Gene Hauck

Mickey, you are not required to replace it. Flooring condition is something buyers can see for themselves, so it is a pricing and presentation decision, not an obligation. The one thing you do owe buyers is honest answers on any disclosure questions about pet damage or odor. With two dogs, the bigger issue is usually odor, not wear. If there have been accidents, the smell is often in the pad underneath, and cleaning the carpet alone will not fix it. When I list a home in Billings with worn carpet, I walk the seller through three options: a deep clean and odor treatment, inexpensive neutral carpet in the main rooms buyers see first in the photos, or leaving it as is and pricing for it. The right pick depends on what comparable homes near you sold for with original flooring versus updated flooring, so ask your agent to show you both. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Peyton, you usually do not have to pay it off before you list. The title company will find the lien in its title search, and in most sales it is paid at closing out of the seller's proceeds. Three things to sort out early so it does not hold up your closing: 1. What kind of lien it is. Unpaid Yellowstone County property taxes are handled through the County Treasurer's office, which can give you a payoff amount. A federal or state income tax lien is a different process with its own payoff and release, and that can take weeks, so start it now. 2. Who can sign. If the house is in your mom's name, she signs, or someone with valid legal authority signs for her (a power of attorney, or a court-appointed personal representative if she has passed away). The title company will tell you exactly what they need. 3. Whether the numbers work. If the lien plus any mortgage and selling costs come to more than the likely sale price, you need a plan before you go under contract. Ask for a preliminary title report as soon as you list in Billings so there are no surprises at the closing table. For legal questions about the lien itself, talk with a Montana real estate attorney. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Congratulations on getting under contract. For big-ticket items like a roof and a furnace, a credit or a price reduction is often the better ask than seller-made repairs, because you then choose the contractor and control the quality. A seller doing the work has every reason to take the lowest bid. How I would handle it with a buyer in Billings: 1. Get your own written bids from licensed roofing and HVAC contractors before your inspection deadline. I like to have our own estimates to compare with anything the seller provides, so the request is based on real numbers, not on the inspector's age estimate. 2. Ask for a credit or a price reduction close to those bids. Loan programs limit how much a seller can credit toward closing costs, so check with your lender before you decide between a credit and a lower price. 3. If the furnace is unsafe or not working, some lenders and appraisers require it fixed before closing, which changes the conversation. A 1990s furnace is worth taking seriously before a Billings winter. Whatever you agree to, put it in a signed amendment to your Buy-Sell Agreement before your inspection deadline passes. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Graham, treat it as two deals and price each one separately. The purchase: 5% below appraisal sounds like a discount, but an appraisal is not the market. A house that has been for sale for 13 months is telling you buyers do not value it at the asking price, and possibly not at the appraisal either. Before you decide, look at what similar homes nearby actually sold for in the last 6 to 12 months. The lease: compare the leaseback rent with market rent for that house, and read exactly who pays for repairs, utilities, taxes and insurance for the two years. Below-market rent can wipe out the purchase discount. Also find out why the seller needs to stay two years. You are buying an occupied property, so you want a written lease with a deposit and clear move-out terms, because your exit depends on them leaving on time. A useful test I use with investors in Billings: underwrite the property as if the lease ended in month one. If it still works as a rental or a resale at that price, the leaseback is a bonus. If the deal only works because of the leaseback, keep looking. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Yes, you can hold firm. As the seller you set the showing conditions, and requiring a pre-approval letter or proof of funds before a private showing is a common condition on higher-priced homes. Have your listing agent put the requirement in the MLS showing instructions so every buyer's agent sees it before they call, and let your agent handle the pushback instead of you. Two cautions: 1. Apply the rule the same way to every buyer, with no exceptions based on who is asking. Consistency keeps you clearly on the right side of fair housing rules. 2. Make the rule easy to meet. A lender can usually email a pre-approval letter the same day, and proof of funds can be a recent statement with account numbers blacked out. The agent whose buyers are only in town for a few days can get that over quickly if the buyers are real. I work with a lot of out-of-town buyers in Billings, and a clear rule with a fast way to satisfy it filters out people who cannot buy without losing the ones who can. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Do not sign until your lender explains the change, ideally in writing. A different loan amount is not automatically a problem, but it should never be a surprise at the closing table, and it changes how much cash you need to bring. One likely explanation: on a purchase, lenders generally base the loan on the lower of the purchase price or the appraised value. A higher appraisal by itself usually does not raise the amount you can borrow, so the loan may simply have gone back to the original approved number. That still needs to be confirmed, not assumed. Ask your lender: 1. Why did the loan amount change, and who approved it? 2. How much more cash do I need at closing, and does this change my rate, monthly payment or mortgage insurance? 3. Will you issue a corrected Closing Disclosure before I sign? Have your agent and the title or escrow officer on the call with the lender so everyone works from the same numbers. When I have a buyer closing in Billings, I want any change like this explained before signing day, not at the table. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Callum, it is not too early. Spring listings are priced and prepared over the winter, and a good agent should help you now. One correction that matters: the Agricultural Land Reserve is a British Columbia program, not a Montana one. In Montana the related questions are how the Montana Department of Revenue classifies your land (agricultural classification affects property taxes, and whether a buyer keeps it depends on how they use the land), plus water rights, legal access and whether the parcel can be divided. With no sales in your valley since 2020, the comps have to come from wider out: similar acreage in neighboring valleys or counties, plus older sales adjusted for time. On rural Montana land, the features that move value most are legal access, water (wells and any water rights recorded with the Montana DNRC), power, buildable sites and how much of the acreage is usable. An appraiser who regularly works rural property in your county is worth paying for here. Start gathering paperwork now: water rights records, any survey, easements and road agreements. That is often what slows a rural sale down after you are under contract. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Frankie, for most owner-occupied mortgages a roommate is allowed as long as the home is still your primary residence and you keep living there. Lenders care about occupancy, not about who else lives in the house. Being the only person on the loan does not change that. Before you take on a roommate, check four things: 1. Your mortgage documents (the note and deed of trust) for the occupancy terms. If you are unsure, ask your loan servicer directly. 2. Your homeowners insurance. Tell your insurer, because a paying roommate can affect your coverage, and your roommate should carry their own renter's policy. 3. Any HOA covenants or local rules that limit renting rooms. 4. Taxes. Rent you receive is generally taxable income, so ask a tax professional how to report it and what expenses you can offset. Then put the arrangement in writing: rent, deposit, which spaces are shared, and how either of you can end it. Clear written terms from day one are what keep a roommate arrangement from turning into a dispute. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

