Bigfork Real Estate Video Blog with Scott Hollinger

One of the most common questions I've been getting lately is, “What's the latest on the Bigfork bridge?” I put this video together to answer that exact question and walk you through what's done, what's left, and why it matters. In my latest video, you'll see how the final stages of construction are coming together and how the reopening will restore access, parking, and downtown traffic. You'll learn when it's expected to reopen and how it helps both locals and businesses get back to normal. Watch the full update and stay ahead of what's happening in Bigfork this summer.

There's been a lot of talk about whether the housing market is cooling down or if builders are finally catching up. But when you look closely at the data, especially over time, the story is clear—we're not out of the woods.

Learn how to find out your home's true value, from simple solutions like online valuations to more involved strategies like comparative market analysis. Ever wonder how much your home is actually worth? Whether you're thinking about selling, refinancing, or just curious, knowing your home's true value is essential. But here's the issue—many homeowners rely on the wrong sources and leave money on the table. Most people turn to quick online estimates, but those tools can be off by tens of thousands of dollars. If your home is priced too high, buyers may overlook it. Price it too low, and you're walking away from potential profit. And when refinancing, an inaccurate valuation could mean missing out on thousands in equity. So, how do you ensure you're working with the right number? Having helped countless homeowners maximize their home's value, I can tell you this: understanding your home's worth isn't just about numbers—it's about making informed financial decisions. There are three key ways to determine your home's true value: 1. Comparative market analysis. This is a professional assessment done by a real estate expert—like me! A CMA compares your home to similar recently sold homes in your area, factoring in size, features, location, and market trends. It's free and far more accurate than online tools. Websites like Zillow and Redfin provide quick estimates, but you shouldn't rely on them alone. 2. Professional appraisal. A licensed appraiser provides an unbiased valuation, often required for refinancing or loans. They assess your home's condition, upgrades, and market comps. It's the most precise method but comes at a cost of a few hundred dollars. 3. Online valuation tools and research. Websites like Zillow and Redfin provide quick estimates, but you shouldn't rely on them alone. Cross-check multiple sources and look at recently sold homes that closely match yours for a more accurate picture. Which is the best option for you? If you're selling, a CMA gives you an accurate market value. If you're refinancing, an appraisal is necessary. And if you're just curious, online tools can be a starting point—but always verify with expert insight. If you're thinking of selling or refinancing and want a precise, expert-backed valuation, let's talk. I offer a free, no-obligation home valuation to help you make the best decision. Just call or email me to get started.  

A simple name search could reveal refunds or lost funds you didn't know about. I got an email the other day about taxes. I almost ignored it, but something caught my attention. It was a list of state tax department websites. Sounds boring, right? That's what I thought until I clicked on Montana's site and found something unexpected. There's a section on the Montana Department of Revenue's website called “Find Unclaimed Property.” It lets you search for money the state might be holding under your name. I typed in mine, but nothing came up. Then I tried my wife's. Boom—she had unclaimed money waiting for her. I checked a few team members, and some of them had money, too. This isn't just a Montana thing. Every state holds unclaimed money for people who haven't collected it. It could be from an old paycheck, a forgotten bank account, an insurance refund, or a utility deposit. If a company can't reach you, the money gets sent to the state. Most people have no idea this happens, and their money just sits there. Most people have no idea this happens, and their money just sits there. The good news is it's easy to check. Just go to your state's unclaimed property website, enter your name, and see if anything comes up. Try different versions of your name, maiden names, middle names, or even past addresses. If you find something, follow the steps to claim it. It's free, and the state won't charge you to get your own money. I had no idea this was a thing until I stumbled upon it. And I'm guessing most people don't know either. Imagine finding a few hundred, or even a few thousand dollars just sitting there, waiting for you to claim it. It's quick, it's easy, and it could put money back in your pocket. Take five minutes to check. Look up your name, your family's names, even your friends' names. If you find something, don't wait; claim it. And if you end up with a great story, I'd love to hear about it. You can reach me at 406-837-5531 or email me at ScottHollingerMT@gmail.com. Go check now—you might have money waiting for you.

I explain how you can work with your agent to assume a 4% rate, including finding a list of suitable properties, crafting the right offer, and more. Want to buy a home but don't want to deal with higher interest rates? I get it; despite a lot of noise about the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates recently, the fact remains that rates are currently much higher than they were a few years ago, when receiving a 4% or even 3% rate was possible. However, there is a way to get that 4% rate, even today: Assumable mortgages. Assuming someone else's mortgage with a lower rate can save you thousands over the course of your loan, but the process can be a little tricky. That's why today, I'm sharing how you can assume someone's mortgage in three steps. 1. Have your agent find a list of potential mortgages. Your agent should have access to tax records and mortgage information that will allow them to find out which homeowners in an area purchased their house when rates were lower. They can create a list of mortgages in this area that you would want to assume. From there, you need to confirm that a seller's mortgage is actually assumable before going forward. For example, most VA loans are assumable, but not many conventional loans are. You also need to qualify for whatever loan you want to assume, so make sure you work closely with your agent to ensure you have a list of quality leads. Work with your agent to make sure you qualify for the mortgage. 2. Negotiate a deal that works for everyone. If a seller lets you assume their mortgage, they'll probably want something in return. As long as you're working with a good agent, this can work out for everyone. For example, your seller might ask for a higher price, but you'll still get that low 4% interest rate. This will end up saving you tons of money in the long run, so the upfront cost is almost always worth it. 3. Be patient. It's exciting to find an assumable mortgage with a lower rate, but you still need to be patient. It can take two or even six months for the assumption to go through, and your lender still needs to make sure you qualify before moving forward. For example, if you want to assume a VA loan, you need to be a qualifying veteran. While finding an assumable loan with a lower interest rate can be tricky, it can end up saving you tons of money in the long run. If you're interested in this option, call or email me, and I'll send you a list of potentially assumable mortgages in your area. I look forward to hearing from you!

Discover whether building or buying a home saves more money and suits your needs based on costs, timelines, and long-term value. One of the biggest questions I get is “Should you build your dream home or buy an existing one?” It's not an easy choice, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. But don't worry—I've got some real insights to help you decide. Why does the parade of homes matter? The Flathead Builders Association just brought back their Parade of Homes after a five-year break. This event is a goldmine for anyone thinking about homes—whether you want to build or buy. Homes were divided into three categories this year: attainable, luxury, and dream homes. Each category shows what's possible in today's market, from prices to trends to square footage. I dug into the data to compare the costs of new builds versus existing homes. Let's break it down. Attainable homes. If you're looking at entry-level homes, the numbers are close. The new homes in this category cost about $226 per square foot, but that doesn't include the land. The average price was around $366,000. Existing homes in the same price range averaged $306 per square foot, and that includes land. So, what's the catch? If you're okay waiting for a home to be built, you might save some money. But if you need a place now, buying an existing home is simpler. The choice comes down to your timeline, budget, and needs. Luxury homes. Luxury homes in the Parade of Homes were priced at $466 per square foot for new builds (excluding land). Existing luxury homes came in lower at $404 per square foot, and that price included land. If you want luxury, buying an existing home gives you better value. Building might cost you more after adding land prices. Dream homes. Dream homes had the widest range. New builds started around $400 per square foot and went up to $800 (excluding land). Existing homes in this category averaged $853 per square foot (with land). If you're okay spending top dollar and want a brand-new home, build. But, if you're looking for more immediate options, existing homes might work better for you. The choice comes down to your timeline, budget, and needs. If you can wait, building could give you exactly what you want. But if you need a home now, buying is easier and often more cost-effective. If you're curious about the Parade of Homes or want more insights, feel free to call or text me at 406-837-5531. I'll help you find which home is the right one for you.

