Still (or not so Still)
Life in Sandpoint

The water level has started its gradual decline, the temperature has dropped a solid 20 degrees and the landscape has started to change color—all signs are pointing to fall’s arrival.  Although it may be difficult to resist yearning for just a few more weeks of summer–the days on the lake, relying on your bike as your main source of transportation and the constant flow of family and friends making their annual visit— it is the richness of each season that keeps our community thriving with a culture that is both unique and exciting. 

In a town like Sandpoint, where there is no “off-season”, the fall months are as good as any to venture out and explore.  Our staff at Seasons can direct you to some of the best locations to do just that, and experience the unmatched beauty of nature’s fall palette— lively hues of orange, yellow, and fiery red.

Here are a few local events considered autumn favorites in and around Sandpoint:

The Fall Foliage Tours on the Shawnodese offer a unique experience and an excellent way to view the lake in its entire splendor.  This scenic hour and a half tour cruises around the 4 islands off of Hope, including a bald eagle sanctuary called Pearl Island.  Learn the history of the islands and the Hope Peninsula, while relaxing on the classic and historic vessel.   The Fall Island Tour departs from Kramer Marina in East Hope every Saturday, September 15^th to October 15^th, from 3:30 to 5:00pm. www.lakependoreillecruises.com

Sandpoint’s annual Oktoberfest should prove to be extra special this year, marking the final 1^st Thursday of the year and the celebration of being named as America’s Most Beautiful Small Town!  As part of the Best Small Towns in America – 2011 Best of the Road Rally, it’s no big surprise to the locals that Rand McNally honored Sandpoint as the most beautiful.  A sign stating this will be unveiled as part of the celebration.  This autumn celebration will be one to be remembered, complete with live music and plenty of activities. October 6 at 5:00pm, in downtown Sandpoint.  www.downtownsandpoint.com

Harvest Fest marks the finale of another great year of our local farmer’s market—a favorite tradition for much of the community.  Celebrate another great season with harvest themed activities such as bobbing for apples and pin the fruit on the plant.  Enjoy live music and delicious home baked goods.  Also, this is your opportunity to stock up on storage vegetables for the winter, always grown locally… and with a lot of love!  October 15 from 9am to 3pm, in Farmin Park. www.sandpointfarmersmarket.com

Summer in Sandpoint means different things to different people. To the hospitality staff at Seasons, summer is the time when we welcome back familiar faces and meet many new and interesting visitors from around the world.  Our unmatched Lake Pend Oreille location graciously beckons our owners and their guests with long sunny days of leisure ahead. 

We have an exciting summer planned and hope you will stop by and visit. Here are a few things you should know as we head into our favorite season:

• Seasons offers a wide assortment of fun events for the entire family all summer long.  We just recently celebrated the Fourth of July with over 125 people enjoying a BBQ, games, and lakeside dining to enjoy front-row seats to the Sandpoint firework show!  Also this summer we will be having Sunset Soirées at our Marina Pavilion, Firepit Fridays, Al Fresco Potlucks, Lawn Games and Cheer every Tuesday, 2:00pm – 4:00pm, and will be ending off the summer season with our annual Labor Day party.  Please contact Seasons Owner Services at 208-255-1054 to find out the latest happenings both at Seasons and in the City of Sandpoint.
• The Seasons community has some unbelievable luxury rental condominiums. Although we are almost fully booked for the summer months, there are still a few rental opportunities remaining. Call 866-912-0342 to reserve your summer vacation today. You can even rent a marina slip for your boat to ensure maximum enjoyment of the lake throughout your stay!
• While Seasons is a private community, The Spa at Seasons is open to the public from Tuesday – Sunday 9:30am – 4:30pm.  We have a host of delightful services sure to enlighten the senses and refresh your soul before you go about your leisurely sunny summer day. Visit www.SpaAtSeasons.com or call 888.263.5616 to schedule an appointment.
• The community developer, BVG Incorporated, is currently offering a special Developer Closeout Sale with incentives ranging from $30,000 – $75,000 on their final inventory of homes.  The majority of these homes are Penthouses, have upgraded finishes and many are turnkey furnished. After already selling 4 this spring, the last 8 are available to be shown to interested parties daily. Call Chris Chambers at 208.290.2500 or stop by The Retreat for more information.

