WHAT'S NEW IN ENNIS MONTANA?

→There was lots of excitement around the Madison Valley during March.  The big news early in the month was the defeat of the proposed Resort Tax in Ennis, by a landslide vote of 300 to 75.  The tax would have been a 3% tax on luxuries sold within the town limits, from July 1 to Sept. 30 each year.  So Ennis visitors and locals alike will continue enjoying the freedom from taxation – at least in one area of their lives. 

→ The old Claim Jumper Bar is now a thing of the past.  Scott and Amy Kelley are the proud new owners and have changed the name to The Gravel Bar.  The Kelleys will continue to operate Banditos in Virginia City seasonally while the grill at the Gravel Bar will be open year-around.  The new sign is up and the establishment is a welcomed change. 

→ A new stream gauge is up and running at the Varney Bridge, thanks to the USGS, PPL MT, the Madison River Foundation, Madison Conservation District, the MT Bureau of Mines and Geology – and the Granger Ranch.  The Varney stream gauge was first set up in 1952 but has not run since 1970.  This gauge will be better able to track how flows out of Hebgen Dam affect the Madison River.  Stream gauge information provides an historic record of stream flows and temperatures, which can provide important data about floods, droughts and the relationship between water levels and river health.  Access to the information generated by the gauge will be posted online at http://www.mt.water.usgs.gov/. 

→ On March 17^th, The Madison Valley History Association celebrated William Ennis, the founder of Ennis, who was born in County Down, Ireland on March 17, 1828.  Mr. Ennis arrived in the U.S. in 1863 and chose the current location as headquarters for his freighting business.  Mr. Ennis was shot by a neighbor and died in 1889.  You can read his fascinating story in The Progressive Men of the State of Montana.

 → Some of you may be anxiously awaiting the Mother’s Day Hatch before you head for the Madison River.  But a few local diehards have been very successful even in this “iffy” weather.  Kim Montag of McAllister is very proud of this monster fish she landed recently and claims it is the biggest fish she has ever caught on the Madison.  And she says she wasn’t even cold while catching this fish!  (She didn’t say what she was using.)  But the Madison River Fishing Company says that “most folks have still been throwing the more usual winter-time fare like San Juans, eggs, Princes, copper Johns and such.”  They say the rainbows are still hanging out in the holes and haven’t gotten themselves up into the riffles quite yet.  Fisherpeople have to be very flexible this time of year, as you can experience a blizzard, rain, sun, 50 degrees and wind – all in one day on the Madison.  You can check out the full report at http://www.mrfc.com/MadisonRiverMontanaFishing/MadisonRiverReport.aspx.

Great catch, Kim! 

Check out more about Ennis, Montana at http://www.arrowreal.com/. 

REAL ESTATE MYTHS

RETHINK WHAT YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT REAL ESTATE...
Just when you think you've learned everything you need to know about the real estate game, it all changes.  Or at least some of the common beliefs about real estate just need to be explained.  Some of the long-held Myths of Real Estate include:

Myth #1: There is a "right season" for selling and for buying real estate.
Reality: Not necessarily. Traditionally, spring was the hottest season for real estate with 60% of moves taking place in the summer. But seasonal ups and downs of the market aren’t absolutes. One would think that no one would buy property in Montana in the winter and many sellers would take their properties off the market during the winter months. However, we have always had numerous winter sales, including properties shown on snowmobiles! One would also think that no one would buy property in New Mexico in the summer. Yet, statistics show that their sales are greatest in those hot months. Therefore, there is no real "season" anymore. Sales are more dependent upon the economy and the market than the weather.

Myth #2: The more you pay for a house, the more your agent makes.
Reality: Not necessarily. Commissions are a percentage of the sales price so the agent would make more if you pay more, but that is not their agenda. A reputable agent will be negotiating to get the absolute best price for his client, without regard for their commission. A good agent knows that a satisfied client is more valuable and more important to his/her success than a few more dollars on one deal.

