Cary Jo Hofstad

Stimulus $ to MT. The Dept. of Transportation is getting a chunk of money from this program. State Legislature is in session and figuring out how it will be spent exactly. One thing for sure, the Kalispell by-pass is not "shovel ready" so it cannot benefit from the funds. 57% of the right of way is purchased so it will take some time to get the rest of it bought by the state so construction can proceed.

Flathead Valley Community College is hosting a Thursday evening series on China. Each week a different speaker is featuring another aspect on the country such as history, economics, etc. Plan on attending to learn more about this huge force in our world.

The cinema at Hutton Ranch has converted 2 of the theaters to 3-D to accomodate the new format coming out in movies.

Buying opportunites are out there in our market. Short sales, motivated sellers (and more realistic sellers) are helping out buyers to take advantage of great interest rates. Buyers coming into town this weekend to do just that.

Winter makes a return visit. After many days near 40 degrees and even sun, snow has appeared in the Flathead Valley. It is cold and snowy. The up side is that Big Mountain will get some fresh inches to top off a great season. The other up side is that it is nearly March and the storms come and go with a melt afterwards normally and not so cold outside.

Hockaday Museum in Kalispell is proposing an increase in size. Currently the museum is housed in the original Carnegie Library building. 2 adjacent lots are owned by the museum, so the growth would be managed easily with building expansion. This museum and the Central School Museum are true treasures in our town.

My horses are looking neglected so this weekend my promise to them is to do a good grooming, about time says Dusty with the dreadlocks in his mane! Also need to do some ground work to remind them that I am indeed the herd boss, not their previously conceived notion of who is the boss among them.

I'll update this blog with the ski conditions as soon as I make time to get up there on that mountain!

Winter has been anyone's guess this year. Alternating unusual cold with big snows, then unusally warm. At least Big Mtn is still getting some new snow. Whitefish winter carnival is this weekend with the penguin plunge into Whitefish Lake on Saturday. Have a friend participating to raise money for the Special Olympics. Don't think I could ever do that! Good cause though.

I own 14 rental properties in the Flathead Valley. All of a sudden I have a lot of well qualified rental applicants in the last 2 weeks. I try to never have vacancies in the winter but had 2 move out in Dec/Jan when their leases were up. No one wants to move during the holidays. Getting a little nervous since we have never had vacancies for more than 1 week. Then, more applicants than vacancies.

Unemployment: I have to remind myself and my sellers that while unemployment might be hovering near 8% in the valley, 92% of residents are still working. That negative media thing even sneaks into my head occasionally. It makes both sellers and buyers nervous to think the world is collapsing and no one is out there to buy. There is still money to loan, just have to be very clean and have good credit. I like to deal with local lenders, especially in a tight lending market.

All Real Estate is local. Time for a check on what is happening in the Flathead valley. I rarely write about real estate but it is time every few months to get you up to date on what is and isn't happening from my perspective.

The last 2 weeks have seen increased activity in the market below $200k. I myself have written 2 offers and received one. Most of these buyers are first time buyers. There IS money out there for 100% financing through USDA and Montana Rural Development. Local lenders have access to this money. Interest rates are awesome and home prices have come down, this equals a great time to buy.

Much more interest from investors in picking up a short sale property or bank owned property. I am keeping a list: Cary Jo's Best Buy List, on my web site www.KalispellCary.com. I am taking the time to look at some of these properties - mostly the vacant ones.

We still have quite a few months of inventory to sell off in the valley before the market starts to reverse. I am getting many more out of state buyers inquiring and coming into the valley. It remains to be seen if and when they buy and move here, BUT this is more than I can say for the last 12 months. Activity and interest is picking up. People want to live in NW Montana.

I see this market as a huge opportunity. There are those who take a small risk and benefit in a market like this. I personally am keeping my eyes open for deals for myself. We may not see a market like this in a long time and interest rates are not likely to be this low again.

I feel the wheels of real estate starting to slowly begin to move and gain momentum!

Just had to share a the beautiful view looking in to Glacier National Park from the top of Big Mtn (Whitefish Mountain Resort) from skiing there on Friday. What a glorious day!

2 other things to take part in while in Whitefish:

1. Trivia night at the bar in the Lodge on Whitefish Lake (also a great place to spend the night)

2. Dinner by a roaring fire at the Whitefish Golf Course restaurant. Great food, old log building for atmosphere.