Western Montana & Missoula Real Estate Blog & Area Information

406 Main Street, Superior, Montana 59872 - A Mechanic's Dream!

This is an absolute must see and priced to sell at $158,900. A beautiful home with many updates in a charming Montana town with a dream mechanic's shop - a three car oversized-garage with a mechanic's pit built-in cabinets, a work bench and a cozy wood stove!

And when you're done touching up your cars in the shop, you'll love relaxing on the spacious deck with a large privacy-fenced yard. This home's beautiful hardwood floors are low maintenance and practical.

This home also features:

• new log siding,
• metal roof,
• gorgeous hardwood floors,
• 3 bedrooms, 1.75 bath,
• full finished basement with bonus rooms,
• large private deck,
• fully fenced yard (privacy fence) (15,678 sq. ft),
• storage shed 
• way oversized 3 car garage with woodstove,
• 3 automatic garage door openers,
• cement mechanics pit and
• huge workbench.

                

Home is currently on a well but scheduled to be hooked up to city water soon at no cost to buyers.

                

This home is located in the charming town of Superior, Montana (Mineral County) which is only about 50 minutes from Missoula and 1.5 hours from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. What's it like to live in Mineral County?

For more information or to schedule a personal showing, contact Kevin & Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185.

Forbes Magazine Ranks Missoula as One of North America's Top 10 Trout Towns!

Forbes just released its list of the Top 10 Trout Towns in North America - Missoula, Montana is on that list.

According to government statistics, some 11 million anglers in the U.S. and Canada search for that moment of beauty every year - fly fishing. President Obama joined the ranks recently when he fished for trout in Montana.

Forbes Magazine states:

Missoula is a laid-back college town with a serious trout-fishing addiction. Anglers can fish the bouldery Blackfoot (A River Runs Through It author Norman Maclean's home river) and the cottonwood-lined Bitteroot, both of which empty into the Clark Fork, named after explorer, William Clark, which has 300 miles of fishable water.

Missoula Montana (MT) is an amazing place to live and work. We are in a deep valley with three rivers the Clark Fork River, the Blackfoot River, and the Bitterroot River flowing through most of the County. Needless to say, Missoula is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise!

Missoula County is home to approximately 95,000 people in several welcoming communities. Communities include Missoula - the County Seat, Lolo, Frenchtown, Huson, East Missoula, and Bonner. 

According to Kingfisher, one of Missoula's top Fly Shops,

In Missoula, Over 80% of our fishing is with dryflies. Montana has more miles of wild trout rivers than any other state in the lower 48 . . . by far! It's also true that the vast majority of these rivers just happen to be in the western part of the state.

Missoula has the reputation within the state of being the "banana belt" of Montana. This is because we have much milder winters than the majority of Montana, and a MUCH longer dryfly season than anywhere else in the country. Fish Missoula and see why it's the Crown Jewel of the Rockies!

Also Read - A River Runs Through It, Missoula Montana

For more information on Missoula's Rivers, visit Riverfront Montana. Are you thinking about a Western Montana Fly Fishing Property? Contact Montana River Front Real Estate Specialists Kevin & Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or Search All Missoula Area Listings for Free.

Photo By Kelsey Ray: a.k.a. Krayphish - Not our dog by the way

Considering a Montana Real Estate Trade? It May be possible with the Montana Association of Real Estate Exchangers and the Agricultural and Commercial Exchangers

Depending on your goals and other factors, such as debt service and income, with your investment property, ranch, bare land, or primary residence, it may be possible for your to trade or exchange your property to get what you need.

A Licensed, Professional Real Estate Agent and Exchanger can help you achieve a tax-free exchange of real property through the tax deferral provisions of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. These tax-free Section 1031 exchanges allow you to compound your real estate equity instead of bleeding it through the unnecessary payment of capital gains taxes.

Access Realty is a member of the Montana Association of Real Estate Exchangers (MAREX) and the Agricultural and Commercial Exchangers. We cooperate with other licensed exchangers to help our clients achieve their real estate goals.

Many of our clients are success real estate investors that we help identify:

• Distressed properties that are available for less than market value
• Properties whose owners will consider trade - in whole or in part, towards the purchase of real estate
• Income producing properties that generate positive cash flow

Sellers who may want to consider a partial or full trade for their property might:

• Have a large parcel or acreage, such as a ranch, subdivision, or recreational property,
• Have a significant amount of equity in the property,
• Receive tax benefits from doing a trade or 1031 Exchange
• Be in a position that they do not necessarily need cash right away

If you are considering trading or exchanging real estate to meet your real estate goals, or if your investment property has a positive cashflow and you are looking to sell, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or visit our website at www.YourMT.com.

