Happy Spring to all our friends!
It comes in a disjointed way, but each new sign of the season is welcomed. The grass is greening, calves, lambs and colts are in the pastures, daffodils, crocus and pansies are popping up and trees and bushes are blooming and leafing out. Glorious!
The real estate business is “blooming”, also. Please let us know how we can help you.
Hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. Suggestions and comments – always welcome!
Kind regards,
Sharon and Brian
(Check out www.facebook.com/SharonTudorIsler for spring photos!)
March MLS Statistics – Gallatin Association of Realtors
Single Family Inventory – is down throughout our market area.
Compared to 12 months ago: Area 1 (Bozeman) -28%, and 2 (surrounding Bozeman) -18%. But Area 3 (Belgrade) has 28% more inventory than March 2015. Big Sky is up 7% and Livingston down 24%.
Number of Sales comparing March 2015 –March 2016 – year to date: Sales numbers are either up just a bit or down significantly.
Bozeman – up 6%, Area 2 – up 8%, Area 3 – down 25%, Area 4 down 19%, Area 5 (Big Sky) same as 2015, Area 6 (Livingston) down 14%, Area 7 (Ennis) down 44%
Median Prices – changes in 12 months
Bozeman – up 16% to $350,000, Area 2 – up 3% to $365,000, Belgrade – up 4% to $242,000, Manhattan – up 22% to $258,000. Area 5, Big Sky saw prices rise 23% to a median of $1,070,000
Condo Inventory in Bozeman was up in March 44% to 85 units. Sales were up 17% in Bozeman. Median price was up 16% to $230,000 compared to March 2015 (when median price was $200,000)
Vacant Land Inventory in Bozeman is down 25% with 92 listings. In Bozeman, 47 lots have been sold in 12 months (up 18%), part of the reason inventory is down. Area 2 has 4% more land inventory than last year – 309 listings now. 99 land listings were sold in the last year. Many new homes are going up to help our inventory so that Buyers can find a home!
Please contact us if you’d like more information on these or sales statistics in other areas or for your property. We’re happy to discuss how statistics can affect the market.
Kiwanis Club of Bozeman
Sharon has been a Kiwanis member since 1988, one of the first two women to be invited to join the Bozeman club. She has been the Song Leader for many years, including jokes and birthdays, and has held offices, including 2 years as President.
One of her favorite charities is The Eliminate Project. Kiwanis International and UNICEF joined forces to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus—a deadly and horribly painful disease that steals the lives of nearly 49,000 innocent babies and a significant number of women each year. Our Bozeman Kiwanis Club has been giving to this project and many local projects through the years, raising money in large part through our annual December “Cakes for Kids” pancake breakfast. We meet Mondays at noon at the Holiday Inn.
Call Sharon if you’d like more info. We always welcome new members!
Thoughtful Quotes:
“In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.”
~ Mark Twain
“It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring, who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.”
~ B. C. Forbes
“The true harbinger of spring is not crocuses or swallows returning to Capistrano, but the sound of the bat on the ball.”
~Bill Veeck
“Spring won’t let me stay in this house any longer! I must get out and breathe the air deeply again.”
~ Gustav Mahler
“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.”
~ Ellis Peters
Riverside Country Club – Annual Spring Membership Drive
April 1 to June 30
The most beautiful golf course in the area, with close-up Bridger Mountain views, and huge, mature trees. You’ll find an incomparable clubhouse with superb bar and dining facilities, a fantastic chef, swimming pool, and lots of activities for children and adults.
More than ½ off initiation fees in most categories.
Visit the Riverside Country Club website for more information. http://riverside-country-club.com/BecomeAMember
Lighten Up – Spring Cleaning Ideas!
Clear out and live slimmer. Some ideas that might help you in this season.
BOOKS, MAGAZINES AND DVDS – If you love books, and reading, this is one of the most difficult. But if you’re never going to read a book again, and it doesn’t have sentimental value, why not let someone else enjoy it. There are thrift stores, yard sales, and, most important – your public library. Magazines can be delivered there, too. And if you need some article again, you can probably find it online. DVD’s can be digitized and easily stored.
