Western Montana Homesteader

2 Missoula Independent Homesteader 2013

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Homesteader 2013 Missoula Independent 3


Table of ContentsOld is new again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Brighter days for the solar industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Expert Essay: A bright spot, affordability and the American Dream . . . . . . . . 16 Off the grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Permaculture tips from the Sundog Ecovillage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Virtues and challenges of raising urban fowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Expert Essay: A renter's guide to a safe place to call home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Expert Essay: Clean windows like a pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402013 Missoula Housing Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Cover photo by Chad Harder

Photo courtesy Confluence Construction

Mailing address:P.O. Box 8275

Missoula, MT 59807

Street address:317 S. Orange St.

Missoula, MT 59801

Phone number:406-543-6609

Fax number:406-543-4367

E-mail address:[email protected]

www.homeresource.org


* Banners

* Vehicle Wraps

* Aluminum Signs

* Magnetic Signs

* Sandblasted Signs

* Job Site Signs

* Decals

* Canvas Portraits

* Sandwich Boards


On a chilly afternoon in December,Mark Kersting caresses the smooth darktrim that lines a doorway inside the historicStensrud Building in Missoula’s Northside.

“Every piece of woodwork in here hasbeen stripped and refinished,” Kerstingsays proudly. “And I’ve done it without anychemicals.”

At 55, Kersting remains boyish with hisdark hair and eyes that light up when hetalks about renovating historic homes.Over the years, the man from Milwaukeehas been drawn to old buildings, com-

pelled to uncover their original characterand luster.

By the time Kersting arrived inMissoula in 1998, he had a portfolio full ofrenovations. Queen Anne, Victorian, youname the style, odds are he has stripped,sanded and painted. When he bought theStensrud 13 years ago, he was well pre-pared to restore the 123-year-old buildingto its original grandeur.

Today, the Stensrud is a showcase. Thehigh-ceilinged living room is painted in awarm orange faux finish. Lovingly restored

woodwork glows in the dim midday sun.The building’s original brick façade isexposed, looking much like it did a centu-ry ago when horses carrying riders plod-ded down the unpaved street.

When Kersting purchased theStensrud, he says it was in shambles.Plaster walls were pockmarked. Floors andceilings sagged. He’s invested a ton of timeand labor and a significant amount ofmoney into the project. The financialrewards will one day be big. Kersting sayshe has invested roughly $140,000 in the

Old is new againDIY restoration tips from

Stensrud Building owner Mark Kerstingby Jessica Mayrer

Photo by Chad Harder


renovation and that the Stensrud was lastappraised for $700,000.

While clearly not everyone is suited fora Stensrud-sized undertaking, there’s noshortage of historic homes in Missoula thatneed mostly aesthetic improvements, saysMissoula Realtor KD Dickinson.

“I looked at one yesterday for $169,000over in the Slant Streets,” she says in aFebruary interview. “(It’s) got orange carpetand hardwood floors under it. I walked inand went, ‘Oh, fun project.’”

Even simple things such as replacingchain link or chicken wire fencing withwood, purchasing energy efficient appli-ances and landscaping the yard for curbappeal can vastly improve the feel of ahouse and boost resale value, Dickinsonsays. “It will sell a house faster, in additionto just making it a nicer place to live.”

For Kersting, financial gain is nice. But itdoesn’t trump the pleasure he feels whilepeeling away layers to reveal a home’s past.“That’s the treasure of buying an old house,”he says. “You start revealing its history.”

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Jeff Edwards406-829-3409NMLSR ID 404522

Annett Burnett406-329-4067NMLSR ID 762499

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Information is accurate as of date of printing and is subject to change without notice. Wells Fargo Home Mortgage is a division of Wells FargoBank, N.A. © 2012 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. NMLSR ID 399801. AS979124 2/13-2/14

The Stensrud Building, pre-renovation

We spent some time withKersting to learn some of hisfavorite historic renovation tipsthat even novices can under-take.

“It’s about rhythms”In 1890, a stagecoach

operator named Levi Kiembuilt what’s now called theStensrud. During the earlyyears, the 6,000-foot structure

housed a Chinese laundry, adrug warehouse and a broth-el. It later served as a signshop operated by MerlinStensrud, who purchased it inthe 1960s.

When Kersting discoveredthe building, among the firstthings he did was evaluate itsstructural integrity, includingthe roof and foundation. Healso scrutinized the plumbingand electrical systems. That’sKersting’s first tip: Know whatyou’re getting into beforecommitting to an investment.

Kersting says that amongthe most inexpensive and sim-plest DIY improvements anovice can undertake is strip-ping woodwork. He points tothe smooth dark trim thatlines a bathroom doorway inthe Stensrud’s airy living

room and talks about how toremove layers of paint to revealthe natural wood grain below.

“Lets say this one’s reallycaked up,” he says. First, find a



heat gun or a torch. Then graba spoon or file that fits thewood’s shape and can be usedto gently peel away paint. Keepthe tool handy as you run thetorch or heat gun over thewood. “The trick is never tostop,” Kersting says. “Alwayshave motion. And then, takeyour torch away. Once it’s heat-ed up enough, it’s pliable. Youjust take that spoon and youjust rake (the paint) off.”

Apply a coat of wood finishand the surface will shine.

As historic homes can accu-mulate layers of paint that hidewood’s natural beauty, it’s notunusual to find carpet andlinoleum concealing smoothpine floors. When evaluatinghome projects, Kersting saysthat it’s a good idea to research

what’s underneath that orangeshag carpet.

Removing a rug is a quickand dirty job. After you yank itup, make sure that tacks areremoved and no nails stick upfrom the floor. Fill any holes withlatex wood filler, smoothing thefiller flush to the floor with aputty knife. Rent a drum sander;a 24-hour rental generally runsless than $50. If you don’t have ahand sander, you’ll want to bor-row, rent or buy one of those,too, so you can tackle the floor’sedges. A scraper comes in handyfor corner sanding.

Before you sand, seal offdoorways to keep the dust con-tained. Similarly, you shouldwear a respirator or a dustmask to protect your lungs.Next begins the transformative


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phase. Set the sander in a cor-ner, making sure that the sand-paper isn’t touching the floorbefore you turn the machineon. When you’re ready to go,turn on the machine, lower thedrum sander’s lever and workin the same direction of thefloorboards to the oppositecorner. Some experts suggestgoing over the floor with thedrum sander more than once,with lighter grit paper. It’sessential to keep the sandermoving, otherwise you’ll endup with a rut.

“It’s about rhythms,”Kersting says.

Once the floor is sanded,corners, edges and all, cleanthe area thoroughly beforeapplying a polyurethane finish.When you’re done, the floorshould shine like your newlyexposed trim.

Ready for primerOver the years, as buildings

settle, cracks in plaster and lathcan form what look like mean-dering roadmaps on your ceil-ings and walls. Those minor fis-sures are not difficult to fix.

Find a V-shaped lath tooland use it to rake out the fis-sure. Scoop out any loosematerial that has accumulatedalong the crack, going about ahalf-inch deep to the lath orbrick beneath. If the fissure isvery deep, you’ll have to back-fill it with what contractors call“quick-set mud,” which is avail-able at stores Ace, like HomeDepot and Lowe’s. Let the mudsit for roughly 90 minutes, untilit hardens, before taping over itwith self-adhering fiberglassmesh tape.

Once the tape is coveringthe fissure, apply a wide swathof all-purpose mud, also calledjoint compound. Feather it offand out about two feet fromthe crack with a fine handsponge to smooth the finalcoat. Make sure you have a con-sistent flush surface. Once thecompound dries, use a handsander to smooth out yourwork. “Then you’re ready forprimer,” Kersting says.

After priming the walls,Kersting opted to apply a fauxfinish in the living room. This isan area where homeownerscan have fun. The original prin-ciple fueling the faux finishtrend was to make the walllook like another material, likemarble or wood. There aremultiple way to apply a fauxfinish: sponges, rags and evenhands can be used to achieveyour desired effect. Moredetailed faux finishing tips areavailable at the library and onthe web.

Among the final tips thatKersting offers is one that leavespotential to save the mostmoney. He recommendsresearching whether your homelies in historic district. TheStensrud, for instance, lies inthe Missoula Northside RailroadHistoric District, allowingKersting to renovate the build-ing without having to fulfillmodern building code require-ments. The idea behind suchdistricts is to preserveMissoula’s architectural history.

