patrick.net

I've had difficulty getting RE data in the past.

I think the realtor mafia conspires to keep this data locked down and difficult to get.

The Case-Shiller index might be of use.

The realtor mafia definitely conspires to keep the public in the dark.

So if you really want data, you could get a license and work as a realtor for a while.

Or you could try to get a job in the relevant county's records office.

Hircus says

I've had difficulty getting RE data in the past.

I think the realtor mafia conspires to keep this data locked down and difficult to get.

That's what I'm discovering. It's public data damn it, yet I'm not finding a service which would just sort it and deliver it to consumer.

Zillow and Redfin are good for when you see something you like, as they give the info on how long it's been listed, how many times it was re-listed, price changes, etc.

Propertyradar.com. Unfortunately, they only have data for the 3 states, CA, NV and AZ I believe.

I’ve heard of Propertyshark.com, but have never used it and have no idea which states it covers.

You can get some data for free by signing up with Redfin.

Good luck.

I'm signed up for Zillow APIs and Redfin, neither one provides historical data in the format which can be analyzed (as far as I figured)
Case-Shiller index is the right idea, but it lags a bit too much to be useful.
Propetyshark.com - looked promising until it turned out that they don't serve Montana. They serve almost all states, but not Montana
Propertyradar.com - Just got a trial account with them, it seems that their data goes beyond those 3 states. They may have expanded, I'll check out what's up with that.

Thanks to all who provided info!

Montana is a big state. https://www.realtor.com/research/data/?source=patrick.net

Doesn’t the Federal Reserve have such information?

I saw somewhere that Montana had similar % rise as Florida last year.

> DooDahMan

Thanks! Good sources.

ZIllow is a shell of its former self. It used to be bare naked view of the Real Estate market, now it's very controlled RE advertising and nothing more.

DooDahMan says

@mostly reader

If you need more, let me know. I just did a quick look around but there is more out there. That second link was quite interesting compared to the first one

I'll be more specific. I have a nice chunk of land in prime area in Big Sky, and now deciding what to do with it. May put some infrastructure in place and sell for profit, or go the whole builder route. The question is one of timing. It seems that construction got a bit more expensive, while I'm betting that the RE prices are taking a bit of downturn. That market is the opposite of mid-500K markets of Florida/Vegas/etc, so I doubt that the downturn will affect that particular place much, but it's still a consideration. Started looking at upscale prefabs, some look like a possibility - emphasis on "upscale", the area is mostly 4-5K sq.f. houses priced around 5M)
I'd appreciate any genuine thoughts and ideas.

Thanks!

@ DooDahMan

Thanks for the links. Reading the last one, about billionaires stopping affordable housing in Whitefish, was quite entertaining - I heard about that story from a local resident. That entire area is quite intriguing. I still don't get it why Whitefish carries the price tag that it does. In that part of Montana, Flathead County looked to me like a better bang per buck than Whitefish. Area by Flathead Lake is super nice (although so is the area around Whitefish Lake)

It's quite striking how pristine Montana is. Locals apparently were brought up to respect nature. Water in those lakes near the towns - Flathead Lake, Whitefish Lake - is about as pristine as water in McDonald Lake (National Park)

My land is not there, it's in Big Sky. Big Sky is a different story altogether. It's very beautiful, and a top notch hiking/nature destination. There's no real industry to speak of in Big Sky. Just elevation, hiking, and grizzly bears. And of course that famous ski resort and bunch of NY/CA big shots who decided that they want to combine business with pleasure away from prying eyes. Prices are insane. It gets insane-er if the association has privilege to distribute passes to the mountain, including restricted parts (that's not my situation though, I wouldn't have that privilege) I didn't quite expect to see Atherton prices in Montana, but yeah, that's approximately what it is.

The process with permits is not yet complete, and meanwhile market is changing. I'm just trying to understand how much it's changing and what it means in practical terms, if anything.

Someone on Patnet once told me years ago

A good realtor is like a good rapist

DooDahMan says

Not sure how much of what I have here is new to you or old news.

Some of it is new, and the rest is cross-validation. Thanks for doing this.

Digging through regulations is fun. I've had my share of dealing with legalese in tech world, yet this seems like a different language altogether.

BayArea says

Someone on Patnet once told me years ago

A good realtor is like a good rapist

The give you a jar of vasaline before they screw you over?