Homestead by Independent Publishing

On the cover:

Table of Contents Out of the woods Think pads Gear-geek homecoming New to you Expert Essays: Deposit do’s and don’ts In it to win it 2017 Missoula Housing Report

6 12 16 22 26 28 31

Berkshire Hathaway e have been a part of the Missoula area real estate landscape since 1958. From humble beginnings, we have become a leading full-service, statewide brokerage by consistently providing high quality representation and outstanding service to generations of home buyers and sellers. A business model of strong local leadership, backed by the resources of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network, has created a brokerage that will precisely meet your needs. We connect our neighbors from Big Sky to Big Fork, offering unmatched professionalism and warm Montana hospitality. Let us help you buy or sell your residential, commercial, land, ranch or luxury property. You'll receive the combined benefit of local expertise plus the exposure our alliances with pre-eminent brokerages give us. Our commitment is your advantage. When you work with a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Montana Properties agent, you can expect they will work with you every step of the way to provide quality real estate service.

~ Berkshire Hathaway Montana Properties–Missoula

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Mailing address: P.O. Box 8275 Missoula, MT 59807 Street address: 317 S. Orange St. Missoula, MT 59801

Phone number: 406-543-6609 Fax number: 406-543-4367 E-mail address: independent@ missoulanews.com

Dave Sears Territory Manager 3501 W. Broadway St., Ste #4 Missoula, MT 59808 Cell (406) 274-7396 Office (406) 728-6142 SierraPacificWindows.com PO Box 8489 Red Bluff, CA 96080 800-824-7744 A Division Of

Your New Home Deserves Nothing Less Than Sierra Pacific.

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bout five years back, Rob Ridgway was thinking about getting out of the log home business. He’d been building log homes for 35 years, but as the recession continued to ravage every nook and cranny of the wood products industry, he began to think those days might be coming to an end. He estimates that 60 percent of Montana’s log home manufacturers went out of business in the years following the 2007 crash. Some of them, like Alpine Log Homes, had been operating in the Bitterroot Valley for nearly half a century. “Phones weren’t ringing, people weren’t returning calls,” Ridgway says. “There just wasn’t any interest. Attendance at log home shows, which has always been standing room only, was dropping off to stragglers.” The log home business wasn’t alone. According to a 2013 report from the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research, 30 major lumber mills across the western U.S. were permanently shuttered in 2009 and 2010. The sales value of wood and paper products tumbled from $49 billion in 2005 to $34 billion in 2009. Another BBER study shows that employment in Montana’s wood products industry continued to fall even after the recession, dropping from 3,450 employees in spring 2009 to 2,900 in fall 2014—a decrease of 15.9 percent . Today, in the Bitterroot at least, the situation has improved considerably. Business is booming for Victor-based Pioneer Log Homes, where Ridgway is general manager. Local builders are once again turning to Pioneer for commercial and residential projects. Property owners are investing in new construction. Even lumber yards are purchasing logs

photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Log Homes

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photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Log Homes

and other raw materials directly from Pioneer. “Business is coming back strong,” Ridgway says, citing several major commercial projects Pioneer has secured for the coming year. The recession may have left a lasting mark on the industry, but in Ridgway’s opinion, the appeal of the “one-of-a-kind” log homes produced in Montana survived unscathed. “We pull all of our timber from our national forests. It’s all dead-standing, forestfire-killed timber, so we’re recycling a product that’s unusable to most other timber industries, and that has an appeal nationwide.” Surviving the downturn took some creativity. Mikel Ochs, director of marketing for Hamilton’s Rocky Mountain Homes, chalks up her company’s continued existence to its expansion several years ago into panelized log homes. Unlike their full-log counterparts, panelized log structures are clad in a half-log siding, chinked and stained by Rocky Mountain Homes’ craftsmen to look like the 8

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real deal. The company’s panelized division enabled Rocky Mountain Homes to continue offering residential customers a “rustic, mountain-style look,” Ochs says, but at a

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lower price point, and with significantly reduced construction time. Ochs also notes that the company’s strategic shift responded to a change in demand

photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Log Homes

Life. We’re in it together.

Missoula Federal Credit Union

This is not about banking. It’s about Į ŶĚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƌƚŐĂŐĞ Žƌ ŚŽŵĞ ĞƋƵŝƚǇ ůŽĂŶ ƐŽůƵƟ ŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ Į ƚƐ ǇŽƵƌ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ƐŝƚƵĂƟ ŽŶ͘ sŝƐŝƚ ƵƐ ŝŶ ƉĞƌƐŽŶ Žƌ ĂƉƉůǇ ŽŶůŝŶĞ͘

REAL ESTATE LOANS zŽƵƌ ůŽĂŶ ƋƵĞƐƟ ŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ ŚĂŶĚůĞĚ ƌŝŐŚƚ ŚĞƌĞ ŝŶ DŝƐƐŽƵůĂ ďǇ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǇŽƵ ƚƌƵƐƚ͘ ůů ůŽĂŶƐ ƐƵďũĞĐƚ ƚŽ ĂƉƉƌŽǀĂů͘

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photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Log Homes

“We pull all of our timber from our national forests. It’s all dead-standing, forestfire-killed timber, so we’re recycling a product that’s unusable to most other timber industries, and that has an appeal nationwide.” —Rob Ridgway, Pioneer Log Homes 10

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among residential housing customers. When the economy took a nosedive, the market for higher-end construction dried up, not just for Rocky Mountain Homes, but for everyone. Soon-to-be retirees lost equity in their existing homes and found themselves unable to afford the lavish retirement cabins they’d planned for. Today, Ochs says, “people are not as demanding about having the huge McMansions and 10,000-square-foot homes.” Today’s footprints are smaller, and new homes are often built using what Ochs calls a “hybrid plan”—a mix of log and panelized components that may also utilize steel and rock. More and more buyers are expressing interest in adding smart-home features (see page 12) to the mix as well, giving Rocky Mountain Homes’ team of designers new ground to explore.

