The eagles have arrived in North Idaho!  In late November or early December the eagles come to Lake Coeur d’Alene for the kokanee (salmon) spawning in the gravel close to the lake’s shores.  We drove around the north and east sides of the lake, by Beauty Bay, to see the eagles feeding.  There is limited parking at the Mineral Ridge Trail Head so we normally stop the car and watch from the side of the road.  At this time of year if you take time to go out on the drive, you should be rewarded with eagle sighting.  Remember to take binoculars so you can spot the eagles perching in the trees especially the dead snags. 12/11/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, SFR, CLHMS - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Short Sale Specialist Nothing is better than having a short sale success story to share, and today was a wonderful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho short sale success!  We successfully closed a short sale transaction for a wonderful little family. What an early Christmas gift it was for my clients to gain closure to an unfortunate chapter of their life.  After a long fought and futile attempt for a loan modification or refinance, they were left with the option of short selling or losing their home to foreclosure. Although challenging, our attempts to avoid foreclosure with a short sale were successful.  Christmas will be a little brighter for this family, today they became the recipients of some wonderful gifts: No recourse for the deficien... 12/09/2011

Links Virtual Tour Photo Gallery Custom Energy Star Home Mica Bay on Coeur dAlene Lake The Call of the Wild! Watch Bald Eagles Soar! Warm and Inviting Quality Built Write Your Story Here! Entertain Inside or Out Custom Cabinets, Hickory Floor Only the Best Dining with a VIEW Office with Outside Entry Upstairs Hallway Hickory Gracious Master Suite Beautiful Granite 3.5 Upscaled Baths Basement Stairway Finished Basement Rec Room Hot Tub and Fire Pit Hardi Plank and Stone Uninterrupted Views! Winter View Four Seasons of Splendor Baby Moose on the Driveway! They'll all come home for the holidays! Live your Dream! Description OPEN HOUSE, June 5th from 1 to 4, stop in and check out the jaw dropping VIEW!!!IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS! Just 10 miles south of Coeur d'Alene on Hwy 9... 12/04/2011

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Janna Rankin Scharf     Photo Gallery Description Here is a pretty home built in 2007 that has been lovingly cared for by it's owners, and it shows. Their loss is your gain, this is a wonderful short sale opportunity for a lucky buyer to purchase a great 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home for less than replacement value!You'll have flexible space for your lifestyle needs with the big bonus room above the garage. And what better way to spend your evenings than relaxing on the big, covered front porch! This house will not disappoint, put it on your showing list. Sellers need an offer to submit to their lender. Call me to find out how to take advantage of this wonderful short sale opportunity in the lovely community of Hawks Nest. Features Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Year Buil... 12/04/2011

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS Janna Rankin Scharf     Photo Gallery Description Here is a wonderful 2 story on a large lot in The Landings at Waterford! This wonderful home is another short sale opportunity for a lucky buyer. Seller's loss is your gain with this spacious home with a popular, flowing floor plan.The home is well designed and spacious. It has 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths, with both a family & a living room on the main level, as well as a formal dining room! Enjoy the lovely gas fireplace in the family room. The bedrooms are upstairs, with a large, luxurious vaulted master suite with walk-in closet. All appliances stay, including the refrigerator and the washer and dryer! Outside, the large yard is more than a quarter acre, and it's landscaped, sprinklered, and partially fenced. There is... 12/04/2011

We have good news from Frontier Ice Arena here is North Idaho but it also means that we in the community have to get to work.  A grant for $150,000 has been approved for the new ice rink but we don’t get the grant unless we can meet the Capital Campaign amount of $800,000.  Currently, we are short $214,000.  The North Idaho area ice skaters really need a local rink to skate at, so they don't have to drive over to Spokane for ice time.  This rink would serve Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Rathdrum, Hayden and even the Sandpoint areas. The parking lot is partially paved and the last several hundred thousand dollars are needed to finish the interior and put in the tubing for the ice.  So if you have a generous heart and want to help out call arena manager, Matt Beam at 208 765-4423 or visit th... 11/22/2011

Wow as grandmother it is a thrill to see a very positive article in the CDA Press written about one my grandsons (I have 4 grandsons). Noah is the second grandson and we are very proud of his accomplishments, as he is Dyslexic.  He struggles to read but he is getting better as he understands how to work with the disorder, he knows that he has other strengths to draw from. Noah wanted to start saving money for a car; so he decided to make a yard game that his dad played in Finland as a child, and sell the game at our local Farmers Market.  He enlisted the help of his grandfather and was taught how to use the power tools, he found the supplier for the raw wood, and he talked with a coffee bean company and reuses the coffee bean bags to make bags for the finished game.  He hired his younge... 11/21/2011