Still Think Social Media Is Just A Fad? Think Again. This video shows the undeniable revolution that is happening with social media. Welcome to the world of "Socialnomics" : Thanks to David Gibbons for sharing this link on Facebook.

Missoula Montana Free Wi-Fi  Wireless Internet Locations in the Garden City

Missoula MT has many locations with free public Wi-Fi Wireless Internet access points around the city. Local businesses are starting to realize that Missoulians want their internet and they want it Free!

Here is a list of Wi-Fi Wireless Internet Locations in Missoula, MT

Missoula Free Wi-Fi Locations at  Coffee Houses & Restaurants, and Bars

1.) Break Espresso - One of Missoula's best local coffee shops, Break Espresso is located in downtown Missoula on at 432 North Higgins, Missoula, MT Phone: 728-7300.

2.) Food for Thought - A college favorite, located across from the University of Montana campus on the corner of Arthur and Daly - 540 Daly Ave, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-6033

3.) Liquid Plant - Located in downtown Missoula at 223 N. Higgins, Ave., Missoula, MT Phone: 541-4541.

4.) Butterfly Herbs - Missoula's favorite herb store with a great coffee house in the back, also in downtown Missoula at 232 North Higgins, Missoula, MT Phone: 728-8780

5.) Sean Kelly's Public House - a popular downtown Missoula pub and restaurant, one of my favorite places for lunch! Located at 130 West Pine Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 542-1471

6.) Tropical Smoothie Cafe - My favorite place for smoothies in Missoula, located at 1300 South Reserve Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 543-1141

7.) Taco Del Sol - Located in downtown Missoula at 422 North Higgins Ave., Missoula, MT Phone: 327-8929

8.) The Press Box Bar & Restaurant - Near the University of Montana footbridge, 835 E. Broadway Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-1212. 

9.) The Oxford - One of Missoula's historic bars, the Oxford also has a diner and Keno/Poker. Located in downtown Missoula at 337 North Higgins, Missoula, MT Phone: 549-0117. Open 24 hours.

10.) Fuddruckers - Located at 2805 North Reserve Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-4577

11.) Subway in Southgate Mall - 2901 Brooks Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 542-7771.

12.) The Celtic Connection - 114 East Main Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-6725

13.) Muralt's Travel Plaza - Located at 8800 Truck Stop Road, Missoula - off Interstate-90 and Highway 93, Phone: 728-4700. Open 24 hours.

14.) City Brew Coffee - Located at 400 West Broadway, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-3600.

15.) Denny's Restaurant - Located across from Southgate Mall at 2922 Brooks Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 549-2191. Open 24 hours.

16.) Perkins - Located at 2275 North Reserve Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 543-3330. Open 24 hours.

17.) Worden's Market - Located in downtown Missoula at 451 North Higgins, Missoula, MT Phone: 549-1293

18.) Hardback Cafe at Hastings Bookstore - 2501 Brooks Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 542-1077.

19.) Finnegan's located near the University of Montana at 700 East Broadway, Missoula, MT Phone: 542-2752. Open 24 hours.

20.) Dairy Queen - at 3753 North Reserve, Missoula MT Phone: 728-5950

21.) Flanagan's Motors - great to use when you're getting you're oil changed! Located at 1776 Stephens, Missoula MT Phone: 721-1381

22.) Flipper's Casino - Open 24-hours, downtown Missoula at 125 S. 3rd St. West, Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: 721-4895

23.) La Parilla - 130 West Broadway, Missoula, MT 721-2180

Missoula Free Wi-Fi Public Locations & Retail Stores

1.) Missoula Public Library - 301 East Main Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-2665

2.) Caras Park - located in downtown Missoula along the Clark Fork River at 131 South Higgins Avenue.

3.) Barnes & Noble - located at 2640 North Reserve St., Missoula, MT Phone: 721-0009

4.) Safeway - 3801 S. Reserve Street, Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: 406-251-3311

5.) Safeway - 610 W. Broadway St., Missoula, MT 59802 Phone: 406-549-5429

Missoula Free Wi-Fi Locations - Hotels

1.) Courtyard by Marriot, located at 4559 N Reserve Street, Missoula, MT Phone: 549-5260

2.) Ruby's Inn - Lobby & Meeting Center Only - 4825 North Reserve, Missoula, MT Phone: 721-0990

3.) Econo Lodge - 4953 N Reserve St., Missoula, MT Phone: 542-7550

4.) La Quinta - 5059 N Reserve St., Missoula, MT Phone: 549-9000

5.) Val-U Inn - 3001 Brooks St., Missoula, MT Phone: 721-9600

6.) Jim & Mary's RV Park - 9800 Highway 93 North, Missoula, MT  549-4416

7.) Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park - 200 South Pattee Street, Missoula, MT 532-2053

Missoula Free Wi-Fi Locations - Laundramats

1.) Sparkle Laundry - Located at 812 South Higgins, Missoula, MT 721-5146

DID WE MISS ANY? If so, just send us an email and we'll add to the list!

