Comments on: Moving to Montana

By: Jerry O'Connell

Jerry O'Connell — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:04:56 +0000

HOA’s may be intolerable in most states, but in Montana that is generally not the rule. Sure, The Yellowstone Club HOA and other super-high-end gated communities would blow your mind, but those are few and far between out here. The much more typical Montana HOA has pretty basic rules that focus on simple environmental issues (wildlife-safe fencing, bear-proof garbage containers, etc.) and reasonable visual issues (no Winnebagos in the front yard, no upside down ‘72 Torinos with chickens living in it). Nobody’s going to serve you with papers if you paint your house the wrong color or don’t mow your lawn every week. Also, since most places with HOA’s have a high percentage of non-resident owners, the HOA is pretty inactive.

By: Scooter

Scooter — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:29:12 +0000

I understand the frustration with out os staters comming in and buying up the land and raising prices. Itis hard when the local economy does not pay well enough to allow locals to buy property. But as the other Floridian mentioned we know this problem all to well. And not all people form out of states are rich. Some like myself have friends in Montana who are like family to us. We long for the big sky and the wild life. One of the few great oppertunities to live the dream still exists in MT, so do not be surprised that more and more people are coming. Also I am an admitted wimp so I will not be there for the winter but I will from mid spring to mid fall. I am looking for my 20 acres+ for my little cabin and the right to enjoy the peace and distance from most people.

But one side note. HOS is an organization designed by the freaking devil. They suck in a big way. Do yourself a favor, if you buy land anywhere stay away from these little natzi camps. I live in one now and would not willingly do it again if I could avoid it.

By: local

local — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 20:56:35 +0000

I agree with spunky. The out of state development in Montana is a problem. Realestate prices go up with every property they purchase. They sell their Florida or California property for a mint and buy the best land in our state and refuse access to the forest or river they border. Not only this but at the first sign that the fish pond or private stream they image isn’t allowed by law they lawyer up and build it anyway. When a forest fire burns their million dollar “cabin” they sue the state for not protecting them. This is how out of state development is done in the Big Sky state. Build first regardless of the law and and let your lawyers keep the state tied up. Meanwhile these out of staters spend maybe two weeks a year at their “ranch”.

By: Faith

Faith — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 21:44:14 +0000

Spunkv, I can understand your point of view regarding outsiders
moving into Montana. But, being a 3rd generation Floridian, do you
think it’s any different here? Florida is full of nothing but
tourists, senior citizens and immigrants. There are over 17 million
people in Florida now, compared to less than 1 million in Montana.
If you want to see crowded, come on down. You think our real estate
is cheap? In our area, you can’t buy a decent house on a regular lot
for less than $ 300,000. 6 years ago, you could buy a lot in my
county for $5,000.00 They now go for a minimum of $ 60,000.00. The
only reason I want any amount of land is to have horses. I’m not
some rich SOB who only wants to buy up land to build a trophy home.
I want to live where it’s safe to go outside, people speak english
as their primary language, and just mind my own business and live
my life.

By: spunkv

spunkv — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 08:11:49 +0000

Wow, so you want to buy up as much land as you can huh? Could it be that people like you are the reason that our land prices have risen by 135% in the past 10 years alone? Sorry I’m one of those typical Montanan’s who are pissed off because there are so many freaking out of staters in here we can hardly move. My parents (both born and raised in montana) built their house about 20 years ago with just under 10 acres of land for around 50,000 dollars. Now it’s to the point where native montanans can’t really afford to buy land or housing here. check this out…I may be a jerk but if you read this article you may see that there’s a reason for it. http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2003/10/29/build/state/54-housing.inc

By: Geri

Geri — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 22:52:28 +0000

Hi,
We have property for sale (2 parcels; about 230 acres total)near Hot Springs, Montana. It’s ranch land with a litle old house. If that helps. Geri

By: David

David — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 04:07:47 +0000

(sent to my e-mail to post as a comment)

Hi,
I tried to enter comments at your blog, but I have no idea how to work RSS feed, & it won’t accept my AOL.
I don’t have alot of “Job” info to give you, just wanted to tell you how much we love Montana. We moved to Heron (not too far from Libby) three years ago from Ft. Worth, TX.
My husband is a veterinarian and travels to CA for work.
My website is http://www.Wildvizionz.com
my blog is http://mtpeaceofmind.blogspot.com

We had an awesome real estate agent & he’s one of our closest friends here now…his name is Brad Swanson, email bradswanson@blackfoot.net.

Anyway….I think you’ll love Montana..I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t.

Good luck & if I can answer ANYTHING for you, let me know!
Leesa

By: Kalamity

Kalamity — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 05:50:28 +0000

Realtors have a tendency to use “borders B.L.M. or U.S.F.S. land” as a selling points. What they sometimes forget to tell potential buyers is about their responsibility in maintaining fences.

By: Wulfgar

Wulfgar — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 14:07:01 +0000

Government land is just what it implies; land that is held in trust for the public by either state or federal government. The use rights one has on govt. land varies from place to place, or depending on its designation.

As Jake suggests, mineral rights are pretty well a non-issue. Water rights and access rights, on the other hand, can be a huge issue if you are buying property with a water source on it or one that runs through it. The state is having a fight right now because Huey Lewis (yes, that Huey Lewis) doesn’t want people fishing the river banks and sloughs on his property, but Montana has always held such access as a public right. And I’ve seen more than one rancher fire a warning shot at someone attempting to dam or divert a water flow that the rancher has the rights to. Be sure to do your homework before you buy.

Covenants are the bugger. Most property covenants in Montana aren’t handed down from governmental authorities (except in the case of historical areas, properties and so forth). They are leveled by developers and the monsters they have created called Homeowners Associations, or HOAs. Such a benign name for such a foul thing. There are several companies, in bed with the governing HOA, which market “ranch” or “range” properties in Montana, but yet have covenants that make the land useless as either ranch or range. More than any other area of research you undertake, let this one be your warning: Caveat Emptor!

(I admit, that last paragraph was very opinion laden on my part, but I don’t apologize. Research HOAs, talk to those who’ve dealt with them as members, and you’ll likely agree with me: they are a supra-legal abomination, and an affront to the basic priciples of land ownership in the state of Montana. Disclaimer: I have never been a~~slave~~ member of an HOA … yet. Either through this blog or the news, I strongly urge any reader, living here or not, to see what happens with HOAs in Montana over the next several years. It should be fun.)

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 23:32:45 +0000

I am not a lawyer but I will share with you what I learned when I purchased property in Montana. Nobody seems to be transferring mineral rights when they sell the property but I would not worry about it.

First the State and the EPA would not allow mining where you plan to live. That leaves oil and gas and that is nothing to worry about either. Oil Companies now have the ability to drill horizontally two miles away from your property and then go vertical underneath your property. This happens hundreds of feet below the surface so you would never know the well is there.