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“We have been a lot busier than we had anticipated, but it’s a great thing to experience after going through the downturn,” Ochs says, adding that Rocky Mountain Homes has increased its staff from 45 to 75 employees over the last two years. At Pioneer as well, Ridgway continues to see growth, particularly on the company’s commercial construction side. Pioneer has for decades been the exclusive contractor for Bass Pro Shops nationwide—a relationship that helped keep the company afloat during the downturn. If Bass Pro Shops’ pending $5.5 billion purchase of Cabela’s goes through, Ridgway says, Pioneer will likely be on deck to help Bass Pro Shops revamp store interiors throughout the country.

Back on the residential side of the ledger, Ridgway confesses some concern about the quantity of existing log homes already on the market, but even so, he thinks the number of Baby Boomers set to retire during the next decade, coupled with a (hopefully) stable economy, makes for strong opportunities ahead for the log home industry. To be safe, Ridgway says, Pioneer has shifted a large portion of its business to timber-frame structures, utilizing its in-house craftsmen to expand into another high-demand sector of the housing market. “We can’t exist and grow off of just logs,” he says. One issue that remains in the wake of the recession is a challenge that faces multiple Montana industries. Many experienced log contractors—“the guys with the chainsaws and chisels,” as Ridgway puts it— left the Bitterroot Valley as the wood products industry bottomed out, seeking work in the Bakken oil fields or elsewhere. As a result, Ridgway says, “it’s a little bit more difficult to find the craftsmen that we need.”

photo courtesy Rocky Mountain Log Homes

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o offense, but I’m going to assume you live in a dumb house. It’s beautiful, of course, but it can’t text you when the living room has caught fire or tell the Jehovah’s Witnesses knocking outside that you’re too busy to come to the door and that, no, they don’t need to try again later, because you’ll just have your Google speaker explain the faith to you. Such high-tech assistance might come in handy if your house is ablaze, but hasn’t humankind managed to politely turn away door-to-door preachers just fine, for as long as there have been doors, without the help of wi-fienabled gadgetry? Yeah, we have, and that’s why smart-home products have been known to elicit eye rolls. A smartphone app that controls the coffeemaker? The fireplace? The slow cooker? These exist, even though you never knew you needed them. And you probably don’t. That isn’t to say all smart-home technology is frivolous. I learned to appreciate this fact a few months ago, while at wit’s end with my rather troublesome dog. Without going into too much detail, she needed to be confined in one room of the house while I was at work. When your dog is my dog, that’s a scary prospect. The obvious solution was to hire a dog-sitter. The smarter solution, it turns out, was a gadget called Furbo. Furbo ($249.99 at Amazon) is a security camera that lets me keep an eye on my dog, talk to her, and even give her treats—all from my phone. It even sends notifications if she starts to bark. My experience with Furbo was enough to convince me that the internet of things actually can be practical. I researched trends online, checked out products at local stores and looked up Missoula-area installers. The sector is evolving quickly, I learned. In fact, it’s a bit like the Wild West, so doing your own research before making any purchase is a must. But here’s a primer to help light the way.

Gadgets Gizmos like Furbo are the simplest kind of smart tech, in the sense that they function as stand-alone products. Each tool or appliance is accessed independently, using its own interface. Seemingly anything can be made a little smarter in this way. Smart thermostats such as Nest ($249 at hardware stores or Verizon stores) are among the most popular. Nest programs itself over time based on user habits to save energy, and can be controlled remotely. Skybell ($200, Home Depot or Walmart) links your doorbell to your phone, allowing you to see and speak to whoever is knocking—whether the UPS delivery man, the kids coming from school or solicitors—even when you’re away from home. Crock-pot makes a slow cooker ($129.99 at Amazon and various local retailers) that connects to the WeMo app, allowing you to adjust cook settings from a smartphone. Then there are the many brands of so-called smart plugs, which fit over existing sockets and are used to toggle any appliance on or off remotely. Smart plugs cost as little as $20 each.

DIY systems Individual smart devices may be handy, but it’s easy to see how a hodgepodge of apps and interfaces could get unwieldy. The next level of home automation, then, is in integrated systems. Home security is perhaps the most mature category of smart-home systems, with plenty of options on the market. One starting place is the Verizon store, where you can demo the Canary and Nest lines of products.

For applications that go beyond security, check out Lowe’s Iris platform, the second generation of which was released last year. Iris uses a physical hub and a proprietary smartphone app to coordinate hundreds of products spanning home security, safety and automation. The product line includes everything from water leak detectors and sprinkler controllers to remote-controlled deadbolts and doggie doors. One recently featured

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“solution” on the Iris website uses a tilt sensor to send a push notification if someone opens your jewelry box. In lighting, Philips Hue bulbs offers a sophisticated, if pricey, way to control the ambiance in every room of your house. With the accompanying app you can program specific lighting designs for parties or movies, schedule lights to gradually brighten in the morning, or use geolocation data from your smartphone to turn the lights on as you arrive home. Systems like the Philips Hue and Nest are designed to be compatible with the Amazon Echo voice-activated speaker, which provides a way to control other devices without pulling out your phone. To make non-compatible devices work in sync, DIY home automators can turn to if-this-then-that (IFTTT) applets. Here’s one example: There’s an IFTTT recipe to make the smart

lights in your bedroom turn on once your smartwatch detects that you’ve woken up. Crazy, huh?

