Scents and aromas can have a dramatic impact on people’s emotions, otherwise, there wouldn’t be a multi-billion-dollar fragrance industry! Don’t ignore the power of fragrance when showing your home. Smoke, pet odors, and cooking smells can each dramatically impact how potential buyers feel about your house. If your potential buyers never form an emotional connection to your home, chances are that they will remain just that – potential buyers. Don’t allow smoking in your house for weeks leading up to showing it, find a pet-sitter for a few days, and clean, clean, clean! Once you’ve removed any aromas that might be off-putting and freshened the air in your home, you can actually use scent to your advantage. Consider doing some baking prior to showings. The scent of fresh apple pie is har... 06/15/2010

First Impressions Remember what first attracted you to your house when you bought it? What excited you about its most appealing features? Now that you're selling your home, you'll need to look at it as if you were buying it all over again.   A spruced up house makes a great first impression on potential buyers. An attractive property grabs their attention and makes them excited about finding a house that looks and feels well-cared for. Because buyers know they’ll encounter fewer problems if they buy it, your house becomes more appealing and stands out from the competition. So if you prepare your home correctly, you’ll save time selling it when it’s on the market.   A good first impression makes an impact on a number of levels. It’s not just the way your house looks to potential buyers,... 06/15/2010

7 Gardening Mistakes to Avoid Article From HouseLogic.com By: Oliver Marks Published: March 15, 2010 Novice gardeners can get their landscapes off to a healthy start by heeding some tried-and-true tips from the pros. Gardening is just about the simplest do-it-yourself home improvement work there is. If you can dig a hole, turn on a spigot, and snip a dead flower off a vine, you've got the basic skills down. Still, you do have to make some judgment calls, so it helps to know the ground rules, so to speak, that can help you avoid making some rookie mistakes. Mistake #1: Making changes too soon Take the excitement of buying a home, add a nice stretch of spring weather, and you get a lot of enthusiasm for doing yard work. That's great; seize the day, but don't jump into wholesale landscape ... 06/11/2010

Save Money By Growing Fruit Trees Article From HouseLogic.com By: Veronica Lorson Fowler Published: March 17, 2010 Money really can grow on trees! Cut your grocery bill while improving your landscape by planting and growing a fruit tree. Investing in a fruit tree is a win-win-win-win proposition. You'll save money on your grocery bill; you'll improve the health of your family by assuring an ample supply of healthy produce (which you can grow organically if you want); you'll enhance your landscape with a pretty spring-flowering tree; and you'll have the satisfaction of growing your own food. As a bonus, the whole family will learn a delicious lesson about nature and gardening. "With fruit trees, the return you get on your input is quite a bit," says Ron Perry, a Michigan State University... 06/11/2010

7 Tips for Improving Your Credit Article From BuyAndSell.HouseLogic.com By: G. M. Filisko Published: February 25, 2010 Here's how to clean up your credit so you get the least-expensive home loan possible. Getting the loan that suits your situation at the best possible price and terms makes homebuying easier and more affordable. Here are seven ways to boost your credit score so you can do just that. 1. Know your credit score Credit scores range from 300 to 850, and the higher, the better. They're based on whether you've paid personal loans, car loans, credit cards, and other debt in full and on time in the past. You'll need a score of at least 620 to qualify for a home loan and 740 to get the best interest rates and terms.  You're entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually fr... 06/10/2010

4 Tips to Determine How Much Mortgage You Can Afford Article From BuyAndSell.HouseLogic.com   By: G. M. Filisko Published: March 11, 2010   By knowing how much mortgage you can handle, you can ensure that home ownership will fit in your budget. Homeownership should make you feel safe and secure, and that includes financially. Be sure you can afford your home by calculating how much of a mortgage you can safely fit into your budget. Instead of just taking out the biggest mortgage a lender qualifies you to borrow, consider how much you want to pay each month for housing based on your financial and personal goals. Think ahead to major life events and consider how those might influence your budget. Do you want to return to school for an advanced degree? Will a new child add day care to your... 06/10/2010

