SOOOO glad i got out of Kalispell when i did!!! (Bozeman: rentals, crime)

[mjstef]

890 building permits IN Kalispell last year! This is for a city of 25,000 people! Out of town their are no permits required so how many more homes in the valley??? Talking to friends out there crime is rampant as well as drugs now. Many natives being forced out. Sad as it was a wonderful place i cherished for over 10 years!

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2022/03/29/chamber-prepares-for-annual-growth-summit/?fbclid=IwAR15D4Ky9ezFcjQm6KlRMcEtyEbXZhomOkPr2dCz iRs0aUxyVERU6N2tS08

[Shuffler]

Land is being sold off to development in every corner of the Valley - it's done.

People pouring in with money, remote work, trust funds, etc. Young working class folks are being squeezed out. Look at Zillow and what a mere $500K buys now ... literally bare land or just crap.

A wage that reflects the cost of living here has to be $30/hr or more ... nobody pays that unless you're in the skilled trades or healthcare.

We're outta here once my wife decides to wind her work down (we moved here for her job in '17). We have another 10yrs or so to see how this sh*tshow play out.

Overdue for a crash in my opinion ... Fed can do more meaningless rate hikes which let inflation run hot, or they can actually raise rates significantly enough to stop inflation, which will wreck the markets. The average person loses either way.

MT won't be the place to retire for us ... it's gotten far too expensive, as has just about every other nice place in the West.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by mjstef

890 building permits IN Kalispell last year! This is for a city of 25,000 people! Out of town their are no permits required so how many more homes in the valley??? Talking to friends out there crime is rampant as well as drugs now. Many natives being forced out. Sad as it was a wonderful place i cherished for over 10 years!

https://flatheadbeacon.com/2022/03/29/chamber-prepares-for-annual-growth-summit/?fbclid=IwAR15D4Ky9ezFcjQm6KlRMcEtyEbXZhomOkPr2dCz iRs0aUxyVERU6N2tS08

I heard that Kalispell overtook Bozeman for fastest growing city in Montana. I got priced out of both places many years ago. Montana will be Colorado in less than a decade.

[Shuffler]

Not hearing much about the other side of the story, what are sellers doing?

I doubt many are selling high and staying here to pay more for less ... perhaps some owned land that they'll build on, while others pull stakes & vacate.

The area is at a crossroads ... do we want a community or a destination? Pretty sure we know the answer. The county is rubber-stamping everything and doing nothing for infrastructure. Short term rentals are out of hand and need to be restricted. Roads are terrible - falling apart & can't handle the volume. Schools overcrowded. 1st responders and teachers can't afford to live here.

Weed being legal now, we'll have more folks squatting in the woods ... seasonal workers who can't find housing, along with the bums/riff raff that come with legalized marijuana. Probably be more fires as a result ... saw this exact thing play out in the foothills of Boulder CO ... squatters, trash, illegal campfires increased with pot legalization, along with panhandling in general.

Even in a downturn, the wealthy will still keep coming ... so went California, so went Colorado, so goes Montana.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

Not hearing much about the other side of the story, what are sellers doing?

I doubt many are selling high and staying here to pay more for less ... perhaps some owned land that they'll build on, while others pull stakes & vacate.

The area is at a crossroads ... do we want a community or a destination? Pretty sure we know the answer. The county is rubber-stamping everything and doing nothing for infrastructure. Short term rentals are out of hand and need to be restricted. Roads are terrible - falling apart & can't handle the volume. Schools overcrowded. 1st responders and teachers can't afford to live here.

Weed being legal now, we'll have more folks squatting in the woods ... seasonal workers who can't find housing, along with the bums/riff raff that come with legalized marijuana. Probably be more fires as a result ... saw this exact thing play out in the foothills of Boulder CO ... squatters, trash, illegal campfires increased with pot legalization, along with panhandling in general.

Even in a downturn, the wealthy will still keep coming ... so went California, so went Colorado, so goes Montana.

This has been happening for over 20 years (probably longer). Strange how some people seem so surprised. Curious where the locals will run. Where did the middle class Californians and Coloradoans go?

[Mister Torgue]

Well this is a bit disappointing to hear. At what point does the madness stop? Or do we see this turning into Colorado an unstoppable train? I really hope the western states do not follow Colorado’s path...

[NW Crow]

If you are talking actual size, Utah is following Colorado's path, though about 50% and many many decades behind on population. Nevada, 50% behind. Idaho, about 65% behind. Montana 80% behind. Montana won't reach current Idaho for many decades.

When Montana gets a metro of 500k, then imo you can reasonably talk about as next Idaho or beyond.

Oregon is the next Colorado or close enough now. Colorado is the next Washington or Arizona.

If you are just talking style / feel, make whatever comparison whenever you want.

[wamer27]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

Not hearing much about the other side of the story, what are sellers doing?

I doubt many are selling high and staying here to pay more for less ... perhaps some owned land that they'll build on, while others pull stakes & vacate.

The area is at a crossroads ... do we want a community or a destination? Pretty sure we know the answer. The county is rubber-stamping everything and doing nothing for infrastructure. Short term rentals are out of hand and need to be restricted. Roads are terrible - falling apart & can't handle the volume. Schools overcrowded. 1st responders and teachers can't afford to live here.

Weed being legal now, we'll have more folks squatting in the woods ... seasonal workers who can't find housing, along with the bums/riff raff that come with legalized marijuana. Probably be more fires as a result ... saw this exact thing play out in the foothills of Boulder CO ... squatters, trash, illegal campfires increased with pot legalization, along with panhandling in general.

Even in a downturn, the wealthy will still keep coming ... so went California, so went Colorado, so goes Montana.

You said you moved to this area in 2017, where did you move from? You are literally apart/contributing of the exact thing your complaining about. Did you do the same in Boulder also, move there during this foothill chaos?

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by wamer27

You said you moved to this area in 2017, where did you move from? You are literally apart/contributing of the exact thing your complaining about. Did you do the same in Boulder also, move there during this foothill chaos?

Colorado was home for 45yrs.

Wife had a career opportunity in Whitefish that has thankfully turned out to be the right move.

Unlike many who move in with big money and/or remote work, we had neither. Rentals were scarce and our hand was forced to move on the last house on our list, since the rental in Whitefish was almost up, and it was a moldy sh*tbox that we were being gouged on (shocker) and couldn't vacate soon enough.

There was no bidding war on this house or any others we looked at. We paid less than ask, since it'd been on the market for 2yrs and was our most affordable option.

Hardly anything like what is happening today, but if that makes us part of the problem ... sure, I guess??

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by Heron31

This is a pretty harsh claim ("rampant!") to be based on nothing more than "talking to friends." The article you linked to said nothing about crime or drugs.

I've talked to the Sheriff a handful of times. Yeah, it's pretty rampant and getting worse as growth tends to displace and discourage more and more people.

KFD and the Sheriffs Dept are trying to hire to meet demand, and they're having a hard time since ~$60K salary isn't buying much of anything around here now. They're even cutting folks slack and letting them reside out of district just so they might find 'affordable' housing...