See the most expensive Boise mansion for sale now and the most expensive ever sold
Is there anything more fundamental to the American dream than owning a home? Or of imagining that someday – maybe – you could own that little house on the corner?
For most people, it’s a dream to buy even a modest home. For people of means, it’s a dream to rocket into the homeownership stratosphere with decadent luxury.
These dreams are alive and well in Boise, with offerings ranging from mansions of brick and ivy-wrapped villas to homes with gleaming white facades, private tennis courts and jacuzzis.
We wanted to know: What is the most expensive Boise home for sale now and the most expensive ever bought? We asked the real estate agent whose sales include both.
Increasing interest in luxury listings
The luxury real estate market has seen an uptick in interest and sales in recent years as remote work has opened the door to more people with deep pockets who choose to live in Boise for its lifestyle, low crime rate and schools, said the agent, Lysi Bishop, founder of Lysi Bishop Real Estate at Keller Williams Realty Boise.
“It’s a thriving market for luxury homes right now in Boise,” she told the Statesman by phone.
There are fewer people in the luxury property market than in the market for smaller homes, and it takes longer to sell a home, she said. Yet the most expensive homes in town have moved faster and for higher prices than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bishop noted, however, that neither the most expensive home now for sale nor the most expensive house ever sold may be the most valuable homes in Boise. Many of the most valuable homes are older, historic houses that have passed down through generations without being put on the open market, she said.
A home near the river
The trophy for the most expensive house ever sold in Boise goes to a home in Southeast Boise near Riverside Elementary School that sold for $3,998,000 in 2020.
The 9,265-square-foot home, built in 1990, is located on 4 acres near the Boise River and the Greenbelt with lots of privacy, according to Bishop.
“[It] has this incredible island, then Loggers Creek,” Bishop said. “It was an unmatched parcel of land in the valley.”
The two-story home has three fireplaces, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a six-car garage, an entertainment gazebo with heaters, a greenhouse, hot tub, putting green, private beach, outdoor kitchen and pizza oven, regulation-sized sports courts and walls of windows, according to real estate marketing company TourFactory.
“Reminiscent of a romantic English manor nestled in the woods, the residence was masterfully built with impeccable quality,” according to TourFactory. “Guests enter through nine hand-forged pewter doors to a breathtaking two-story living room, where walls of windows draw the eye to the emerald glow of the water.”
A home in the hills
The award for the most expensive home ever listed in Boise goes to a Foothills house in the Highlands neighborhood, for $4,980,000. The home is for sale now.
The six-bed, six-and-a-half bathroom home clocks in at 6,775 square feet on 0.72 acres in a gated community called the Nines.
The home was built in 1997 and, according to Bishop, needed a remodel so its second owner tore it down to the studs in 2020 and replaced nearly everything.
“It’s got really extraordinary clean design, clean lines,” Bishop said. “It’s this incredible modern masterpiece.”
According to her website, the property features a swimming pool, hot tub, an infinity-edge reflection pool and about 3,000 square feet of outdoor patios with built-in fire tables and fireplaces.
The views from the property stretch to the Owyhees and overlook the Crane Creek golf course, downtown and the North End. It’s close to miles of trails and only a 15-minute drive to the Capitol.
“It’s just so close in,” Bishop said. “It is on one of the most premiere lots in this area.”
This story was originally published September 1, 2023 at 4:00 AM.
