HōM 406

06/05/2026

Homeownership is a thrilling milestone. It offers freedom from a landlord and the rules of rental living, but owning a home doesn& ;t necessarily mean you can do whatever you want with your property. Depending on your location, your home may be subject to city or county regulations, covenants, and/or a Homeowners Association (HOA).

In Bozeman and Gallatin County, neighborhood "rules" are required when developers submit plans for a new subdivision. These rules are formalized as covenants and define the character and lifestyle of the community. Because covenants are public record, they are filed with the County Treasurer so prospective buyers are aware of them. They typically include Design Guidelines, Bylaws, and general community rules.

The Elements of Covenants

Design Guidelines

Design Guidelines define acceptable styles and colors for homes, materials that can be used, landscaping standards, and fence requirements.

Covenants and HOA rules in Bozeman vary widely by neighborhood. What buyers need to understand about restrictions, fees, and governance before purchasing.

06/04/2026

At HoM 406, we believe real estate professionals do more than buy and sell homes, they shape our community. Every interaction, every contract, and every introduction to a new neighborhood carries the opportunity to welcome people to Bozeman and share the values that make our town unique.

We serve our peers by bringing new inventory to the market, collaborating with other specialists, and connecting buyers and sellers. Real estate brokers facilitate some of the most significant financial, and personal, transactions most people will ever undertake.

As your real estate advocates, our role is to create a safe space where you can explore and define your personal real estate needs. We help you evaluate what a property must have to truly become your home. And it& ;s essential that you enjoy working with your agent, because for 30 to 45 days (sometimes more), we& ;ll be talking to you as often as your closest friend.

Real estate is a community profession. How Bozeman agents build trust, partnerships, and lasting value beyond the transaction.

06/03/2026

You are allowed to be picky when choosing a REALTOR®, whether you're buying your first home or your fifth investment property

By Erin Mandeville Strånd, Broker Owner | HōM 406

There's a question I get from buyers at every stage of the process, and it doesn't matter if they're walking into their first open house or negotiating their sixth investment property: "How do I know if you're the right agent for me?"

It's the right question. I'd ask it too.

The honest answer is: it depends less on your experience level than it does on the agent's. Because a great buyer's agent doesn't have a different approach for first-timers versus seasoned investors. They have one approach. And it's built entirely around advocacy.

That's the word I keep coming back to. Advocacy. It's the thing that either defines an agent's practice, or it doesn't. And at HōM 406, it's not a value we wrote on a website. It's the structure of how we work.

Choosing a REALTOR is one of the most important decisions you'll make. Here's what to look for — and the questions worth asking before you sign anything.

06/03/2026

I have sat at a lot of kitchen tables in nearly two decades in this business. I have listened as my clients shared what a home means to them. And when they talk about it, they are never really talking about the money. They are talking about what the home holds.

They try to stay in the mechanical and the financial, because those things are real and important. But the hang ups, the pauses, the holds. Those are never financial. They are personal.

When you buy real estate, you are buying your future. An idea of yourself. And when you sell, you are acknowledging a passing of that version. Maybe the kids have graduated and moved on and the house is simply more than you need. Maybe you are navigating a divorce and the home has become an asset that needs handled. Maybe it is retirement, and this property is your equity future.

A sale is about change. Always.

And when I start a real estate conversation with you, I start there. Because that is what we are really talking about.

Hiring a listing agent Bozeman sellers trust starts with one question: what do they believe their job actually is? Erin Mandeville Strånd, HōM 406®.

06/03/2026

I just sat in a room full of data. NAR economist. Local MLS numbers. Slides that told the truth in a way that polished market reports rarely do.

And the through-line across all of it was this: every assumption the housing industry built its playbook on, who buys, when they buy, why they buy, what they do next, has been quietly, completely rewritten.

You deserve to know what it actually says.

The Ladder Is Gone

We built an entire industry around the ladder. First-time buyer at 29. Move-up at 36. Repeat buyer every seven years. Downsize at retirement, free up equity, pass the asset down. Clean, predictable, generational.

