Purchasing a house is a very responsible step, as most Americans buy homes once in their lives. Since it's not a common activity for most people, they hire real estate agents to help choose a good home. 

However, never underestimate your strength in choosing a top-notch house that corresponds to all your needs. If you know nothing about real estate, scroll down below and find the top ten things to consider when buying a new house. 

Price
For most people, price is a deal-breaker. A new house should fit a budget. Therefore, it's easy to narrow the search by avoiding too expensive homes. Don't forget to set the minimum limit not to spend your time on small or poor-quality homes. 

If you're a learner who wants to have a big house in the best location, you should find a high-paying job after graduation. To increase your chances of getting hired by a top-rank company, you should have a high college score.

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Size
Don't choose a big home just because you can afford it. The size of your home should correspond to your needs, and every room should be utilized. Otherwise, unused rooms in your house will likely become storage spaces.

Vise versa, if you purchase a too-small house, you will feel uncomfortable in your home. Therefore, you need to evaluate your needs and plans to choose a property with the corresponding number of bedrooms and bathrooms. 

Location
Location is an essential factor that you should take into account, choosing a home. 

Some people like suburban territories. Others adore crowded areas. Therefore, you need to pick a location that you like the most.

You should consider if there are parks in your area. Don't forget about the remoteness of work, school, and shopping centers from your home.  

Community
All students know that it's vital to live with roommates who don't bother them. Thereupon, you need to pay close attention to neighbors. Feel free to talk to people who live near the desired house. It will help you pick a great home.

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Viewing Options
Most houses aren't available for viewing 24/7. As usual, viewing is scheduled. Therefore, you need to create a list of the top homes that you want to see first and arrange your schedule to check them out as soon as possible. Remember, other people may also want to purchase the best value home faster than you.

Appliances
Even though you purchase a new home, you should pay closer attention to appliances in a building. To avoid unexpected issues and extra renovation expenses, you have to check the appliances' quality in a house.

If you're a student who knows nothing about engineering and has no idea how to check appliances at home, spend some time boosting your knowledge. If you don't even have a few spare hours a day to learn more about appliances, ask for assistance. 

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Mortgage Rates
According to the latest stats, only 16% of people buy new homes for cash. Therefore, if you decide to purchase a home, you need to pay closer attention to mortgage rates, especially for your first home. Don't hesitate to hire an expert if you don't know how to calculate loan payments. 

Purpose
There are various types of houses. For instance, detached or semi-detached houses are perfect for those who aren't afraid of year-round land maintenance. However, if you prefer to take care of your home inside only, a condo is the best pick. 

Garage and Place for Parking
If you have more than one car in your family, you need to take a closer look at the number of parking places available. Also, you need to make sure that there is some extra space for cars or parking lots for guests in your community. 

Reputation of Builder
Don't forget to examine a builder's reputation. Feel free to ask neighbors and surf the Internet to read unbiased reviews. Feedback can bring a lot of helpful information about different companies. 

For instance, students who always get help with homework online want to delegate their papers to experts only. Therefore, they check reviews on paper writing companies like EssayShark before making payments.

Final Words
If you're about to buy a new home, never compromise on your desires and underestimate your capabilities to choose a perfect house. For sure, you have to admit the recommendations of experts from different niches. Nevertheless, always make the final decision by yourself. 

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission last week unanimously approved a chronic wasting disease management hunt for white-tailed deer in several hunting districts in southwest Montana.

From Dec. 15 through Feb. 15, unused 2020 general deer licenses will remain valid for either-sex white-tailed deer harvest, and unused 2020 003-00, 331-00 and 399-00 deer B licenses will remain valid for antlerless white-tailed deer harvest within the CWD management hunt area. Now that the general deer hunting season has ended, no additional licenses can be purchased, except the 003-00 deer B license, which will be sold until Jan. 15, 2021.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff proposed these adjustments for places where FWP’s surveillance efforts have found relatively high prevalence of CWD among white-tailed deer.

The primary goal of this CWD management hunt is to reduce densities of white-tailed deer in these areas in order to slow the spread of CWD among white-tailed deer and to mule deer, elk and moose. FWP also hopes to further improve understanding of CWD distribution and prevalence through continued testing of hunter-harvested deer.

