Western Montana & Missoula Real Estate Blog & Area Information

Here's Four Essential Elements for a Real Estate Sale:

1. Location - Everyone says real estate is about Location, Location, Location - and guess what? They are right to a certain extent. You can't change your property's location but there are things you can do to highlight the positives of your location. Are you close to schools, attractions, or a large employer? A professional real estate marketer will help put your home's location in a positive light.

2. Price - Pricing your property correctly determines how many potential buyers will even see the listing. If your home is overpriced by even 5%, you will miss 70% of prospective buyers which drastically decreases the odds of selling your home. Accurate pricing is critical to a successful sale. An experienced real estate professional can help you pinpoint where your home should be priced and will help you make adjustments as market conditions change.

3. Condition - Having your home in the best condition possible will increase your odds of a sale. Experienced real estate professionals will tell you that "the good homes sell in any market." Buyers will generally look at eight to ten homes or more in their price range and can easily determine the best value for their money. A home's condition is a major factor in their decision making.

4. Exposure - Getting the maximum exposure for your home's listing is also a critical part of a sale. If buyer's don't know about your home, they can't buy it. Exposure is a primary factor that many people choose to use a professional Realtor(R). Having your home on the Multiple Listing Service as part of a Comprehenisve Marketing Plan will help ensure that potential buyers can find your home.

For exposure to be effective, you also need the right price. If a grocery store was selling a gallon of milk for $10.00, it wouldn't matter how many commercials, newspaper, or internet ads they ran, buyers would still go to the store where they could get it for $5.00 a gallon. The same holds true in real estate. Price your property for a sale, not to just be a "listing".

Have you addressed these essential elements if you're trying to sell your home or property?

For more information about preparing your home for sale, pricing, or our Success Marketing Plan, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185.

Add a Video Tour of Your Local Area to Your Website with a Mueller Map

Awhile ago, ok it's been quite awhile now, I won a Mueller Map for listening to JC KC Social Media Edge on Blog Talk Radio (formerly Twitter Tuesday) that is hosted by ActiveRain's Jason Crouch, Ken Cook and Mike Mueller.

I'm still pretty new to video but had some videos put together using digital still photos and RealEstateShows.com. We also had access to some great local videos on YouTube from our local Realtor Association. View Our Missoula Local Tour Here

Adding a Mueller Map to your website is a great way to show people your area through local videos that you have created or that you are able to find on YouTube.

Each point on the map is connected to a video of that location. Viewers can either click on the point on the map or on the list on the right column to get the local video to pop up.

You can also set up your Mueller Map to have your contact information on the Info tab behind the video - it even includes links to your Social Media Sites (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, and Email)!

We plan to add more of our own videos to the site over time but are excited to be able to offer this to visitors to our website!

According to Mike's webiste AreWeConnected, you can use a Mueller Map to:

• map your listings (with slideshow or video)
• map your neighborhood restaurants (interviewing owners or patrons)
• map your interesting local points of interest

If you choose to get a Mueller Map for your site, Mike Mueller does most of the work by setting up the Google Map and the spreadsheet for you to enter your information. All you have to do is fill in the link to the video on You Tube and some basic information about the video. Detailed instructions are provided on how to complete those parts.

Some nice features of the Mueller Map:

• It map can be updated by a simple spreadsheet (by the Agent)
• Embed this in a blog post, in a sidebar, or as a single webpage
• Map can be built to most any size (this is large but could be as small as a sidebar widget)
• Map Only or Map with Sidebar Legend
• Link to Directions, link to more info, or link to website, there are no limits

A GREAT BIG Thank you to Mike Mueller for helping us get this set up! :)

View Our Missoula Local Tour Here

Click Here to Get Your Own Mueller Map

Become a Fan of Mueller Maps on Facebook

Wordless Wednesday - Welcome to My Branch

Bald Eagles are a frequent sight along the Clark Fork River. They seem to come back to the same areas so we know where to look for them and enjoy seeing them on our drive. We loved that he was sharing his branch with a crow - that was the first time we've seen that!

Here's Another Bald Eagle Photo that Kevin took at a different time.

Photo by Kevin Ray

Hope to See You at this Year's Missoula Parade of Homes September 17-20, 2009

We always look forward to attending the Missoula Building Industry Association's Parade of Homes and Remodeling Tour. This year is the 20th anniversary and promises to be one of the best Parades yet.

