Great Falls Montana Condo Living With winter quickly approaching in Montana are you dreading the 6 months of snow shoveling that awaits you?  Are you glad that the grass cutting, trimming, weed pulling and watering is almost over?  Are you dreading cleaning out the gutters and raking the leaves again this fall?  Don't you wish someone could just take care of all of this outside work for you so you could enjoy your free time?  Maybe go fishing, take a trip, or maybe head south for the winter and not have to worry about an empty house with snow piling up on the walks. Perhaps it is time to take a look at Condo/Townhome living.  Modern Great Falls Condo's have all the comforts, conveniences and privacy of a private residence.  But, with a Condo, you are only responsible for the inside of t... 09/19/2011

Ming's Chinese Restaurant - Great Falls Montana Ming's seems like a typical Chinese Restaurant until you get inside and meet Ming and Su.  Ming's is a Family run business and they are the owners. They are located right on busy 10th Ave S at 3212. There is plenty of parking along the side and back of the building. Su has to be one of the happiest people in the world.  She always has a big smile and a happy greeting for you as you walk through the door.  Ming is also always sporting a large smile.  The two of them add lots of enjoyment to your dining experience. Ming and Su are also the cooks and work an amazing 11:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.  I have eaten at this restaurant for over 15 years and have always had a good experience no matter what time of day it was.  They have an All You C... 09/18/2011

Great Falls Parade of Homes The Great Falls Parade of Homes is this weekend, Sept 16 - 18th, 2011. The event kicks off with a VIP night tonight from 5:30 - 10 p.m. Admission to the Parade of Homes is $8.00/person with advance ticket purchase. The event is free for children you can carry. Tickets will also be sold at every home for $10.00/person during the Parade. One ticket is good for admission to all of the homes on Saturday and Sunday.   Schedule of Events  VIP Night: Friday, Sept. 16th, 5:30-10pm GENERAL ADMISSION SCHEDULE Saturday, Sept. 17th - Homes Tour 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 18th - Homes Tour 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. More information can be found on the Parade of Homes Website. We hope to see you there.   09/16/2011

Great Falls Real Estate Report for August 2011 August 2011 SOLD listings for Great Falls Montana increased 36.5% over August 2010 This is good news for the area, and debunks the rumors that real estate is slowing or double dipping. The most active price range was $140,000 - $160,000, typically where first time home buyers are buying.  The biggest increase in sales percentage wise was the $250,000 - $300,000 price range.  It appears upgrade buyers are taking advantage of the low interest rates and great home prices. There were 1102 Active Listings in Great Falls in August 2011 and 176 New Listings, an increase of 9.3% over 2010 Overall sales are steady with properly priced homes seeing good activity.  We hope to see similar numbers in September. 09/15/2011

Strut Your Mutt Great Falls Montana The Annual Strut Your Mutt Benefit Dog Walk will be September 18,2011.  Strut your Mutt is a benefit Dog walk for the Animal Foundation of Great Falls. WHO: Dog lovers of all ages are welcome to show off their canine companions (one dog per human). Walk as part of a TEAM for even more fun! You don’t have to bring a dog to support the Animal Foundation! WHAT: Register for $20 ($25 on the day of the Strut), build your own fund raising page, and gather pledges for the Animal Foundation. Form a TEAM! Teams and individuals who collect the most pledges WIN GREAT PRIZES! WHERE: Strut Your Mutt will begin at Whittier Park on the south side of the Civic Center. We’ll trot east down Central Avenue, hang a right at 6th Street and turn west at First Avenue South,... 09/14/2011

Great Falls Gymnastics Academy - A great place for kids of all ages. The Great Falls Gymnastics Academy, is a learning center based around Gymnastics.  Located downtown at 815 1st Ave N in the renovated Haggerty Motors Building, this is much more than just Gymnastics Classes.  It is also a Pre-School. My daughter absolutely loves this place.  She has been attending since before she turned 2, starting out in the Tumble Bugs class.  At 3 she started in the Grass Hoppers and now is in the Learning Academy. She started out a little scared and clingy, but now she is all independent, and is ready for Mom to leave as soon as she is dropped off.  This is harder on my wife than my daughter... One of my daughters favorite spots in the Gym is "The Pit".  A huge hole in the floor where the vehicle ... 09/13/2011

Ways to obtain Great Falls Montana area rural Drinking Water: Part 3 The City of Great Falls obtains the municipal water supply from the Missouri River.  It is treated and used for drinking, household use and to feed your sprinkler system for city dwellers. But what if you want to live out of the city limits and need water?  There are several possibilities, each with their own quirks.  Last week I talked about wells and cisterns and water delivery companies.  Today I will discuss an alternative to delivery - hauling your own water. Having your water delivered is handy, in fact it is similar to just being connected to the city water supply - the water is just always there.  However, delivered water costs more, and, what happened to me personally once, a missed delivery, can cause you to ... 09/12/2011

