Election results are in: changing of the guard in both Kalispell and Whitefish. Kalispell has a new mayor, 33 yr old Tammi Fisher, a local attorney. Some change in the personnel on Kalispell City Councel as well. Whitefish put in new council members. It will be interesting once everyone is in office if these are changes for the better or not.

     School elections in Kalispell had differing results for restoring the building funds. Elementary passed and high school failed. The way the schools are in the valley is a bit different. Elementary in the city of Kalispell would have those voters voting. For the high schools, enrollment covers quite a wide area with voting coming from voters not necessarily in town and in the town elementary districts. Is this a push back on high schools from the new construction of Glacier High and major remodel on Flathead High? District is considering going back for another vote on this later on. My take was that the taxes would not increase, just stay the same to build up the reserve.

     Weather had been mild but now is getting colder. Need to start getting the snow pack built up on Big Mountain in time for an early December opening day.

by Cary Jo

Snow!! Yes, some wet stuff is falling today. A cold front is passing through and giving us a little white, so far nothing is sticking in the valley, but should be in the mountains.

Hunting season opened last Sunday. You could feel the buzz in the air. Not a lot of success, but never the less many wait months for the chance to walk around in the woods looking for game.

Successful closing on my first REO - bank owned property. I had a seller and even with the extra paper work, went very smoothly. The good thing about an REO, there is no delay in a response back from the seller (lender). In a short sale you can literally wait for months for an answer. In my way of thinking, my buyer got a great deal since this house should have been around $200k and sold for $182k.

Off to deliver home books to 2 of my new listings!

It has been a busy week in my real estate business. I have hardly put my head up to see what is going on around me in the valley. 4 new listings, 1 large commercial property, 3 more closings before the end of the month - LOTS of paperwork!! It is all good. The nice thing about being in this business for so long is referrals from past clients. 2 of those just this week.

Election for mayor of Kalispell is picking up speed as far as campaigning goes. Watching with interest to see if there will be a changing of the guard. I really have no say since I don't live in the city limits, but it does effect me anyway since I work and sell real estate in the city.

Fresh Life church is a fairly new Calvary church in Kalispell. They meet in a former movie theater in town and have just bought another, the Liberty, to do a simulcast service since they max out their space even with 3 services. Dynamic teaching and great music. Levi, the pastor, is in his 20's but definitely has a gift for teaching.

Off to take photos of a new listing. Watch my web site for the newest listings.

Sailboat came out of Flathead Lake today for the winter. The lake gets drawn down in preparation for next Spring's snow melt, so the 30' boat is lifted out and put on blocks for the winter. Always a little sad to see another sailing season pass, but looking forward to skiing!!

    Kalispell and Whitefish city elections are coming up. The Daily Interlake is full of campaign news and opinions. Be interesting to see if there is a changing of the guard in November.

    It appears that the long awaited Kalispell Highway 93 bypass construction will be going out to bid very soon. I have yet to hear where the funds are coming from to actually build it, but they must be there available to use.

    I had lunch yesterday at Kalispell Regional Hospital with client and friend Dr. Melissa Hulvat. Melissa is the new breast surgeon at the hospital. She has been very busy speaking during this breast cancer awareness month. If you have to go through such a trauma, Dr. Hulvat is the gal you want to take care of you! I got a tour of her clinic, very homey and comfortable - for a doctor's "digs" as she calls them.

     WINTER??? What is normal weather for NW Montana? Who knows. 2 weeks ago we were 15-20 degrees above normal. Now we are the same difference below normal. Snow yesterday, now today, bitter cold. My horses are putting on their winter fir as quickly as they can, but will blanket them for the next couple of days. Next week the weather promises to return to "normal" temperatures.

     Kalispell Ski Club swap is this weekend at the fair grounds. Plan on getting my ski pass for Whitefish Mountain Resort photo taken so I am ready when the mountain is ready.

     Winterizing the bee hives this week. They are hunkered down in the bottom feed box trying to stay warm. A lot of honey there for them to eat and get through the winter.

     Flathead Valley Community College has a very well done play we saw last night, "The Art of Dining". Good for a few laughs. Great turnout. Love the new theater.

     Good day for knitting. Camas Creek Yarns has a beginning class this morning. Stop by Colter Coffee for an Americano and walk down to the yarn shop to be in the cozy store and re-learn how to knit.

     Okay, I missed the blog update last week, I was working hard! 4 buyers in 3 days. 1 relocation, 1 out of state buyer, 2 buyers getting in on the $8000 tax credit and they need to close by November 30, 2009.

     It was a weekend of fund raising dinners. Saturday night at Flathead Valley Community College was the auction/dinner for the Glacier Institute and the Big Creek Camp for kids. During the school year, school groups go to the camp to learn about critters and life in the wilderness. In the summer, intercity children arrive for week long camps to be exposed to something outside of their normal environment. They hike/backpack/raft/fish etc. Great cause!! The camp is on Forest Service land across the river from Glacier National Park.