The whole enchilada If that last bit about compatibility and applets is making your head spin, or you want a truly elegant system without the hassle of assembling it yourself, call in the professionals. One up-and-coming home security company, Vivint, installs its smartphone-connected systems in the Missoula area. The Utah-based company offers security and automation packages that integrate

smart locks, doorbells and burglary detection with thermostats, twoway cameras and Amazon Echo. Vivint then integrates the devices with a proprietary app and touchscreen keypad. For a top-of-theline system, give Conrad Honns at Honns Residential Systems a call. Honns is a Missoula-based dealer for Control4, a leader in home automation with a platform that can control everything: security, lights, entertainment systems, energy systems and just about anything else you’d want to hook up. When I called Honns, he pointed me first to a series of online demonstration videos and tutorials. Control4’s introductory video is 15 minutes long, to give some indication of how sophisticated the system is. It’s worth watching, if only to gain an appreciation of how smart a smart home can truly be.

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o here you are, you lucky person. You’ve unexpectedly inherited a small fortune, or you won the lottery, or maybe you found the box of treasure that Santa Fe art dealer hid somewhere in the Rockies. Or maybe, just maybe, you finally cracked the code of how to make a significant living in this town, and money, for the first time in your life, is no real object (a part I’ve spent 26 years preparing for). In any case, you’re now building or renovating a house in the Missoula area, and you need stuff to put in it. And while expense isn’t everything, you’ve decided to be a fiscally responsible person of means, so you’re looking to get the most bang for your buck. The guide that follows will help. It’s not intended to cover every last item in your highly personalized comfort zone, but it will provide a solid foundation of betterthan-necessary necessities—a good-life starter pack to turn any new house into the home of your dreams.

Lighting Your new abode features copious window acreage, of course, because views are free and you’re thrifty that way. But natural light only gets you so far, and you’ll need interior illumination to reveal the many degrees of awesome that now surround you. When you go to Madison Creek Furnishings (4949 Buckhouse Lane), be sure to pack a style preference. The folks there will run with your vision, offering multiple options in any particular look, from Transitional (a traditional/modern mix) to Contemporary (lots of bulbs and shiny metal) to French Provincial (think wrought iron) to Western. You will not be purchasing any fixtures made of antlers, because you understand that this is trying a little too hard. What you do decide on is an Industrial look. Over the kitchen island and sink will hang a series of Bartlett 2 Light Pendants from Golden Lighting in a black patina, setting the tone for your vintage style. The Savoy House Gage 8 Light Trestle will hang over the dining table, providing simple elegance and even lighting from end to end. Presiding over the living room will be the Shooting Star Collection Seven Light Mini Chandelier from Yosemite Home Decor, its atomic shell an apt metaphor for the social nucleus of the house. The bedrooms will feature the Savoy House Scout 3 Light Semi-Flush finished in English bronze, the cage-y feel of which echoes

nicely with the Connell 3 Light Bath Bar in bathroom. And all the fixtures will sport Edison-style LED bulbs, a time-traveling combination of vintage comfort and modern efficiency. Bartlett Pendant: $220 each Gage 8 Trestle: $504 Shooting Star chandelier: $571 Scout 3-light Semi-Flush: $165 each Connell 3-light vanity: $437 each LED Edison bulb: $9.99 each

Sub-Zero built-in refrigerator

Appliances No amount of good fortune will exempt you from the laws of physics, and as of yet food doesn’t preserve or cook itself, nor do clothes wash themselves. You need some major appliances to power the physical plant of your lifestyle. You need to go to Fred’s Appliance (4949 Buckhouse Lane #C). The 48” Sub-Zero Built-in Side-by-Side Refrigerator with external dispenser will be the anchor of your kitchen. Sporting an expansive 18.8 cubic feet of area in the fridge and 9.6 cubic feet in the freezer, it’s large enough to stash the bodies of whomever you had to squash on your climb to king of the hill. Sub-Zero’s dual refrigeration system feeds moist, cool air into the fridge and cold, dry air into the freezer, meaning your food stays fresh longer and last season’s elk steaks won’t suffer the indignity of freezer burn. Sub-Zero built-in refrigerator: $11,179.

You’re going to need 48” for your range as well—in this case, the Wolf Dual Fuel Range with six burners and an infrared griddle. The dual-stacked burners up top produce up to 20,000 BTUs at the high end and feather down to a whisper for gentle simmers. A 15,000 BTU griddle creates space between the burners and serves as a launch pad for everything from pancakes to fajitas. The dual convection oven down below features two fans and four heating elements working in concert to create 10 different cooking modes, and parked right next door is a second single-convection 18

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oven for quick reheats. The stainless steel exterior and Wolf ’s signature cobalt blue porcelain interior will give make it easy to take your eyes off the pot so the water can boil. Wolf 48” dual fuel range: $13,000

With the probable exception of the commode, your washer and dryer are the hardest-working machines in your house. You’re not looking for anything fancy here, just a couple of utilitarian beasts to toil in quiet obscurity in a remote nook. The Speed Queen Front Load Washer and Dryer are made in the USA—more specifically, according to the literature, in the “humble, Midwest town of Ripon, WI”—and are housed in commercialgrade steel cabinets. In other words, these babies are built to last. The washer features a “time-remaining display” and “instant door open” for those looking to speed-clean with their Speed Queens, and three rinse cycles add extra levels of clean to your laundry. The dryer boasts moisture sensors and moisture-level selection for custom dryness,

The Louisiana Grill Super Hog

a reversible door, and an interior light to comfort any cats or small children who might find themselves in the wrong place. Speed Queen washer and dryer: $2,999 for the pair.

Grill and Smoker Your ample deck is positioned to maximize vistas and wildlife watching, which will naturally result in maximized grill time as you drink it all in. Your workhorse unit,

acquired from Ace Hardware (2301 Brooks St. or 905 E. Broadway) will be the Weber Summit S-660 Built-In Grill, operating on natural gas. Its three main stainless steel burners ensure precise and even heating throughout the cavernous 624 square inches of primary cooking space, with the sear station, smoker burner and rear-mounted infrared rotisserie burners (also steel) providing the versatility you need to wow the sudden influx of new best friends.