20 Fun Facts about Great Falls Montana Great Falls is home to the Worlds Shortest River - The Roe River - only 201 feet. Great Falls is home to Giant Springs - the largest fresh water spring in the U.S. Great Falls has 3 Rivers: The Sun, The Missouri and The Roe. The Missouri River drops 500 feet in 21 miles over 5 different sets of falls. Lewis and Clark portaged the 5 different sets of Falls in 1805. In 1887 the first Train arrived in Great Falls. Great Falls has had the most rapid temperature change registered in the United States (-32F - +15F in 7 minutes Jan 11, 1980) Great Falls was home to the World's Oldest Man - Walter Breuning in 2011 Charlie Pride used to live in Great Falls. Western Artist Charles M. Russell used to live here and helped Great Falls become known as the Wester... 09/10/2011

Montana Bale Trail Montana Bale Trail (What the Hay) which I covered earlier this week had enough great entries this year that I thought it deserved its own post. Deciding to make this years trip a Day Trip, we drove to Lewistown for the annual ChokeCherry Festival Saturday, and on the way back to Great Falls, drove the Montana Bale Trail a day early to see what entries were already on display.  At least 30 entries were ready for viewing and a few were still under construction. The Following entries were among my favorites:   Each year "What the Hay" continues to draw large crowds and keeps me coming back for more.  It was kind of nice to view it on Saturday, since there was very little traffic.  This years entries were better than "O-KHay" and will make me return next year for more. 09/10/2011

Great Falls Military Relocation Program better than USAA Movers Advantage    Military Relocations can be stressful and expensive.  If you have a house to buy or sell, you want the process to be handled professionally by an experienced local Agent.  Here in Great Falls Montana we see many military personel moving in and out from Malmstrom Air Force Base.  Many utilize a program from USAA called Movers Advantage because they offer a cash bonus for using their services.  However, they do this at the expense of the Real Estate Agents commission, and you are required to use a Realtor assigned to you instead of one of your choice.  This limits you to using one Agency in town. To honor our Veterans, we have put together a better solution, offered through our office, called the MAAS Military Re... 09/09/2011

Great Falls Montana Farmer's Market Summer in Great Falls brings the twice weekly Farmer's Market to town. Every Saturday Morning from 7:45 to Noon and Every Wednesday evening from 4:30 - 6:30 from Mid July through September, you can find fresh produce, food, crafts, baked goods, prizes and More.  Now in its 29th Season, you will find the market in the Civic Center Park in downtown Great Falls. The last Saturday Market this year will be Sept 24th.  September 17th will be "Customer Appreciation Day" with free helium balloons and special projects for the kids.  Entertainment will be a presentaion by the SCA Medieval re-enactment club. There will also be a final drawing for prizes from the Market Bucks which are earned each time you spend $5 at a vendor. There is a little something for eve... 09/08/2011

Ultimate Family room in this Great Falls Montana Home for Sale. If you love to entertain, then you are in for a treat with this nearly new home. A huge Family Room with High Definition Projector, Pool Table and Fireplace combine for hours of Fun, day or night. An open Floor Plan on the main allows everyone too see and talk to each other whether they are in the Kitchen, Dining Room or Living Room.  A patio with Natural Gas connection right off the Dining Area allows for year round BBQ's and allows the party to overflow outdoors. A large Fenced back yard and Huge Storage Shed make for great outdoor fun year round.  There is also room for the boat or RV on the side of the garage.  Nicely Landscaped, Sprinkler System and drip irrigation.    Add to this a large Master Suite, 3 more bedrooms ... 09/07/2011

Open House attendees in Great Falls Montana must now present I.D. and sign in. The Real Estate market continues to be stable in Great Falls MT and folks are out shopping for homes.  Open Houses continue to be popular in Great Falls, and a great way for potential buyers to preview homes and get out of the house on a Sunday afternoon.  However as with anything that involves the general public, problems can arise. For the Safety of our fellow Realtors, and for the Home Owners, we are now requiring that everyone who attends a Dahlquist Realtors Open House in Great Falls Montana show ID and sign in.  Please do not be offended when asked by the host to do so.  If this was your home, you would want the same.   You can still Opt-Out of being contacted after the Open House, but we must know who ... 09/06/2011

