We hope your new year is going well! Hard to believe the beautiful weather we’re experiencing. We did get some new snow at Bridger, but not that much. Hoping for more soon!
Hope you enjoy and gain some good information from these February thoughts! As always, please give us a call/email if you want more individualized stats/or?
MULTIPLE LISTING SYSTEM STATISTICS FOR JANUARY 2015 (as compiled by ERA Landmark)
INVENTORY: Our Bozeman proper market (1) has a few more residential listings than last January, but the surrounding area (2) has fewer. Inventories are also down in Belgrade, Manhattan, Big Sky and Livingston. There does seem to be quite a bit of new building activity, and building permits do show that.
SALES UNITS: Compared with January 2014, the number of residential units sold in Bozeman is up 5% and in surrounding area, up 12%. Belgrade and Manhattan sales are flat, Big Sky is down and Livingston and Madison County are up in number of sales.
MEDIAN SINGLE FAMILY SALES PRICE: This number is down some in Bozeman, but up in all other areas – several by quite a bit. Interestingly, the AVERAGE Sales Price in Bozeman is up significantly. We know that some people are still being priced out of the market, even though interest rates are still at record lows. We find that first-time home buyers are having difficulty saving for a down payment and many are still affected by student loans. There are some new loans that may help those problems. Be sure to call your banker/lender. There may be help!
CONGRATULATIONS TO NATHAN ALBRECHT, PRO BUILDERS
Nathan has been chosen Builder of the Year by the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association. He’s been chairman of the organization for two years, has participated in 8 years of Playhouses on Parade, as well as being an eight-time Parade of Homes builder alumni. His Parade home was selected as People’s Choice in 2014. He serves as an NAHB National Director, and State Director. We’re proud to have him and Cherie as clients, and currently have their personal home in Bridger Canyon listed. See Header above and Featured Home below.
BOZEMAN YELLOWSTONE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – BZN
We’ve attended a couple interesting presentations by Director Brian Sprenger and learned about the amazing progress of our airport. BZN set a record for passengers in 2014: They handled 966,964 passengers flying in and out during 2014. This is up 9.3% compared to 2013 and sets another passenger record for BZN and for Montana. We’re ahead of Billings!
Here’s the web site in case you want more information: http://www.bozemanairport.com/
MOST EXPENSIVE HOMES SOLD IN 2014
There were 10 properties sold in the areas surrounding Bozeman, Belgrade and Manhattan (not including Big Sky) from $1,950,000 to $4,500,000. 22 other properties sold above $1,000.000. Looks like many people who can live wherever they desire have chosen Bozeman.
ADVICE FOR COLD WEATHER – maybe we’ll need it still this winter!
AAA Insurance Offers Tips on Protecting Your Pipes When the Mercury Drops
Pipes can freeze due to sudden drops in temperature, poor insulation, furnace failure or thermostats set too low. Both plastic and copper pipes can burst, and recovering from frozen pipes is not always as simple as calling a plumber. A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day, causing flooding, serious structural damage, and the potential for mold.
Preventative Steps – What You Can Do Now
- Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it.
- Insulate pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic, even if you live in an area where freezing temperatures are unlikely.
- Seal leaks around pipes that allow cold air inside. You also should look for air leaks around electrical wiring, and clothes dryer vents and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out.
- Disconnect garden hoses. If possible, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance that pipes just inside the house will freeze.
- If a freeze is expected, let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall. Just a trickle may keep your pipes from freezing.
- When there is the possibility of a freeze, don’t turn down the thermostat when you’re asleep, but keep it set at the same temperature day and night. Drops in temperature, which are more common overnight, could freeze your pipes.
- Open cabinet doors. This will allow heat to reach uninsulated pipes located under sinks.
If Your Pipes Freeze
If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber.
- Do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water.
- Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame. It could cause a fire.
- You may be able to use a hair dryer to thaw a frozen pipe. Begin by warming the section of pipe closest to the faucet, then work your way out toward the coldest part of the pipe.
- If your water pipes have already burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve in the house, and leave the water faucets turned on.
Prevention is key to protecting your home during winter. That includes making sure you have adequate homeowners insurance
BOOMERANG BUYERS (from CNN – Money News)
That’s according to a new report from RealtyTrac, which estimates that 7.3 million so-called “boomerang buyers” will return to the U.S. housing market over the next eight years.
Foreclosures and short sales skyrocketed after 2007 during the darkest years of the financial crisis and Great Recession. But with the economy gaining momentum and hiring picking up, many foreclosed home owners are in a position to buy again.
Half a million home buyers: Homeowners can recover from foreclosure in as little as three years, but seven years is the “conservative” amount of time it takes to rebuild a credit score, according to RealtyTrac. That means many homeowners who lost their homes in 2007 should be able qualify for a new home loan this year.
More than 500,000 people will fit this description in 2015, according to RealtyTrac. The number jumps to 1 million next year, peaks at 1.3 million in 2018, then tapers off by 2022.
CALL Sharon or Brian. We have SOLUTIONS that might work for you. We can help you through every step of the process. Hundreds of successful transactions give us the experience and knowledge to make your move as easy as possible. “Always there for YOU!”
Sharon Tudor Isler, Broker, CRS, GRI, SRES 406-556-5048
Brian Tudor, Sales Associate, GRI, GREEN, SFR, SRES 406-556-5068
Brian@B ozeman-RealEstate.com
BRIDGER CANYON INFORMATION www.BridgerCanyonNews.com
BEST, EASY-TO-USE SEARCH ENGINE: www.BozemanPropertySearch.com
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