ND Rentals

Rental trends & homebuying

2010-08-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Rental trends & homebuying

The number of people renting apartments...jumps way up.

For more than 60 metro areas in the U-S, apartment rental occupancies shot up by more than 200,000 units in the first 6 months of this year.

Reporter Kate Schell talks with area property managers to see if the increase has hit this area too.

They provide people with a carefree style of living

(Jeremy Petron/Area Manager, Goldmark Properties) "There is just a lot more versatility with renting as opposed to owning." Last year at this time, apartment vacancies across the country were around 12 percent. This year the number is almost half that. (Jeremy Petron/Area Manager, Goldmark Properties) "Well I think we definitely seen a little uptick in the market and our occupancy rate is probably 2-3 percent higher than what we've seen in the past several years and we attribute it primarily to growth in the Bismarck-Mandan market." (Jeremy Petron/Area Manager, Goldmark Properties) "The trends have actually been increasing as far as total traffic for future residents looking for apartments to move in to. I guess I kind of attribute that to locally, the good economy and a lot of population growth in the area." Between the two men, they manage about 2000 apartment units in the Bismarck area alone. Both say occupancy rates for the area are at about 97 percent, leaving only 3 percent of apartments open

(Rocky Gordon/Owner, Rocky Gordon and Company) "Five years ago we probably had an occupancy situation like this. It ebs and flows a little bit depending on the economy and also the development of apartments." (Jeremy Petron/Area Manager, Goldmark Properties) "I think it is different in our local region as opposed to nationally. Nationally, I think it is more due to economy and people's personal economies, looking to rent might be a better budget reason for them to rent as opposed to owning a home and due to mortgage foreclosures and things like that." Vacancies rates vary across North Dakota. Out West, where there is a lack of housing, rates are around zero. In Fargo rates sit between 4 and 5 percent, while Bismarck rates sit around 3 percent

Kate Schell, KX News

Petron explains that the price of rental properties are influenced by occupancy rates. The demand for apartments typically increase the rates, just as it does for residential homes. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list

Association formed to make sure landowners' rights aren't violated

2010-08-04T19:20:00.001-07:00

Association formed to make sure landowners' rights aren't violated
Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - Area landowners who are in the way of the North Dakota diversion plan have some new help in their corner: The North Dakota Landowners Association. The association is neutral on the project, but does want to make sure landowners' rights aren't violated. Tonight they put on a town hall meeting to get a feel for concerns and answer questions as the diversion project moves forward.
By: Christina Vaughn, WDAY

Help for landowners
Area landowners who are in the way of the North Dakota diversion plan have some new help in their corner: The North Dakota Landowners Association. The association is neutral on the project, but does want to make sure landowners' rights aren't violated. Tonight they put on a town hall meeting to get a feel for concerns and answer questions as the diversion project moves forward.

About 50 landowners showed up to tonight's town hall meeting. One of the invited speakers is a man who has fought for flood protection north of the floodway in Winnipeg.

“When we get assurances from the people who are building it, or want to build it, we have to take it with a grain of salt.”

Jack Jonasson has been through diversion planning and construction. He says in Winnipeg, it hasn't helped, it's actually made things worse, that's what he fears will happen with the North Dakota project. Jonasson says this project was a purely political decision.

“You're making a majority of the voters in this area happy because the majority live inside Fargo and West Fargo.”

Because of the diversion plan, fourth generation and lifelong farmer Stuart Johnson will have almost no land left. 80 per cent of it is in the diversion path.

“I'll probably end up moving out of North Dakota because my livelihood will be gone.”

Johnson has been a regular at flood meetings and input sessions. He calls himself a number cruncher and carries around a copy of the Corps of Engineers' feasibility study.

“They need to do more studies on this because their numbers, when you start crunching them, are mostly inaccurate.”

Johnson is confident the dispute between landowners, the city, county, and water resource boards will be settled in court and in his favor.

“I mean, these are people's lives at stake here and you can't take that livelihood, you really can't.”

Leaders of the North Dakota Landowners Association say they decided to step in for the farmers because they think the project is moving too fast, and decision aren't being thought out.

Michigan workers flock to North Dakota in search of jobs

2010-07-26T11:04:00.001-07:00

Michigan workers flock to North Dakota in search of jobs
Published: Friday, July 09, 2010, 12:17 PM Updated: Friday, July 09, 2010, 2:30 PM
Jackie Headapohl
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It's 920 miles from Detroit to Fargo, North Dakota, but the distance wasn't enough to stop Michigan workers from flocking to the state that has about 10,700 unfilled jobs and boasts an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent.

