Moving to Billings. Please suggest areas to live. (Laurel, Red Lodge: HOA, house)

[Shipresa]

We are moving to Billings from Houston this summer.

We've never been there. Hubby's job will be downtown near Montana State U/Billings.

The main reason why we are moving from Houston is that we no longer want to live in town or the suburbs. Commutes aren't a problem as we already spend hours a week in commutes here, and hoping for about a 30 min or less commute each way.

We are wanting to live on 1-5 acres with few nearby neighbors. We are a family of 4 and love the outdoors. Our kids are toddlers. Our budget is $350k-$500k.

Any suggestions for realtors or general areas outside Billings to look?

Thank you in advance!

[flyingcat2k]

30 minutes away from Downtown Billings will largely commit you to living in Yellowstone County due to getting on/off I-90 or local roads that will restrict your speeds. The good news is that your budget is well suited to getting property with a little bit of acreage. I would say 2 acres is about the maximum. If you go above that, you'll be in the 500k to 750k range. As I'm sure you've seen, 350k still buys a lot of house in Billings.

Some good areas to look outside of Billings are Laurel, Huntley Project, Briarwood, Shepherd and Pryor Creek. If you get further out, you'll spend more than 30 minutes commuting each way. Provided you don't move closer to Red Lodge, your housing expenses won't increase though.

I can't help you with realtor recommendations but I can recommend staying out of one development. Rehberg Ranch is sandwiched between the airport and the Yellowstone Rod & Gun club. It is billed as a high end development (homes 300k-500k) but as 2 problems. One is the constant noise from either airplanes or the gun range. The second comes from the Rehberg's running the HOA like a private fiefdom. The Billings Gazette has had a number of articles about it. Stay away.

[Redraven]

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For where to look, I can only say BE SURE to ask for a copy of the CCRs before putting any earnest money on a place! Some areas have few if any CCRs, while others border on the ridiculous. IMO, a Home Owner's Association and the Covenants, Codes, and Restrictions that go with it are NOT an enhancement to property values.
Are you wanting a move-in ready home, or do you want land to build on?
In some outlying areas, water can be a problem. Wells may be VERY deep (expensive), and the water can be of poor quality. Many such homes have cisterns which require hauling water to fill. There are water services, though, so one does not have to do the hauling themselves.
One idea, get a map, set a compass to the 40 mile distance according to the map scale, and draw a circle around Billings. That will give you a rough estimate of a 30 to 40 minute commute.
Good luck.

[Shipresa]

Thank you!!! Looks like an existing home is the safest bet. I'm a bit dismayed to get the sense of HOA run developments, instead of simple rural properties, as this is another reason why we are leaving Houston. We have had enough of CCRs, HOAs and developments.

[ElkHunter]

Unfortunately, the HOA's are drawn up by the developers who have the misguided ideas of what people want, or, they are drawing them up specifically to attract California minded folks. Of course, the developers are California Company's that have never set foot on the property, nor have they ever talked to a "neighbor".

I have a friend that investigated a plot of 28 acres so they could have their two horses. Not only were horses and livestock, not allowed, but the developer had a lawsuit in place against the rancher who sold the developer the land. It seems the rancher only sold half his ranch and the developer was suing because the ranchers cattle were so noisy and they smelled. This development was 18 miles out of town.

People wonder why folks from California are not favored in Montana.

[Reziac]

Yep, as the attempt to reinstate the lapsed Pizzy Pines CC&Rs amply demonstrates (being the brainchild of a realtor who's made a career of flipping PP lots to the unsuspecting), CC&Rs are for the benefit of realtors selling lots in a subdivision. They're never actually to protect YOUR property value. If they were, why do they so often prevent YOU from developing your own lot to the best value for your own uses?? Nope, all they protect is realtors' incomes. And occasionally the income of a contractor who has his fingers in the HOA moneybag by way of having an exclusive on anything that needs repair (happened where my sister lives -- which is why replacing all their bad roofs is costing 'em 3x more than it would on the open market, tho that cost is masked by coming out of the HOA dues).

I'd say on that budget you can pick wherever appeals to you, and there are lots of options. Do check on ground water, as some places where you'd think there'd be water, there's none, or the water is terrible and you need a cistern and a water truck if you expect to use water in your house.

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