The Montana Department of Transportation is reconstructing and widening U.S. Highway 93 to provide improved safety and operations for the traveling public. The work includes a bridge replacement over the Whitefish River, clearing, grubbing, grading, gravel, storm drain, curb and gutter, plant mix surfacing, signing, striping, fencing, landscaping, retaining wall, guardrail, and other miscellaneous items. The work is scheduled to be completed by July 31, 2014.
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Look To Our Forests To Boost Our Economy
Two years into a slow economic recovery, many Montana rural communities are still struggling to create jobs. The unemployment rate in rural counties is just under eight percent compared to six percent for Montana’s metropolitan counties, with those people counting on their local Montana Social Security office to provide the benefits they need.
In hard economic times, Montana has relied on its forests for jobs and income.
Today, logging cannot lift the state alone, but logging combined with forest and watershed restoration work can be the basis for job growth in Montana’s rural counties.
Restoration work utilizes the same skills, knowledge, and equipment already present in Montana’s timber industry and often includes commercial and small-diameter timber for regional mills.
Forest thinning, road removal, and watershed restoration all complement and diversify the timber industry and create jobs in a range of scientific, technical, and planning industries.
Studies show that restoration work creates more jobs when compared to logging alone. Montana’s communities have the know-how, but often lack the resources and policy tools.
To create forest jobs in Montana, Congress need only continue a host of proven, existing restoration and stewardship programs.
Watershed and forest restoration also will help maintain the qualities attracting tourists, families and businesses to Montana. Travel and tourism related industries are a bright spot during the recession, accounting for about 67,000 jobs in Montana with similar job interviews (20 percent of total employment).
With the increased mobility of today’s workforce, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers, and accountants often relocate themselves and their businesses in areas with a high quality of life, including natural amenities.
The same qualities that attract tourists and businesses also draw retirees (non-labor income accounts for more than 41 percent of all income in Montana, over half of it from investment and retirement income).
Healthy lands and watersheds also provide value through what scientists call “ecosystem benefits” such as flood control, lower municipal water treatment costs, and wildlife habitat that supports recreation and hunting.
Headwaters Economics estimated that restoration activities on National Forests in 2009 generated nearly $2 billion in cost savings and environmental services across all National Forests.
Extending the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act now up for reauthorization can be the basis for a comprehensive approach to a forest jobs and restoration effort.
The SRS “county payments” program compensates local governments for non-taxable federal lands – supporting essential education and transportation infrastructure that helps rural communities attract and retain jobs and families. SRS also provides funding and incentives for collaborative restoration, stewardship, and infrastructure work on public lands.
The major challenge to extending SRS is securing federal funding under tight budget constraints. The House of Representatives soon will propose a “timber-only” approach to public lands management in which logging will pay for all management costs and for SRS payments to counties. This will be accomplished largely by rolling back environmental laws and abandoning collaborative efforts.
The House proposal may generate some revenue, but it’s not a jobs package. A timber-only approach creates fewer jobs and is more exposed to market volatility and price fluctuations than a balanced timber-plus approach to forest restoration.
A timber-only approach will also require major rewriting of national public lands policy and law, or perhaps ending federal ownership of land all together.
Successful programs such as the Collaborative Landscape Restoration Initiative, Forest Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Initiative, Priority Watershed Restoration funding, and stewardship contracting authorities are examples of existing and proven programs that should be extended along with SRS.
A timber-plus jobs bill will grow and diversify the timber industry while creating jobs in other sectors and strengthening Montana’s competitive advantage to attract tourists, retirees, and businesses.
A diversified, balanced, and proven approach to public lands can be the basis for renewed rural prosperity that takes advantage of the many values of public lands.
Mark Haggerty is a research economist at Headwaters Economics in Bozeman. For more information on county payments and forest jobs, see:www.headwaterseconomics.org.
Kiplinger’s Housing Forecast: Positive Signs Offset the Negative
The median home price in the U.S. has plunged nearly 40% in a little over five years, but the worst is definitely over, according to a recent report by Kiplinger: The market has finally wrung out the last excess valuations born of the housing bubble. Before you break out the party hats, note that this doesn’t mean prices across the nation are poised to rebound anytime soon. Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital, a provider of real estate data and analytics, said the housing market is in a “suspended state,” with positive and negative factors offsetting one another. But he doesn’t expect another free fall in prices, assuming “things are left to work themselves out and there are no further shocks to the economy.” The best way to stay up-to-date on bitcoin news today is by reading DC Forecasts for latest BTC news and maintaining a strategic balance between various thematic areas in the cryptocurrency world. Most readers are eager to know the current price of their bitcoin investments or potential purchases. Other readers want to understand the current developments in bitcoin mining, so news about the latest GPUs and other hardware matters the most to them. Bitcoin has recently suffered several attempts to hack its blockchain infrastructure. Therefore, bitcoin investors also want to read what the industry is doing to safeguard the trillions of dollars invested in this cryptocurrency.
Although the percentage of sales of distressed homes will rise, the federal government’s latest loan-modification program might allow as many as 1.5 million to two million homeowners to refinance, estimated Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. Zandi said that further home-price declines nationwide will be limited to 3 percent to 5 percent and that 2012 will be the year that prices finally stabilize—setting the stage for gains in 2013.