Myth #3: The less commission you pay to sell, the more you net.
Reality: Not necessarily. Although price fixing is illegal, agents in a market area attempt to keep their commission rates competitive. There is a point of diminishing returns when a commission offered is lower than what is generally offered in that community. If an agent has several similar properties to show the client, naturally there is more incentive to show properties with the higher commissions. So offering a lower commission than what is typical could mean that your property receives less interest and activity from cooperating agents. A seller can actually receive more interest in his/her property by offering a higher commission, especially for overpriced properties. Some discount agencies claim they charge only 2% commission, but remember, you get what you pay for. These less-than-full-service agents can’t afford the advertising or time/effort to market your property. Top producers do not discount their services, they don’t have to.


Myth #4: Agents get kickbacks from Lenders/Title/Inspectors.
Reality: False. Since 1974, agents have been prevented from receiving any kind of kickback or favor from real estate vendors. It is against the law. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) prohibits these kickbacks. A reputable agent will not jeopardize his/her license.


Myth #5: A Home Inspector will always favor the referring Agent.
Reality: False. A reputable, licensed/certified home inspector will not jeopardize his/her license and reputation by submitting a less than objective report. Agents must disclose adverse material facts. Full disclosure is the best policy and avoids lawsuits. A reputable agent wants what is best for his/her client and expects the inspection reports to be complete and honest, whether it causes the deal to crash or not. Good agents care that a buyer receives full disclosure and they are willing to fight for repairs on the buyer’s behalf or help the buyer terminate the transaction.


Myth #6: Agents will say anything to make the sale or get a listing.
Reality: Not necessarily. It is true that some agents can be overzealous in fluffing up their property descriptions or their services just to get the client to commit. Making misrepresentations or false statements is illegal and agents can be sanctioned and lose their licenses. So the majority of real estate professionals are careful and responsible in their claims. However, all consumers need to beware and do their own due diligence. For example: Don’t just take the agent’s word for the condition of the property, always obtain a home inspection. Don’t just take the agent’s word for his/her marketing promises, check them out. Ask for referrals, look at their website, materials, listings, etc.


Myth #7: Large, national franchise real estate offices are the best.
Reality: False. Quantity does not equal quality. Large national companies have name recognition and large numbers of agents. "They" (The Big Guys "TBG") believe bigger is better. But of course that is not necessarily true. You can get lost in "bigger" where in an "independent" office, you become part of their family. TBG promote the idea that all the agents in the office are collectively working for you. But there is very little cooperation or coverage from the larger group, there is just more inner competition. Agents in a smaller independent office tend to work together as a team and cover for each other to make sure the client is served. TBG promote their national networking systems as a major advantage in working with them. The reality is that a person in Florida, for instance, interested in buying property in Montana would not go into their CB office in Florida to obtain information. So the number of referrals from other offices around the country is minimal – especially in this day and age of the internet where more than 70% of real estate searches take place. The prominence of a quality website and the office location are more important. And the most significant difference is that independent offices generally have a more focused approach to serving clients, than in building a larger organization.

MADISON RIVER GORGE, Ennis, Montana

WHAT IS THE GORGE?  This is a main source of conversation around Ennis during especially cold weather.  Old timers have great stories of cows getting stuck out on ice flows in the middle of the river and the year the gorge took out the old Varney Bridge.  I have been fascinated by this phenomenon ever since we moved to Ennis in 1993.  It is awesome to witness and hard to understand.  I interviewed some of the natives and hydrologists as well, trying to find out the cause.  In the winter of 2010, Greg Lemon, Editor of The Madisonian, our local newspaper, wrote an article that pretty much describes what causes the Gorge. 

Gorging on the Madison, a chilly phenomenon

By Greg Lemon, The Madisonian

View from the Ennis Bridge

"It happens nearly every year. When the temperatures drop near zero and the wind howls mercilessly, the Madison River begins to freeze up.  Around Ennis, when the Madison River will gorge becomes big topic of conversation.

“Have you seen the river?” someone will ask.

“Yeah. She’s froze up down by the lake,” will be the reply. “Betcha she gorges in by the end of the week.”

 

If you search the Internet for Madison River gorging, amongst the stories of big trout gulping salmon flies, you’re apt to find a variety of pictures and stories about ice choking the river around Ennis and pushing water out into nearby fields, overflow sloughs and pastures.

Along with the anticipation come the rumors and legends about the uniqueness of the Madison River ice jams. Some will say it’s the only river in North America to gorge this way. Some say it freezes from the bottom up because the wind blows so hard. But the fact is many rivers around southwest Montana freeze in a similar fashion, said William Locke, professor of environmental science at Montana State University in Bozeman. “It’s actually pretty common,” Locke said. Take for instance the Gallatin River, he said. The most common form of flooding on the lower Gallatin is the result of ice jamming.

