“Where Vision Comes Into Focus”​

Sun Valley, Idaho has been welcoming the film industry since Averell Harriman opened America's first ski resort in 1936. To celebrate the area’s Hollywood heritage and bring it into the 21st century, the inaugural Sun Valley Film Festival was launched in March 2012 and was an immediate success. Heading into its fifth year in 2016, the Sun Valley Film Festival continues to build on that success with over 60 films including world premieres, networking dinners, unique panels, passionate discussions and memorable parties. The Sun Valley Film Festival brings together over 3,500 festival goers for five unforgettable days where industry insiders and movie lovers alike, gather to celebrate the art of filmmaking in a majestic setting.

USA Today agrees, naming Sun Valley one of the Top 10 “Greatest Places for a Fabulous Film Festival.”  

Learn More at: www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org

Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation freestyle skier Henry Cherp is all business and all creative energy carving his way down Baldy’s Roundhouse Slope during Sunday’s sunny final day of the sixth annual Sun Valley Freestyle Spectacular. The two-day event featured 192 runs for Saturday’s single moguls, 91 runs for Sunday’s singles and 100 runs in duals.

The El Niño winter stoke is alive in well in Sun Valley! Nearly 7 FEET!! of snow has fallen so far this season with no sign of letting up. Skiers and boarders are reaping the benefits of deep powder days and all-time coverage. This season is shaping up to be one you'll want to add to your highlight reel!

El Niño or as Chris Farley referred to in simpler terms as, “The Niño“, brought about a mixed bag of early season predictions from meteorologists far and wide. Skiers and boarders throughout the west became overnight skeptics serving up their own myriad of prophesied forecasts as to whether it would be a lack luster winter or flashback to being like the “good old days”. At the end of the day, no one could put any weight behind their hunches for what the 2015/2016 season would bring.

Fast forward to the first actual day of winter and we have a bit of empirical data to suggest that this El Niño is coming through huge, bringing those good old days back to Sun Valley. As of December 22nd, Bald Mountain has seen nearly 7 feet of crowd-pleasing snowfall. We’re savoring all-time conditions that have opened up access to certain terrain that hasn’t been rideable in years past. Enough hyping up the winter we’re having here – we’ll let the photos below do the talking for us.

IT’S HARD TO GET AWAY from it all these days. With sprawling cities and ever-expanding cell networks, it’s more difficult than ever to disconnect from technology and reconnect with nature. That’s where Idaho comes in. The Gem State is still largely wild, rugged, and mostly left alone, while tourists flood the bigger names nearby: the Tetons, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite Valley.

And that’s a really fantastic thing for the rest of us. Because unbeknownst to the masses, this mountain state has a river gorge deeper than the Grand Canyon, a granite mountain wilderness area larger than Yosemite, and Teton-caliber trekking without all the tourists. It’s a place to get off the grid — to revel in the remoteness.

Here’s a little bit more on what that looks like. 

For nearly 80 years the Sun Valley Lodge has been recognized as an icon of architecture, hospitality and comfort in the Wood River Valley. Last September the Lodge was closed and a total renovation was undertaken. Last week I got a tour of the remodeled facility and new spa, which is set to open to the public on June 15, 2015. Suffice to say, I was very impressed.

All the guest rooms and restaurants have been remodeled down to the studs, as well as the hotel lobby and lounge. All The smaller guest rooms have been combined to create suites with fireplaces and expanded bathrooms with large showers, vanity areas and air conditioning. The new 20,000 square foot spa sits adjacent to the new saline pool and patio area. The spa will offer relaxation treatments, health and wellness activities, salon services and more. There are private treatment rooms, a yoga studio and a large fitness facility. For more information on the new Sun Valley Lodge, please visit their website at http://www.sunvalley.com

Are you planning a trip or vacation to Sun Valley, Idaho this summer? Please let me know the dates so I can put it on my calendar. I would welcome the chance to meet and answer your questions about the Sun Valley area and current real estate trends in Blaine County. I hope to hear from you soon.

Like many of her fellow classmates at New York University, Yanchu Zhao has a busy schedule. A college junior, she has a double major in economics and journalism, and juggles classes, an internship and life with roommates in a rental near Herald Square.

