The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is trying to encourage home ownership. As part of this act, there is an $8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers who purchase homes between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009. A first-time home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the new purchase in the act, making people who haven't purchased a home in awhile also eligible. There was a 7500 tax credit available to first-time homebuyers last year but that credit had to be paid back. The new one does not and the credit is given to you with your regular tax return. For more information on being a First Time Homebuyer in Missoula or Western Montana, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185. Exce... 03/08/2009

Last week, the Missoula Organization of Realtor's (MOR) released their 2009 Missoula Housing Report, and the results are, well not so bad, especially when compared to the rest of the country. According to a story that aired on Missoula's KPAX, "There is no doubt that Missoula is experiencing a slowdown in the housing market as from 2006 to 2008 there has been a 40% decrease in total home sales. Meanwhile, foreclosure rates reached all time highs in 2007 and they increased in 2008, but still numbers remain too low according to experts. But, experts say that when compared to the rest of the country, Montana has dodged the bullet so far." And local experts have seen a spike in the market already this year. This was attributed to low interest rates, and an understanding the real estate mark... 03/08/2009

Missoula Montana - Wineries Just off I-90 near Big Sky Brewery is a charming winery - Lake Missoula Cellars. Lake Missoula Cellars offers free wine tasting Thu/Fri  -4 PM to 7 PM and Saturday from 12-5:00 pm. One of our favorites is their Recession Red - a hearty wine and priced for the recession, it can't be beat. Lake Missoula Cellars also has a stage and features entertainment on Friday nights as well as other special concerts and events. We attended a concert by local Blues Artist, Mike Bader and had a great time. For more information on the winery, visit their website. Lake Missoula Cellars is also on Facebook where they will keep you informed about upcoming concerts and events. *******     03/05/2009

Missoula Real Estate - Missoula's Miller Creek Neighborhood The Miller Creek Neighborhood is a popular area among homebuyers. Located on the Southwest corner of the city, this neighborhood features good-sized homes on larger lots and rests on Missoula's low-lying hils. The area also still maintains much of its natural beauty with Miller Creek flowing down the hill into the Bitterroot River. Wildlife is still seen wondering through the area - deer, elk, and even an occasional black bear! Miller Creek is near several large open parks, including Marilyn Park that has large animals that spray water and provide a great place for children to cool off in the summertime. Miller Creek is close to one of our favorite golf courses in Missoula, Lind Vista. Median Home prices in the Miller Creek are... 03/05/2009

Missoula's University of Montana was cited as "The most beautiful campus in America," by Rolling Stone Magazine. This sentiment was also expressed in Kaplan's "Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges." where it states that UM is among the top "schools with the most beautiful campus in an urban setting." And it's located in Missoula Montana that has been called the  "Rocky Mountain Berkeley ... the kind of place many people hate to leave." -by Martin Nemko, "How to Get an Ivy League Education at a State University" Kevin and I have both attended the University of Montana and loved our time there. We go back at every opportunity for the Arts, Grizzly Athletics, or just to check out what's going on at the University Center "the UC". The campus is beautiful, the peop... 02/25/2009

There's been a loud hullabaloo in the industry lately concerning IDX feeds. Unfortunately, the staggering amount of people who are unreasonably excited about IDX is equaled and possibly even surpassed by the amount of folks who couldn't tell IDX from their own left hand. I myself was included in the ranks of the un-knowledgeable until I received enlightenment not twenty minutes ago. Now, verily do I pass unto you: Methinks that most of the confusion surrounding IDX has to do with the fact that IDX is an acronym. Allow me to define IDX, and while I'm at it, some of IDX's acronym'd friends: IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange, and is nothing more than the concept of displaying MLS information on a website. FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, and is the old standard for networking MLS... 02/23/2009

