This graph shows the historical data of where interest rates were in 1963 and where they are now in 2008.
They might be headed up so do your research and decide if now is the time for you to buy.
Educated buyers make better buying decisions. Become an educated buyer.
Real Estate Tax Bill are being mailed out here in Great Falls.
Remember to check if your taxes and insurance are escrowed by your mortgage lender/bank. I get lots of questions this time of year about, "Wow, I just got a bill ... and I thought my taxes are escrowed".
I always remind my clients that they should double check to be sure, but in most cases both real estate taxes and insurance are escrowed. That simply means that your bank or mortgage company pays them on your behalf because you pay into the escrow account every month.
If you think there are errors or you are being taxed too much, you can always visit with our County Treasurer and also petition to have them reduced. Our tax people here are pretty nice overall and usually willing to listen.
If your taxes are not escrowed by your bank or mortgage company, then just pay the half that is due on the due date on the statement.
Happy taxes.
The bulk of my market is single family residential. I do and have sold many million dollar listings.
The inexperienced may think that million dollar listings here in Montana should be treated the same as $100,000 listings. Whether it be a home or a ranch a million dollar listing requires special attention and marketing.
My philosophy is no different but marketing techniques sure are. The various avenues you market a million dollar listing to, to be sure you are targeting the right audience, makes a difference if you want to do your duty to your seller to get the most exposure.
It just amazes me when I see posts from new agents and brokers who think all markets are the same for every listing. On the other hand that is good for me. LOL.
Kelly
Well, as we are fast approaching fall and the "election" I must remind myself to prepare for the upcoming Holidays and winter. This makes me think of all the neat things I actually got done this past spring and summer and trips I want to plan. Despite what many of my out of state and out of country friends think, Great Falls is really not the end of the earth. lOl.
First we have several airlines that fly into Great Falls now. This year we were even blessed with the addition of more direct flights to Las Vegas. We can get to Denver, Minneapolis, Seattle and Salt Lake very easily and those destinations get us everywhere. I have to fly to Toronto on business this fall and I really want to take my daughter to Sea World. The great thing is I can get everywhere now, without much hassle and the flight prices are even pretty decent.
Next, I must say that I have had a bumper year gardening. We really can garden in Great Falls, believe it or not!! I was able to purchase some interesting varieties of cold hard grapes that have done very well this year. All the perennials my daughter and I started late winter have taken off like wild fire in our garden. The rose varieties I added have bloomed all summer and are still blooming, much to my amazement. We have some interesting rhubarb, raspberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and corn heirloom varieties that are super too. Since I just adore wisteria, I am trying several cold hardy varieties. Lavender is doing outstanding and we shall see how they fair next spring. The garden has been great fun for both me and my daughter. It keeps us out in the fresh air all the time.
We have had a lot of rain this year and our summer has been cooler than most, which has allowed us to ride our horses and spend lots of time at all the kid friendly parks here in Great Falls. Swimming was great fun too. I just can't believe how many parks we have here and how nicely they are maintained.
On rainy days we trek to the library, children's museum, Starbucks or just hang out at home. There is always something to do.
Oh, and I must not forget real estate. This summer has been over the top busy showing and selling homes too. Many of my colleagues are complaining about how slow it is, but I can't figure out what they are talking about. There is lots of business, which is the other benefit of living in Great Falls, an insulated market (a term I learned from a response from one of my other blogs).
Life is good. If you are considering moving to Great Falls, be sure to go to my website and check out the links and relocation pages for lots of good links to things in Great Falls. We love it here and sure hope you will too.
Kelly
One thing to note in Great Falls, Montana is that we are a pretty relaxed community. I have learned that many of my clients just want to be treated fairly. They do not want to dress up to meet with their Realtor. They do not want to be intimidated by their Realtor either. Many real estate deals start out on napkins, with clients jotting down what they want. The old saying "never judge a book by its cover" is so true. Treat others with respect and be a good listener and be available to answer questions. That is the secret here in Great Falls, Montana.
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Broker/Owner of Great Falls Realty. Accredited buyer's agent, Women's Council of Realtors. I love my job.
I believe that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. I have listed and sold some premier ranches exceeding 4000 acres and many, many, many wonderful homes in Great Falls and Cascade County.
Each transaction no matter how big or small is unique and requires the utmost care, consideration and attention to detail.
I am the owner and broker of Great Falls realty which is located at my equestrian center just a few blocks south of Great Falls. I oversee every transaction in my office. I work with great people who also love the real estate business and are friendly and detail oriented.
Education: Education, Awards, and Experience:
1. Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing with highest honors.