 Stay tuned for summer updates on all that Sandpoint and Seasons has to offer. We look forward to seeing you on the lake!  

Chris Hove

General Manager

Seasons at Sandpoint

Summer is right around the corner and there is buzz in the air here in Sandpoint.  We’ll be back on the blog in a couple weeks after a quick “spring break”.  Enjoy the sunshine!

View of Lake Pend Oreille from the Townhome

We each have different reasons to own a vacation home, and we all have different ways in which we want to live in them. However, there is one common denominator: We want to enjoy every minute while we are there. Mrs. Lois Hansen, a resident of Spokane Valley and long-time owner at Seasons at Sandpoint, decided to trade in her two condominiums at Seasons for a “designer-ready” townhome just a few doors down.

In speaking with Mrs. Hansen’s son Eric, he stated that his mom could buy a home anywhere on the lake, and for that matter, on any lake. She chose Seasons at Sandpoint located on Lake Pend Oreille with his encouragement because of its peaceful beauty and superb in-town location just walking distance of the downtown city of Sandpoint.

Eric ticked off the reasons on his fingers one by one:

• Three floors of drop dead sweeping views of Lake Pend Oreille.
• A town home designated as “designer ready”, in other words, finished to the drywall giving her the flexibility to finish the home exactly the way she wants to giving added value to her purchase.
• Located inside the Seasons community with private beach, marina, spa and concierge.
• Part of an Owner’s Association meaning no maintenance or upkeep of common areas and grounds.
• Close to the downtown Sandpoint community, so she doesn’t feel isolated.

With all of these reasons, Mrs. Hansen just couldn’t pass up this great opportunity. She has 6 children, 26 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 1 great great granddaughter. She wants a place where every one of her family members can gather. A place where she can be and watch them grow up as they come to swim, hike and ski.

Because the town home was finished to a “Designer Ready” state, Mrs. Hanson was able to customize her residence to fit her family’s needs. Therefore, local architect Jon Sayler was just the choice for her to help finish the home exactly the way she wants it. I had a chance to visit with Jon about his vision for the home and how it fit with Mrs. Hansen’s needs. His philosophy is to build homes that people come to for fun. Be it on the ski mountain, the golf course or on the lake, everyone is coming to have an experience, and to share it with their friends and family.

Mrs. Hansen’s son Eric was a developer and general contractor 30 years ago and is overseeing the townhouse project. He owns an insurance agency in northern Idaho. When the two got together with Jon they decided to modify the floorplan to make the living area even more spacious, widen up the staircase, and replace the walls of the elevator with glass to give it a more open feel. The developer also allowed them to modify a few sliding glass doors to help maximize the gorgeous views.

They’ll enhance the ceilings with different woods to give it a natural, woodsy flavor, and change the texture of the drywall by adding a mud coat.

Mrs. Hansen’s interior decorator will finish the home with all the finishing details she desires while working closely with the architect to ensure it fits the vision of the home and everyone involved. At this point, the home is complete to the drywall. Renovations will begin in January and we have been invited back in to see the finished product, hopefully on time for the incredible summer season.

There are only two of these designer-ready townhomes remaining. Please contact Chris Chambers for more information at 208.265.4420 or email. Seasons at Sandpoint can work with you directly to finish a townhome to your desire, or we can recommend designers for you.

First Snow - Winter in October

As the season pass sale at Schweitzer Mountain approached its October 31 deadline, it was as if the marketing department said, “Cue the major snow storm” in order to motivate sales. It started snowing October 25 and kept at it for two days catching many people that live above 4000 feet unprepared.

This time of year, rain in Sandpoint likely means snow on the mountain. That’s one of the neat things about Seasons, located on the lake, 2500 feet below the ski resort. It can be a different world driving the 13 miles up to Schweitzer – from the peak of fall in town to a winter wonderland in 30 minutes. Sometimes it even means climbing above cloud level into the sunshine.

I had the opportunity to chat with Dave Kulis, the sales and marketing director at Schweitzer. He wouldn’t take credit for the snowfall. He does, however, concede that it was an excellent reminder that ski season is just around the corner. It’s too soon now to tell how the sale performed, as they continue to process the mail-in and phone-on orders.

