With hands exhausted from sewing face masks, Sasha Vermel, a designer and seamstress in Oakland, came to her husband one day and said she was going to see homes in Missoula, Montana for the weekend.
They moved in there by Thanksgiving and joined the thousands of Californians who have moved to Montana in recent years.
The couple has been considering moving, with Vermel saying that they normally do “property tourism” on Zillow. Asheville, North Carolina; Austin; and Ashland, Oregon, were also among their choices, but they settled in Montana because Vermel has relatives there.
They sold their home in Oakland and used the money to buy a large piece of land in Missoula. “The opportunity to sell a home in the Bay Area meant we could have a lot more,” said Vermel. “We went from 1,600 square feet with houses around us to a 180 degree mountain view.”
However, the transaction to acquire the property was no walk in the park – until the seller learned that Vermel “wasn’t really from California”.
Several Montana residents are not happy with the crowd of overseas residents arriving and buying homes, and they have been open about it.
Vermel said her friend was harassed with California license plates at a gas station. Her father, who also lives in town, had to fight to get her back to Montana.
Carolyne Calvin, Keller Williams Montana real estate agent, said that in 2019, 85% of her clients were non-state. Calvin said this year home sales in and around Bozeman have gone crazy. Bay Area, Texas, Seattle residents were aware of the housing market and even paid for properties they don’t physically see.
However, Calvin said that local buyers were left behind as they were banned from the immediate market as state buyers came in.
Despite moving to Montana, Vermel still misses great restaurants in the Bay Area. However, she shared that she loved how her kids can explore the neighborhood as there were children of her own age on the street.
With the state of Montana being 88% white, Vermel says it’s diversity that she misses most in the Bay Area, SFGate reported.
“People have figured out what a great place this is,” said Lance Trebesch, CEO of Eventgroove, noting that Bozeman’s diversity has grown over the years. “The level of outdoor activities is first class. A technology cluster is created. The schools are excellent … it’s not perfect, but why not live in a place like this? “