A North Dakota Job Service analysis shows that jobless people from across the country are heading to the state to try to find work. The majority of out-of-staters are coming from bordering states and Michigan, where the unemployment rate hovers above 13 percent.

Share According to the analysis, 6,620 people from other states found a job in North Dakota last year.

Those numbers reflect only those people from other states who registered on the agency's website by providing a Social Security number and later earned wages in North Dakota. The actual numbers could be much higher.

Heading to the Great Plains in search of employment might not be such a bad idea for those with the option of moving. According to a story from Newsweek:

Based on employment growth over the last decade, the North Dakota cities of Bismarck and Fargo rank in the top 10 of nearly 400 metropolitan areas, according to data analyzed by economist Michael Shires for Forbes and NewGeography.com. Much of that growth has come in high-wage jobs. In Bismarck, the number of high-paying energy jobs has increased by 23 percent since 2003, while jobs in professional and business services have shot up 40 percent.

How to Find a House in North Dakota

2010-07-25T08:20:00.001-07:00

How to Find a House in North Dakota
Contributor
By Jeremiah Blanchard, eHow Contributing Writer
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Learn how to find a house in North Dakota.neighborhood homes image by Wendi Evans from Fotolia.com Selecting a home for you, or for you and your family, can be a lengthy process. You want to make sure the house is in good condition, affordable, and in a location that is convenient for you. Whether you want to rent or buy a home, you'll first have to find one that's available, and there are many ways of doing this. If you live in North Dakota, or are considering relocating to the area, finding a home shouldn't be a problem, provided that you know where to look.
.Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions.Step 1
Contact a real estate company and speak to a realtor about looking at homes in North Dakota. Realtors specialize in specific areas of the state, so you'll need to contact one who woks the area you want to live in. Whether you want to rent or buy, realtors will have a list of available homes to suit your needs.

Step 2
Drive around the area you want to live in North Dakota with a pen and paper and a cell phone. Drive through neighborhoods you find appealing and write down any numbers you see for homes for rent or sale. Then call the numbers and ask to set up a time to see the property to make sure it suits your needs.

Step 3
Check the local newspaper for home listings. The classified sections of the newspapers will have listings for homes for rent or sale, as well as land sales and mobile home sales.

Step 4
Contact a relocation agency such as Remax, or Americas Relocation Home Services, to get help in finding a home. Other companies are also available and cannot only provide you with assistance in finding a home, but will also offer moving services and community statistics.

Step 5
Conduct an Internet search for homes in North Dakota. Many sites are available to assist in finding homes, including Rent.com or Hotpads.com
.

Read more: How to Find a House in North Dakota | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6732840_house-north-dakota.html#ixzz0uhwfL9iG

Out-of-state workers flock to ND for jobs

2010-07-19T19:42:00.001-07:00

Out-of-state workers flock to ND for jobs; bordering states, Michigan lead wave
By: JAMES MacPHERSON
Associated Press
07/09/10 11:11 AM PDT BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota's healthy economy and scores of unfilled jobs lured workers from across the nation last year, with bordering states and Michigan leading the wave, a Job Service analysis shows.

Job Service said 6,620 people from other states found a job in North Dakota last year, up from 3,631 in 2008. The numbers reflect only out-of-state residents who registered on the agency's website by providing a Social Security number and later earned wages in North Dakota.

More than 27,000 people from other states registered online from 2008-2009, records show.

Job Service North Dakota research analyst Michael Ziesch said the report is only a snapshot of the number of people who actually landed a job in the state.

"It's just a small subset of the churn of people moving to North Dakota," he said.

The influx of workers is a relatively new experience for North Dakota, a state that for decades suffered population decline. North Dakota began the decade with its highest population since 2000, according to Census Bureau figures.

The bureau's most recent estimate put North Dakota's population at 646,844 in July 2009, up from 641,421 in 2008 and the 2000 count of 642,200. The state's population is up more than 14,000 people from a decade-low of 632,809 in 2003.

The state's population peaked at 680,845 in 1930.

North Dakota's strong economy led by the booming oil patch in the western part of the state has pushed the population in recent years.

In June, the state had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 3.3 percent and tallied 10,700 unfilled jobs, Ziesch said.

Residents from every state in the nation relocated to North Dakota last year to land a job, Ziesch said. More than 3,900 Minnesotans found work in North Dakota in 2009, followed by 433 Montanans and 340 South Dakotans, Job Service records show.

Michigan, a state hurt by an ailing auto industry and where unemployment has hovered around 14 percent, lost 235 residents who found work in North Dakota last year, Job Service records show.

"Other parts of the country are lacking jobs and we have them," said state Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle. "People move toward opportunity."

