Let’s look at the 5-year sales trends, for single-family Flathead residences, by city (see chart). Kalispell median sold prices have rocketed 39 percent since 2013 – Bigfork and Whitefish prices grew even more.
Median sold prices per square foot? June 2014-2018: Kalispell ($106, $114, $120, $133, $140); Lakeside ($119, $148, $129, $142, $150); Columbia Falls ($111, $123, $134, $134, $155); Bigfork ($130, $144, $157, $173, $191); Whitefish ($156, $183, $176, $207, $203). Columbia Falls passed Lakeside, while Bigfork and Whitefish are a cut above.
Median days from listing to contract? June 2014-2018, sorted by quickest to slowest this past year: Columbia Falls (49, 58, 32, 32, 24); Kalispell (53, 43, 38, 35, 28); Whitefish (56, 50, 39, 48, 40); Lakeside (98, 103, 68, 69, 46); Bigfork (147, 94, 79, 88, 61). Columbia Falls is fastest to contract, while Bigfork is slowest.
Quantity sold? June 2014-2018, sorted by most to least this past year: Kalispell (635, 679, 729, 749, 800); Whitefish (217, 182, 209, 219, 211); Bigfork (122, 120, 132, 123, 166); Columbia Falls (132, 168, 160, 160, 163); Lakeside (34, 43, 46, 43, 42). Kalispell has the lion’s share, while Lakeside is relatively tight.
Richard Dews is CEO of Glacier Flathead Real Estate, a Flathead-based real estate software and services company.