2. Received prestigious Who's Who in American Universities and Colleges award.
3. Land Title Institute certificate.
4. Business start up and turn around consultant since 1994.
5. Property developer/investor since 1989.
6. Lecturer for colleges on topics of business and entrepreneurship since 1994.
7. Accredited Buyer's Representative ABR® - Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council - National Association of Realtors
8. 2006 nominated for Realtor of the Year award.
9. Received prestigious Who's who in Real Estate 2006,2007.
10. One of 3 most referred Realtors in Great Falls, Montana
11. Co-Author: Kelly Parks, Broker of Great Falls Realty selected by Aspatore Books as co-author in new authoritative book:
Real Estate Leadership Strategies
Leading Realtors on Listing Properties, Negotiating Price and Terms, and Helping Clients Achieve Their Goals ISBN: 1596226056
12. I am also a self proclaimed education junkie. I am constantly taking classes, both required and not, and endlessly reading practically everything pertaining to the real estate industry to keep me on the cutting edge. I love my job.
13. I am a member of the Women's Council of Realtors.
14. I am a Certified Workforce Housing Specialist.
Outside Interests: & Volunteer Work A Bit More About Me...
I enjoy living on our horse farm with our 4 year old daughter, foundation-bred quarter horses, we rescued and retired a 28 year old fair pony we saved, Blue Heeler, English Mastiff we rescued and lop eared rabbit Blackie we rescued. We all enjoy watching the deer pass through our front yard every morning and evening (except Blackie-he is not tall enough to look out the windows). We enjoy planting trees, grapes and roses. We a quite a lively bunch.
I volunteer for Meals On Wheels, delivering food baskets to the home-bound.
I am a member of the Arbor Day Foundation.
I am a member of the American Quarter Horse Association.
Professional Experience: As second generation Realtor and a Multi-Million Dollar Producer and Full time agent, my strengths are:
1- Knowledge of Great Falls real estate including homes and neighborhoods.
2- Knowledge of the details, paperwork and negotiations involved in transactions.
3- Ability to negotiate transactions in the best interest of my clients.
4- 98% of my business is as an exclusive buyer's agent. I occassionally list homes, but they are on a case by case referral basis.
5- I love my job and I am very good at what I do.
1) Dear Great Falls Realty,
I would like to commend one of your realtors KELLY PARKS, whom helped my mother and I up and beyond what I would expect from a realtor. We moved here from Seattle, and the months previous Kelly sent me, well countless listings everyday. We actually bought our house while still residing in Seattle, in other words bought it sight unseen. Kelly however was extremely helpful sending me pictures of whatever part of the house I asked for. By the time we arrived she even had our furniture in the house and placed in the correct rooms, which I can't even express what a savior she was being that my mother is quite elderly.
Sincerely, CLARA & JUDY SILVER
2) Kelly: Thank you so much for working with us and guiding us in the
purchase of our new home here in Great Falls. We just wanted to write
to tell you how pleased we remain with your service and to let you
know that we wouldn't hesitate to recommend you to anyone
contemplating any kind of real estate deal. Your honesty and
integrity were invaluable throughout the process and you were
literally there for us at every step of what had to be a difficult
series of transactions. We are certainly very appreciative and wish
you the best of everything in your endeavors. David & Priscilla Farrel
3) Thanks very much. We are highly impressed with Kelly Parks, and will be using her as our buyers agent once we finally get to Great Falls. We are trying to be patient as our house in Milwaukee is having few showings and we are worried that it will not sell. But Ms. Parks has had very good advice on the situation, and I am very encouraged.
K. McGuire
4) I have worked with Kelly for years. She has helped me purchase and resell several properties. I know I can rely on her advise to buy or not to buy. She tells me what she thinks and even though I don't necessarily want to hear it, I appreciate her honestly and being upfront with me. She is always fast to get me information and one of the most persistant and best negotiators I have met. M. Stephens
5) Kelly,
I want to say THANKS A MILLION for all your hard effort in finding me the house to fit my needs here in Great Falls. We looked and looked and you stayed patient enough with me and we found it. Thanks for all your input and just being an all around great realtor. I will highly recommend you to anybody looking to buy or sell and whenever I do decide to sell, I'll be calling you back. Thanks again for everything!
Justin Smith, USAF
6) Kelly was wonderful as far as being our realtor and helping us find a suitable home in an area that we wanted our children to attend a good school with a nice family environment. We are military and a year ago, we moved here from Spain. We were brand new to the Great Falls area and Kelly not only helped us with buying a home but she served as a great resource for home improvements, school/church info, and places of interests for our family. I would highly recommend her and her business for anyone/family that is relocating to Great Falls. She has been a part of the Great Falls community for years and became a trusted sponsor for us as we worked hard to get settled in our new home. We love Great Falls and the Fox farm area for our children! Thank you so much, Kelly!
Theresa and Kurt Geisen, USAF
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