Wanda's Blog From Billings, Montana

What will Echo Boomers learn from Baby Boomers?  While the terminology of Baby Boomers seems to have an identity I'm familiar with, the term Echo Boomers is something I've recently started to think about, especially since I produced a few of them myself.

What is an Echo Boomer?  A child of a Baby Boomer, and the Echo Boomers are watching their parents!  What will they be learning and doing for their future?  What will we (a Baby Boomer myself) teach them about home ownership?

• That you can make a lot of money, tax free, when you sell your home if you bought low and sell high.
• That you can lose a lot of money, tax free, when you sell your home if you bought high and sell low.
• That the idea of home ownership is a term used very loosely, especially if the bank owns your home and you just rent it from the bank.

First time home buyers are looking for a "long term" home more so now, than in the recent past.  Since there is no guarantee that the home you purchase today will increase in value in the next 10 years, at the rate it did in the late 1990"s and early 2000's, there is more caution and care in neighborhood location. 

In Billings Montana, home buyers are looking to find the best home they can afford.  They drive neighborhoods, in all price ranges, looking to see how people maintain their homes, is the neighborhood declining or improving?  Would this neighborhood be a good place to live and raise a family?

Is home ownership a good investment?  Yes, but maybe more of an investment in the security and comfort one achieves with actually paying down a mortgage.  My own kids have seen their parents working to be mortgage free! It isn't easy, it requires sacrifice (maybe the newest and best phone and tv aren't as much of a priority).  

Echo Boomers make up the bulk of first time home buyers, and they'll be a larger group by demographics, than their Baby Boomer parents.  The choices for home ownership the Echo group makes, will dictate many of the stats of the future:  home price, size, bedrooms, baths, location and energy usage.

Are you listening?

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

I heard something on one of the morning news programs today that just made me want to chuck my coffee at the new big screen tv. 

Some "knowledgeable" woman was being interviewed about the housing market and was telling the commentator that people would no longer be able to get a mortgage loan unless they had 6 months of monthly payments and utility bills in the bank (cash reserves), after they paid their down payment and closing costs.  WHAT?

I haven't even heard of this before, and maybe I heard it wrong, but that's what I heard, and I was listening.

In my local market, that is absolutely not the case!!!  Maybe there is a home buyer that has a history of some sort that puts them into a higher risk category and requires them to have this "emergency" fund, but a normal buyer has not required this, to my knowledge.

Just hearing that scares the crap outta people, for crying out loud!  I want good buyers to make purchases, and I don't want people to overspend or be under-qualified.  But this kind of message (the one about how hard it is to get a loan) gets to people who really are qualified and they hold back!

This is a great buyer's market, a great move up or over market, for qualified buyers!  I've run into 3 people in the last 2 weeks who have great jobs, make a good income and want to move, but they're afraid to have their credit score checked! 

I've asked, have you missed some payments?  No, they just don't want to subject themselves to the investigation into their own credit score.  They're afraid they won't have the high standard qualifications that are required to get a new loan today.  In Billings Montana we have a very small short sale, foreclosure market, it's really only about 3 to 5% of the homes for sale.  Our average home price keeps going up! 

Some homes are not worth what they were in 2007, that is true, and we have sold about 44% less homes than in 2006, but I repeat, of the homes that have sold, the average price is up, even above any other time!

I guess I'm kinda wondering how to reassure people that a home loan is not as hard as it looks, when you have paid your bills on time, saved a little money and have good income.  But when someone goes on the National News Network and says that people now need 6 months of expenses in a ready cash account, we've got a problem.

Maybe I should just stop watching Saturday morning news programs, they might be too much like Saturday morning cartoons!

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

The resale value on homes with electric heat is a big problem in Montana.  People are very scared of the electric bills, especially when they hear claims of bills for a 2,000 square foot home at $300 per month or more during the winter. 

About the only all electric homes that seem to do well, are those that have heat pumps with propane tanks for back up heat when it gets really cold.  The electric ground source heat pumps are actually more efficient and a much better value for home resales.

We didn't always have this issue, and in fact, there are many parts of our rural community that were served by the Rural Co-op Electric system, at very good rates!  Many homes in these areas were built with either electric baseboard heat or electric radiant heat which eliminated the need for duck work unless air conditioning was also installed.

Many of the homes with electric heat just won't sell, unless the price is so low that a buyer can convert to some type of gas forced air or gas hot water heat system. 

Another option has been the installation of wood, pellet and gas stoves, none of which need the expensive ductwork.  When natural gas service is not available, people can purchase or rent propane tanks and service their gas heaters with a fuel that varies greatly in price during the seasons.  Most people choose to have 1,000 gallon tanks and make the fuel purchase sometime in the summer months when fuel is usually the least expensive.

If you have a home that is all electric, you can consider calling your local Rural Electric Service Co-op and ask them if they have any recommendations for conversion in your particular area.  At times there are rebates, by the Co-op's, by the State of Montana and in the recent year, the Federal Government.

It is also possible to get a low cost loan from some rural development resources that can help to finance the conversion, mostly for folks who are in a lower income bracket and live outside of city limits.