“If they’re buying a homein a historical district, there’sall sorts of variances and exclu-sions that you can get incodes,” Kersting says. “Makesure you investigate that,


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because that could save you a tremendous amount ofmoney.”

Kersting stands in theStensrud’s kitchen atop theshining wooden floors that hesanded multiple times. He saysthat he’s amazed at times at themagnitude of what he’s accom-plished here. Despite hisachievement, he remains char-acteristically driven. Kerstingenvisions just one more bigproject for the property, build-ing a speakeasy in the base-ment that features live bluesand jazz music.

“There’s still the basementlevel to do,” he says. B

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Erin Scott says my home isall wrong. I live in a little placein the thick woods on the edgeof the Potomac valley. It isframed on three sides by steepslopes. It is quiet and peaceful,but often devoid of sun.

Scott owns Missoula-basedScott Solar. She recentlystopped by my house for a solarconsultation. I already suspect-ed that my cozy spot is notideal for solar energy. Thehardy herbs I keep in my win-

dowsill are slowly wilting. Mydriveway froze with the firstsnow and shows no signs ofmelting.

But Scott believes that any-thing is possible when it comesto solar energy. Her passion onthe subject spurs long mono-logues about energy consump-tion and all the damage it hasdone.

“We are the frog in the potof water,” Scott says. “The tem-peratures are going up, but we

don’t see that we are gettingready to boil ourselves.”

Despite the warming tem-peratures, Scott is optimistic.She believes that the changeswe need to make are simpleones that anyone can do. So Iasked her if she could help memake my sunless situationwork for solar.

“Well, this is the worst casescenario,” Scott says, glancingat the hillside. It is almost 1p.m., and the sun is just barely

peeking over the ridge. Despitethe fact that my roof is angledthe wrong way and there aretrees shading every inch of it,Scott seems undeterred as shesteps into the small patch ofsun next to my house. Makingsolar work isn’t all that tricky,she says.

“It’s not that difficult,” Scottsays. “It really isn’t. Anyone cando this.”

And Scott is helping tomake it easier than ever. With

Seeing the lightAwareness, innovations and lower prices mean brighter days for the solar industry

by Kelly Conde • photos by Chad Harder


Scott Solar, she works not onlyto install solar systems, but alsoto educate people on how tolive an energy-efficient lifestylethat solar power can sustain.The first step is conservation,she says. That starts with turn-ing things off.

“You really want to bringyour power bill down, flip theswitch,” Scott says.

In Missoula, Scott finds theinterest to unplug—both insidethe home, and from the tradi-tional electrical utility system—is growing. The dark metallicsheen of photovoltaic (PV )panels is popping up checker-board-style throughout townon various commercial and res-idential properties. A combina-tion of environmental aware-ness, tax incentives and a pricedrop in PV panels has the solarindustry booming.

During the past twelvey e a r s , 1 5 0Missoula resi-dential build-ings convertedto a solar net-metered renew-able energy sys-tem, accordingto NorthWesternEnergy . Wi thnet -meter ing,solar PV systemsare still connect-ed to the electri-cal grid, whichallows people toget credit forany excess ener-gy they p ro -duce. Then, atnight or in thosesunless wintermonths, whenutility energy isneeded , tha tcredit can beu s e d t o w a r dtheir bill. This is

not the only way people are liv-ing with a solar energy system.There are numerous unac-counted-for solar converts liv-ing off the grid.

The rise in solar energy inMissoula mirrors state andnational trends. In Montana,850 residential buildings haveconverted to a solar net-metered system since 1999.Though there’s no record ofh o w m a n y p e o p l e h a v eswitched to solar nationally,the U.S. Energy InformationAdministration reports photo-voltaic shipments have steadilyincreased during the past 10years. In 2011, there was arecord high in shipments,marking a 43 percent increasein one year.

According to John “Rip”H a m i l t o n , c o - o w n e r o fMissoula’s oldest solar compa-ny, Solar Plexus, this new trend


toward solar can be partiallyattributed to increased educa-tion when it comes to theenvironment.

“The demand is definitelyup,” Hamilton says. “Peopleare just more aware and inter-ested in doing whatever theycan to offset their carbonfootprint.”

Missoula may be gettinggreener, but a significantprice drop in PV panels is alsohelping to coax peopletoward solar energy. From2010 to 2011 alone, there wasa 19 percent decrease inprice. According to Hamilton,the cost of installing a smallsolar system in Missoula isabout half of what it was 10years ago.

Tax breaks are makingsolar even more affordable.An individual homeowner canearn up to $500 in state taxcredits and receive a federaltax credit of 30 percent of thecost of the new solar system.NorthWestern Energy alsosporadically offers a $6,000grant from their UniversalSystems Benefit program.There is also a low-interestloan available from theAlternative Energy RevolvingLoan for individuals and smallcompanies to install panels.

The price drop isprompting the industry tofind new innovations for

solar energy. SBS Solar, aMissoula-based companyfounded in 2009, nowinstalls PV heating systems.

“In the past we stayedaway from any kind of electri-cal heating,” says DanBrandborg, SBS Solar generalmanager and renewable ener-gy specialist. “Well now, themodule cost for systems iscoming down so much thatwe can generate heat in spe-cific areas.”

It may be less expensivethan ever to convert to solar energy, but it’s stillpricey. Before tax breaks, itcosts between $10,000 and$20,000 to install a system,depending on how manysolar panels are needed. Forthe average home, at least athree-kilowatt-hour system isnecessary.

The average Montanahome spends roughly $85dollars per month on theirenergy bill, according to theU.S. Energy InformationAdministration. That meansproperty owners would beginto reap savings from their PVinvestment in approximately10 years.

The key to racking upsavings earlier is to not bethe average home. This iswhy Scott Solar offers notonly installation but alsoconsultation. Scott takes

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Erin Scott fromScott Solar inMissoula


pleasure in coaching people on how tomake their home and their lifestyle moreenergy-efficient.

At my cabin, Scott likes the wood stoveand the double-paned windows. Shespeaks of energy consumption as an addic-tion and points to my iPod and mymicrowave that’s glaring fluorescent rednumbers.

“This is the cigarette that you are stillsmoking,” she says.

Scott found a way to make a small PVsystem work on my property. For about$2,000, she says, Scott Solar could build apole-mount structure on the only patch ofland that consistently gets sunlight. Thesystem would be sufficient to power myessential electrical needs, including arefrigerator, computer and one lamp. I willneed more panels than someone living inan open space, she says. I will also need towork on my addictions, like turning off mycomputer and unplugging my music. ButScott has me convinced that now is thetime to make the change. B


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The seasonal shift from theshort, cold days of winter into awarmer, sunnier spring alwaysbrings with it a sense of opti-mism. It’s a time many peoplefind themselves soaking in afresh light with more energy,focus and a willingness toexplore new horizons.

In years past, it has also sig-naled the beginning of a strong

seasonal housing cycle. Foryears, real estate agents,lenders and title professionalscould count on their workdaysgetting longer with everyminute of extended sunshineas homebuyers and home sell-ers began the cycle of rising upto meet the calling of investing,and reinvesting, in their qualityof life and economic futures.

With every flower that blos-somed, a “For Sale” sign wouldappear, with an “UnderContract” not far behind.

Beginning in 2007 this “cir-cle of economic life” began tochange. Homebuyers werebecoming exhausted with esca-lating real estate prices and rel-a t i v e l y s t a g n a n t w a g e s .Homeowners, on the other

hand, were not ready to fold.Sales began to slow and inven-tories of homes began to rise.But very few people knew whatwas about to hit a market thathad become a bedrock of thenational economy, not to men-tion Missoula and westernMontana.

By now the financial crisisof 2008 and the “Great

Housing turnaroundA bright spot, affordability and the American Dream

by Rob Fleming, branch manager of American Mortgage in Missoula

Expert Essay:

Photo by Cathrine L. Walters

Recession” that followed it areold news, although their effectsstill linger. While a banking sys-tem unraveled, and an econo-my nearly collapsed, Americansbecame used to terms such as“too big to fail,” “bailouts” and“the new normal.” Real estateagents and lenders had to reac-quaint themselves with termssuch as “short sales,” “foreclo-sure” and “bank-owned.” TheU.S. Treasury and FederalReserve stepped in to rescue anindustry that had become fartoo important to ignore, but itsactions were not without con-troversy. While aggressive mon-etary policies were implement-ed to help drive interest ratesto historic lows, mountains ofnew regulation accompaniedthem, along with far stricterlending guidelines. While manypeople may have been enticedby cheap borrowing costs, agood number found out they

couldn’t qualify in the “newnormal” of our lending world.

