I am now I have spent a lot of time in Bozeman, Montana, and now I have left Bozeman and I drove yesterday seven and a half hours to Boise, Idaho, to see my brother. I have never been to see my brother.
And he’s lived here for a very a very long time. I did come to Idaho when I was a kid and we were talking about it last night, I think I was eight. So this is this was kind of a surprise and things just fell into place that enabled me to be able to have this opportunity. So I’m super thankful. It’s really, really pretty here.
So, yeah, I come home tomorrow. It’s been the longest I’ve ever been away from home and the longest we’ve ever been apart. Mike. So it’s been interesting.
The longest you’ve been away from home? Well, I mean, we’ve been on trips longer than this. I mean, together, like, separated from one another. It’s the longest I know. And we’ve been married. I know. I think we’re up to like. Seventy eight years is how long we’ve been married.
So that’s a long time and you’ve been yeah, so Sean has been away, I hope you’re I hope you deal with everything just fine. I didn’t have any problems at all, like with my underwear.
Are you working on anything? No. Obviously you’re totally incapable of taking care of yourself, unlike I am.Yeah, OK, well, that’s good to know. So you are in Boise, Idaho, right? I’m in Boise, left Bozeman and yeah, just making my way across the north, you just go from super hot real estate market to super hot real estate market.
Tell us a little bit about maybe the Bozeman market first.
I feel like we’re learning a lot about Bozeman. It really takes a lot. I’ve felt like I started over brandnew, so it’s kind of been humbling and great to experience that kind of going back and remembering all the challenges that it is when you start over. So Bozeman is known as Boase Angeles. So it’s been a huge boom in that area of growth. It’s been one of the fastest growing cities in the country. And it is just it is the cutest little town with with cute little shops. And I mean, I really there’s not many places that I would say I would move my family. I mean, we travel a lot. So we’ve seen a lot of different cities and and been around. But this area, I, I just I have fell in love with it. It’s so nice. But yes, they are calling it Boase Angeles, which I thought it was kind of funny, but the market here is on fire. So we are looking for two different type of properties right now. We’re looking for a residential homes and we’re looking for ranches. So learning about the whole farm and ranch aspect of real estate has been very interesting for me.
But on the real estate market, we are really struggling to find anything, anything to rent, anything to purchase. And so when we look in the MLS and you can search differently, but we search only properties that are active and the whole. Residential market of Bozeman, nine properties came up, nine no price, you know, we didn’t put in a price point, just active residential properties and there were nine. So that tells you how competitive the market is. The photos, I can’t believe it. I think everyone takes a photo from their phone. I don’t see any professional photography done except if you have a ranch. So I found that to be interesting in the homes, when you go to view them are all cluttered. And I just I don’t know that to me, how you represent your property or yourself as a realtor with your photography says a lot. And when you talk to different people around town about real estate, they they do have a perception of. What real estate is, and it’s totally different from from where we are. You know, you have to have most of the agents attend the showings no matter what price point. And you must schedule the appointment at least twenty four hours, sometimes up to three days in advance to see the home, which is crazy. So it’s not driving around. Call up showing time and schedule an appointment. It’s they want to know who you are, where you came from. All these things about where you came from, what does that even mean? Oh, yeah, yes, they all know each other. So in the whole state of Montana, there are only nineteen hundred realtors. So going through MLS, you see the the listing agents that there’s just a handful of them that list. So they all know one another and some of them are receptive to having a new person in town and some of them aren’t.
You have to be very careful and it’s starting over with developing those relationships. And I see how important that truly is, because it matters. It matters to these guys that you don’t come in here and you’re going to come in their area and change things or take over. And, you know, so developing that relationship is is key. And we’ve started to do that.
And, you know, it’s taken a little bit to get into certain certain realtors. But, you know, it’s just a process. So it’s been really interesting. And Bozeman, Montana, population, Idaho.
Ok, I like their little town, I think the perception is that somebody is going to come in and they’re going to develop something that they don’t like. It changes their city. And it is happening, you know, there’s a long Ottoman architecture coming in apartments and and condos and things like that, and I don’t I don’t think that that’s well perceived. They don’t like that.
They want to keep things kind of, you know, as they as they were, which that’s why I love it, I would never want to come in and change what’s currently there, because it’s it’s a very charming city. This this this time I was able to explore some areas that I didn’t explored before. So they have a college there, was able to explore the south end of Bozeman and then go on the outskirts. So there was some forest fires. I think the first time we came and we were able to drive back in there looking at some ranches. And it was incredible, all of the fires and how it just swept through a whole area. But there would be two homes that were not touched. Everything around it within like 20 feet up to the house was burnt except for the house. So I found that really fascinating. I don’t know how they how they were able to do that.
Well, you know so well, when we were there, people said that they had irrigation around there, around the homes, and so they were able to, you know, to to wet stuff down. And then they had enough distance between their home and where the forest fire would be. So if they cut down the trees around them and kind of created a moat situation with space, then the fire wouldn’t spread into their home.
But, you know, you just had to be well prepared.