Learn why Montana's low power bills are possible thanks to renewable energy and creative solutions like biomass and hydroelectric power. Ever wondered where the electricity powering your home actually comes from? If you're in Montana like me, you might be surprised. Power bills are a common question from homebuyers, and I recently dug into some fascinating details about our energy sources. Let me break it down for you. Low power bills? Here's why: Montana enjoys some of the lowest electricity costs in the country. But why is that? It's because we rely on a mix of energy sources, some of which are incredibly efficient and renewable. Knowing where your electricity comes from can help you appreciate it—and understand the challenges we face in keeping those costs low. Why does solar power struggle here? You'd think solar energy would be a big deal, right? But Montana doesn't see enough sunny days to make solar a year-round option. It's not like living in a desert. This means solar isn't contributing much to our power grid right now. The hidden heroes of our energy grid. We do have some creative solutions, though. Ever heard of biomass? That's when waste, like landfill gas or leftover materials from processing plants, is turned into energy. In places like Columbia Falls, they're converting waste into gas and running turbines to generate electricity. Understanding where our electricity comes from isn't just interesting—it's important. Then there's hydroelectric power. Small turbines, like the one powered by Whitefish City's water reservoir, generate electricity from flowing water. It's a clean and effective way to keep the lights on. The big player: hydroelectric dams. Here's the star of the show—our dams. Montana gets a huge chunk of electricity from hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. These dams don't just power homes. They support businesses, manufacturing, and even grocery stores. But there's a problem. Some people want to remove these dams, which could devastate our power grid. Without them, costs would rise, and industries might suffer. It's a big deal that impacts everyone. Understanding where our electricity comes from isn't just interesting—it's important. It's up to us to protect these resources. Pay attention to policies that affect our dams and renewable energy programs. Every decision matters when it comes to keeping our power reliable and affordable. If you have any questions about Montana's real estate condition, feel free to call or text me at 406-837-5531.  

Here's a guide to the best resources for stargazing in Montana. Nothing good happens after midnight—right? Well, on dark nights here in Montana, that couldn't be further from the truth. When the sun goes down and the stars come out, turn your gaze upward! Today I'll discuss some resources that will help you find the best stargazing spots in Montana. Montana's Trail to the Stars website has created an online map of over 40 great places to observe the night sky. Enthusiasts travel from all over to see the stars and other celestial phenomena in our great state. Using these tools, you'll never have to worry about missing another astronomical event again. On dark, moonless nights during some parts of the year, you can sometimes even spot a shining aurora, which is a shimmering curtain of lights formed when solar particles collide with the Earth's atmosphere. The University of Alaska has an aurora forecast where you can find a calendar of predicted aurora activity all around the northern hemisphere. If you're tired of always hearing about gorgeous meteor showers after the fact, click here to find a calendar of all the scheduled showers in your area. They'll even tell you how many meteors you can expect to see per hour, on top of a bunch of fun astronomy facts. Using these tools, you'll never have to worry about missing another astronomical event, and you'll have some great ideas for taking in the wonders of the night sky here in Montana. If you have any questions about real estate or ways to entertain yourself in Big Sky Country, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

What trends are we currently seeing in our real estate market? The first quarter of 2022 is now over, and we want to tell you about all the changes we saw in the real estate market. Today we'll update you on the current emerging trends we're seeing in our local area. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:00 — Introducing today's topic 0:40 — Flathead & Lake Counties overall figures 2:25 — Flathead Lake home sales 3:45 — Flathead Lake condo sales 4:25 — Flathead Lake land sales 5:30 — Echo Lake & Lake Blaine home sales 6:05 — Echo Lake & Lake Blaine land sales 6:25 — Swan Lake home and land sales 7:00 — Swan River home and land sales 7:35 — West Lakes home sales 8:10 — West Lakes land sales 8:50 — Whitefish Lake home and land sales 9:20 — Wrapping up If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us by phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Here's an analysis of what happens when a Seller overshoots the market and chooses to start high. A question I've been getting a lot lately is, “What's going on with waterfront properties?” I did a little research and looked at the numbers for waterfront properties over the last six months. Today I want to share some of my findings with you. Eighty properties closed during the six-month period we examined from September 2021 to February 2022. Of the 80 properties, 56 did not see a price change during the process. Twenty four of these properties had a price change, and the average price reduction was about 7%. The price-adjusted homes sold for less and took longer to sell. Of the properties that didn't see a price change, it took them an average of 32 days to go under contract, and the timeline of listing on the market to closing was about 83 days. As for the homes that did see a price change, their average was 98 days to go under contract and 149 days to go from listing to closing. What did these homes sell for? The homes that didn't have a price change netted 99.7% of their asking prices on average. The properties that had price reductions ended up selling at 94% of their lower-adjusted list prices. They sold for less money and took a lot longer. If you're thinking about selling your home, keep these figures in mind. There's more than one pricing strategy to use, but it's clear that one strategy is working better in this market than the other.  If you have any questions for me about the market or anything else related to real estate, don't hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

If your kid is off to college, you have a fantastic investment opportunity. At this time of year, when kids are about to graduate from high school, we often receive similar questions from parents about how they're considering buying a house or condo near their child's future college so their student can live there for the next four years.  The idea is that, when they're done with school, the parents are hoping the house will have appreciated in value so they can use the extra money to offset some of the college expenses when they sell it.  If you're thinking about doing this, we have many great agent colleagues around the U.S., and we can put you in contact with them. We'd be glad to help you find the right real estate agent anywhere in the country, whether it's for your kid or yourself.  Please feel free to reach out to me or my team via phone or email if you want help with this or have any questions. We look forward to your comments and questions.

The most valuable stats for all our different markets across Montana. Today I want to answer some of your questions about real estate throughout the state of Montana. We usually do this once a year, and to help me, I have the state-wide market report from the Montana Association of Realtors. I can't wait to pass on some of this data. As a little bit of a spoiler: The least expensive cities in Montana are Butte and Great Falls. Both have a median price that's under $300,000. You can watch the full report above or skip to each section using the timestamps provided: 0:00 — Introducing today's topic 0:43 — The least and most expensive cities in Montana 1:50 — The stats for Billings 2:33 — The stats for Bozeman 3:11 — The stats for Butte 4:48 — The stats for Great Falls 5:51 — The stats for Helena 6:53 — The stats for Missoula County 7:44 — The stats for Ravalli County 8:37 — The stats for Flathead County 9:40 — Wrapping up I hope you found these stats as interesting as I did. If you have any questions about the data or real estate in general, feel free to call or email me. I'd love to hear from you.

The Flathead Valley area is getting a new semi-professional baseball team! One of the most common questions I receive from people moving to The Flathead Valley area is, “What is there to do?” There's plenty! Today I want to discuss what sorts of activities we like to do for fun around The Flathead Valley, including a special new attraction.   There are excellent skiing mountains in the winter and wonderful fishing spots in the summer. We also are close to Glacier Park if you are interested in hiking and wildlife. Great rodeos come to town, and there are concerts all year round. The range of activities here is great, but there's a new thing coming to town that may pique your interest.  We're getting a semi-professional baseball team called the Glacier Range Riders. Naturally, the mascot will be a mountain goat. The stadium is currently under construction and will be open this summer. It will have 2,500 seats, so there should be plenty of room for a fun crowd.  "This team could be an anchor for our community." The first game will be on June 14, and there will be 48 home games. The Range Riders will be the fourth team in the state of Montana, the others being in Missoula, Great Falls, and Billings. They play in the Pioneer League, which is affiliated with Major League Baseball and consists of 10 teams total.  The tickets become available in February, but you can reserve season tickets now. Just visit www.gorangeriders.com if you're interested. I believe this team could be an anchor for our community, so I'm excited about their arrival!  If you have questions about today's topic or anything real estate-related, please call or email me. I am always willing to help.