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But let’s face it: You also need a smoker, and you’re not messing around. The Louisiana Grill Super Hog is your choice, a rotund cylinder that contains 3,105 square inches of cooking surface (that’s 194 burgers), a proprietary exhaust system for even smoking, automatic temperature control and a side hopper that delivers wood pellets of your choice: mesquite, cherry, apple, pecan, hickory and even Tennessee Whiskey Barrel. The removable divider allows you to use as the Super Hog as two independent grills or one big one, capable of swallowing an entire, well, you know... Weber Summit S-660 grill: $2,699 Louisiana Grill Super Hog smoker: $4,499

Gun Safe

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You already live in Montana, so you own guns. And now that you have the means, you most likely own more guns than you did before. It’s your responsibility to keep those guns out of the wrong hands, whether those hands belong to a visiting neighbor kid or to a thief who figures out when you’ve taken the family to the Bahamas for the week. Your answer is the National Magnum 50 from Liberty Safe, available at Liquid Assets (615 Highton St. in East Missoula). With a fire protection rating of 2.5 hours at 1200 degrees, a heat-activated door seal, a body built of 7-gauge steel and a total weight exceeding 1,500 pounds, this behemoth will do its job for just about any catastrophe short of a direct nuclear blast. And at nearly 25 square feet of interior space, the Magnum 50 can hold up to 39 long guns and still offer shelter for enough handguns, jewels and other valuables to establish a kingdom in the ashes of the next apocalypse. Liberty Safe National Magnum 50: $7,000

Home Theater ĞĂƵƟĨƵů ,ŽƵƐŝŶŐ WĞŽƉůĞ ĐĂŶ īŽƌĚ ƋƵŝŶŽǆ ͻ &ŝƌĞǁĞĞĚ ŽƵƌƚ ͻ 'ŽůĚ ƵƐƚ >ĞŶŽǆ &ůĂƚƐ ͻ KƌĐŚĂƌĚ 'ĂƌĚĞŶƐ ͻ WŚŝůůŝƉƐ ͻ ^ŽůƐƟĐĞ ^ǁĞĞƚŐƌĂƐƐ ŽŵŵŽŶƐ ;ŶĞǁ Ͳ ƵŶĚĞƌ ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŝŽŶͿ

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Now that you’ve got the physical necessities covered, it’s time to consider an emotional and spiritual necessity: the home theater. You may not currently be an audiophile or a cinephile, but let’s face it: you no longer have any excuse not to get your ’phile on. The heart and soul of any home theater is the classic two-channel stereo system. The right setup (find it at Acoustic Vision, 3501 W. Broadway St. #2) will deliver crisp highs, a clean middle, and a thundering bottom end for the music of your choice, and it will also serve as the backbone of your audio/visual experience. For speakers, you’re opting for a trio of the Triad Cinema Reference LCR 2s (two for stereo, with a third speaker in the center for surround), which deliver very high output with ultra high resolution at all playback levels. The brain of your system is the Anthem AVM 60 11.2 Preamp/Processor Review, which offers superb two-channel audio quality in a multichannel amp. And your engine will be a handful of Anthem M-1 Monaural Amplifiers, each of which delivers 1000 watts of bone-crunching power to its assigned speaker. To round out the video end of your theater, you’ll add a Sony 4K SXRD Home Cinema Projector, along with a Screen Innovations Black Diamond 130” fixed screen to catch those

razor-sharp images. You will complete your immersive surround-sound experience with a pair of Triad Cinema Reference Surround 2 speakers for the back wall, as well as a quartet of Triad InCeiling speakers. Each of the rear speakers will require an M-1 mono block, and you’ll need an Anthem P5 amp to power the ceiling speakers. And finally, four Triad InRoom Platinum subwoofers will make it seem like every onscreen explosion is happening between your ears.

Triad speakers: 3 at $15,000 each Anthem AVM 60: $3,000 Anthem M-1 Monaural Amp: 5 at $3,000 each Sony projector: $15k Screen Innovations 130” screen: $8,000 Triad rear surround speaker: 2 at $6,000 each Triad InCeiling speakers: 2 pair at $800/pair Anthem P5 Amp: $8,900 Triad InRoom Platinum Sub: 4 at $2,600 each

You’re not done spending yet, though. You’ll want to budget $4,000 to optimize room acoustics (those foam wedges you see in recording studios), $2,000 for a rack

Screen Innovations 130-inch screen

to house the hardware, 10 percent of the total cost of components for power cables, $2,000-$8,000 in power management and, last but not least, a $1,500 universal remote so you can bring this A/V monster to heel right from your favorite recliner. So there you are, you lucky so-and-so. You now possess a brand new place decked

out with the best home gear Missoula has to offer. Once you get settled in, perhaps you’d extend me the courtesy of an invitation to visit? It would be great if we could time it during the Game of Thrones season, because I’d pay good money to watch it in that new home theater of yours. But then what would you do with more money? I’ll just bring the venison steaks.

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fr free ee e expression. xpression. fr free ee admission. missi Keith Keith G Goodhart, oodhart, Untitled, Untitled, mixed mixxe ed media m installation installation for fo or the Missoula Missoula Art Art Park Park opening exhibition ex in April.

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omfortable and well-designed furniture can make all the difference in helping a new house or apartment feel like home. But if you’re designing your interiors on a budget, it can be tough to achieve the look and feel you want. If, however, you’re open to pre-loved furniture that comes with character pre-assembled, you might be in luck. We talked to two local interior decorators who were happy to share their tips and tricks for finding great deals, and for arranging them once you’ve lugged everything inside the house.

