News Boise Idaho – Boise News & Events

If you were to believe all that you hear on the news regarding home sales in the U.S it would seem that the market across the board has gone completely flat. The fact is however, that there are real estate market areas that have taken less of a hit and also there are some areas that have fared quite well through it all.

Idaho and the greater Boise area in particular is one real estate market area that has experienced a steady appreciation rate of 12%. just this last year. The reasons for its buoyancy are many but the most immediatly noticeable to the naked eye is that Idaho in general and most particularly Boise Idaho is beautiful and still quite an affordable place to live.

Of course, the best way to find the particular home that you are looking for is through an Idaho MLS or “multiple listing service” because they simply are going to offer the most choices for you to select from.

This is very important because if you are coming from a market area such as California or any of the other high priced real estate market areas in the U.S., you are going to have a far more to select from then you are used to.

With the average price on a two bedroom home running in the area of $200,000 in the greater Boise area you are will quickly see that you will get far more bang for your buck then you may have been previously used to.

If you are preparing to sell and are considering selling FSBO or “for sale by owner” then there are a few facts that you should consider. Studies have shown that only 20% of these types of sellers actually end up with a buyer this way due to the amount of BS that FSBO sellers have to put up with from potential buyers that want to bargain. This is why it is best to list with an Idaho real estate MLS right from the start and avoid the FSBO BS.

Though many of us can’t even remember it now, there was a time where one had to be in front of a TV to watch a sporting event, live concert, political event or even a full TV show. And, just a decade ago, if you moved out of a city you would never get to hear your favorite radio station ever again. This was only ten years ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago.

Streaming internet has changed the way we watch the world around us. Here are a few examples of how these advancements have changed how we live our life:

TV Shows While it still might not be replacing watching it on live, or as some people have come to prefer, on DVR, full length TV episodes have begun to catch on online. Websites like Myspace.com, Youtube.com and Hulu.com have partnered with specific networks and TV shows to show new (and old) episodes in their entirety to viewers. Internet and network specific advertisements are included in these shows so networks are able to get their advertising revenue even online. Compared to radio and live news events, full TV shows are a relatively new technology to hit the internet so it will be interesting to see where this it goes in the next few years.

Radio Radio stations were one of the big winners of high speed internet as they are now able to broadcast anywhere in the world. Thousands of stations now transmit around the world so people looking to hear talk radio from Boise, ID can hear it in Paris, France, or those wanting to hear a rock station from Iceland can hear it in Vancouver, Canada. It used to be that one of the hardships of moving out of the city you grew up in was not getting to hear your favorite radio stations anymore. Now all you need is an internet connection and you can hear it anywhere in the world.

Sports About a decade ago someone came up with the brilliant idea of having pay-per-view packages where you could watch every pro football or college football game from your TV no matter where you live. Now, this popular endeavor has been expanded to the internet where, for a price, you can watch just about any sporting event live on your computer. It’s the same idea as with the internet radio: no matter where you are, no matter what your team you root for, you can see them on your computer. Any sports fan will tell you this is a very welcome idea.

Politics One of the first realms to benefit from the live streaming video revolution is news. News networks first began putting video reports out for the viewers to watch online, and then gradually began to stream live events and news reports on their sites. This both benefited and bemused politicians as now their best, and worst, moments are available for the world to see at the push of a button. Sound bites have now given way to full speeches and round the clock coverage which is available to potential voters around the world. To put it in literary themes, for politicians it is the best of times and the worst of times with live streaming video.

There were already some people who were anticipating the entry of the TCU Horned Frogs in the Bowl Championship Series. It was actually the possibility of having five teams whose performances earned them slots in the top 25 to be in the BCS. It would have lent more credence and respect to the mid-majors.
Unfortunately this will not be true anymore since Texas Christian University and Boise State University will be part of the Poinsettia Bowl. Ohio State will meet with Texas in the Fiesta Bowl while Texas will battle with Ole Miss at the Cotton Bowl.

Several scenarios come to mind. In the event that Boise State University triumphs, the MWC’s drawing power is lowered and BSU’s glory will just be another notch in a mediocre mid-major while a win by TCU will be dismissed as a fluke attributed the BSU weak schedule. Whichever case comes out, the prospect is not really that good.
Other scenario would be for Brigham Young University probable win over Arizona with the latter being one of the Pac ? 10 contenders. Such a win will give BYU some recognition very similar to what happened way back in 2004 Utah triumph over Pitt.

Some would like to Boise State U beat a team from Maryland in the Humanitarian Bowl than witnessing a game between them and Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. This is more on the desire for BSU to have a successful season and play alongside with TCU.

The Texas Christian University Horned Frogs would make an interesting game if they are pitted against another team from the BCS when and if they play in the Poinsettia Bowl. Those are the games worth watching and looked forward to.

What makes the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs a team to watch out for?

They have several seniors who are in their final season and with their passion and fervor alone, they can make a big difference on how the TCU Horned Frogs do during the game.

Then, there are the players who have made vital contributions in the past and were instrumental in propelling the Frogs to where they are now. These include Stephen Hodge and Blake Schlueter.

Hodge has made it before to the All-Mountain West Conference Selection and played very well in the past seasons and was the leading player for defensive backs in the nation way back in 2007.
Blake Schlueter, in his case, made it to the All-Mountain West Conference Selection three times and he made a difference in the offensive line of the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs.

Gary Patterson, the TCU head coach, played a critical role as he led the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs to a winning streak which resulted to the team’s being in the forefront and vying for a bowl. Will the team ultimately have a bowl under his helm?

What is left now is to see if the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs will continue the spectacular performance which made them a worthy contender despite starting the year at rank 11.

Twitter is a great marketing tool.  Many people might make the mistake of thinking that it’s only for online businesses, but Twitter will bring a ton of business to a local brick and mortar shop.

It takes a bit of work to turn your Twitter page into a marketing machine, but there are a number of ways to accomplish just that.
Get familiar with Twitter.  There are a number of resources available online which teach the basics.

Who are all these people following your Twitter page?  Followers are users that like your content and want constant updates.  The more followers you gain, the better your marketing.  You’ll want to target followers who are both interested in your business and live in your area.  Twitter gives you tools to target these users.

Use the Twitter search, http://search.twitter.com/ to look for users in your area and locals who are interested in your business.  Searching on Twitter requires some shorthand.  For example: to search for users in your area, type in “near:Boise within:50mi” or search for people in Boise who like tennis by typing in “tennis Boise”.  When you start following some of these users, they will look at your Twitter page and likely start to follow you.

The TwellowHood directory (http://www.twellow.com/twellowhood/) allows you to pinpoint Twitter users on a map.  Just spotlight on your town and find out whom to follow on Twitter.

Once you have a number of followers it’s time to promote your business to them.  Remember that your Twitter followers receive all your updates.  Some followers even have it forwarded to their cell phones.  Use this connection to update followers on everything from daily specials, discounts, special events, and coupons.  Twitter acts as a real time messaging system, so you can even tell your followers about things happening at that moment.

Use your followers to create a community.  Have followers get rewards by passing on coupons to friends with ReTweets.  ReTweets gets your customers doing your marketing for you.  It is the ultimate Internet word of mouth.  Have followers talk about your business on Twitter.  Create discussion.

Twitter is growing at a rapid pace.  Utilize this tool to create a local buzz about your business.  Twitter is free to use and simple to learn.