Some of my happiest childhood memories involve huge piles of leaves under the ancient poplar trees that framed our house at 9th and Sherman.  They're all gone now, our home and those trees.  But each fall as the leaves pile up around town they live on in my memories. The city's annual leaf pick-up program will begin this week. Residents are asked to rake their leaves and pine needles into the streets, about a foot out from the gutter line to allow for water drainage.  Please do not put bagged leaves, branches, rubble or refuse in the street.  There is no cost to you. City crews will be moving fast, beginning south of Sherman and working their way north.  Once an area has been cleared they won't return, so if you're too late you're just out of luck.  City crews are unable to provide an e... 11/13/2011

Photo Gallery Description Here is an opportunity to purchase an idyllic country estate in a prime location for a SONG! Sellers loss is truly your gain here. Located in highly desired Cougar Gulch, it offers privacy and seclusion that is just a hop skip and jump from beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene and town. The home is large and well appointed, with room for everyone. A well provides the home's water, and an underground spring keeps the pond and irrigation cistern full year round! The pond is permitted and the property has senior water rights recorded with the state. Take time to scroll through the photos and they will tell you the story of just what a treasure you have found here! Features Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3.5 Year Built: 1996 Lot Size: 10.18 Acres School District: CDA-271 Square F... 11/06/2011

  What a great night at the KROC Center in Coeur d’Alene Idaho. The evening started with a lively performance featuring Leon Patillo (previously with Santana) doing a couple of gospel numbers and engaging the audience.  After the show I saw Mr. Patillo give a young boy one of his CD’s. The boy had just come from swimming and had no money on him, but he was thrilled to be talking with Mr. Patillo.  Wow!   The Northwest Sacred Music Chorale’s 2011 Fall Concert proved to be one of their most extraordinary concerts yet. It was led by guest conductor Cynthia Marlette, founder and the first conductor of the NWSMC.  It featured the Chorale in a thrilling work for symphony orchestra and choir called "Concert Mass" by composer Joe Fitzmartin. This major work for symphony orchestra and choir had ... 11/06/2011

LinksClick for Virtual TourPhoto GalleryDescriptionBreathe in the Incredible vistas of sky, lake, city and mountains from this upscale one-of-a-kind Precision Craft log home! The breathtaking views are expansive and spectacular from every room in the house!This idyllic location is just past Kidd Island Bay on the northwest end of beautiful Coeur d'Alene Lake. Enjoy exceptional views of downtown Coeur d'Alene and the resort, Tubbs Hill, Sanders Beach, the resort golf course and Arrow Point. On a clear day you can even see the ski runs at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort! The home was built in 2001 using quality D-log construction and beautiful 10 inch logs. It is bright and open, with big walls of windows framing that gorgeous lake view and bathing the home in natural light.You will enjoy ... 11/05/2011

Links Virtual Tour Photo Gallery Custom Energy Star Home Mica Bay on Coeur dAlene Lake The Call of the Wild! Watch Bald Eagles Soar! Warm and Inviting Quality Built Write Your Story Here! Entertain Inside or Out Custom Cabinets, Hickory Floor Only the Best Dining with a VIEW Office with Outside Entry Upstairs Hallway Hickory Gracious Master Suite Beautiful Granite 3.5 Upscaled Baths Basement Stairway Finished Basement Rec Room Hot Tub and Fire Pit Hardi Plank and Stone Uninterrupted Views! Winter View Four Seasons of Splendor Baby Moose on the Driveway! They'll all come home for the holidays! Live your Dream! Description OPEN HOUSE, June 5th from 1 to 4, stop in and check out the jaw dropping VIEW!!!IT JUST DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS! Just 10 miles south of Coeur d'Alene on Hwy 9... 11/05/2011