Thrift it First, hit the thrift stores. Cindy Gardner is a Stevensville-based decorator who runs French Grey, a vintage and antiques business. She says Goodwill (2501 S. Reserve St.) is a great place to start looking for furniture and decor. She also recommends the Y WCA’s Secret Seconds stores (1136 W. Broadway St. and 920 Kensington Ave.) and Donation Warehouse (1804 North Ave. W., Ste. D), all of which have frequent turnover. In East Missoula, Habitat ReStore (3655 Highway 200 E.) collects and resells used home goods, as well.

Look for secondhand furniture in the best possible shape: no funky smells, permanent stains, broken parts or cheap particle board. When you’re hunting for furniture, it can help to narrow down your choices by selecting a style that you’re drawn to. Gardner says popular styles at the moment include mid-century modern, rustic Western and boho chic (think Moroccan prints, natural materials and jewel-tone color palettes). But don’t be afraid to mix in other styles to keep your digs from looking too designed. “Trends come and go, so buy what you love, then your home will be a true representation of you,” she says.

For a more curated selection than thrift stores might offer, Gardner suggests stopping by the Montana Antique Mall (331 Railroad St. W.), which offers one-stop shopping for inexpensive pieces and high-end antiques. Antique Mall vendors stock everything from framed art prints to complete bedroom sets. “It really does save you running all over town,” Gardner says. She’s also a fan of the consignment store Echo Echo Home Furnishings (2935 Stockyard Rd.), where you can expect to find everything from rocking chairs to Pendleton blankets to rustic trunks. Another consignment gallery, Roomers (1805 Brooks Street) offers complete room furniture sets as well as china and crystal. The Union Gospel Mission Thrift Boutique (400 W. Front St.) usually has a room or two of gently used furniture. And the new UFS Missoula (702 SW Higgins Ave.) opened last December with a spacious showroom packed with high-quality, good-condition stock. Gardner also recommends The Vintage Home (2405 McDonald Ave.), which carries new and used furniture, decor and chalk paints. (As anyone on Pinterest knows, chalk paints are huge right now.) Speaking of which, Gardner says home decor with an earthy, organic feel is in right now. “Houseplants are really coming back,” she says. “Air plants are great, succulents are great.” So on your way back from the thrift store, stop at any home and garden center or the Good Food Store (1600 S. Third) for some plants to freshen up the look.

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Fix it When selecting used furniture, Gardner recommends choosing pieces in top-notch condition, even if you’re tempted by something that might be a great deal, but needs more repair than you’ll ever get around to. Make sure to test the pieces you’re interest-

ed in, sitting or lying on them like you would at home. Flip smaller items like chairs and examine the bottoms to make sure they’re structurally sound. If you can’t help but fall in love with a piece that just happens to need a little superficial TLC, Gardner says there are plenty of ways

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to rehabilitate used furniture using basic skills and a little creativity. For instance, it’s pretty easy to find secondhand couches that are in great shape, but are upholstered in outdated prints or off-putting colors. Gardner suggests finding neutral-toned slipcovers at Target (2420 N. Reserve St.) or Walmart (3555 Mullan Rd. and 4000 Hwy. 93 South) to freshen them up. If a piece of wooden furniture’s joints are loose, they can often be reglued, as long as they aren’t damaged and still fit flush together. Sagging couch cushions can always be re-stuffed. Gardner says if a professional upholsterer is beyond your budget, try JoAnn Fabric and Craft (in the Holiday Village Shopping Center, 1900 Brooks St.) to see if they have foam cushions in the right size. If you have chair cushions that need to be updated, Gardner says, you may just need some scissors, fabric and a staple gun.

337 W. Main St. Hamilton, MT •

Putting it all together Missoula’s Deb Santos is an interior decorator, color consultant and redesign specialist. She recently did the furniture staging at the new Toole Crossing apartments to create an appealing feel for applicants. Once all your new-to-you pieces are in your home, Santos has plenty of tips for arranging them in the most appealing way. First: declutter, and sort everything into baskets or attractive boxes. Target and T.J. Maxx (in Grant Creek Town Center, 3275 N. Reserve St.) are great sources for cute storage options. “You can have greatest house in the world, and if there’s junk all over the floor, it’s not going to look good,” Santos says. She also recommends updating your home’s palette by repainting rooms with fresh colors to brighten up a living space and add interest. Home ReSource (1515 Wyoming St.) stocks buckets of paint for a few bucks apiece. To achieve a style worthy of a magazine spread, Santos suggests arranging furniture to maximize space in the room, and grouping art, photos and decorative objects together. “One of my favorite things is creating little still lifes, little vignettes of things that you love,” Santos says. A final and crucial touch: Avoid harsh overhead lighting by illuminating your living spaces with accent lamps and table lamps, which are often available secondhand anywhere that sells used furnishings. Or, if you’d prefer to find matching sets, scope out Lowe’s (3100 N Reserve St) or Home Depot (2725 Radio Way) for a wide selection of lighting options. With the lighting dialed, you settle in after all your hard work and bask in the glow. Homestead 2017

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ay s s tE r e Exp

Deposit do’s and don’ts How to get (and how not to get) your security deposit back by Lisa Gohrick, Garden City Property Management

security deposit is an amount paid to your landlord to secure your compliance with the rental agreement. The deposit may be applied by the landlord to remedy the tenant’s defaults in the payment of rent, including late fees and non-sufficient fund charges; to repair damages to the premises caused by tenants and their guests, invitees and/or pets (exclusive of ordinary wear and tear); to clean the premises, if necessary, upon the termination of the tenancy; to cover re-rental fees if applicable; and to recoup other money owing to landlord at the time of deduction pursuant to the Montana Residential Tenants’ Security Deposits Act (MCA 70-25). The following tips will help you to receive your security deposit back with minimal or no deductions: •DO know the terms of your lease. Did you sign a six-month lease? A one-year lease? 26

Missoula Independent

When does the agreement end? What are the penalties for not fulfilling your lease? Does the agreement automatically renew, or does it go month-to-month? •DON’T just move without proper notification to your landlord. Deliver your notice to vacate in writing. •DO find out what cleaning you need to do to the unit. Do the carpets need to be cleaned? Can you rent a machine, or do carpets have to be professionally cleaned? Most landlords will give you a list of the cleaning they will require when you move. Go through the list, checking off each item once it is complete. •DON’T leave behind a mess. •DO give your landlord a forwarding address and phone number. This ensures your security deposit will be mailed to your new address.