However, the speed the ice on the Madison River and the depth the ice reaches is impressive, said Pat Clancey, fisheries biologist in Ennis. Every year Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks close the Ennis and Valley Garden Fishing Access sites because of the ice gorging.

 

In a 1921 article in “Proceedings of the Society of Civil Engineers,” written by J.C. Stevens about the ice-jamming phenomenon on the Madison River.

“It has been stated by local authority that the Madison is the only river in Montana which overflows from ice gorges during cold weather. This statement is not true. The Ruby, Boulder, and many small streams behave exactly in the same manner as the Madison in this respect,” writes Stevens.

Some of the characteristics that contribute to the flooding and ice gorging are the shallowness of the river, the low river banks and the relatively steady flow of the water, Stevens wrote.  The ice gorge itself comes from a mix of frazil and anchor ice, he wrote. Frazil ice is formed on turbulent rivers when the weather is cold enough to freeze surface water. It looks like shards or chunks of ice in the river. It’s also sometimes called slush ice or needle ice. Anchor ice is formed around rocks and cobbles in shallow water and is a result of “a rapid radiation of earth heat from the river bed into space,” writes Stevens. It forms most rapidly on dark-colored stones, during clear and cold nights.

Larry Love, who is an Ennis native and on the board of the Madison Valley History Association, believes this anchor ice is really what distinguishes the Madison River from others. "

But it is still a mystery to me.  When I look at the gorged river, I don't think about all those different kinds of ice and slush, I just see the amazing beauty of nature and thank God I live in the middle of so much of it.

SNOWBIRDS Heading for the Rocky Mountain Range

Yes, the snowbirds are flying and I must admit we are “snowbirds.”  As much as we love Montana and the Madison Valley, our old bones are happier in above-zero temperatures.  So we head for Las Cruces, New Mexico for the winter months.  This area of south central NM has four seasons but is typically 20 to 30 degrees warmer than our corner of Montana.  So why did we choose New Mexico?  We wanted south, warm, friendly and slow.  New Mexico reminds us of Montana in many ways – it is mostly high desert, has a low population of friendly people and an interesting culture.  Las Cruces has a population of 93,450 but feels like a small college town.   The city is spread out, easy to get around and traffic moves leisurely.  We have beautiful mountain views off to the east and wide open vistas, just as we do from our windows in Montana.  We feel we have the best of both worlds.

We work from our “virtual” home office and can do everything from here that we do in our Ennis office, except for actually showing property.  But our capable associates in our MT office take care of that.  We stay very busy here so it is hard to call it a “vacation,” but it is a pleasant change of pace.

Officially, the first baby boomers became eligible for Social Security on January 1, 2011.  That means more boomers will be retiring and looking for their perfect retirement home.   They have been and will continue to head for interesting places all along the Rocky Mountain Range, from Montana to New Mexico and everywhere in between.   They are looking for life style changes, beauty, community, recreation and affordability.  Many are leaving cities for smaller towns where they can feel safe and connected.  The Rocky Mountain Range has been called the “third coast” because of the higher property values and intense draw.  We originally moved to Montana in 1993 from San Diego.  Most of our friends thought we were crazy, but we’ve never regretted our move.  We were living the so-called “good life,” but it was stressful and unsatisfying.  We feel sorry for people still living in the fast lane, who don’t even realize that there is another way to live.

Both of our homes have been good investments and we love the time we spend in both places.  It has been easy to make friends and become part of both communities.  So we will continue being snowbirds, flying south in the winter, and looking forward to our wonderful summers up north. 

Our home in Montana

   Our home in Las Cruces, NM

WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT ARROW REAL ESTATE in ENNIS, MONTANA



Don and Toni Bowen



THANK GOD FOR GREAT CLIENTS!  Sometimes you find yourself involved in a very messy transaction that seems to threaten to go sideways, from every angle.  It takes an amazing amount of time and effort plus adds a lot of stress to your life.  Well, that pretty much describes a situation I encountered this year, representing clients, Jeff and Doreen Lee, on a "simple" land purchase.  It started in late August and finally closed October 15, 2010.  My clients, the Lees, were wonderful to work with.  They were proactive, agreeable, prompt and reasonable - the perfect clients.  As crazy as the process was, it turned out well for my clients in the end and they are happy.  So happy in fact, they wrote this amazing testimonial that warms my heart.  It makes it all worth while knowing that people appreciate what you do.  So I wanted to share it...

