Just signed contract to buy a house in Heron (Libby: appointed, for sale)

[dawnterese]

We finally found a home in Heron, MT and are scheduled to close on March 1. I have a couple of questions:

Is there any phone service there for landlines?
Is there any cell phone coverage, and if so, with which companies? The ATT and Verizon map show very limited coverage in the area.
Is satellite the only option for high speed internet? I work online, so a good, fast connection is necessary.

That's the major questions I have for now, but I'm sure I'll have more as the time gets closer to the actual move day. Thanks everyone in advance for any help!

Dawn

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Congratulations! And welcome to the forum, and to the most beautiful area in the entire NW! We're building a retirement home on the ID-MT border, 4 miles from Heron. I certainly don't know everything about the area because we're over on the ID side (and we're just summer residents for now), but I may be able to help you with some bits of info.
Landline: Your deed/plat map/real estate flyer should tell you about the closest proximity to a landline--and it also may depend on which side of the river you're on, and how far away from county roads. Friends of ours on Highway 200 in Heron have a landline.
Cell coverage: Verizon is really your only option, and the coverage is very spotty, but the closer you are (or at least in a straight, unobstructed line) to Noxon, the better your coverage will be. Noxon has a bunch of new cell towers, and within a 5-mile radius or so you get 4 bars! But if the road dips or bends you get no bars at all. Cell coverage seems to be improving year by year. When we bought our property in 2008 we couldn't get a cell signal at all, unless we drove to Clark Fork or Noxon. Now all we have to do is get up high on River Road (Clark Fork Road in MT) and we get 3 bars.
We haven't looked into the best Internet option yet, so I can't help you there.

So, are you on the north or south side of the river?

[dawnterese]

Thanks so much for the information. We will be on the south side of the river, not too far from Clark Fork Rd, near Beaver Creek Rd. I am hoping I can get some type of cell or landline service. Moving so far away from family and friends, I would at least like to be able to talk on the phone.

What grocery stores are nearby?

[AndersonRM]

Just curious, why didn't you ask the realtor these questions?

[dawnterese]

I actually didn't think about all this until we had already gone into contract, and the realtor is on vacation this week for the holidays so I thought I'd ask here.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by dawnterese

Thanks so much for the information. We will be on the south side of the river, not too far from Clark Fork Rd, near Beaver Creek Rd. I am hoping I can get some type of cell or landline service. Moving so far away from family and friends, I would at least like to be able to talk on the phone.

What grocery stores are nearby?

Funny, I was driving up on Elk Creek and Beaver Creek Road in May. Beautiful country! And a good view of Sawtooth Peak in the Cabinets. There are several ranches/farms up there, and you're about 200 ft higher than Clark Fork Road, so you might get some cell reception. You'll be almost next door to one of the nicest restaurants/inns in the whole area, the Amber Bear! I have no doubt there's landline service on Beaver Creek.

Groceries: There used to be a nice little market in Heron itself, but that's turned into a coffee shop. They still have some basic groceries such as bread, milk, and some frozen meats. On Highway 200 near 56 there is a great little market. There is another market and a hardware store in Noxon, and Clark Fork has a market, an absolutely wonderful bakery/deli, a gas station/market, and 3-4 restaurants/diners. And a great hardware store! For serious regular shopping you'll probably be going to Sandpoint, about 40 miles away. They have a good variety of stores including a Home Depot, a Walmart and some exceptional supermarkets: Yoke's, and Super 1. In addition there's a big Safeway. In all likelihood you'll be shopping once a week in Sandpoint, go have one of the best burgers in the NW at MickDuff's, or listen to live music while you eat at Eichart's. Sandpoint has a great variety of very good eateries, so you can plan on spending a weekly shopping-and-eating day there. But if you'd rather drive in the other direction, I'm sure Thompson Falls has a variety of stores--I'm just less familiar with it. It's about 55 miles from your place. Trout Creek,Troy and Libby are also within a reasonable drive (all depending on the weather and the season, of course...).

[Mr Miker]

Dawnterese, may I ask you a question? Don't take it badly, but have you actually been to Heron? Because it really sounds like you bought this property site unseen.

Beaver Creek Road is off of Elk Creek Road and is pretty far from Clark Fork Road, they don't intersect or anything. You'll be about 3/4 of the way to being on the very fringe edge of civilization out there. When we moved here several years ago we almost, almost, rented a small cabin on 3 acres on that road but we were turned off by the fact that there was no shower or bath tub, very rustic. That specific property has been both officially and unofficially for sale pretty much for ever and most people you talk to will say "Oh yeah, I used to live there." You'll have few neighbors on that road since there are probably less than 10 houses.

Cell phone service. Nope. There are a few really small hot spots along the highway and Heron Road that you can usually spot because there will be a car parked with someone inside talking on the phone. The Noxon area does have one cute little Verizon tower located at Bull River Junction (highway 56 and 200) but thats it. Clark Fork also has a good full strength tower but we're out of range out here.

