New West Conference

Less can be more. The end is not nigh. The real estate market—including second-home and resort markets—will recover … eventually.

Predictions and advice about opportunity, realism, smart growth, environmentalism—and a slow-paced recovery—were the hallmarks of NewWest.net’s fourth annual Real Estate Development in the Northern Rockies conference in Missoula. The two-day event, which ended yesterday at the Hilton Garden Inn, included more than 30 speakers who discussed wide-ranging topics about development, planning, land use and the future of the West.

The boom-and-bling era of speculation and eye-popping returns on real estate have obviously vanished, said the planners, architects, developers, policy makers, real estate agents, green builders and others who took the stage. But the current economic downturn could fuel a shift that benefits people and the planet, speakers said. When smart growth replaces sprawl, when developers are good neighbors, when downtowns are revitalized and landscapes are preserved, the region will be protected from ugly booms and busts.
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New West Conference

In the wake of the economic meltdown, the world seems to have changed. And that’s for the good, said Luther Propst, the keynote speaker on the second day of the NewWest.net Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference.

Speakers at the fourth annual conference, which brought together more than 250 developers, architects, city officials, real estate agents, planners, and others, said the shift in the economy has refocused the West on some formulas that would make a Boy Scout proud: simplicity, thrift, conservation, patience, and quality of life.

“This might be an economic reset,” said Propst, a leading smart-growth expert. “We can either be victims of change or we can plan for it, shape it and emerge stronger from it.”

NewWest.net Conference Kicks Off

The economic recovery has definitely begun, but it has a long way to go. Housing prices might have a lot farther to fall. And new waves of foreclosures could keep the economy on shaky footing—for years.

Those were a few of the views offered today by leading economist Christopher Thornberg of Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics, who took the stage in Missoula to kick off NewWest.Net’s fourth annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference—and to also predict the future. It’s something Thornberg has done with uncanny precision in past years, when he was one of the few economists to warn about a coming housing bust and its dire consequences.

DOC SHOCK

For residents of the West’s gas patch, the story is a familiar one. Gas companies roll in, wanting to drill. Homeowners find out they may own the land, but they don’t own the gas reserves underneath.

The drill rigs appear. For some, a battle ensues. Some complain of environmental problems. Some complain of health problems.

Outside the gas patch, the story of the battle between natural gas companies and residents is less well known, but a new documentary may help change that.

Santa Fe, N.M., filmmaker Debra Anderson set out to capture the stories of residents of western Colorado and New Mexico in her documentary Split Estate. The film is scheduled to run Oct. 17 and Oct. 22 on Planet Green, a Discovery Communications network.

OCt. 12-13 in Missoula

NewWest.Net’s Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference kicks off on Monday, and if you haven’t signed up yet there are still some options.

On Monday, the two Missoula tours are sold out, but we still have some room left for the Butte historic preservation and redevelopment tour, which promises to be fascinating. (You’ll need to sign up in advance for that one as it leaves at 8:00 a.m. Monday.) On Monday afternoon at 4:30 we formally kick off at the MCT Theatre with economist Christopher Thornberg, who has become something of a cult figure among folks who have seen his dead-on accurate real estate market forecasts at our previous conferences. His talk will be followed by a reception, sponsored by First Security Bank. We have a limited number of $39 tickets for Thornberg’s presentation and the reception only; on-site tickets will be available, space permitting.

Tuesday is a full day at the Hilton Garden Inn, with three tracks of break-out sessions in the morning and a plenary session in the afternoon. The afternoon features Luther Propst of the Sonoran Institute, Roger Lang of Sun Ranch, Michelle Sulllivan of Sullivan & Assoc., architect Andy Erstad, and developers Mark Wolley and Keith Simon, among others, and will conclude with Sam Byrne, the new owner of the Yellowstone Club. The Tuesday evening reception will feature music with Shane Clouse and Tom Catmull, sponsored by WGM Group. Tuesday-only ticket are available for $198, and include breakfast, lunch, breaks, and the reception (as well as all the great presentations, of course). You can sign up online or on-site at the Hilton.