“My wife and I have been fortunate to get to know Toni and Don Bowen on both a professional and personal level.  We first met Don and Toni about 10 years ago when we decided to purchase property in the Madison Valley.  Toni and Don were referred to us by a mutual friend to whom we are indebted for this referral. Since that first real estate transaction, Arrow Real Estate has represented us on three additional property acquisitions.  In each transaction Toni and Don and the entire Arrow Real Estate support staff performed with the utmost professionalism.  Toni and Don are knowledgeable about the requirements of buying and selling real estate in Montana, and more importantly, they possess the “local knowledge” to smoothly handle real estate transactions in the Madison Valley.  Each of our four real estate purchases has had their unique set of complexities and challenges, and without exception Arrow Real Estate successfully dealt with the various issues in a very competent manner.  The most recent transaction successfully closed in early October 2010, however, it presented the most complex issues.  The complexities involved the conveyance of water rights, access and utility easements.  The issues were of the utmost importance to us and if not resolved satisfactorily, would have caused us to not carry through with the transaction. Fortunately, we had Arrow Real Estate on our team and with their expertise and willingness to go the extra mile, we were able to successfully navigate the various hurdles.  Typical of Arrow Real Estate’s commitment to their clients, Toni developed the knowledge and expertise about water rights necessary to ensure we were able to accurately receive the valuable water rights that were included with our property.  Without Toni’s dedication we may not have been able to purchase the property or at least would not have received the appropriate water rights which carry considerable value.  While our future plans are uncertain, there is no doubt we will always use Arrow Real Estate to represent us whether buying or selling real estate in Montana.  While it has been a pleasure to work with Arrow Real Estate, the best part is knowing we have made life-long friends in Toni and Don Bowen.” Jeff and Doreen Lee, Ennis, MT.  

LOCAL REAL ESTATE MARKET STATISTICS FOR ENNIS MONTANA



A beautiful log cabin we sold this year



 November really slowed down and there have been very few calls or walk-ins so far December.  We still get a few internet inquiries but nothing like “the good ‘ole days.”  The sales numbers are up because some deals are finally closing, and several more to be completed, but nothing new coming along.  I am working with some potential buyers who will come out in the spring to lo at interesting properties.  So we just keep "planting seeds"  hoping something will sprout from our efforts. 

The Multiple Listing statistics for the Madison Valley (including Ennis, Cameron, McAllister, Virginia City, Harrison, Pony, Whitehall and Cardwell), for the month of November 2010, are as follows:

• LAND:  370 vacant lots listed, 4 pending sales, 29 lots sold year-to-date. 
• HOMES:  144 homes listed, 10 pending sales, 38 homes sold year-to-date.  
• FARMS AND RANCHS:  5 listed.  (We cannot report accurate sold information on ranches because listing brokers are not reporting the sales, most likely because of low sales prices.) 

WINTER WONDERLAND IN ENNIS, MONTANA FOR CHRISTMAS STROLL

Snow all night and this morning blanketed the whole valley in big, fluffy flakes - and no wind!  So it is beautiful and actually feels warm because the sun is shining in a blue, blue sky.  It is a perfect day and evening for families to enjoy the Christmas Stroll all through Main street and beyond.  There is a 50 cent hot dog lunch, special window displays, kids crafts, story time and treats, in-store specials, contests, local arts and crafts, gallery receptions, photos with Santa and letters to Santa, ski and sport swap, wreath auction, chili feed, Christmas Tree lighting, live Nativity scene and much more.  Not bad for a town of less than 1,000 people!  This community really comes together to make this a very special place to live and visit. This photo is of the First Madison Bank building in the park next to our office.  So beautiful.  
If you haven’t tried winter or Christmas in Ennis, Montana, maybe you should add it to your “Bucket List.”   And for you skiers, Moonlight Basin, the fabulous ski resort up at Big Sky, has the best snow they’ve had in years and are opening early.  So add “Ski Moonlight” to your list as well.