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Old 01-30-2016, 11:14 PM
 
Location: San Diego California
6,795 posts, read 7,255,513 times
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What is important to look for in houses in the Boise area?

If you were in the market for a house in Treasure Valley, and were coming from a different area, what would be your biggest concerns.

Seeing as the temperatures vary quite a bit, I am assuming that insulation is really important, and back up heat like fireplace or woodstove would probably be desirable.

Is 2x6 construction common or is it an upgrade? I have noticed a lot of houses have lots of windows which is probably good in winter for light, but do they compromise the insulation factor?

Is there a major difference in heating costs between gas & electric?

Thanks in advance for any information you can share.
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Old 01-31-2016, 11:19 AM
 
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Focus on the area you want first, then the house. I have not paid over 200 for gas and electric per month all year. My house is 3400 square feet. The homes are pretty well insulated. Some are built better than others. Most builders use the same groups of workers, so it is really luck of the draw. Come visit, find the area you like and then hunt for a house. Things have slowed a little and they should slow further, recession is coming where cash is king so you will get a better deal.

In the winter you will use gas as the primary energy source. It is not tiered like communist california. So you wont be paying 500 a month in gas.

Your biggest concern should be buying in a flood plain. Do not listen to the 100 or 500 year flood issues. You can have a 100 year flood 2 years in a row. So rule out all flood plains like clock work.

type address here for flood plains http://fema.maps.arcgis.com/home/web....6966236415016
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Old 01-31-2016, 01:43 PM
 
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Just about everybody uses gas for heat and it's a good deal. Of course windows ding you a little on energy but you need windows the newer ones are better than older aluminum ones. I have aluminum in my house and that's compounded by the fact that I've got a ton of them, but I still don't pay too much to heat or cool my place. 2x6 is pretty common on nicer homes.

I favor a west facing home because you get great shade in the summer, and good sun exposure on your driveway in winter to help melt snow and ice.
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Old 01-31-2016, 06:05 PM
 
Location: San Diego California
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Thanks for the pointers! We were up there a couple years ago for a week and really liked what we saw. I would prefer to be in a outlying area like Kuna or Meridian but my wife would opt for being closer in, so we will cross that bridge when we get there.

I have 3 more years to retirement, if I make it. I cannot believe how crowded this town has become. The bumper to bumper traffic even at 5am is getting really old and the drive home is even worse. One day last week it took me 2 hrs. to commute 30 miles.

People ask me why I would want to go to such a cold climate, and my answer is that I can handle a little weather a lot easier than I can handle living in an overcrowded environment where people act like total idiots most of the time. The thought of a living slower pace and being around people with some common sense and courtesy is my idea of perfect retirement.
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:24 PM
 
Location: Boise, Idaho
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Due to the full four seasons, you will find many of us have a variety of outdoor toys so additional parking (3rd car garage or RV parking for your camper/boat/snow mobiles/4 wheeler, etc.) is very popular.

Orientation is important so you can either back in the sun in evening or relax in the shade. Think about where the master bedroom is in the home (do you want a main level master or does that matter); is it nested away from a busier street or not; etc.

CCR's can be your friend or your nemesis depending on your life style. I just showed a home today in Meridian for over $600k on five acres that the people liked because there were no CCR's; but then they noticed the mobile home next door and though "YUK". I have another homeowner I represent in Eagle that is selling because the CCR's are too restrictive for them. I had one client buy a home years ago in Pier Pointe Subdivision because they had very restrictive CCR's and then two years later another client joked about that being Peer Pressure Subdivision due to the CCR's. Think about what you like to do and what upsets you when you are home to make sure that complies with the CCR's (do you want to be able to fix your car in your driveway for a week or should it be in the garage to do that?)

Most homes built in the past 15 years are fairly energy efficient. Our energy costs are fairly low, so many people are not as energy conscious as they should be. Some of the new home builders are starting to use HERS ratings (Home Energy Rating System) to differentiate their energy efficiency since our building codes are almost up to Energy Star requirements.

One thing to NOT DO, is buy a home based on price per square foot alone! Even the same builder in the same community can vary drastically due to the floor plan. I big two story box is much cheaper to build than an elaborate single level. For example, a 1,400 sq. ft. single level home with a two car (400 sq. ft.) garage might cost you $175k with a production builder. However, on the same lot, they could have built it as a two story so that would put another 1,800 sq. ft (1,400 plus over the 400 sq. ft. garage) upstairs with no additional cost for the lot, landscaping, garage, foundation, roof, kitchen, etc.

One thing that is very nice to have is a home with "pressurized irrigation". We have a lot of communities that take irrigation water from the canals and use it for watering your yard instead of using city drinking water to do it. It might cost you only $40-100 a year for all the external water verses that a month in the summer without out it!

I have my clients think of their next home as if it were going to be their next car. Does they want something sporty, luxury, or a mini van? They bought a KIA and put in a sun roof, leather interior, sporty wheels and a top of the line stereo, Kelly Blue Book and NADA Guides still value it as a KIA, not a Lexus.

