A very cool montage of memorable images around Missoula - 01/18/12 09:31 PM
This video has been making the rounds on facebook and via email.  THis was put together by a local student here in town that stiched together this animation that consists of many of the familiar sights you see around town.
It's pretty cool, I thought it'd be fun to share!
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDpabLDK83E
… (2 comments)

Western Montana's Community Trends, Darby - 01/18/12 06:47 PM
Our final stop in the Bitterroot Valley is 9 miles south of Hamilton where we hit Darby, a small town of less than 1000 people Darby features a unique western-themed downtown that’s main attraction is a large candy store.  Darby provides access to great fishing spots all over and isn’t much further from the pass leading to the Montana/Idaho border and the Lost Trail Ski Area.
 
Numbers for Darby showed me that in 2010 there were 35 total sales with a median sales price of $325,000.  There were 6 foreclosures and the median time on market was 326 days.  In … (0 comments)

Western Montana's Community Trends, Hamilton - 01/18/12 06:46 PM
Our next stop is the hub of the Bitterroot and Ravalli County, Hamilton.  Hamilton is a town of about 4400 people overall and was originally founded and mapped out by Marcus Daly himself as it was right next to his estate.  Hamilton has a very strong community identity and hosts many local events throughout the year.  It provides access to the further southern Bitterroot as well as to many trails and national forests that surround it.  Hamilton also features labs for GSK and has an exclusive golf-course called The Stock Farm Club which is a private course where you have to … (0 comments)

Western Montana's Community Trends, Corvallis - 01/18/12 06:45 PM
As we continue further south down the Bitterroot Valley our next community encountered is Corvallis.  Another small town core with surrounding neighborhoods on larger parcels of land similar to Victor Corvallis features the Daly Mansion found just south of town, a popular attraction to visit and a place where you’ll find many weddings over the summer and fall.  Corvallis unlike Stevensville and Victor does blend with it’s neighboring town, Hamilton.
For 2010 in Corvallis I found that there were 59 residential sales with a median sales price of $239,000.  There was just 1 foreclosure sale and the median time on market … (0 comments)

Western Montana's Community Trends, Victor - 01/18/12 06:43 PM
 
Further south of Stevensville is the very small community known as Victor.  Victor used to actually go by the name of Garfield but had its town name changed to reflect a former American Indian Chief who was once chief of the nearby Salish Tribe.  Victor was an area that Lewis and Clark originally passed through as well on their way to the Pacific.  The town of Victor today is about a block-long with some historical buildings that house local businesses and a bank.   This area consists of overall of many larger homes and ranches.
Looking at the 2010 number in … (0 comments)

Western Montana's Community Trends, Stevensville - 01/18/12 06:42 PM
 
Moving south from Florence we head to the oldest town in Montana, Stevensville.  Originally founded in 1841 when missionaries set up camp and built a small mission where "Stevi" exists today.  Shortly after that a trading post known as Fort Owen Inn set up shop in the area and Stevi began to grow.  The greater area consists of the small town which is about 1500 people and the large surrounding area that includes many homes on large parcels of land as well.
 
 Looking at the numbers in Stevi in 2010 there were 73 sales with a median sales price … (0 comments)

Western Montana Community Trends: Florence - 01/18/12 05:48 PM
As promised, I wanted to put together some similar reports on the trends happening the MLS area due south of Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley.  Our markets blend together quite a bit and I thought it would be usedful to share some of the news from the Bitterroot as well.
First up is Florence, the furthest northern community in Ravalli county, it's actually a much quicker drive to Missoula than to the county seat Hamilton.  Florence is a small cluster of commercial buildings, mostly a large travel center, a small strip mall, and a few restaurants with the rest of the … (0 comments)

A work-free Sunday - 01/15/12 01:07 PM
In taking a 1-post break from my usual stats and market posts I thought I'd just share today with AR that I really enjoy days like today.  For real estate agents like me it's really hard to shut off "work-mode", I'm always thinking about what I need to do for certain clients, or people I need to call, or work-related stuff that I'll have to tackle during the week.
Sundays for the most part usually consist of the typical open house and some possible showings.  But not in the late fall and winter in Montana, for me, Sunday is a day … (4 comments)

Bitterroot Valley general numbers next week - 01/12/12 12:30 PM
As the Western District Vice President I'm tasked to not only keep tabs on the greater Missoula market area but also the Ravalli County (aka Bitterroot) market as well.  Much like I did before with Missoula's numbers I'm going to put up some general trends/stats as best I can for that area and break it apart as follows:
 
- Florence
- Stevensville
- Victor
- Corvallis
- Hamilton
- Darby
 
For those that know while Missoula makes up a series of neighborhoods that blend together the Bitterroot Valley makes up small communities for the most part that each carry … (0 comments)

A Sad Notice - 01/11/12 12:50 PM
A little slow to re-post this but I did want to share this final notice and some more info on a local real estate expert and blogger that our industry lost far too soon.
Via Clint Miller (Real Estate Pipeline, Inc.):
  “My life has been far from perfect. But, it IS my life. And, I have used the things that have been given to me...the choices I have made...to make myself a better person now than what I was … After all, we are talking about a great person here ... Me.  And, if that is bragging ... then so be it.”
Clint Aaron … (1 comments)

Putting it all together, Missoula's Neighborhoods - 01/10/12 04:15 PM
So now that we've done single re-caps of the segmented neighborhoods and surrounding communities of Missoula, lets put this data together in some easy to understand charts and data.
 