Officials from the Commerce Department and businesses in need of workers had been attending job fairs in other states hoping to entice former North Dakotans and others to move back to the state. But the practice has been halted, at least for a while, Goettle said.

"We haven't been doing them for a while, and quite frankly, we haven't had to," he said.

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US North Dakota Jobs

It's time to move to North Dakota for a job: 3.1% Unemployment is the lowest in U.S

2010-07-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

It's time to move to North Dakota for a job: 3.1% Unemployment is the lowest in U.S.
.Career Coach on 07.01.10 at 10:33 AM | no comments | ..Career Coach Career Coach Terri Lee Ryan is an expert on career issues. A former executive search recruiter and outplacement specialist, Terri uses her experience to prepare and repackage job seekers for a new job or new career.
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Fargo, North Dakota
.Take out your parkas! We may have to move to North Dakota for employment! At 3.1 % North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the country as of April, 2010. With Illinois unemployment hovering at 10.8% it seems that job hunters should check out what job opportunities are available in this state!

One of my favorite movies was Fargo. I laughed at the strange flat sounding accents and the small town mentality of the people in Fargo. I cringed at the mounds of snow and sub zero temperatures as I questioned how anyone could live in that area of the country.

Not anymore. North Dakota may be the new Las Vegas for jobs. Dog sledding may be the replacement for golf and fur lined boots may replace our designer shoes!

Last week's national jobless claim increased by another 13,000. Illinois is poised to lose more jobs as the local governments and service businesses tighten their budgets. We are going the wrong direction in creating jobs; the losses keep coming.

And this issue of "no hire" is going to be with us for years as is the intense competition for the paltry jobs created. It seems to me that a smart decision would be to move to states where there are more jobs and less people to fill them. Other states with lowest unemployment rates are South Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont and New Hampshire.

The commonality of all of these states, except Nebraska, is that they just may be colder than Chicago! Though I think Chicago is second to Moscow as to dreadful winters. So just how bad can it be to live in these states?

The message here is to open up your job search to other states that are more receptive to your job skills. If this means moving to another state, so be it. If you own a home and can't sell it now, rent it and rent another home near your job.

A very close friend of mine's husband finally get a job in Nashville after looking for a year for employment. They have three kids. One is in college; the others are in high school. She is quitting her job here in Chicago, putting her house on the market (they have equity in it), enrolling her children in high school in Nashville and leaving this summer.

Sure, I'll miss her, but good friends are always friends, no matter where they live. She is on a new journey and they have found a way to keep their family intact and survive this deep recession. I'd advise you to do the same.

Last week's national jobless claim increased by another 13,000. Illinois is poised to lose more jobs as the local governments and service businesses tighten their budgets. We are going the wrong direction in creating jobs; the losses keep coming.

And this issue of "no hire" is going to be with us for years as is the intense competition for the paltry jobs created. It seems to me that a smart decision would be to move to states where there are more jobs and less people to fill them. Other states with lowest unemployment rates are South Dakota, Nebraska, Vermont and New Hampshire.

The commonality of all of these states, except Nebraska, is that they just may be colder than Chicago! Though I think Chicago is second to Moscow as to dreadful winters. So just how bad can it be to live in these states?

The message here is to open up your job search to other states that are more receptive to your job skills. If this means moving to another state, so be it. If you own a home and can't sell it now, rent it and rent another home near your job.

A very close friend of mine's husband finally get a job in Nashville after looking for a year for employment. They have three kids. One is in college; the others are in high school. She is quitting her job here in Chicago, putting her house on the market (they have equity in it), enrolling her children in high school in Nashville and leaving this summer.

Sure, I'll miss her, but good friends are always friends, no matter where they live. She is on a new journey and they have found a way to keep their family intact and survive this deep recession. I'd advise you to do the same.

Tagged employment, job junters, jobless claims, jobs, manager, relocation, unemployment, unemployment rate

Bakken spur to Keystone pipeline planned

2010-07-07T19:50:00.001-07:00

Bakken spur to Keystone pipeline planned
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ShareSend this page to your friendsPrintCreate a hardcopy of this pageFont Size:Default font sizeLarger font sizePosted: Sunday, June 27, 2010 12:00 am

Associated Press
Midland Reporter-Telegram | 0 comments

By James MacPherson

Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D. -- A Houston company wants to ship North Dakota oil through a proposed pipeline that would carry Canadian crude to the Gulf of Mexico.