I read somewhere that with Twitter, people either love it or they don't get it. There are a few brave souls in Missoula on Twitter but we haven't reached the numbers you see in other areas yet. So what is Twitter and Why do you Care? Simply put, Twitter is a Social Networking and a Microblogging tool. It allows you to send status updates - similar to Facebook, and read others status updates - called "Tweets". Tweets can be up to 140 characters and are more "real time" than what you find on Facebook or other Social Networking sites. According to Wikipedia, "In November 2008, Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research estimated that Twitter had 4-5 million users.[2] A February 2009 Compete.com blog entry ranks Twitter as the third largest social network (behind Facebook and MySpace), and puts ... 02/22/2009

Coffee is serious business in Missoula and Western Montana as evidenced by our coffee stands on virtually every street. A few years ago we received an article from our family in Colorado by a nationally syndicated journalist from the East Coast traveling through the state. He was amazed by the shear number of coffee stands in Missoula and the surrounding area, and the different styles. "Tiny Missoula teems with proudly independent java joints, all of them at least very good, some serving locally roasted coffee." --The Washington Post Living in Montana, I just took for granted the mini coffee stands scattered across the state - each with its own unique personality and selection. We do have a few Starbucks but our wide selection of local stands give them some stiff competition. And there ... 02/17/2009

Free Missoula Montana MLS Search We offer a Free Missoula Montana MLS Search on our website www.YourMT.com. Includes active listings in Missoula and surrounding communities: East Missoula, Clinton, Turah, Lolo, Florence, Stevensville, Hamilton, Frenchtown, Tarkio, Superior, Alberton, St. Regis, Deborgia, Saltese, Evaro, Arlee, St. Ignatius, Ronan, Polson, Dixon, Plains, Paradise, Thompson Falls, and more.   02/17/2009

A few weeks ago, while driving down California’s sunny coastline, my sister asked me what made me different from every other telemarketer in America. You know who she was referring to: those guys that only seem to call between 6 and 7 p.m. offering you authentic, discount Cuban cigar bundles straight from the tropical beaches of New Jersey. At the time I wasn’t sure how to respond. But the crisp weather of my native Missoula Valley has since jarred my brain into production, and I am now equipped to answer my sister’s query. The only problem is, she no longer cares about my answer, so I’m forced to blog it out… Cold calls: the bane of many a salesman’s existence. Unfortunately, even though they are feared more than spiders and public speaking, cold calls are an integral part of any sales... 02/05/2009

Did you know that if you buy just 25% of your groceries from local farmers, in one year you would reduce your carbon footprint by 225 pounds? That's even more than recycling glass, plastics and cans!* Buying locally grown in Missoula Montana has never been easier. With Missoula's Good Food Store, located at 1600 South Third St. West, you can find organic and locally grown produce, grains, beef and more. They even offer cooking classes to help you learn how to cook and eat healthy. The Missoula community has a publication that will assist you with buying, cooking, and finding locally grown food - Edible Missoula. This is a free quarterly publication that focuses on in-season local foods. Missoula is also home to several local Farmer's Markets - The downtown Farmer's Market is Open from m... 02/01/2009

I have remained optimistic about the Missoula real estate market for 2009, and have found that others are optimistic too! In a recent release by Housing Predictor, a national online real estate research firm, 5 Montana cities ranked in the top 25 Housing Markets for 2009: #2 Billings #8 Bozeman #12 Great Falls #13 Livingston #15 Missoula According to Housing Predictor, in regards to Montana and North Dakota: "They've dodged the bullet in the nation's housing depression in North Dakota and Montana. During the boom mortgage companies didn't offer creative new loan programs in either state much, which has acted to protect their housing markets from major deflationary cycles experienced in the majority of the country." How does your city rank? Check it out at Housing Predictor. *******   01/27/2009

        It is common knowledge that REO and foreclosure properties are selling like hotcakes, and that new home sales are lower than they’ve been since 1995. That’s all well and good, but how are we supposed to get a cut of the action? Those of you who are interested in buying decent properties at highly discounted rates: step into my office.         So what can you do to ensure that your next REO-aimed offer yields a deal? A number of things. First off, Get Approved. That’s right, it’s finance time. It will inevitably be brought to a head at some point throughout the transaction, so you might as well sidestep the land mine before it’s an issue and get pre-approved ASAP. Being pre-approved allows you to be move quickly as far as the transaction goes, quickness being a major factor in wh... 01/27/2009

