Ponderosa Pines/Three Forks, MT (neighborhood, fence, price)

[sweetmelissa32]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Who's your realtor? Honest is always good, keeps the customers faithful

Roger Craft at Heart Of Montana. He was very clear about the roads and the remoteness to the point initially I thought he was trying to talk us out of it. When my husband went to see the property he met him at the airport. Gave him maps and driving advice and then had him over the next day for dinner at his house. We have lived in TN, FL, and NJ and have never been treated with that kind of hospitality so it made us wants to be Montanans even more. I know it won't be easy but I am so excited to come.

[Reziac]

Wow. I know some of that is just good salesmanship, building a relationship and all that, but the fact is they don't all do it, and it makes a huge difference. The realtor who really gets to know you also gets a better feel for what you really want and need, and doesn't waste your time on stuff HE wants to sell. There's not enough money in a parcel like yours for it to be anything other than doing his best for you (I doubt any of 'em are desperate enough to work that hard solely for a commission of a few hundred bucks!)

And isn't that a big chunk of what hospitality IS? Howdy. neighbour; what can I do for you?

[masonry]

my favorite song

[sweetmelissa32]

Originally Posted by Reziac

Wow. I know some of that is just good salesmanship, building a relationship and all that, but the fact is they don't all do it, and it makes a huge difference. The realtor who really gets to know you also gets a better feel for what you really want and need, and doesn't waste your time on stuff HE wants to sell. There's not enough money in a parcel like yours for it to be anything other than doing his best for you (I doubt any of 'em are desperate enough to work that hard solely for a commission of a few hundred bucks!)

And isn't that a big chunk of what hospitality IS? Howdy. neighbour; what can I do for you?

We had already closed at the point he had him over for dinner so it definitely was above and beyond. My husband said everyone he met was really nice and helpful. That realtor definitely didn't make any real money off the sale but that just shows (to us) that he is a good person.

[sweetmelissa32]

Originally Posted by masonry

my favorite song

Sweet Melissa? Must have been my parents too.

[MTCowboy]

I've lived in Ponderosa Pines year round for over 5 years and I love it. You couldn't drag me out. I have a 10 year old pickup, and it hasn't been beaten up by the road because I don't drive like a maniac.... I go 30 - 40 mph. The drive is beautiful and peaceful and it is the best part of my day when I drive home from work. Yes, it is expensive in gas for sure. It is expensive to drive kids back and forth to activities, which is why people carpool. The kids do lots of stuff out here locally and have friends in the area that they get together with.

I love the privacy. I have the best neighbors and everyone looks out for each other. There are definitely some characters that live up here too. All types of personalities and income levels.

The weather is great and mild for MT. I can ride my horses pretty much year round. I am on the river floating or fishing in 10 minutes.

There is definitely a division in the thoughts of people who live here. Some love the road, some hate it. Some want covenants and a property owners association and others don't. One thing for sure, it is helpful to be handy out here. If you don't know how to fix anything, you will be paying a lot of money to get someone to come here to do work for you or fix your stuff.

[Reziac]

Just saw this on some real estate listing...

15 MILES OF CLARKSTON ROAD WILL BE PAVED BY 2011 AND THERE WILL BE A RID OF APPROX $375.00 YEARLY.

Somewhere else I saw that it was being paved as far as the fire station.

I wonder if they've budgeted anything for maintenance? cuz that road is gonna wash out and sideslip some, and it's gonna need work every spring.

Today I saw one house listed up there for cheap ($80k) as "must be moved" because the hill it's on is sliding. Wonder how much of that is gonna happen on those slopes?

[GiantsFan01]

I recently purchased a 10 acre lot very close to Clarkston at the beginning of the Ponderosa Pines subdivision, with frontage on Clarkston Rd. It's flat pasture land, and it looks like some nice houses on some of the nearby lots. I'd like to eventually build a place and have a couple of horses. Is there anything I should be leary of in this part of the subdivision? I don't think the rattlesnakes or septic should be an issue. Can I expect year-round access with a 4WD vehicle? I lived 2.5 miles in on a dirt road up in New Hampshire for 12 years, so I'm used to sinking in a foot of mud for a couple of weeks every spring after snow and ice all winter. Thanks for your input!

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by GiantsFan01

I recently purchased a 10 acre lot very close to Clarkston at the beginning of the Ponderosa Pines subdivision, with frontage on Clarkston Rd. It's flat pasture land, and it looks like some nice houses on some of the nearby lots. I'd like to eventually build a place and have a couple of horses. Is there anything I should be leary of in this part of the subdivision?

Tell me the lot number and I'll look it up.

You WILL want to decide where to build during the spring, during the worst wet weather, because it can be seriously non-obvious where you'll sink to China (even on hills)... how much gravel you'll need to bring in for a driveway may decide that for you. The so-called soil is deep clay silt and gets very muddy at the least excuse, but it dries out so fast that just a few days later you can't tell it was flooded. And some of the lots down in the central flat area do sheet-flood in wet weather.

Since the HOA fell apart the non-county roads are not maintained, and some are real soft. (And the grader owned by the HOA kinda got embezzled away...) Clarkston Road is county, tho, and far as I've been up it past the pavement (not real far as my dually detests washboards), it's pretty solid.

When I moved back to MT, I wound up renting out here in Pizzy Pines, in the western flats, so I'm getting to experience it firsthand. So far no rattlesnakes which is kinda surprising, cuz I've never seen anywhere with the concentration of rattlers I tripped over a few miles away at Trident! We do have at least two wolves in the neighborhood, tho, and various other wildlife.

[dougmvrmc]

Hi Melissa do you still own land in Ponderosa pines?