i've lived in "Horsetown" my whole life and can't wait to get to the REAL country...
The last two years we have gone to St Anthoy's for vac, we have sand toy's. The area is a little to flat for me, im looking for the mountains, valley's, ect...Ive been looking on the internet at Cascade and New Meadows something around that area.

So you live here too Norco is not a bad little town in itself I suppose, it's just all the surrounding areas. The bad part is all the horse trails paralelling the streets. Easy for horses to get spooked when some dumba$$ teenager goes speeding bye.

You and your husband sound like my wife and I. Gonna wait for the youngest to get outta HS. I have 6 more years to go

There is a wealth of information on this site for sure. My wife and I are favoring mountain/valley areas over plains as well.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by YOU-CANT-EAT-SCENERY

You and your husband sound like my wife and I. Gonna wait for the youngest to get outta HS. I have 6 more years to go

If you're waiting because you are worried about schools, you needn't. Funding for Idaho schools is poor, but there are some awesome teachers and that makes up for it in many ways. In Sandpoint there are plans in the works for a new high school next door to the new UI campus out on Boyer. I haven't seen the plans personally, but the Bee (newspaper) is hailing them as excellent, with an added bonus of being next to a college! Supposed to be completed for 2009.