October Market Report - The Schaefer Team

We have the numbers for the month of October and here they are for your reference. We've been busy this Fall - our market is active and healthy! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us - Jason | 406.493.4262 and Alana | 406.493.0066.

To see all available properties in our market, please visit - www.missoulaareahomes.com

Need Help Moving?

Let's face it, moving is not the most enjoyable thing to do in life - in fact I dread it! We have invested in a 6' x 10' enclosed Mirage trailer for our clients/friends to use. Feel free to call or email us at anytime if you want to put it to use. My moving services can be negotiated in with the trailer under certain circumstances:) 

NEW LISTING - 2528b Old Ranch Road

Welcome to Old Ranch Road and this wonderful townhome in nearly new condition! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom that was built in 2012. The kitchen is equipped with stainless steel appliances as well as a gas range. The yard comes fully fenced with underground sprinklers and raised flower beds. To schedule a showing - give us a call at 406.493.0066 (Alana) or 406.493.4262 (Jason) or your real estate professional. You don't want to miss this opportunity!

To see more, click - 2528b Old Ranch Road

Missoula Area Homes - Instant Property Alerts via Text Message

We now have a new feature on our website where clients can receive a text message when a new property comes on the market. This way, you'll be the first to know about homes that come on the market.

In order to do this, click on SAVED SEARCHES within your profile. Next, click the box that says, "Notify Me When Similar Listings Hit The Market." See below for where this is located within your search profile. If you have questions on setting up this feature, just let us know!

July Residential Numbers

June 2015 Residential Market Report

Numbers for the month of June are out. As expected, the trend continues with similarities to the May market report. The median sale price is up compared to June of 2014, while overall pending sales are down compared to June, 2014. Simply put, there's a tremendous amount of activity in the market right now, it primarily comes down to affordability and inventory for buyers. You can see the overall numbers for year-to-date reflect similar numbers as June 2014 compared to June 2015.

We're here to help - if you have any questions, just let us know!

City of Hamilton Upgrades Infrastructure

The city of Hamilton is moving forward this summer with some extensive projects. Included in that is a $380,000 road reconstruction on the first block of Fairgrounds Road. According to Hamilton Mayor, Jerry Steele, it was badly in need of repair and has been deteriorating for sometime now. The plan is to bring the road up to city standards, as well as add a sidewalk on the south side.

They talk paving the road toward the middle of July, and hope to be finished, for the most part toward the latter part of July. The city remains committed to upgrading Fairgrounds Road with additional construction planned for next summer. By the time they are finished, there will be nearly $2 million invested in one of the busiest roads in the city.



Source: Missoulian

May Market Report

The numbers are out for the month of May in the Missoula Real Estate market. You can see from the numbers several things stick out. First, listings are down 26% compared to 2014. For buyers, this is presenting challenges in finding a home that fits their needs. Our buyers that we work with, are strongly encouraged to get pre-approved through a lender, so when they do find the perfect home we are able to act quickly.

Additionally, this has had an impact on selling prices, as the median sale price is up 20% over 2014. When priced competitively according to the market and condition, all of our sellers are getting multiple offers.

If you have any questions - please let us know!

April Residential Report

Here are the statistics for the month of April on the residential side in Missoula County. As is typical, there is more inventory on the market, and buyers are actively looking. What's great to see is the strong growth in our market over 2014. 

Personally, Alana and myself are working with a wide range of clients. Out of state buyers continue to have interest in and around Missoula, and in particular the Bitterroot area. We're also seeing more and more first time home buyers, many of which are millennials, and I feel this a very good sign of the economy around Missoula showing good strength. 

Enjoy and if you have any questions, please let us know!

Just Listed - 307 Lakeside - Lolo

Located on a corner lot, this 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house has been updated and is in good condition. On the main level of this home is a living room, kitchen with eating area, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs is a family room, utility room and master bedroom with a large closet, bathroom and lots of storage. Recent updates (within the last 3 years) include: upstairs bathroom remodel, new interior paint, new carpet, new kitchen flooring, a new roof, a new dishwasher and a new microwave. There is a 2 car garage plus a parking pad in the back yard. The yard is landscaped and fenced and has underground sprinklers. All of this is conveniently located in Lolo, close to all of life's amenities, and just a short distance to Missoula.

Follow this link for all the details on this great property - 307 LakesideFor more information and to schedule a showing - please call Alana Schaefer at 406.493.006.

New Listing - 4905 Jaiden Lane - Linda Vista

Check out our new listing!

