Montanans want what our parents and grandparents wanted: a fair chance to build a life, protect the land we love, and make homeownership attainable for our families. I agree with the author of “The Soul of Kalispell is at Stake” that homeownership is essential to strong communities. But I disagree with the idea that “red tape, impact fees, and regulatory delays” are the primary obstacles keeping Montanans out of homes.
Exactly what regulations are causing our crisis? Building codes? Environmental protections? Zoning that keeps homes out of floodplains? Requirements that stabilize foundations, prevent landslides, and protect drinking water? These are not arbitrary hurdles. They are guardrails that protect homeowners, neighbors, and the long-term economic stability of our valley.
We are the least affordable housing market in the nation. The inconvenience of permitting is not the source of our housing crisis.
Median home price in Montana is around $650,000, while median household income is around $72,000. A family would need to earn nearly $100,000 more than the typical Montana household makes to afford to buy a home here. No minor permitting delay or impact fee creates that kind of gap. The crisis is driven by market forces far larger than the time it takes to secure a building inspection.
Private equity groups and corporate landlords now purchase homes in bulk, often in cash, converting them into rentals and outbidding local families along the way. In such a landscape, no amount of deregulation helps a Montana buyer compete with a corporate offer that closes above asking price in days.
If we are concerned about preserving the “soul” of our towns, this trend should concern us far more than the permitting steps that keep our water clean and our homes safe. And we’ve seen what happens when those steps are skipped. The recent landslide and water-quality issues at Whitefish Lake occurred when development proceeded without proper safeguards. The home precipitously built on McDonald Creek — by owners who ignored basic environmental norms, nevermind decency — shows how quickly cherished places can be damaged. When my family bought a home built outside city limits subject to no inspections, we inherited a great view and hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs just to fix basic waterproofing failures.
Weak oversight does not save Montanans money. It simply hands the bill — and the risk — to the next buyer.
Regulation and zoning exist for a reason: to keep homes out of floodplains, protect drinking water, prevent unstable slopes from failing, and preserve the economic stability of our region. A blanket call to “cut red tape” may sound appealing, but it ignores the very real costs — financial, environmental, and safety — that follow when regulations are weakened.
If our goal is to make homeownership accessible again, we need solutions from our Legislators and Governor that address the actual drivers of the crisis:
1. Preference periods for local and individual buyers. Give Montana families a 30–45-day window to make offers before investment firms can bid, like failed Senate Bill 502.
2. Financial deterrents for bulk investors. Modest transfer fees or taxes on large corporate buyers can reduce speculative purchases.
3. Establish ownership caps for large investment firms, so no single corporate buyer can dominate local home inventory or artificially drive up prices.
Measures such as these strengthen homeownership, protect our communities, and ensure that Montana homes remain within reach for Montanans — not just national investment portfolios.
Let’s not romanticize the idea that cutting regulation will magically restore affordability. Weak regulation didn’t protect Whitefish Lake. It didn’t protect McDonald Creek. It didn’t protect my family from a dangerously built home. And it will not protect Montana from market forces that have nothing to do with permitting.
The “soul of Kalispell” is at stake — not because we have building codes, but because too many Montanans can no longer afford to live in the place they love. Protecting our land, upholding the guardrails that keep homes safe, and giving local buyers a fair chance is how we safeguard that soul for the next generation.
Anna Lang Ofstad lives in Kalispell.