Bozeman, Montana’s Park and Trail Experience!   Did you know there are more than 60 miles of trails through and around Bozeman?  Some connect neighborhoods, some connect downtown to the mountains, some are just mountain trails, but all offer recreation in the form of hiking, biking, cross country skiing, or just walking the dog. Some of these are paved, some of them are graveled, and some are a mix of both. Click Here for a Trail Map!   We also have 22 city parks, and an untold number of parks located within subdivisions.  Some of the city parks include the swimming pool at Bogert Park, several pavilions that are rentable, sledding hills on Petes’ Hill and in the 100 acre park, and lakes for fishing and swimming. Click here and choose your park of choice!   Our city planners have been v... 09/28/2011

  Bozeman Montana Market Update     The below graphs show some marked improvements for our real estate market locally! The number of homes sold in the second quarter have nearly doubled, and the sales prices are creeping upward. This coupled with the phenomenal interest rates makes this an opportune time to consider your new home purchase. August, the first month of the third quarter, sets precedent for an outstanding third quarter! This month alone we have sold 67 homes with only 79 average days on the market. If you are considering placing your home on the market, this is one of the best climates in the last 2 years to do so. And, if you are considering a purchase, it might be the perfect storm. Call our office for help with either and let us help you make the best decisions you can f... 09/27/2011

  Bozeman, Montana:  A Great Place to Call Home! We are known to be Big Sky Country for the vast amount of space in our state.  To say to view are stunning might be an understatement, and the elbow room can be as little or as much as you like here.   Our states population is under a million, for the ENTIRE state, and for the Gallatin Valley it is less than 100,000 folks.  Just the same, there are some fabulous reasons for choosing to live here! Our school system works at being outstanding.  This year, three of our Bozeman Teachers’  won teacher of the year awards!  Three, can you imagine, in a town of this size, three of them being recognized as outstanding.  The school district had the distinct pleasure of a visit from Ricky Arnold, one of the astronauts for the space shuttle program. ... 09/23/2011

  A Career In Real Estate   Whether you are a new agent, or a seasoned agent, our office might be a great fit for you!  Some of the benefits we offer are: 1.      Fresh leads to work monthly without requiring floor time 2.     A management program to help follow up with those leads at our expense 3.     A website to help create your own leads 4.     A marketing and relationships manager to assist in ads and promotions 5.     A transaction manager to help guide your buyers through the process and coordinate dates 6.     Automated follow up system for sellers 7.     Reasonable splits, and no desk fees 8.     A small, caring, team oriented atmosphere where you can grow and your business can thrive   Meet the Team:                Jenifer Owens                            Tim Hart            ... 09/22/2011

Bozeman Montana Growing! Bozeman Montana is growing even in the face of the recession! As you drive around town, you can see the evidence of a recession, and some of the housing crisis, but you can also see growth and expansion happening right before your eyes.  We have new commercial projects, like the new Kohls going up, and Blackhawk industries breaking ground near Manhattan, MT to expand their business.  We also have a new housing project in Bozeman Montana that is being planned that incorporate new housing for the university and eventually some commercial and residential phases as well.  The city is also eyeing plans for another new elementary school after adding a new middle school and a new elementary school in the last 2 years! There are also still builders who have learned to b... 09/21/2011

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. --John Stewart Mill-- Bozeman Montana Real Estate.net would like to help give our brave men and women a HOME here in Montana.   09/14/2011

  Selling your home around the Holidays Many sellers become anxious this time of year over the possibility of selling their home.  They believe, as so many agents, that a sale is likely not going to happen once October is upon us.  On the flip side of that, they also become nervous that a sale might happen and force them to move during the holidays.  What a conundrum! Let’s take the concern of selling during the holidays off the table.  If you sell early enough, maybe a new home for Christmas is a great thing for you and your family!  No more stress or worry about the home you are currently marketing may make for a wonderful season.  And, should you be adamant about staying put for the season, often times you can negotiate to stay in your home after closing, or arrange the closing to co... 09/09/2011

The recession and anemic recovery have been hard on businesses, homeowners and job seekers, but it's turned out to be a boon for Montana State University.  As more young Americans decide to go to college rather than hunt for work in a tough job market, MSU's enrollment has swollen. Thanks to those students and to the 5 percent tuition hike students are paying this year, MSU expects to start the school year with money in the bank. As a result, MSU President Waded Cruzado just announced that she plans to ask the Montana Board of Regents in September to approve pay raises of 1 percent plus $500 this October and 2 percent plus $500 next October for non-union employees, which would be similar to raises negotiated over the summer with union groups. "It's great news, hopefully, that we can giv... 08/31/2011

