Homeownership is a privilege and a responsibility. Even after decades of owning a home, you may still need some help to handle some of its challenges by focusing on the three “M”s of homeownership: maintenance, minimizing expenses and managing debt and risk.
Consider exploring the following:
- Do you know the current value of your home? (You can, by obtaining a list of comparable sales in your immediate area, as well as what is currently on the market for sale.)
- Have you compared your assessed value for tax purposes to the fair market value in order to possibly reduce your property taxes?
- Even if you’ve refinanced in the last two years, can you save money and recapture the cost of refinancing in the length of time you plan to remain in your home?
- Have you considered reducing your mortgage debt with low-earning cash reserves that will not be needed soon?
- Do you have a record of the improvements you’ve made to your home since you purchased it? Do you know what items can be included?
- Have you considered investing in rental homes in good neighborhoods to increase your yields and avoid the volatility of the stock market?
- When was the last time you updated your home inventory of personal belongings? Do you have pictures as well as written documentation?
- Do you need recommendations of repairmen and other service providers?
This service is part of my point of difference as a real estate professional to provide information to help homeowners not only when they buy and sell but all the years in between too. My goal is to create lifelong relationships with our customers as their “go to” person whenever they have a real estate question.
My strategy is to provide reliable, consumer-based information about homeownership on a regular basis through email and social networking. If it benefits you by helping you be a better homeowner, maybe you’ll consider us your real estate professional.
When you don’t know the answers to real estate questions, you know where to get them.
We’re always here to serve your real estate needs. By helping you with the three “M”s of homeownership, we can earn your confidence and trust for the next time you move or a friend of yours needs a recommendation.
If you’d like to have a list of the market activity in your area or any of the other information mentioned, please contact me at (406) 862-9000 or [email protected]. We’re happy to provide it along with informative guides regarding the subjects mentioned.
After months of uncertainty, hospitality businesses feel relief with the park’s reopening in early June
Ever since Glacier National Park’s closure in March, businesses within and outside of its boundaries have sat on pins and needles, waiting for the governor and park superintendent to set a reopening date.
“We’ve been preparing for being able to open at any moment,” Holly DuMay, the director of sales and marketing at Izaak Walton Inn and Eddie’s Café and Mercantile. “We knew we weren’t going to have a lengthy notice.”
Once the park finally reopened on June 8, Eddie’s Café and Mercantile was ready to go, opening just a few weeks after its normal date of Memorial Day Weekend.
“It’s a huge relief that we’re opening as soon as we are,” DuMay said.
Eddie’s, which is operating with coronavirus precautions such as plastic screens and spaced-out tables, received a facelift this winter, with a completely remodeled restaurant, a full-service bar and to-go cocktails.
“You can take a cocktail to-go and just sit on the beach at Lake McDonald,” DuMay said. Read more…..
Whitefish Pilot | June 22, 2020 9:10 AM
Fourth of July fireworks show canceled, arts festival still happening
The annual fireworks show over Whitefish Lake on the Fourth of July has been canceled.
The Whitefish Chamber of Commerce made the decision last week to cancel the event after failed attempts over the past month to relocate the show to a location that would allow for social distancing related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event typically draws upwards of 5,000 people to City Beach.
Chamber Executive Director Kevin Gartland said the chamber has been working steadily to make the show happen, but it became apparent that it just wasn’t possible.
“In the current situation it just wasn’t feasible,” he said. “And all the alternatives we considered had flaws that just wouldn’t be possible to overcome.”
The annual event is sponsored by the chamber and supported through private donations.
Gartland said the chamber explored two other possible locations at Big Mountain Ranch and at Smith Fields, but both of those had challenges that couldn’t be overcome including that holding the fireworks show over land rather than the lake increased the cost up to $7,000.
“When fundraising for it, half our donors are private individuals on Whitefish Lake who contribute to the show to view it from their properties,” he said. “We didn’t want to dig ourselves into a big hole with the extra cost.”
The Fourth of July parades in both Kalispell and Bigfork have already been canceled. Read more…
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Seeking a Safe Haven
Realtors have “never been busier” as out-of-area homebuyers flood the Flathead Valley
After spending eight years in Chicago, 46-year-old physician Robert Valleau grew tired of the city life.
He was burned out from the bar-and-restaurant, shopping-and-museum scene of Michigan Avenue, the explosive taxes and his box-sized apartment. He preferred fresh mountain air to bustling city streets. But most of all, he wanted to get away from people. To learn more…
You know, there’s more to Whitefish, Montana than just breathtaking scenery, a great ski hill, abundant wildlife and a spectacular alpine lake. But there’s no ignoring the obvious … the #1 attraction that brings visitors to our city – the Great Outdoors – also fuels an active lifestyle for residents that is second to none. Get outside!
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