COEUR d'ALENE - A John L. Scott Real Estate office has opened in Coeur d'Alene at the Bellerive development near Riverstone.

Managing broker Patty Muhlhauser and branch manager Trudi Kuhn said the corporate-owned office has nearly 3,000 square feet of leased space at 1884 W. Bellerive Lane next to Le Peep restaurant.

"We had a few areas picked out," Kuhn said Monday. "This was our favorite because it is very beautiful on the water."

The office overlooks the Spokane River. They officially moved in on Nov. 5.

Along with Muhlhauser and Kuhn, the office has a receptionist and an operations manager. It shares some other staff members with the Spokane and Liberty Lake branches.

The Coeur d'Alene office has 14 agents, but the managers would like to increase that to about 25 to 30. All of the agents are independent contractors.

"We are not going for the quantity," Kuhn said. "We're going for quality and to have a relationship with our agents as well as our clients."

Muhlhauser said they moved from a small temporary office in the Kiemle and Hagood Co. building at 2065 W. Riverstone Drive. They occupied space there while terms of their long-term lease for the Bellerive space were worked out and the office was built.

The agents in Coeur d'Alene will handle residential properties, waterfront, luxury homes and commercial.

J. Lennox Scott is the owner of the office. He also serves as chairman and CEO of the company, headquartered in Bellevue, Wash.

Muhlhauser, an Athol resident, has been a broker for 16 years and worked in real estate for 22 years. She grew up in North Idaho, attending Lakeland High School. Her father was an area builder.

Kuhn, a Post Falls resident, has been living in North Idaho for 25 years, moving here from western Washington. She has been working in real estate for 18 years, with more than 10 years of experience in management.

"I think we bring a lot of experience to the agents, who we can help," Kuhn said.

Muhlhauser and Kuhn said the office will be sticking around whether the market is up or way down.

They said it's currently a seller's market with a low inventory of existing homes, and buyers entering the market stand to benefit from low interest rates.

"Builders are back out there building," Kuhn said. "It's really exciting to see that the market has turned."

Commercial real estate is picking back up, too, they said.

"Commercial is typically about 18 months behind the rooftop sales (residential)," Kuhn said. She said the increase in commercial real estate activity is visible next door at Riverstone.