Located in the Linda Vista Neighborhood, this 4 bedroom, 3 Bathroom home has so much to offer! On the main level of this home is a functional kitchen which boasts: stainless steel appliances, lots of counter space, a pantry and an eating area. As you exit the sliding glass doors off of the kitchen you will see a large, landscaped, fully fenced backyard. There is a deck perfect for entertaining, a garden shed and there are underground sprinklers. Additionally on the main level there is a large living room with a gas fireplace, a master suit, 2 additional bedrooms and a full bathroom. On the lower level there is a family room, another master suit and the utility area. There is a large, 2 car garage with extra room for storage. This home also has large windows for natural light and enjoying the beautiful views. Finally this home has a newer 50 year roof (2012), a newer hot water heater (2010) and has new exterior paint (2013). You won't be disappointed in this house. For your personal tour please call listing agent Alana Schaefer at 406.493.0066 or your real estate professional.

ERA Circle of Achievement - Alana Schaefer

Congrats to Alana of The Schaefer Team for her award - ERA Circle of Achievement! This award is given to realize the exceptional results through personal expertise and commitment, community involvement and consistent client service. Circle of Achievement honorees represent the best of ERA Sale Associates at both the state and national levels!

1st Time Home Buyers - Homeword

We wanted to let you know about a great opportunity in Missoula for 1st time buyers. Homeword of Missoula presents Home Buyer Education classes on a regular basis for first-time buyers. The topics covered are:

1. Selecting a lender

2. Using credit wisely

3. Understanding home inspections and insurance

4. Working with a real estate professional

5. Determining affordability 

6. Distinguishing between different types of loans

7. Identifying special financing programs

8. Evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of home ownership

Upon successful completion of the program, attendees are provided with a certificate of completion which is required for many down payment assistance and other lending programs for first-time buyers. 

The courses are offered on a monthly basis, either on three consecutive week nights from 6-9PM or on Saturdays an all-day class is offered several times a year from 9AM - 6PM. 

For more information, and to schedule, please visit - Homeword

Southgate Mall and Missoula's South Side Redevelopment Plans

With malls nationwide finding it a struggle to remain viable, let alone profitable - Missoula's Southgate Mall is looking towards future expansion. What exactly these plans are remains to be seen, however, representatives say within the next few years property around the mall will look much different than it does today.

Project details remain vague, but we do know some certainties. H&M Store is currently building a 20,000 square foot store at the entrance of Southgate Mall near Red Robin. Outside the mall, Paxson Plaza is under going changes as well. Tenants were informed that the building was under contract with new owners. The Val-U Inn has since been razed and Curley's is expected to be next, however, the future of the entire Paxson Plaza is still uncertain.

The region south of the mall continues to see great improvements, even from a few short years ago. The region of South Reserve Street and Brooks Street is set to undergo construction this summer, with the addition of a traffic signal, pedestrian crossings, landscaping, and lighting.

Missoula Real Estate - Map Search

This is our 4th installment in helping clients search for their perfect home, condo, townhome, or property using www.missoulaareahomes.com. Today, we're going to show you a feature that not many folks know about - Map Search. It enables clients the ability to draw custom searches on a map, using their designated search criteria (price, location, bed/bath, etc.). With this tool, clients can manually draw a custom search in specific geographical areas they are looking at.

Here's the 1st example. I used a search criteria of Florence & Stevensville - 2+ bed/1+ bath, under $200,000 and single family homes. You can see the initial search comes up showing 1 of 18 homes. There are 3 red arrows drawn showing on this screen shot. To get into Map Search, simply click on it after you've put in the parameters above. There's a second arrow drawn to Draw Custom Search, which we'll look at next. The final one is the Zoom In/Out vertical bar on the left hand side. 

In order to see more than 1 property, I clicked the ZOOM OUT button on the bottom of the vertical bar, which now produces 17 of 18 homes for sale.  Seen here:

In this next example, I switched to Satellite view, and actually took off Florence and Stevensville as I wanted to see other properties around Missoula under $200,000. This one actually includes homes in Superior, Plains, and Hamilton, so you can see the radius was quite large. But it can give clients and idea of different markets and what they can expect for homes under $200,000.

The final portion I want to show you is how quickly you can get an overview of properties. In this screen shot, I've added in Florence, Hamilton, and Stevensville just to narrow it down a bit. I now have 48 homes that match the criteria and it's showing 46 of those. You can see where clients can quickly browse and preview properties by clicking on the price of the home. If you'd like to see more of that home, simply click on link within the box.

That concludes using the map feature when searching for your perfect home on missoulaarehomes.com. This can be a quick and efficient method for finding properties. If you have any questions, please let us know!

Welcome to Missoula Area News provided by Jason and Alana Schaefer.  Here we look forward to providing our readers with in depth knowledge of everything from real estate in Missoula, MT and surrounding communities to events happening, celebrations, local news, and everything in between.

Alana and myself are both Real Estate Professionals, but we want this site to serve a purpose greater than that.  We pride ourselves on being active members of the community, thus that will be the premise of this site. We're both very social, and love all that Missoula and Western Montana have to offer. Not to mention, the great people!

Thanks for visiting and being a part of our great community.