Fast forward a few years: in2011 and 2012 the U.S. econo-my grew, although slowly, butits contraction ceased. At thesame time, new jobs were slow-ly being added each month andthe national unemploymentrate dropped from 10 percentto 7.8 percent. This “healing”of the jobs market, coupledwith tame inflationary data,brought consumer confidenceback to three-year highs.

Now, in 2013, fewer econo-mists are warning of a “double-dip recession” and more arewilling to suggest that theworst is behind us, that we’ve“hit bottom.” What’s the brightspot most point to? Housing.

That’s right, the housingmarket is recovering strongly atthis point, and that cannot bedenied. In Missoula, and othercities across the nation, sales are

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up, inventories are down andthe word “appreciation” hasactually resurfaced. The fact thisword even makes its way into aconversation about real estate istestament to recovery. Andwhile not every market is experi-encing a turnaround, there hasbeen strong national improve-ment over the last 18 months.Some deem this the “raindroprecovery”(picture the cementwhen it starts raining), withrecovery splashing down on cer-tain markets and missing others.This is, however, fairly normaland recovery always has to startsomewhere.

What does this mean for usnow in Missoula? Nobody isquite sure what to expect overthe long term, but presentlypotential homebuyers are tak-ing advantage of the residualbenefits of the “GreatRecession”—low borrowingrates and relatively low homeprices compared to just a fewyears ago. It is this combina-tion, along with the “fear fac-tor” of job loss on the decline,that has propelled a new gener-ation of homebuyers into amarket full of opportunity.

At this time in 2009 the aver-age 30-year fixed rate was justover 5 percent, a rate not seen

since the Eisenhower years ofthe late 1950s. Borrowers werescrambling to refinance as thisopportunity, handed out by theU.S. Treasury through a firstwave of stimulus spending, wasexpected to be short-lived andfar too great to pass up. Fouryears later, the average 30-yearfixed-rate mortgage sits at about3.5 percent.

What does all of this meanfor us today? There are a lot ofthings to be learned from thehousing boom. Most Americansnow realize, accept andembrace the real virtues of own-ing a home–family and commu-nity stability, pride of ownershipand owning a piece of “TheAmerican Dream.” Homes areno longer ATMs, and thoseentering the market now aretruly qualified to own andunderstand the associated risks.We are back to a time whenowning a home is becomingmore affordable, makes sense,and most buyers understand thetrue commitment that comeswith buying their first home.

And with that commitmentthere is a new sense of hope and an energy that continues to make the housing “brightspot” something we can allcelebrate. B


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Most evenings inside LynnSainsbury’s home a single smalllamp glows in the living room.Sainsbury is living entirely off the utility grid and her solar energy can only go so farin the winter.

Sainsbury left modern lifebehind mostly because she did-n’t want to pay for it. In 1995,she was just starting graduateschool in the environmentalstudies program at theUniversity of Montana and hadlimited funds saved from work-ing as a biologist for the ForestService. This 20-acre parcel of

land near Potomac was enticingbecause it was affordable.However, it didn’t come withmuch in the way of amenities—only a small, poorly insulatedcabin with plumbing but noelectricity.

Now, Sainsbury owns solarpanels for electricity and hasgrown to love living away fromthe bustle of city life. And aftermore than 15 years here,Sainsbury has in many waysperfected the art of living offthe grid. For instance, last fallshe reluctantly shot a bear thatwas harassing her family. Since

then, they’ve added bear meatto their diet. “I didn’t want tokill it,” Sainsbury says. “But themeat is delicious.”

Sainsbury claims that herlifestyle isn’t much differentthan that of most Americans.But how many people do youknow who eat bear meat andrely entirely on solar power?Most of us aren’t likely to go tothe lengths Sainsbury has in thename of austerity. But for thoseof us looking to downsize,there are lessons to be learnedfrom Sainsbury and others likeher, pockets of people tucked

away at the end of westernMontana’s rocky dirt roads thatlive entirely off the utility grid.

Inside Sainsbury’s cabin, amedium-sized wood stoveperched in the center of themain room kicks off enough heatto keep her home toasty even onthe coldest night. The stove has aglass door so that light, as well asheat, radiates out, assisting thelittle lamp with illuminating theliving room.

In the evenings, the stoveand lamp draw Sainsbury andher two children, ages 9 and 12,

DownsizedLessons learned by going off the grid

by Kelly Conde • photos by Chad Harder

together. Economy, it seems,helps keep the family close.

On this winter afternoon,Sainsbury’s stove also keeps apot of venison and pork chiliwarm until dinnertime.Sainsbury, 49, works as aD e p a r t m e n t o f N a t u r a lResources and Conservationwater resource specialist dur-ing the week. On the week-ends, while her children sleddown the property’s long icydriveway, Sainsbury chops andstacks wood. She says this is themost time-intensive part of liv-ing off the grid.

Due to air quality concerns,standard wood stoves are notallowed within Missoula citylimits. Pellet stoves, however,are. Pellet stoves burn muchcleaner than regular woodstoves because they use com-

pressed sawdust or biomass,which burn hot and with verylittle smoke.

Pellet proponents say thatsuch stoves are well suited forMontana. They draw from theregion’s steady supply ofrenewable resources that couldotherwise end up rotting inlandfills. Furthermore, purchas-ing locally manufactured pelletshelps fuel the area economy.

Installing a pellet stove isn’tlikely to save you money. But itwill help you cut down on yourhome’s greenhouse gas emis-sions. Pellets are almost com-pletely carbon neutral. Thatcontrasts with the cleanest offossil fuels, natural gas.According to a power bill rec-onciled with EnvironmentalProtection Agency data, a smallhome in Missoula that’s heated

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with natural gas emits about10,000 pounds of carbon diox-ide annually. In 2010, green-house gas emissions from

homes and businesses account-ed for approximately 11 per-cent of the country’s total output.

Studying energy consump-tion is an inherent part of livingoff the grid for Kevin

M c M a n i g a l . L a s t J u n e ,McManigal and his wife, Tina,moved onto a 20-acre parceljust down the road fromSainsbury. The couple plans onbuilding a cabin here. In themeantime, a small circular yurtwith canvas walls serves as thecenter of their daily activities,which include hauling water,chopping wood and, forMcManigal, shaving in the bath-room at work.

McManigal’s desk insidethe yurt is covered by a range ofelectrical devices including atall lamp, his computer, and aninternet modem. McManigal,who t eaches c a r tog raphyand Geographic InformationSystem technology at theUniversity of Montana, installedtelephone and internet utilitiesto remain connected to the out-side world.

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McManigal has a genera-tor that serves as a backuppower source. Other thanthat, he relies wholly on solarpower. Among the flickeringcontraptions is a small box-like one called a trimetric bat-tery monitor. It shows himexactly how much electricityhe is using as well as howmuch his newly installed solarpanels are producing.

There are similar devicesfor those who remain connect-ed to utility infrastructure andare interested in keeping trackof their energy consumption.The monitors range in costfrom $18 to $150.

The Blue Line PowerCostMonitor, for instance, is avail-able on Amazon.com for $99.The monitor is hooked up tothe electricity meter on yourhome and reports how muchenergy the household is using,when the most energy is beingconsumed, which items in yourhouse use the most energy, andhow much it costs. A moreaffordable option is the Kill aWatt EZ electricity monitor,which can be plugged into indi-vidual appliances to read howmuch energy they are consum-ing. Home Depot and Best Buysell Kill a Watt EZ electricitymonitors for about $50.

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If you aren’t up for shellingout the cash for a monitor,study your monthly energy billto evaluate which appliancesuse the most electricity.

It’s also a good idea toinstall sensors for your outdoorlights so they are not constantlyon. McManigal has learnedthrough his newfound frugalityto turn off “phantom” energysuckers, like a plugged-in cellphone charger that’s not beingput to use. One easy way toensure that your electronicsdon’t continue sucking energywhen they’re not functional isby plugging everything into one

power strip. When you’re readyto call it a night or leave for theday, turn it all off at once by flip-ping the power strip’s switch.

