In addition to being in the heart of some of Idaho's most beautiful mountains, Garden Valley is home to an abundant wildlife - this includes all kinds of birds, bears, cougar, deer, and even ELK.

Whether you like view wildlife or enjoy hunting, Garden Valley has plenty of elk to offer. Did you know elk are also known as Wapiti, a Native American word that means light colored deer?

They are one of the largest species within the deer family and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in North America. Did you also know at one time Garden Valley had a famous elk name Elvis! Enjoy this little video to learn more about one of our local wild celebrities!

Congratulations Garden Valley Properties!
2020 proved to be another pedigree year for Garden Valley Properties!
 
Established in 2001, The Garden Valley Properties team has led the West Boise County Real Estate market since 2002. 
The Company maintained a dominant market share despite an increase in competition.

Of over 8000 real estate agents, in the Intermountain MLS, Garden Valley Properties placed in the show ranking.
Kathy Vaughan jumped to the top 6.8%, Toni Palmiotto the top 9%, Julie Leslie the top 16%.

All three have been tagged with the annual Circle of Excellence Award by the Boise Regional Realtors.

Garden Valley Properties devotion to a higher standard of professional excellence and ethics has earned them some of the highest accolades in the southwest Idaho Real Estate industry.   None of this could have been accomplished without the loyalty and support of Garden Valley Properties clients, friends and family! 

You all deserve a pat on the back!
              

Owners: Julie Leslie and Kathy Vaughan      
Broker: James Jardine

Wednesday, March 17,2021 is St. Patrick’s Day. How many of you celebrate and what do you do? Do you just wear green so no one will pinch you? Do you wear red so you get kissed? Or, do you just not celebrate?

My 5 year old granddaughter was so excited last night to tell me all about what she is going to do. They had a big discussion about it in pre-school. I think I got everything she was saying, but she was talking so fast I’m not sure. Here is what I think was said.

? You need to wear green so you don’t get pinched.
? If you wear red, someone will kiss you.
? She is going to wear red with green underneath so she can trick everyone!
? She needs to build a trap to try and catch the leprechaun, I think Lucky Charms may be involved in this, but I am not positive on that one.
? Somewhere along the lines I found out that at her house, the naughty leprechaun turns their milk green and he pees green into the toilet. They must have a very naught leprechaun at their house.
She is very excited for all of this to happen – I think tricking the leprechaun with the 2 different colored shirts is her favorite idea.

I know a lot of people celebrate with green beer and corned beef with cabbage. This isn’t my favorite, but I’m always willing to cook it up for my husband. I’ve included a link to Allrecipes for corned beef and cabbage https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16310/corned-beef-and-cabbage-i/ They are my go-to when I’m looking for a recipe.

And if you want to know why we celebrate, here is a little information for you.

St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain during the 5th century and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was 16. He escaped but returned to Ireland and was given credit for bringing Christianity to the people.

While you are here, check out what properties are available, maybe you’ll find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Garden Valley! Or call us at 208-462-4620

Although it may not feel like it, spring is right around the corner!  Soon the flowers will be blooming, the birds will be chirping, but our homes might still be stuck with those winter blues.  The tradition of spring cleaning allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the often busy seasons of spring and summer.  Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be, so here are five tips to get you started.  Once your house is sparkling clean this spring don’t hesitate to visit Garden Valley Properties for all of your real estate needs.

Clean Room by Room
Approaching your house room by room is the most effective way to deep clean it. Create cleaning checklists for each room to help you get organized.

Organize and Clear the Clutter
One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter.  Sorting your belongings into four categories—trash, give away, store, or put away—can be effective as you go through the spring-cleaning process.

Get the Household Involved
Make spring cleaning a household endeavor. Throw on some music or offer a household reward as an incentive to get the work done.

Tackle the Seasonal Chores
Many chores need to be done seasonally.  For instance, tackle outdoor chores, such as cleaning the grill, patio, and outsides of windows, as soon as the weather warms up. Also, store winter clothing, bedding, decor, and other items. And pull out your spring items to give your home a refreshed look.

Keep Cleaning Products to a Minimum
If you need to shop for new cleaning products keep your items to a minimum.  Opt for a good all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloths. Those items will cover the majority of surfaces in your home. Then, purchase other specialty cleaning supplies only as needed.

We here at Garden Valley Properties want to be part of your home long after the paperwork is signed - that's why we love sharing these kind of helpful home tips! Do you have tips on running a smooth household? We'd love to hear them!

March is here and we are so happy about that! The sun is shining, the snow still looks beautiful, and we are all hopeful that spring is right around the corner. Another wonderful thing about March is its designation as National Reading Month, which was created to motivate people of all ages across the country to read something every day!

March is a favorite for the kids at Garden Valley School because they get to celebrate Dr. Suess week! We all know and love the fun, colorful, and sing-song stories written by Dr. Suess. Did you know that March 2nd is Dr. Suess Day, as well as Read Across America Day? The students at Garden Valley School get to experience an entire week of wacky, silly, funny dress up days paired with fun reading activities to celebrate and encourage a love of reading.

If you would like a few recommendations for books, those of us at Garden Valley Properties are often sharing our recently read books with one another. You can always stop in to discuss a great book you have read recently. Better yet, talk to us about property or a home that can someday house your own spectacular home library! In the meantime, I have read a few books lately that I would love to recommend!

For those of you who enjoy non-fiction, I recently listened to Priceless by Robert K. Wittman with our 3 children (who are 13, 11, and 7). All of us loved the stories of intrigue told by Mr. Wittman, who is the founder of the FBI’s Art Crime Team. This book is an amazing account of events most of us have never heard of, personal yet professional, incredibly interesting, and full of interesting information about priceless art and historical artifacts. This one is great for all ages!

If you enjoy fiction that is based in historical fact, I recommend Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. This novel delves into the history, scandal, and secrets of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. This book is beautifully written, and love that it is also historically accurate. While the characters and circumstances are fictional, much of the structure of the story is true. If you do read this book and enjoy it, I have an additional recommendation: I urge you to also read Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate. Before and After is a compilation of real-life stories of orphans who survived the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, and it also goes into more detail about how the orphanage worked and how they stayed in business for so long. It is utterly fascinating!

The last recommendation I will make here is one for children, but I would highly consider making this one a read-aloud for your family or classroom. Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban is geared toward middle school aged children, but it appropriate for all ages. Paper Wishes tells the story of a girl whose family is relocated to a Japanese internment camp during World War II. I love that this story teaches about history, hope, and overcoming obstacles. We are discussers in our home, and this book prompted so many great discussions with our kids! I felt like we all got a lot more out of this book than the story itself, because it planted seeds of interest in all of us that led to further research on this part of our collective history that is often not taught.

Happy National Reading Month everyone!

Contact us at 208-462-4620 for real estate help or just to chat about your favorite reads!