First off, looking at how each area did from 2010 to 2011 in terms of their median sales price.  You'll see in the chart below that we're looking at most areas still are experiencing a negative affect on their median values over the course of 2010 to 2011.  I had speculated that some areas could see a bit of median recovery in 2011 due to the exit of the overwhelming presence … (1 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Frenchtown - 01/10/12 02:58 PM
My last one!  The Frenchtown area sits about 12 to 16 miles west of Missoula heading down I-90, it's fairly spread-out but does feature a small town core that has a few commercial businesses, a grade school and high school, and even a nice little golf course.  You can find some homes on smaller lots but the majority of homes you'll find in Frenchtown are bigger homes on larger parcels of land.  For the sake of applying some sort of boundaries to this area the region in which I'm pulling data from stretches as far east as Hwy 93 North (known … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, East Missoula, Bonner, Turah, Clinton - 01/10/12 02:44 PM
Continuing my trends research looking at 2010 and 2011 I did want to see what was happening in areas around Missoula as well.  While this is really 4 communities it's mashed into just 2 MLS "regions" and easier to combine than to break apart.  East Missoula is a small extension of our city, it's located on the other end of the Hellgate Canyon and features a mix of older and newer housing.  Bonner was built up around the now closed down lumber mill that has a small cluster of older company housing built up against the hillside, there's also a small … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Lolo - 01/10/12 02:30 PM
All so often Missoula's surrounding communities are not mentioned when we talk numbers and stats, so for my year-end reports I picked the three that are close to Missoula.  This isn't so much a "neighborhood" report as it is a community or town report.  First off, lets start with Lolo.  Lolo is just 8 miles south of Missoula via highway 93.  It began to grow very rapidly during the boom years of the early 2000's as it was considered a more affordable alternative to Missoula and a very quick trip for commuters.  Lolo has grappled with it's growth and maintaining it's … (0 comments)

Instant Classic - Caps Lock, unleash the fury! - 01/09/12 06:52 PM
Sharing this one again:
 
Not newsworthy, but funny, I guess.
Today I put together a list of houses in our MLS that are listed as either short-sale (selling for less than what's owed on the house), or foreclosure properties. There were a handful, 29 out 280 in the price range of $200,000 - $300,000. However about every 5 or 6 listings I noticed that the agents in their remarks would either type in all caps, or type some features in caps.
According to the National Association of Realtors I think the average age of Realtors is somewhere in the 50's, … (1 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Grant Creek / Goodan / Butler Creek - 01/09/12 06:43 PM
Grant Creek, the Goodan/Keil roads, and Butler Creek make up the more northwestern area of Missoula, a little more isolated from the rest of town these areas feature a few pocket-subdivisions that consist of mostly higher-end homes and then a mix of newer housing that sits of good sized parcels of land.  Many of which of these properties you'll still find barns, pastures, and horses on!
 
Starting with 2010 we saw just 18 sales with a median sales price at $305,250.  The average days on market for these 18 sales was 189 days.  The median listing price was at $314,900, … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Mullan Road and Expressway - 01/05/12 06:34 PM
The western side of town that encompasses the dreaded "North Reserve" commercial area is the part of town that has been experiencing the most growth that I've seen over the last decade.  This area features many large-scale higher density neighborhoods with homes on lot sizes that range from 3,000 to 7,000 square feet.  As Mullan Road heads further west the area opens up into many larger home neighborhoods with houses on 1 or more acres as well.
 
In 2010 there were 174 residential properties sold in this area, largely driven by the 1st time home buyers tax credit, and the … (0 comments)

Missoula's Neighborhood Trends, Target Range, Blue Mountain, Big Flat, Orchard Homes - 01/05/12 06:06 PM
The western and southern side of our valley features areas that are a heavy mix of rural properties peppered with some developments as well as streets featuring rows of homes that sit on 1 to 5 acres.  The Big Flat area is largely still ranch and open space with some very large homes and higher-end subdivisions as well.  Missoula's growth in this direction has slowed a bit over the course of the recession but as our valley continues to run out of space watch for Target Range to continue to struggle with maintaining their rural identity while growth returns to their … (0 comments)