Living off the grid enablesone to gain a tangible sense ofthe environmental resources ittakes to power a home, a sensethat most Americans won’t evertruly appreciate. In the end, itbecomes clear that the princi-ples McManigal and Sainsburynow live by—and those thatanyone can conserve by—arereally pretty simple.

“You just need to down-size your lifestyle,” McManigalsays. B


Lynn Sainsbury in her cabin near Potomac


On a warm winter day, snowmelt fallsfrom the sloped roof of the SundogEcovillage education center’s indoor green-house onto an outdoor garden that later thissummer will come alive with asparagus,strawberries, sunflowers and raspberrybushes. The garden sits in the middle of a

40-acre pine-studded property about 30minutes east of Missoula. It’s part of asprawling permaculture demonstrationproject that Sundog’s founders hope willhelp awaken locals to the benefits of takinga holistic approach to environmental design.

“We need to be restorative—regenera-

tive. We’ve got a lot of shit to fix,” saysJason Gutzmer, one of Sundog’s founders.

The term “permaculture” was firstcoined in the 1970s. It’s a big concept thatties architecture to agriculture in anattempt to efficiently harness human ener-gy and natural resources when building

Garden revolutionPermaculture tips from Sundog Ecovillage

by Jessica Mayrer • photos by Chad Harder

structures and growing food. For years,Gutzmer helped to launch permacultureprojects all over Latin America. Aiming toset down roots in western Montana,Gutzmer, his wife and several friendsformed Land Stewards LLC. They pooledtheir funds to buy this tree-shaded proper-ty and seeded a permaculture-basedutopia.

At Sundog, the permaculture conceptis perhaps best embodied in theEcovillage’s “hugelkultur” garden. Theraspberries planted beneath the slopedroof would typically require a significantamount of water during the summermonths. But because Sundog has situatedthe garden to catch snowmelt and rainrunoff, which is stored in an undergroundreservoir, the raspberries will thrive duringthe growing season without irrigation.

Gutzmer and his Ecovillage partnerscreated the reservoir by digging a 40-foot-long trench that runs 4 feet deep. Theyfilled it with logs that came from beetle-rav-

At Sundog Ecovillage, even branches and sticks are put to use.

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aged trees harvested from thisproperty. The logs, togetherwith the backfill of clay-rich soilthat originated in the trench,absorb and store the water.Meanwhile, manure, placedatop the logs, helps to fertilizethe raspberry bushes andasparagus.

A bucket with its bottom cutout that’s buried undergroundin the hugelkultur gardenserves as a table that enablesGutzmer to gauge how muchwater is stored in the reservoir.Gutzmer smiles when he liftsthe bucket’s lid and finds thereservoir full of murky fluid,teeming with bacteria and nutri-ents that plants love.

“It’s a manure tea of sorts,”he says, scooping out a handfulof the brown water.

City dwellers can buildsmaller hugelkultur gardensflush with the ground or inraised beds with branches andweeds. Even knapweed works,Gutzmer says. Just make surethat you bury it at least twoinches below the surface so itwon’t germinate.

The idea with hugelkulturand, more broadly, with perma-culture in general is that whileyou might have to put in a littlework up front, once the origi-nal time investment is com-plete, you can kick back andwatch your garden grow.

“Permaculture is reallyabout intelligent laziness,”Gutzmer says. “It’s about beingsmart with how much youdon’t want to work.”

There are a ton of thingsthat we’d rather be doing thissummer rather than pullingweeds and mowing the lawn.That’s why we continued topick Gutzmer’s brain.

Keeping a lawn up to snuffis labor-intensive. It requiresregular watering, weeding and

mowing. Such effort is far toolabor- and resource-intensive tosquare with permaculture.

A better alternative,Gutzmer says, is to pull up yourlawn and plant clover instead.The leafy green is highlydrought resistant and it actuallyregenerates the soil.

As for growing food, thetrick for people just learningpermaculture or even basic gar-dening, Gutzmer says, is to startsmall. Begin with a raised bedor two and expand from there.

It’s important to planwhere you build those beds.Permaculture breaks propertiesinto zones. It’s a way of concep-tualizing your land as beingmade of smaller chunks. Thinkof zone zero, for instance, asyour house. Zone one wouldinclude the area immediatelyaround your home, places thatyou frequent the most, such asthe walkway from where youpark your car to the home’sentrance.

Gutzmer says you shouldplant higher- maintenance veg-gies where the most time is

s,”ou

“Permacultureis really about

intelligentlaziness. It’sabout being

smart with howmuch you don’twant to work.”

-Jason Gutzmer,

Sundog Ecovillage



spent, in zone one. It’s too easy to forgetabout the garden that grows out of sight.

“Design around the life you alreadylive,” he says.

Building raised beds rather than plant-ing directly in the ground is typically worththe initial time investment, Gutzmer says.“It’s going to have more aeration. It’s goingto have less compaction.”

At Sundog, plants in raised gardenbeds are nurtured by what Gutzmer calls“pee-pee-ponics.” Urine is rich in nitro-gen, phosphorous and potassium, mak-ing it a great natural fertilizer and a sub-stance that fits squarely in with the primepermaculture tenet of maximizing what can be found in the surroundingnatural environment. “You’re getting allthe benefits of taking a leak outside,”Gutzmer says.

Pee-pee-ponics at Sundog is essentiallya subirrigation system that receives urineand water through a waist-high cone that’sattached to a frame constructed around thegarden beds. Urine travels from the conethrough a tube that’s wrapped in old blue

The trick for learning permaculture is to start smallwith a raised bed or two, then expand.


jeans and T-shirts to keep the dirt fromplugging the holes in the bottom of thedrainpipe, where urine filters out towardthe plants’ roots.

Rather than hand-watering the surfaceof the raised bed, Gutzmer places a hose inthe cone. The technique makes the toma-toes and basil more drought-resistant andthere’s no evaporative loss.

Another option for urban residents whowant to dip their toes in permaculture is toplant vining plants like scarlet runner beans,

grapes or hops. Those hardy plants are well-suited to climb trellises erected on the sideof a home and will help provide shade in thesummer, says Michael Pilarski from theInland Northwest Permaculture Guild.

“Hops is a great one,” Pilarski says,adding that hops can be used in brewingand also for medicinal purposes.

In the 1980s, Pilarski started teachingcourses on permaculture across the north-west. Since then, he’s seen the design tech-nique become increasingly popular.

Classes he taught on the coast 20 years agoonce drew only 115 people or so. Thosesame classes now lure up to 500.

Pilarski isn’t surprised by permacul-ture’s growing popularity. After all, he says,it offers a means for individuals to beginmaking the environmental changes neces-sary to shape a healthier planet. “We cangrow all of the food necessary to feed theword,” Pilarski says.

Gutzmer agrees that permaculture is rad-ically transformative. The technique providesa means for individuals and communities torely upon themselves, rather than purchasingfood from far-flung regions of the country.More broadly, it encourages us to think dif-ferently about how we interact with our sur-roundings. Rather than setting the bar at sus-tainability, permaculture focuses on findingways to regenerate the land. And, Gutzmersays, that conceptual and physical transfor-mation begins right in our own yards. “Ithink the front yard garden revolution iswhat really needs to happen,” he says. B

Replacing lawns with clover saves water and effort.



Clucked upThe virtues and challenges of raising urban fowl

by Jessica Mayrer • photos by Chad Harder

I’m not a farmer. I might have squeezeda chicken at a petting zoo while growing upin San Francisco, encountered a goat ortwo, contemplated cow tipping on roadtrips. But I’ve basically had zero interactionwith my food sources over the years.

That changed in 2009, when I broughta small flock of hens to live in a homemade

chicken coop outside my old house. Myfriends thought it strange that I wanted toraise chickens. My mom, who still lives inSan Francisco, surrounded by tall buildingsand the sounds of ambulances screamingthrough the night, wondered whether Ishould let my new urban flock into myhouse during Montana’s coldest months.

I wondered, too. They seemed coldthat first fall as temperatures began toplummet. It became evident I had no ideawhat I was doing once Frida, Mia, Sid andJackson—I named the hens after dead rock-ers and artists—started losing their feath-ers. I thought they were sick.

