Sunbirds to Snowbirds

Vacation homeowners flock to Sandpoint by Joshua Nishimoto

When choosing a vacation home, Sandpoint is becoming the apple of most people’s eyes. To find out more, we turn to Real Estate Agent Dave Spencer to discuss Sandpoint seasonal homeowners, why more and more are choosing Sandpoint for their vacation homes away from homes, why they are good for Sandpoint, and what we can do to prepare for them.

“Sandpoint properties still remain an excellent value compared to other resort towns in the country,” said Spencer. “And with a professional real estate agent, and some patience and diligence, you can still find that dream vacation or second home!”

For summer activities, Sandpoint is next to none when it comes to possible options. Within mere minutes, there is access to water skiing, kayaking, relaxing on the beach, hiking scenic trails, mountain biking, jogging, attending an awesome outdoor concert, shopping and dining. Not to mention winter activities like snow skiing and snowboarding, ice skating, sledding, snowshoeing, snow biking, and sipping a hot beverage next to an open fire, it’s no wonder that people are choosing Sandpoint as their part-time adventure partner.

“After experiencing Sandpoint, folks quickly realize all of the attributes and amenities that Sandpoint has to offer,” Spencer said. “They then realize that they want more than just a sample; they’d like to make the Sandpoint lifestyle a bigger part of their lives. That’s when they decide that they would like to own a vacation home here and call us to help them realize that dream.”

With the influx of part-time homeowners to Sandpoint, one can’t help but wonder how these vacation-loving homeowners affect the area.

“These new neighbors spend a large portion of their dollars not only on housing but on transportation, food, energy, entertainment, personal care and other costs with our local businesses,” Spencer said. “This new influx of cash flow to our local businesses is also spent and reinvested for goods and services within our local community, and this cycle continues, giving our economy a continuous new surge of capital, and also what every business owner wants and needs to survive, grow and prosper: new customers.”

With a new and diverse set of people moving into the area, Spencer goes on to explain that along with their monetary boost to Sandpoint, vacation homeowners also bring their expertise, skill sets, professions and businesses into our area. These individuals benefit our community, employers and residents in search of others who will provide and perform those goods and services.

While every city experiences growing pains over time, and there are clearly benefits to vacation homeowners moving into the area, locals can’t help but find themselves worried about the surge of new vacation homeowners to Sandpoint, what that does to the local real estate market, along with the possibility of congestion and overcrowding of our streets and favorite restaurants. So, should we welcome these newcomers with open arms?

“I really think that we should be happy about them,” Spencer said. “We must, however, have the foresight to plan for this growth spurt diligently and responsibly, so that we can avoid creating situations that we came hereto get away from in the first place, such as overcrowding, traffic congestion, jams and the like.”

With the consistently cyclical nature of the housing market, and the diversity of people moving to Sandpoint, there’s seemingly nothing that will stop Sandpoint from growing. We will always have vacation homeowners and, according to Spencer, we should embrace that.

“Over the years I’ve watched the real estate markets go up and down. I’ve seen real estate loan interest rates at 18 percent. But over the long haul, real estate always eventually seems to trend back upward. Real estate is a usable, tangible asset. In the words of Will Rogers, ‘Buy land. They ain’t making any more of the stuff.’”

If you have any questions regarding a future investment, or are looking for a resort, vacation, or second-home property, Dave Spencer welcomes you to give him a call at 208.627.9684 or email him at davespencertherealestateguy@outlook.com. He is a professional Idaho REALTOR, and Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist (RSPS) with CENTURY 21 Beutler and Associates.