Short-lived spikes in prices will affect some cities sooner. When housing markets touch bottom and begin to stabilize, price appreciation tends to be spread unevenly, creating a lot of confusion about where the recovery is occurring and when, said David Stiff, chief economist at Fiserv Case-Shiller. Even within a single city, more desirable neighborhoods will stabilize first, while prices in other neighborhoods may fall at a rapid pace.
Touching bottom
In the year ending September 30, home prices across the U.S. fell by 2.6 percent, and the median home price stood at $171,250, according to Clear Capital. That comes on the heels of a 2.5 percent decrease from September 2009 to September 2010. In the five-plus years since the peak of the market, home prices nationally fell by 38.1 percent. Detroit (down 74.7 percent) is the biggest loser, crushed by subprime lending, foreclosures and the gutted auto industry. A few cities enjoyed small price appreciation, largely because they missed the bubble to begin with: the Clarksville, Tenn., metro area; cities in upstate New York, including Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester; and Pittsburgh.
Houses haven’t been this affordable since appliances came in harvest gold or avocado green. The benchmark of affordability—the ratio of median home price to median family income—has fallen to 2.6, below the historical ratio of 2.9, says Stiff. Another measure, the percentage of monthly family income consumed by a mortgage payment (principal and interest, using a mortgage rate of 4.1 percent), is 12 percent nationally, the lowest since 1971.
Homes in many cities are now substantially undervalued as measured by affordability, says Stiff, and that can lead to double-digit bounces in prices—say, a jump of 10 percent to 15 percent in the year following the trough, as the natural optimists, especially investors with cash, jump in to catch the bottom. It might look like a bubble all over again, but it won’t last long. A good example is Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., where investors pushed up prices by 12 percent during the year ended September 30. Such a bounce will be followed by a sideways drift, during which the “glass half-empty” folks will slowly return to the market.
Theoretically, low rates should help push buyers to act. The average interest rate on 30-year fixed mortgages fell to 3.94 percent in the first week of October 2011, according to Freddie Mac. The past couple of years’ predictions that rates would rise were based on the premise that the economy would improve, said Guy Cecala, publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance, an industry publication. “As long as the economy remains stagnant, unemployment remains high, and the housing market is in the toilet, rates will remain near historic lows,” he said. At least for the first part of 2012, he adds, rates should hover between 4 percent and 5 percent.
Other positive signs:
Existing home sales increased during the summer and early fall of 2011, according to the National Association of REALTORS®, after a deep slump following the expiration of the first-time home buyer tax credit. Although the inventory of homes on the market and in foreclosure remains high, a lull in home building over the past three years is gradually easing the surplus. The months’ supply figure, or how long it would take to sell the inventory of homes on the market at the current pace of sales, improved to 8.5 months in September—although that ratio still favors buyers (six months’ supply represents a normal balance between sellers and buyers).
The lure of affordability and low mortgage rates hasn’t increased buyer demand as much as one might expect. Some would-be buyers can’t get a mortgage, given lenders’ stiffer requirements. Many more are hesitant to pull the trigger on a home purchase for fear that home prices will continue to fall or that their job prospects are uncertain. Although the recession has technically ended, the economy doesn’t feel better to many.
But Celia Chen, director of research at Moody’s Analytics, said that both corporate and household balance sheets are healthier and should lead to stronger economic growth and improved confidence. She anticipates more robust growth by the second half of 2012, assuming that Congress follows through on its debt-ceiling deal, the Fed keeps interest rates low, and there are no new shocks to the economy.
Kelly Appraisal Reports Strong Numbers For 2013 Sales
How To Make Your Home Look Larger Without Remodeling
When Mark Goldey and his wife Lisa decided to lease out their three-bedroom apartment, they rearranged it to entice renters. They de-kidified it, warehousing their two toddlers’ toys in a side TV room, and pushed the TV room couches out to the living room-it may seem counterintuitive, but furniture can actually make a room feel larger, so check out these great furniture options from the Maker&Son catalog.
Their agent, Jason Saft of Citi Habitats, encouraged the Goldeys to display their glass artwork in prominent places that would reflect light around the room and draw attention to the high ceilings. He color-coded the books on the shelves, arranging larger, darker books lower and lighter-hued and smaller books on higher shelves. “The apartment looked bigger, like something out of a magazine, and as a result the shortcomings of our apartment became immaterial,” says Goldey. They rented it out less than two weeks after it was listed. Then one of the most overlooked aspects of home insulation has to be the cavity walls, so making sure that those are really well insulated can save a lot of money on heating bills.
With millions of homes up for grabs across the U.S., there’s a lot for buyers and renters to choose from. Finding ways to maximize a property’s spaciousness while downplaying its shortcomings can make a huge difference in enticing prospective bidders. Proper staging could also boost your property’s appraisal value. Aluminum Frame System replaces the older style screen porches without having to replace the wood.