8 Ways To Use Photos To Promote Your Business - and best of all, most of them are FREE or LOW COST!

I didn't start out as a photographer, and I still wouldn't consider my photos "professional quality" although I see marked improvement each day. Since I've been in real estate, and especially since I started blogging, I have found that I really enjoy taking pictures of my community, events, and of course, of our listings. And, over the past two years, I have accumulated quite a collection of local photos on my computer which have been extremely useful for our marketing.

I take my camera everywhere I go and even have a small digital camera that I carry in my purse so I'm always ready when the "right shot" presents itself. Our whole family enjoys photography so it's become a great family activity.

Here's some of the ways we use photos in promoting our business:

1.)  Help Sell Your Listings - The most obvious of course, is to help sell our listings. Most buyers are starting their search on the Internet and they want to see photos and virtual tours of your listings - the more the better. They say a good photo is worth a thousand words, and that is definitely the case in real estate. One thing that made a big difference for us was investing in a wide-angle lens which helps photograph small spaces.

 

2.) Improve Your Blog Posts - Blog posts are more interesting to readers when they have appropriate photos. Developing your own collection of photos will help improve your blog and can save you money if you don't have to buy stock photos or clip art.

I subscribe to Gerry Khatchikian from Red Lodge, MT on ActiveRain, he is able to use his photography skills to create a lot of interest in his area and his blog! He even has some photo quizzes that are fun. Check out Gerry's blog for some great examples of using photos for blogging.

 

3.) Get Into Video - You can create a local video with your digital still photos in a matter of minutes. We like Real Estate Shows but there are other great sites out there that will help turn your photos into a short video. We also use a Flip video camera for some videos but still like to use digital stills. Once you create a local video, Real Estate Shows will upload it directly to your You Tube account, or you can save the video to your computer and create CD's or upload to other websites or blog posts.

 

4.) Create a Photo Blog of your local area and post a new photo on a regular interval. We started the photo blog I Love Missoula a few months ago and have seen a huge increase in traffic to the site, which also links to our real estate site. If you tag your photos and use key-word rich titles, it will help optimize your search engine results.

We allow people in the community to submit their photos to us by email for possible use on the website. We are starting to get community photos and always give the sender credit, thanking them on the site.

 

5.) Post to Facebook - it's easy to create a photo album on your Facebook profile, so how about creating one of your local area? We have a photo album on Missoula, Missoula Nightlife, and Montana Living.

Another creative way to use your photos on Facebook is to create a Fan Page for your local area. You can post local photos and videos to your Fan Page OR submit a link to a great photo on your photo blog or regular blog. Fan Pages are easy to set up, and the best part - they're FREE!

Here's one of our Facebook Fan Pages - we have over 4500 fans in a short amount of time:

Missoula on Facebook

 

6.) Set up a Flickr Account - Flickr does an amazing job with search engines, and is a great way to showcase your photos. One important note however is to make sure you understand Flickr's Terms of Service - before you create an account - or you may end up disappointed. Flickr does not like the use of its site for commercial purposes. Make sure to read Matt's post, and understand what is and is not allowed on Flickr:

A Stern Warning (or lack thereof) Flickr is Watching You by Matt Stigliano

On Flickr, you are able to Geo Tag your photos so they will be even more likely to show up on Google when someone searches for that area or location. Groups are also helpful to join for networking and to gain exposure for your photos.

We have contacted local photographers on Flickr and asked for their permission to include one of their photos on our Photo Blog with a link back to them and have had success. Many times, people are flatttered by the request and it also helps to build community for your photo blog.

Flickering Local Photos - You Engaging Others (YEO) by Jeff Turner

 

7.) Upload Photos of Local Businesses & Food to rating sites such as Yelp.com. We use this as an opportunity to try new restaurants and just take a few quick snapshots on our visit. You can rate your experience at the restaurant or business and upload your photos to help people in the community get a feel for the location.

The photos can also make a great blog post down the road - I love photos that I can multi-purpose! We've turned this into a bit of a game and use it as an excuse to order a great dessert occasionally or a special drink.