Yes, it is public record. In Montana, the quickest place to start is the Montana Cadastral, the free statewide property record search run by the Montana State Library. Search your address, and the property record usually lists the year built along with the lot size and building details. The Montana Department of Revenue, which assesses property in Montana, can confirm it, and the Butte-Silver Bow Clerk and Recorder holds the deeds if you want the ownership history. Other places to check: your original purchase documents and any old appraisal, building permits on file with the city-county, and the MLS history if the house has been listed before. Your listing agent can pull the MLS history for you. Year built matters when you sell for one specific reason: for any home built before 1978, federal law requires the seller to give buyers a lead-based paint disclosure and pamphlet. So it is worth confirming the year before you list. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

No one can tell you for certain where values will go in a few years, and anyone who promises you a number is guessing. What you can do is watch the signals for your own market instead of national headlines: 1. Median sale price and number of sales for homes like yours over the last 12 months, compared with the 12 months before. 2. Months of inventory: active listings divided by monthly sales. Rising inventory is usually the first sign that prices are softening. 3. Days on market and sale price as a percentage of list price. When homes take longer and sell further below list, sellers are losing leverage. Ask a local agent to pull those numbers from the MLS for your area and price range every six months. For context, in Billings the median sale price was $385,000 across 2,020 sales from Oct 1, 2025 to Sep 30, 2026 (Billings MLS), and those are the same measures I track for clients here. Kalispell has its own MLS data, so ask for numbers specific to your area. If you plan to sell in a few years, the things you control are keeping the house in good repair and not over-improving past what buyers in your neighborhood pay for. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings

You are right that it does not have to work that way, and the rules changed in 2024. Since August 17, 2024, under the practice changes from the National Association of REALTORS settlement, buyers working with an agent sign a written agreement before touring homes that states how their agent will be paid, and offers of buyer-agent compensation can no longer be posted on the MLS. Who pays is now negotiated in each transaction. The seller can agree to pay the buyer's agent, the buyer can pay their own agent directly, or the buyer can ask the seller in the offer for a concession that goes toward it. Many sellers still agree to cover it, because a lot of buyers do not have extra cash for their agent's fee on top of a down payment and closing costs, and offering it can widen the pool of buyers. All commissions are negotiable, on both sides. Whether you are buying or selling, settle the compensation terms in writing before you tour or list, so there are no surprises when an offer is written. Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker | The Morales Group at Engel & VA?lkers Billings