A Google search reassured me. It

turned up a wealth of community forumsfeaturing postings from people likeme–city dwellers overwhelmed by thedependent hens now clucking in our backyards. Among the topics were, “What’swrong with my chickens?” in which aPortland, Ore., resident asked, “Do chick-ens ‘moult?’” The inquiry continued, “Itlooks like they lost feathers and are grow-ing them back in patches. It looks terrible.”

It does look bad. Sid especially lookedlike an awkward adolescent, his spindlytufts a sad reminder of the red feathers thatonce shined in the morning sun. I learnedthrough these online chicken supportgroups that chickens are supposed tomoult. People with far more expertise thanme on those discussion boards said asmuch. They suggested that feeding theflock protein-rich mealworms would helpto grow new feathers in the fall.

Other discussion board fodder includ-ed cranky chickens. “Moody chickens all ofa sudden why?” asked “Mogli” fromPennsylvania. He wondered why his birds



would be “(sic throughout)chaseing eacther around andterring the heck otta the back ofeachothers heads its rediculouswhy are they doing this?”

Chickens are moody, espe-cially when they’re working toestablish a pecking order. Inthe fall, my chickens charged atme while I worked in the backyard. Flapping their wings, theywould peck my laptop, orperch on my knee, just staring.I think they wanted to knockme off of my roost on the back-yard swing.

I see the tenor of the mes-sage board questions, many ofus expressing complete igno-rance about how to raise urbanfowl, as a reflection of a grow-ing trend that’s taking place incosmopolitan communitiesacross the nation. Portland,Ore., reportedly has the highestper capita chicken populationin the country. New York allowsthem, as do Chicago andCalifornia. Framing the urbanchicken as the poster child ofthe locally grown food move-ment has helped advocates to

successfully overturn poultrybans in South Portland, Maine,A n n A r b o r, M i c h . , a n dBozeman. In Missoula, the citycouncil voted 8-4 in 2007 toallow up to six hens per house-hold in city limits.

It’s easy to see why fowl arebeing moved into urban envi-ronments. They provide ameans to raise healthy foodclose to home. Hens are alsohighly efficient trash com-pactors. Few things make themhappier than snacking on bugsand wilting veggies. (Mine even

munched on coffee grounds.)And because chicken poop isrich in nitrogen, it makes forgreat fertilizer. Don’t apply thescat straight onto veggies,though. The heavy nitrogenconcentration will harm yourplants. A good way to turnchicken poop into a fertilizer isby collecting the bedding fromtheir coop and throwing it inthe compost bin.

There is a downside tourban fowl, however, saysElaine Sehnert from MissoulaAnimal Control. “Sometimes

we just find stray chickens,” shesays.

If there’s one thing urbanchicken novices should know,Sehnert says, it’s to trim thebirds’ flight wing feathers.Otherwise, they can fly awayand you don’t know wherethey’ll land.

Animal Control stafferswould prefer not to spend theirtime capturing a chicken,Sehnert says. “It can reallymake you feel like a dufus.”

In 2012, Missoula AnimalControl received 23 chickencomplaints. Some of thosewere about hens on the loose.At the shelter, stray chickens

are placed in an outdoor ken-nel. It’s not optimal, Sehnertsays, largely because dogsinhabit adjacent cages.

“We don’t have any placefor chickens,” she says.

Despite the challenges,Sehnert and her colleaguesmake it work. In the winter, forinstance, they place a heatingpad in the outdoor kennel tokeep stray birds warm. Sehnertsays that the shelter has neverhad to euthanize a chicken.

Other fowl-related com-plaints last year stemmed fromnoise—mostly illegal roosterswithin city limits, Sehnert says.That often happens because it’s

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tough to determine whetherchicks are male or female. Theend result leaves unsuspectingchicken owners with a verynoisy rooster, onethat doesn’t lay eggsand who annoys theneighbors. “That’sour main problem,”Sehnert says.

Chicken ownersa r e r e q u i r e d t osecure a $15 permitthrough the CityTreasurer’s Office.The ordinance statesthat, “Chickens shallbe provided with acovered, predator-proof chicken housethat is thoroughlyventilated, of suffi-cient size to admitfree movement ofthe chickens, designed to beeasily accessed, cleaned andmaintained by the owners andbe at least 2 square feet per

chicken in size.” Since the ordi-nance passed, Missoula hasissued 186 chicken permits.

I never got a permit. I canadmit that now,because it turns outI wasn’t suited tora i s ing ch i ckens .Cleaning up afterthem simply becametoo much of a chorefor this city kid. So Isent them to live inAlberton, where awoman who adoresmy former hensmakes them home-made food. My expe-rience should notsour you to thelifestyle. It can bevery satisfying, listen-ing to their littleclucks and frying

fresh eggs. If you decide to jointhe urban chicken movement,Murdoch’s sells pullets in thespring. B

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When searching for the perfect rental,it’s nearly impossible to not get caught upin enticing amenities such as the amazinglocation, the two-car garage and even thegarden beds in the spacious yard.Sometimes we can’t help but get sowrapped up in a property’s most attractivefeatures that we completely overlook thepractical features of a potential futurehome, like the safety of the rental. Thisoften-overlooked aspect should bebumped to the top of any renter’s list ofpriorities, especially in Missoula where somuch of our housing stock consists ofolder homes. While long-standing resi-dences may have that “historic charm” thatso many renters find appealing, be awareof the risks involved with them. For

instance, if an older home has not beenupdated in the recent past, it is likely tohave outdated plumbing and heating sys-tems and other safety hazards.

When you are looking at a property, takethe time to inspect the following key house-hold safety components before even thinkingabout signing a rental agreement. And don’thesitate to ask the person showing the homedetailed questions about the property’s safe-ty features—you won’t regret it!

HeatIf the residence relies on a gas furnace for

heat, verify that it is serving your unit only.Not only is it a safety hazard to have it set upto serve more than one unit, but it may resultin you paying someone else’s heating bill!

MoldIf the house does not have proper ven-

tilation systems, it is almost guaranteedthat after a matter of time, mold will beginto accumulate in the moist areas of thehousehold. If you can see mold, it’s toolate: Mold is extremely difficult to remove,and can be a very expensive endeavor forthe owner of the property. Toxic mold ishazardous to one’s health. It’s best to pre-vent it from accumulating in the firstplace. Ensure that the residence (especial-ly the bathrooms!) is well ventilated (testthe bathroom vent to see if it’s workingproperly) and ask the landlord what meas-ures he or she has taken to avoid moldaccumulation.

Safety firstA renter’s guide to a safe place to call home

By Katherine Brady, director, ASUM Off-Campus Renter Center • photos by Cathrine L. Walters

Expert Essay:


Egress WindowsAll bedrooms are required to have

at least one working window that is aminimum size of 5.7 square feet. If youare tempted to set up your bed in awindowless “bonus room,” take amoment to consider that you wouldhave no means of escaping in case of afire or other emergency.

ElectricalExposed wiring in a residence is

a danger, so be sure that all wiring issufficiently covered, protected, andsecured in place. Electrical panelcovers should be intact and securedover every panel. Any electrical fix-tures located in close proximity to awater source must be visibly markedas suitable for wet locations.

Smoke detectorsIn addition to having one in

every bedroom and adjoining hall-ways between bedrooms, thereshould also be one smoke detectorper floor of habitable space. Test

them to verify that they are in goodworking order.

Water DamageLook out for water stains on the

floors, ceilings and walls. Also, checkthe exterior walls for broken or rot-ted areas, which indicate that there isa lack of weather protection. Finally,you will want to check under sinksfor any signs of leaks.

Household ExitsHousehold exits must be easily

accessible, without obstruction, and pro-vide direct access to the outdoors.

Worried that your current rentalis not up to safety code? Sign up foran inspection through the City ofM i s s o u l a ’ s Vo l u n t a r y R e n t a lInspection Program. Contact the Cityof Missoula Building Department(552-6042) or if you are a student atthe University of Montana contactthe ASUM Off-Campus Renter Center(243-2017) for more information. B


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“Yuck!” “Gross!” “Nasty!”If these are words you hear yourself say

when you look at your windows, then youwill be so glad you found this article.

Most people I know dread cleaningtheir windows. They know it needs to bedone, but would rather do anything thanspend hours slogging along with Windex

and paper towels, just to look at their win-dows later and be greeted with smudgesand smears.