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•DON’T expect the landlord to track you down. •DO understand the term “ordinary wear and tear.” The landlord cannot charge you for ordinary (or reasonable) wear and tear on a unit. This is the deterioration of the unit that occurs during normal living conditions. Following are some examples of ordinary wear and tear compared to damages: —Worn carpeting (wear and tear) versus torn, burned or stained carpeting (damage) —Faded paint (wear and tear) versus unapproved tenant paint job (damage) —Sticky closet door (wear and tear) versus holes in closet door (damage). •DON’T punch holes in the walls—that is not reasonable wear and tear. •DO make sure you are given a statement of the condition of the premises at the

beginning of your lease that has your landlord’s signature. This form will document the present condition of the unit. Make sure all existing damage is recorded. If you change the copy you are issued, make sure you present your landlord a corrected copy. Your landlord cannot withhold deductions for damage from your security deposit without providing you with a statement of the condition of the premises at move-in. •DON’T forget to make sure you are given this paperwork! The law states that your landlord has 30 days from the termination of the tenancy or 30 days from the surrender and acceptance of the leased unit, whichever occurs first, to provide you with a written list of any rent due and any damage, cleaning or other charges deducted from your security deposit. This list and the refund of the remaining deposit will be mailed to the forwarding address you provided, or your last known address. If there are no deductions

from your security deposit, the landlord must refund it to you within ten days, not thirty. But, it is the tenant’s responsibility to make certain that there will be no deductions. This can be done by leaving the unit undamaged and clean and providing a copy of the receipt for any contracted cleaning. The departing tenant also must demonstrate that all unit utilities that are the tenant’s responsibility are paid through the end

of the notice to vacate. Remember, the security deposit is your money, which the landlord holds to ensure your compliance with the lease. When you leave the unit clean with no damages and no rent, utilities, or other expenses due, your security deposit will be refunded to you. Lisa Gohrick is a property manager at Garden City Property Management.

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Becky Skinner, Branch Manager 406.721.3595 orkin.com

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In it to win it How to beat the competition in a fast-paced market by Carroll Anne Sowerby

hen you are working toward a home purchase in a sellers’ market, there several things you can do to position yourself ahead of the competition. 1) Highest and best: Clearly sellers are hoping to maximize their bottom line, and the highest priced offer is usually going to be weighted heavily. Therefore, offering the asking price or above with a strong earnest money deposit is likely to position you well when it comes to price. However, there are other criteria that play into a seller’s decisionmaking process when considering offers in hand. Your agent should contact the listing agent prior to preparing the offer to find out what other factors are important to the sellers, such as: What’s an ideal closing date? Would offering the sellers a few days after closing before you take possession be helpful? Are there items of personal property the sellers would like to leave and not have to pack and take with them? Why are they selling? (Investors, for example, may need to meet an exchange deadline. A couple who raised their 28

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family and is downsizing may like to hear the buyers are a growing family who would like to create their own memories.) 2) Keep it simple: When you are competing with other offers, it’s not the time to make demands or include contingencies you don’t have to. Consider making the offer “as-is.” You still have the protection of an inspection contingency, but the sellers won’t feel threatened that you will come back to nickel and dime them after a home inspection. Additionally, if a washer and dryer, for example, are not marketed as inclusions, don’t ask for them! 3) Proof of qualification: In any market, it’s important to have been pre-qualified with a lender. In a sellers’ market, it’s important to prove you are qualified simultaneously with presenting an offer. Often, I find myself writing an offer within hours of a property hitting the market, or during non-business hours, and I don’t have the luxury of reaching a lender to prepare a pre-qualification letter. Therefore, I suggest having a generic letter on hand in case you are submitting an offer over the weekend or after banking business hours. A property- and price-specific approval

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letter can be provided by the lender the next business day. 3) Provide a comprehensive offer: Having all required paperwork submitted with your offer shows you are organized, on the ball, and committed. Not only should your agent submit your offer in conjunction with a prequalification letter, he or she should also provide a copy of your earnest money check, signed disclosures, and perhaps a letter to the sellers that may appeal to their emotions. 4) Trust your real estate agent: You hired a professional, so listen to them! Do you debate with your dentist when they say you have a cavity and need to get a filling? OK, maybe you get to choose between a gold or porcelain filling, but you likely will agree with their professional advice in answering questions such as: When should you schedule the appointment? How long should you expect it to take? How much will it cost? Your real estate agent is looking out for your best interests, and taking their advice may just land you an acceptance. Carroll Anne Sowerby is a Realtor at Ink Realty Group.

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Homestead 2017

Housing 2017 by Missoula Organization of REALTORS®

We are pleased to present the “2017 Missoula Housing Report.” Our intention is to provide a comprehensive, credible, and neutral picture of Missoula housing that can be used as a tool by community members, businesses, nonprofits, and policy makers as they seek to serve Missoula’s needs. We think these pages reveal a number of opportunities and challenges for our community. When read comprehensively, we hope the data come together to provide a more complete picture of our community, from affordability challenges to demographics, improvements over the years, and the issues that will require our attention in the years to come.