They are featuring eight homes throughout the Missoula valley this year with prices ranging from $190,000 to $1.5 million, giving you plenty of inspiration for whatever your budget is. This year's Parade will feature a wide variety of enticing ideas to work into your dream home.  

Missoula Parade of Homes 2009
Dates: Sept. 17-20, 2009

Tickets are on sale Sept. 4, 2009 at First Security Bank, Vann's in Missoula and Hamilton, Missoulian and BMC West and are $8 in advance or $10 at the door.

For more information on this year's event, visit www.BuildMissoula.com.

Photos and Information about Last Year's Missoula Parade of Homes

I Love Your Local Photos - Would You Please Photograph the Cemetary?

Because we do a lot of blog posts about our local area and include a lot of photos and information, we get quite a few phone calls and email inquiries - both real estate and non-real estate related about the area. We welcome those requests and love to talk about Montana.

The most interesting inquiry we've received was an email inquiry from someone in Florida asking us to photograph the local cemetary:

"I loved the pictures that you posted on your web page. Superior looks beautiful. I just found out today tht my Great grandfather (name) is burried in Superior Cemetery. The family lost all contact with him in 1911. We have no record of him after he left his family until now.

I would love it if you could take a picture of the cemetery and email it to me. I live in Florida so I'm unable to do it myself. If you can't I understand. Again Superior is beautiful I wish I could've grown up in a place like Superior."

I had never been to the Superior Cemetary but wanted to help this person, so we took a few minutes one afternoon and traveled up the hill to the cemetary and took some photos and were even able to find her Great Grandfather's headstone.

We also provided her with the contact information for one of our local history-buffs at the museum. She was able to provide this person with some great information about her Great Grandfather's life. We sent her the photos and got the following response:

"Thank you so much for sending the pictures. I have been searching the last two days. I had some information sent to me thanks to you about <name>. He had remarried and they had two children - A son and daughter. I Have relatives now that I am searching for to make a connection.

I am so greatful for the information that you gave me. Now hopefully I can closed alot of gaps."

Blogging is great for our business but it can also be rewarding when you are able to help somone. I never thought it would lead to photographing a cemetary, but then again, Life is full of surprises!

A Relaxing Afternoon Fly Fishing and Floating the Clark Fork River in Western Montana

A couple of weeks ago Kevin and Kelsey spent the afternoon fly fishing and floating the Clark Fork River with a friend of ours, Roger. Here's some photos from the outing:

Spending time on the river is a favorite Montana past time and a great way to cool off in the summer. They only caught a few fish on this outing but they had such a great time that they didn't mind.

More information on the Clark Fork River, riverfront or fly fishing properties. You can also contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty - your Montana Riverfront Real Estate Specialists!

Photos by Kelsey Ray.

Not-So-Speechless Sunday: Beautiful Views of Missoula Lake in Mineral County Montana

Mineral County has 42 Pristine Mountain Lakes, including Missoula Lake which is located approximately 30 miles up Cedar Creek Road from Superior near the Montana / Idaho border.

87% of Mineral County is publicly-owned (U.S. Forest Service, State) so we have thousands of miles of amazing wilderness!

The water is so crisp and clean you can see almost the entire bottom of the lake, and all of the fish swimming in it!

View from the State Line Trail above Missoula Lake. This is looking into Idaho. You can see that there is some smoke in the air from nearby forest fires.

Montana Bull Riding at the Bull-a-Rama Event - Mineral County Fair & Rodeo, Superior, MT

A long-time Montana tradition is Bull Riding and it continues at rodeos across the West. Mineral County Montana has an annual Fair and Rodeo the First Weekend in August every year.

This year the Fair Board had a Bull-a-Rama - a rodeo dedicated entirely to Bull Riding.

"It's bulls and blood, it's dust and mud, it's the roar of the Sunday crowd."

"It's the white in his knuckles, The gold in the buckle He'll win the next go 'round"

"It's boots and chaps, It's cowboy hats, It's spurs and latigo, It's the ropes and the reins"

"And the joy and the pain, And they call the thing rodeo"

"Well it ain't no woman flesh and blood, It's that damned old rodeo"

To Learn More About Mineral County, Montana Become a Fan on Facebook.