It's that time of year again, time for Bozeman Hawks Football!  Below is the complete schedule for Bozeman Varsity Football. HAWK FOOTBALL 2011 - 2012 BOZEMAN HIGH SCHOOL Date        Day     Team                                 Place       TimeAUG 20    SAT      RED/BLACK SCRIMMAGE       HOME AUG 27    SAT      MISSOULA SENTINEL            AWAY      7:00 SEPT 2     FRI      GREAT FALLS HIGH              HOME      7:00  SEPT 9     FRI      BILLINGS WEST                   AWAY      7:30 SEPT 16   FRI      MISSOULA BIG SKY              AWAY      4:00 SEPT 23   FRI      GLACIER - HOMECOMING      HOME      7:00 SEPT 30   FRI      BUTTE                                HOME      7:00 OCT 6     THU     BILLINGS SKYVIEW               AWAY      7:30 OCT 14    FRI     FLATHEAD                     ... 08/31/2011

A Bozeman based business has made the 2011 INC. 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S.  The Natural Baby Company was started in 2005 and has seen over a 700% growth in revenues over the past three years.  A favorite store of my wife's, as well as several of her friends, the Natural Baby Company is a great example of what types of businesses Bozeman, MT attracts and fosters.  Congratulations to the Natural Baby Company and my friend Kortnee J., one of their dedicated employees.   All best, Jason     2011 RANKING: #457 The Natural Baby Company www.TheNaturalBabyCo.comBozeman, MT The Natural Baby Company's business model Designs, creates, and distributes natural and eco-friendly parenting and children's products such as its GroVia cloth diapers. It also sells pacifiers, te... 08/24/2011

Ingrid Madsen unpacks items to prepare the classroom for her kindergarten class at Whittier Elementary School Tuesday Kindergarten teachers Ingrid Madsen and Lena Wessel are working hard to get their two new kindergarten classes ready for the arrival of children next week. Madsen, a summer ranger at Yellowstone Park, has been planning her class since she was hired at Whittier School last spring. But it was just two weeks ago that Wessel found out her school had to add a fourth kindergarten class. She jumped at the chance to teach it, and ever since she’s been working seven days a week to create a cozy classroom from scratch, complete with reading nook, play kitchen and math and writing centers. These classes are just one example of the changes the Bozeman School District has had to make... 08/24/2011

The cost of living in Bozeman dropped nearly 9 percent between the first and second quarters of this year, according to a recently released report by Prospera Business Network. Driving that drop were housing costs, which dipped from 2.9 percent above the national average to 5.8 percent below it in that same time period, the report states. Single-family home prices have continued to fall in Bozeman, Gallatin Association of Realtors President Rich Mayo said Monday. With mortgage rates hovering between 4 percent and 5 percent, home sales and construction starts appear to be on the uptick. “It continues to be a buyer’s market,” Mayo said. “What I’ve noticed is more new home building than in the last four years.” Calling the trend “encouraging,” Mayo attributed the rise in single-family hous... 08/23/2011

  Red Ants Pant Musical Festival   For any of you that think we live in the hicks out here in Montana… you are so correct!!  We do live in the hicks, but remember Woodstock?  We have our own version here, only not quite so many folks attend.       Several times during the summer we have outdoor musical events.  Not just concerts… events!, like Rocking the Rivers in Three Forks, MT for instance.  10,000 folks show up in the middle of nowhere with campers and tents just to have a great time!  The music line up is phenomenal, with Creedance Clearwater Revival, Pat Benatar, and Great White.  And then, there is Country Jam, with the same set up.  Most recently, Red Ants Pants put on the first festival ever near White Sulpher Springs.  This is a little town about an hour and a half from anywh... 08/22/2011

Black Bull Run, a luxury golf-course community west of Bozeman, is building again after new owners bought it out of bankruptcy. "Since Black Bull has (re)opened, we have seen a tremendous amount of interest," Marketing Director Elizabeth Barnett said. Black Bull is located on 484 acres of what used to be the Leachman Angus Ranch on Love Lane. The community so far includes a handful of private homes, a swim and tennis center, and an 18-hole golf course designed by former PGA Tour golfer Tom Weiskopf. This week, Black Bull is breaking ground on a new $1.3 million outdoor pool and fitness center, Barnett said. "People will be working out this spring, and then we will be doing cannonballs in June, or as soon as weather allows," she said. Several model homes are also under construction. Bla... 08/22/2011

