Here's a great summary on the New Home Buyer Tax Credit

Missoula Offers a High Quality of Life - And Missoulians Like It!

A study was just released by Missoula ADAPT, Area Development And Preservation Team, showing 94% of Missoulians are satisfied with the overall high quality of life in Missoula.

Some of the study's other findings:

• 88% are happy with Missoula's public parks and open spaces
• 81% are happy with Missoula's city government

Respondents were also asked about their areas of concern, for respondents growth and development, schools and education, affordable housing, and traffic congestion were the top four.

Results come from telephone interviews with 253 voters in Missoula County with approximately 60 percent from the city and 40 percent from outside the city limits. The survey notes a sample error of plus or minus 6 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

Missoula ADAPT is a nonprofit and loose coalition of professionals and residents interested in housing.

For more information about Living in Missoula, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or visit us online at www.YourMT.com.

Western Montana's Bitterroot Valley is Hit Hard By Foreclosures

According to a recent article in The Ravalli Republic, property foreclosures in the Bitterroot Valley have skyrocketed over the past year.

The county recorded 339 trustee sales notices between October 2008 and October 2009 - an 83% increase from the previous year and a shocking 260% increase from the year before that.

The article goes on to state that the total number of trustee sales won't be known until next spring but it is estimated to be exceed 400.

The report is consistent with reports of declining sales in rural housing markets across the country. The Bitterroot Valley also experienced higher gains and rapid construction during the good times.

We are experienced in working with bank-owned and pre-foreclosure properties in the Bitterroot Valley. If you are looking to buy or sell in the Bitterroot, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185.

Speechless Sunday: The Montana Winter Is On Its Way

Kevin hiked back to the State Line Trail near Superior last week where Winter is starting to set in. We've had a little bit of snow in the valley but it hasn't lasted. Just a friendly reminder from Mother Nature that the Montana Winter is on its way.

Here's Photos of this same area just a few weeks ago.

How One Lender Used Social Media to "WOW" a Client Today

We've all experienced delays on closings for one reason or another and they're never fun. But when they happen at the last minute it can cause a lot of stress for all parties involved in the transaction. Well that scenario happened to us this morning.

We had a closing scheduled for 1:00 today with our Buyer who arrived by train at 1:00 a.m. this morning from the East Coast to close on her new home. Her furniture is also scheduled to arrive today.

The sellers of the house she's buying are packed and ready to be out of the house today and are also closing on their new home at the same time.

So needless to say, everyone is counting on the closing to happen as scheduled today.

At 8:15 a.m. this morning we get "The Call" from the Title Company stating that they talked to Quicken Loans (the lender) and it looks like we won't be able to close for a week at least.

As you can imagine, a moment of panic set in along with a lot of other strong emotions and a few *#*#*@@ expletives. We called the Buyer and the Seller's agent to let them know and were met with more strong emotions. The Buyer called the lender immediately.

We use Twitter on a daily basis and have found it to be an invaluable marketing and communications tool in our business. I Tweet about many events so mentioned that

"I'm not impressed with Quicken Loans this Morning" on Twitter.

In less than a minute, I had a response from Kelly @QuickenLoans asking what she could do to help.

She also followed me so I was able to send her a Direct Message and an email about the issue so everything wasn't broadcast publicly. (This is a good strategy by the way - if you have a client issue, try to take it offline).

I sent Kelly at Quicken Loans my client's name by email. Of course my comment generated some discussion on Twitter and I received several responses, including one from my friend Justin McHood who is a loan officer in Arizona.

Within minutes of this tweet, we had an email from a Client Service Specialist and the Loan Officer explaining what she needed. Our client also called and was able to speak to the Loan Officer and was able to request the form Quicken needed from her attorney.

The Loan Officer told us if they received the form they could close today and she would do everything she could to help us close on time. Our client was able to get the document to them but unfortunately, the title company is booked for today. So, we're scheduled to close tomorrow - a slight delay but certainly one we can all live with, and much better than a week's delay.

