Where should I move to in MT?

[Kaitum]

Get out your checkbook. Especially if you want acres. mtmuley

I just experienced it from the other perspective having recently sold my place in the Bitterroot. Not that I had a bunch of acres but enough to entice a bidding war. Not exclusively from non-residents but mostly. As @Randy Hodges has pointed out in the past, it has to be tough for those who grew up locally, have roots there and want to stay near family but just can't compete on getting their foot in the door. Even though I benefited from the situation, I can fully appreciate those who aren't benefiting.

 

[mtmuley]

I just experienced it from the other perspective having recently sold my place in the Bitterroot. Not that I had a bunch of acres but enough to entice a bidding war. Not exclusively from non-residents but mostly. As @Randy Hodges has pointed out in the past, it has to be tough for those who grew up locally, have roots there and want to stay near family but just can't compete on getting their foot in the door. Even though I benefited from the situation, I can fully appreciate those who aren't benefiting.

The rental market is nuts also. My 18 year old son will graduate HS and understandably would like his own place at some point. Even with a couple buddies pitching in, it's going to be tough. mtmuley

 

[rrichphoto]

This is an interesting thread to me, as I'm newly retired (3 days). Montana is on my list.

Skiing is not of interest. Been there, done that. Now, I need what's left of my knees for bird hunting. It would be interesting to see a map of Montana with the better upland bird hunting bracketed, and then maybe the waterfowl.

My wife would be more interested in good grocery stores - and she has a point there.

Mostly, we are looking for a comfortable place with some acres (we have almost 30 here) and privacy without having to drive an hour for

 

[Pagosa]

Our place will be on the market this summer in kalispell, I’ve been wanting out of here for 4-5 years and my wife is hopeful onboard

Interesting thread. Not sure how I missed this one.

We have been poking around, driving around and camping all over the central and western part of the state for a few years. I fell in love with Montana and a couple of the surrounding states about five years ago when I drove cross country with one of my daughters. My wife and I decided three years ago we would end up in Montana or Wyoming.

We are not too fond of people, or rather large concentrations of them. But I have to admit, after spending time in some really cool towns out west, my opinion of some clusters of humans has changed. As for where I currently still reside, they suck. We love to ski, hike, hunt and fish.

In June we hung around the paradise valley area and really enjoyed the place. Of course, by then the housing madness was in full swing and if you did not act fast, any and all over priced homes hitting the market were gobbled up. We were not in a position to make a move yet. I still had one kid finishing up college and she still lived at home. I would have to unravel my business interests, etc., etc. Plus, we really were not sure if we wanted to end up in that area. At the time, the realtor we were working with had a small townhouse in Livingston for sale. It was on the market for a month and it had not moved. It needed a little work, not much, and it was in an okay neighborhood. Not what I would call high end. It was the least expensive home on the market. We decided to look at it. Figured, hey if it is not horrible then we buy it, rent it out for a while, then move into and use it as a home base to figure out where the heck we want our forever home to be. So we bought it. Smartest stupid thing I ever did. My oldest daughter, who was living in Salt Lake wanted out of that crazy city so she moved into the house. When we visited in the fall I knocked on my neighbor's door to introduce myself. Before leaving, I told him if he ever wanted to sell, I would buy it. I closed on that one two weeks ago. So now I own the whole building.

My youngest daughter just wrapped up her MBA in accounting and just landed a job in Livingston. She gets married in June and then they are off to Montana. So, other than my folks, we will all be together for a while.

I keep a very close eye on the market. It is insane out there. I may be living in our little townhouse for several years if this continues. I am in no rush though. That market will eventually tank and tank hard. I have been working in banking and then commercial real estate for a total of thirty years. I have been through three real estate cycles that crashed hard. They all have the same common denominator; unrealistic pricing, monthly appreciation, and people just not giving a damn and buying it anyways. Add to that our current state of affairs. This economy is going to crash hard. Hold onto your cash because when it happens cash is king and great deals will be had.

I know this much. I have a home in Montana, I just need to get my ass there. Some good boots, a load carrying pack and a rubber raft are basically the only investments I need to make to enjoy the mountain life. Oh, and some good alpine touring gear. I am not dealing with ski resorts and social distancing. My social distancing will be in the backcountry

You are exactly right, but everyone says you are crazy and this market is different from the previous 3 crashes that I have experienced. Hopefully we can sell our house in Kalispell this summer before it bottoms out. This next bust will destroy builders that are highly leveraged. Best successes on your move to Gods Country and be close to your daughters.

 

[mtmuley]

Our place will be on the market this summer in kalispell, I’ve been wanting out of here for 4-5 years and my wife is hopeful onboard

Staying in Montana? I'll never leave the state. But at least I won't be a transplant wherever I go here. mtmuley

 

[Pagosa]

Yes, as much as possible and as work allows, and possibly down to the Boston Mtns or Ouachita

 

[MTGamecock]