To sell your all electric home, you must compare it's selling price to other homes with all electric heat rather than other homes with more economical heat systems.  There are lots of things you can do to reduce the monthly electric bills.

If you need some help with finding out more information about this issue, just email me and I'll help answer some questions.

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

What is an RSID and why do I have to pay that for my Yellowstone County Montana taxes?

RSID stands for Rural Special Improvement District, a tax structure developed by a group of property owners, usually in a rural subdivision, for the purpose of maintaining roads, parks, water and sewer lines, fire suppression tanks, street lighting and other improvements that benefit property owners within a specific boundary area.

The County does not "impose" a RSID on property owners, the property owners can petition the County to help develop the RSID.  New subdivision rules for new developments do include RSID plans as part of the approval process.

Most property owners view RSID's as a positive measure, especially if they hear stories of subdivisions that do not have RSID's.  One such story (often repeated in other uncontrolled subdivisions) kinda goes like this:

A large rural subdivision in Yellowstone County was developed and included a road maintenance fee to be collected from each of 100 property owners every year.  A subdivision CCR document included how these fees were to be collected and how the subdivision management was to put these funds to good use.  Over the years, the responsibility for the subdivision management wavered, mostly because some of the property owners refused to pay their road maintenance dues.  The subdivision organization members did not relish asking/demanding their neighbors to pay up.  Soon the organization became so frustrated that no one showed up to meetings and no one took care of the job of collecting and utilizing the road maintenance funds.

Sadly the roads deteriorated, so much so, that cars and trucks were forced to forge deep ruts and potholes in the gravel road.  School buses and delivery trucks refused to come in to pick up children or deliver mail or packages.  A few of the neighbors got together and fixed and maintained their portion of the road, but were not happy that those who also drove over their hard work, refused to contribute.

Pretty soon the subdivision members who were trying to improve their neighborhood asked the County to get involved and force their neighbors to uphold the CCR's.  The County responded that the general taxpayer cannot be responsible for roads that a small group of subdivision residents own and should maintain.  They also did not have any power to force the neighbors to do this and instructed the neighborhood to take the free loaders to court.  There is another option, and that is to form an RSID.

The small group grew to over 60% of it's members to form a RSID with the specific goal of road maintenance, and they submitted a plan to the County Commissioners, following the Counties guidelines.

Success!  The result is a fund, on all of the subdivision owners taxes, a special assessment, which will be collected and held in their own account, to be used for the purpose of road maintenance.

The subdivision members who started this whole process volunteered to be part of the AD Hoc committee for their subdivision.  The Ad Hoc committee will serve to represent and assist the County Commissioners with the decisions on how and when to maintain the roads, bidding processes and general administration.

It's a slow process, it takes time to build up funds to get some of the work done.  The County can't authorize for work to be done, until the funds have been collected, and they're in the bank! 

This isn't a quick solution, but it is a solution.  It especially helps with the collection and distribution of funds specific for maintenance of rural subdivisions.

I can tell you that many people don't want to live in a subdivision because they don't want to participate in "rules and regulations", but really, the rules and regulations make living on small acres feasible and more pleasant. 

The chance of finding property in small acres (under 40) not in a subdivision is really pretty rare.  Our State of Montana has rules about subdividing, for good reasons, to protect people from getting into situations which make their lives and homes less enjoyable.

If you have more questions about Rural Properties and Country Living, just shoot me an email and I'll try to answer them for you.

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

The West End of Billings Montana has seen a slower than average amount of buyer activity, but really not too slow considering we're just about to reach the middle of January.

The area measured in today's graph is Area 8, most of which is South of Grand Avenue and West of the downtown area. 

20 homes have sold in the last 30 days, with an average size of about 2,000 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath.  The average sold price was $180,825 and the average number of days it took to sell those homes was 41 days!

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

My East Slope Internet Guy Is Really Good, Small Town Service.

Tonight I was having a little internet connection trouble so I gave my internet provider a call, it's after 6pm.

The wife of this family team always answers the phone with the sweetest voice, you'd think she had a fresh batch of cookies she just pulled out of the oven.  Her husband Bill is the techy brains of this outfit, I don't know how old he is, but let's just say most guys his age retired 10 years ago!

Bill I say, I don't have a connection and I've done the reset like you have told me before in the past, but I still don't have a connection, is there something going on with your tower?

Well, let me see what's going on, I don't think the tower is the problem, and if we can't figure out what it is, I'll come over first thing in the morning and get you fixed back up.

Can you walk from your computer to your utility room, and you know where we have the transmitter power plug?  (He knows the inside of my house and he hasn't been here for over a year).

Long story short, we figure out that one of my connections was loose, and oh by the way, I just put up a new tower a month ago and I think we could make your connection faster if we tried that one, oh great, we were at 350ms and now we're down to 11 (or something like that).

This is how East Slope Internet operates!  He asks me how my business is going, tells me about where he's picking up good service for new orders and so on.  This family lives across the Yellowstone River from me, practically neighbors.

I love small town service, and frankly, this old guy could wipe the noses of most of the young techies I know!  LOL

If you need to see about his internet service called East Slope Internet, you need to actually call them at 406-348-3001.  I keep recommending them, and I've never regretted doing that, ever!