This the twelfth annual report on housing in the city and county of Missoula, and the content has evolved based on trends, available information, and feedback from readers like you. Please let us know your thoughts on this report and how we might improve it. If, after reading this report, you are interested in getting involved in meeting the housing needs of our community, please contact any of the public or private agencies engaged in local housing mentioned in this report. Additional housing resources are listed on the Missoula Organization of REALTORS® website at www.MissoulaRealEstate.com. Homestead 2017

Missoula Independent

number of homes sold in the missoula urban area 1500

1000

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

500

0 FIGURE 17

Source: Montana Regional MLS

Housing Sales

Missoula We’re here to provide you with best-in-class real estate service. With unmatched professionalism, warm Montana hospitality and equipped with the ﬁnest tools and technology, we’ll guide you through your real estate transaction, every step of the way.

Good t o Know™

Missoula ended 2016 with a seller’s market for all but the most expensive homes. In 2016, the market officially entered an under-supply status, with a less-than-three-month supply for all price points under $425,000. The median price of a Missoula home went up 6.8 percent to a record-setting $255,000 in 2016. While the overall number of homes sold remained virtually the same as the previous year, rising prices and a tighter supply of more affordable homes meant that the number of homes sold under $275,000 declined by 13 percent. Homes over $275,001 saw sales increase by 27.2 percent. Condominium and townhouse sales increased by 33.9 percent in 2016, as buyers gravitated towards their lower costs as compared to single-family homes.

Missoula Missoula Number Number of of Sales Sales b y Quarter Quarter by 500

2013 2014

400

2015 300

2016

200 100 0

(406) 721-4141 www.BHHSMT.com

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Quarter 1 FIGURE 19

Quarter 2

Quarter 3

Quarter 4

Source:: Montana Reg Regional ional MLS

The Best of Missoula 2016

Best Antiques MT Antique Mall Best Florist Bitterroot Flower Shop Best Furniture Store Wagner's Home Furnishings Best Garden Center Caras Nursery

Best General Contractor Rock Mountain Remodel Best Hardware Store Ace Hardware Best Home Accessories: Cost Plus World Market

Best Laundromat: Green Hanger Best Pawn Shop: Liquid Assets Best Property Management Company: Garden City Property Management

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Best Real Estate Agent: TIE - Anne Jablonski & MIndy Palmer Best Storage Unit: Pak Rat Storage

Missoula Independent

LARGE SELECTION LA 2)

median sales price of homes sold in the Missoula urban area $300,000 $250,000 $200,000 $150,000

+ +$1'<0$1 6(59Ζ&( $9$Ζ/$%/( 72 7+( 38%/Ζ& $1'<0$1 6(59Ζ&( $9$Ζ/$%/( 72 7+( 38%/Ζ& Trust the professionals to complete your home repairs.Call 543-9798 for details today!

FIGURE 20

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

$50,000

2008

$100,000 2007

• Ap • Co • Ho ȏ &R • Va • HO

Source: Montana Regional MLS

Home Sales by Neighborhood E.Missoula/Clinton 401 SW Higgins Avenue | Missoula | (406) 543-9798 215 Main Street | Polson | (406) 872-2990

caras-properties.com

2016

Lolo

2015 2014

Grant Creek Mullan Rd./Expressway Target Range Miller Creek Central Missoula Lewis & Clark South Hills U-Area/Slant Downtown/Northside Rattlesnake 0 FIGURE 26

Missoula Independent

Homestead 2017

100

150

200

250

300

Source: Montana Regional MLS

Comparative Trends in Home Prices The Housing Price Index (HPI) helps us measure appreciation by looking at changes in single-family home prices. The Federal Housing Finance Agency obtains the data by reviewing repeat mortgage transactions on properties purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. When a home is sold, the price is compared to previous sale prices for the same home; the

Number of Sales N umber o fS ales Price Range Breakout Missoula P rice Ra nge Brea kout Missou la 600 500 $200-$275,000

400

$275-$350,000 300

P ercent C hange in Percent Change Med ian Sales Sales Price Price Median

$150-$200,000 $350-$425,000 $425,001 + $0-$150,000

200 100

15% 10%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

FIGURE 21

-5% -10% Missoula u % Change C

-15% -20%

National Na tional a % Change h

-25% -30% 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Source:: Montana Reg Regional ional MLS, FIGURE 23 National Na tional Association Association of REALTORS REALTORS

WE ARE THE

Source: e:: Montana Reg Regional ional MLS

same goes for refinancing. An index value of 100 equals the value in January 1995. Repeat sale prices in Missoula in 2016 were higher than other state and national markets, as has been the trend for several years. For the third quarter of 2016, Missoula had an HPI of 246.4.

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H ousing Price Price Ind Housing Index, ex, 1st QTR QTR 2007 2007 - 3rd QTR QTR 2016 2016 260 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100

Billings Mi Missoula l Grea e t Falls Great Montana o Non-metro e

Montana t States M n i SSta Mountain ates US U.S. Indexx = 1000 in Januar January u y 1995 9

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Source:: Federal Housing Finance Agency FIGURE 28

median sales price by neighborhood 2016

E.Missoula/Clinton

2015 2014

Lolo Grant Creek Mullan Rd./Expressway Target Range Miller Creek Central Missoula Lewis & Clark South Hills U-Area/Slant Downtown/Northside

FIGURE 27 36

Missoula Independent

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K 00

50 $3

K $3

50 $2

00 $2

50 $1

00 $1

Rattlesnake

Source: Montana Regional MLS

year end interest rates 8%

4.50%

4.19%

4.13%

4.75%

3.25%

3.75%

4.75%

5.50%

5.38%

6.00%

Healthy Families Start Here

1% 0%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Source: First Security Bank, Stewart Title, Missoula, MT FIGURE 33

Housing Finance Mortgage rates remained affordable throughout 2016, with a year-end interest rate of 4.5 percent. While low rates were attractive for borrowing, the market supply proved difficult for potential buyers. Missoula homebuyers have access to a growing number of down payment assistance programs, including a new program from the Montana & Idaho Community Development Corporation. Thanks to both the economy and homebuyer education programs, Missoulaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreclosures continued to drop, with just 44 foreclosures in 2016.

