Here are Some Eye Popping Numbers for Idaho Lakefront Property

If you think buying a house in town has become expensive in Idaho, it’ll cost you even more if you’re buying a place on the water.  Here is a link from the Wall Street Journal.  You may not go beyond the paywall (if you’ve got money to spare I recommend a subscription) so let me summarize.  Lake houses in Idaho and Montana are selling at double what they often sold just two years ago. The so-called pandemic was a major driver for buyers who were looking to escape the crowded cities of the west coast.  In fact, buyers come from all over the world, and instead of pickup trucks, they tool around town in Rolls Royce automobiles.

Do You Have 72 Million Dollars in Spare Change?

A couple of days after reading the story, I saw a real estate posting for a mansion that rests on an island on Montana Lake.  The place lists for an astounding 72 million dollars.  If you have a change left over, you can buy 5 boats to fill all the slips in the boathouse.

About the same time, I saw a posting for a riverfront property on eight acres in North Idaho.  It was listed for under one million dollars and was already off the market.  Here in the southern part of the state, homes along the canyon come at an increasing premium as well.

The Little Guy Gets the Scraps

As for the rest of us, we’re probably going to be shut out of water access unless there’s a public boat launch.  Even that’s no guarantee you’ll get on the water.  A look at the backup every weekend at Centennial Park in Twin Falls.