Buyer Demand on the West Side of the Tetons Surges
Available home inventory tightens, but high quality opportunities exist.
by Staff Writers
Teton Valley, Idaho has often earned the monikers of the “quiet side of the Tetons” or the “sunny side of the Tetons.” Regardless of the descriptor used, Teton Valley, and the west side of the Tetons, is having a moment.
While Teton Valley may occasionally be overshadowed by its flashier neighbor to the east, the west slope communities enjoy it that way. Over the course of the last decade the valley has transformed into a destination all its own, helping to drive an extraordinary demand for real estate.
There were 1,154 properties that sold during 2021 within the Teton Valley communities of Victor, Driggs and Tetonia in Idaho and neighboring Alta, Wyoming. By way of comparison, pre-pandemic sales from 2019 totaled 586 units on what had otherwise been a steady, if gradual, multi-year increase.
The average sale price of a Teton Valley home in 2019 was $522,000 and leapt to $1,087,693 by the end of 2021. Total sales volume within the region during the same period rose from $182M to over $629M. While current inventory levels remain somewhat constrained in the first half of 2022, several new listings offer the opportunity to call eastern Idaho home.
Located just south of Victor, Teton Springs has long been heralded for what the planned development and golf club amenities have offered within Teton County, Idaho and has set the standard for the area’s real estate. A four-bedroom, four-bathroom home at 45 Scott Drive has recently been brought to market and is conveniently offered furnished. An open-concept floor plan centers the home’s primary living spaces around a dual-sided fireplace and provides exceptional opportunity for entertaining. A two-story cathedral ceiling and expansive windows flood the living area with light. Seamless oak flooring unites the home’s expansive kitchen, dining and living areas. Each of the thirty-three hundred square foot home’s bedrooms are configured as suites, and the property has undergone thoughtful updates throughout.
74 Hastings Drive, also in Teton Springs, is located on the seventh tee box of the Bronze Buffalo Sporting Club at Teton Springs Resort and the live water of Warm Creek. The home is sited to fully capture the valley’s sunsets over the Big Hole mountains, and a southwest-facing flagstone patio and fire pit are ideal for enjoying the cool mountain evenings. No detail was overlooked—from the four-bedroom, three-thousand square foot home’s cedar and flat stone masonry exterior, timber post and beam interior accents, to the extensive custom cabinetry and built-ins. The home provides turn-key convenience as a furnished offering.
Northwest of Victor, in the Buckskin Ranch subdivision, 6515 Wild Mustang Trail has recently come onto the market. The thoughtfully designed property features a three-bedroom rustic contemporary home with a detached one-bedroom guest apartment and two-car garage on its two and a half acres. Mature landscaping, a fenced yard and a variety of outdoor living spaces enhance the property, whose central valley location affords expansive panoramic views.
Inside, clean and modern design elements accentuate the main home’s open floor plan. Wide plank floors are featured throughout the first floor and walnut cabinetry accents the eat-in kitchen and wet bar. Expansive quartz countertops, high-end appliances and a walk-in pantry make cooking a joy—or take meal prep outside to the built-in grill station on the deck. Oversized sliding glass doors extend the home’s first floor living spaces onto the wrap-around deck and east-facing patio beyond for the ultimate versatility and multi-season entertaining potential.
Everyday functionality is enhanced via a second living room that adjoins the three upstairs bedrooms and includes an additional loft. Downstairs, and adjacent to the porch, a side entry leads into a combination mudroom with laundry facilities complete with the practical addition of a custom pet washing station. This Victor property epitomizes practical contemporary mountain home design.
Demand in Teton Valley continues to outpace the available inventory as interest in the area’s real estate grows and high-quality inventory is rapidly absorbed. By the end of the first quarter of 2022, the average single family home price reached $1,198,126—a more than forty-two percent increase from the same time the prior year. Whether it’s turn-key opportunities in the renowned Teton Springs, or a unique rustic contemporary home—Teton Valley’s real estate market continues to offer high-value opportunities for homeownership in the Tetons.