Brint's Blog

It appears we're seeing more good news that the Missoula residential market is on a steady pace of recovery.  Now that the 1st quarter is in the books I looked back at the amount of sales volume, the median sales price, the impact of REO/Foreclosure sales, and the amount of market supply.  The da...

Bunch Your Taxes and Save - 4/1/2013  One of the drawbacks to low mortgage rates is that the total interest and property taxes paid for the year may be lower than the standard deduction.  A little planning might be able to help you at least every other year. Most homeowners know they can deduct t...

Eliminate the Mortgage Insurance - 3/25/2013  Pre-paying your mortgage can save thousands in interest and build equity in your home. As cheap as mortgage rates are currently, they're higher than you can earn on your savings. If you don't need the money any time soon, pre-paying the mortgage can b...

Maintaining Comfort - 3/18/2013  Some people refer to the heating and air conditioning systems as the "comfort systems."  If you've ever had to be without one in the dead of winter or the heat of summer, lack of comfort may be an understatement.  Simple maintenance with a HVAC checklist is someth...

Your Deduction...Your Choice - 3/11/2013  Taxpayers are allowed to decide each year whether to take the standard deduction or to itemize their deduction when filing their personal income tax returns.  Roughly, 75% of households with more than $75,000 income and most homeowners itemize their deduc...

Low inventory is a relative term depending on how you're comparing it. Would the comparison be to total number of homes on the market last year, homes in a certain price range or homes in a certain area? In some situations, it's a combination of all of those things. In any given market, inventori...

The 3.5% down payment on FHA loans could be more expensive for buyers than expected. Beginning April 1, 2013, the mortgage insurance premium will go up by .1% to 1.35% which may not even be noticeable to most would-be homeowners. The staggering increase will occur on 6/3/2013 when FHA's policy on...

Ahh the Mullan Road area, the fastest growing area of town and the place I call home.  Of course our main attraction out here is "North Reserve" which is full of the typical big-box commercial stores you'd find in towns all across the US.  This area features a school that is bursting at the seams...

One of the older parts of town the Northside is usually referred to as the residential area which can be found north of the train tracks that come through town and the old Westside is south of the tracks, north of Broadway, and head as far east as Russell Street.  These areas feature some of the ...

A little history lesson, as I was always told - who knows maybe it's just a myth.  Missoula used to just be north of the Clark Fork River however as it began to expand a few prominent families moved south of the river and streets/city blocks begun to form.  The Higgins family and Stephens family ...