We hope to see you at the event, please call 406-829-1725 if you have questions, or visit the conference website at www.newwest.net/realestate.

4th Annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

Since we launched our regional conference series four years ago, we’ve taken pride in providing carefully crafted programs of top-notch speakers, with high production values all the way around. And one result is that we have been able to qualify our conferences for continuing education credit in multiple disciplines.

Oftentimes, professionals regard continuing education as a burden, and the traditional providers of continuing education often respond with courses that are designed to satisfy the requirement, nothing more and nothing less. But at NewWest.Net’s Real Estate and development in the Northern Rockies conference - the fourth annual edition takes place next week, Oct. 12-13 in Missoula - you can get your credits, and have a fantastic and broadly educational experience too.

Architects, planners, Montana appraisers, Montana lawyers and Montana and Idaho real estate agents can all get credit at Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies. We know you won’t be disappointed - we consistently receive overwhelmingly positive responses from attendees on the quality of our programs. We hope you can join us. Visit NewWest.Net/realestate or call 406-829-1725 for more details.

Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

The walls and streets of Butte tell an amazing tale of Western architectural history, and can also tell a tale of what’s to come.

NewWest.Net’s upcoming Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference will be touring Butte as part of the pre-conference tours, but from the perspective of looking forward instead of looking back.

Join this tour that will give you insight into the redevelopment potential of Butte with insight from local developers, local historians and Butte’s historical preservation office.

Tickets Now Available

Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics in Los Angeles is one of the few economists to have predicted the housing bust, and we’re delighted to have him once again as a keynote speaker for NewWest.Net’s Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies conference, Oct. 12-13 in Missoula.

Chris is a fantastic presenter, and this year he’ll be opening the conference at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, with a special session at the MCT Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Missoula. We have a limited number of tickets available for Chris’s talk and the opening reception only: these are priced at $39. (Visit www.NewWest.Net/realestate or call 406-829-1725 to register).

I chatted with Chris this morning about his current assessment of the national real estate market and the economy as a whole.

Property Tax Brouhaha

“Oh my God.” That was all artist Lela Autio could think to say when she opened her 2009 assessment notice for a bare-bones Flathead Lake summer cabin—sans an inside toilet or central heating—that’s been in her family for more than 40 years.

In 2002, the Montana Department of Revenue (DOR) calculated that the property was worth $363,000. Now, Autio’s notice said it was worth $1.9 million—more than a five-fold increase.

Welcome to the 2009 Montana property assessment imbroglio, in which shocked property owners in growth areas like Flathead, Lake, Gallatin and Madison counties are receiving assessment letters saying the value of their land and homes has increased by as much as 300 percent or more, meaning their property taxes will skyrocket as well. This, despite the fact that shortly after the reappraisals were completed—in July 2008—the nation’s real estate market went belly up, buyers disappeared and home prices dipped or plummeted.

4th Annual Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve added yet a few more top-notch speakers Real Estate and Development in the Northern Rockies (Oct. 12-13 in Missoula), rounding out what promises to be our best program yet.

Michelle Sullivan, a veteran non-profit executive and all-around mover-and-shaker in Wyoming, will join us to discuss community in the New West, and how it evolves in an age of sharp ideological difference. Also from Wyoming, we’re pleased to welcome Jonathan Schechter of the Charture Institute, who will join the Tuesday panel discussion about conservation development.

And for our developer panel on Tuesday afternoon, which will offer a broad look at what’s getting built these days, and how, we’re featuring an exceptionally diverse line-up. The session includes Keith Simon, a San Francisco-based developer and investor and partner in a controversial project on the north end of Flathead Lake; Andy Erstad, a renowned Boise-based architect; Mark Woolley, a developer and consultant based in Salt Lake who has several active projects in Wyoming; and Eric Ossorio, a highly knowledgeable Big Sky real estate broker.

All of this of course is in addition to our three keynote speakers, four pre-conference tours, six break-out sessions, two receptions and much more. You can see all the details at www.newwest.net/realestate, or call 406-829-1725. We look forward to seeing you there!