Explaining the absorption rate and how it has changed since the pandemic. If you've been following me for a while, then you may be familiar with our market's absorption rate. However, I haven't talked about this topic in a while, and things have changed, so today I want to discuss our absorption rate and what it means for the Big Fork area. First, let's talk about what an absorption rate is. A good example to use is our grocery stores. Before the pandemic, the shelves were almost always stocked, and you never had an issue buying what you wanted. Now with supply chain disruptions and pandemic regulations, the grocery supply isn't restocked as often, and many things are more difficult to buy. Once the stores finally do restock, it may only take a week for everything to be gone. The time it takes for the supply to deplete (in this case, one week) is the absorption rate. Now, let's apply this concept to real estate. If we look at last month's market, we can take the number of homes listed for sale and compare it to the number of homes that sold. If the number of homes listed for sale is three times higher than the number of homes that sold, then we would have an absorption rate of three months. However, in a market with low supply and high demand like ours, the absorption rate is usually much lower. Let's see how the absorption rate in our market differs depending on the properties' price ranges. For comparison's sake, I'll include the numbers from 2017 as well: $0 to $400,000 2017: Two to five months 2021: Less than one month $400,000 to $750,000 2017: Six to 12 months 2021: Two to three months $750,000 to $1,000,000 2017: Over a year 2021: Three to five months $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 2017: Two to four years 2021: Four to seven months > $3,000,000 2017: 11 years 2021: Around one year As you can see, the pandemic and its effects have lowered our absorption rate way below average. This means it's a great time to sell your home since there are tons of buyers and not enough supply to meet the high demand. If you have any questions about today's topic, please call or email me. I'd love to help you.

Today we'll give a recap of how our real estate market fared in 2021. Hopefully your 2022 is already off to a great start! Today we want to recap how our market fared in 2021 and share some data and interesting things that happened during the year. Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:01 — Introducing today's topic 0:29 — Flathead and Lake Counties 2:26 — Flathead Lake 5:53 — Echo Lake and Lake Blaine 7:18 — Swan Lake and Swan River 9:26 — Ashley Lake, Bitterroot, McGregor, and Foys Lake 10:50 — Whitefish Lake 11:24 — Wrapping up If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you.

Does your insurance policy detail unoccupied/vacant exclusions? Today's topic is for people who have seasonal homes in the area and are leaving or have already left. While I was going over the insurance renewal for my home, I stumbled across an exclusion in the policy for vacant and unoccupied residences. Today I'll share what that exclusion is and what you need to know about it. There are two key words to define. ‘Vacant' means that all furniture and other evidence of someone occupying the home has been removed. ‘Unoccupied' means that the home is furnished but no one is living there currently. The exclusion regarding these homes says if the home is vacant or unoccupied for more than 90 days, the coverage on the insurance policy is reduced down to 60%.  When might this come up? For example, if you're selling your home and have already moved all the furniture out, it might be that you need to have a friend stay in the house and document it. Why? Well, if the home caught on fire, and the question came up of how long it has been since somebody was last there, you might get reduced coverage. Be sure to check your insurance policy to see if it details any unoccupied/vacant exclusions. Years ago, when I was selling a house, I suddenly got a notice from the insurance company saying that it needed to be occupied in order to maintain our current coverage. We had to rent out the home to avoid losing coverage. Ultimately, check your insurance policy to see if it details any unoccupied/vacant exclusions. If you have any questions about today's topic or anything else to do with real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help you.

Does your insurance policy detail unoccupied/vacant exclusions? Today's topic is for people who have seasonal homes in the area and are leaving or have already left. While I was going over the insurance renewal for my home, I stumbled across an exclusion in the policy for vacant and unoccupied residences. Today I'll share what that exclusion is and what you need to know about it. There are two key words to define. ‘Vacant' means that all furniture and other evidence of someone occupying the home has been removed. ‘Unoccupied' means that the home is furnished but no one is living there currently. The exclusion regarding these homes says if the home is vacant or unoccupied for more than 90 days, the coverage on the insurance policy is reduced down to 60%.  When might this come up? For example, if you're selling your home and have already moved all the furniture out, it might be that you need to have a friend stay in the house and document that they stayed there. Why? Well, if the home caught on fire, and the question came up of how long it has been since somebody was last there, you might get reduced coverage. Be sure to check your insurance policy to see if it details any unoccupied/vacant exclusions. Years ago, when I was selling a house, I suddenly got a notice from the insurance company saying that it needed to be occupied in order to maintain our current coverage. We had to rent out the home to avoid losing coverage. Ultimately, check your insurance policy to see if it details any unoccupied/vacant exclusions. If you have any questions about today's topic or anything else to do with real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to help you.

Here's the latest news that proves just how inaccurate Zestimates are. Some of you may have heard the recent news about Zillow. I've made videos about their various online services in the past and how they affect the market, but I wanted to talk about this most recent one. Zillow had been using their Zestimate to make offers on homes the AI told them would be a good value. It tried to factor in appreciation, the cost of repairs, and the cost to sell. They had been doing this for a while and had become a big real estate company. However, they announced that this fall that they would put it on ice and analyze what went wrong. We always knew Zesitmates were unreliable, but now history proves it. One source I had said they were losing around $80,000 a house. Fairly recently, they announced that their whole iBuyer platform, as these sorts of online cash offers are called, would be abandoned. That caused quite an uproar, and some of you might've seen that Zillow's stock dropped 25%. Also, around 25% of their employees were laid off. We've always talked about Zestimates being unreliable. Zillow admits this themselves because they have a state-by-state reliability chart below the page that gives the Zestimates. History now shows that the best source for your home value is a person who can keep their finger on the pulse of the market. I hope this was interesting and helpful. There's probably more news to come about this whole situation. If you have any questions or are looking to buy or sell, feel free to call me.

Here are all the latest numbers from our residential waterfront market. Today I'm sharing our third-quarter real estate market report for 2021. All our numbers are reflective of an extremely strong market. However, there's very little for sale across the board, whether you're looking for a home or vacant land.  You can watch my full market update, or you can skip around to each topic using the timestamps provided below: 0:00 — Introduction to today's topic 0:50 — Flathead Valley overview of actives, solds, and pendings 2:30 — Flathead Lake homes overview 3:25 — Flathead Lake vacant land overview 4:45 — Flathead Lake condos overview 5:45 — Echo Lake and Lake Blaine homes overview 6:20 — Echo Lake and Lake Blaine vacant land overview 7:05 — Swan Lake overview 7:45 — Swan River overview 8:35 — West Lakes homes overview 9:00 — West Lakes vacant land overview 10:05 — Whitefish Lake overview 11:05 — Lake Mary Ronan overview 11:50 — Wrapping up If you have any questions or a topic you'd like us to cover in a future video, please let us know via phone or email. We'll do some research and answer your questions or make a video about what you'd like to see. Just let us know how we can help you.

Here's an update on the most popular 10-year investments today. Today I'm following up on a video blog from about a year ago. In that video, I covered what you should do with your money when you sell. I brought up an article by Bankrate which looked at the popularity of different investments that you'd hold for 10 years, and real estate was on top. I just received an update on that same topic, and I thought it would be interesting to cover. Real estate is still No. 1, but it was much more popular with younger people. Stocks and bonds used to be the No. 2 option, but now it's cash. People might be waiting to see how the economy does, but they also might be looking for good buying opportunities in real estate since cash is so strong in transactions. Real estate is still the No. 1 long-term investment. Gold stayed pretty steady. Bonds used to be No. 4, but they lost their spot to Bitcoin, going from 7% in popularity to 4%, while cryptocurrency jumped from 4% to 9%. I frankly don't know much about cryptocurrency, but it's pretty interesting that people feel it's a good long-term investment.  I always find it a little interesting to see how people are handling their wealth, and I hope you do too. If you have some questions about this survey or anything related to real estate, feel free to give me a call. I'd be happy to pass along more information.