Smart Options: Decking When choosing decking materials, factor in the savings gained by low maintenance and longevity, even if the initial cost is higher. Read Deck Addition: Return on Investment A high return on investment makes a deck addition a worthwhile home improvement project. Read Care and Maintenance of Your Deck Annual deck maintenance will forestall major repairs, protect your investment, and boost your enjoyment of your deck. Read Smart Upgrades for Decks A few cost-effective add-ons can give a modest deck an edge and deliver a handsome payback should you sell your house. Read Evaluate Your House for a Deck Here’s how to plan a new deck that suits your property, meets your budget, and offers the best return on your investment. Read Visit houselogic.com for more articles lik... 06/09/2010

Fantastic new listings in Bozeman and Belgrade MT! These listings came on the market this June.  Call us if you have additional questions about these listings 406-209-0022.  Not all of these listings are brokered by Remax Realty Group and info is deemed correct but not guaranteed 06/09/2010

JENIFER OWENS RE/MAX REALTY GROUP BOZEMAN EVENTS CALENDAR June 2010 Day Event 1  Running on Empty Chico Hot Spring 9 pm www.ChicoHotSprings.com 7, 8 The Rocky Horror Show Equinox Theater 8 pm  406-587-0737 x6 14 Tours for Tots-Preschool Printmaking Museum of the Rockies 2 pm  406-994-DINO 15 MS Walk Www.msmontana.org   10 am 406-252-5927   06/08/2010

From the MLS: All NEW Southwest Montana Real Estate Listings, Week 2 May 9 - 15, 2010 - Belgrade, Big Sky, Bozeman, Livingston, Manhattan Please see Bozeman Montana Real Estate Listings for all today's new listings from some of these Montana towns and cities: Alder, Amsterdam, Anaconda, Argenta, Bainville, Basin, Belfry, Belgrade, Big Sky, Big Timber, Bigfork, Bozeman, Boulder, Butte, Cameron, Canyon Creek, Cardwell, Cascade, Choteau, Churchill, Clancy, Clarkston, Clyde Park, Cohagen, Columbus, Condon, Cooke City, Darby, Dell, Deer Lodge, Dillon, Divide, Dutton, Emigrant, Ennis, Eureka, Fairfield, Fairmont, Fishtail, Gallatin Gateway, Gardiner, Georgetown Lake, Grant, Great Falls, Harlem, Harlowton, Harrison, Helena, Heron, Harrison, Island Park, Jackson, Kila, Lakeside, Laurel, Lewisto... 05/10/2010

Enjoy the features of a sellers only website which is for sellers and for sellers only.  Do not worry about digging through the buyers information in order to get valuable information for your largest asset.   Http://Sellyourhomes.net 02/10/2010

Come be a part of the 15th Anniversary of the Bozeman Ice Festival, Thursday, December 10 through Sunday, December 13, 2009With minus temperatures these past few days in December 2009, the 15th annual Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival should have stellar ice, and the temperatures have been rising, which should encourage even the faint-hearted. The first event, the Ice Breaker Pro Invitational Competition, takes place in Bozeman, Montana's Hyalite Canyon, Thursday December 10, 2009.The Bozeman Ice Festival is a regional and international Bozeman, Montana ice climbing event, promoting ice climbing to everyone--all ages and abilities! Festival organizers encourage participants to learn the necessary ice climbing skills and safe climbing techniques to enjoy this growing, exhilarating winter spo... 12/10/2009

Get your Montana Real Estate License here. We welcome you to the Finest Fully Accredited Montana Online Real Estate School with the best prices available. Check out our website www.RowlettCareerSchool.com. Our passing rate meets or exceeds any other online course provider.  Captain Wayne Rowlett and the Rowlett Career School offer the finest Montana online Real Estate School in the Industry. Please take a few moments to explore our site where you will find detailed information on our full service online real estate school and live Florida classroom course schedule.                                               Home        FAQs       Career Info      Bookstore      General Info      About Us     Contact Us           Select a state below for approved courses    Online Real Estate Courses,... 11/09/2009

Builders of Residential Montana Real Estate... And builders of homes in the rest of the Northwest region of the US in 2009 began building residential properties, including condominiums and town houses, at a rate of between 8 and 9 percent. Fifty-nine percent of year 2009 home sales throughout the United States have been incumbent upon FHA, VA, or USDA home loan programs. In the Northwest Region of the US the rate of the use of these government loan programs has been fifty-one percent: 1. Veteran's Administration (VA) loans, eleven percent. 2. Federal Housing Administration (FHA), thirty-four percent.3. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), six percent home financing programs Throughout the United States in 2009, the use of one of these three government home mortgage loan progr... 11/03/2009