Twelve months down the road on my guest to be healthy and fit! Exactly a year ago I set out with a huge goal - to lose 150 pounds!  Here I am a year later, eighty pounds lighter and feeling like a million bucks!  I haven't yet reached my weight loss goal but I have achieved success in a number of critical areas that have to do with lifestyle changes.  Eventually I WILL reach my ideal weight.  My "secret" to success?  There is no secret formula or magic diet.  I am eating right and exercising.  I'm losing weight the old fashioned and healthy way.  The way that will be permanent. Did I mention that I FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS!!!  One HUGE goal that I have achieved is that I am no longer sedentary, not sitting on the sidelines of life watching everyone else have all the fun!  The photos in... 10/28/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR, AB - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale This morning dawned dreary and the weather man predicted rain.  Rick and I had planned to meet up with my fellow exercise boot campers for an 8 a.m. hike up Canfield Mountain, but I was thinking staying in my warm, cozy bed sounded like a great idea.  It wasn't raining, Rick said we should just get up and go, so off we went. I was a little apprehensive, having never hiked Canfield Mountain before.  There are twenty five miles of trails, and we planned to hike about 3.5 of those in a big loop.  Mostly UP HILL.  I came prepared with new trekking poles, and up the mountain we started.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the steady climb wasn't a big deal.  We passed the others doubling back down the hill abo... 10/22/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR, AB - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Homes for Sale In honor of November's National Fight Against Homelessness, Keller Williams Realty Coeur d'Alene and our 125 hard working associates are pleased to announce that we will be conducting a socks, blankets and sleeping bag collection to provide much needed warmth for the St. Vincent de Paul warming shelters for the homeless. Help us fill the barrelsand be a blessing on purpose! We can use your help to ensure that the homeless families in our area will stay warm and dry this winter. Please consider donating any of the following items: Warm socks, all sizes Tents Sweatshirts Gently used or new blankets Sleeping bags We have barrels in our lobby where you can drop off your items, or give me a call and I will happily ... 10/18/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR, AB - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate Sales For those interested in condo sales activity in Kootenai County, here's the information you're looking for.  These are the statistics for condo sales in Kootenai County in September, 2011. There were 11 condominium sales in September with an average sales price of $349,395.  There were 4 condo sales of units with 2 or less bedrooms, those had an average price of $151,750.  Seven condos that sold in September had 3 bedrooms and an average price of $426,336.  At the end of September, there were 179 active condo listings in Kootenai County, and 12 condo sales were pending. Please call me if you would like more information on condo sales in the Coeur d'alene area and I will happily provide you with the informat... 10/16/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR, AB - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Real Estate Here's a look at how sales stacked up in some of the most active communities in the Coeur d'alene real estate market area in the 3rd Quarter of 2011. Coeur d'alene Place lead the pack with 23 closed sales, with 1 being an REO or short sale, and an average sold price of $191,617. The Landings at Waterford was next with 18 closed sales, of which 4 were distressed sales.  Average was $157,377. Fieldstone came in with 14 closings, 2 distressed sales and an average price of $169,878. Hawks Nest had 10 closed sales of which 3 were a short sale or REO.  Average sold price was $165,240. Sunshine Meadow ended the 3rd quarter with 8 closings, 4 distressed sales and an average of $137,550. Riverside Harbor had 7 closed sale... 10/16/2011

Have a very sweet "Sweetest Day" ...  Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged, and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed. Sweetest Day is not based on any single group's religious sentiment or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning. Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift-giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a tangible way. This holiday is much more important in some regions than in others (Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo being the biggest Sweetest Day citi... 10/14/2011

Janna Rankin Scharf, GRI, CLHMS, SFR - Coeur d'Alene Idaho Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist For those of you who have requested information about the auction of Duane Hagadone's luxurious world-class Coeur d'Alene, Idaho estate, here is an update. Hagadone's beautiful Coeur d'Alene home was set for auction on September 8, 2011.  The highest bidder at or above $7.5 million would have purchased what had been Kootenai County's highest priced residential listing since July of 2009. Unfortunately, there were no bidders to meet the minimum bid and the spectacular property remains available.  It is still being offered through the auction house with a minimum $7,500,000 offer required, along with a 10% buyers premium.  That being said, I'm told they will present ALL bids for considera... 10/10/2011

The POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul group gives you the opportunity to share the miracles in your life during this fall season with a creative writing challenge . Join in on the challenge with the  FALL SEASON OF MIRACLES CONTEST | Positive Attitude for the Weary Soul Group Is it really The Fall Season of Miracles?  Honestly, I think the answer is YES! I took a short sale listing in June of 2009.  I still have that listing, and what an incredible journey it has been! From time to time, my blog has featured stories about that listing.  The first time was 20 months ago!  It was about my frustration with how mind-numbing maddening the process was of simply getting First Horizon to acknowledge that they had received the offer and short sale packet.  That alone took nearly two months.  ... 10/06/2011