The CWD management hunt will be in the following deer hunting districts and hunting district portions:

• HD320 – Those portions within the Jefferson River watershed. Those portions within the Madison River watershed are excluded.
• All of HD 322
• All of HD 324
• HD 325 – Those portions within the Blacktail Deer Creek watershed and north of Clark Canyon Creek. Those portions within the Beaverhead River watershed south of Clark Canyon Creek are excluded.
• All of HD 326
• All of HD 329
• HD 330 – Those portions within the Ruby River watershed. Those portions within the Madison River watershed are excluded.
• All of HD 331
• All of HD 340​

As always, landowner permission is required before hunting.

CWD in southwest Montana

CWD is a contagious neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. It is always fatal, and there is no known cure. It was first found in Montana in 2017.

CWD was detected among white-tailed deer in the Ruby Valley in 2019. These deer are contiguous with white-tailed deer and moose throughout the Ruby, Jefferson, Beaverhead and Big Hole valleys. They are seasonally connected to populations of elk, moose and mule deer.

Hunters play a significant role in FWP’s management efforts for CWD. By late November, FWP’s surveillance of hunter-harvested white-tailed deer in southwest Montana found prevalence levels ranging from 8.3 percent in HD 320 to as much as 50 percent in a localized portion of HD 322, where about 2,000 white-tailed deer are routinely counted in spring.

Without population reductions, prevalence is expected to increase substantially in the coming years throughout these white-tailed deer populations.

Continued CWD sampling


Hunters who participate in the management hunt are encouraged to submit samples for CWD testing. FWP has provided resources to help hunters collect and submit samples for testing on their own. These resources can be found on FWP’s website by visiting https://go.usa.gov/xA3wH.

FWP will also provide limited staffing to assist hunters who need help collecting samples from their harvested animals. Beginning Dec. 21, CWD sampling stations will operate one day per week, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at FWP offices in the following locations:

• Mondays: 730 N. Montana St., Dillon
• Tuesdays: 1820 Meadowlark Ln., Butte

CWD is not known to infect humans. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people not eat meat from infected animals and have their harvested animals tested before eating them if they were taken from an area where CWD is known to exist. For more information on CDC recommendations, please visit https://go.usa.gov/xAcnc.

Montana State University has received Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approval to be a COVID-19 vaccine provider for its students and is making plans for the storage and distribution of the vaccine — dependent upon federal and state supplies and priorities.

“We are planning as far ahead as we can, as it will be a complicated process to store and administer the vaccine,” said Jim Mitchell, associate vice president for student wellness at MSU.

To receive approval as a vaccine provider, MSU had to demonstrate that it has access to the subzero freezers necessary to store the Pfizer vaccine as well as redundant electrical power for the freezers to ensure their continuous operation. The Pfizer vaccine must be stored at temperatures of minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit or below; the Moderna vaccine must be stored below minus 4 degrees.

“We’re doing the backup electrical systems this week,” Mitchell said. “The setup and operation of the freezers will be done well in advance of the arrival of the vaccines.”

Timing and vaccine priorities are being determined by federal and state governments. In Gallatin County, front-line health care workers started receiving COVID-19 vaccines earlier this week.

“It’s very important for everyone to remember that we still need to be vigilant about wearing our masks and staying socially distanced,” Mitchell said. “Just because vaccines are on the way is no reason for us to let up on our discipline. Thousands of people are still dying every day across the country, and our health care system is very stressed. There is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is still very long.”

The great outdoors.

These days, after being trapped indoors for so long, we don’t just yearn for it, we’ve gained an even greater appreciation of it. After being deprived of being able to easily access and just go out and experience them for so long, it feels one would be in a rush to go back out there and dive headfirst into it, right?

After all, if you think about it, it should be safer out there, right?
You can’t get any more “social distancing” than a trip outdoors.

However, that’s not to say we should hop on our cars and head out. Like all things, you need to prepare appropriately. And as such, we’ve compiled a list of things you can do so that you can best prepare for that outdoor trip you’ve been sorely missing.

Staying Safe, Safe, and Safe

Of course, the first thing you’ll think about when you think of doing pretty much anything these days is safety. There is still a pandemic raging after all. Aside from social distancing and having a few spare masks, there are other areas of safety you should consider.

Danger lurks on every corner, after all, be it natural or man itself.

And as such, feeling safe is paramount and something we all strive for.

