{"id":2356147,"date":"2024-10-17T11:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T15:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montanas-raging-housing-market-becomes-flashpoint-in-key-senate-race-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-10-17T11:54:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T15:54:41","slug":"montanas-raging-housing-market-becomes-flashpoint-in-key-senate-race-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/montanas-raging-housing-market-becomes-flashpoint-in-key-senate-race-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Montana\u2019s raging housing market becomes flashpoint in key Senate race &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmontanas-raging-housing-market-becomes-flashpoint-in-key-senate-race-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2356147&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The housing crisis in Montana has become a\u200d focal point in the\u200b contentious Senate race between Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy.\u2063 Housing \u200dprices \u2063have surged dramatically, with median \u2063home prices climbing 105% since 2017 to \u200baround $524,000, making it unaffordable for most residents. Less than 20% of households \u200bcan\u2064 afford a \u200bmedian \u2064home, exacerbating the issue with the state&#8217;s population influx and labor shortages.<\/p>\n<p>Political candidates are using\u200b the \u2064housing issue to attack each other, with Tester blaming\u2062 out-of-state buyers and &#8220;rich folks&#8221; for driving up prices, while Sheehy attributes it to broader national policies and inflation. Both have suggested solutions: Tester proposed tax \u2062credits \u2064for first-time homebuyers, while \u200cSheehy \u200battributed the \u200cproblem to external factors, distancing himself from the blame.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative \u200bsurrounding the housing market is further complicated by\u2063 external\u2063 factors, such as the impact of the popular\u2063 TV show &#8220;Yellowstone,&#8221;\u200c which has fueled interest in the state,\u2063 leading to \u2062more demand for housing. Experts \u2064indicate that the \u2064state needs to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/psaki-says-rising-housing-prices-are-actually-good-for-some-families-economic-recovery-will-produce-some-bumps\/\" title=\"Psaki Says Rising Housing Prices Are Actually Good For Some Families, Economic Recovery Will \u2018Produce Some Bumps\u2019\">increase housing supply<\/a> and streamline building processes to \u200beffectively address the crisis. Additionally, discussions about federal public land management have emerged, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/planned-parenthood-dragged-so-hard-for-abortion-is-healthcare-meme-they-shut-down-replies\/\" title=\"Planned Parenthood Faces Backlash Over &#039;Abortion Is Healthcare&#039; Meme, Disables Comments\">highlighting differing views<\/a> on its potential role in housing solutions.<\/p>\n<p>Montana&#8217;s housing market dynamics are central not\u200c only to the Senate race but also to the daily lives of \u2063its residents facing escalating living costs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Montana&rsquo;s raging housing market takes center stage in pivotal Senate race<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1838002\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>BOZEMAN, Montana &mdash; <\/strong>Surging housing prices have become a political flashpoint in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/montana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Montana\">Montana<\/a>&lsquo;s hotly contested <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Senate\">Senate<\/a> race as residents increasingly find the prospect of owning or renting in the state out of reach.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jon-tester\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Jon Tester\">Jon Tester<\/a> (D-MT) and Republican Tim Sheehy have hurled nonstop insults and accusations at one another on housing affordability in a matchup in which the victor could be the chamber&rsquo;s majority maker.<\/p>\n<p>The subject has saddled voters across the country with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-how-the-gops-stimulus-package-compares-to-bidens\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s How the GOP\u2019s Stimulus Package Compares to Biden\u2019s\">higher costs<\/a> and presented a drag on the economy, leading the matter to bubble up as a point of contention between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>In Montana, it&rsquo;s been acutely felt, thanks to an influx of residents mixed with a labor shortage.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The issue of housing is significant, and it doesn&rsquo;t matter where you live in Montana,&rdquo; said Democratic state Rep. Paul Tuss, who is seeking reelection in a Republican-leaning district. &ldquo;There seems to be a housing crisis in every corner of the state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&lsquo;We need to get housing under control&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>Median state home prices exceed that at the national level, increasing 105% since 2017 and peaking in 2023 around $524,000, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greatfallstribune.com\/story\/news\/2024\/01\/25\/montana-exceeds-national-average-prices-for-homes\/72354446007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Montana Department of Commerce<\/a>. Less than 20% of Montana households can afford a median home. Nationally, prices have seen a more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/interactive\/2024\/housing-market-price-trends-zip-code-map\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>50% uptick<\/a> since 2019 to a median cost of about $425,000 in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Montana had about <a href=\"https:\/\/montanafreepress.org\/2024\/01\/02\/montana-population-growth-slows\/#:~:text=Since%20the%202020%20census%2C%20which,3.7%20residents%20of%20population%20growth.