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Torrie, Since your in the home biz in Boise, could you give me an idea as to utitlites. Say we have a 2000 sq ft home. What are we looking at for gas/elec.,water, and is trash part of the tax's or seperate? Also how wide is the scale through out the year. Are there really nice areas in older parts of town, or does one have to buy a new house to have a really nice neighborhood? Do styles of home vary out there? Do you have spanish style, or craftsmen etc.? Most of the photos I see on line, they all look alike.
Torrie, or anyone, I also would like to know how the property tax works. Does it change every year? Could someone explaine that to me. Also are you happy with it or do many dislike it feel it isn't fair etc.?
Torrie, Since your in the home biz in Boise, could you give me an idea as to utitlites. Say we have a 2000 sq ft home. What are we looking at for gas/elec.,water, and is trash part of the tax's or seperate? Also how wide is the scale through out the year. Are there really nice areas in older parts of town, or does one have to buy a new house to have a really nice neighborhood? Do styles of home vary out there? Do you have spanish style, or craftsmen etc.? Most of the photos I see on line, they all look alike.
Some of the nicest areas of Boise are the older neighborhoods--the ones near downtown, north, south and east. There really are not too many run down neighborhoods---the most run down areas of Boise just seem to be some of the trailer courts, other than that the city is pretty tidy.
The prices will be more in the older neighborhoods but they are pretty areas to live. Home styles are pretty diverse, tons of spanish influence in the foothills and also in Meridian--there are a lot of Italian themed developments as well. Basically, there are a lot of housing styles here.
Torrie should have a lot more info and maybe some links or resources on looking at different housing styles online.
Torrie, or anyone, I also would like to know how the property tax works. Does it change every year? Could someone explaine that to me. Also are you happy with it or do many dislike it feel it isn't fair etc.?
Click on the links below and they will explain the property taxes for you.
Relocation Information - TAXATION (http://www.boisechamber.org/relo/taxation.htm - broken link)
(scroll down on this one till you get to property taxes)
Torrie, Since your in the home biz in Boise, could you give me an idea as to utitlites. Say we have a 2000 sq ft home. What are we looking at for gas/elec.,water, and is trash part of the tax's or seperate? Also how wide is the scale through out the year. Are there really nice areas in older parts of town, or does one have to buy a new house to have a really nice neighborhood? Do styles of home vary out there? Do you have spanish style, or craftsmen etc.? Most of the photos I see on line, they all look alike.
Let's see if I can help here...I have a printout of a clients utility history for 08. The house is in the 1-5 year range, about 2300sq. feet. Power bill was $86.83 in December of 07 (that was the most expensive month this past winter) and so far this summer July has been the most expensive at $111.46.
Sewer and trash for two months was $60.48. As far as water, average useage is $363.00 annually with summer rates being higher from May-Sept. according to United Water.
Gas can be has high as $200 in the coldest month of winter and as low as $25in the summer months. Of course size of house, age of house and useage can change the costs.
In regards to style of homes, Syringaloid is right you will see various varieties depending on what part of town you're in and what price range you're looking at. I notice craftsman style is a popular choice because of the lifestyle that's typical of this area. If you buy in a neighborhood where there is just one builder you will see similarities in the homes.
OK. Thank You! That gives me some grounding. I guess at this point it is probably best for us to take a trip out there to check things out.. i know that we can't and wont want to duplicate things, but there is a comfort level that we (mostly me) have in regards to neighborhoods and home styles. Although I am pleased with the large open floor plans of these brand new homes, I am a bit more into the neat old houses. I like the character. But, tired of working on them all the time. I gues I want my cake and to eat it too.
Being more high dessert is there ever talk about lack of water? Im guessing with the mountians in the north that there is plenty, just want to be sure. We are tired of having to worry about water out here.
As with any arid city there are water issues. What Boise has that the other cities don't is abundant rivers. However, if Boise were to grow to the size of Phoenix in the long range I suspect there could be some more serious issues and then also the issues of development vs. irrigation for farming.
IMO I think people everywhere should be concerned about water or any other resources. Maybe I'm turning too green! lol
At some point in time, water can/most likely will, be an issue anywhere you go. SE Idaho seems to have more of a problem with water than what we've experienced here in Boise Metro.
Idaho has many aquifers so water has not been an issue here compared to states like Nevada and California. Keep in mind our population is 1.5 million in the whole state so we are not supplying the volume of people that you are in CA.
We also have what's called irrigation water- it's cheaper than city water. So in the summer when the irrigation water gets turned on,(like April), you can use this water to take care of your yard. It gets turned off in Oct., but dates will vary depending on the snowpack of the past winter season. If you're lucky enough and have a dual pump set-up, should they turn the water off early, you can still water your lawn with your sprinklers using city water. Otherwise, you have to use a hose and a sprinkler attachment. Irrigation water is just that...meant to be used for irrigating, not consumption.
Some areas have flood irrigation (mainly in the rural locations). This is where water is turned on for something like 3 hours or so. The property is "flooded" so to speak and that's how you irrigate. This is done once a week.
But to answer your question, currently water is not an issue here.
Yes I just love the older homes too because of their character. They do require upkeep and that can be expensive, but if it's something you enjoy doing and cost is not an issue, it can be a rewarding experience. You will enjoy driving down such streets as Harrison Blvd and Warm Springs Ave.
Go to Google, then click on maps. Type in these two address' and drive down the street!
1467 N. Harrison Blvd, Boise, ID 83702
604 E. Warm Springs Ave, Boise, ID 83712
Make sure you use the arrows so you can see both sides if the street
[quote=MySerendipity;4783596]OK. Thank You! That gives me some grounding. I guess at this point it is probably best for us to take a trip out there to check things out.. i know that we can't and wont want to duplicate things, but there is a comfort level that we (mostly me) have in regards to neighborhoods and home styles. Although I am pleased with the large open floor plans of these brand new homes, I am a bit more into the neat old houses. I like the character. But, tired of working on them all the time. I gues I want my cake and to eat it too.
Being more high dessert is there ever talk about lack of water? Im guessing with the mountians in the north that there is plenty, just want to be sure. We are tired of having to worry about water out here.[/QUOTE]
Boise is probably one of the greenest, (literally) cities you will encounter in the high deserts of the West. There are green lawns everywhere, the city and county have a impressive amount of landscaping along major streets, boulevards, and there are the huge green lush parks. I have never heard of water rationing or the city forcing people to water gardens/lawns on certain days because there is usually enough water to go around. Of course we should conserve for obvious reasons, but at this point in Boise's history there is no pending urgency regarding water supply. Some of the past drought years there has been talk about water supplies in the future. I actually think places in much drier locales like Salt Lake, Las Vegas, Denver really need to worry about water because they do not have the water supply Boise has. The Boise river system is a huge water shed with many forks of the Boise River feeding the main Boise river in the mountains as it enters the valley.
Thank You all. I just wanted to be sure. Water is becoming such an issue here and yes, big demand with lots of people. We took out our front lawn and put in native plants. Looks pretty good, but still want grass in the back for our daughter to play. Would be nice to not have to freak out about leaving a hose on too long or putting a bucket in the shower to catch the extra water, etc. We are just feeling like we have to be really careful. Thats not to say that we want to be wasteful. Cost is going through and that is getting hard to deal with. We actually spent the big bucks to buy one of the new washing machines that use 50% less water to do our part. (love it). I will check out those streets, Thank You for that information. I love working on the old homes, just need the time to do that and I work too much now, but with a slower lifestyle, just maybe. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
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