In my previous life, I practiced real estate law for about 10 years, so I tend to keep an eye on the residential real estate market. Personally, I'd be reluctant to make a cross-country move right now, especially to a "hot" area like Montana. What we're seeing now in residential real estate feels very different to me than what we saw from past run-ups in prices, and I don't have confidence about where it will go from here. And it's not just Montana. Whether it is mountain properties, lake houses, beach houses, farmettes, or any other type of residential property that might fit an urban dweller's image of "the good life," existing homes are flying off the market in all parts of the country. A tremendous number of companies and employees have tasted teleworking in the last year and most of them appear to like the flavor. For some employees, it means they only have to commute downtown two days a week now instead of five. For others, it means they only have to show up at the office a few times a year. Either way, there are millions of employees now who have a lot more options about where they can live, and it seems many of them are cashing out of their residences in major metro areas and moving to the hinterlands. But I'm not confident it's sustainable because much of the current pricing seems to be the result of short inventories and ridiculously high lumber and construction prices. But supply is not constant and neither are lumber prices and interest rates. And in the case of Montana, in particular, I have a hunch some of the transplants will find real-life winters out here much different than the vacation-winters they know from their vacations in Big Sky (or maybe I'm just hoping that).

As a relative newcomer to the state myself, a couple of other thoughts on a few topics touched upon in this thread:

1) I think Discovery Ski Area near Anaconda is one of the best "local ski hills" in America. When I used to fly out west for a week-long ski vacation, I loved places like Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Alta/Snowbird, Breckenridge, etc. (and still like those places, occasionally). But when you can only ski one week out of the year, lift ticket prices don't matter much. But now that I can ski, literally, every weekend of the season, I find my enthusiasm for $140 lift tickets has waned. I'll take Discovery's $350 season pass and ski the crap out of that mountain all season while taking a weekend trip or two to Jackson Hole or Salt Lake City.

2) Butte. Oh, man, Butte. (I don't live there, but I work there) It is a difficult town to accurately describe. It is the best of towns and the worst of towns all at the same time. For all its faults, and it has many, it is still a genuine Montana town. Of Montana's "large" towns, it is probably the only one that doesn't feel terribly different today than it did 20 years ago. If it is still possible to "get in on the ground floor" of a Montana city, Butte provides the opportunity. Butte doesn't advertise its outdoors options the way Bozeman and Missoula do, but make no mistake, it has plenty. But it is legitimately cold. -30 and -40 degree mornings happen virtually every winter.

 

[Pagosa]

We have mostly decided to go the rental route on our house in Kalispell, instead of currently selling. We are nervous that we would never be able to purchase/build back again if we sold it. Likewise we plan to temporarily rent for less at my current work site, to avoid over-spending. I’m a firm believer there are cycles to everything

 

[BenInMT]

I love the derp “avoid the cities” crowd. Cool. Go live in ultra rural Montana where the Dollar General could be the only grocery store. If you’re lucky enough to have a “real” grocery store they’ll have like 4 kinds of fruits and vegetables. Have fun getting medical care 2.5 hours away. And when you’re not home fully expect the methhead locals to steal anything that isn’t bolted down. You may be making double to median income as you gentrify your new spot, but they are not. Don’t forget to post the ever living hell out of your 10 acre chunk. Orange on every post, no trespassing sing on every tree. Even though you have nothing inviting on your property you need to paint it all orange on principle.

 

[mtmuley]

I love the derp “avoid the cities” crowd. Cool. Go live in ultra rural Montana where the Dollar General could be the only grocery store. If you’re lucky enough to have a “real” grocery store they’ll have like 4 kinds of fruits and vegetables. Have fun getting medical care 2.5 hours away. And when you’re not home fully expect the methhead locals to steal anything that isn’t bolted down. You may be making double to median income as you gentrify your new spot, but they are not. Don’t forget to post the ever living hell out of your 10 acre chunk. Orange on every post, no trespassing sing on every tree. Even though you have nothing inviting on your property you need to paint it all orange on principle.

Where did you move here from? mtmuley

 

[BenInMT]

Where did you move here from? mtmuley

Are you itching to throw some “4th generation Montanan” shade at me?

 

[corndog1]

I love it when people take credit for being born somewhere. Like they had anything to do with it.

 

[BenInMT]

Rural Montana gave up any credibility they thought their heritage had when they installed a governor who is from New Jersey.

 

[mtmuley]

Are you itching to throw some “4th generation Montanan” shade at me?

Nope. Just wondering. mtmuley

 

[BenInMT]

Nope. Just wondering. mtmuley

Unfortunately my family was not here when they gave all the land away for free or I could be riding my great grandfather’s coat tails. I have been here since the late 90s.

 

[mtmuley]

Unfortunately my family was not here when they gave all the land away for free or I could be riding my great grandfather’s coat tails. I have been here since the late 90s.

Did you come here to avoid the city? Your view of Montana is interesting. I'm gonna go buy some orange paint. mtmuley

 

[BenInMT]

Did you come here to avoid the city? Your view of Montana is interesting. I'm gonna go buy some orange paint. mtmuley

I mostly came here for the trout fishing. Go get some orange paint.

 

[mtmuley]

I mostly came here for the trout fishing. Go get some orange paint.

Hopefully it will keep out the methheads when I'm not home. mtmuley

 

[JEL]

Unfortunately my family was not here when they gave all the land away for free or I could be riding my great grandfather’s coat tails. I have been here since the late 90s.

Fortunately for me when my great grandparents got off the train it was somewhere no one else wants to be. Hope it stays that way.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Rural Montana gave up any credibility they thought their heritage had when they installed a governor who is from New Jersey.

... a congressman from Maryland, and a State Auditor from California.