All that effort, just for disappointment.I am going to let you in on the secret

methods professionals use when cleaningwindows. And when you use these meth-ods, you will get professional results.

The right toolsAs with any job, using the right tools

makes a huge difference. Sure, you candrive a nail with a screwdriver. But a ham-mer will give you much better results. It’sthe same with window cleaning. So forgeteverything that you’ve heard about vinegar,newspapers, etc. The most important tool

Clear viewSeven easy steps to cleaning windows like a pro

by Sid Graef of Spectrum Window Cleaning • photos by Cathrine L. Walters

Expert Essay:


for cleaning windows is a goodsqueegee. Period.

You can get a good one atHome Depot or Lowe’s forunder $20. And it will last you alifetime.

The right cleaningsolution

Windex? Vinegar? Ammo-nia? Never mind those. Thesimplest solution I know is ateaspoon of Dawn dishwashingliquid in a gallon of water. Thiswill work for almost any win-dow cleaning job you have. Ifyou have a smoker in thehouse, or lots of grease on thekitchen windows, add a “glug”of ammonia to cut it. (A “glug”is a scientific measurementequal to about 1/4 cup.)

A clean, dry towelThis is important for

preparing the window to besqueegeed as well as touchingup when you are done.

Applicator cleaner You can use any number of

things to wet the window andscrub the dirt and buildup. Thebest is a window cleaning“wand” or “strip washer.” This

is a cotton or microfiber sleeveon a T-shaped handle. You canget them at Home Depot orLowe’s along with yoursqueegee. You can also getgood results from a naturalsponge. (Shameless self pro-motion alert: We have homewindow cleaning kits availablefor $30.)

“How do I use allthis stuff?”

Now for the fun part:Getting your hands wet andgetting those windows cleaned.

Step one: Dip your wand orsponge into your cleaning juiceand wring it out. Leave the wandvery damp, but not dripping.

Step two: Place your wandor sponge on the window paneand get it evenly wet. Thenscrub a bit to loosen all dirt,buildup, crud, etc.

Step three: Place your terrycloth towel over one hand, andwith a single finger pressing tothe edge of the glass against theframe, outline the window ontwo sides and the top. This is togive you a clean dry edge forstarting your squeegee allaround the window. You don’t

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need to wipe the bottom at thispoint, because it will get wet asyou pull water down with yoursqueegee.

Step four: Grab your shinynew squeegee. Wipe the edgeof the squeegee rubber (orblade) to make sure it is cleanand dry. Now place yoursqueegee firmly along the topof your window pane, right bythe frame. Start on the left sideof your window, with the leftedge of the squeegee blade upagainst the left side of yourwindow. Pull your squeegeestraight down. Note: Only uselight pressure. You don’t needto press hard and it may be alittle hard to start the pull,because of drag on the dry por-tion of the glass (where youwiped with your towel.) Assoon as you get to the wetglass, your squeegee will glideacross the glass and you will beinstantly happy.

Step five: Once you reachthe bottom of your windowpane with your “pull,” removethe squeegee from the glassand wipe the blade again withyour towel. Go back to the topand “plant” your squeegee atthe next section of wet glass.Slightly overlap your squeegeeonto the dry section of windowyou just cleaned. But only aninch or less. Repeat your down-ward “pull.” As you pull thesecond time (and third, fourth,etc.), tilt your squeegee slightlydown toward the dry side ofthe glass. This will make surethe water being pulled fromthe glass goes toward the wetglass and doesn’t leave a lineon the dry clean section of yourwindow pane.

Step six: At this point, it isjust “rinse and repeat.” Or in

window cleaning world, just“plant and pull.”

Step seven: Once the glasshas been completely squeegeed,use your clean towel to touchup around the edges and dry offthe window sill.

Now you should be soexcited that you are singing ordancing, or both. Try not to

dance too much, as this cancause you to drip cleaning solu-tion on the floor.

After you have done a fewwindows, you will fall in lovewith clean windows forever.When you get really good, youwill most likely want a careerchange to professional windowcleaning. Call me.

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We are pleased to presentthe 2013 Missoula HousingReport, our eighth annualreport on housing in the cityand county of Missoula. Thisyear’s report, as with previousreports, represents the collabo-r a t i v e e f f o r t s o f t h eCoordinating Committee fort h e H o u s i n g R e p o r t .Committee membership isdrawn from the Missoularegional community, withmembers who represent a widespectrum of businesses, organi-zations, agencies, and individu-als concerned with our localhousing market.

The content of each year’sreport evolves based on:• Current trends• Available information • Feedback from readers

Our objective is always toprovide a comprehensive, cred-

ible, and neutral picture ofMissoula housing that can beused as a tool by communitymembers and policy makers asthey seek to serve Missoula’sneeds.

Changes to this year’sreport include discussions oflow-income housing and home-lessness in our community. Wealso focus attention on dis-tressed sales this year, which iscurrently a significant issue. Inprevious years we added neigh-borhood information and moredetail on what is happening inhousing finance. So pleaseread this report and let us knowyour thoughts on how we mightimprove it.

If, after reading this report,you are interested in gettinginvolved in meeting the hous-ing needs of our community,please contact any of the public

Housing2013

by Missoula Organization of REALTORS

photos by Chad Harder

WWW.BIGSKYBUILDERS.COM406-842-5068

contactHoward Mills, Owner • [email protected]


Table 1: Missoula home sales increased in both number and median price.


or private agencies engaged inlocal housing mentioned in thisreport. Additional housingresources are listed on theMissoula Organization ofREALTORS® website atwww.MissoulaRealEstate.com.

HOUSING SALES & PRICESHome Sales in 2012

The number of homes soldin Missoula increased by 22percent in 2012. A total of1,068 homes were sold, upfrom 878 in 2011 (Table 1 andFigures 1-3.) The median priceof homes sold increased by justover 2 percent to $209,700.Home sales were strongest inthe $150,000-$275,000 pricerange, which makes sense

given the median price ofhomes in Missoula. The greatestincrease in number of homessold, however, came in the$275,000-$350,000 price range(Figure 4). With the expirationof the first-time homebuyers’ taxcredit, sales of starter homeswere relatively flat.

Both of these measuresreflect national trends. TheNational Association of REAL-TORS® (NAR) reports that,nationally, the median homeprice rose to $176,600, up from$166,100 in 2011 and the num-ber of sales of existing homeswas at 4,650,000, up from4,260,000 in 2011.

Condominiums andTownhouse Sales

Sales of condominiums andtownhouses in 2012 weresteady compared with 2011, yet

Figure 1: 2012 saw a nice uptick after several years of sluggish sales

Figure 2: Sales were higher in each quarter in 2012 compared to 2011

still down considerably fromthe peak years of 2006 and2007. Sales decreased in the 0-$100,000 and the $150,000-$200,000 price ranges butincreased in the $100,000-$150,000 and $200,000+ priceranges (Figure 5).

Comparative Trendsin Home Prices

Both the Missoula andnational housing markets sawan increase in both number ofhomes sold and median price.Missoula’s median home priceincreased by 2.2 percent andthe national median home

Figure 3: Change in Missoula’s median home price has been much lessvolatile than at the national level, dipping into the negative only the threeyears of 2008-2010.

Figure 4: 2012 saw a general upswing in all price ranges

Figure 5: Sales of condominiums and townhouses decreased inthe lowest price range and increased in the highest


price increased by 6 percent.The number of homes sold inMissoula jumped an incredible22 percent, while the numberof homes sold nationallyincreased by 9 percent, accord-ing to the National Associationof REALTORS®.

The Federal HousingFinance Agency Housing PriceIndex is a broad measure of themovement of single-familyhouse prices. It measures theaverage price changes in repeat sales or refinancing ofsingle-family properties usingdata from FannieMae andFreddieMac. In the first quarterof 1995 all price levels were setat 100, which is the base for theindex. Housing prices in allMontana cities have increasedsteadily since 2011 (Figure 6).

