In 2012 I was packed for the North Dakota oil fields. My father-in-law stopped me with one sentence.

Who is Garrett Pancheri?

I’m a real estate agent in Nampa, Idaho, and Co-Owner and Team Leader of Living in Idaho at LPT Realty. I have been licensed in Idaho since March 2012 and I work the entire Treasure Valley: Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Star, Kuna, Caldwell and Middleton.

Born and raised in Nampa. Still here, raising four kids here. I remember when Nampa to the Boise mall took 20 minutes, and I can tell you exactly what got built in between to make it 45. That is the difference between a native and an agent who moved here three years ago.

How did I end up in real estate?

I got licensed in March 2012, right in the wreckage of the housing crash. My first years weren’t staged photos and easy closings. They were short sales and foreclosures. Families trying to protect their credit and start over. That’s a strange gift, looking back. I learned the worst corners of this business before I ever saw the easy parts.

And I’d already lived the crash myself. Before real estate, I installed fire sprinklers on construction sites. When 2008 hit, my 60-hour weeks became 5-hour weeks, and then no job at all. So when I sit with a family making the biggest financial decision of their life, I’m not guessing what’s at stake. I’ve been on both sides of it.

Who do I work with?

I lead the Living in Idaho team at LPT Realty. As a team we have helped more than 2,000 families buy and sell homes across the Treasure Valley. More than 500 of those I handled personally. A big part of my job is helping people compare our cities, because picking the right town matters more than picking the right countertop.

First-time buyers

Nobody hands you a manual for this. I try to be the manual, and the person you can text with what you think is a dumb question. (It’s never dumb.) This is my favorite group to work with in the whole job.

Veterans and military families using a VA loan

Full disclosure: I never served, and nobody in my family did either. But my family means everything to me, and you put yours on the line for people you’ll never meet. Most agents run from the VA loan because it’s extra work. I run at it. You did your job. Let me do mine.

Families relocating to Idaho

PCS orders, retirement, or just done with where you are. I help families figure out which Treasure Valley city actually fits their life, not just their budget. Most of what I explain first is the Idaho stuff your old market never had: wells and septic, pressurized irrigation, shops and acreage, and which towns are about to change.

New construction buyers

Builder contracts, lot premiums, upgrade traps. I have spent years learning where the bodies are buried so you don’t find them yourself.

Sellers and move-up families

Equity, a growing family, and a house that stopped fitting. You need the math on both sides of the move and a real answer on whether to wait. I am good at selling listings and I will give you the pricing answer you need rather than the one that wins the listing.

Why would an agent talk you out of a house?

Because I have, more than once. Wrong house, wrong timing, wrong numbers for their life. I’d rather lose a commission than watch a family buy a mistake. That costs me money some months. It’s also the reason my business runs on referrals and the reason clients come back three and four times.

Don’t take my word for it:

Read the rest of the reviews

What do I do outside real estate?

I’m the VP of Special Steps, and I put the same business and marketing experience from Living in Idaho to work here, helping strategize growth and open new chapters. But you’re more likely to spot me behind a camera. I’ve been at almost every camp taking photos. Nobody assigned me that job. I just can’t stay away.

My favorite cousin growing up had Down syndrome, so this mission has been close to my heart my whole life. My favorite thing to watch is a kid showing up to their first camp shy and nervous, then finding their voice a few camps later. They grow as dancers. They grow even more as people.

I’ve been involved in my community for years. Special Steps is my favorite. It’s not close.

What am I like off the clock?

I married my high school sweetheart from Skyview High in 2006. We have four kids, so my weekends are dance competitions, swim meets, and a 5-year-old who is convinced he’s Spiderman. I lift weights five days a week, even on vacation.

When I’m not working, I’m probably locked into a game. I’m an avid Denver Broncos fan, a Utah Jazz fan, and I pull for Alabama in everything. That one runs in the family now: my oldest daughter is a student at the University of Alabama. Roll Tide.

The facts, for the record