July 2012

Register online at racemontana.com: online or in person during packet pick-up on Wednesday to Friday, August 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the First Security Bank on South 19th Street. Hours are 10AM to 5:45PM. 

Course:  New Start/Finish on Main Street.   The 5K meanders down the linear trail by Bozeman Creek, the community gardens and climbing rock and finishes down historic Willson Avenue to Main Street for a flat and fast finish. The 10K winds east and south of town, fairly hilly, with views of the mountains. The last mile merges with the 5K on Willson Avenue to the flat and fast finish on Main Street.  This is a chip timed race with a gun start.  
** The 10K is a RRCA State Championship Race. Both the 5K and 10K course are certified.

To…

The Sweet Pea Festival is a three day festival of the arts held the first Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in August. The Festival kicks off late Friday afternoon in Lindley Park with a performance by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks; Saturday ramps up with a children’s run and parade that lead the community to the park where the festivities continue through 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. Weekend entertainment comes in many forms – music of all genres, performances by local theatre and dance troupes, workshops, family-friendly entertainment and activities, a flower show, and over 100 arts and crafts vendors to stroll through and purchase unique gifts for yourself, family, and friends.

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bozemandailychronicle.com - Home construction in southwest Montana has steadily risen in the first half of 2012, signaling a potential comeback for the housing market five years after it collapsed.

Gallatin County has seen an 86 percent increase in new home construction since last year; Park County witnessed a nearly 80 percent increase; and Madison County saw a more modest 39 percent growth in new single-family homes, according to data released by the Montana Building Industry Association.

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forbes.com - Zillow’s second quarter Real Estate Market Reports, released today, show home values increased 2.1% from the first to the second quarter of 2012 to $149,300 (Figure 1). On an annual basis, home values rose 0.2% from June 2011 levels (Figure 2), marking the first annual increase in U.S. home values since 2007. In addition to showing both quarterly and annual appreciation, national home values also rose for the fourth consecutive month, increasing 0.7%. Notably, home value appreciation in the second quarter was the highest since the fourth quarter of 2005.

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housingwire.com - Homes purchased for investment purposes rose 65% in 2011 as investors looking for a place to park their cash sought out bank-owned properties, according to the latest Foreclosure News Report for RealtyTrac.

Last year, 1.2 million U.S. properties were acquired for investment purposes, up from 749,000 in 2010.

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U.S. homebuilders are an attractive investment as the housing market starts a “strong” recovery that may drive a surge in new-home sales, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) said in a report today.

Housing has a “long list of positives,” including rising prices, job growth, supportive government policies and a decline in the so-called shadow inventory of homes, Goldman Sachs analysts Joshua Pollard and Anto Savarirajan wrote in a note to clients. They raised their rating on the homebuilding industry to attractive from neutral.

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realtytimes.com - In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, the average 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgage hitting new all-time record lows along with the 5-year ARM. The average 30-year fixed has been below 4.00 percent all but one week in 2012. The average 15-year fixed-rate mortgage has been below 3.00 percent for 8 consecutive weeks.

30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.53 percent with an average 0.7 point for the week ending July 19, 2012, down from last week when it averaged 3.56 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.52 percent. 

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A recovery in new home construction appears to be underway, with significant increases in both housing starts and building permits last month, according to the Census Bureau.

Housing starts rose 6.9% in June to a 760,000 annual rate, the highest level in four years. That's up an impressive 23.6% compared with a year earlier. Permits to build new homes fell slightly from revised May numbers to 755,000, but were up 19.3% compared with June 2011.

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Come and enjoy a traditional western fair. The Gallatin County Fair has something for everyone to enjoy - Rodeo, Food, Music, Carnival, Animals, & Contests. 
This year's entertainment includes Hypnotist Michael Mezmer, Young Guns Wild West Fun Park, Kids Pedal Power Tractor Pulls, All Aboard Train, Bozeman Roundup Ranch Rodeo, Mountaineers 4x4 Mud Bog, FFA Mutton Bustin', Double D Pig Wrestling and the ever-popular North Star Amusement's Carnival with more being planned.
Anyone can enter the Open Class Exhibits in Arts & Crafts, Gardening, Flowers, Foods, Needlework, Photography, Group Projects, Poultry and Livestock. 
Special competitive events include the Super Grasshopper Contest, Ranch Horse Contest, Dog Agility Contest, Doxie Derby Races, Dog Dock…

azcentral.com - Confidence among U.S. homebuilders is swelling to a five-year high, with many now anticipating that sales of new homes will strengthen this year even as signs point to a slowing economy.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index surged six points this month to 35, the highest reading since March 2007.

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