So of course, I had to update my Twitter status:

In real estate transactions, occasional delays are bound to happen - especially with all of the new guidelines that lenders have to comply with. I have more than one horror story about working with out-of-state lenders who were unresponsive and difficult to work with. Fortunately, QuickenLoans isn't one of those companies and I have to say I'm impressed with their service on the overall transaction, and how quickly they responded when there was an issue.

How Much Does It Cost to Rent in Missoula Montana?

According to a study from the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM) that was published by the Missoulian this summer, a rental in Missoula typically runs between $520 per month for a studio apartment to $1400 per month for a 4+ bedroom house on average. The table below shows a breakdown: 

There are many factors to consider when you are looking to rent such as:

• Does the rent include utilities? If not, how much do those run per month?
• Do you need or want a yard?
• How much is the deposit?
• Do they allow pets? Is there an additional deposit?
• Where is the property located? Will it be convenient to work or school?
• What other amenities are included?
• How long are you planning to rent?
• Would there be advantages to buying rather than renting?

For more information on Living in Missoula, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-822-7653 (SOLD) or visit us online at www.YourMT.com.

As If My Blog Wasn't Working Hard Enough Already

After blogging for close to three years, we have developed an extensive library of content on real estate-related articles. Google loves our content and rewards us by ranking us highly for many local real estate terms and neighborhoods.

Our blog works very hard for us, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, helping consumers learn more about the area, find our home search, promoting our listings, and asking them to contact us for their real estate needs. All of this hard work pays off by helping us connect with people who need help with real estate.

We've also been using our blog as a quick and easy way to put together a e-newsletter to our Sphere of Influence. When I go to compile a new newsletter, I have lots of relevant articles to draw from for content which makes creating a newsletter a breeze, and our contacts love it. I'm always receiving positive comments about our newsletter.

Over the summer, I decided that I'd like to really leverage my blog content and get it to work even harder for us. I wanted buyers and sellers who work with us to feel like we were providing them with the knowledge and resources to make their real estate experience easier. I decided to take our library of blog posts and use them in two additional ways:

1.) Created an Online Relocation/Area Guides on My Website - I have lots of Localism posts about Where to Go and What to Do in Missoula and the surrounding communities that would be helpful for people who want to learn more about the area. Since I wanted to create a "Virtual Relocation Guide" on my website, I put together some information about the area but also provided links to relevant Blog posts about specific restaurants and attractions. Here's our Living in Missoula page on our website.

2.) Created a Communications Plan for Buyers and Sellers - Since we've started in real estate, we have made it a priority to communicate to our clients and prospects on a regular basis. We decided to create communication plans for prospects and sellers and provide information on buying and selling with links to specific articles on our Blog.

So for instance, for a first-time homebuyer we will send a welcome email thanking them for working with us with information about us, our website, a link to our home search tool, and a few blog posts or "Articles". A week later we will send them another note with a link to a few more articles, and so on.

Some examples of posts we send are ones about what they need to apply for a mortgage, $8000 tax credit basics, Why They need a Radon test, Why They should use a Buyer's Agent, etc.

Since we've implemented the Online Relocation Guides and the Communication Plans, we've seen an increase in traffic to our website and our Blog and have found that people are also spending more time on the sites. We've also gotten a lot of positive feedback from our clients.

There are lots of ways to leverage your Blog content and make it work even harder for you. I know ours will be putting in a lot of overtime.

How Others Are Using Their Blogs to Enhance Existing Relationships

Visit the Dinosaurs at Bozeman Montana's Museum of the Rockies!

This summer we stayed in Bozeman for a few days to attend a training class for TopProducer. While we were in Bozeman, we took my 7-year old nephew to the Museum of the Rockies.

The museum features exhibits on Native American culture and artifacts, a Western history collection, outdoor exhibits, and is best known for its Paleontology exhibits. The museum's dinosaur complex is impressive and is a major stop on Montana's Dinosaur Trail - a tour of Montana's rich paleontological findings.

Home to one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in the world, the Museum of the Rockies houses the world's largest T. rex skull and one of the first identified female dinosaurs in the world - an ovulating T. rex.