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE On Wednesday Boy Scout Troop 614 donated a defibrillator to the Bozeman Police Department for use in the Gallatin County Law and Justice Center. Be prepared. That’s the Boy Scout motto, and that’s just what American Legion Boy Scout Troop 614 is helping the Bozeman Police Department to do. Eight boys from the troop presented the police department with an automated external defibrillator Wednesday afternoon. Troop 614, a relatively new troop, just 10 months old, but it’s already a big help in the Bozeman community. To raise $1,800 to buy the defibrillator, the boys sold popcorn, snack mix and hundreds of first-aid kits at $7 apiece, each kit tricked-out with extra survival implements. “Hand warmers, fishing hooks, sunscreen,” patrol leader Cody Rose, 11, listed. “G... 08/19/2011

Steve Johnson makes it look easy, keeping budgets of $70 million balanced and helping Bozeman’s schools to educate more than 5,000 children. As the Bozeman School District’s assistant superintendent for business for 25 years, Johnson was applauded this week by School Board trustees for giving exemplary service and for winning a national award, shortly before the board approved school budgets and tax rates for the coming year. It’s a rare person who can combine strong business skills with a passion for educating kids and the ability to explain to voters and legislators the state’s byzantine school funding system, Superintendent Kirk Miller and trustees said. Johnson is not only respected in the Bozeman business community but also has an amazing level of respect at the state and national ... 08/18/2011

NICK WOLCOTT/CHRONICLE Page Huyette, program director of Bozeman Youth Intiative's summer camp, leads kids in an activity Tuesday at Centennial Park. Twenty-one exuberant children circled around a yoga instructor and a cellist in Centennial Park on Tuesday morning. It doesn’t seem out of place in Bozeman – at face value, a community of hikers, bikers, runners and swimmers, with vibrant farmers markets and an active food co-op. But the city’s hallmark healthy lifestyle comes at a price — a price that’s too high for many low-income schoolchildren. “We need to include everyone in what this community stands for,”said Page Huyette, Bozeman Youth Initiative program director. With that in mind, the youth initiative started a free summer camp for kids who normally wouldn’t have such opportunit... 08/17/2011

Parents of Bozeman elementary students won’t find out until one week before school starts Aug. 29 which schools their kids will be assigned to this year. While many Montana school districts are struggling with declining enrollments,the Bozeman School District is facing an unusually large signup of more than 600 new students. It has postponed sending out school assignment notices to parents from this Friday until Aug. 22. That will give school secretaries and principals an extra 10 days to phone families and find out which registered students are actually going to attend this fall and how many have moved without telling the schools. It will also give the district more time to figure out whether two more teachers have to be hired to teach kindergarten or first grade. The district has alr... 08/12/2011

Another great company based in Bozeman, these guys and gals are located directly across the street from my office at PureWest.  Kudos to the team at MercuryCSC for this distinction. All best, Jason Frey The "Rack" Holding MercuryCSC's commuter bike Not only did Outside magazine name Bozeman one of America’s best ski towns last year, now it’s also given one of the city’s employers the distinction of being among the nation’s best companies to work for. MercuryCSC, a downtown communications company, is listed 16th on a list of 50 best companies to work for in the magazine’s September issue, slated to be out Tuesday.   MercuryCSC employees enjoy a relaxed workplace atmosphere with group yoga, mountain biking and snow sports excursions, a company kickball team called “Who Shot the Serif?” an... 08/12/2011

Saw this article in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and had to share it.  It's a tear jerker, but well worth the read.  Best of luck to the author, Terry Cunningham, on his efforts to complete Bozeman's Ridge Run. All best, Jason Frey Terry Cunningham and his dog, Darby (photo courtesy of Loneman Photography) Five yards out front, a once bull-headed spaniel inspires a Bozeman runner to challenge his limits Why am I running the Ridge Run this Saturday? The story starts with a poorly behaved dog. Even as a puppy, Darby was chunky, thick-muscled and bull-headed. The white and liver English springer spaniel strained at the leash whenever I’d walk him in our neighborhood. Walking Darby was like trying to rein in a runaway bulldozer with a piece of twine. His furious panting only added to the spe... 08/11/2011