Here's Our Review for Our Lunch at The Superior Soda Fountain

AND a Blog Post

Stop For Lunch at the Superior Soda Fountain

 

8.) Twitpic your photos or post them to Posterous - People love to look at photos and I'm still amazed at how many people click on photos when I send them across Twitter. Kevin uses Twitpic but I use a Posterous site that I set up - Missoula Real Estate.

Posterous tracks how many people view your photos and allows you to set it up so you can email a photo from your phone or computer to the site. Posterous can then automatically post your photo to your Posterous Blog, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr accounts - I told you, I LOVE TO MULTI-PURPOSE MY PICTURES! :) Posterous is a great way to automate posting to some of your sites.

 

It's fun to be creative in your marketing with the use of photos, and there are so many possibilities!

How do you use photos to promote your business? I'd love to hear what others are doing as well!

 

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Kevin and Monica Ray are Missoula Real Estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. We provide services in, but not limited to: Missoula, Superior, Alberton, Saint Regis, Lolo, Clinton, Turah, Potomac, Florence, Corvallis, and Hamilton.

For more information on Missoula Real Estate or surrounding areas, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.AccessRealty.net.

By TwitterButtons.com

 

Great information for Missoula & Western Montana Real Estate Buyers and Prospective Homeowners:

 

All You Can Eat Fish & Chips - Fridays at O-Aces in Deborgia, Montana

Looking for a place to eat while traveling on I-90 to Missoula? Or if you're hungry after skiing at Lookout Pass, or from riding the Hiawatha Trail, in any case, a great place to stop is O-Aces in Deborgia, Montana.

They've got a good menu with everything from burgers to sandwiches to steaks. We love O-Aces for their Friday Night All You Can Eat Fish and Chips special.

Kevin spent a lot of time in England growing up and fell in love with fish and chips. The fish they serve at O-Aces is similar to that served in a good British Pub. They even have malted vinegar - a must have!

The restaurant serves homemade, real potato chips - not just your regular french fries!

O-Aces also has a gift store and antique shop, a bar with a full wine, beer, and drink selection, and a separate casino area with a wheel you can spin for match-play.

O-Aces
9 Frontage Road
De Borgia, MT 59830
(406) 678-0090

O-Aces Online

 

 

Map to 0-Aces
View Larger Map For more information on the DeBorgia Montana area, or for De Borgia listings, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185. We are located in nearby Superior, Montana at 102 River Street.

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Kevin and Monica Ray are Missoula Real Estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. We provide services in, but not limited to: Missoula, Superior, Alberton, Saint Regis, Lolo, Clinton, Turah, Potomac, Florence, Corvallis, and Hamilton.

For more information on Missoula Real Estate or surrounding areas, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.AccessRealty.net.

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Has the Missoula Montana Real Estate Market Stabilized?

So What's Up with the Missoula Real Estate Market? National reports show that the real estate market is improving. The National Association of Realtors just reported that home sales rose in 3.6% June, marking five consecutive months of improvement for the first time since 2003. 

While things are heading the right way on a national level, all real estate markets are local. The Missoula Real Estate Market is no different.

It is important to keep in mind that the Missoula real estate market has not seen the same type of declines that have been highly publicized in other parts of the country. The median home price in Missoula County-$217,000 as of June 30, 2009 has fallen less than 1 percent since its peak in 2006, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors.

And, we are already starting to see improvement. The first quarter 2009 remained fairly steady, numbers for the second quarter appear to be seeing increased sales activity in some price ranges. 

For example:

• Sales under $150,000 are fairly flat; however there isn't a lot of inventory in that price range. 
• On the other end of the spectrum, sales in the $350,000 and higher price range are also fairly flat. 
• We have seen an increase in activity over the last two quarters in the $150,000 to $275,000 price range. 

So to answer the question, has the Missoula Market Stabilized? The signs are good. We are not seeing significant decreases in the median home price, and home sales in the mid-price range are actually improving. We are seeing increased buyer activity at our real estate office and are optimistic about the future of the market.

Home ownership is still the goal for most Americans with over two thirds of households in our country prefering to own their home, and with incentives to buy like low interest rates and the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax credit, now really is a good time to buy in Missoula.

For more information about the Missoula Real Estate Market, homes for sale in Missoula, or the area in general, contact Kevin and Monica Ray of Access Realty at 406-207-1185 or visit us online at www.YourMT.com.

****************

Kevin and Monica Ray are Missoula Real Estate sales and marketing professionals for Access Realty in beautiful Western Montana. We provide services in, but not limited to: Missoula, Superior, Alberton, Saint Regis, Lolo, Clinton, Turah, Potomac, Florence, Corvallis, and Hamilton.

For more information on Missoula Real Estate or surrounding areas, they can be reached at 406-207-1185 or online at www.AccessRealty.net.

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