AS SEEN ON: Idaho Press & Spot On Idaho!
McCALL, Idaho – (Dec. 16, 2021) – Amherst Madison Real Estate Advisors has opened a new office in downtown McCall to work in partnership with Brundage Mountain Resort Realty on the recently announced Phase 1 offering of 21 single-family homes and 67 townhomes with ski-in, ski-out access at the base of Brundage Mountain Resort.
The partnership pairs Amherst Madison, a rapidly growing Boise-based real estate brokerage that’s ranked No. 3 statewide, with Brundage Mountain Resort, which was recently ranked in the Top 10 in a USA Today Reader’s Choice contest. Brundage has earned an undisputed reputation as having the “Best Snow in Idaho” with an average snowfall of 320 inches annually.
Brundage’s Phase 1 real estate offering was recently approved by the Adams County Planning and Zoning Commission. The preliminary approval marks the first phase of development for Brundage Mountain Village as envisioned by a 2009 master plan that calls for 1,200 homes and townhomes to be built at the resort over time.
The Adams County Commission will be the next step in the approval process. Construction could start next spring on the “Northwoods” Phase 1 development.
A new day lodge at Brundage Mountain and a Mountain Adventure Center also are part of the near-term development plans at the base of Brundage Mountain. Epikos Design, a McCall-based world-class architectural resort, land planning and residential design firm, carefully crafted the master plan for Brundage’s real estate development. Each property is designed to take full advantage of the natural terrain, views, and access to summer and winter trails.
“It’s exciting to be working with the owners of Brundage Mountain because they’re Idaho people who share our passion for our high quality of life and community,” said Nick Schlekeway, Founder and CEO of Amherst Madison Real Estate Advisors. “We are going to support the business development up there, and we’ll be in it for the long haul. I have been skiing at Brundage since my folks starting taking us up there 30 years ago, and it will always hold a special place for me.”
“Integrating real estate into an historic mountain like Brundage is a unique resort development opportunity,” said Kyle Looper, Director of Sales for Brundage Mountain Resort Realty. “To work with a rising agency that understands the low-density vision and how to thoughtfully release real estate is incredible. The expertise and professionalism found at Amherst Madison offers a foundation to create opportunity in a competitive field. We’re excited to build a partnership that reflects the project ethos.”
Brundage President Bob Looper has made it clear that real estate development at Brundage will be done in a moderate manner with the utmost care to preserve the quality skiing/riding experience at Brundage Mountain Resort.
“We want to do things carefully in a very planned manner and keep Brundage as the ‘last great place,’ Looper told BoiseDev. “We are up for the challenge. You have to keep the fundamentals that make it that way. “Access is one, the value proposition is another one. People like the feeling that they can go there and not spend $500 a day on skiing.”
Amherst Madison has eight real estate agents working the greater McCall territory. The new office is located at 204 Lenora Street next to North Fork Coffee Roasters and a longtime local favorite eatery, Crusty’s Pizza.
Steve Jones, who has been selling real estate in McCall for 24.5 years, said he and his wife, Cindy, are excited about working for Amherst Madison in the McCall market because of the brokerage’s connections in the greater Boise market and its high standards for customer service and quality control.
“It was a natural and logical progression for us to work with Amherst Madison because they stood out from the rest of the competition in terms of their amazing support for their agents, and we shared the vision for how we like to serve our customers,” Jones said. “Amherst Madison has invigorated us with all of the technical support and cutting-edge tools they provide as a modern and growing brokerage.”
He noted that many of the Amherst Madison agents in McCall have deep experience in selling residential real estate in a ski resort setting, and they are active skiers themselves. Two agents who recently joined the team, Chris Reino and Jennifer d’arc Raven, sold real estate at Tamarack Resort in the start-up years and have extensive experience in the greater McCall market. Amy Koenig, who was Vice President of Marketing at Tamarack in the start-up years, has extensive resort experience world-wide.
“We all are really knowledgeable about the greater McCall real estate market because we’ve been here for decades, and we’ve watched it grow,” Jones said. “Right now, a lot of people who recently moved to the Treasure Valley are looking for second homes. That has always been our niche up here, helping people find a vacation home for their family.”
The amenities in the greater McCall area are extensive. The valley has two ski areas with expansion plans, there are opportunities to purchase lakefront homes on Lake Cascade or Payette Lake, and there are many things for people to do – golf, boating, hiking, biking, visiting Pondersosa State Park and Lake Cascade State Park, soaking at several hot springs resorts, over 2 million acres of public lands in the Payette National Forest, and whitewater rafting and scenic paddling on the Payette River.