Here are the 10 big rules surrounding the 1031 tax-deferred exchange. Today I want to talk about the 1031 tax-deferred exchange. As the market gets stronger and people are willing to sell, I've been asked about it a lot. There are 10 rules to follow with 1031 exchanges that we'll go through in detail today. Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:09 — Introducing today's topic 1:06 — No. 1 Once you close, you have 45 days to identify replacement properties 1:49 — No. 2 The three property rule 2:16 — No. 3 The 200% rule 2:49 — No. 4 Close on 95% of properties if over 200% value 3:39 — No. 5 Closing doesn't mean you can identify more properties within 45 days 4:08 — No. 6 The property needs to be properly identified 4:40 — No. 7 Who receives the identification? 5:29 — No. 8 Replacement properties must be the same value as identified properties 6:18 — No. 9 Identified construction costs can be covered by your facilitator 7:16 — No. 10 Facilitator funding for replacement closing 7:58 — Wrapping up If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via phone or email.

Here's your midyear 2021 Flathead area real estate market update. Today, I'll be going over my 2021 second-quarter market report. The market still looks to be moving very fast, so I'll jump right in with what you need to know right now.  Below, I've included timestamps for each area I cover in the video:  0:44 — Overall market for Flathead and Lake Counties 1:30 — Flathead Lake looks strong  3:08 — Swan Lake and Swan River  4:29 — Echo and Blaine Lake 5:11 — Foys Lake 5:51 — Ashley Lake 6:31 — Bitterroot Lake 7:11 — McGregor Lake 8:00 — Wrapping up and interesting facts  10:08 — Contact info  If you'd like to know more about any of the properties mentioned in this video or have real estate questions in general, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you.

My answers to burning questions about the housing boom and low inventory. When is it going to end? That's the question that gets asked in both booming and tanking markets. Thankfully we're in a great market right now, but people want to know when the market's going to shift. They want to know whether it will burst like a bubble, similar to 2008, or have a slow slide back down to normal. Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message, or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:11 — Introducing today's topic 0:28 — Reflecting on the 2008 recession 1:11 — Housing demand data since 1959 2:40 — Housing demand after 2006 3:28 — The big question 4:24 — External factors 5:31 — This is not a bubble 5:51 — Wrapping up If you have any other real estate questions, please reach out to me at (406) 253-7268. I'd love to give you some answers. Have a great day.

Today I’m answering a common question about septic installation. We often receive questions from buyers and their agents regarding vacant land. Sometimes they want to know if it has been perc tested, which is a term that hasn’t been used in a long time. Essentially, a perc test involves digging a hole in the ground, inserting a vertical ruler, and dumping water in to see how fast the ground absorbs it. The information they find is used to determine the design of the septic drain field. The more scientific means of doing this nowadays is with test holes, which are dug eight or more feet into the ground for an engineer to document the profile of the soil. The engineer is looking to see if the soil will provide good absorption and filtration from a septic system. After that, they’ll insert a perforated pipe into the hole and backfill it for groundwater monitoring to make sure that groundwater doesn’t sit at a shallow depth beneath the soil. Test holes also serve to make sure you don’t run into bedrock or even spring activity at an unacceptable depth for a drain field location.  Once the testing and monitoring have been completed and submitted, we’ll get a document from the Department of Health saying that the work has been done and that the location is suitable for a septic drain field. The document includes parameters for the amount of drain field needed per bedroom in the home. If you have any further questions about this or other real estate topics, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to follow up with you.

Here’s our Q1 overview of home and land sales in Flathead Valley. Today we’ll share the first-quarter waterfront report for the Flathead Valley. 2020 was a wild ride, but the numbers from our first quarter of 2021 indicate a wild ride yet ahead of us. Feel free to follow along in the video above or else use the timestamps below to navigate the discussion at your leisure: 0:47—Overall residential statistics 1:37—Overall vacant land statistics 2:37—Whitefish Lake home sales 3:12—Flathead Lake home sales 4:17—Flathead Lake vacant land sales 5:12—Flathead Lake condo sales 6:02—Echo Lake; Lake Blaine; Lake of the Woods sales 7:07—Swan Lake home and land sales 7:52—Swan River home and land sales 8:23— “West Lakes” home and land sales (Ashley, Bitterroot, McGregor, and Foys Lakes) 9:42—Wrapping up today’s discussion If you are thinking of taking advantage of this strong market to sell your property, this is a great time to do it. Right now, prices are very strong and demand is high, so you’ll likely get top dollar for your sale. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you have. We’d love to speak with you.

Here’s an overview of Montana real estate sales activity. Every spring, we receive a publication from the Montana Association of Realtors that breaks down all the different associations in the state by their MLS and compares their last year of activity to the previous year. I always find this report interesting; Montana is a big state with a lot of different economies and business opportunities. The most recent report has been released, and today I wanted to walk you through what we learned about the sales activity of the various Montana associations so that you have a better understanding of what’s going on in our statewide real estate market. Feel free to follow along in the video above or else use the timestamps below to navigate the discussion at your leisure: 1:50—The Billings Association 3:06—The Rocky Mountain Association (Greater Butte) 5:38—The Great Falls Association 6:10—The Helena Association 6:42—The Missoula Organization of Realtors 8:05—The Bitterroot Valley Board (Greater Hamilton) 8:39—The Gallatin Association (Greater Bozeman) 10:00—Park County (Livingston area) 10:44—The NW Montana Association (Greater Kalispell) 11:34—Wrapping up our discussion As always, if you have questions about our real estate market or are thinking of buying or selling a home soon, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m happy to help.

Here’s what to know about internet connection in northwest Montana. I read in an article that Montana Sky, one of the internet providers here, is rewiring the small community of Troy to bring a high-speed, fiber-optic connection to every home. It reminded me of a question that buyers seem to ask well before worrying about bathrooms and bedrooms: “Is there internet service?” Since connection is such an important topic, I thought it’d be a good idea to put together a page on our website that addresses it. There, you’ll find a list of the different internet providers in our area and what type of services they offer. From wireless satellite connections, to cable, to fiber optics, and back down to DSL, they have the whole spectrum. Thankfully, we have enough options for you to shop, as there is some overlapping coverage from the different providers. So if you want to see what’s being offered in northwest Montana, we invite you to check out our page. It’ll be updated regularly because things are changing rapidly around here. The days of internet connection uncertainty in northwest Montana are over. A while back, we went through a rather uncomfortable period of uncertainty. For example, there were a few instances in which a seller would cancel their service upon moving out, a buyer would move in and call to order new service, but the provider would inform that they’re full; that space had just been allocated to someone else. We’re happy to say that those days are behind us now. We also realized the need for a second web page that covers questions on things like utilities, surveyors, propane, natural gas, etc. These homeowner resources and services are helpful to anybody who’s moving into the area. You can check out our vendor page here. I hope you found today’s video to be informative. Please don’t hesitate to reach out by phone or email with any other real estate questions you may have. We’re always here to help!

