7060 S Valley Heights Dr

Run June 10, 2026 · via boise-home-eval skill · rate 6.5% (Freddie 6.48% 6/4, Bankrate 6.55% 6/10/2026) · cash fund $105k

Listing facts (Zillow)

• Source: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/7060-S-Valley-Heights-Dr-Boise-ID-83709/79650397_zpid/?
• List price: ~$335,000 (per Eric’s memory — see assessed-vs-list note below)
• 3 bd / 1 ba · 1,064 sqft · built 1974 (no remodel on record) · lot 0.41 ac · no HOA · ~$315/sqft
• Single Family · single story (all main floor, no basement/attic) · has A/C · 1 fireplace · 560 sqft garage · 360 sqft patio

County record — Ada County Assessor (the truth)

• Parcel: R3610270020 · Subdivision: HIDDEN VALLEY ESTATES NO 08 · LOT 19 BLK 10 · Zone R6 · 0.410 ac · Tax Code Area 122
• Owner of record: EVANS ROGENE F (a person; Instrument #2025021715 — title moved in 2025, but the long tax-relief history below points to a long-held prior elderly/low-income owner)
• 2026 assessed value: $356,200 — land $201,800 (MARKET) + dwelling $154,400 (COST)
• List (~$335k) is ~$21k / ~6% BELOW the 2026 assessed value of $356,200. Listing under assessed is unusual and worth a question — is the ~$335k from Eric’s memory accurate, or is there a condition issue (1974 home, deferred maintenance, single bath) pulling the asking price below the county’s market figure? Confirm the live list price.

Valuation history by year (no Idaho assessment cap — taxes drift with these)

Up ~74% in six years (2020 → 2026); 2022 was a local peak, 2026 is a fresh high. Budget for continued tax drift.

Actual property tax history (Total Taxes billed) — ⚠️ DO NOT TAKE THESE AT FACE VALUE

These billed amounts are far too low for a $356k home and reflect TAX-RELIEF PROGRAMS that will NOT transfer to Eric. A normal Boise levy of ~0.9% on the exemption-adjusted value (~$231k) should produce ~$2,000+/yr, not ~$750. The county’s own footnote spells it out: “Taxes Paid includes payments… by the State of Idaho for the Property Tax Reduction Program (circuit breaker), Veteran’s Property Tax Reduction Program, and the Homeowner’s Tax Relief credit.” The prior long-held owner clearly qualified for income/age-based relief (the circuit breaker). A new market-rate buyer (Eric) gets none of that — his bill resets to the full exemption-adjusted amount. Use the modeled tax below, NOT the $751 figure.

Affordability — VERDICT: FITS comfortably (~$1,977/mo, well under $2,500) — BUT the headline tax number is a trap

20% down (no PMI) — the only structure needed

• 20% down = $67,000 → loan $268,000
• P&I at 6.5%: ~$1,694/mo
• Property tax — Eric’s real bill (exemption applied, circuit-breaker GONE): assessed $356,200 − $125k homeowner’s exemption = ~$231,200 taxable × ~0.9% levy (TCA 122) ≈ ~$2,080/yr ≈ ~$173/mo. (NOT the ~$751 the current owner pays — that’s relief-reduced and non-transferable.)
• Insurance: ~$110/mo
• HOA: $0
• PMI: $0
• All-in: ~$1,977/mo → ~$523/mo UNDER $2,500 (and right around the old $2,000 target). Clears it. ✓

Cash. $67,000 down + ~$10,050 closing (3%) ≈ $77,050 — inside the $105k fund, leaving ~$28k of cushion (emergency fund untouched). Comfortable cash position.

Note: Even if the live list price comes in higher than ~$335k (e.g. near the $356k assessed), the math still clears: at $356k list, 20% down ≈ $71.2k, P&I ~$1,801, all-in ~$2,084/mo, cash ~$81.9k. Still under $2,500 and inside the fund. The tax-relief trap, not the price, is the thing to watch.

Flags

• THE TAX TRAP (biggest flag). The county shows ~$751/yr, but that’s circuit-breaker / tax-relief reduced for the prior owner and does not transfer. Eric’s real bill is ~$2,080/yr — roughly $1,300/yr (~$110/mo) higher than the record makes it look. Anyone reading the assessor’s “Total Taxes” naively would badly underestimate this house’s carrying cost. The eval above uses the real number.
• List price BELOW assessed (~6% under). Either the ~$335k is stale/misremembered or condition is pulling asking below market. Confirm the live list and ask the agent why it’s under the county figure.
• Single bathroom (1.00 ba) on a 3-bedroom, 1,064 sqft house. A real livability and resale limiter — 3 beds sharing one bath is a known friction point. Factor a potential bath addition.
• Built 1974, no remodel on record. 50-year-old systems: inspect roof, HVAC, electrical panel, plumbing supply lines, and sewer (scope it). “No remodel” on the county card means budget for dated finishes/systems unless the listing shows updates.
• FILE FOR THE HOMEOWNER’S EXEMPTION after closing — it’s not automatic, and it’s the only relief Eric qualifies for (he won’t inherit the prior owner’s circuit breaker). Without filing, the bill is ~$3,200+/yr instead of ~$2,080.
• Genuine pluses: large 0.41-ac lot (biggest of the small-house batch), single-story ranch, A/C, 3 bedrooms, no HOA, and a comfortable monthly + cash position once the real tax is used.

Bottom line

On the numbers this fits comfortably — ~$1,977/mo all-in at 20% down (~$523 under the $2,500 ceiling) and ~$77k cash in, leaving ~$28k of the fund. The big lot and single-story 3-bed ranch are real positives. But the headline property-tax figure is a trap: the assessor shows ~$751/yr only because the prior owner had income/age-based tax relief (circuit breaker + homeowner’s relief credit) that will not transfer. Eric’s actual tax resets to ~$2,080/yr with just the standard homeowner’s exemption — about $1,300/yr more than the record suggests. The eval already prices that in. Secondary watch-items: the list is ~6% under assessed (confirm it’s real and not condition-driven), it’s a 1-bathroom 3-bed, and it’s a 1974 house with no remodel on record — inspect systems hard and sewer-scope it. Clean on budget; do the diligence on condition and don’t let the $751 tax line fool you.