According to the National Association of Realtors... NAR says, so far in 2009, the trend is: First-time Home Buyers have pushed 45% of all US home sales. In concert with this national trend upward in US home sales, which was 13.0% for existing home sales in the Western part of the United States, interest in the Bozeman, Montana Real Estate Residential Home Market, including interest in the Bozeman Luxury Real Estate Market, had been trending upward in the last few weeks of the third quarter of 2009.Bozeman and the Surrounding Area's Sold Data For Years 2003 Through 2009  Year # Homes Sold $ Total Sales Volume $ Average $ Median *DOM             2003 703 $185,483,838 $263,846 $217,000 69 2004 731 $225,186,403 $308,053 $257,500 64 2005 816 $295,215,066 $361,783 $300,000 62 2006 650 $280,5... 10/28/2009

Visit the Dinosaurs at Bozeman Montana's Museum of the Rockies! This summer we stayed in Bozeman for a few days to attend a training class for TopProducer. While we were in Bozeman, we took my 7-year old nephew to the Museum of the Rockies. The museum features exhibits on Native American culture and artifacts, a Western history collection, outdoor exhibits, and is best known for its Paleontology exhibits. The museum's dinosaur complex is impressive and is a major stop on Montana's Dinosaur Trail - a tour of Montana's rich paleontological findings. Home to one of the largest collections of dinosaur fossils in the world, the Museum of the Rockies houses the world's largest T. rex skull and one of the first identified female dinosaurs in the world - an ovulating T. rex. The Museum of the R... 10/21/2009

Robyn Erlenbush, Broker/Owner of ERA Landmark Real Estate is pleased to announce that Sue Frye is ranked #1 in Montana and #13 in the Nation for Total Closed Production Volume through September 2009 by global real estate leader ERA Franchise Systems, Inc. Sue’s sales record continues to outpace ERA Associates throughout the ERA network which includes more than 33,000 brokers and sales associates and approximately 2,800 offices throughout the United States and 50 other countries and territories. Sue entered the real estate industry in 1983 and since 1988 has consistently ranked nationally in ERA’s Top Ten. For ten of those years she has ranked #1.These rankings and recognitions would not be possible without her total commitment to her clients and customers and their fierce loyalty to her... 10/21/2009

More good news for Bozeman's local real estate market! Residential inventory is down for the second consecutive month in the Bozeman/Belgrade area! Which means fewer available homes on the market. This is a positive step towards home price stabilization and real estate market recovery. The Belgrade area continues to show the most promise with a stead 23% decrease in inventory since 2008. Stay tuned with www.eralandmark.com/marketwatch to see what October’s statistics reveal! *Data collected from all members of Gallatin Association of Realtors MLS. ERA Landmark Residential Listings Comparison Graph - Market Stats Click image to view larger pdf version If you are interested in more Gallatin Valley Real Estate Market Graphs and Stats, simply contact us and we'd be happy to share our wealth... 10/21/2009

If Bozeman residents were at one time hoping for their 15 minutes of fame and then falling back into obscurity, they will once again be disappointed. Recently, our area was featured and congratulated as a fine place to live in the October 2009 editions of both Entrepreneur Magazine and National Geographic Adventure magazine. Entrepreneur Magazine included Montana State University and Bozeman is its Top 10 list which highlighted the benefits of towns teaming up with their local universities to help create unique entrepreneurial atmospheres where ideally college graduates would chose to stay after graduation and help to develop new economic opportunities. Montana State University (with a stated student enrollment of 12,764) introduced the Center for Entrepreneurship for the New West as pa... 10/20/2009

From HousingPredictor.com The hottest buyers housing markets are places you may find comfort in the worst housing crash since at least the Great Depression. The top 10 buyers markets listed by Housing Predictor at mid-year are markets that aren't necessarily big arts and entertainment centers, mostly found in smaller communities. Amarillo, Texas takes the first position as the nation's top buyers market in 2009 with the highest likelihood of housing inflation over the next few years. Austin, Texas and Tucson, Arizona are the largest metro areas to be named to the list possessing the highest probability of growing through the recessionary economy over the next few years. As a high-tech hub, Austin will have what it takes to not only sustain the downturn but see home values inflate. All 1... 10/05/2009