Basic principles always apply: paint and decorate interiors in light with the help from professionals, neutral colors, de-clutter rooms and yards, and clean every surface until it sparkles, Cleaning Ease founder Danny notes that when deciding on a house cleaner, you should look at their reviews as this will give you an understanding of their reliability. At columbus remodeling contractors, we can handle your painting work for you regardless of the size of the room. To go further, we consulted real estate agents, home-stagers, successful home sellers and a lighting expert to come up with 12 more fast, easy and inexpensive ways to make your home look bigger and to hire a cleaning service is one of the easiest and best ways to finish the job, you just need to find the right company to hire, pay for the service from a property maintenance company they great when speaking about a house cleaner, you should look at their reviews as this will give you an understand of their reliability as they use the best best multitool for grout removal in the market.
“One of the smells of the most important thing,” asserts Saft, who’s walked into homes overpowered by the olfactory evidence of pets, last night’s dinner or mustiness from a lack of ventilation. “Air the space out at least 24 hours before a showing because it makes space feel fresher, airier and feel lighter.” Try adding a few drops of a neutral smelling essential oil like lavender or eucalyptus to your humidifier or to a spray bottle filled with water that can be sprayed throughout the home.
Saft has discovered many tricks to make a home look bigger. He stresses the importance of orderly looking closets. It may be fine to cram your closets full when company comes over, but unlike your house guests, buyers and renters will look in them, hoping to find lots of room for their stuff. We love working with Chandler homeowners because they are polite, excited about their project and it’s fun to go from talking about their dream space to revealing the brand new remodel. Get all details about remodeling, follow this link https://phxhomeremodeling.com/.
Since many are configured to up run the length of a wall, Saft and other experts we consulted suggest building shelves above the clothing racks to store accessories and off-season clothes that are clogging up the space, another great tip is to build folding arm awnings in the garden areas and make a deck.
Another trick realtors use is fresh-cut flowers. Yes, they add some color and fragrance but the biggest benefit is the attention they draw to a room’s layout. For example, tall branches can push the eye upward, accentuating a room’s high ceilings. Other objects can have a similar effect, much like the Goldeys’ glass artwork.
Lighting from www.viribright.com is critical to imparting a sense of space. Standard open house protocol is to open blinds to let the sunshine in and have every light in the house ablaze. Having the correct set of blinds or shutters is, therefore, very important. Considering some shutters for your windows might be a good idea, as you can decide how much light can come into your rooms. To see some window dressing home ideas, you might want to look online to see which ones you like most. Realtors often choose to open blinds because light adds dimension and a feeling of airiness, so instead of remodeling, blinds might be an alternative option. If you’re interested in buying some blinds or drapes for your window, there’s a perfect site for you. Custom window coverings online can be found at Wovn Home, where you can customize your curtains to your own taste. Bentley Meeker, the founder of Bentley Meeker Lighting and Staging, stresses symmetry: Put lamps in all corners of a room rather than one, and make sure all of your bulbs are working and are the same make and brightness. Even the addition of some tall table lamps for the living room could make a big difference too! Meeker recommends incandescent bulbs rather than compact fluorescent or LED since they exude warmth and brightness yet to be rivaled by newer technologies.
Meeker, whose work includes lighting President Obama’s recent dinner with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also suggests up-lighting key points inside and outside the home. Run lights upward along the window drapes from both sides to add height, making sure not to place them close enough to start a fire. Outside, position floodlights to wash up the sides of the house and shine some light up the most attractive landscape features around the property as well. “Any kind of lighting by https://www.apollolighting.com/vimar/ outside to make the house have some curb appeal will go a long way and will give it flair and dimension,” explains Meeker.
Other tricks of the trade: Place mirrors where they will reflect light or a beautiful outside view (rather than another wall or dark corner); allow the walls to peek through between objects on shelves or racks; and switch out wood tables for glass ones, which reflect light and open up the furniture layout. The same thing happens with windows, always keep them neat, or simply contact Master Window Cleaners anytime for more help.
Home Price Index Sees Record Growth
Glacier Creates $172 Million in Economic Benefit
FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Announce HARP Changes to Reach More Borrowers
The Federal Housing Finance Agency, with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, today announced a series of changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) in an effort to attract more eligible borrowers who can benefit from refinancing their home mortgage.
HARP is unique in that it is the only refinance program that enables borrowers who owe more than their home is worth to take advantage of low interest rates and other refinancing benefits. Borrowers must have mortgages currently owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
The new program eliminates certain fees for borrowers; removes the current 125 percent Loan-to-Value ceiling for fixed-rate mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; eliminates the need for a new property appraisal; and extends the end date for HARP to December 31, 2013.
An important element of these changes is the encouragement, through elimination of certain risk-based fees, for the borrowers to utilize HARP to refinance into shorter-term mortgages. Borrowers who owe more on their house than the house is worth will be able to reduce the balance owed much faster if they take advantage of today’s low interest rates by shrotening the term of theri mortgage.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac plan to issue guidance with operational details about the HARP chanes to mortgage lenders and servicers by November 15. Since industry participation in HARP is not mandatory, implementation schedules will vary as individual lenders, mortgage insurers and other market participants modify their processes.