But have you heard the buzz yet about La Nina? They are forecasting an excellent ski season with plentiful snow on the mountain. There are a couple of great sources to follow to keep up on this stuff.

1. Kris Crocker is KXLY meteorologist, a skier and a huge fan of Schweitzer. She blogs here and this is her winter outlook.

1. Larry Schick is the self-professed Grand Poobah of Powder. You can subscribe to his powder alerts here. (At the time of posting this blog, their site is down, but I’m sure they are diligently working on it) Granted, these updates are for Ski Washington so he’s talking about the Cascades, but I find him to be incredibly accurate, and I just tack on a day for his weather to reach us.

Here is what Larry is saying about the upcoming ski season:

“La Nina is the best long term seasonal forecast indicator for fantastic snow in the Cascades. It’s not perfect and not a guarantee. But, in my experience, it’s the only good long-range forecast for above normal snow in the Cascades which is reliable for the Pacific Northwest.”

Snowed in, in October?

So when will they open? Ah yes, the quintessential question. The almost 18 inches of snow that fell at the summit of Schweitzer has nearly melted in the past few days. Nevertheless, the resort always tries to open for Thanksgiving Weekend snow permitting.

Snow, permit that please.

It’s the time of year many of us dread. The Sandpoint Farmers’ Market closed for season this month.  No more Saturday mornings browsing the tables overloaded with the seasonal freshness of the area, sipping our local coffee, and meeting up with friends. Although we will all miss the open-air grocery shopping and fun atmosphere the market creates, there is no need to fret…Sandpoint residents can still buy and eat local all year through our own community co-operative market, the Six Rivers Market.

Six Rivers Market was developed by locals as a gift to the Sandpoint community. The market is run mainly via its website and offers local produce and products created within a 100 mile radius of Sandpoint. This philosophy of supporting local farmers creates a sustainable environment on which Sandpoint can build upon. When our commerce is heavily dependent on local producers, we as a community become self-supportive. This creates a healthier community on both a consumption and economic level.

Market users shop online during “open market” and submit their orders by Monday evening. On Wednesday, the orders are fulfilled and ready for pick-up at Sandpoint’s Event Center in Downtown. You can purchase an assortment of items including fresh eggs and produce, breads, cookies, cakes, fruit pies, jams, jellies, candy and honey, locally roasted coffee beans, meat and any food produced with a license.

The movement to buy local is especially important in a time where oil concerns and gas prices are on the rise. The word “sustainable” has been mentioned more in the past five years due to such concerns. But Sandpoint is one of only two U.S. cities to take this concept to the next level.

In 2008, the Sandpoint Transition Initiative received its official designation as a Transition Town by the Transition Network, UK. There are numerous facets to a “Transition Town”, one of them being our food sustainability methods. The Six Rivers Market provides ease to consumers, supports our local economy and helps reduce Sandpoint’s overall environmental imprint.

Back to the Farmers’ Market: The food you purchase from the market is fresh and has not been hauled across the country. The baked goods are freshly baked and the eggs come from chickens just down the street. You can shop the market knowing you will enjoy wonderful food, while helping build your community.

The Market hosts community pot lucks and invites members and non-members to come meet the farmers and other producers. The schedule for these events can be found on their website. There is a yearly membership fee of $25.00 and a small “Market fee” that is added to all the orders. This covers administrative costs to run the market.

Harmony Libby, the new market manager is encouraged by the positive growth the market is seeing in new members and producers. “The introduction of new product has proven to be a huge selling point amongst our members.  Last month we added raw milk and soy beans to the list, this month we are introducing Ivano’s to the market. They will be listing an array of take-home meals, dressings, and desserts.”

Take a moment to explore this interesting and innovative concept by visiting the Six Rivers Market website or stopping by on Wednesday afternoon – pick-up day – at the Sandpoint Event Center. They can be reached by phone at 208.946.5562.

We’d love to hear from you. What do you think? What would you like to read about here in this blog?

Chris Hove and his wife arrived in Sandpoint on April 1, 2010. Perhaps not the best time for someone who had been living in Dallas to arrive, but fortunately we had a mild winter and beautiful spring to help with the transition.

Chris and wife Andrea

You’d think he would be suffering from culture shock, moving from one community to the next. A bit of a change after all. But he grew up in Christine, North Dakota, population ONE HUNDRED FIFTY, so he feels like he’s come back home, only with better views.