Missoula's Neighborhood Trends, Miller Creek (Linda Vista & Maloney Ranch) - 01/05/12 05:44 PM
When I first started in real estate I witnessed the end of the "golden era" for Linda Vista.  A stereotypical 90's built neighborhood on the south-western foothills of Missoula this area features winding cul-de-sacs, large homes with forward facing garages, and homes that featured mostly pastel exterior colors.  This neighborhood as well as it's adjoining neighborhoods, Southpointe and Maloney Ranch couldn't be built fast enough as many of Missoula's Baby Boomer generation had their dream homes custom built for them.  Outside of these sprawling neighborhoods there's also some mixed large-lot homes and ranches as well as some newer subdivisions that feature … (1 comments)

Missoula's Neighborhood Trends, Central Missoula - 01/05/12 05:28 PM
Central Missoula, an area most easily identified as falling between Russell and Reserve street, used to actually be on the outskirts of town and featured homes on larger parcels of lands with farms and homesteads spread all around.  As Missoula grew around this area it became incorporated with the city and started to fill in.  Today you’ll find homes of all ages in this area, old and new, as well as some condos, townhomes, and multi-unit apartment buildings.  Additionally you’ll even come across two farms that are still active as well as a few large fields where you’ll find horses or … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Lewis & Clark / South-Central Missoula - 01/05/12 12:57 PM
The south-central area of Missoula in the valley is widely referred to as the "Lewis and Clark" neighborhood as the elementary school servicing most all of that area is Lewis and Clark Elementary.  This area features mostly 60's through 80's built homes, many are ranchers of varying sizes, but many of which are larger than those you'd find in the South Hills area.  Additionally there is some over-lap just to the west of Russell Street but to the east of Brooks that is included in this area as well.
 
Starting with 2010 I'm getting a return of 48 total sales … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, Farviews and South Hills - 01/05/12 12:37 PM
When standing in the Missoula valley these two areas make up most all of the hillside homes you'll see on the south end of the valley that have been built up mostly before the mid-1980's.  A little more south and west you'll find the newer neighborhoods in Linda Vista and Maloney Ranch, I'll report them in a separate post.  Generally it seems that Missoula started expanding first in the Farviews area in the 50's and 60's and then moved across to the South Hills area in the 70's and 80's.  The styles of homes follow suit.  Farviews boasts a lot of … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends, University Area / Slant Streets - 01/05/12 12:19 PM
The University area is home to a wide array of older houses full of character and charm.  It's a neighborhood that's blended with long-time Missoula residents, families, and students attending school.  It's actually the area I grew up in, so it holds a special place for me.  The slant streets, aptly named b/c they "slant" at an angle off Higgins avenue neighbor the University area and feature a similar mix of homes but also blends in more houses built in the 50's, 60's, and 70's as well.  Both neighborhoods largely feature boulevard areas with maple trees that can be found on … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends - Downtown/Northside/Old Westside - 01/04/12 01:01 PM
Looking at the 2010 market first off I see that there were 52 residential sales with a median sales price of $175,000. The time on market for these sold homes only was 137 days. The median list price for these sold homes was $179,450 showing that these homes were selling for about 97% of their original list price. In 2010 there was just 1 foreclosure sale in this area.
 
Fast forward to 2011 and we have 58 residential sales with a median sales price of $152,950. The time on market for these sold homes only was 122 days. The median … (0 comments)

Missoula's neighborhood trends - The Rattlesnake - 01/04/12 12:31 PM
First off, the beautiful Rattlesnake Valley, the mouth of which features some of the oldest homes in Missoula.  A largely residential area that has seen very little to no new construction growth.  Historically this area has held it's values which have usually been well over the median of Missoula's entire market.
 
First off lets look at 2010.  There were 50 residential sales with a median sales price of $314,950.  The average time on market for the sold listings only was 116 days.  The median listing price of homes in the Rattlesnake for 2010 was $334,000 so comparing median list to … (0 comments)

Year end reviews and numbers on Missoula's neighborhoods - 01/03/12 02:21 PM
I thought as a fun way to kick off 2012 would be to do an overview report of Missoula's various neighborhoods to show the activity of 2011, how that compared to 2010, and give some thoughts/opinions on what those areas might expect for 2012.
The neighborhoods I'll break apart as follows:
- Rattlesnake
- Downtown/Northside/Old Westside
- University Area / Slant Streets
- Farviews and South Hills
- Lewis and Clark / south-central area
- Central Missoula
- Miller Creek (Linda Vista and Maloney as well as Upper Miller Creek)
- Target Range
- Mullan Road & Expressway
- Grant Creek
… (0 comments)

 
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Brint Wahlberg

Missoula, MT

More about me…

Windermere Real Estate

Address: 2800 S. Reserve Street, Missoula, MT, 59801

Office Phone: (406) 541-6550 x 242

Cell Phone: (406) 529-4663

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