Free, short term child care Parenting Classes And Other Resources 406.728.5437 www.parentingplace.net

Affordable Used Furniture & Appliances A Fundraiser for Child Abuse Prevention 406.240.4042 www.donationwarehouse.net

Your o r Real Estate Agent Should Have... 1. Integrity, Frankness & Optimism: Trrust an Agent who is alway ys honest, even in the faace of difficult conversations. 2. Deep, Varied Expertise: An Agent with extensive knowledge of the Real Estate market will serve your needs best.

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3. Hustle & Tenacity: Insist on an Agent who works hard and willingly pursues all leads.

250%

4. Calm Resilience: The best Agent will negotiate on your 5. Creativity: A greatt Agent has creative problem-solving

142

127

Please Call Julie Gardner for All of Your Real Estate Needs 62

50%

108

100%

108

skills to get through unexpected issues.

150%

151

200%

behalf with confidence and composure. 233

262

300%

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

FIGURE 34

Source: First Security Bank, Stewart Title, Missoula, MT

Julie Gardner

RealtorÂŽ, JD D, MP PA (406)532-9233 jgarrdner@ERA AL Lambros.com www.JulieGardnerProperties.com Homestead 2017

Missoula Independent

Rental Housing

annual Vacancy Rates 5% 4% 3% 2% 1%

2013

2014

2015

2016

0% FIGURE 12

Source: Western Montana Chapter of NARPM

Missoula’s already-low rental vacancy rates became more so in 2016, dropping to 2.9 percent. Yet, in spite of low vacancy, rental prices in Missoula held steady in 2016, following several years of growth. However, affordable rent still remains an issue. The Missoula Housing Authority is able to support all 774 of its Section 8 vouchers that subsidize rent, but the demand for rental assistance remains high, with 1,654 households sitting on the waiting list for Section 8 vouchers in 2016. In 2016, Homeword started offering rental education and counseling programs to help low-to-moderate

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average a verage c cost ost of of rent

MULTIPLEXES MULLTIPLEXES T

3 Bedroom

STORE AND DONATION CENTER

2 Bedroom

East Missoula 3655 Highway 200

2016

1 Bedroom

Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (406) 549-8215

2015 1 1 2014

Studios

3 Bedroom

DUPLEXES

2 Bedroom 1 Bedroom Studios

3 Bedroom

HOUSES

2 Bedroom 1 Bedroom Studios $0 FIGURE 15

$400

$800

$1200

$1600 600 0

Source: W Western estern e Montana Cha Chapter appter of NARPM NARP

income people access and maintain affordable housing. As well, the city opened the Office of Housing and Community Development to create and implement housing policy that will help Missoula meet its present and growing housing demand.

Rental Prices Rental prices in Missoula leveled out in 2016 (FIGURE 15) in spite of lower-than-normal vacancy rates. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in a multiplex was $625 while average rent for a 3-bedroom house was $1,117. Overall, Missoula County tends to have higher rents than the state average, but they both tend to follow the same trends. In 2015, the average rent in Missoula County was $769, compared to the state average of $711. Homestead 2017

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Rental Assistance Programs Housing choice vouchers make private-market housing affordable for low-income families and individuals by paying a portion of the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rent. Federal funding remained sufficient in 2016 to support all available Section 8 vouchers. The Missoula Housing Authority (MHA) has 774 available Section 8 vouchers that subsidize rent to private landlords for eligible participants, helping to make private-market housing affordable for lowincome families and individuals. The Montana Department of Commerce provides another 262 vouchers. The demand for this type of rental assistance remains high. In September 2016, 1,654 households were on the Section 8 waiting list, a 4.6 percent decrease from 2015. MHA also provides permanent supportive housing vouchers for disabled homeless families. While MHA had initially been able to stretch funding to serve as many as 135 households, that program received a substantial cut of more than 30 percent in May 2016. In December, part of the funding was restored, but that still leaves a 19 percent reduction in funding that will be ongoing.

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Conclusion and Outlook The median sales price of a Missoula home reached a record high of $255,000 in 2016. With low interest rates, a stronger economy, and low unemployment rates, the outlook for Missoula is strong in many respects. However, at the same time, for residents of Missoula, housing is becoming less affordable, the real estate market has an incredibly tight supply, and renters are also faced with a low vacancy rate and rents that are often not proportionate to their income. The stresses on the Missoula housing situation include a growing population, which reached 114,181 this year, a 9.4 increase since 2006. In addition, incomes in Missoula have not increased at the same rate as rent or home prices, causing housing affordability to decline. The central issue in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report reveals a tight supply of housing, both in the real estate market and the rental market, which has created challenges as well as shifts in data. In response to a tight supply of real estate and higher prices, 2016 saw

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significant increases in home buyers either opting to build (the median price of a lot did not increase) or purchase more affordable condominiums or townhomes (which had median prices of $207,900 and $235,000, respectively). In addition, despite the growing work of organizations that offer rental assistance, the demand for their services still far outweighs the number of vouchers or affordable housing units they can provide. With the addition of the new City Office of Housing and Community Development in 2016, we hope to see a positive impact on housing and many of the issues this report presents. In addition, the Missoula Organization of REALTORSÂŽ has partnered with the City of Missoula, Missoula County, and a number of other organizations on a study to identify barriers and solutions to developing greater amounts of entry-level priced housing. We believe this study, which should be released in the summer of

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2017, will help the community address the affordability of housing. As Missoula grows and attempts to adapt to its growth, we face both opportunities and challenges. While affordability

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and supply emerged as key issues in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report, it is clear that this community is dedicated to finding solutions to address homelessness, affordability, and quality of life.