Windermere Sales Professionals Braving the Cold in Missoula, MT.   Today closes a very profitable week for Goomzee.  Among other happenings, we delivered Realty Connect to our hometown Windermere office, and had them up and running within two hours!!  Happy Selling from Missoula's Goomzee!! For more detailed information on the rollout, check out our company's blog, here.  Don't worry, it's not your normal rigid, stuffy corporate blog.  In fact, it looks alot like this one... 01/23/2009

     Happy mid-January, from Sunny San Diego!  Unfortunately, the Inland Empire's falling median home price is a harsh antithesis to the joyous sunshine that is causing the glare on my computer screen.  A major headline in NBC-LA's evening newscast last night, DataQuick statistics highlight a 35% drop in SoCal home prices since December of last year.  The San Diego-based research company reported an MHP (Median Home Price) of $278,000 last month for the six-county region of Southern California.  This figure contrasts harshly with December, 2007's MHP, a dazzling $425,000.        Thankfully, there is a somewhat positive flipside to this cruel coin.  According to this morning's Press-Enterprise, San Bernardino County observed the highest number of closed escrows for ‘any December since 20... 01/20/2009

I enjoy working with investors who are looking to purchase multifamily properties in the Missoula Montana area.  I created a website specifically for this purpose.  Take a look at this site and let me know if you think this is a helpful site.   www.MissoulaMultifamily.com 01/20/2009

One of my favorite things to do on a warm day is to take a walk on Missoula's Riverfront Trail. The trail runs along the Clark Fork River through the heart of downtown and goes East to the University and West to Orange Street. From this trail, you can see Missoula's amazing scenery, historic buildings, and enjoy the lifestyle that bring people to Montana. The trail is wide enough for both walking your dog or bicycling. It is marked along the way with ten plaques on stone pillars to help you identify some of Missoula's important historical & geological features, including: Historic Marker Topics: Southside Historic District The Built Environment Clark Fork River Crossings Meriwether Lewis The River Rattlesnake Valley and Mount Jumbo Rattlesnake Creek Glacial Lake Missoula The University ... 01/18/2009

Half-empty or half-full? Ethereal vengeance or a blessing in disguise? Whatever your view of the industry’s recession, know this: Those who can, will. Those who can’t will cease to be. And simply put, those who can are the agents who are most effective at self- and time-management. Economic duress will weed out the sun-dried agents in your office that aren’t producing, leaving more on the plate for those of you who are hungry and harbor a willingness to manage your time effectively. The average full time worker, according to Salary.com, wastes 2.09 hours on any given 8-hour day, not including sanctioned lunch or break times. This sort of lax work ethic reportedly costs employers $759 billion a year on salaries for which real, profitable work is projected but not delivered. So how do you... 01/12/2009

In 2007, Forbes Magazine published a list of the 9 most commonly aroused fears. Included on the list were spiders, snakes and bats (oh my!), confined spaces, heights, and public transportation. Surprisingly, there is something else that most people fear more than death: public speaking. Apparently, many out there are afraid of embarrassing themselves in front of large groups, especially in a business setting. Who knew? Well, don your backpack and grab that Batman lunchbox, ‘cause we’re going to speech school! In any public speaking setting, it is important to accurately identify your audience. Some may say ‘target’ audience, but there is a definite difference between the ‘target’ audience that you’re trying to reach and the physical audience that is actually listening to you. While this... 12/31/2008

     When I began plotting out this week’s post, the topic I had in my sights was a how-to on home staging. But then I remembered, “Hey, it’s Christmas tomorrow. Nobody wants to hear about something that might resemble work.” Sadly, by the time I had this realization an hour of research had been logged and I had a full page sitting before me of transcribed brainstorming. Well, “waste not, want not,” Mom used to say. Since I can’t disregard my mother, today we will make use of all we have learned about home staging and apply it to our lives, together creating something of a New Year’s Resolution grab-bag.      The first and possibly most important thing about home/life staging is this: Clear the Clutter. These pictures, posted by Michelle Minch, illustrate just how important cleaning up ... 12/24/2008