Moore Appraisal Firm

10/13/2026

Weekly Market Update | October 12, 2026
Helena & surrounding markets • Week of October 5–11

Kessler Elementary celebrated its October 7 groundbreaking. The replacement school is planned with 24 classrooms and a fall 2028 opening.

Mortgage rates rose again. Freddie Mac’s October 8 national 30-year fixed average reached 7.40%, up from 7.28%. On an illustrative $400,000, 30-year loan, that adds about $33 monthly in principal and interest. Taxes, insurance and fees are excluded; individual lender quotes differ.

East Helena has a new year-round stop: Double Barrel Ice Cream opened October 9 inside Galaxy Roasting on Main Street.

We had a subscriber ask about the apartments on Sanders that are being built. Artisan Grove plans 288 apartments. Its identified apartment and clubhouse building permits total about $53.7 million, compared with about $21.0 million under Summerville Flats’ main building permit. These historical permit valuations are not market values or confirmed final project costs.

Which local change caught your attention?

Sources: Helena Public Schools (October 9); KTVH (October 8); Freddie Mac PMMS (October 8); The Monitor (October 9); City of Helena permit records reviewed October 12; Berkadia (March 17, 2026).

10/06/2026

Weekly Market Update | October 5, 2026
Helena & surrounding markets

Four developments worth knowing:

1. Helena utility costs: Water rates increase 9% and wastewater rates 8.5% starting November 1. Your dollar increase depends on usage and applicable charges. These changes apply to Helena city utility customers.
2. Construction pipeline: Helena High/PAL’s $119.9 million full-building application accounts for 95.7% of September’s commercial declared valuation. It remained in review in the monthly report. Applications do not establish completed projects, and permit valuation is not market value.
3. Homebuying budget: Freddie Mac’s national 30-year fixed average rose from 7.03% to 7.28%. On an illustrative $400,000, 30-year loan, that means about $68 more monthly in principal and interest, excluding taxes, insurance and fees. Individual lender quotes will differ.
4. Property possibilities: Montana’s October 1 zoning changes limit parking requirements for certain smaller homes. The applicable law and site requirements matter—check with local planning staff before assuming a project is allowed.

Which change is most relevant to your household?

Sources: City of Helena utility schedules; Independent Record reporting, October 2; City of Helena September applications report, dated October 1; Freddie Mac PMMS, October 1; Montana Code 76-2-304 and 76-25-303, effective October 1.

09/28/2026

HELENA-AREA WEEKLY MARKET UPDATE | Week ending September 28, 2026

Five local developments worth watching:

1. Crystal Springs Village moved forward with a Planning Commission recommendation for a 40-lot mixed-use project on roughly 23.25 acres. This is not final approval.

2. A permit was issued to convert the upper floors of 413 N. Last Chance Gulch into apartments and condominiums, another potential step toward more downtown housing.

3. Helena’s construction pipeline remains active. Commercial permits issued through August were up about 15% year over year, while multifamily permits were up about 18%. Large projects and multiple permits can significantly affect those totals.

4. The average 30-year mortgage rate reached 7.03% on September 24, increasing pressure on buyer budgets and monthly payments.

5. Lewis and Clark County unemployment remained low at 2.8%, although the August employment count softened slightly from both July and one year earlier.

Sources: City of Helena; Helena Planning Commission; Freddie Mac; Montana Department of Labor & Industry. (Permit valuation is not market value, and permit issuance does not confirm project completion.)

09/23/2026

Helena-area real estate update | September 21, 2026

1. Permit watch: a $119.9 million, 274,847-square-foot application for the new Helena High School and PAL school is in review, not issued. Other September applications include Kessler School foundation work, Boeing and Stockman Bank remodels, and a Burger King renovation.

2. The median homes sales price in the Helena are, for single family homes, is up 2% from last year at this time. The number of homes sold has increase 9.8%.

3. Freddie Mac’s 30-year fixed mortgage average rose to 6.95% on September 17 or 19 basis points in one week and 69 basis points above a year earlier.

4. The Federal Reserve raised its target range 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00%. That is not a direct mortgage-rate change, but it may influence commercial debt costs, refinancing and investor return requirements.

Sources: City of Helena permit records; Montana Regional MLS; Freddie Mac; Federal Reserve.

09/14/2026

Five Helena-area real estate developments worth watching this week

1️⃣ Helena’s August permit activity shows an active, but uneven, construction pipeline. The city logged 11 commercial-building applications, down from 18 in August 2025. Material permits issued included two fourplexes, one ADU, a Barnes & Noble tenant improvement and a new Public Works shop.

2️⃣ East Helena will consider amendments to the Rose Hills conditions of approval. The decision could affect infrastructure timing, development obligations or phasing for the proposed 1,500-home neighborhood. As of this report, the amendment has not been approved and groundbreaking remains unconfirmed.

3️⃣ Highland Meadows Phase 5 received final plat approval. That advances the East Helena residential supply pipeline, but it does not establish that every lot is recorded, immediately buildable or actively marketed.

4️⃣ East Helena’s proposed FY2027 municipal levy totals 212.97 mills: 209.17 general fund mills plus 3.80 insurance fund mills. It remains proposed, and the municipal rate is only one component of a property’s total tax burden.

5️⃣ Freddie Mac’s average 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased to 6.76% on September 10, up from 6.71% the prior week.

09/07/2026

Five Helena-area developments worth watching this month

1️⃣ Helena’s zoning rewrite is moving forward. Preliminary recommendations would reshape several residential, mixed-use and commercial districts but nothing has been adopted yet.

2️⃣ The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate reached 6.71% on September 3. Higher borrowing costs can show up as longer marketing times, price reductions and seller concessions.

3️⃣ Rose Hills is moving toward its infrastructure phase in East Helena. The roughly 250-acre plan calls for about 1,500 mixed-income homes, with approximately 100 lots in Phase One. Groundbreaking is not yet confirmed.

4️⃣ PFAS was confirmed at the Rossiter Elementary well. Filtration is installed, and this result does not establish neighborhood-wide contamination or a measurable value impact. Nearby private well assignments warrant careful, property specific due diligence.

5️⃣ Lewis and Clark County unemployment was 2.6%, down 0.4 percentage points year over year, with 37,019 employed residents. The labor data remain supportive of local housing demand.

07/16/2026

Who are we? We are the leading real estate valuation experts in Montana. Check out the team at our new website.

Moore Appraisal Firm was founded by Jack B. Moore in Helena, MT in 1965, making it one of the first established appraisal companies in the state. What began as a single office built on Jack’s reputation for integrity and precision has grown into something far greater — a true family legacy. Over...

04/24/2026

The VA recently released their new fee and timeliness schedule. This is effective May 1, 2026.

04/23/2026

04/09/2026

Lenders and agents! Did you see the VA is updating their fee and timeliness schedule? We had a sneak peak before the official release. This is subject to change, though seems this will stick. We’ll share the new schedule when it’s officially released.