Internet-Blackfoot Telephone is the only internet provider unless you go with satellite, which I would not recommend. Its expensive and your download speeds aren't as fast, and it is cloudy pretty much from November through April. Even our dsl leaves quite a bit to be desired again because of weather. Heavy snow has a tendency to bring down phone lines, but to give Blackfoot credit they are very responsive in getting things fixed.

Groceries-The "Heron Store" is kind of a joke. They are open literally 2 hours on Thursday, and then whenever else they feel like being open. Monarch Mountain is a small grocery store in Clark Fork that is good enough if you are keeping it simple. Then there is the Noxon Mercantile which I would advise against since they don't take debit cards and have an insanely high fee at their atm. Local Store is in Trout Creek and is comparable to Monarch Mountain. Harvest Foods is in Thompson at about 40 miles or so one way drive. And then the plethora of stores in Sandpoint. Ah, Sandpoint! The downside is that you're looking at probably close to 100 miles round trip drive from the Beaver Creek area. Libby is an option too but they're just as far as Thompson and you've got the vermiculite to deal with.

Since you've got some time before you close on the property I would highly recommend you come here and really spend some time before making it final. And winter is a good time to make that decision, summers are great and beautiful but the cloudiness of winter really brings peoples vitamin D levels down. We see a lot of people who have big dreams of living here but realize that is the middle of nowhere and wind up moving away, and with the slow pace of the real estate market they are stuck trying to sell their home for years and years with no luck. If you're working over the internet you won't have it as bad, but if your spouse or anyone else tries to look for a job locally you will be very disappointed. The biggest thing you have to keep in mind is that it is rural, there is no garbage service, no pizza delivery, businesses have crummy hours, pipes freeze and it might take a few days or a week for the plumber to come, etc etc. When new people come there is a big culture shock, so be ready for it.

[FL2MT]

Originally Posted by Mr Miker

Dawnterese, may I ask you a question? Don't take it badly, but have you actually been to Heron? Because it really sounds like you bought this property site unseen.

I wondered this as well. Unless you've got money to burn I don't think it's ever a good idea to buy in a place you haven't already spent a significant amount of time first. Rent for a few months if you have to, but buying site unseen or buying without knowing much about an area is a recipe for financial disaster.

[dawnterese]

No, I have not been to Heron, which does sound crazy, but I have been researching for almost a year, and feel very comfortable with the decision. Where I live now is pretty rural, well water, no pizza delivery, not very many neighbors. We live on top of a mountain and are used to making weekly trips to town for shopping, etc. There seem to be more gas stations and small shops, etc. around here, and definitely better cell phone service, but we feel like the lack of services is a small price to pay for the lifestyle we want.

The town we are near has grown to about 8,000 people, and the people are not the best in that we do not feel safe when we go to the grocery store anymore, and we certainly will never go anywhere after dark anymore. That is not the way I want to raise my children. I want them to feel safe. To me, that is more important than certain conveniences. Everything in life is a tradeoff. I'm sure it will be somewhat of a culture shock, as this was when I moved from a town of 1 million people to where I am now. I'm adaptable.

I really want to thank everyone for taking the time to respond. The information you gave is so helpful, and at least I have a little direction.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Dawnterese, so now you know some of the pros and cons from Mr Miker who knows the area better than I do, and from myself who spends summers on the CF River. And your explanation makes it easier for us in this forum to understand what you're looking for. We have been vacationing in the area (North Idaho-NW Montana) for about a decade, and after the first three years we started looking for a place of our own. We cast our net as wide as Sandpoint to Trout Creek/Bonners Ferry to Libby, and we kept returning to the Clark Fork Valley. We looked at two places in Heron, too! So we did extensive research, talked with friends in the area and other locals, and heard all the good, the bad, and the ugly info about the area, and we consider ourselves fortunate that we found a place exactly where we wanted to be. So from someone who has visited and done the research, etc. etc., I don't think you can find a more beautiful place than the CF Valley.

That being said, yes, the further you move away from Highway 200 and Clark Fork Road the more primitive it gets--and (which could be a concern) doctors and medical facilities are far away. There's still a remote wilderness feel to Sanders and Lincoln Counties. Wildlife is not only abundant, it can be dangerous. Don't leave your pets out on the porch at night...So if you can put up with truly being on the edge of civilization I think you've picked a spectacular area. But (and I have to say this) how much do you trust your realtor? Several people we know have warned us against real estate offices in the Heron-Noxon areas. They've been sold the wrong property, or the property they were sold didn't match the plat map/acreage was smaller than advertised, etc. So for that reason alone I would strongly recommend that you come up and check the place out before escrow closes. Treat yourself to a stay at the Amber Bear Inn Amber Bear Inn (Heron, MT) - Inn Reviews - TripAdvisor or the Big Horn Lodge in Noxon Big Horn Lodge in Noxon, Montana - Bed and Breakfast in scenic Northwest (or cheaper places in Clark Fork or Noxon), and go inspect your property with a skeptical eye and a plat map, and a GPS. Trust, but verify! And if everything checks out, you're going to feel so much better about your decision. If not, you still have time to back out and find another place. (I know a completely reliable realtor in Libby if you need one.)