CARS – If you have an extra vehicle, eliminate it. According to AAA, it currently costs an average of $8,698 annually to own and operate a vehicle.
CLOTHES – Easier said than done, but if your closets and dressers are bulging, now is the time to purge. Take everything out of each closet or drawer. Then decide if you will put each item back and keep or add to a pile to take to charity. Someone else can enjoy what you don’t use!
OFF-SITE STORAGE – Now’s the time to go through any Self Storage units and get rid of everything that won’t fit in your home. Eliminate storage fees!
EXERCISE EQUIPMENT – If your exercise bike or treadmill has become a clothes rack, just donate it to a charity or thrift store. And make friends and have fun at a local gym.
KITCHEN GADGETS AND SMALL APPLIANCES – Waffle iron – bread maker – how long since you’ve used them? Also, clean out drawers. And get rid of tableware you don’t use.
CHILDHOOD MEMORABILIA – Lots of our children don’t mind their parents storing their keepsakes, but when it comes down to it, they’re not really going to want them when you are forced to downsize. Keep a few precious mementos – but photograph and digitize images of other things.
FURNITURE – You will be amazed at how much eliminating just a couple of pieces from a room will make it feel so much more spacious!
FILES – “Consumer Reports” advises organizing your important files into four categories: 1. Papers that you need to keep for the calendar year or less. 2. Ones that can be destroyed when you no longer own the items they cover. 3. Tax records, which you should save for seven years. 4. Papers to keep indefinitely.
Many copies of documents are already online (bills, bank statements, user manuals, etc.). You could digitize documents and store on the Web or an external drive.
DEBT – Pay off debt as quickly as possible. Remember many of our parents’ rule? If you can’t afford to pay for it now, you simply can’t afford it.
HOLIDAY DECORATIONS – Many of us have too much holiday décor (it’s fun to buy new “stuff”). But if you haven’t used it in 5 years, why not let someone else enjoy it? Again, you could take photos of favorites. Imagine the space you could save!
THE BIG HOUSE – Mainly for Senior Citizen friends. This might be a decision that you want to make sooner than later. Once the kids are gone, you don’t need as much space and probably have years before you retire. There are significant costs in owning more space than you really need: taxes, utilities, insurance and repairs. Plus, you’ll have to get rid of items you don’t use or need. Very freeing feeling!
“Sharon & Brian had personal sensitivities to our personal aspirations and expectations in a marginalized market. Their willingness to flow with our own ambivalence was valued.”
-Carol & Mark
“Sharon & Brian were there for me every step of the way. I trusted them both completely from the moment they walked into my house. I wouldn’t hesitate to call them again.”
– Cindy
“I wanted to say thank you, once again, for all your hard work and effort in getting me closed on Friday. And in my new home! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. Officially “owning” the place made unpacking and getting things in order this weekend so much more enjoyable. I’ve been something of a vagabond for the past seven months and it felt great to finally begin to be settled in again. Thanks to you guys! I love the place and it’s already comfortable to me. Just the right fit for a single guy and a weekend warrior on the rivers around here. Standing on my front porch and looking up into the mountains is a wonderful thing. Thank you, also, for the Organizer. That has to be one of the handiest items any new homeowner could have. I sat at my desk last night and took full advantage of it!
Again, everything you did is very much appreciated. My sincere thanks. If anyone comes my way needing a new home, you get the referral, for sure!”
– Mark
“Working with Sharon and Brian has been an absolute pleasure. They have made selling and buying our homes as simple and stress free as possible. We could not imagine working with anyone else. Brian and Sharon were there for us anytime we had questions and always had prompt, informative responses. If we ever need a realtor team in the future, I will not have to look very far. We give them our full recommendation and they will truly make your dreams come true as they did ours.”
– Dan and Melissa
“Sharon and Brian Tudor, her associate, were more like friends than business people. The initial visit with Sharon was very positive and we selected her from three interviewees. Both Sharon and Brian were very professional throughout the sale, even when negotiations were difficult. The buyer’s agent was inexperienced and difficult to deal with. Both Sharon and Brian kept things on an even keel and got us through. I would have no problem fully recommending them at any time.”
– Mary Ann & Rod