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PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate, one of the largest independently owned brokerages in Montana, is expanding beyond Big Sky Country to northern Idaho, the firm announced on Tuesday.

The longtime Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate, which was founded in 2015, is headquartered in Kalispell, Montana. Idaho broker-owner Paul Reizen will lead the new office in Idaho’s panhandle town of Sandpoint alongside seven other agents.

The region is a destination for lovers of the outdoors, with Schweitzer Mountain ski resort and Lake Pend Oreille both located in Sandpoint. Within the last five years, the town has seen a spike in interest with out-of-state buyers from Texas, Colorado and Florida, a press release noted, because of its natural beauty, arts scene, low tax landscape and affordability relative to other Montana and Colorado resort towns.

Ryon Brewer | PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate

“With offices in five of Montana’s top ski markets, our team knows what it takes to market luxury homes in mountain resort communities — so expanding into northern Idaho is a natural fit for us,” Ryon Brewer, president of PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Paul and [his wife] Julie to bring our luxury focus and powerful regional, national and international network to Sandpoint.”

Prior to launching his real estate career, Reizen was a prosecutor in the San Diego County district attorney’s office. One day, he started roasting coffee in his backyard as a stress-relief mechanism, which ultimately transformed into a roastery and chain of four coffee shops.

Reizen and his wife, Julie, who is also a former prosecutor and now Realtor, discovered Sandpoint in 2014. They decided to move permanently to the town with their children in 2019 and got their feet wet working at a small real estate firm in the area. They founded 48th Parallel Realty in 2022 and recently partnered up with PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate to elevate their brand and services as Sandpoint’s luxury market continues to grow.

Paul Reizen | PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate

“PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate is unlike any other firm in this market, with best-in-class marketing and a technology solution that sets the bar for the entire industry,” Paul Reizen said in a statement. “Sandpoint is a market with incredible opportunities for lakeside or mountain living, surrounded by amazing natural beauty. I’m thrilled to partner with Ryon and his team to bring a new level of service to northern Idaho, as buyers continue to discover our beautiful region.”

Reizen added that he’s been “incredibly impressed” with the firm’s pl@tform technology thus far.

Christie’s International Real Estate also serves ski markets in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps; Niseko, Japan; the Canadian Rockies; Park City, Utah; Big Sky and Whitefish, Montana; and Stowe, Vermont.

The new Sandpoint office is located at 108 N. 3rd Avenue.

The median sale price of a single-family home in Sandpoint was $749,900 as of January 2024, up about 19 percent year over year, according to Redfin.

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Email Lillian Dickerson