But unlike many of her fellow classmates, Ms. Zhao came to the United States on a student visa. “A lot of students talked about how hard it was to get a job in New York and in the United States,” she said. “My parents heard that if I can get a green card, it would be easier for me to succeed.”

So two years ago, Ms. Zhao’s parents invested $500,000 in a hotel project on Bryant Park, knowing that their investment could be parlayed into green cards for the family. Three months ago, their paperwork came through…See Full Article Here: http://nyti.ms/1B0I4FE

Ketchum, Idaho ( KMVT-TV / KSVT-TV ) – Forbes has listed Ketchum and Sun Valley as one of the ten best American ski towns.

The list was recently revealed on forbes.com. Other towns on the list include Aspen, Breckenridge, and Park City. The article says the best ski towns offer an alternative atmosphere that complements the resorts they neighbor. That’s why Ketchum and Sun Valley were both included as one resort on the list. To make the list, proximity is key.

The Forbes article says that if a ski town is forty miles from the nearest lifts, it hardly rates as one of America’s best ski towns. “It's really about the town, the history, the people, the pace of life, and the quality of life here, also factored into that decision. So it was a really nice compliment to everything we have here," said Greg Randolph, Director of PR and Social Media for Visit Sun Valley.


If you'd like to read the article or see the complete list, just go to forbes.com.

We are pleased to announce the 15^th anniversary edition of Windermere Real Estate’s Market Review, which has earned its reputation as one of the most accurate sources for data on the Blaine County housing market, is now available for distribution.  Please let us know if you would like the four-color glossy publication or the electronic version. Send your requests and addresses to dgorham@windermere.com 

Overall, 2014 was an encouraging year in Blaine County real estate, with gains in the median selling price for most areas and price points.

In the resort market of Ketchum and Sun Valley, the median sales price of single family homes was up 28 percent from 2013 and the number of closed sales climbed by 9 percent. I look for the median prices of resort area properties to continue to rise in 2015 with the re-opening of the new Sun Valley Lodge; the ground-breaking on a new four-star hotel on Ketchum’s Main Street and greatly improved non-stop jet service into the Hailey airport.

In the resort condo market, 158 sales were recorded in 2014, compared to 183 a year earlier. While the volume of sales in the condo market up just 1.6 percent, the average sold price was $322 per square foot. That’s a 31 percent increase from when the condo market hit bottom is 2012 at $245 a square foot, but still well off the peak set in 2007 when the average selling price of resort area units was $523 a square foot. For newer and larger condos listed above $500,000, the annual gain in price per square foot was 11.3 percent, according to the Sun Valley MLS.

In the Hailey market, 91 homes sold in 2014, down from 131 homes a year earlier. However, the average sold price increased by more than 20 percent. Bellevue saw a similar pattern as fewer distressed properties where available in the marketplace. The average price per square foot in Hailey is now $172, which is still far below the peak of 2007 when it was $256 per square foot.

We expect 2015 to be a dynamic year in Sun Valley real estate, with interest rates low, inventory falling and median selling prices increasing proportionately. With those factors in mind, families and retiring baby boomers will continue to seek out healthy communities that offer amenities that we enjoy such as recreational opportunities, excellent schools and quality health care.

 If you or someone you know have questions or need professional real estate advice, please don’t hesitate to call us. In the meantime, I hope you find the “Windermere Report” informative and we look forward to working with you in 2015.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

Dan Gorham

208-720-4077

dgorham@windermere.com

Windermere Real Estate/Sun Valley LLC is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of the new Windermere Loft, located at 491 Sun Valley Road in Ketchum.

Windermere becomes the third tenant in the building, which is owned by the Ketchum Urban Renewal Agency. The anchor tenant in the building is Starbucks Coffee. The brokerage will also share space with Visit Sun Valley, which provides visitor information to guests and promotes special events in the resort area.

The Windermere Loft is located on the second floor of the building. It will be staffed daily by a licensed Windermere agent with extensive knowledge regarding real estate in the resort community, as well as the towns of Hailey and Bellevue. Friends and clients are invited to stop by and enjoy a relaxed Living Room atmosphere.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer a higher level of service to our clients,” said Terry Vehrs, managing partner of Windermere Real Estate/Sun Valley, LLC. “The Loft will be a great benefit to our Buyers and Sellers, and offer a new level of opportunity to our team of agents.”

The remodel of the Windermere Loft is currently underway with the goal of opening by Mid-December.