Buying a place here

The census has Kalispell adding about a quarter of its population since 2020. That is who you are bidding against, and it is why a well-priced house still goes quickly while an overpriced one sits. The Flathead Beacon put the February median at 138 days on market, up from 128 a year before.

Since 2005 banks have asked me to read comparable sales across Western Montana and write down what I found. As your agent I do the same work before you write an offer. I pull the recent comparable sales, walk the ground, and tell you what I see.

You may disagree with me. It is your money and your decision, and I will help either way. I would rather you make a good decision than a fast one.

• Water: a well, a shared well, or a community system, and who maintains it.
• Septic: age, tank, drainfield, and whether the permit is on file with the county.
• Access: deeded, an easement, or a road nobody has agreed to plow.
• Snow load, defensible space, and which roads close in a hard winter.
• Zoning, covenants, and what the neighbor can legally build.
• Internet: who serves that address, and at what speed.