It was an absolute joy working with you, Aaron! I truly appreciate your review. I look forward to working with you again in the near future!     "Curtis is what we call a professional who goes above and beyond to help!   We spoke on a video call after I stumbled across his video on YouTube describing Idaho and answering questions for anyone who was considering moving there.   I was just about sold on the idea of moving to Idaho but I had to go visit and check out the area to be sure. So several weeks later we landed in Boise. I mentioned to Curtis that we were visiting and he was kind enough to take the time to show us some houses that were on the market.   Long story short, we didn’t make any offers until we were back home. That being the case, Curtis video called us so we could continue seeing houses and then we finally found the house we are happily calling home now. He was very thorough throughout process and he made himself available anytime even when he was out of town with his family.   I definitely recommend Curtis Chism with any of your real estate needs and I plan on working with him again in the near future!" -Aaron Marin

  Are you considering a move to Boise, Idaho?** Before you make the decision, it's essential to understand the pros and cons of living in the Boise area. In today’s post, I’ll walk you through the top advantages and potential drawbacks of relocating to Boise, Idaho. My name is Curtis Chisum. I moved from San Diego, California, as a third-generation San Diegan, to Boise, Idaho, for a better life: lower overall cost of living, more conservative values, and access to outdoor activities. I absolutely love it here and want to share my insights to help you make an informed decision. Top Pros of Moving to Boise, Idaho 1. Access to Outdoor Activities For me, the number one pro of living in Boise is the access to outdoor activities. When I was planning my move from California, I considered several states, including Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. While each had its merits, none offered the outdoor lifestyle I was seeking. Boise, Idaho, offers easy access to nature, with the Boise River flowing right through the city and several suburbs, including Eagle and Star. The river is a refreshing escape during the summer, perfect for floating, fishing, and enjoying the outdoors. Additionally, the local foothills provide excellent hiking opportunities, and the nearby mountains, just a couple of hours away, offer incredible camping and water activities. 2. Easy Access to Major Cities Another advantage of living in Boise is the easy access to other states, especially California. Many of my clients move here from Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Texas. Boise’s small airport offers direct flights to many cities, making it easy to travel for business or to visit family. For example, I can fly to San Diego in just under two hours. 3. Slower Pace of Life Boise offers a slower pace of life, which is appealing to many people, especially those looking to escape the fast-paced environment of larger cities. The area is very family-oriented, and life tends to move at a more relaxed pace, particularly as you move out of the city and into the surrounding countryside. 4. Conservative Values Idaho is a conservative state, which may be a pro or a con depending on your personal views. For those who value conservative-related freedoms and policies, Idaho offers a like-minded community, lower business taxes, and fewer regulations compared to states like California. 5. More Affordable Living Boise is significantly more affordable than many major cities in California. Although home prices have risen in recent years, they are still much lower than in places like San Diego. Utilities, insurance, and other living expenses are also more affordable in Idaho, making it an attractive option for those looking to reduce their cost of living. 6. Favorable Gun Laws Idaho has much more lenient gun laws compared to California. As a constitutional carry state, residents can open carry or conceal carry without a permit. The state also offers an enhanced concealed carry permit that provides reciprocity in other states. Hunting and fishing are popular activities in Idaho, contributing to the local culture. 7. No Major Natural Disasters Idaho is relatively free from major natural disasters. While California is prone to earthquakes, Idaho experiences very few, and those that do occur are minor. The state is also free from tornadoes and hurricanes, making it a safer environment in terms of natural disasters. Top Cons of Moving to Boise, Idaho 1. Wildfire Smoke Although Boise itself doesn’t experience wildfires, the surrounding mountains can be prone to fires, particularly in the summer. The smoke from these fires can drift into the Treasure Valley, affecting air quality. The valley’s bowl-like shape can trap this smoke, leading to poor air conditions at times. 2. Unpredictable Weather Boise’s weather can be challenging, especially for those used to the mild climate of San Diego. Winters can be cold, with temperatures below freezing for several months, while summers can be very hot, with stretches of 100-degree days. The weather varies year by year, making it unpredictable. 3. Rising Traffic Boise has seen significant population growth in recent years, leading to increased traffic. The area’s infrastructure, including roads, was not designed to handle this level of growth. As a result, traffic can be heavy, particularly on main thoroughfares like Eagle Road and I-84. 4. Increasing Cost of Living The cost of living in Boise has been rising due to inflation and the influx of new residents. While still more affordable than many parts of California, the increasing home prices and other living expenses are a concern for locals. The job market, while improving, still offers lower wages compared to larger metropolitan areas. 5. Strong Winds Boise can experience strong winds, particularly from December through June. Wind speeds can reach 25-30 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph, which can cause damage and create challenges for outdoor activities. Boise, Idaho, offers a unique blend of outdoor activities, a slower pace of life, and conservative values, all within a more affordable living environment. However, potential drawbacks include wildfire smoke, unpredictable weather, rising traffic, and an increasing cost of living. If you’re considering a move to Boise, it’s important to weigh these pros and cons to determine if it’s the right fit for you.  

