WAGFest in Whitefish benefits dog park

Mark your calendars for WAGFest! This dog friendly event will be held from 11 AM to TBD on August 24, 2019 at Hugh Rogers Wag Park in Whitefish, MT. Admission is free.

“BringFido” and the family to this fun annual event that supports the park. A complimentary BBQ picnic, raffle, and contests make this an event not to be missed! All funds raised go directly to the dog park.

Join in the fun now. BringFido members can upload a photo of your pet at WAGFest!

You can also share by using the hashtag #bringfido on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Sponsored by Alpine Animal Hospital.

Click here for more information.

Summer Brewfest benefits the S.N.O.W. Bus

Save the date for this brewfest, located in Depot Park – 510 Railway Street, Whitefish, on Saturday, August 24 at 3:00 pm,

Over 30 brewers are on tap for this awesome annual event. Enjoy beer, cider and kombucha as well as delicious food trucks, all the while supporting FREE public transportation in Whitefish. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Please bring your ID!

The SNOW Bus provided free transportation during winter between town and the ski lifts on Big Mountain.

Below are some beautiful properties listed by Nikki.

Real Estate Market Trends

Smooth sailing: Flathead County residential sales by quarter past five years

BY RICHARD DEWS // JUL 10, 2019 Flathead Beacon

During which quarter of the year do the greatest (or least) quantity of homes sell? Q2 (April through June) runs amazingly neck-and-neck with Q3 (July through September) (see chart). For first quarter sales quantities, over the past five years, the slow uptick shot upwards noticeably in 2019. Q2 sales quantities have been almost identical, for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Eyes are on sales quantities for Q3 2019, which we’ve only just begun, as Q3 2017 showed a 15 percent spike over surrounding years. Outside of that spike, Q3 sales quantities have also been amazingly consistent for three of the past four years. The Q4 units sold grouping shows a nearly linear stair-stepped growth over these past four years.

Q4 quantities were encroaching upon Q3 numbers, in 2018. One might summarize the chart as depicting a healthy picture of stability and manageable growth.

Richard Dews is CEO of Glacier Flathead Real Estate, a Flathead-based real estate software and services company.

Real Estate Market Trends

BY RICHARD DEWS // JUN 19, 2019 // FLATHEAD BEACON

Last Fourth of July, we looked at the Flathead Country single-family residence sales quantities and median speeds (listing to contract) – and median list and sold prices per square foot. Let’s update the chart for this past year’s activity (since June 14, 2018), for homes whose original list prices were between $150,000 and $650,000 (see chart).

Blue bars represent quantities sold over this past year, using the left-side vertical axis numbers. By far the greatest quantity of homes (200+) sold at the original list price. About half as many sold for 98 percent of their original list, stair-stepping downward from there in quantities sold through ranges of 97 percent to 90 percent of original list.

Orange bars show that those homes which took longer to sell also sold for less of their original list price, with time-to-contract shrinking consistently all the way down to about a week for those selling at their list price.

Richard Dews is CEO of Glacier Flathead Real Estate, a Flathead-based real estate software and services company.

Whitefish Adopts Water Usage Ordinance

New conservation measure will affect hours of outdoor watering

BY TRISTAN SCOTT // MAY 24, 2019

The Whitefish City Council on May 20 adopted a new water conservation ordinance for city water users during peak summer months, limiting the timeframe in which residents can water their lawns.

“This ordinance is not about using less water, it’s really about wasting less water,” Craig Workman, director of Public Works, stated in a release announcing the ordinance. “During the peak summer months, our existing infrastructure struggles to keep up with current water use demand.”

Although infrastructure upgrades are planned, Workman said, they would not be in place for two to three years.

Read the rest of the story in the Flathead Beacon…

Real Estate Market Trends

By Richard Dews // April 24, 2019 // Flathead Beacon

Flathead active home market comparison, last four quarters

A third of the way through spring, how do the quantities of actively listed homes compare to prior quarters (see chart)? I’ve charted the quantities (bars) of homes active last spring (gold), last fall (grey), this January (orange) and now (blue) — by original list price ranges in $50,000 blocks. Findings: 1) availability of lower-priced homes keeps falling, 2) $250,000 to $349,999 home availability recovering from winter pull-back, 3) $350,000 to $749,999 about as thin as winter.

I also charted the median Days on Market (DOM), which are the number of days since listing. These are represented by dashed lines of the same color as their counterpart quantity bars. Findings: 1) substantial shrinkage in time-on-market since January, 2) $200,000 to $499,999 fairly parallel to the DOM of last fall, 3) higher-end homes on market longer that those last spring.

Richard Dews is CEO of Glacier Flathead Real Estate, a Flathead-based real estate software and services company.

Senators push Amtrak for answers on future of Empire Builder in Montana

BY JUSTIN FRANZ // APR 19, 2019

Daines calls any proposal to alter long-distance service “troubling,” Tester writes letter to Amtrak president seeking answers

Montana’s two U.S. senators are pushing Amtrak officials for answers about the future of long-distance passenger trains, including the Empire Builder, which stops twice daily in Whitefish.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration proposed drastically slashing Amtrak’s budget and having states pay more for passenger rail service. Amtrak officials have also been “reassessing” its long-distance routes to see if it can reduce the amount of federal money it needs to subsidize the services. Few details have been provided about what, if any, changes might be made or when those changes would be implemented.

“Amtrak is trying to reassess how best to address the needs of rural communities and maintain mobility but also think of ways to reduce (federal) subsidies,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao during a hearing last month.

Click here to read the whole story in the Flathead Beacon.