The Museum of the Rockies also has a Planetarium with several shows daily. For more information on the Museum of the Rockies, visit their website.

For More Information on Montana's Dinosaurs, read: Follow the Montana Dinosaur Trail

Upcoming Social Media Events in Missoula, Montana

Social Media Club Missoula started in July of this year and has grown into a group with more than 40 members. We meet the Third Wednesday of every month at the Missoula Public Library at 6:00 p.m. Admission and membership are free. We have some exciting events coming up:

Tonight 10/21/09 - Social Media Club Missoula Meeting: Jeff Mangan from Montana Business is speaking on Social Media Business Strategies in Small Markets / Economies of Scale.

November 6, 2009 - Fidos and Felines - a Tweetup for Animeals starting at 7:00 p.m. at The Broadway: Join us, and bring an item from the Animeals wishlist, pet food, spare change and/or aluminum cans for recycling! Social Media Club will be tweeting from the event, and we'd love to show you what we're all about!

November 18, 2009 - Social Media Club Meeting - Lois McElravy, of Lessons by Lois, and a professional motivational speaker will talk to us about using Linked In for Business.

December 16, 2009 - Holiday Meetup at The Press Box on Broadway, Bring a White Elephant Gift (Under $10) to Exchange.

January 20, 2009 - Kevin Leavell will speak about Using your visitor's mouse clicks to improve your website.

For more information about these events, or Social Media Club Missoula, visit our website at www.SMCMissoula.com or contact Monica Ray at 406-544-3098.

Deer and Elk and Bears Oh My - Tips for Living with Montana's Abundant Wildlife

I've lived in Montana most of my life but it wasn't until we moved to our property that borders thousands of acres of Lolo National Forest that I learned about the joy and frustrations of living with wildlife.

We love our connection with nature from living in Montana and that we are able to wake up and find deer in our yard, have wild turkeys pass through on their way to the creek, and see Elk and Moose on the hillside or along the creek. It's an amazing experience and you never know what you may see.

Living so close to wildlife can also be frustraing at times when your freshly planted garden is dinner for a deer, or your garbage is spread across the road by a hungry bear, or you end up with a skunk living in your back yard. We've experienced all of these things but have learned ways to prevent most of these situations.

• Garbage - If possible, store your garbage inside the garage or a shed to prevent bears from getting into it. Fortunately the garbage disposal company in our area requires us to use their garbage cans which are large and have a lid. They prevent some wildlife encounters but will not deter a hungry bear.

• Fruit Trees - Fruit Trees encourage wildlife to come into your yard and are prohibited by the covenants of many neighborhoods that border wildnerness. Our property came with beautiful mature plum and apple trees so that is a issue for us every year. We end up with broken branches on our plum trees from the bears trying to get the fruit. 

• Bird Feeders - It's great to see all the varieties of birds we have but it's best to remove bird feeders in the early spring and in the fall since they will attract bears. 

• Pet Food - Dog and cat food outdoors attracts lots of animals - bears, coyotes, and skunks. Skunks will even try to gain access to sheds or outbuildings if they smell cat food so it's best to feed your pets inside if possible. Our dog was sprayed in the face by a skunk the first summer we were in our house and it took a long time to get the skunk to leave, so it's best not to attract these unwanted visitors.

• Garden - We enjoy having a garden and have put up a 6 foot fence to keep the deer out. This seems to be fairly effective if you use wire that is small enough to also keep out rabbits and other small animals.

• Flowers and Plants - If you enjoy having flower beds or other landscaping around your home, it is best to select plant varieties that are somewhat "deer proof". You can find these plants by talking to the experts at your local nursery or this list of Landscaping Plants Rated by Deer Resistance.

• Pet Safety - Protect your pets from wildlife by having an enclosed yard. Dogs can chase deer and other animals and may also be in danger if they enounter wolves, coyotes, bear, or moose. Cats can also be targets for owls, bald eagles, and other animals. We have been fortunate not to have any episodes with our pets and wildlife (other than the skunk spraying).

If you have additional questions about living with wildlife, or specific animals, contact your local Extension Office, they have lots of great free resources.