Paul Griffin

While I was starting my day today I took note, as I always do, of the expired listings that popped up in the MLS system. One of them was a home owned by the Montana Housing Authority. Originally being from Idaho and practicing the art of real estate down there for the first 7 years of my career, I didn't really know how things worked here in Montana so I made a few calls and visited a few websites to find out more.

Some of the information I found out about housing authorities was a complete surprise to me. Housing Authorities are usually publicly owned corporations ran by boards of members elected by local government and residents in the areas they provide services. The mission of these housing authorities is to place low income to moderate income families into affordable housing that will fit their budget. When asked what a housing authority is, most people will immediately tell you of a housing complex located somewhere in the city and not offer any further information. While this is true, I think people don't fully understand how much more housing authorities have to offer.

Housing authorities do indeed offer public housing to low and moderate income producing families, but they also offer other types of subsidized housing and provide a great deal of information on section 8 housing and how to apply for it. One of the interesting things I learned by visiting some different housing authority websites was that they provide counseling for low to moderate income families. This counseling is usually funded through HUD and other government grants for the purpose of helping people understand the process. I was also educated on loan programs that were available for people to obtain affordable financing if they meet certain criteria. After printing off material showing me income limits and resources available for this financing, I was surprised to learn just how available these programs really are for people. I will be using this in my everyday travels as a real estate professional.

Here are some links where I found this information available. I would highly encourage people to visit these sites to learn more about these programs.

Montana Housing Division Home - Section 8 information and qualification guidelines.

Missoula Housing Authority - This site is still under construction but offers information on how to contact.

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When a person starts their search for a home in Missoula Montana it can be a daunting process. Though there are only about 107,000 people as of 2008 in Missoula County, the area covered is much greater than most will realize. For example, a person may come to me and tell me a general price range, number of bedrooms and bathrooms they are looking for and possibly a square footage range to look for. I'll narrow the search down to fit what they're looking for and pass on the list for their approval. This list may consist of 5-10 prime properties that fit their descriptions but it will take a full 2-3 days and 500 miles to look at them all. I used to cover a 5 or 10 property list in a half a day in south eastern Idaho where I used to show properties but not here!

One thing that holds true in most places in the state of Montana is that there is a lot of area to cover. Lifestyle, hobbies and special interests are going to be the golden key for people moving to Montana. One thing is pretty clear, if you like out door activities you can pretty much find them anywhere within minutes of wherever you live but the life you live will vary greatly. If you're more into night life, politics and community, there are much better areas to live in than others. Some people live for the farmers market and other old down town community events every weekend in the summer months and want to live as close as possible to walk to these events. Others enjoy hunting, camping, hiking and actually living with the bears and may like to live in areas that are less conjested and easier to access these activities. We also have a University in the area that some of you may be familiar with called the University of Montana or better known as the "Home of the Grizzlies!" The university district in Missoula offers a very "acedemic" way of life that many are drawn to. If it's horses you want, horse properties you get! In most areas of the country it's easy to find these equestrian areas but, in Montana, they litter the countryside! ... Literally!

The bottom line, Missoula and it's surrounding areas are full of diversity and different ways of living. Finding a home can look and feel like a daunting task but needs not be with the proper guidance of a good qualified resident or resident Realtor. The diversity of the area and different ways of life that follow are conducive to almost anyone with a heart beat! Western Montana, in general, is the coolest place I've ever lived and a great deal of people feel the same way I do.

All of this information and I haven't even touched on elementary, middle and high schools for the kids or the medical and professional community around the area. I guess this leaves more blogging fader for me in the future but described in a short three words... Second to none.

** As a side note here, the top picture is a picture of my oldest son enjoying a community car show. The second picture is of my oldest and youngest taking in the farmers market. Visit my website for a list of community events taking place on a weekly basis all over Missoula. **

Until next time...

Living up near the 45th parallel, the days are growing shorter and the temperatures have been consistently dropping. My son started grid kid football last week and my friends that are Denver Broncos fans on Facebook have been chattering about Tebow and driving me nuts. Yup, Winter time must be in the air and around the corner! Most people would probably consider me nuts but I love the winter season and seasonal changes in general. I guess it always reminds me that things will always change. Perhaps next year the Raiders will get their own form of a Tebow? :o)

The market conditions here in Missoula County have declined in the past year but still remain strong in key areas with regards to the existing housing market. In the last 7 days we've had 18 new listings, 9 sold or under contract, 26 expired and 65 pending listings. The median price range of the new listings was around $235,000.

The picture gets a little more interesting when you look at the year to date numbers for our area. Year to date numbers for this time last year were hovering around 603 under contract/sold properties and this years numbers come in slightly lower at 557. Average Days on Market (ADOM) numbers have increased slightly with the average YTD showing around 117. In the last 7 days the Average Days on Market numbers came in at 147 showing a normal "end of summer" trend for the area. Time will tell over the next couple of months with regards to the ADOM number. We shall see... I've always watched this number closely as it's usually the one property owners ask me first when talking to them about listing their properties.

Western Montana is a different market than what I'm used to seeing in South Eastern Idaho. This morning I was out the door at 0800 to take my son to school and head off to a new listing appointment. I'm very surprised to see so many 2 bedroom homes on the market. The property I visited this morning was a 1300 finished square foot, 2 bedroom home with no basement. Beautiful granite counter tops adorned the kitchen and bathrooms with high quality plumbing fixtures and tile flooring throughout. Fourteen foot ceilings, canned lighting, hard wood flooring, etc... . All this in a very nice subdivision in the beginning of the Hwy 12 Valley of the Lolo National Forest on a .40 acre lot. The views are astounding and the subdivision is teaming with family life and kids. I couldn't help but ask myself, "Why would a builder build a 2 bedroom home in this area?" In my eyes, it's not the right floor plan for the area... it's going to be a tough sell... .

Order up! One CMA, well done and a listing packet on the side! I should have this one under contract in a couple of days. Pictures and descriptions to follow...

Until next time dear blog... This is Paul Griffin, signing off for Western Montana!

So, I'm sitting in my office today working on a CMA for a client and I get a call. A voice comes through the line and says,

"I'd like to look at homes in the Missoula area!"

Great!! I thought to myself, let's start looking for a home for him in the Missoula area and get a contract drawn up as soon as possible! I'm just getting started in the Real Estate world again and could use a deal or two!

The conversation continued...

"I'm starting a new business dealing medical marijuana." the gentleman stated.

"Ok." I said cautiously.

"It's all legal and I have an attorney to back me up. I won't be doing anything illegal or under the cover and I've been prequalified." he continued.

"What would you like to find in a house Mr. Buyer?" I asked remaining completely neutral.

"I would like at least 2 bedrooms upstairs and a big full unfinished basement. I need it to be in an area that's not too active if you don't mind. Anything in the $250,000 price range would be fine but no higher than that. Just send me a list to [email]." he said.

Now, I know how I handled this situation but how would you?

How do you think legalizing medical marijuana dispensaries is going to have an effect on house values if any?