     Sunday was an awesome dinner at Kandahar Restaurant at the Whitefish Mountain Resort for the Flathead Community College Foundation. Chef Andy wowed us all with his usual local and unique offerings. He is the best chef and the most creative!!

     Summer weather continues with temps in the 70's to 80's. That will come to an end later this week, so taking each sunny day as it comes!

     Summer continues!! The weather has been nothing but sunny and warm. The garden continues to produce and we are taking every summer day we can get!!

     Took in some amazing homes last Friday on the Parade of Homes put on by the Flathead Building Association. Outstanding craftmanship in some of the homes I visited.

     Kalispell Chamber of Commerce had their monthly luncheon at the Flathead Community College this week. I cannot say enough about this educational resource right here in our valley. Enrollment is up 38% this year! There are many programs that enable students to stay in the Flathead Valley and obtain a 4 year degree. The culinary arts program does weekly Friday night dinners in their kitchen. We are going to the one tonight with some friends. For $38 we will get a 4 course gourmet dinner served by the students with explanations of the cooking and prep process. Crown of the Continent lecture series has started weekly at the college. Speakers lecturing on geology and everything else that makes Glacier National Park what it is.

     For the 2nd time in 2 weeks, I have received multiple offers on one of my listings! Yes they are $200k or below, but that is what we need to get this market back on track. Showings since Labor Day have also taken off.

This week: a market update

As soon as August hit, showings started escalating in all price ranges. A brief lull the last week of the month then last week offers started flying in. I received 3 offers on one listing and through a multiple counter offer, went over the asking price.

Price range: under $200k inventory is what is really moving. I have a buyer under $200k and her choices are drying up quickly. I am losing one renter to a home purchase. Buyers in the lower ranges are feeling the need to lock something up if they are first time home buyers. They need to close no later than December 1. Between FHA and Rural Development, there are good programs out there for 0 to very little down payment.

I expect Sept/Oct to be much hotter. Traditionally these months were always strong but the last 2 years proved it is anyone's guess right now.

Don't wait too long if you are a buyer, the tables will turn and it won't be a buyer's market at some point.

    Okay, I missed last week's blog. Glacier National Park was calling my name and I had to get one more camping trip in this summer. We loaded up our camper with bikes and kayaks and headed to Many Glacier on the east side. The campground was full already so headed back towards East Glacier and the Two Medicine campground. What a gem! See photos below. We camped on the lake, went to the evening ranger talks, hiked, biked and kayaked. The campground empties out each morning with everyone heading for the trails. We took the easy hike to 3 different waterfalls with a moose siting on the way. Day trippers drive into the parking lot and take a boat tour of the lake or stop in at the historic general store. We will be back next year!

    Flathead County Library designs are in for the new Kalispell branch. Location yet to be determined. We'll see where it goes.

    Harvest time: 2 big totes of apples from my trees, tomatoes ripening, squash and pumpkins coming along nicely. The honey bee hives in the garden have helped out immensely! Could do without this nasty year of hornets however.

    Had an afternoon sail on Flathead Lake this week. A storm brewed up and it got very gusty quickly. 30 mph gusts are no fun! Took the sails down and headed for safe harbor.

    University of Montana Griz game tomorrow in Missoula. Never been and looking forward to it. An easy drive down and back. Should be fun.

    Craming all the fun into the remaining days of summer. Never know when the first frost might hit. Real estate sales are definitely picking up so working quite a bit as well. New listings, new buyers, both taking advantage of the slowly turning market.

    Why did I want to type in July instead of August for the date of this blog? Is it because summer is flying by and I want a do over on the last month?

    We have had some cold and rainy weather in the last week but supposed to be very hot the end of this week. The cold and rainy weather had terrible timing for our rafting trip - 3 days - on the North Fork. We were drenched and cold even with wet suits on. It was a cabin float so stayed in real beds the 2 nights out, Our guide, Dean, was awesome!! Made it as comfortable as possible. All the food was great. What a lot of work lugging all that stuff around. www.glacierguides.com is the place to go for rafting, guided backpacking in Glacier National Park, hikes, fly fishing, etc. Awesome company and great guides. Most guides return year after year, so a lot of experience there.

    It is fair week. We will pass on attending this year. Lots of other activities to choose from. Saw Alpine Theater Project's latest play Sunday. Fantastic as always. Whitefish attracts many Broadway performers for each play that they do in the summer.

    Working on shelter and fencing for dairy goats - just 2. A new farm land experience. Got 5 layer hens this week. Looking forward to my own eggs again. They are so much better than store bought. Molly the golden retriever is guarding them. Can't figure out if she wants to play with them, attack them, or mother them. Never leaves the coop though.

    Real Estate is picking up! 2-3 showings on my listings each day. Got an offer last week and one this week. Buyers are getting much more active and I am receiving many contacts a week through my web site. So encouraging!