Here’s why I recommend learning the alphabet that pilots use all the time. How many times have we misunderstood someone over the phone? The similarities in sound between “M” and “N” or “P” and “T” or any other notorious pair in the alphabet may seem harmless, but when communicating important information like addresses they can create a great deal of confusion. If you’re trying to send an email with critical attachments but you misheard someone and made an error somewhere in the characters before the “@”, your message will never arrive.  I’m a pilot, and pilots are required to know the phonetic alphabet because it’s used in radio communications when you’re flying and talking with other planes, control towers, or traffic centers. Why not strengthen your communication skills this year by challenging yourself to memorize it as well? The phonetic alphabet is not difficult to learn, but it sure is helpful; it can be a powerful hedge against tragic miscommunication.  Learning this handy alphabet can be as fun as you make it! At 2:18 in the video above, you can see a chart of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. I invite you to explore the internet for different formats that suit your taste—some charts even include morse code, too! Practice spelling words out loud using the phonetic alphabet, or quiz your spouse, family, or friends. Be careful not to be a showoff, though; no one likes an ostentatious display… or in other words, an “Oscar Sierra Tango Echo November Tango Alpha Tango India Oscar Uniform Sierra” display.  Learning this handy alphabet can be as fun as you make it! Check out this neat online puzzle games to help you memorize it. For the most part, numbers are pronounced the same, but there are some interesting exceptions. For example, do you know why “nine” is always pronounced as “niner?” Well, if you were flying over German airspace and tried to communicate “nine,” it could easily be mistaken for “nein,” the German word for “no.”  For more information on learning and practicing this, check out these resources: Alphabet Chart Phonetic Alphabet Quiz I hope you found this insightful and are feeling a little more inspired to sharpen your communication skills this year! As always, reach out to me via phone or email if you have any questions about buying, selling, or investing in real estate. I’d also be happy to chat with you about where our market is headed. I look forward to hearing from you, but until then, stay “Sierra Alpha Foxtrot Echo.”

Here are all the 2020 real estate numbers from the markets we cover. Today I’m back with a full recap of the 2020 real estate market. I broke down all the numbers you need to know for our waterfront properties, and I’m excited to share them with you. Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message, or use these timestamps to skip to topics that interest you most: 0:40- Residential and vacant land sales numbers for 2020 2:15- Flathead Lake sales numbers for homes and vacant land 6:00- Sales numbers for Flathead Lake condos 7:00- Full recap of Echo Lake, Lake Blaine, and Lake of the Woods sales numbers 9:30- Swan Lake’s sales numbers 11:15- A recap of sales for the “West Lakes” 15:15- Wrapping things up If you have further questions for me about the numbers mentioned in the video above or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Here’s what you need to do if you intend to value inherited property. Now that everyone has put their New Year’s resolutions together, today I thought I’d add a little postscript from a recent client. After we closed, they asked us for help in valuing property that had been inherited back in 1970. Certainly we can go back a little in our database to look for sold information, but 1970 is pretty far. When a homeowner passes away, it’s important to valuate their property as soon as possible because that value will be the basis for any taxes charged against appreciation moving forward. If you’re looking to value an inherited property, create an ‘important papers’ file on the property. This would include things like whether the property owner had mineral rights and other long-term documents. Those documents can be used to inform any valuations done for that property. Many people have a habit of losing these kinds of papers, but putting them together in a file will help ensure that the process goes smoothly. If you have questions about valuing inherited property or anything else to do with real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Hollinger Team. Hope to hear from you soon!

Here’s what the latest numbers say about our market. Today I have another market update to share as we close out 2020. I’ve compiled all the latest data from Flathead Lake and Flathead County residential market (single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums). At 1:10 in the video above, you can see a chart outlining the number of active and sold listings for various price ranges in all the major cities in our area. If you focus on the overall supply of inventory at the bottom of the chart, you’ll see the following: $0-299K: Less than two weeks of supply $300,000 - 499,000: 1 month of supply $500,000 - 749,000: 1.5 months of supply $750,000 - 1 million: 4.5 months of supply $1 million - 2 million: 4 months of supply $2 million and up: 7 months of supply  I remember that not too long ago, maybe a year or so, we were talking about absorption rates in some price ranges in terms of years, not months—especially over $2 million. When describing our current market, I say it’s the inverse of what we saw in the late aughts after we entered our last recession. Back then, there were many sellers but very few buyers. If you were to ask a seller what their property was worth, they’d say they didn’t know because there weren’t that many sales. Despite the wintery weather, there’s no shortage of people out there looking for homes. Now, we have buyers asking us how much they should pay for a property, but it’s hard to answer that question because so many recent sales are over asking price. You never know when the next property will come on the market that fits your needs, so wherever it’s priced, you’ll have to seriously consider paying full price or higher. It’s crazy either way you look at it, and it’s a difficult market for buyers to work in.  A lot of buyers and sellers are telling me that they think they’ve missed the market. On the seller side, they think they could’ve done a lot better selling earlier in the year or in 2019. On the buyer side, they wish they would’ve bought at what they now think was the bottom of the market—they may have thought homes were expensive then, but they’re even more expensive now.  Regardless, it’s still a great time to sell now. Despite the wintery weather, there’s no shortage of people out there looking for homes. If you’re a buyer, just hang in there; good properties are always coming on the market. No matter what your plans are, always have a strategy to reach your goals. If you have questions about our Flathead Lake market or would like help buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to give me a call. I’d love to speak with you.

Here’s how condominium inspections differ from single-family home inspections. What’s the difference between a single-family home inspection and a condominium inspection? With a condominium inspection, the main difference is that the buyer doesn’t have ownership of the structure. The roof, foundation, walls, etc., are owned and managed by the homeowners association (HOA). That’s why you pay your HOA fees—that money goes toward things like painting, roofing, and overall maintenance.  Think of it this way: Everything from the sheetrock inward is your responsibility; everything else is the HOA’s responsibility. If there’s a leak under the sink, that’s your responsibility. If there’s a leak in the wall, that’s the HOA’s responsibility. In almost all circumstances, the only structural item that falls under the responsibility of the buyer is the windows. In some condominiums, the HVAC unit is located in a mechanical room that’s exterior to the living space. In this case, that’s the buyer’s responsibility. Everything from the sheetrock inward is your responsibility; everything else is the HOA’s responsibility. Additionally, a condominium inspection won’t be as thorough as a single-family home inspection, although I’ve seen many inspectors make comments about areas that are the HOA’s responsibility. If nothing else, the comments for these areas will give you an idea of what to check on as far as the HOA’s plans for them.  If you’d like to know more about this topic or have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

Here are the third quarter stats from our local real estate market. If you watched my video recap of our real estate market’s performance in the second quarter, you’ll likely recall me mentioning that some of the numbers popping up were harbingers of a bigger shift that would unfold in the third quarter. Well, the shift arrived as expected, and it was pretty darn huge.  As of late, the market has been brisk. Whereas we had very few buyers back during the recession, we now face a scarcity of properties for sale. Many people are looking to buy, but there are simply not enough homes for them to choose from. Today I’m bringing you the latest stats so you can get a better sense of what took place in the third quarter of 2020.  Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to skip to topics that interest you most:  1:23 — Active listings, pendings, and year-over-year sales for Flathead and Lake counties  2:28 — Flathead Lake home sales, vacant land sales, and condominium sales  4:48 — Active listings, pendings, and year-over-year sales for Echo Lake and Lake Blaine   6:26 — Active listings, pendings, and year-over-year sales for Swan Lake  7:24 — Active listings, pendings, and year-over-year sales for the “West Lakes”  9:49 — Wrapping up today’s recap  This kind of frenzied activity is reminiscent of the period before the recession, but I don’t remember us ever getting down to as few properties as we have right now. Due to the significant number of pendings in the third quarter, I believe this quarter will be quite strong, at least in terms of closed sales. After that, though, our market will likely hit a wall—not because we’ll be in the dead of winter, but because there’s just not enough supply to keep things moving.  As always, reach out via phone or email if you have any questions, and please subscribe to our channel for more great content. If you’re already following us, know we greatly appreciate you! For this blog’s outro (10:43), I’ll leave you with a little video I put together showcasing this year’s bounty—our tomatoes and tomatillos!

