POST FALLS - Dave Clark knows real estate.

The 74-year-old Realtor and broker worked in California, Tennessee and Texas before moving to North Idaho a few years back. His real estate experience dates back to 1976.

Earlier this summer, Clark opened Dave Clark Realty at his home in Post Falls.

"This has to be the toughest real estate market that I have worked in," he wrote in a letter to The Press.

It's definitely a buyer's market in the Coeur d'Alene area, Clark said, and it probably will be for a while. Foreclosures and short sales have helped create a surplus of housing.

"There's enough homes out there on the market right now," he said. "More than enough."

Interest rates have plummeted, too.

"So if you are a qualified buyer with good credit, and some cash in savings, you are in control," Clark wrote. "If you are a seller, you have to grin and bear it."

Clark presented several tips for first-time home buyers, such as finding the right Realtor.

"You need to interview five or six Realtors," Clark advised.

Closing the deal on a new home is an emotional transaction, he added. But money should be the focal point, because "that's the biggest investment that you'll ever make."

Moreover, buyers should look at the big picture. Is the neighborhood declining or improving? Is the property well-maintained? Is there enough space for the family?

"You don't have to buy a fixer-upper in today's market. You can almost pick the street and color of carpet you want."

And the county assessor is the buyer's best friend.

"Bottom line," he wrote, "the seller will always establish an offering price, but a well-informed buyer will pay a realistic price."

Clark's website, www.daveclarkrealty.com, contains several pages of additional info.

At the close of any transaction, Clark writes his client - buyer or seller - a check for $500. The cash comes out of his own commission, he said.

"This is my way of thanking all my clients," Clark wrote. "I have not found anybody out there yet that will pass up an extra $500 at the closing."