Searching for sanctuary in Idaho (Spirit Lake, Athol: apartment, condo, to live)

[dcisive]

It's a double edged sword for those of us who have owned here for a while. The Kalifornians coming in indeed raise up the prices, but it also raises up our values of the homes we own. The downside of course is that your given county taxes are also going to go up. And that is NOT a good thing for us seniors on Social Security.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by dcisive

It's a double edged sword for those of us who have owned here for a while. The Kalifornians coming in indeed raise up the prices, but it also raises up our values of the homes we own. The downside of course is that your given county taxes are also going to go up. And that is NOT a good thing for us seniors on Social Security.

This is not good for seniors on a fixed income. Positives and negatives. There is more demand now in this state for housing now more than ever.

[Boddicker]

More and more do I meet politically moderate, law-biding, taxpaying Whites who have spent their entire lives advocating equal opportunity for all, only to have become horrified by the brazen assault on their ancestors and values in the mainstream culture. The media uniformly demonize these people as deplorable simpletons, but oh no, they are profoundly decent and highly educated folks from Sacramento to Schenectady, and they are steadily rising in numbers. The simple promise of Idaho brings them hope and dreams of peace, a place where they are not endlessly browbeaten to be ashamed of their illustrious peoples and traditions.

[banjomike]

That simple promise comes with a mighty high price tag and a need for speed when buying a home here.

I've lived in Idaho all my life and have never seen it anything like it is now.

The home prices alone are making changes to the lifestyle here after just a few months.

[EyeOnMadisonStreet]

Since home prices and you are up, Banjo, can you give some tips on where to rent while looking around to buy? I thought of renting in Pokey or IFalls or CDA while I made sorties to the countryside to look for a house. Or I could wind up buying in one of those cities if it's a good spot and relatively cheap, but I know cheap isn't too likely ... It won't be worth it to me if I can't be close to a trailhead where I can hike and ride a mountain bike.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by EyeOnMadisonStreet

Since home prices and you are up, Banjo, can you give some tips on where to rent while looking around to buy? I thought of renting in Pokey or IFalls or CDA while I made sorties to the countryside to look for a house. Or I could wind up buying in one of those cities if it's a good spot and relatively cheap, but I know cheap isn't too likely ... It won't be worth it to me if I can't be close to a trailhead where I can hike and ride a mountain bike.

Rentals are going extremely fast in I.F. and Pokey right now. I don't know what it's like in CDA.

I think a good tactic would be to get a couple of local real estate agents on the hunt for you.

It sounds like you wouldn't need very much in the way of an apartment at first. Idaho Falls has quite a lot of basement apartments that are found in homes build during the Depression- late 1920s to 1940.
Most of them are essentially studio apartments, intended for one or two people.

I think having a local agent on the lookout for one would be a big help for you, but you would have to be prepared to drop some cash instantly on a deal to secure it.

I'm not sure about leases either. With such a hot market and with such shortages, property owners may not want a renter to sign a lease for a year or 6 months, but they may. Again, a local agent would know more than I about it.

Once here, there's no problem finding trail heads or places to hike.

[EyeOnMadisonStreet]

@BanjoMike: Thanks for the tip about basement apartments in Idaho Falls and the reminder to get a RE agent. It's encouraging to hear I won't have trouble finding a trail.

[highplainsrunaway]

I've been watching the weather and local webcams for CDA, and so far this month, the humidity has averaged 94% and I have yet to see any sunshine or blue sky on any of the webcams in the area.

Is this normal? Does it ever dry out? Is there ever a sunny day?

I heard winter is dreary there, but does it ever let up, or do you have to wait for spring to see the sun?

[Boone1791]

Originally Posted by highplainsrunaway

I've been watching the weather and local webcams for CDA, and so far this month, the humidity has averaged 94% and I have yet to see any sunshine or blue sky on any of the webcams in the area.


Is this normal? Does it ever dry out? Is there ever a sunny day?

I'd also be interested in the answer to this from the longer-term locals. Yes, lot of gray days, not a lot of snow yet (I figure that's coming), drizzly/rainy the last few days. And of course, short days. This kind of bums out Mrs. Boone, but I tell her it's to be expected. Actually, the near-term forecast has some partially sunny days ahead. Looks like the jet stream is getting ready to go up and over North Idaho.

[elousv]

This site has all kinds of data on cloudy days. CDA is 80% cloudy pretty much all winter. The main reason from what I gather, is the clouds race across the wasteland in WA, slam against the mountains and stack up. Today is the shortest day, it is all up from here.