That model is over.

The median age of a first-time buyer is now in their 40s. The median age of a repeat buyer is 62. Those two numbers don't describe a ladder. They describe two completely different life events happening at completely different stages, with almost nothing in between.

The first-time buyer in their 40s skipped the rungs.

The housing playbook was built for a buyer who no longer exists. Here's who is actually buying in Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley, and what it means if you're thinking about selling.

06/03/2026

I had two new clients today.

The first were first-time buyers who came in prepared. They'd done the research, read the articles, and before we got to anything else they put the compensation question on the table. Politely. Correctly. Because every search result they'd clicked told them they needed to ask.

They were right. And I had forgotten. Again.

The second was a man who has bought and sold real estate for years with buddies. Friends with licenses. People he trusted, just enough, as long as he was running the show. It worked fine, because he had the bandwidth to manage it. Until he didn't. Life got complicated enough, or full enough, or heavy enough, that the energy it takes to quarterback your own transaction stopped being available. And he called someone who does this for real.

He called me.

Same day. Same chair. Two completely different roads to the same place.

After the NAR settlement, every buyer in Bozeman signs a representation agreement before we look at a single house. Here is what that form actually means, and why full representation is still the difference.

06/03/2026

I've sat through buyer agency classes for twenty years. Not because of two decades in the industry — but because in Montana, buyer agency is still relatively new. I know. That sounds wild.

Buyer agency grew out of something older: sub-agency for the seller. Here's what that actually meant. Agents were out in the world working with buyers — showing houses, having the conversations, building the relationship — and never once meeting the seller. But in the 90s, our contracts stated that bringing a buyer to a transaction meant you were acting in the seller's best interest. You were their sub-agent. You just happened to never know who they were.

I wouldn't have recognized the seller on the street. I didn't know them. I knew my buyer. Whom I was, ironically, not actually representing.

So when I started in real estate, we sat through a lot of classes introducing this new idea called buyer agency. The teaching tool was always the same: walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it's a duck.

06/03/2026

As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Erin was surprised to confront her own blind spots around housing discrimination during the Fairhaven exercise. Growing up in Bozeman, many of Erin& ;s closest friends, and later, many of her clients, have been members of the LGBTQ+ community. Because of this proximity, she had not fully considered that housing discrimination could be part of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ buyers and sellers. This realization reaffirmed a core value of HoM 406: advocating for every client we serve.

As allies, our mission is to create an environment where all clients feel heard, understood, and supported throughout what is often one of the most significant and life-changing transactions of their lives.

HoM 406 is proud to announce our new affiliation with the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance. Established in 2020, the Alliance works to expand homeownership within the LGBTQ+ community and promote equitable access to housing.

05/30/2026

Looking to beautify your yard? This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and take plants home for FREE!

You and all your friends, family, and neighbors are invited to the annual Garden Party! Join the City of Bozeman and Friends on June 6th 10am-1pm at the Museum of the Rockies for free plant giveaways*, compost*, seed mix, and more!

A huge shoutout to our community groups joining the party: Gallatin Watershed Council, Gallatin Conservation District, Sacajawea Audubon Society, Montana Native Plant Society - Valley of Flowers Chapter, Grow Wild, Montana Master Gardener, Gallatin W**d District
*City of Bozeman water customers only. Please bring utility bill for ease of entry!

05/16/2026

Some neighborhoods land in the sweet spot between elbow room and everything you actually need. The Crossing is one of them.
3576 Lolo Way just hit the market in Northwest Bozeman. One block from Gallatin County Regional Park, the Dino Park, the off-leash ponds. Craftsman build with stacked stone, copper roof accent, gas fireplace, granite island, covered patio, fenced yard.
3 bed. 2 bath. 1,524 sq ft. $730,000.
Link in bio to see the full listing.
📍 Bozeman, MT | HōM 406

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