For Video from the Bull-a-Rama, and to read how bull riding is scored Read:

Montana Bull Riding Video from the Mineral County Fair & Rodeo Bull-a-Rama - Superior MT

Photos by Kelsey Ray Copyright 2009, Lyrics "Rodeo" by Garth Brooks

Montana Bull Riding Video from the Mineral County Fair & Rodeo Bull-a-Rama - Superior MT

The Mineral County Fair and Rodeo is the First Weekend in August every year, and this year was no exception. The Mineral County Lion's Club sponsored a Bull-a-Rama event on Thursday night of the fair this year.

To Learn More About Mineral County, Montana Become a Fan on Facebook.

How Bull Riding Is Scored from the Professional Bull Riders Association (PBR):  "A qualified ride is 8 seconds. The clock starts when the bull's shoulder or flank breaks the plane of the gate. It ends when the rider's hand comes out of the rope, the rider touches the ground, or the rider's free arm touches the bull (a "slap"). A successful ride will earn a score of 0-100 points. Scores of 90 points or above are considered outstanding.

A rider only receives a score if he lasts the required 8 seconds. Judges look for control - the ability of the rider to successfully counter the moves of the bull.

The bull always receives a score, even if the rider is bucked off. His score is based on his degree of difficulty. Judges look for drop in the front end, kick in the back, spin, and direction changes (as contrasted with spin, this means changes to movement forward or backward, or left to right)."

For photos from this event, read:

Montana Bull Riding at the Bull-a-Rama Event - Mineral County Fair & Rodeo, Superior, MT

Feeling Frustrated with Your Real Estate Agent?

Here's 5 Things You Can Do Today!

Moving can be stressful and having your home for sale can shake up everyone's routine. In today's market, especially, it's not unusual to feel some frustration when you are trying to sell your home. Homes are often taking longer to sell than they used to, the time between showings can be further apart, and if you're needing to sell quickly, emotions can run high.

So what can you do to keep that frustration from getting out of control?

1.) Get to the Root of the Problem - are you frustrated with your real estate agent's performance or are you frustrated with the situation - i.e., the market conditions, financial circumstances, etc.

Are you frustrated with the communication (or lack of communication) from your agent or their promotion of your property? Identify what is causing the frustration then make a plan to address it.

2.) Schedule a Meeting with Your Agent to discuss the situation - whether it's financial circumstances or their marketing/communication, tell them how you feel and work together to find a solution. Open the lines of communication, you might be surprised.

If you are having a financial hardship, or need to speed up the sales process, talk to your agent about a price reduction or ask for assistance in approaching your lender about a potential short sale or loan modification. There may be resources or options that you didn't know exist.

Most agents genuinely want to help people if they are given the opportunity, and it's in there best interest, as well as yours, to have a positive outcome on the sale of your home.  

3.) Provide Clear Expectations - If it's your agent's performance that you're concerned about, your home isn't getting enough exposure, or if you need more follow up, communicate your expectations with your agent and discuss ways to improve the situation. If necessary, schedule a weekly call or regular email communication with your agent.

4.) Do your part to Ensure a Sale - the key ingredients to a sale are always:

• Price - is your property priced correctly? The market changes almost daily, request a current market analysis to see what homes are selling for in your area and price your home accordingly. If you are even priced 5% over the market, you are missing 70% of prospective buyers. Accurate pricing is critical.
• Condition - is your home in top-notch condition? Does it have good "curb appeal"? Potential buyers have to get inside your home to fall in love with it. If they can't get past the exterior appearance, they'll never get to the point of making an offer. Often a small investment on curb appeal, decluttering, and basic home staging can increase interest in your home.
• Location - they say real estate is about Location, Location, Location for a reason - it is a key factor on the value of your property and how long it will take to sell. Unfortunately, it's also something you can't control. If your location is a negative, you may have to adjust the price.
• Promotion - is your agent providing adequate exposure of your listing? Is it on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS)? Where else is your home advertised? Ask for a list from your agent and regular communication about what they are doing to promote your property. "Google" your home's address to see how often it appears online.
• Availabilty of the Property - How difficult is your property to show? Is it easy for other agents to show your property to prospective buyers or do they need to provide several days notice? Work with your agent to develop a strategy that will allow prospective buyers to see your home.

5.) Contact the Broker - If you have tried everything and still feel frustrated, contact your agent's Broker and let them know you are dissatisfied. They may be able to assign you to another agent or may allow you to cancel the listing agreement. Each brokerage has its own policies that they have to follow but no brokerage likes unhappy clients. They want a positive outcome as much as you do and will usually do what they can to improve the situation, even if that means referring you to another company.