Bozeman, Montana - In 2010 there were 529 home sales, up from a low of 462 in 2009. The majority, in fact 88% of transactions are sales under $500K.  Transactions in this range were boosted by the home buyer tax credit while higher priced sales were hindered by lack of jumbo loan financing. There were 54 sales between $500k and one million compared with only 27 last year. In 2006 there were 109 sales in this price range, roughly four times the current level. There were ten homes sold for over $1.0 million in 2010 compared with over 20 in 2006 through 2008. From a percentage standpoint, 88% of sale transactions were for homes priced under $500K and 96% are for homes priced under $750K. Only 2% of sales were for homes price over $1.0 million compared with 5% in 2007.  Bozeman Area SF Only Total Number of Sales         ...

   This past year saw an increase in the number of home sales transactions as well as an increase in the overall dollar volume of sales transactions in the Bozeman Area, Montana.  Economists predict that a home shortage, or at least in certain markets, may materialize in 2011.  While there are still record foreclosures, the number of people need housing continues to rise each year.    While some markets are down to 6 -7 months of inventory, Bozeman still has ample unsold homes.  At the beginning of January, there were $343 million listings as compared to $178 in total sales during 2010.  As in many markets, the sub-$500K priced homes are moving well but over $1.0 million is slow.  See Bozeman Market Statistics for 2010.    Repost from Forbes.com Economist: Housing shortage coming in 2011 He says that if new houses aren't built soon in the U.S., there won't be enough next year. By Alexandra Zendrian of Forbes ...

Bozeman, MT - Key home sales indicators begin to improve in 2010. The total number of sales, the total dollar volume of sales and the average home price all trended up in 2010. The year 2009 was the lowest sales year from both a dollar volume and transaction number standpoint since 2005. That year was also characterized by marked slowdown in the sales of higher priced homes. As a percentage of sales, sales of homes priced under $500K climbed to 78% of sales from an average of close to 60% in the previous three years.    Bozeman Area Single Family Home Sales - $ Millions By Sales Level       2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 ...

At January 1, 2011, condos and townhomes comprised about 30% of all properties on the Bozeman market and single family homes made up the remaining 70%.   Condo Townhome Single Family All Listings Number of Listings 148 40 456 643   Percent 23% 6% 71% 100%         ...

  Bozeman Montana Area Real Estate Listings by Price Category at January 1, 2011 The following summarizes the real estate listings for the Bozeman Area* at January 1, 2010.  Listings totaled $343.8** million at the beginning of the year, of which 88% are single family residential. Homes defined as luxury, $750K and above comprised a total of $174.0 million in listings in the ultra-luxury category defined as homes priced over $1.5 million comprised $121 million in total listings (or roughly one third of the total dollar listing volume). Condos and Townhomes comprise only 12 % of the listing volume at year end and none are priced above $1.5 million.  The following shows the breakdown of residential real estate listings in the Bozeman area at January 1, 2011 in dollar millions.           Single Single Family ...

About five homeless people a night stayed at temporary warming site at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds last weekend, said Jeff Rupp, president and CEO of the Human Resources Development Council. Mostly, the people who used the warming center were single homeless people in town, Rupp said Monday night. If the center was a more permanent space and there had been more time to spread the word about its location, more homeless families likely would have come, he said. GA_googleFillSlot("BDC_news_instory_300x250"); The temporary warming center, in Exhibit Hall 3, on the north end of the fairgrounds, opened Thursday and is expected to stay open until the middle of this week, Rupp said. The site was set up as a last resort to help homeless people get out of the bitter cold snap last week. "We're hoping to get something at the fairgrounds that's more permanent," Rupp said. The temporary warming center is open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Blankets and cots will be available, but food will not ...

Well, Big Sky and Bozeman didn't make the top 10 Real Estate Markets that will Thrive in 2011 but they also didn't make theCase Shiller: Top 15 Markets That Will Fall in 2011 Neither did any other resort or mountain communities.  While Big Sky experienced the price run-up in 2007 -2008, Bozeman home prices remained less inflated and have seen less decline as a result, at least in the $300,000 and below range.  PureWest Christie's Great Estates Agents have experienced a dearth of transactions over $1.0 mm during the first half of 2010 but the luxury home market in Bozeman is beginning to thaw.  With an unemployment rate of 7.2% in November, Montana is well below the national average and despite the recent recession, Bozeman has continued to grow at over 3% anually.  Macro demographic trends all favor relocation to Bozeman.  Mountains, skiing 30 minutes away, three blue ribbon trout streams, hunting, hiking and camping for the outdoors enthusiast, and the friendliest population Nor ...

The wolverine, the elusive mammal that biologists believe was wiped out in the continental United States before re-establishing itself in the northern Rocky Mountains, warrants protection on the endangered species list, the U.S. Wildlife Service said Monday. However, the service said it is "precluded" from actually listing the animal because of more pressing wildlife issues in the United States. The announcement was met with measured celebration from conservation groups that sued FWS to re-examine the wolverine's status last year after the agency had previously found it did not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. A Montana state biologist was more wary of a move to list the species. In its finding, the FWS cited global warming as the major threat to the wolverines. Specifically, wolverines need deep snow to reproduce. Female wolverines dig elaborate dens in the snow to protect their offspring from predators and the elements, according to the wildlife service. Current data trends suggest ...

  GA_googleFillSlot("BDC_news_instory_300x250");   Like many areas of the country, new building of residential real estate has fallen off a cliff in 2008 and as not yet recovered.  Once viewed as an easy source of increasing revenue, Bozeman, like many cities in Montana and through out the nation raised impact fees to shore up expanding city budgets.  In addition, Bozeman home builders were required to pick up the tab for much of the new infrastructure associated with new developments.  During the early 2000's, there was enought cushion in project plans to accomodate the increased costs, but when the market started to soften, many of the projects went bust leaving the infrastructure not complete and the city budgets in deficit. To kickstart building, Montana builders and realtors are asking cities like Bozeman to lower their impact fees.   Posted: Friday, October 15, 2010 12:15 am | Updated: 5:55 pm, Thu Oct 14, 2010. Realtors, homebu ...