Pace of Home SalesOne measure of a healthy

real estate market is absorptionrate. The absorption rate rep-resents the total housing sup-ply of the market at a giventime. Unlike the reporting of“days on market” this rate takesactive listing information intoaccount as well. In the past anyreported “days on market”

numbers reflected the averagetime on market for only soldproperties, but that is only halfthe story. The absorption ratedigs deeper and looks at theamount of sold inventory com-pared to the amount of activeinventory at the time. To cal-culate this rate we take the totalnumber of active listings anddivide that by the number ofsales over a one-month period.The resulting number repre-sents how many months’ worthof inventory is currently listedfor sale. For example, if an areahad 20 listings and five sales inthe last 30 days, the absorptionrate would be 4, meaning thatbased on the prior market’sactivity it would take fourmonths for the remaining cur-rent inventory to sell. A gener-al rule of thumb is anythingunder three months is a sellers’market, between three to ninemonths is a normal market,nine to 12 months is oversup-ply, and the further you getover 12 months the more themarket is overloaded and abuyers’ market.

The Missoula Organizationof Realtors has been keepingabsorption rate numbers since


Figure 6: Housing prices, as measured by the Housing Price Index, showa continued upward trend since bottoming out in second quarter 2011


2008 and moved to the currentsegmented format in mid-2009.The reasoning behind keepingsegmented data at certain pricepoints is that it tells stories ofwhich price range is showingbetter overall market health. AsFigure 8 shows, the real estatebubble and the recovery so farhave had different effectsdepending on what price rangehouses have been selling for.

For the total market youcan see there was a spike in late2010, which pushed Missoula’soverall absorption rate toalmost 30 months (Figure 7).This can be attributed to theend of the first-time homebuyerand move-up buyer tax credit.The market lost buyers whoeither bought or decidedagainst buying once the taxcredit was up. The marketabsorption rate has graduallybeen decreasing, suggesting areturn closer to a desired equi-librium. However, if you con-sider the rule of thumb onoversupply versus normal sup-ply, you see that the Missoulamarket has only moved into amore “normal” range in the lasttwo quarters.

Taking a look at the seg-mented data we see that thelower price ranges have adjustedand adapted to the current mar-ket more quickly (Figure 8). Thepositive that we see in this data isthat most price segments havemoved into a scenario of morenormal supply and some areaseven creeping down into whatone may consider a sellers’ mar-ket. However, the lack of supplypresents challenges as well whilebuyers might have to wait longerto find housing they want andfind more fierce competitionwhen bidding on listings.Additionally we see the top-end

of Missoula’s market still strug-gling with vast oversupply. It hasbeen improving for those whoown homes over $425,000 butthings are still not close to a mar-ket with a normal supply of buy-ers and sellers.

HOUSING FINANCEMortgage Loans

In the latter quarters of theyear the pending fiscal cliffcaused concern for economicslowdown and other repercus-

sions from tax increases anddecreases in spending.

Mortgage interest ratesclosed the year at a nearlyrecord low. 2012 was animproved year for most mar-kets. Sales were revived byimproved affordability, provid-ed through low mortgage ratesand affordable prices.

Impacts ofMortgage Insurance

Mortgage insurance is apolicy that protects the lenderin the event that the homeown-

er defaults on payments.Mortgage insurance premiumsare paid by the homeowner.Mortgage insurance is notrequired on all loans, but isrequired on conventional loanswhen the first mortgage isgreater than 80 percent of theproperty value. FHA and RuralDevelopment (RD) loans alsorequire mortgage insurance.

On a positive note, mort-g a g e i n s u r a n c e i s t a xdeductible for 2012 and 2013on a qualified personal resi-dence. The deduction is

Figure 7: Missoula’s market absorption rate is finally back within the normal range of 3-9 months


phased out by 10 percent foreach $1,000 by which the tax-payer’s adjusted gross incomeexceeds $100,000. Thus, thededuction is unavailable for ataxpayer with an adjustedgross income in excess of$110,000.

Down PaymentsDown payment require-

ments for most loan programtypes, including FHA and con-ventional loan products,remain virtually the same.FHA continues to require aminimum of 3.5 percentdown while some convention-al products are being offeredbetween 3 percent and 5 per-cent. A typical down paymenton a conventional loan wouldbe 5 percent or more.

FHA financing is still anoption with a minimum downpayment of 3.5 percent. It maynot be the first choice for bor-

rowers who have a 5 percentdown payment due to theupfront and annual mortgageinsurance premiums which

increased in April 2012. FHA istrying to reduce its risk toler-ance by avoiding layering risks,which include lower creditscores, low down paymentsand h igh debt - to - incomeratios.

U. S. Department of Veter-ans Affairs (VA) loans are still aviable option for borrowerswho are eligible and continueto offer 100 percent financingin most cases.

USDA Rural Developmentloans continue to be a favor-able choice for those borrow-ers who have little to no downpayment and qualify under theincome guidelines and otherunder wri t ing parameters .There are, however, restrictionson where the property can belocated.


Figure 8: All price segments, except $425k+ have settled back to normal

Foreclosures andShort Sales

Missoula saw an increase indistressed sales again in 2012,although at a lesser percentagethan the past three years (Figure10). A distressed sale is a proper-ty that is either under foreclosureor a short sale. Distressed prop-erty usually sells far below mar-ket value. Foreclosure is whenhomeowners are unable to maketheir mortgage payments and thelender sells the property. A shortsale is a process where home-owners sell their properties forless than their mortgage balance,with the approval of their lender.Short sales allow homeowners topay their lenders and avoid fore-closure. It reduces additionalcosts for both the creditor andborrower.

Short sales in Missoulastayed relatively level from2009 to 2011, and thenincreased by 18 percent in2012. The number of foreclo-sure re-sales has increased eachyear since 2009, although thepercentage of increase isdeclining each year, with a

modest increase from 109 in2011 to 114 in 2012.

Distressed sales, as a per-centage of total sales, weredown slightly in 2012 eventhough the number of dis-tressed sales increased. Whileit is encouraging that the totalnumber of homes sold in

Missoula increased, the per-centage of distressed sales isstill twice what it was in 2009.

2012 saw a six percentincrease in the number of netforec losures in MissoulaCounty, with 151 compared to142 in 2011. This follows twoyears of decreases after hitting ahigh of 262 in 2009.

RESIDENTIALRENTAL MARKETRental Prices

Rental prices in Missouladecreased across all categoriesin 2012 compared with 2011rates. The largest decreaseswere seen in the house catego-ry and the smallest change wasseen in the duplex category.The decrease in rental prices

Figure 9: Federal Reserve policy and programs had a favorable effect oninterest rates.


may be attributed, in part, tothe multi-family building thattook place in 2012. A spike inpermits issued in 2011 led to asignificant number of apart-ments on the market in 2012,which increased supply overdemand.

Rental OccupancyMissoula has a higher-than-

average rental market. Thismeans that rent prices are high-er than average and vacancyrates are lower than the nation-al average. Harvard’s The State

of the Nation’s Housing 2012

reported the national vacancyrate at 9.5 percent in 2011,compared to Missoula’s aver-age vacancy rate of 3 percent.Although vacancy rates are stillbelow 4 percent average acrossall categories, some segmentstook a significant jump in 2012with the continued develop-ment of multi-family units. The

vacancy rate of studio unitsnearly doubled (Figure 14).Given the decline in studentpopulation, this trend is likelyto continue next year.

Low rental vacancy ratesare common in college townsdue to the pressure exerted bythe s tudent popula t ion .C o l l e g e t o w n s s u c h a sBozeman and Fort Collins, CO,also have vacancy rates wellbelow the national average.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITYThe HousingAffordability Index

The Affordability Index(HAI) compares the medianprice of a home and the medi-an income of households in acommunity. A value of 100means that a household with amedian income has exactly

Figure 10: Both types of distressed sales increased in 2012

Figure 11: While the number of distressed sales increased in 2012, thepercentage of total sales decreased


enough income to qualify for amortgage on a median-pricedhome. For a value above 100, ahousehold with a medianincome has more than enoughincome to qualify for a mort-gage on a median-priced home.HAI calculation assumes a 20percent down payment and italso assumes that no more than25 percent of the household’smonthly income goes towardthe mortgage payment (princi-pal and interest).

In the 2012 report, weheard concern about the factthat mortgage insurance, whichis now a significant cost to con-sumers, was not included inour calculation for the HAI.Our 2012 calculations nowinclude the cost of mortgageinsurance (Table 2). Mortgageinsurance is protection for thelender (not the borrower) in

the event of default. The mort-gage insurance company willreimburse the lender for all orpart of losses they may have ifthe home is foreclosed on andmust be sold by the lender.