Quintana Capital Group Ltd. said it wants to build a $250 million, 300-mile-long pipeline system from western North Dakota to eastern Montana, where it would meet TransCanada Corp.'s proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

Terry Cunha, a TransCanada spokesman at the company's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, said no agreement has been reached with Quintana or any other company wanting to ship domestic crude in its pipeline.

"There are some discussions taking place," Cunha said. "We're looking at all options being proposed."

Quintana notified North Dakota regulators earlier this month of its proposal to build a spur to the Canadian company's pipeline, state Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark said. Quintana wants to start construction in one year and have it competed by early 2013, the company's letter to North Dakota regulators said.

Quintana's pipeline would initially carry 100,000 barrels of crude from the Watford City area to Montana's Fallon County, where it also could be linked with pipelines that carry Montana crude, the company's proposal said.

Full exploitation of the oil-rich Bakken shale and Three Forks formations in western North Dakota has been stunted -- along with prices -- by the lack of refineries, pipelines and rail facilities to move the crude to market, government and oil industry officials say.

TransCanada wants to start construction next year on its 1,980-mile pipeline to move 700,000 barrels of crude daily from the tar sands in Alberta to oil refineries in Oklahoma and Texas. The company hopes to have the pipeline completed in early 2013, Cunha said.

The pipeline's route would go through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska in the upper Great Plains.

Montana regulators have warned TransCanada that the project would be delayed in that state if the company refused to allow Montana and North Dakota oil producers a so-called on-ramp to the pipeline.

Gov. John Hoeven, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and oil industry leaders in the two states met with TransCanada officials in March to press the company into allowing U.S. crude in the pipeline.

The company has said for nearly two years that it would consider so-called interconnections to North Dakota's oil patch with that pipeline.

"We have solicited Bakken producers before and no parties were interested in interconnections until this year," Cunha said.

TransCanada separately plans to transport oil from Canada through several states, including North Dakota, to Illinois and Oklahoma. The company's Keystone pipeline will extend through eight counties in eastern North Dakota, far from the oil patch in the western part of the state.

North Dakota, the No. 4 oil-producing state in the nation, reached its pipeline, rail and refining capacity of about 189,000 barrels a day in October 2008, slowing rig activity and forcing producers to take steep discounts. Since then, infrastructure work including new rail shipping facilities and pipeline expansions has increased North Dakota's shipping capacity to about 400,000 barrels a day.

Because of the increased distances to market, North Dakota sweet crude generally fetches about 10 percent less than a barrel produced elsewhere and sold on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Clark, North Dakota's Public Service Commissioner, said moving North Dakota oil on TransCanada's pipeline would boost prices for producers.

"Access to the new Keystone line is critical to the Bakken," Clark said. "More marketing options means more market power and greater pricing."

Funding for new housing goes to Fargo, Bismarck,

2010-06-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Funding for new housing goes to Fargo, Bismarck,
Grand Forks

Published/Last Modified on Monday, June 14, 2010 11:54 AM CDT

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan on Friday announced the cities of Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks will receive more than $2.1 million to support community development and produce more affordable housing. Fargo received the most funding with more than $1.2 million.

We're sure there are residents in those cities who desperately need affordable housing.

As Mr. Donovan said: “This funding provides the building blocks needed to improve communities. Now, more than ever, these grants promote neighborhood development, produce affordable housing, and help extremely low-income persons find their place in their communities.”

However, we wonder if this is best use of federal money when it comes to housing, especially with what's going on here in Williston.

While Williston housing developments continue to be built (at what seems like a snail's pace), the problem with housing only seems to get worse. The job market continues to be wide open, and while those moving here can easily get a job, finding affordable housing is on the verge of impossible. It's time for state and national leaders to bring in the funding needed to make it happen, and the $2.1 million that is going elsewhere in the state could have helped.

Perhaps there's red-tape reasons why Williston didn't qualify for the HUD funding, but proper moves by our government leaders should be able to make things happen.

While new homes that will be for sale are being built, the better solution is to build more rental properties.

Perhaps a good solution is for a pair of sound apartment complexes to be built, and soon. If each apartment complex could house 300 families, and rent a one-bedroom apartment for $500, two bedrooms for $650 and three bedrooms for $800, the Williston housing issue might not be in a crisis.

These are normal prices that average, hard-working citizens can afford. And these apartments don't have to look slummy. The can have balconies with sliding glass doors, courtyards and other tasteful, attractive decor. They could have names like "Western Ridge" and "Bakken Heights."

How many headlines on the front page of the New York Times or reports on National Public Radio or other broadcast outlets will it take for state and national leaders to take notice and get something done? Saying "We will help" is not enough.

Action is needed.

We know this a complex issue, and government leaders can't force developers to act. But this much is true: Williston is a hotbed for not only oil jobs, but construction and a variety of support-related fields.

