Why is real estate in Butte priced so ludicrously high?

[Montana Griz]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf232

Montana has unfortunately been "discovered" and tons of people are moving here thinking that it's better than wherever they came from in hopes of finding a better life.

It's both good and bad. Good that many people that move here really try to leave the BS and work hard, and bad that there is also an element of the ones that try to exploit in pursuit of something "easier".

It's not easy to make a living here. There are THOUSANDS of out of state and a even some native realtors and brokers trying every day to get every buck they can out of every hardworking person trying to pursue the dream of home and land ownership.

Some city and county officials all over the state (yes a lot of them are flunkies from larger metropolitan areas) that set the tax rates are also greedy and feed off of and kiss the arses of the rich out of state lot, wanting to make more money for the coffers..
This is part of why so many farms and ranches are selling and "california" ranches are springing up. I've seen good farm land get turned into estates that end up raising recreational animals, or are into so called "organic" produce and eggs at 5 times the cost of farms and ranches that already don't use bad pesticides, hormones, poultry conveyors or other cruel means in their production.

More and more lands are getting closed off so that the wives and children of big city CEO's and the like can "feel" like they are in touch with nature, or so they can visit the farm when their "stress" or social life dictates the need to get away from the city.

We also have the Hollywooders and special interest groups that try to block access to the hunting/fishing community out of lands they have fished and hunted for generations.

There are also groups that lobby so we can't log forests that have been devastated by beetles. I guess they would rather see all the dead trees burn rather than use the wood for things that could be used for the stuff they take for granted. (paper, building materials, craftwork etc....)

And then there are those that come here and buy electric cars (tiny little deathtraps) and drive them around all smug, because they don't see the fact that even though the vehicles don't put out as much exhaust while driving, that when they plug it in to recharge, they are using coal burning technology to recharge the batteries.. (not to mention the chemical composition of the batteries when they need to be disposed of) or that they can't get these little boxes out of town in the snow.. but I guess when a person works from home or on their laptop from a coffee shop a block or two away, that using those electronics to drive these little things, or to sit in a coffee shop to get their writing or photography work done is somehow "greener" than the work other people do to provide the energy required to power up their equipment or run the coffee machines.

I also have to give my thanks to those that don't fit into these categories. There are some that move here to really work hard to make a living and help the communities around the state. I've met and worked with lots of folks from out of state that are real, work hard, and are not looking for the easy way, just simply trying to find "home". To the ones wanting to move here that help their neighbors, use their hands to lift others up, that smile, are willing to work their way up and practice fair business, welcome!

To the ones that want to exploit us, price us out of opportunity, and are looking to get rich off of the back of others.. I raise my middle digit!

Very well composed and factual post

I will again mention (I've said this in previous posts), what has been happening in much of western Montana since about 1982, is exactly what occurred on the front range of the Rockies (from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs) from 1966 to present day. i.e. it was "discovered" and drew all kinds of people, from all over the country that were dis-satisfied with their current situation at that time. The "non-Colorado" practices, ideas, regulations etc,etc,etc, that were instituted and became part of everyday life by 1990.....ruined what once was a wonderful place to live........again this is just my opinion!

The most striking example (IMHO) of how a nice, affordable housing, pleasant, town (Boulder in 1965) was turned into a town of: social climbers, selfish, egotistical, self rightous, hypocritical phonies, and saw home prices from 1965 to 1980, escalate from $39,000 to 165,000 --with no improvments-- (for 2 homes I personally know to be factual and representative), and a population increase in those 15 years go from 21,000 to 100,000!!!! Well, I could go on and on and on.......

If it weren't for the fact that Montana has very little 'industry' per say, we (today) would have gone the way of Boulder, CO by the year 2000.

OK....................I'll now get off my "Soap Box".

[GLS]

Originally Posted by Montana Griz

Very well composed and factual post

I will again mention (I've said this in previous posts), what has been happening in much of western Montana since about 1982, is exactly what occurred on the front range of the Rockies (from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs) from 1966 to present day. i.e. it was "discovered" and drew all kinds of people, from all over the country that were dis-satisfied with their current situation at that time. The "non-Colorado" practices, ideas, regulations etc,etc,etc, that were instituted and became part of everyday life by 1990.....ruined what once was a wonderful place to live........again this is just my opinion!

The most striking example (IMHO) of how a nice, affordable housing, pleasant, town (Boulder in 1965) was turned into a town of: social climbers, selfish, egotistical, self rightous, hypocritical phonies, and saw home prices from 1965 to 1980, escalate from $39,000 to 165,000 --with no improvments-- (for 2 homes I personally know to be factual and representative), and a population increase in those 15 years go from 21,000 to 100,000!!!! Well, I could go on and on and on.......

If it weren't for the fact that Montana has very little 'industry' per say, we (today) would have gone the way of Boulder, CO by the year 2000.

OK....................I'll now get off my "Soap Box".

First, I agree with you. Second, this unfortunate trend of ruining semi-rural environments of natural beauty and relaxed lifestyles has been documented in numerous places across the nation.

Then your post made me start to wonder if reversing this cancer is possible. Since you saw the perverted expansion in Boulder, do you see any way this type of destructive growth could be reversed? Unless we can, what will we do when all the original Boulders and Montanas are gone?

[Reziac]

Conventional real estate wisdom is that if you're not sure you'll stay in a given place at least 5 years, you're financially better off to rent. It may be longer than 5 years at this point, due to high purchase prices. You'll just have to do the math and see if it works for you.

Another option might be to go for one of those $20k shacks, then demolish it and move in a used modular (local zoning permitting) or build a kit house -- that might be the most cost-effective and you wouldn't be in the situation of having to scrounge up utilities (as someone mentioned, clean ground water may not be easily had, so a place with a well may be out), nor would you be laying out a big down payment, yet you'd wind up with something of at least as much value as you put into it, if you later sell it, and as a personal bonus, you've helped reverse neighbourhood blight. Just a thought.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by GLS

First, I agree with you. Second, this unfortunate trend of ruining semi-rural environments of natural beauty and relaxed lifestyles has been documented in numerous places across the nation.

Then your post made me start to wonder if reversing this cancer is possible. Since you saw the perverted expansion in Boulder, do you see any way this type of destructive growth could be reversed? Unless we can, what will we do when all the original Boulders and Montanas are gone?

That is a durn good question. You could halt further destruction by enacting restrictions that forcibly preserve stuff, like the herebelow, but I don't really see any way to reverse it, short of a forest fire wiping out the "ranchette" cancer; unfortunately that hits the good with the bad and most folks just use their insurance to rebuild bigger than before. Scratch that notion. Any other ideas??

I like the restrictions that Chouteau County put on residential building: No suburban developments; if you want to build a subdivision, it has to be within the immediate sphere of influence of a town, and it can't sprawl all over the place. Otherwise, no construction that isn't farm-related. And no non-farm construction at all within 3 miles of the Missouri River, which nixes all those "recreational ranches" right there (since they all want riverfront property).

What? "You can't stop progress!" says someone in the back of the room... How is paving over all the productive land and having to buy our food from China "progress"?? How is destroying the very lifestyle that attracted these immigrating folks in the first place "progress"?? How is destroying the lifestyle of the people who've lived their whole lives in MT "progress"??