One of the things you should look into immediately, and can be used even outside of your planned trip, would be non-lethal self-defense. The easiest and probably one of the first things you can look into are pepper spray and stun-guns.

If you’re careful enough, want something with good stopping power and is relatively inexpensive, then look into pepper spray. If you don’t want the hassle of figuring out the best way and distance of using pepper spray, and you don’t mind getting up close and personal, then maybe a stun gun could do the trick for you.

Another more straightforward and far safer non-lethal form of self-defense would be noisemakers. It can be very effective in driving people and, more importantly, wild animals away, without having to resort to violence. If you can solve the problem with a noisemaker, you should immediately do so.

Another thing you could look into are metal or aluminum bats.

We’re not kidding. They’re highly effective, require no prior experience and balance both close range and some distance. It’s simple and effective.

However, if you need something a little more than that in order to feel extra safe during your trip, you can explore firearms. Getting into the specifics of what you may need will require an entire article in itself, but one pro-tip we can give you is that you can check out Shooting Mystery’s website if you want to learn more about what could work best for you.

After all, you can’t put a price on safety. And in times like these, safety is one of the things we need to feel the most in this world.

So if you’re going to plan for a trip, feel safe with the level of safety you have.

Plan Smart, Plan Ahead

Now that you’re bringing a level of safety you’re comfortable with; now that you’re sure you’re going to be okay, you can dive into the logistics of your trip. We can't stress enough how important it is to plan and map out every aspect of your trip.

Where are you going? Is it near where you live, or hours away? Is it going to be a long trip? An overnighter? Or perhaps a day trip?

What kind of experience are you and the people you’re with, if ever you’re a small group, going for? Are you guys going to rough it out, really rely on yourselves and what nature has to provide, or are you more for the glamping experience?

For that matter, are you using a Tent or an RV?

And once you’ve set up your home base, what activities are essential for you to do? Do you want to go rafting or climbing? Maybe hiking or biking? Depending on your answers to these questions, the place where you end up going may vary, so be sure to do your research!

Your enjoyment depends on whether you’re going to go to the right place for you, or not. This is especially important if you’re thinking of bringing along kids. But with the state of everything right now, maybe it’s best to leave the kids at home if possible.

They can come along once the world is a little bit safer, a little bit healthier.

What’s Cooking?


Eating in the great outdoors can be one of the highlights of your trip. Planning for it to go right and making sure the menu is served properly throughout the entire trip – be it a day or even more – can be a little challenging and daunting,

You have to rise to the challenge!

So be sure to know what it is precisely you want to eat and work your way back through all the details. How will you be cooking your meals? How will you be storing them and how long will each of the ingredients last?

Can you prepare some of it at home and just bring it along, or does it need to be ready there?

Be sure to have everything ready – from your tools to your ingredients and a means of storage – and you’ll be all set.

One pro-tip we would give though is to consider where you’re going, and what you’ll be doing for your trip, as well as the vibe you’re going for. With that taken into consideration, you can build your menu to supplement the overall experience you’re going for.

You rarely get to do something like this. So why not make it the best possible experience you can, right?

Are You Ready?

Safety, preparedness and food – now that you know what you need to make a successful day trip or camping session, the ball is now firmly in your court. Remember our tips and tricks, be thoughtful, plan and be prepared for anything – be it good or bad.

If you do, you’re sure to have a wonderful time when you finally make your way to that outdoor trip you’ve been dreaming of for a while now.

Good luck!

Help is needed! The Salvation Army Bozeman is in urgent need of toys to help fulfill the Christmas wishes of more than 400 children in need in Gallatin County. There are a few ways to donate toys:

• “Adopt” a child through Angel Trees at Ressler Motors or Gallatin Valley Mall
• Drop off any new, unwrapped toy at The Salvation Army located at 32 So Rouse St
• Purchase a toy online and have it shipped directly to The Salvation Army at 32 South Rouse Bozeman, MT 59715  

Toys must be received by December 15 to make sure they are given to a child in time for Christmas.  Please help us get the word out to ensure every child in Gallatin County has a toy on Christmas morning. For any questions or for an interview, please reach out to Lt. Rick Larson at 400-683-6788. 

Every decade has its personal finance challenges. In your 20s, you have an opportunity to lay the groundwork for a great financial future, but if you are like most people your age, you also don't know much about money, investing, saving, and debt. You may also be dealing with a substantial amount of student loans, and you might have credit card debt as well. The tips below can help you manage all of these things and thrive financially throughout your 20s.