Yes. And I mean, I guess if you are around, maybe not. I bet they did. I bet they did. So it was interesting, this trip. So I looked at our client who’s moved here, has an office space. And of course, he got the coolest office space in Bozeman. It it’s just a building on Main Street and his is on the top floor. And you can walk out of his office and he has a balcony and you can overlook the the main street. And it’s just it’s super cool. So we’re able to explore some of that, some commercial buildings. And I just I don’t know.
I really like it commercial. Mm hmm, yeah. Are you becoming a commercial, Shana?
I don’t know what we’re looking for, commercial properties. And I did find a dilapidated auto. It was like an old Ryley Automotive, but like a local. And they’re doing a lot of road construction here to expand the roads because of the
traffic. And this poor business looks like it just couldn’t couldn’t survive in the maybe covid. And then with the construction, so it is shut down. So it’s not for sale. But we were able to. Kind of look, you know, do some some digging and asking around, I did that yesterday and we were able to find a little bit about it. So we’re working on a possible purchase there, too, to get that and take that off those guys hands and make something happen there. So you have to be very creative in this market.
It doesn’t have lix in it, does it? There is no, no, no, it doesn’t.
Now, is Hannah Montana still there with, you know, Hannah Montana left yesterday, but in just going around, we took a day and we searched homes all day, actually two days. And then we went around to try to go into all these little shops. We had to do some shopping. So we went to some of these local shops to to get to know the locals and things like that.
And it’s funny that we met a couple of people that, you know, could be potential clients. So, you know, just talking to people and being nice. And I think that could could transition into your next topic, like how to be a good agent. But just listening, listening to what what the needs are. And, you know, this one particular person that Hannah and I met, he immediately asked if we were with a certain real estate company and we said no and is like, no. You know, they have a local an independent brokerage. And he was like, OK, because they’re the big one.
And, you know, he didn’t seem to.
Impressed, I guess, with that simple like so he like the independent, not the.
I’m trying to buy local as well. And just the other day I had an opportunity. So the Jeep windshield was cracked and I wanted to get that fixed for you before you came home. I thought that. So it’s got like this big, big crack in it. And it’s a common problem that kind of happens when Jeeps and I had opportunities to go different places. So I checked with our insurance and they do. They cover it, but the deductible is so high that it actually doesn’t make sense. They don’t effectively cover it. So then I went out and was looking for windshields. And I guess I want to get your opinion on this one. There is they have safe light will come out and replace it and they have the the standard Jeep windshield, but it cost two hundred dollars more and it has that like little Jeep logo in the corner. And it was kind of cool, but not really necessary. And the other one, the same exact windshield is two hundred dollars less from safe flight. And I when I called up Christy brought her insurance agent for the vehicles. They inform me that there’s a local option. So I called the local option and I’m going to go to local one to have that repaired, I believe, tomorrow. Before you come home for me, sweetheart.
Good, why don’t you check on when you your rental car gets a big. Hole in the arm gets a rock that hits the windshield. I’ll tell you about that later.
It’s all in your rental car.
Yeah, but I worked it out. We’ll talk about that later.
That’s a problem for a future, Mike and Sean. OK, well, so it goes. We always decline the insurance for sure. So I don’t know exactly how that works, sweetheart. So we’re running close. I do. I’m like, you know, we’re just about done on time here.
Shana, could you tell me one more one more thing, sweetheart, please, about that local market that you’re talking about in Bozeman. And then tomorrow we’ll be able to talk a little bit more about Boysie, the MLS there. You said there’s a lot of similarities, so kind of talk about that.
There is a lot of similarities, but there’s a lot of differences. While the employer in the associations and the things to
that was yes, so they have their their MLS kind of split. So when you join so for example, you join the the association, you that doesn’t get you MLS. So you then have to also join MLS, which can’t join MLS unless you’re a member of the association. It’s very expensive. I’ll just tell you. So when you join the association that gives you access to your forms so your zip forms and your MLS gives you access to the MLS. So it is required that if you want one or the other, you have to. You have to you have to pay for for two separate entities.
I was most specifically asking about the software, like they use the Matrix and some other things.
So there yes, core logic and matrix is is what they use. They also use showing time, but no one uses showing time. If you use showing time here, they know you’re a newbie.
Really. So who was it then?
You have to call the agent directly my word, and then wait for them to call you back, huh?
And, you know, they also have because there’s a lot of rural areas here. They also have a hunting app that is a part of your when you join the association, they give you access to this map is like hunting app, which if you’re out of cell service, you’re able to look at this hunting app and figure out where you are. So it’s it’s very cool.
Wow. And I thought it was interesting based item, right?
Yeah, it’s a GPS based and it kind of tells you based on, you know. These rural areas where you are so I thought that was cool.
I covered a lot of different items about Bozeman and I look forward to seeing you. You’ll be on TNT tomorrow again, is that right?
Yes. And I believe I’m going to have Beth, my niece, who is a realtor here in Bozeman. She really has. It’s been impressive since she started and how she she kind of progressed in real estate. So I’m very proud of her. And I would love for her to spend a couple of minutes and tell you about this area. And in doing this, you guys, I feel like, you know, for me, going into a different market and kind of starting over from day one, it’s humbling. And it and it puts a lot of things into perspective. And I think this will help me come back to my home market and be even better. Right. It opens your eyes to a lot of things that, you know, just become kind of habit.