There’s a new buyer migration taking place in our market. Where are the homebuyers in our market coming from? The movement of homebuyers into our market is a byproduct of the quarantine and so many people working from home. Employers have discovered that their workforces can feasibly work remotely. Thus, many residents of major metropolitan areas who were forced to rent because residential housing is so expensive in these places are thinking of moving away. In fact, a recent poll found that, out of roughly two million of these renters, 66% said they would consider moving and working remotely. These days, buyers are coming from everywhere. These people could all be new homebuyers purchasing entry-level homes that aren’t too far away from where they live now. This is what we’ve been seeing in our area of Montana, and it’s been an interesting addition to the buying population.  These days, buyers are coming from everywhere. Before the concept of working from home was popular, it was much more important for homebuyers moving to our area to have a job waiting for them. That’s not the case anymore.  If you’d like to talk more about this homebuyer migration and its impact on our real estate market, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you.

Here’s how you can use bugs to get rid of noxious weeds on your property. If you have noxious weeds on your property that you’d like to get rid of, I know of a solution that gives pest control a new meaning.  This spring, I came across a company called Weedbusters Biocontrol that uses certain types of insects to reduce noxious weeds. After visiting with them, I placed an order to eliminate two types of noxious weeds on my property: leafy spurge and spotted knapweed.  After you place an order, they agree to send you the insects needed when the time is right to introduce them to your land and start attacking the weeds. This doesn’t eliminate them outright, but it does reduce them drastically. The insects are sent to you in a refrigerated cooler, and all you have to do is open it up and release them out into the forest. It was well worth contacting Weedbuster Biocontrol; they’re a great company. I got my first order of insects for the leafy spurge, and about a month after we released them I received an order of weevils to take care of the roots of the spotted knapweed. Two weeks later, I received another order of weevils to take care of the blossoms. There were three releases in total, and hopefully, I’ll be able to give a report several years from now about how well the insects did their job.  It was well worth contacting Weedbusters Biocontrol; they’re a great company to work with. All they ask is that you return any coolers they send (along with your payment for the insects). At 4:09 in the video above, you can see a quick recap of each release.  If you’d like to know more about my experience using Weedbusters Biocontrol or have any real estate questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.

Here’s the latest from our Montana lake region real estate market. As we wrap up the second quarter of 2020 and push on to the back half of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on how our market has fared. Today I’m sharing the latest stats!  Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to skip to topics that interest you most:  0:41 — Residential and vacant land stats: Northwest Montana region (Lincoln County) 1:33 — Active, sold, and pending homes around Flathead Lake 2:52 — Vacant land sales around Flathead Lake  3:24 — Flathead Lake condominium activity  4:12 —  Residential and vacant land stats: Swan Lake  5:40 — Residential and vacant land stats: Echo Lake and Lake Blaine  7:22 — Residential and vacant land stats: Ashley Lake, Bitterroot Lake, and McGregor Lake For all of the lakes, we’re seeing fewer properties for sale, but an increased number of transactions. 2020 has been nothing short of an interesting year (to say the least), so I’m curious to see what’s in store for our real estate market—come what may, I’ll be keeping you informed!   As always, reach out via phone or email if you have any questions, and please subscribe to our channel for more great content. If you’re already following us, know we greatly appreciate you! For this blog’s outro, I’ll leave you with a glimpse of a comet that traveled through our solar system recently! Our team member Drew did a ‘stellar’ job capturing it, so check it out at 10:19 in the video above (it’s quick, so don’t blink)!

Here’s what the latest numbers say about our market. What’s been happening in our Western Montana market lately? To answer that question, we’ll compare the year-to-date statistics (up until June) from 2020 with those from 2019. We’ll look at the closed sales, new listings, negotiated sold price, and median sales price of Flathead, Lake, and Missoula counties.  Closed Sales: Flathead County: -0.4% Lake County: +43.4% Missoula County: +6% New Listings: Flathead County: -7.6% Lake County: -1.7% Missoula County: -5.4% Negotiated Sold Price: Flathead County: 97.8% Lake County: 96.1% Missoula County: 98.4% Median Sales Price: Flathead Lake: +7% ($370,000) Lake County: +16.3% ($288,950) Missoula County: +7.9%($339,900) Now that we’re approaching the end of the second quarter, stay tuned for our quarterly waterfront report, where we’ll share more interesting numbers from our market.  If you have questions about these statistics or there’s anything else I can help you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Here’s how the first quarter of 2020 panned out for our Flathead market. Today I’m excited to share with you the Flathead market summary for the first quarter of 2020. Though we’re nearing the end of May, I wanted to wait until I had all of the numbers available for the surrounding areas before I presented this recap of Q1.  For those worried about how Q2 is faring, I did also wrangle up the numbers for April (the month in which quarantine really took full effect). We saw a slight decrease in properties going under contract in Flathead Valley year over year, with 209 this year as opposed to 224 last April—a 10% change. Though there hasn’t been a huge impact thus far, it’ll be really interesting to see how Q2 pans out. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know about Q1.  Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch it in its entirety or use these timestamps to browse specific points at your leisure:  1:38 - Looking at 2020’s overall first quarter stats  2:16 - Vacant land statistics for Q1 2:48 - Flathead Lake statistics for Q1 3:41 - Swan Lake statistics for Q1 4:40 - Echo Lake, Blaine Lake and Lake of the Woods statistics for Q1 6:18 - The ‘West Lakes’ statistics for Q1 7:30 - Wrapping things up

Sometimes, you think you know an area well, but then you accidentally stumble upon something that surprises you. Here’s how I found Loon Lake. If you’ve been in my office, you know that we have a large mosaic of satellite images of Flathead Lake that I collected and assembled back in the ‘80s. We used it to tick off areas on the map where we have sold homes and to keep track of past experiences we’ve had on the lake.  A few years ago, the Flathead Lake Bio Station came out with a new poster of the lake based on more current satellite images. I wondered whether I could make another 4’ by 8’ mosaic from these newer images, so I called them and asked for their permission. They were very gracious and sold me the right to reproduce their images on a larger scale.  The nice thing about their map is that it includes a bathospheric layering of the lake so you can see how deep different areas of it are. I created our new mosaic and brought it into the office, but as I was hanging it on our wall, I noticed there was a strange blotch on the map. “Starting at 3:00 in the video above, you can watch as I zoom in and the message reveals itself!” It was just this white splotch that caused me to think that the printer didn’t work right or that something had been spilled on the map accidentally. That wasn’t the case though, so I started looking at a couple of other mapping programs like Google Earth to see if I could zoom in on this strange area to figure out what it was.  Zooming in, I discovered that this blotch was a dry lake bed called Loon Lake (I’d never even heard of that name before). Zooming in further, I realized that someone had written on the lakebed itself, in incredibly massive letters, a message to (I’m assuming) a family member. Starting at 3:00 in the video above, you can watch as I zoom in and the message reveals itself!  If anyone knows the backstory about this message written out in this dry lake bed, please share the info with me. It’d be a fun thing to hear about and pass on to others!  I would like to thank once again the Flathead Lake Bio Station for allowing me to put together an updated mosaic.  As always, if you have any questions about real estate, please feel free to contact me. I’m here to help in these strange times. Until then, enjoy my latest outro: A pretty phenomenal gathering of ducks ‘murmuring’ as they return for the spring.