I’d be curious to know what the other 23 people Chris graduated high school with are doing today. Have they hop-scotched across the country like he has from one luxury hotel job to the next?

Chris has made a career in the hospitality industry and it’s been good to him. It’s taken him to Minneapolis, Long Island, Southern California and Dallas. Life brought him to Sandpoint via his employer DCM Hospitality.

Brush with fame: He’s been in luxury hospitality all his life, so he could go on and on with the stories. One of the coolest? The night Tom Petty’s stylist left the jacket he was to perform in back at the Montauk Yacht Club Resort and Marina where Chris was Operations Manger. A quick call to Chris and he brought the jacket over, saving the show (the silent hero)!! He was invited to hang out and watch the concert from the backstage, and meet Petty.

Since his arrival, Chris has quickly become involved in downtown initiatives. He is an appointed member of the Sandpoint Tourism and Recreation Committee, and sits on the Board of Directors of the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association. It’s obviously a great way to become immersed in the community and to get to know the people. We will keep you updated on the big issues via this blog. Speaking of which, did you subscribe via email? It’s right up there – upper right-hand corner. see it?

When Chris is not at work, he is exploring the region with his wife, Andrea and is pretty excited about the football season. His favorite team is the MINNESOTA VIKINGS, and has been all of his life. (GO VIKINGS, PURPLE PRIDE!!!) He also keeps himself busy on his days off participating in 2 fantasy football leagues.

Chris has met most of the residents of Seasons and looks forward to meeting the rest. Please stop by and say hi. He can be found at one of the many Seasons events and welcomes your feedback.

He also wants to know who you’re rooting for this season.

Chris Chambers of  Tomlinson Sandpoint Sotheby’s International Realty guest blogs today.

I enjoy following the data reports that show the trends in our local market.  There are opportunities to find some pearls of wisdom and try to overlay them on the predictions for the future – it is human nature to learn from the past.

I am especially fascinated to compare these observations with the current feelings and confidence in the marketplace.  Consumers now have access to a huge amount of data and this can sometimes drive opinions to wide extremes.

Interestingly, I’ve observed that when the market is hot, the tall stories and feelings of euphoria seem to fall short of reality.  Conversely, when the market is off, the feelings of fear and despair also fall short of reality.  Clearly, we have had a price correction in our market and 2008-2009 was quite a time – especially for Sandpoint, a town that relies heavily on second home buyers and retirees.  But when you look at 2009 YTD and compare it to 2010, the trend tells a story that is a bit different from the street talk we all participate in – including me!  You can look further back than 2009, but what’s the point?

Sandpoint from Gold Hill

Take for example, a broad brushstroke of all of the residential listings in our MLS (multiple listing service).  This includes Bonner and Boundary County (and a sprinkling of a few others like Sanders County in Montana and Kootenai County).  If you just try to look at the big picture – you will see that things are improving.  Here is the summary of the data:

You can see the market activity has improved with 14% more listings sold and a reduction in inventory of 13%.   The other good news is that while other “bubble” markets across the United States have seen extremely large increases in their prices, followed by extremely steep declines, that really hasn’t been the case in the Spokane/Idaho Panhandle region.   Prices in this area are definitely lower than where they were a few years back, but, without the radical free fall that other larger markets have seen.

The increase in sales activity combined with the reduced inventory indicates that buyers are definitely coming back into the market.  But, as a seller in this type of market you still need to be priced correctly in order to capture the attention of these prospective purchasers.  When this reversal happens, it is also typical that the best inventory is snapped up first since buyers will always gravitate towards buying the BEST when the softer pricing allows them to do so.

At Seasons at Sandpoint, we’ve seen similar trends. The interest in this community has increased and the buyers are buying again. Seasons is capturing a decent share of the  market because of its’ unique “in town AND on the lake” location. The six sales realized thus far at Seasons in the summer of 2010 shows that Seasons seems to have solved this rather simple puzzle.  That is, when you have the best, and you have priced it correctly, you will always find a way to help people to see the reality through all the hype.

I welcome your questions, and feel free to contact me for more information.

Chris Chambers
Tomlinson Sandpoint
Sotheby’s International Realty