Make a Budget
Making a budget is not about deprivation. It is about knowing what money you have and where it is going, and you can think of it as freeing you since you always know what you can spend. Creating a budget is easy with an app, which can track and categorize your spending for you. You can also track your budget manually if you prefer. Creating and sticking to a budget is a good habit to get into and carry throughout your life.

Deal with Your Student Loans
You need to stay on top of your student loan payments. This can be confusing if you have multiple loans, and you might want to consider refinancing them with a private lender. This can give you one monthly payment, which can be less than what you’re currently paying. In the long run, you should have a plan to pay off your student loans to ensure that they do not become a burden for decades.

Deal with Your Credit Cards
You may have graduated from college with credit card debt or built some up shortly after graduating. If so, you need to pay this off as quickly as possible and get into the habit of paying your balance in full monthly after that. You might want to look into getting a zero-balance card and rolling your other balances onto that, but watch out for a jump to a high-interest rate after a certain period of time, such as six months or a year. If you truly cannot control your spending with credit cards, you may want to get rid of them all except for one secured card in case of emergencies.

Savings
There are two types of savings you should be working on at this point. One is emergency savings. With enough in this fund, you will not need to fall back on your credit card. Standard advice says you need three to six months in this account, but you may want to vary this based on your comfort level and personal situation. If your company has a retirement fund, you should be putting money away in this as well, particularly since your workplace may match your contributions.

Set Financial Goals
Whether you want to retire before you're 50, invest in real estate, or build a family fortune that you can leave for your children, this is the time to set goals that you can spend decades or a lifetime on. In particular, you can turn your focus to this once you have your debts under control and are building up savings elsewhere. Write down your goals and make a plan to help you meet them.

HRDC is pleased to announce the successful purchase of property in Gardiner, Montana to help address the community’s workforce housing needs. The property, located at 40 Jardine Road, consists of a three-bedroom home on 4.6 acres. HRDC is working to design a development consisting of a mix of ownership and rental opportunities to meet community needs.

HRDC has been working closely with the Gardiner community since 2015 to assess housing needs and identify potential solutions. Both availability and affordability of homes in the Gardiner community has continued to deteriorate for local workers as more homes are converted to second homes or short-term rentals. This has affected small businesses, local schools, and community organizations.

For the past five years, identifying a property for the development of new affordable housing has been a priority. HRDC staff has vetted properties as they come to market, worked with community members to find out when properties may be available, and talked with owners
about potential development partnerships. This new property represents the culmination of these efforts, and the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the community’s housing needs.

While still in its early development phases, HRDC hopes to engage community members throughout 2021 to refine the proposed project.

For more information about HRDC, visit thehrdc.org.

The Salvation Army is taking its iconic red kettles virtual. This holiday season, The Salvation Army is seeing a greater need for their services – more than any in recent history. COVID-19 has not only created a bigger need for the organization to fill, it will also decrease the number of traditional red kettles our community used to seeing on street corners and at store entrances each Christmas season.

 
That’s why The Salvation Army is offering the Virtual Red Kettle. It allows the community to support their neighbors in need and allows them to participate in the traditional red kettle experience, all without ever leaving their homes. It’s the ultimate socially distant way to give back this holiday season.

 
Donors can go online to bozemanredkettle.org to give a gift or create their own fundraiser for The Salvation Army. Donations given to the Bozeman campaign stay in the Bozeman community. For example, a gift of $25 could provide a toy for two children this Christmas. When you click the donate button, you’ll hear an actual Salvation Army bell ring!

 
Last holiday season, The Salvation Army raised more than $126 million nationally through red kettles. Due to closing of retail stores, a decrease in foot traffic, consumers carrying less cash and coins, The Salvation Army could see up to a 50 percent decrease in funds raised nationally through red kettles. If this happens, our ability to provide services for the most vulnerable every day and during disasters would be severely reduced.

