Best way to find retirement property in CDA? (Rathdrum, Dalton Gardens: real estate, to rent)

[tftlh]

My wife and I will be retiring next year from our teaching jobs in Alaska and would like to retire in CDA or a nearby community. We are planning to visit for a week or two in early July to seriously look for a place. We have been looking through the MLS for months and have an idea of what is available. A couple of realtors have contacted us through our websearches. We would like to use a realtor - but are not sure how that works. We have never purchased property from someone else before. (We built our home here by hand - 35 years ago).
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We have a good idea what we are looking for. House on a bit of acreage so we can garden, maybe a shop. Not isolated - or in the deep woods. Lots of light - neighbors nearby, but not close enough to look in the windows. :-)
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What would be the best use of our time in July? Should we look on our own first or start with a realtor? Where can we read about real estate trends in Northern Idaho?
Thank you for your help
Robert

[elousv]

Check your DM. We just went through this process. Ended up buying in Hauser Lake area. There are tons of places in the greater CDA area that have plenty of room but not too far from stuff. Just a few minutes out of town and you are in acreage. We liked Cougar Gulch area and French Gulch too.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

IMO a Realtor is going to be alot of help.. You give them a price range and the area you like and they will have a list for you in no time, and be able to take you to those places..
You could build a list of properties on your own and hunt them down, and while doing that you will familiarize yourself with what area's you like the best before you start with a Realtor, but if time is a concern working with an agent will speed things up.. Good luck on your search! I think you will LOVE CdA!!

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

A couple considerations, first, how much acerage are you looking for? Most areas of the county that are zoned rural/ag have 20 acre minimums, down to 5 acres in developments that don't have septic. Finding 1-2 acre parcels isn't that easy.

There are a number of developments on the Rathdrum Prarie that sound like they would suit your needs, on 5 acre parcels.

My advice would be to rent a house for a year or so once you get in the area and find out what really appeals to you, and really get to know the area.

One other thought, the Dalton Gardens area has some nice houses on some 1/2-2 acre parcels, really nice area. Seems pretty rural but still very close to town.

[8 SNAKE]

Originally Posted by tftlh

What would be the best use of our time in July? Should we look on our own first or start with a realtor?

In my opinion, your time is best served by establishing a relationship with a realtor right now. Tell the realtor exactly what you want and he/she can start putting together a list of properties that you can look at online between now and July. Then, you can narrow that down the ones that you are really interested in seeing. Once you arrive in July, you'll have everything lined out and can make the most efficient use of your time.

[Dizzydog]

What is the link to the Idaho MLS???