What do you get when you combine ChokeCherries and Hay Bales? Fall time around Great Falls and Central Montana brings together two normally not related items, Chokecherries and Hay Bales. A short road trip from Great Falls on the first Saturday after Labor Day will take you to the geographic center and ChokeCherry Capital of Montana, Lewistown Montana, and the annual ChokeCherry Festival.  Here you can find main street literally lined with arts and craft booths and food vendors offering Gifts, Baked Goods, Garden Fresh Items and my favorites, ChokeCherry Jellies and Chokecherry Syrup.  If you have a good "Spitter" you can also partake in the Pit Spitting Contest. Over 4000 people attend the festival each year from all over the United States and Canada.  Plan on spending the night at a l... 09/05/2011

Summer boating around Great Falls Montana Great Falls offers many boating opportunities with the Missouri River and Sun Rivers meeting right in town.  But for the boater wanting a lake to play and fish on, or maybe a weekend of camping and boating, there are 3 choices on the Missouri River within an hour and a half from town.  Holter Lake sits upstream from Great Falls just 45 minutes.  Holter offers camping, fishing and boating with several public campgrounds and boat ramps.  Holter Lake is also the home of the amazing Gates of the Mountains, a trip through the mountains which can only be experienced by boat. Hauser Lake is about 20 minutes further upstream and also offers several options for camping, boating and fishing.  Roughly 14 miles long, it has two public campgrounds, White San... 09/04/2011

Ways to obtain Great Falls Montana area rural Drinking Water: Part 2 The City of Great Falls obtains the municipal water supply from the Missouri River.  It is treated and used for drinking, household use and to feed your sprinkler system for city dwellers. But what if you want to live out of the city limits and need water?  There are several possibilities, each with their own quirks.  Yesterday I talked about wells.  Today I will discuss an alternative, but very popular option in the Great Falls area. Cisterns: A cistern is essentially a large holding tank for water.  Typically here they are made from concrete and buried in the ground.  Usually only an access point to fill is all that needs to be seen above ground. Typical size is around 1500 gallons which is OK for a smaller home, but... 09/03/2011

Ways to obtain Great Falls Montana area rural Drinking Water: Part 1   The City of Great Falls obtains the municipal water supply from the Missouri River.  It is treated and used for drinking, household use and to feed your sprinkler system for city dwellers. But what if you want to live out of the city limits and need water?  There are several possibilities, each with their own quirks.  I will discuss one each day for the next several days.   The first and usually most expensive method to obtain drinking and household water is to drill a well.   If you plan on drilling a well for your water supply, a little research for the local are should start with GWIC, The Groundwater Information Center.       Cascade County specific information can be found here:  http://mbmggwic.mtech.edu/sqlser... 09/01/2011

Welcome to Great Falls Montana in September. Summer seems like it got started a few weeks ago, and now here we are on September 1st and we are not even breaking 70 degrees. The weatherman says it will be cool the next few days with lows around 44.  Nice warm weather should return by Sunday. With it being Labor Day Weekend many families are looking forward to a few days off and maybe a final camping or boating trip.  With gas prices high, many boaters might just choose to utilize our two rivers flowing through town.   The Sun River and the Missouri River meet at Great Falls and with one of our dams just upstream it creates a nice fairly deep river for Boating, Skiing, riding Personal Water Craft and even just floating on a tube.  Broadwater Bay is the most popular spot to launch your wat... 09/01/2011

Are you Moving or Relocating to Great Falls Montana and Looking for a Rental House?   You may be finding that the Rental market here is tight.  We have very few new housing starts right now and even fewer apartment and multi-family starts, so what is out there for Rentals is often hard to find. As a Realtor and Licensed Property Manager, I get many calls a day about Rental Housing.  Many inquiries are in the $1000/mo range, but we are now seeing more Families moving here who are looking for a more expensive home to rent.  Something closer to their house that has yet to sell where they are moving from, or that they had to do a Short Sale on when they moved.  These folks want similar amenities to the home they are leaving. Luckily for the people moving here, many of the home owners here w... 08/13/2011

Horse Property near Great Falls MT for Sale - Nice Rural Real Estate   Presenting 63 Ramble Inn Rd in Sun River Montana.     If you are looking for a nice horse property within easy commuting distance to Great Falls MT, then this might be the property for you. For Sale is a 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Home with a 2 Car Garage on 4.05 Acres just 20 minutes to town.  You get a Pole Barn, Fenced and Cross Fenced Pasture, a storage building and a Falconry.  There is also a dog run off the back of the house.       Enjoy that Big Montana Sky and great views from the Living Room and Kitchen Windows, and an even better view from the large deck.     Enjoy your drive to work with 4 lane roads nearly to your door. You get a lot for your money at only $225,000.  Utilize Rural Development funds or VA Funding a... 08/09/2011