If your down payment isless than 20 percent, or you arerefinancing more than 80 per-cent of your home's value, mostlenders will require that youpurchase mortgage insurance.

Although mortgage insurance isprimarily for the benefit of thelender, it does allow homebuy-ers to purchase their homewith a low down payment. Theborrower pays the mortgageinsurance premium on behalfof the lender. We used an aver-age cost of one percent of theprincipal on the loan.

According to NAR, thenational Housing Affordability

Index in 2012 hit a record high193.5, almost two times theindexes reported in the Missoulamarket. The HAI for a four-per-son family in Missoula is 101,which tells us that the averagefour-person household is justable to afford a median-pricedhome (Figure 16). Single-per-son households, however, earnonly 71 percent of the incomenecessary to purchase a median-priced home in Missoula. Onlyfour-person families were able toafford the median price of$209,700 for a home, with theother three categories falling farshort of the $62,349 medianincome necessary.

Share of IncomeSpent on Housing

It is generally accepted thatno more than 30 percent (and,more safely, 25 percent) of a

Figure 12: Net foreclosures, while still quite high, are returningcloser to the average for the past decade.


household’s gross monthlyincome should be spent onhousing. In its latest housingreport, the Bureau of Businessand Economic Research at TheUniversity of Montana found that38 percent of Montana rentersspend more than 30 percent oftheir income on housing.

The problem is worse inMissoula, with 52 percent of allrenters spending more than 30percent of their income onhousing. Additionally, between43 and 51 percent of rentersspend more than 35 percent oftheir household income on

rent. Twenty-nine to 32 percentof homeowners pay more than35 percent of their householdincome on housing.

Households who must paya large portion of income onhousing have a difficult timemeeting other obligations.Harvard’s The State of the

Nation’s Housing 2012 statesthat “…those with severe hous-ing cost burdens spend aboutthree-fifths as much on food,half as much on clothes, andtwo-fifths as much on health-care as those living in afford-able housing.”

Figure 14: The vacancy rate of studio units almost doubled from 2011 to 2012


Figure 13: Rental costs decreased across all categories

Rental AssistancePrograms

The Missoula HousingAuthority (MHA) has 774 avail-able Section 8 vouchers thatsubsidize rent to private land-lords for eligible participants.Another 262 vouchers are pro-vided in Missoula by theMontana Department ofCommerce. Combined availabil-ity of these vouchers, which areinadequate to meet needs in ahealthy economy, is furtherstrained by the continued eco-nomic downturn, as tenantincomes are reduced and fund-ing for vouchers has beenreduced as well.

2012 saw the leasing of 35new affordable units built byhomeWORD in 2011. Also, 115new units built by RockyMountain Development Group,MHA and the City of Missoulabegan leasing. This is a mixedincome project including 20


Table 2: HAI calculations now including mortgage insurance

units of Public Housing and 95units of affordable housingmanaged by MHA.

In December 2012, theunduplicated number ofhouseholds on MHA waitlistswas 1,920, down slightly from2,030 in 2011 and 1,944 in2008, but up from 1,079 in2007. The number of house-holds on the Section 8 waitinglist was 1,756, also down from1,845 in 2011, but up from1,653 last year and 1,063 in2007.

MHA received a modestincrease in the number ofvouchers it provides for home-less households in 2012 andhas applied for another in2013. The number of vouchersfor homeless is up to 112, from101 in 2010 and 96 in 2007.The number of homeless indi-viduals on two of the waitlistswas 85 and 111, compared tolast year’s 141 and 114.

HomelessnessIn 2011, the City and

County of Missoula and theUnited Way sponsored thedevelopment of a 10-year planto end homelessness. Thisimportant community attentionto those homeless and at riskfor losing housing has not hadtime to yield any specificresults. We wanted to acknowl-edge the effort in this report byincluding some relative housingdata regarding homelessness inour community.

One of the recommenda-tions of the planning commit-tee, however, is that Missouladevelop a more systematic datacollection and analysis systemregarding the needs and causesof homelessness locally anddevelop informed responses.Coincidentally, the HumanResource Council is devotingsome resources to developing acommunity database to help inassessment and referral.

LOOKING FOR HOUSING? LOOKING TO POST YOUR RENTAL?www.umt.edu/housingfinder

A Student Renters' Advocacy Organization Providing• Counseling for students experiencing issues with their landlord• The new Neighborhood Ambassador program• Online renter resources at umt.edu/rentercenter• Educational programming on rights and responsibilities

406-859-3522

Your Hometown Real Estate TeamLocally Owned & Operated

115 W. Broadway, Philipsburg, MT 59858

www.pintlarterritories.comFigure 16: In 2012, housing affordability improved for all household categories

Table 3: Homelessness continues to be a serious issue in Missoula


The best data we have cur-rently—the annual Point inTime Survey, a census of thehomeless conducted everyJanuary—produces inconsistentdata, or data that may notinform us much. Because thequestions asked and the meth-ods of collection vary fromyear-to-year, it is hard to drawany conclusions. Included inthe point-in-time-table (Table3) is the number of homelessindividuals (in emergency shel-ter or on the street) and fami-lies from 2007 to 2012 as anexample.

Last year, the school districtidentified 614 children inMissoula as homeless andanother 175 as at-risk. This fig-ure is a cumulative number ofunstably housed children iden-tified throughout the schoolyear. The unstable housing

varies from brief periods of lit-eral homelessness to a patternof frequent moving and othersituations. According to theNational Coalition for theHomeless, families with chil-dren is one of the fastest grow-ing segments of the homelesspopulation; Missoula is no

exception. The number ofhomeless and at-risk childrenin Missoula County PublicSchools increased 38 percent injust one academic year.

As mentioned above, MHAhas increased the number ofvouchers and units for home-less individuals and families

incrementally over the last sev-eral years. Missoula has two-thirds of the permanent hous-ing for the homeless in thestate of Montana. However,during the same period, someother resources serving thehomeless have been reduced oreliminated.

[email protected] S. Reserve, Missoula406-240-SOLD (7653)



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CONCLUSION ANDOUTLOOK

By almost all measures itlooks like the housing market isfinally on the rebound. With thenumber of home sales nationallyat its highest level in five years andthe median home price increas-ing, there is definitely reason tobe, at least, cautiously optimistic.The fact that the trend in Missoulais mirroring the national trendmeans that Missoulians have fur-ther reason to be optimistic.

An increase in home prices isgreat for homeowners but notgreat for those wanting to buytheir first home. Fortunately, theability of people to buy homes islooking better as well. LawrenceYun, the chief economist for NARstated that "The housing afford-ability index shows that thenational median income of fami-lies was almost double theincome needed to buy a median-priced home in 2012, so mostbuyers are able to stay well with-in their means. Even with risinghome prices, conditions areexpected to stay very favorablewith the index averaging 161 in2013, which would be the thirdbes t on record . " Whi le ’ sMissoula’s index is significantlylower than (nearly half ) thenational average, it was improvedover 2011.

Pairing these indicators withtoday’s low interest rates, the realestate market should continueseeing improvements throughout2013. It is important to remem-ber, however, that not everyone isable to take advantage of the cur-

rent interest rates to buy a home.While lower interest rates areenticing for homeowners whowant to refinance their existingmortgages, another issue gavefirst-time homebuyers cause forconcern in 2012. Current lend-ing standards remain tight andthere have been instances whereseemingly qualified buyers havecome across issues obtainingfinancing.

While the signs are pointingin the right direction, this eco-nomic recovery has been longerand more complicated thanmost of us had hoped for. TheBureau of Business andEconomic Research stated in itsEconomic Outlook 2013 that“There are probably too manyuncertainties directly ahead forthe national economy to hopefor much more than modestgrowth in 2013. But…in manyways the U.S. economy is in bet-ter position for faster growththan it has been in years.”

While growth may still beslow, the local market has finallyreturned to “normal” absorptionrates suggesting we are as close towhat is expected to be a normalmarket in terms of absorption(supply and demand) than we’veseen in over five years.

But let us not forget that inMissoula we are still experiencinghigher-than-average medianhome prices and lower-than-aver-a g e m e d i a n i n c o m e s .Additionally, distressed sales inMissoula continue to rise.Couple these issues with anincrease in poverty and home-lessness, and locally we still havemuch work to do.

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