Class for First Time Homebuyer's!

We get quite a few questions from first time homebuyer's & thought this would be a great offering for anyone who is thinking of buying a house now, think they might in the near future or even if you only plan on buying sometime down the road. This class will be very informative so tell all your friends & then let us know what you thought!

The College of Southern Idaho’s Community Education Center is offering the non-credit homebuyer’s education course, Finally Home, on Monday, September 16 & 24 from 6-10 pm, at the Twin Falls Campus. This HUD-authorized course is specifically designed for first-time low to moderate-income homebuyers and addresses some of the issues that potential homeowners face as they take the steps to purchasing a home.

The Finally Home Homebuyer Education program is an eight-hour course that takes participants from the “can I and do I want to become a homeowner” to “how do I maintain this important investment?” Potential homeowners learn the steps involved in making their biggest investment, including: who are the key players in the home buying process, why is good credit important, how to fix bad credit, how to apply & qualify for a loan, how to shop for a home, what happens at closing, the financial benefit of homeownership, how to avoid delinquencies, defaults & foreclosure & much more. Participants will receive a certificate of completion that can potentially help qualified borrowers take advantage of special programs offering down payment or closing cost assistance, the use of gifted funds or more generous debt ratios.

The cost to register in Finally Home is $20 and students can register at http://communityed.csi.edu. Class size is limited so early registration is suggested.

Call (208) 732-6442 for more information.

New Team Member!

As many of you know I have been without a secretary for some time and it has been mentioned that I could need one, please I need all help I can get.

Last fall I was honored to help Lance & Dieuwke Schott buy Burley, ID real estate as they transferred from Washington. At that time I still did not have a secretary & after having met Dieuwke I knew her to be honest, courteous & smart.  I asked her what she would be doing once they were settled in and asked her to join our team here. Just to keep us in mind!

Well, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce Mountain West's newest team member, Dieuwke Schott. Pronounced Do Ka! Or just call her Dieuwke Do 'cause she can do anything!

Moutain West Realty's newest team member!

I am excited about the new ideas she brings and we are offering clients something very cool that will be a great tool for you buyers as well! Stay posted and we'll let you know as soon as we have the bugs worked out!

Homeowners Exepemption

APRIL 15TH IS NEAR!!

A reminder to all of you who purchased a home in Minidoka County in 2011; if you haven't gone to the assessors office and signed for your Home Owners Exemption you only have until Friday!

If you bought a home between April 15, 2011 and January 1, 2012 in Minidoka County your homeowners exemption, if it was in existence at the time you purchased, will fall off and your property taxes will go up considerably!

If you are unsure as to whether you did this or not just call the Minidoka Assessors office or give me a call and we'll help you!  Here is a link to the Miknidoa Assessors office: www.minidoka.id.us/assessor/default.htm

Interest rates are still under 4% so if you are considering buying real estate in Rupert, Idaho now is a fantastic time! If you are a first time homeowner and don't know how to begin just call us, we will walk you through each step! There are programs available, if you qualify, that can get you into a home with no down payment!

Enjoy the spring weather and let's go shoppin'! For a home that is! You can see some of the homes available through this link to Mountain West Realty: http://www.mtnwestrealty.com/.

The housing market in the Mini-Cassia area

Welcome to the Mountain West Realty Blog!

We will attempt to post information about our local market conditions, available loan programs and information that may affect you as a homeowner or prospective homeowner! Things are ever changing and so we must we, or become ignorant to the world around us!

So you know, the Mini-Cassia real estate area, as per our local Multiple Listing Service information currently has 93 single family homes available with a median price of $115,000. This is approximately 15% above the median sales price for the year thus far! This of course does not mean you can expect to buy a home for 15% less than list price!

We also have 44 homes with acreage currently on the market! The median price for these is $159,000. Prices range from $50,000 to $575,000.

Here's a link for some of the great values available for Rupert, Idaho real estate.

There are several great loan programs available to home buyers with interest rates from 3.75%. I remember when 6% was a GREAT rate and people were clamoring to buy a home or refinance! Remember, the best way to get yourself positioned to qualify for a home loan is to make all your payments on time, no late fees! Along with that, don't overextend your budget, if you have one! It's surprising how many of us don't operate our income on a budget! Makes it real easy to spend more than we make, thus the credit cards are tapped out and we can't make our payments on time, if at all! If you need help with this let me know, I'll hook you up with some great budget gurus!

Another FYI, from January 1, 2011 to March 28, 2011 we saw 36 single family and single family with acreage sales. The median sales price was $120,000. For the same time this year (2012) we currently have 44 total sales of like kind with a medial sales price of $99,900. This suggests that so far this year prices are down and interest rates are incredible, making this a fantastic time to own a home!

Hope this helps a little! Please don't hesitate to call (208) 878-3500 or stop by 658 Overland Ave in Burley ID for any question you might have, whether you want to buy or sell, I'd love to assist you!

In the next blog I'll attempt to get into more detail about various loans and some things to look for in finding the right home for you!