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>1.13 million residents<\/a> as of last year, a growth of about 48,600 since the 2020 census. The figures may seem insignificant, but the state&rsquo;s housing supply has failed to keep pace with roughly one home for every 3.7 new residents. There were 527,800 housing units as of last year, or one for every 2.1 residents.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The average house in Bozeman is $755,000. The average worker in Bozeman, Montana, makes $56,000 a year. There&rsquo;s a problem there,&rdquo; a woman lamented during a town hall with Ryan Busse, the Democratic challenger to Gov. Greg Gianforte (R-MT). &ldquo;We need to get housing under control.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ryan Busse. (Photo by Timothy Wolff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Busse&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-campaign-blasts-crists-karla-marx-running-mates-hostility-to-veteran-teachers\/\" title=\"DeSantis campaign blasts Crist\u2019s \u2018Karla Marx\u2019 running mate\u2019s hostility to veteran teachers\">lieutenant governor running mate<\/a>, Raph Graybill, recalled a prior legal case he handled as an attorney in which West Yellowstone firefighters were required to live within 1.5 hours of the station but could not afford to do so on their salary, with single-family home prices exceeding $750,000.<\/p>\n<p>Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL and Montana business owner, blamed housing prices on &ldquo;the four Is&rdquo;: inflation, interest rates, inventory, and illegal immigration. And, of course, Tester, for supporting &ldquo;disastrous policies&rdquo; of the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People talk about housing affordability all over the country. This isn&rsquo;t a Montana issue. It&rsquo;s a false narrative we see from Tester and Ryan [Busse] running for governor, and others,&rdquo; Sheehy told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the consequence of these terrible policies coming out of Biden-Harris that have driven up inflation, driven up interest rates.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tim Sheehy. (Photo by Timothy Wolff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tester points the finger at rich out-of-staters and figures like Sheehy, the CEO of aerial firefighting company Bridger Aerospace. He is originally from Wisconsin and would be one of the wealthiest members of Congress with a net worth in the tens of millions.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen ordinary Montanans not be able to afford to get into a home,&rdquo; Tester said at a recent debate before nodding in Sheehy&rsquo;s direction. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s caused by people who have hundreds of millions of dollars that come to this state and buying home after home after home. It&rsquo;s caused by hedge fund folks coming in, buying homes, and kicking Montanans out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tester has proposed a $15,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and credits for builders.<\/p>\n<p>Sheehy rejected the assertions from Tester and other Democrats that people like him are to blame.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;His attempt to cast it on me and people who have moved here from out of state is just wrong,&rdquo; he told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> during a campaign stop.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hit show Yellowstone is partly to blame<\/h2>\n<p>In reality, housing industry experts say Montana&rsquo;s affordability &ldquo;crisis&rdquo; extends far beyond one senator&rsquo;s power or one wealthy businessman.<\/p>\n<p>The pandemic, lower interest rates, and the state&rsquo;s ample opportunities to trade city life for the great outdoors were all driving factors that &ldquo;fueled&rdquo; an influx of new residents from wealthier areas like California, Oregon, Washington state, and even as far as Florida and New York. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In a bit of irony, the hit TV series <em>Yellowstone<\/em> is viewed as another major contributing factor. The Montana-based drama centers on a longtime rancher&rsquo;s fight to protect his vast sprawl of multigenerational land from developers amid a booming population growth. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;<em>Yellowstone<\/em> portrayed a place that&rsquo;s fairly accurate because it&rsquo;s really beautiful here,&rdquo; said Bryan Atwell, broker and owner at Bozeman-based Realty ONE Group Peak. &ldquo;People wanting to come here from highly populated places definitely lit the match for price increases on properties.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It comes down to a basic supply and demand issue, experts say, but the diagnosis is easier than the cure.