Social distancing doesn’t mean we’re completely limited in the ways we can help others. Here are four ways you can help out and stay active during this pandemic:  1. Donate blood. If you’ve never done it before, I understand how it may feel intimidating. I’ve given well over 100 units at this point, and you get used to it after a while. It’s also beneficial for a man’s health to have their body go through the process of replacing blood, so for all you males out there, considering giving up a pint. At the donation center in Kalispell, like every other center in the nation, precautions are being taken; everyone is screened before entry for symptoms of COVID-19 (high temperature, etc.) and everything is rigorously sanitized. There are urgent calls for more blood, so make an appointment to give through the Red Cross. Some of you have incredibly rare blood types, making it all the more impactful when you donate.  2. Support local restaurants. One word describes Bigfork eateries, and that’s ‘struggle.’ I’m sure that’s the case nationwide now, as most are open only for takeout or delivery. Pick a day or two to order takeout or home delivery because our little bit of support can help mitigate their operation costs. We want our local business owners and employees to still be there when this pandemic ends. Speaking of delivery, there may be someone you know who isn’t as able as you are to venture out for food/supplies, so order a nice meal for them or safely stop by with takeout yourself. “There are urgent calls for more blood, so make an appointment to give through the Red Cross.” 3. Plant a garden. Whether it’s in your yard or in pots, grow a garden full of vegetables that mature rather quickly, so that you and others in your community can enjoy an early harvest of, say, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. Not only is it a legitimate food source, but it’s also a soul-soother; seeing vegetables ripen in a lovely spring garden can symbolize hope for many people in the community.  4. Check in with friends and family. I recently participated in a 1,600-person video conference call (of course, not nearly that many faces were visible), and it made me think about all of the various ways we can stay in touch. Isolation can have damaging effects on people’s minds, so lift spirits with a call. If you have an Apple device, you can FaceTime with up to 32 people; if you visit zoom.com, a free video-conferencing platform with paid upgrades available, you can set up a meeting time with others and hop right into a conversation.  You and a group of other people can create a routine (e.g., meet every Wednesday at 4 p.m.), or you can be more spontaneous and send friends a message like, “Hey, let’s hop on a call tomorrow at 12 p.m., sound good?”  Hopefully, you find these tips helpful. Enjoy my outro scene (7:34 in the video above): Geese coming home for spring. If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always here to help.

We get asked all the time about when the “perfect” time to sell a home is. Here’s what I’ve been telling people lately. One of the most common questions I hear on a day-to-day basis from clients is, “When should I list my property for sale?” I’m here to answer that question today. Some things have changed, but these are the reasons you should consider listing in the near future.  Broad marketing is one. Also, the number of properties for sale has been declining for years now. Right now, we’re at the lowest level of inventory that we’ve seen since the National Association of Realtors started keeping records.  Demand is high and prices are steady in our real estate market. Since we’re in an election year, things could change down the road. What we do know is that there is a good opportunity out there for home sellers. If you have a home or property that’s not serving a purpose, this is a good time to sell it. It’s a good time to move up or downsize as well. There are a lot of different opportunities. “Demand is high and prices are steady in our market.” Finally, one thing that doesn’t get a lot of press is that interest rates are still super low. Lending qualifying regulations are making it easier and easier for people to buy, increasing your buyer pool. Thanks for checking out today’s blog. If you have any questions for me about selling your home or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sellers: What do you plan to do with the money you get when you sell your property? Here is a list of the top investments to consider. A recent survey asked, “For money you wouldn’t need for more than 10 years, which of the following do you think would be the best way to invest it?” Here’s how the investors’ answers panned out in descending order: “Real estate”—31% “Stocks”—20% “Cash investments (savings accounts/CDs)”—19% “Gold/metals”—11% “Bonds”—7% “None”—5% “Bitcoin/cryptocurrency”—4% “I Don’t Know”—2% “Owner financing can be a great investment for the long term with a pretty low level of risk.” I thought it was a good idea to pass on the results of this survey since they show a strong interest in long-term real estate investments. If you’re thinking of selling and you’ve contemplated owner financing, the survey shows that it can be a great investment for the long term with a pretty low level of risk. Click here to view the results of the survey in full. If you have any questions about these investments or real estate in general, reach out to me. I’d love to hear from you.

I’m sharing statistics about the buyers moving into our area. People are often curious to know from where buyers in our market are coming. Normally, I just answer from personal experience, but today I’m sharing an end-of-year analysis aimed at answering that exact question more precisely. By breaking down our website traffic through Google Analytics, we were able to accrue some interesting information about our buyers.  First off, the numbers show that, unsurprisingly, our area is not an international market. Looking at the country of origin for buyers in our market, the United States naturally makes up the majority (87.71%), followed by Canada (8.75%). All of the other countries in the world amount to about 3% of our total sales. “Here’s some information on the buyers in our market, including country or state of origin.” Interestingly, there has been a nearly 12% decrease of Canadian-born buyers from 2018 to 2019, and it’s hard to pinpoint why exactly. Perhaps it’s because their exchange rate has been slightly down for some time now.  On a statewide basis, people moving around within the state of Montana constitute about 31% of our buyer pool, earning it the top spot. The state with the second-largest share of our buyer pool is Utah, which accounted for 10.5% of our buyer pool in 2019. It pushed California (the 2018 runner-up) down to the No. 3 spot.  For 2019, Washington takes fourth; Texas fetches fifth; Illinois seizes sixth (interesting considering that this state wasn’t even in the top 10 last year); Colorado cruises into seventh; Arizona secures eighth; Florida takes ninth; and Idaho nabs the last spot in our top 10.  If you have any real estate questions or fun ideas for future videos like this one, be sure to shoot us a quick note or drop a line. We’re always happy to hear from you.  Be sure to check out the Instagram link I’ve included; it’s a video of some outfitters who were packing 80 miles into the mountains with their pack string of horses. On the morning that they were set to head back, they were surprised by a newborn colt! See the story here.

Here are the year-end numbers from 2019 and the current statistics from our market. Now that we’re well into the new year, it’s a good time to recap the numbers from our 2019 market as well as the current statistics. 2019 was a busy year, and a lot changed across the board. I’ll break down what happened in each area of our marketplace and offer insight into what it means for buyers and sellers. Cited below for your convenience are timestamps that will direct you to various points in the video. Feel free to watch it in its entirety or use these timestamps to browse specific points at your leisure:  0:27—Total home sales in our marketplace and the average inventory for 20191:17—The number of vacant lots sold and how many are currently available1:44—The lake region in its entirety2:36—Flathead Lake 4:15—Swan Lake 5:03—Echo Lake/Lake Blaine/Lake of the Woods 7:16—The lakes west of Kalispell 9:04—Wrapping things up  If you have questions about these statistics, would like to receive a copy of our newsletter, or are thinking of buying or selling a home soon, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help.

A reminder to watch out for snow dams during the winter months. Something many people can have issues with during a particularly snowy winter are snow dams. This winter we will likely have substantial snowfall, so this is a message to pay attention to. An ice dam is water melting underneath snow, and as water runs down your roof and hits the edge where it’s colder, it will freeze and build up layers of ice until it backs up under the shingles and comes down inside the roof. Eventually, it can make its way inside the house. This is a reminder for you all that this can be a dilemma coming up in the winter months. If you have someone who can check on your home for you if you aren’t around, that’s a good idea—not just for security, but for ice trouble as well. If you have any questions for me about ice dams or anything else concerning real estate, feel free to reach out by phone or email. I would be happy to help you.