With today's technology, a good Realtor that knows how to use the MLS as a database can refine your search so that the MLS is searched as often as every 15 minutes for home matching YOUR criteria and you will get an email update of only homes that match your criteria. If you have very specific requirements, this is great since it can be as specific as: 3-4 bedroom, single level, less than 5 years old, formal dining room, hardwood floors, double vanity in the master bedroom, RV parking, gas fireplace in census track ____. You have to be careful not to be too restrictive however and list something as a Must Have instead of a "like to have".

Another thing that is important is the quality of the people helping you through the process. Most Realtors in Idaho are Independent Contractors, so even agents in the same real estate brokerage offer vastly different levels of expertise and service! Check reputations with the Better Business Bureau and make sure the agent you choose communicates with you on your level.

Hope this helps!
Jim
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Old 02-01-2016, 10:58 AM
 
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In my opinion, the single most important factor for buying in Boise is location. I'd rather buy a dump that I can fix up that is in the best location than a steal of a deal amazing home that is in a poor location.

This obviously might go without saying for most people, but I think in Boise it's particularly true. It's important to really take an inventory to figure out what's important to you and your lifestyle, and how you want to spend each and every day.

I know people who bought really nice homes in Nampa but have to commute into downtown Boise daily. They get to start every day off anxious, annoyed, and flummoxed because the (increasingly) crappy commute into work, and they get to end their day the same way. Meanwhile, people I know that live close enough to work to walk or bike get an extra 45 minutes to an hour and half each day to get chores done, go out and play, or just relax, without the stress and anxiety and traffic and icy roads.

I've bought a few homes that were compromises - a bit outside where I really wanted to be for a bit better value - and I was disappointed each and every time. Never again.

That inventory will differ for everyone - some people want to be downtown, others want to be in a nice sub with great schools; some want walkability, the river, or foothills, and others want the countryside, acreage, and a big ol' garage. It's important to weigh those factors first and foremost, and then you can move on to the other important things like build quality, insulation, roofing, windows, etc.

The other thing to keep in mind, echoing somewhat off of ID Broker's post, is that right now good homes that are fairly priced don't stay on the market for very long at all. Have your ducks in a row. The last house we bought we had to move on the morning it was listed. It was appropriately priced, in a great neighborhood, and it was a charming house - it was on the market for 3 hours. That is way too fast for me, and I probably wouldn't do it again, but that's the market we're in. The house we sold was in offer after a day, and we had it priced at $240 sq./ft, which is EXTREMELY high for the Treasure Valley (but it was kind of a niche home).
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Old 02-01-2016, 11:05 AM
 
Location: Boise, ID
133 posts, read 287,835 times
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Another important thing to consider is water. Boise is in a high desert. Drinking water is no problem in most cases, but if you don't have irrigation water access, you should plan on a rock garden, because watering the lawn will be really expensive.
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Old 02-01-2016, 11:53 AM
 
88 posts, read 211,783 times
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A second vote for evaluating location as a priority. Spend a good chunk of time in each area of the valley. We wanted quiet and found Meridian to be too buzzy for us but Canyon Cty options a bit too far out. If money is no option you have plenty of choices. For us, having a modest budget, it slimmed down pretty quickly. Nice houses in nice areas go quickly. Its been said here many times but the houses will look very different in person than in the listing. A lot has to do with what you are looking for in a home.
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Old 02-01-2016, 01:09 PM
 
Location: Boise, ID
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You'd be hard pressed to find a house in the Boise/Meridian area that has all electric heat. There are a few out there, I'm not saying there aren't any, but they are pretty rare. Over the years I've worked for this property management company, we've managed somewhere around 250 total houses/duplexes. I think 4 had electric heat. 1 had an oil tank. The rest were all gas. So odds are you are going to end up with gas heat, which is ok, because gas prices are reasonable. Honestly, power prices are reasonable too, but electric heat is less efficient in my experience, so costs more to heat the house.


I agree with pressurized irrigation saving money, but be aware that we have had drought too. 2 years ago, they turned the pressurized irrigation off about a month early, and people had to use hoses to keep their yards alive. Some houses have a switchover so the sprinkler system can use city water, but many do not, and hoses are inconvenient. So there is a downside. I would still recommend irrigation, just pointing out a fact.


Something else to think about: We are a lot further north than San Diego. That means in the winter, the sun is a lot further south as it crosses the sky. So south facing windows can be nice to let some of that rare winter sunshine in. If all your windows face north, your house will be pretty dark in the winter. Also, if your driveway faces north, you will spend more time shoveling and de-icing because it doesn't melt nearly as quickly.
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Old 02-01-2016, 04:01 PM
 
Location: West of Asheville
679 posts, read 806,678 times
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Location, Orientation, pressurized irrigation water, all important in my opinion.

I got luck when I built my home, and got all three desirable features.

Some very good points have been made on this thread.
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