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need more housing, and there needs to be an easier path to provide more housing,&rdquo; said John Barkow, CFO of Bozeman-based OSM Construction. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the only way you&rsquo;re going to really make an impact on lowering housing costs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Downtown Bozeman, Montana. (Photo by Timothy Wolff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Barkow credited Bozeman city officials with providing higher-density zoning and simplifying the building permit process.<\/p>\n<p>Still, the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association, the region&rsquo;s trade organization for commercial and residential building companies, wants to see more done quicker to slash red tape. Building costs for its member companies have skyrocketed by more than double, from $180 per square foot in Bozeman in 2019 to nearly $400, creating a ripple effect across the economy.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a housing crisis, and so we need to be thinking about ways that we can not overregulate,&rdquo; said SMBIA Government Affairs Chairman Riley Rivers, whose local chapter has not made a race endorsement but whose national parent group is backing Sheehy. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to work with whoever&rsquo;s going to be there to make sure that we can really get the changes needed.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How public lands are being &lsquo;politicized&rsquo;<\/h2>\n<p>The federal protection of public lands, coveted in Montana, has been brought into the political conversation as a possible fix for housing in Western states but less so in the Treasure State. It has been used by Tester to pummel Sheehy for previous statements supporting federal land transfers to local control. Sheehy says he opposes selling off or privatizing the land, roughly 35% of which is <a href=\"https:\/\/wildmontana.org\/public-lands-101\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>owned by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/better-than-expected-u-s-economy-added-638000-jobs-in-october-unemployment-dropped-to-6-9\/\" title=\"Better Than Expected: U.S. Economy Added 638,000 Jobs in October, Unemployment Dropped to 6.9%\">federal government<\/a><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Public lands belong to you, the public,&rdquo; Sheehy told supporters at his rally. &ldquo;In the last 30 years &hellip; radical environmental legal groups and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., have taken those public lands, and they said, &lsquo;They&rsquo;re ours.&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During their debate, Tester charged Sheehy with having &ldquo;made an incredible transformation on this issue.&rdquo; Sheehy <a href=\"https:\/\/au.news.yahoo.com\/montana-gop-candidate-failed-disclose-190641664.html\">serves on the board<\/a> of a property rights and environmental research nonprofit group that, decades ago, advocated the privatization of public lands, a position it said it no longer supports.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When he first started running, he said that public lands should be turned over to either his rich buddies or the counties, remove protection,&rdquo; Tester said. &ldquo;Bad idea.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The presidential race has also shined a spotlight on the contentious issue and created strange bedfellows. Harris and Trump have shown support for repurposing federal lands for housing.<\/p>\n<p>At the vice presidential debate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) stood firm.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They could be places where we build a lot of housing,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have a lot of land that could be used. We have a lot of Americans that need homes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Montana&rsquo;s housing industry is skeptical, to say the least. Relinquishing federal control over areas used for recreational activities by residents and tourists is unpopular with locals, and the territories in Montana are largely unsuitable for homes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen public lands being sold in order to create residential housing,&rdquo; said Atwell, the Bozeman-based realty broker. &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s being more politicized than it is an actual deal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1838002\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1838002\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Montana&#8217;s housing market crisis is a key issue in the Senate race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2356148,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sheehy-and-Tester.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[39098,8605,5894,34723,32076],"class_list":["post-2356147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-housing-market","tag-montana","tag-politics","tag-senate-race","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sheehy-and-Tester.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2356147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2356147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2356147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2356147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2356147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}