Government tax coffers will only grow with more people moving here, more oil produced and more money spent on retail and other areas. It makes sense for the government to invest in Williston, because the money, with profit, will be returned in the form of taxes. In turn, that money could be spent to help housing in Fargo and elsewhere. Sometimes it seems like the government does things backwards.

Perhaps the next time millions of dollars are dished out to North Dakota towns for housing development, Williston will be in the mix.
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Copyright © 2010 Williston Herald

VIEWPOINT: KRISTIN HEDGER

2010-06-13T13:51:00.001-07:00

North Dakota has been getting plenty of attention lately. Conan O’Brien even had a recent skit about the state’s budget surplus.

In April, The Economist, a respected British news magazine, noted that “for the first time since the Second World War, more people left Florida than moved in (while) exactly the opposite happened in North Dakota.” For only the second time since the 1970s, more people are moving into the state than out. North Dakota’s population is the highest it’s been since 1998.

The U.S. economy is in a period of transition. Our behavior as a society is also changing. For decades Americans flocked to the suburbs bordering larger cities. Today, the most popular places to move are the farther removed “exurbs.” People move to the exurbs to get more for their housing dollar and to own some land, which in the suburbs has grown from scarce to almost non-existent.

For years Americans left the Northeast and Midwest for the Sun Belt. But recently, many who made the move have discovered that crime, unemployment and inflated home values have followed them. The Sun Belt doesn’t look quite as sunny anymore.

As the nation begins to dig its way out from the recession, Americans seem to be making a collective cultural return to the more conservative World War II-era mindset that values savings. It is in creditors’ best interest for their customers to be able to pay, and we can only pay when we have the money to do so. Similarly, Americans are starting to realize that buying a home they cannot afford doesn’t make sense. Those mortgage deals that seemed too good to be true? They were.

The U.S. may have grown to be less reliant on the manufacturing of goods such as automobiles, steel and capital equipment while becoming increasingly reliant upon exports of high-value goods and services. Yet advanced manufacturing practices have brought forward a renewal and many entrepreneurs are reaping the benefits of ramping up their manufacturing operations. North Dakota’s commitment to innovation in manufacturing coupled with a wealth of other leading-edge, high-tech capabilities, complements our forward-looking energy industry. Our state is incredibly well positioned for the future.

More Americans are realizing the attractiveness, stability and value of a home in North Dakota towns like Casselton and Dickinson compared with cities in states where budget deficits are the norm, tax increases seem inevitable and unemployment is skyrocketing.

Change, it seems, is a good thing for North Dakota, particularly if the state’s leaders institute the innovative policies necessary to take advantage of these emerging trends. The sky appears to be the limit for North Dakota’s entrepreneurs and businesses to reach new levels and broaden the scope of what they can provide to the global marketplace.

Hedger is vice president of Killdeer (ND) Mountain Manufacturing. She can be reached at kristin.hedger@kmmnet.com.

The Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska continue to enjoy relatively little economic stress.

2010-06-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

STRESS MAP-PLAINS Plains states again see less economic stress LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) The Great Plains states of North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska continue to enjoy relatively little economic stress.

The Associated Press' monthly analysis of conditions showed North Dakota again led the nation in economic health with a 4.53 score on the April stress index. It was followed by South Dakota's 5.2 and Nebraska's 6.11.

Those three states mostly avoided wild escalation of real estate prices, so there was no bust. And the Dakotas and Nebraska have been helped by Agriculture's strength.

The AP calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on each county's unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. The higher the score, the higher the economic stress.

The AP's Economic Stress Index found the average county's score nationwide was 10.6 in April.
via KXNET.com 6-10-10

Google invests in ND wind farms

2010-06-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

I thought this was an interesting article in the Bismarck Tribune

Posted: Friday, May 7, 2010 2:05 pm |

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (AP) - Google Inc. is investing nearly $40 million in two North Dakota wind farms. One of the farms is in Griggs and Steele counties and the other is in Burleigh County.

Google spokesman Jamie Yood says the Internet search engine firm is interested in the wind projects as an investment that will provide a financial return. He says it's Google's first direct investment in a renewable energy project.

Need help saving Money? We can Help!

2010-06-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

Sometimes after a big move and job change you can find yourself a little low on cash. Why not get some easy tips on how to save money!
Click Here!

2010-05-10T19:38:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to add comment about our new website. Suggestions, things you like, etc. We are new at this but want ND Rentals to be a successful service. Please continue to check www.rentndproperties.com for updated listings, events, resources and this blog for useful information about things in North Dakota.