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

How about we get the word out to the Billings Montana and surrounding areas about a Mascot Naming contest for the new City Of Billings Energy Star program!

A new public information campaign named "Blue Skies Green Pockets" has been launched after more than a year of planning between the City of Billings and Montana State University Billings.  A $53,000 grant has been awarded to the collaboration with a target of marketing energy star information to our local public.

The website is fabulous and deserves a look around.  I ran across a page that asks for middle school kids, aged 10 to 15 to submit names for the new mascot and thought I would post in AR and on my facebook page.

Some of the tips for these ages include turning off their video games when they're not in use, along with playing outside instead of playing on the video games (good luck, but maybe in an effort to save energy)!

One I thought was kinda funny "don't leave the refrigerator door open"; made me think of when my 4 kids were teenagers and starving and couldn't make up their minds what to eat, while holding the fridge door wide open.

Here's the link to the mascot naming page Click Here

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

 I know it's early, but already in Billings Montana we're having a quilt show at the local Montana State University Billings Library.  This all started when one of the special library workers wanted to brighten up the dreary gray winter with beautiful colorful quilts.  It just seemed like a good idea to hang them in the library so that students and the general public could enjoy them.

The show opens this Wednesday and lasts until the end of February, during regular hours of the library operation, which includes every day of the week.  The address is 1500 University Drive.

I've attended several of the quilt displays in the MSU-B library, and I won't be missing this one either.  I belong to "Monday Night Quilting" a fun group of women who get together and socialize while quilting, or just having a show and tell about their quilts.  One of our members plans to have a quilt or 2 in the display this year.

We plan to make a few "pilgrimages" to various quilt shows around the state, just like last year.

We plan to support a local event in Huntley this year.  Perhaps if we get enough interest, we could enlarge the quilt show and sell raffle tickets or something to benefit the local park! 

One of our local business women, Becky Tescher, is great at organizing these things from her R and R Trading Store in Huntley Montana (she also produces the local weekly newspaper the Yellowstone County News).

I'll keep you posted about quilt shows in the area, I know most people enjoy seeing what's going on in the quilt world.

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

How far is it to Lewistown?  110 miles or 2 hours (if you stop in Harlowtown at the burger joint).

I'm doing a little experiment to find out if the distance to a destination is explained in minutes (hours) or miles.  Why?  Sometimes I wonder if this measurement is gender determined, country lingo or what?  Do people who live in big cities measure miles or time?  I'm just curious.

When I "go to town" it only takes me 20 minutes to get downtown and about 30 minutes to get to the west-end, I have no idea how many miles it is???

I'm not sure how many miles it is to see my Daughter in Bozeman, but I know it's about a 2 hours drive, to my Mom and Sister in Kalispell takes a good 8 hours, including lunch, (on a good summer day less, pending road construction).

A couple of months ago I had this "discussion" with my Husband, he says Montana people say miles (of course this is a guy speaking). 

I quietly let it go and today, at our coffee date I asked him how far it was to Lewistown, his answer?  about 110 miles.  I then asked him how far it was from Great Falls to Lewistown and he said "oh about 2 hours"  LOL, Gotcha!

So I wonder what other people say?  Or maybe it would just be fun to find out.

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link

Water is really, really important (and not just in Montana), but some people think it either comes to you in a ditch or comes outta the ground via a well, and well, there you are!  I know I'm leaving out the municipal water systems, often supplied by rivers and reservoirs, but I'm talking country living here!

Several times over the years I've shown clients Montana Land and welcomed the assistance of a seller's agent to help with property details only to have the seller's agent claim that the water is about 200 feet down and very plentiful.  Oh really?  How do you know for sure?  Well, we had a witcher come out and witch the land and that's what they said.

Water witching is a great tool, but that's all it is, a tool.  A witcher cannot guarantee a water producing well anymore than a cloud seeder can promise a good rain! 

For those of you who don't know what a water witcher does, think of someone who really connects well with the earth, so well in fact that when they hold a length of willow or more commonly, a metal rod, they can walk the ground and sense a pull of water under the ground.  (I think I should just try this sometime, I'm kinda earthy myself)

A Montana Land buyer takes the same risk with drilling a well as anyone else who either owns land or buys a piece.  There just aren't any guarantees. 

I've sold subdivisions before that had a good producing well at 50 feet on one lot, and 2 lots away (2 acre lots) the water was 600 feet away and gassy, salty and a low producer.

Sometimes I think we like to believe that someone can give us good information on a water well, even if one doesn't exist.  I'm sorry, but this is just impossible.  A Montana Land Buyer needs to weigh the information that is available and make their own decision about the value of the land, with or without water.

Having purchased 2 pieces of land myself, without wells, I knew I would need to drill and hope for the best (thank goodness it all worked out well).  I keep using the word well, a lot!  Happy Drilling!

The Quilting Realtor

Many Dream Of Living In Montana I'm One of the Lucky One's That Already Do! Wanda Thomas 2wandathomas@gmail.com Call or Text 406-698-8640 for help with all things Montana. Local MLS Search Link