Here’s an update on the third quarter of the Montana real estate market year. Tune in to learn the latest developments. For waterfront sales, the third quarter of 2019 was very interesting. Overall, the dollar amount has been higher in the past, but the number of transactions has also been lower. Year to date, we’ve closed 80 properties on the waterfront, as opposed to the 91 we closed during the same period in 2018. Flathead Lake:Flathead Lake has 95 active listings right now, and so far, we’ve closed 40 homes (the same amount as last year). Interestingly, five of those closings were for over $2 million, whereas last year, only two sold for over $2 million. This year, 11 closed for over $1 million, and last year, eight closed for over $ 1 million. Overall, the upward trend in prices is because a lot of inexpensive property has already been bought up. There are 45 vacant lots available in Flathead Lake. There have been 11 closings so far this year, compared to 18 last year, and two pending sales. The reduction in the number of sales seems to show that people are more interested in buying homes than vacant land at the moment. Swan Lake:In Swan Lake, there are eight active listings. Year to date, there have been six closings, as opposed to the five closings last year. In 2018, three sold for over $1 million, and this year just two have sold for more than $1 million. There are eight vacant properties in Swan Lake, and just one pending sale. Last year, there were two closed sales. Echo/Blaine/Lake of the Woods:There are three homes for sale and 10 have closed so far this year. Last year, only five homes were closed upon. Even though there aren’t many homes available, this shows that there has been a huge amount of activity in these areas. There has been only one sale of vacant property on these lakes. Two sales have closed, and there are no pending sales. There’s a very slim selection in terms of vacant lots—last year, there were four. It seems that quite a few properties sold, but none have come back on the market. The Lakes West of Kalispell:All the sales here were down over last year. On the residential side, there have been seven sales so far this year, compared to last year’s 11 sales. There are 15 homes for sale and four pending sales, which suggests that sales may even out with last year. On the vacant land side, there are 14 active listings and three have sold year to date, compared to last year’s six sales. You can likely expect a few vacant lots to be available next year. There is one pending sale for vacant land, so we can see that these areas aren’t completely inactive. If you have any questions or need information about a particular area, please reach out to us. We’re happy to help.

If you’ve got questions about short-term rentals, this great website will likely have the answers. People ask me all the time about whether their property could be used as a short-term rental, and my response is always the same: Do your homework. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.  Thankfully, I recently stumbled across a new company, AirDNA, that does market data research on short-term rentals. In response to the lack of data available about short-term rentals, AirDNA has taken it upon themselves to fill this niche. You can see a few examples of their studies on their website: AirDNA.co. It’s free to sign up, and there’s plenty of interesting data to be found there.  They scrape information from Airbnb properties, VRBO properties, and tens of thousands of others. One of their most recent studies revealed that this summer marked a saturation point for short-term rentals. In other words, the growth stage we were previously in has ended. Supply and demand in the short-term rental market have largely leveled out. Of course, you can learn more specific details of this and other developments in the short-term rental market by checking out AirDNA’s reports. It’s a great resource for anyone thinking of converting a property into a short-term rental.  “AirDNA is a great resource for anyone thinking of converting a property into a short-term rental.” If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Before you sell your home, there are some key questions that you should be asking. Find out more here. Whenever I talk with a potential home seller about their property, I’ll typically ask them right off the bat if they have any specific questions themselves. Often, they respond by saying they don’t really know what to ask. To ensure that you’re a more informed and well-represented home seller, today I’ll share some questions that will be very important for you to ask your agent when it comes time for you to list your own home. 1. “What can I expect in terms of communication?” Are you the type of person who only wants your agent to call you if you have an offer, or would you like regular updates from your agent? Also, be sure to ask how your agent plans to communicate buyer feedback to you. 2. “What specific information can you share about the market?” Asking about current trends and conditions in the market is a good way to determine if now is a good time to sell. It will also help you find any available opportunities as far as competition from other sellers goes. 3. “What type of buyer will I get?” Having a grasp of what type of activity you can expect and from which demographics will help you to better market your home.  4. “Should I stage my house?” Staging can definitely help you sell your home, so be sure to ask a professional home stager’s advice about whether you should repaint, recarpet, or do other projects to make your home shine before going to market.  “Trying to save a few dollars by paying a lower commission could end up costing you more in the end. After all, you get what you pay for.” 5. “What is the state of financing like?” Ask your agent about what hurdles or opportunities there are in the way of financing your next home purchase so that you can be prepared in advance. 6. “How will you price my property?” There are a lot of factors that go into determining the value of a property, so ask about the agent’s methodology. 7. “What’s the expected timeline?” Closely related to pricing your home, it’s also important to know how long you’ll be expected to wait before the home sells. Knowing this can help you time the process, including when to seek pre-approval, when to stage your home, etc.  8. “What is your track record as far as sales?” Obviously, you want to work with an agent who has a good track record for selling homes and who will bring real value to the table. I will caution you, however, to be wary of agents who offer cheap services—trying to save a few dollars by paying a lower commission could end up costing you more in the end. After all, you get what you pay for. Hopefully, today’s message has been helpful to you! If you have any further questions about this or other real estate topics, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to speak with you. 

Nobody wants to feel like they’re living in a construction zone. Here are a few ways to reduce the noise that makes its way inside your home. Homeowners often ask me how to reduce the noise level in their home. Usually, this question comes from people who live near busy streets or highways and are concerned that the sounds of traffic might negatively impact their day-to-day-life. If this is a concern of yours, today I have some tips to share about how you can soundproof your home. Upgrading existing insulation or adding insulation to your walls is a good idea, especially if you’re buying new construction. Foam insulation will negate the transfer of sound through your walls. A solid-core door is another way to reduce the noise that comes into your home. You can even get solid-core bedroom doors. “Even plush furniture can reduce interior and exterior sound.” There is some amazing technology out there as far as windows are concerned. Window glass tends to resonate like a drum, but if you have thermopane windows with two different thicknesses of glass, sound will resonate at two different rates—thus reducing the overall noise level in your home. You can also add window inserts, window treatments, and storm windows to further reduce noise. Even some contemporary blinds have sound reduction built into them. If you have rooms with hard floors, adding rugs, carpet, and plush furniture can make a difference. They absorb more sound and can reduce both interior and exterior sound. Finally, vegetation and plants can make a difference. During spring and summer, when trees are full of leaves and many plants are in full bloom, the extra foliage in your yard can simultaneously create privacy and reduce outdoor noise. If you have any other questions for me about how to reduce noise in your home, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you’re not entirely sure how the appraisal process works, you’ll be a little wiser on the subject by the end of today’s video. Appraisals are a common topic of interest among buyers and sellers alike, so today I’ll answer nine questions about this topic to help you gain a better understanding of them no matter what side of the transaction you find yourself on.  For your convenience, I’ve cited timestamps below that will direct you to each question and its corresponding answer in the video above. Use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure:   0:23—What does an appraiser do?  1:26—What information does an appraiser compile to do their appraisal?  2:17—How do improvements affect a home’s valuation on an appraisal?  3:12—How are other home sales used in the appraisal process? 4:18—How does an appraisal compare to fair market value?  5:39—What if the appraisal comes in below the sales price?  7:40—How is an appraiser chosen?  9:04—Are there good and bad appraisers?  9:45—Can you talk to your appraiser?  I hope today’s video provided you with a greater understanding of the home appraiser’s role and their process. If you have any questions or would like more information, please let me know. I’d be happy to answer them for you. We hope to hear from you soon! 

In today’s market update, I have some interesting facts to share with you regarding the first half of this market year. With half of 2019 gone, let’s take a moment in today’s market update to look back on the numbers we saw from the first half, sorted by area. The overall number of sales for both residential and vacant land in Flathead and Lake County combined totaled a little over 4,600. This is a 7% decrease from last year when there were 4,900 sales. This doesn’t appear to indicate a market turnaround since the sales prices we’re seeing are a little bit higher. To see the numbers for specific areas and to find out what might be impacting them, refer to the video above. You can use the timestamps I’ve provided below to help you navigate the conversation at your leisure: 1:23—Flathead Lake home sales 2:33—Flathead Lake vacant land sales 3:16—Flathead Lake condo sales 4:19—Swan Lake home and vacant land sales 4:57—Echo Lake, Lake of the Woods, and Lake Blaine home/land sales 6:24—The “West Lakes” home and land sales: Ashley Lake, Bitterroot Lake, and McGregor Lake If you have any questions or comments about today’s statistics or if you have a topic you’d like for me to address in a future video, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be happy to share whatever knowledge we have with you.