 
People count on The Salvation Army to be there when they need help. Now, we’re asking for assistance. We are calling on the community to donate their time and/or money to help rescue Christmas for their neighbors in need. Here are some other ways we’re making giving back easier and safer than ever:
 
• Make a donation to The Salvation Army at bozemanredkettle.org
• Give cash, change or use Apple Pay or Google Pay at an in-person red kettle
• Sign up to become a bell ringer at volunteer.usawest.org  (The Salvation Army has adopted nationally mandated COVID-19 safety protocols)
 
The red kettle tradition began in 1891 when Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee wanted to help feed needy citizens in San Francisco. McFee remembered the ferry landings in Liverpool England, where people would sit with small kettles that travelers would toss spare change into to help the less fortunate. Placing his own kettle on Market Street in Oakland California, McFee was able to help individuals on Christmas. The idea traveled to Boston in 1897 and the Red Kettle Campaign has been a tradition ever since.

With the holiday season comes the idea of giving gifts, and, according to Montana State University Extension, gifting an asset can be not only a great opportunity to express love and affection but also an opportunity for the gift to become a living legacy. Children and grandchildren could have the opportunity to participate in the management of a family business or could finance their education using assets gifted from family members.

According to Marsha Goetting, MSU Extension family economics specialist, the types of property that can be living legacies include almost any item with monetary value. Examples include real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, certificates of deposit, U.S. savings bonds, cars or trucks, livestock, and cash. 

“Giving away assets may sound simple at first, but federal gift tax laws should be followed to avoid potential problems later,” Goetting said. "While Montana does not have a gift tax, the federal government levies one upon transfers of real and/or personal property made during life if the person making the gift does not receive something of similar value in exchange.”

For example, if a father gives his son land with a fair market value of $100,000, the father has made a $100,000 gift. If the father sells the same land to his son for $1,000, he has made a gift of $99,000, the difference between the fair market value and the value received.

Federal law permits an annual exclusion of up to $15,000 on gifts below which payment of gift tax is not necessary, Goetting said. The recipients do not have to be family members and no gift tax return needs to be filed for gifts up to $15,000. 

“The gifts can also be used in other efficient ways,” Goetting added. “A grandmother in Billings gifted $15,000 to her adult granddaughter. The granddaughter split up the gift by putting portions in Montana Medical Care Savings Accounts, an IRA and a Montana First Time Home Buyer’s Account. In doing so, the grandmother’s gift saved her granddaughter $1,635 in state and federal income taxes.”

A copy of the MontGuide “Gifting: A Property Transfer Tool of Estate Planning” is available at https://store.msuextension.org/publications/FamilyFinancialManagement/MT199105HR.pdf. Physical copies are also available at local MSU county or reservation Extension offices.

Montana State University Extension has a new, free, 40-page color booklet available about diagnosing herbicide injury on plants.

“While herbicides are useful tools for managing weeds, sometimes they can also injure desired plants,” said Noelle Orloff, a diagnostician in the Schutter Diagnostic Lab. “This injury is referred to as non-target injury, or damage to plants other than the target weeds intended to be controlled by an herbicide application.”

Orloff said non-target herbicide injury is a continuing concern in Montana. For example, plant samples assessed for herbicide injury symptoms by MSU’s Schutter Diagnostic Lab increased 90% between 2013 and 2018, from 60 to 115 samples annually. The new guide is part of a response to help MSU Extension agents and others diagnose herbicide injury issues. Orloff said diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms may look like those caused by insects, disease or weather conditions. Another goal of the guide is to help pesticide applicators understand and prevent common causes of non-target herbicide injury, Orloff said.

The guide describes common causes of non-target herbicide injury, such as herbicide drift and herbicide carryover; operator error and faulty application equipment; and environmental and plant factors that make herbicide injury more likely. It summarizes how to prevent herbicide injury, then describes how to diagnose herbicide injury, including a list of evidence to gather and questions to ask. It also includes a key to plant symptoms, as well as photos and descriptions of plant symptoms for different types of herbicides. The guide is written by Orloff; Jane Mangold, MSU Extension invasive plant specialist; and Tim Seipel, MSU Extension cropland weed specialist. The printed guides are funded by a grant from USDA-NIFA.

A printed copy of the spiral-bound booklet (EB0232) is available to order from the MSU Extension Distribution Center. A nominal shipping charge will be applied. Orders may be placed by visiting www.msuextension.org/store or calling 406-994-3273. The booklet is also available as a downloadable PDF at store.msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/EB0232.pdf
and as an HTML website at msuextension.org/pubs/herbicideinjuryguide/index.html.