Home prices in Boise Idaho had the largest single month gain in home values for the SECOND TIME THIS YEAR! Home prices have climbed over $100,000 in a few months.   Watch this video to find out what the home prices are in Boise today and why this is happening.   Boise, Idaho home prices have completely recovered from the lows that we hit a year and a half ago. And we have essentially regained all the way back to the highs that we hit in May of 2022. This is your market update for the Boise, Idaho real estate market of July, 2024. Hey everyone, Curtis Chism here doing this video a little bit differently. I'm here in my backyard. You can see my wife's beautiful garden behind me. I'll drop a photo of it in the newsletter here. And in this video, I just wanted to go over exactly what's happening with home prices, both in Boise, Ada County, which makes up the surrounding cities around Boise, like Meridian and Eagle and a few others, and also touching on Canyon County. And what's remarkable is that home prices have completely recovered despite very high mortgage rates. Now mortgage rates really are not insanely high. They're actually on par and average with historical interest rates. The problem is, is that home prices have skyrocketed so much over the past four years that even though mortgage rates are considered average, it just makes your mortgage payment rather unaffordable for most people. And that's what most people are struggling with. But despite that home prices have recovered. There's a lot of reasons for that. Remarkably low inventory however, inventory is beginning to rise. So we'll see how things start to shift. And there's a lot of rumblings about interest rates coming down, probably by the end of the year, as we head into election season, looks like we're heading for a recession. The job market's getting weaker. That's going to start driving interest rates down. If that happens, certainly could see home prices continue to rise because for every 1 percent drop in mortgage rates, you see about 5 million more potential buyers that are eligible that can enter the market nationwide. So despite a recession and potential job losses that gets wiped out by the number of new home buyers that can enter the market. Now, what we're seeing here specifically in Boise and Ada County. Home prices hit a median price of 570, 000. Now, the high that we hit back in May of 2022, just over two years ago was 602, 000. So you're saying Curtis, you just said that we completely recovered. Clearly we haven't. Well, let's break it down a little bit more. So we've almost recovered, but if you look specifically at the resale market, which is two thirds of the market here in the Boise, Idaho area, the other one third being new construction, resale homes have hit 600, 000. Now the high that we hit in May of 2022.  Again, over two years ago for resale homes was 586, 000. So resale homes have actually climbed higher than the high that we hit two years ago when interest rates were just 3%. And now we're sitting around mortgage rates with 7%. And we have surpassed the high of two years ago. It's absolutely incredible. In fact, we saw the biggest single jump in home prices this past month than we have ever seen here in Boise, Idaho. 60, 000 increase for resale homes from 540, 000 to 600, 000. Now just two months ago in March, we did see at the time, what was the largest single month jump, which was from 490, 000 to 546, 000, 56, 000 jump. It fell back to 540, 000 in April. May timeframe, and then it's gone up from 540 to 600, 000 gain, it's 11 percent in just one month. It's 22 percent since the low, another low that we hit in February, so 22 percent gain, 110, 000 gain since February of 2024. to June of 2024. We're at the end of July that I'm recording this video. We'll have new data in about three weeks for what's happening in July. Now what's causing that overall number of 570, 000 instead of that 600, 000. Well, the what's dragging on it right now is new construction sales, but you're still doing well. But the median price for new construction sales is just 525, 000. That is way off the high that we saw back in May of 2022, which was 690, 000 for a new construction home. So a significant spread in the new construction that's makes up one third of the market in the Boise area. And that's dragging down that overall price. From 600, 000 for resale to an average of 570, 000. Now what I'm seeing is that builders are offering major incentives to continue to move homes and they're selling quite rapidly and it seems to be accelerating and they're building a lot more affordable homes because people just are not willing to pay the higher prices for homes. In that seven, eight, nine hundred plus thousand range and that is where homes are struggling, especially in the resale is in that seven, eight hundred, nine hundred thousand dollar range over a million dollars, actually moving fairly well, kind of the more luxury market here in the Boise area. People still have money, they can still afford to buy and sell those homes. But that middle ground of that 700 to a million range, it's a little bit of a bloodbath right now. And it's a lot harder to sell those homes. They're just moving slower sub 600, 000. They're moving much faster. So a lot of the builders have seen that and adjusted or selling a lot more homes. in that price range. You're seeing a lot of rapid home sales with builders like Hubble, Lennar and CBH and Hayden homes for those more affordable homes. That's a big part of the market and it's what people can certainly afford, but on the resale doing a lot better at that 600, 000 mark. Briefly touching on Canyon County. It's doing quite well, but much more conservative and stable in terms of home prices. It has regained its value completely as well. It's sitting at 425, 000 for the median price of homes. Now that is still off the high of 476, 000 back in May. But again, for resale at 420, 000, the high was 425, 000 two years ago. So again, essentially completely recovered. Everyone asks about the market dip. When is it going to crash? I hate to tell you all, but it already crashed. Home prices fell 20 percent from May of 2022 through January of 2023. That was the market correction. It has completely recovered. If you're waiting for the market to crash in Boise. It already happened. I hope you bought a home. If you didn't, it's not too late. It just means that we're back to where we were two years ago at higher interest rates, but I do not see the market crashing again. Now it could be that come this winter time, November, December, January, February, home price could come down a little bit because that's seasonal in Boise but if mortgage rates do come down, you're going to see prices rise