Check here for the latest information about the Bozeman real estate market. Discover Bozeman real estate trends and view stats on the number of homes sold.

 

Homeowner tax Breaks

From mortgage interest to property tax deductions, here are the tax tips you need to get a jump on your returns.

Owning a home in Montana can pay off at tax time.  

Take advantage of these home ownership-related tax deductions and strategies to lower your tax bill:

 

Mortgage Interest Deduction 

One of the neatest deductions itemizing homeowners can take advantage of is the mortgage interest deduction, which you claim on Schedule A. To get the mortgage interest deduction, your mortgage must be secured by your home — and your home can be a house, trailer, or boat, as long as you can sleep in it, cook in it, and it has a toilet.

Interest you pay on a mortgage of up to $1 million — or $500,000 if you’re married filing separately — is…

6232 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for the fifth straight week.  This is great news if you are searching for a new home in Bozeman or the southwest Montana area.

 The average rate fell to 3.72 percent on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, The Associated Press reports. 

 The average rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 3.01 percent, according to the AP. 

 Mortgage rates continue to fall despite the Federal Reserve raising the short-term rate for the first time since 2006, the AP says.

Remember, if you need any assistance or have any questions regarding brokering your real property and/or finding a new home for sale in the Bozeman, Livingston, or Manhattan areas, give us a call or send us an email – 406.404.1960 or…

1566 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Bozeman Homes for saleIt’s so easy (and so unfair) how quickly your entryway can go from clean to chaos — and that chaos makes trying to get out the door brutal….especially here in Bozeman, in the winter! Think of all that time wasted hunting for your keys and umbrella, or digging through a pile of coats in a desperate attempt to find your buried purse.  Five minutes spent riffling through your endless piles of stuff each morning becomes 35 minutes a week, or more than 30 hours a year!

Breathe easy. You’re not alone. And you can reclaim that crucial time.

“Most everyone that I’ve worked with has basically the same kinds of problems,” says professional organizer Yve Irish.

Corralling your clutter can feel overwhelming, but with the right mindset and a few clever hacks,…

2091 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Recently I was thinking about how we could embrace our “cozy kitchen” and not have to go into full remodel mode – this, of course comes after the holidays when my wife goes into “kitchen exile” for a few weeks.


Also, when your living is brokering and selling homes, you become fascinated with what other people see in certain parts of homes and what it is they are drawn to, over and over again as home buyers.

So…. How do chefs organize their home kitchens? Smartly, thank you — and not as lavishly as you might think.

For homeowners who love to cook, the kitchen is a sacred space. It needs an inviting ambiance and a practical workflow more than shiny new appliances or endless counter space. In fact, many professional chefs say they don’t need a…

1726 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Home TipsSix “To-Do” Tasks for Your New Home…

 

Moving into your first home is exciting! But it also means you’ve got work to do.

When we bought our first house (even though it wasn’t in Bozeman), our timing couldn’t have been better: The house closing was two weeks before the lease was up on our current house. That meant we could take our time packing and moving, and we could get to know the new place before moving in.

We recruited friends to help move (in exchange for a beer-and-pizza picnic on the floor) and, as a bonus, we got to pick their brains about what first-time homeowners should know. 

Their help was one of the best housewarming presents we could have gotten. And thanks to their expertise and a little research, here’s what I learned about what…

1512 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Don’t break your back shoveling snow. Try these tips to make winter less of a burden.

 

If you’re a Montana homeowner, chances are good you rue the winter: All that snow has to go somewhere, and it’s not getting there itself. 


Cue the snow shovel.

Barring a move to a snow-free state or barricading your family inside all winter, there’s no way to avoid the endless task of shoveling snow.  There are, however, ways to make the process much easier.  Here are three simple hacks to make the morning after a snowfall much less stressful.


1.  Spray Your Shovel with Cooking Oil

Snow sticking to your shovel makes an already arduous task even more obnoxious. Avoid it with this hack: Lightly coat your shovel with non-stick cooking oil to make snow…

1862 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Fall Arrives in Bozeman

You probably give your home a deep clean in the spring – especially if you are considering listing your home for sale…and you should also show your home some love at the beginning of fall. Here's where to start:

1. Perform a pantry audit.

First, remove all the cans and boxes from the shelves, and vacuum away any lingering dust or crumbs – you might be amazed at what can build up in just a few months. Then, inspect each item before putting it back in its place, tossing anything that is expired or past its prime. Consult a shelf-life chart as a helpful guide.

 2. Test and clean your smoke detectors.

You already know to put fresh batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors (doing this on the days you change the clocks for…

1354 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Boutique Real EstateYou know, when we first embarked on the formation of Montana 406 Real Estate as a company, we really looked long and hard at who we are and wanted to base the company on our past experiences and successes...and when brokering real estate in Bozeman versus Orange County, California, we wanted to still remain true to what brought the company to be special and so well-recognized by our clientele.

It was about a year ago and when we were first doing research on a partnership with Leverage Global Partners that the term "Boutique Real Estate" really hit me...and the fact that it fit perfectly with our character, business model, and the way we do business.  I always hear about the agents who are doing 100-plus transactions each year and am a bit in awe of…

1868 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Talk to your RealtorIf you're like most people, thoughts of putting your home on the market and moving up, down or out of dodge all together periodically float through your mind. These days, there’s extra incentive given the inventory shortages in many areas.

 

After two healthy years of housing recovery, we are experiencing another year of a shortage of inventory of homes for sale.

National statistics bear this out as well. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, total existing-home sales increased 6.1 percent in March—the highest annual rate since September 2013—however, the housing supply has only experienced a modest increase, just two percent above a year ago. 

Still, choosing to sell is a big decision—a decision that requires the careful weighing…

2030 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

It’s that time of year again – and a great time for those of you who like to think ahead.  While school is rapidly coming to a close for the spring terms of 2015, many wise investors are thinking ahead to the fall terms, and beyond.

Every year, millions of college students flood into college cities and towns. Those students, along with the faculty and staff at their schools, have one common need: housing. Consistent demand for housing makes college and university communities attractive to people interested in real estate investing.

The Opportunity
Whereas housing demand may fluctuate in other areas, college towns boast a steady flow of students, professors and staff, and a percentage of those will always require off-campus housing. Most colleges…

3185 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post