Tamarack was welcomed with acclaim when it was announced in 2003 and so far buyers have committed more than $500 million for condos, houses and building sites bringing a big rush of Aspen-style prosperity to the area. Tennis stars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf were attached to building a luxury hotel complex, the Fairmont Tamarack Local stores and restaurants flourished, jobs abounded and rents rose. But last winter the building slowed. The ski town's lifts still ran but tourism fell and unemployment rose.
Things started to go south around a year ago when the investor who had already put up money for the Fairmont Tamarack decided not to put up any more money for the project. This led the developers to slow construction. Combine this with the nationwide real estate droop and you have a recipe for a boom town gone bust. Tamarack went into default on its loan payments to the Credit Suisse bank and business entities involved in the project have filed for bankruptcy. Credit Suisse then followed with a foreclosure suit and is now looking to take over Tamarack's majority-ownership stake. The town, which was once a timber town and was hoping for an economic resurgence is now grappling with seeing tourism cut in half and the eyesore of an unfinished base village for the ski resort. The resort still expects to run lifts over the winter but the dream of a new prosperous winter resort town in Idaho is dead for the moment.
For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 83353 . This zip code includes Sun Valley, Idaho, a popular resort community for hiking, skiing and other nature activities. This zip code has a median price of $1,630,000 with an appreciation rate of 266% since 1990. The area is a popular spot for second homes, especially for those on the West Coast. The area gets its fair share of celebrity attention and casino mogul Steve Wynn, John Kerry, Demi Moore and self-help guru Tony Robbins have all spent time here. Ernest Hemingway was a part time resident in the area for many years.
Today's home has some of the rustic touches such as rough hewn logs that often mark the luxury homes in the area. This Sun Valley lodge has four bedrooms and the master bedroom/office is located on the main level. There is a separate guest/children's wing. This isn't the most expensive home in the area by a long shot but it earns points for combining Western style with contemporary design (although the lady-painted bathroom is a bit off-putting) It's a lot more character than some other homes I've seen in the area.. This home is listed at $4,875,000.
Gallery: Most Expensive Zip Codes,83353, Sun Valley, ID
I know, I know, another Tuscan villa in a completely inappropriate location but the shots of this home in Bellevue, Idaho glowing warmly from snow-covered mountains won me over. The five-bedroom home sits on nearly 22 acres that include gardens, ponds and pastures. The kitchen island does double duty as a handsome table and its sort of nice to see one not done in granite or another type of stone. The outdoor covered space with is brick vaulted ceiling and heavy wooden bench is particularly winning. Exposed wood beams, tiled floors and plenty of fireplaces add to the studied charm. The current owner has filled the home with rather heavy-looking paintings which add to the home's pretensions of age. It is listed at $6.5 million.
The name is the Almost Idaho Ranch for obvious reasons, it is right near the Washington/Idaho border (although it is in Washington). The home offers your own private 49-acre lake which is surrounded by mountains. There are 497 acres total which border the Kaniksu National Forest. The ranch has three homes including the 6634 sq. ft. main home. There is also a log guest home, an outdoor entertainment porch, a miner's cabin, barns, corrals, sheds and more. It is listed at $10.8 million. After the jump,your own private lake, it makes you feel tranquil just looking at it.
Last fall we wrote about Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf's partnership to build a luxury resort at Fairmont Tamarack. The initial sales certainly indicate that it is a success. The first 125 pre-construction units were released last weekend and sold out in fewer than seven hours. Fairmont Tamarack will offer a second release in late summer before breaking ground toward the end of this year. The Fairmont Tamarack is scheduled to be completed in 2010, making it Idaho's first five-star property.
The headline for this estate in Ketchum, Idaho is that it is "not your ordinary mountain home" and they are right. The style of the house is more Californian than the usual log cabin deluxe homes with massive stone fireplaces that we usually see in the warmer climates. The home is located on a private cul-de-sac in Lake Creek Canyon and sits on four acres. The six-bedroom home has large kitchen, massive great room with balconies, guest quarters and an exercise room that looks like it belongs in a gym. It is listed at $7.75 million. After the jump, the House and Garden money shot on the terrace.
Choice Hotels has found an interesting way to promote their new Cambria Suites business hotels. They have created a pop-up suite at Boise International Airport. The full-size guest suite includes two working flat-panel televisions, in-room CD/DVD players and a large bathroom. The suite is open for tours and reps hand out mints and water. The suite opened in December to promote the Cambria Suites opening in Boise in March. The suite remains in Boise until January 19 and will then travel around to other airports and locations. Rooms in the new hotels will cost $149 to $249 and the plan is to eventually have 100 hotels nationwide.
Today's estate takes us to Ketchum, Idaho, the much-prized Sun Valley, a place so monied that people are willing to snap-up condos just to have convenient parking spaces. This seven-bedroom home is located in the Bigwood Subdivision. Rich in luxury this home includes a media room, jacuzzi, pools and a wet bar. It's a definitely not a cozy home, aiming instead for high gloss but the fireplace in the gourmet kitchen is a nice touch. It is listed at $9,660,850. After the jump, a surfeit of marble and columns.
His tennis career may be over, but Andre Agassi is already well into another kind of game. He and his wife, Stefanie Graf, are developing a luxury hotel complex, the Fairmont Tamarack. The couple is not only investing in the project, but they will be "active in the development, design and overall lifestyle offering[s]."
The resort will be located in Donnelly, Idaho and it will have two locations, Belvedere Ridge and Whitewater. The former will be a village location with about 285 hotel/condo units a golf course and a world-class spa. The hotel units fill be operated by Fairmont Resorts. The Whitewater campus will have 50 private residences and will be located partway up the mountain, providing easy access to the ski slopes in winter and lots of privacy.
The complex is scheduled for completion in 2008 or 2009.
As intriguing as the Hangover-proof vodka that Deidre mentioned last week sounded, I think that I like the sound of 44°North Vodka better. It is an ultra-premium, five-column distilled potato vodka made in Idaho. The distillation method and the Rocky Mountain spring water used to make the vodka leave it with a super-smooth finish. The best, and certainly the most unique, aspect of the vodka is the fact that it is flavored with huckleberries, giving it a light, fruity taste that makes fantastic cocktails. $29 for 750ml.
My searches for estates of the day don't often take me to Idaho which is a shame because I miss out on homes like this one. This home in Sun Valley has beautiful views of the cliffs in Lane Ranch. The home is a little beige and generic but without being too much of a McMansion. Overall it looks tasteful and lived-in (albeit in the most genteel way possible). The home has five bedrooms, two offices and a bit over 11,000 square feet of space. The outdoor space includes an expansive fireplace and patio area facing the mountains. Gorgeous but at $7.7 million over priced? The price was recently reduced and since it only offers less than two acres of space we aren't talking worlds of privacy here. Yes, I know Sun Valley is expensive but still I'd be surprised to see this one go for over $7 million. After the jump, it's nice, but is it $7.7 million nice?
The Robinson Bar Ranch is a piece of Idaho history. Created in 1914 by Idaho governor Chase Addison Clark, the ranch is located at the mouth of Warm Springs Creek in the heart of the Salmon River country. The 128-acre property is surrounded by the Salmon-Challis National Forest and offers plenty of solitude. Key features include two natural hot pools and geothermal heating. The log lodge is an expansive 7,337 square feet. It also has an owner's residence located on the creek, a caretaker's home, professional recording studio, guest cabins and equestrian facilities. The ranch is located just over an hour north of Sun Valley, Idaho. The ranch is listed at $19 million.
His tennis career may be over, but Andre Agassi is already well into another kind of game. He and his wife, Stefanie Graf, are developing 
