Market Update - The Lang Team - Keeping you Informed.
When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.
Maya Angelou
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Hello friends and clients,

Wonder of wonders...the Christmas tree. This year, ours is a skinny one. But skinny or fat, grand or not, when we put up a tree and decorate it, it's always beautiful, no matter what! Where did this tradition of decorating trees come from? Farmer's Almanac gives me an answer, and even though the word Christ is in Christmas, it seems decorated trees were used in winter celebrations long before the advent of Christianity.

Plants and trees that remained green all year had a special significance for people who lived in cold-winter climates. The ancients hung evergreen boughs over their doors and windows. Some believed that evergreens kept witches, ghosts, evil spirits, and illness away. Romans decorated evergreen trees with trinkets and topped them with an image of their sun god.

Druid sorcerers hung golden apples and lit candles on oak trees to celebrate the winter solstice. The use of an evergreen tree as part of Christian Christmas celebrations started 400 years ago in Germany and spread to most of northern Europe by the 19th century.

Tree or no tree, I hope you find warmth and joy this holiday season.

The Real Estate Market
I think we are beginning to realize that there is a new normal to not only the real estate market but every aspect of life. The pandemic changed more than the markets, it pretty much changed everything. We still find ourselves reaching for answers that make sense. Sometimes they come but often they are elusive. One thing I am sure of, the knowledge and experience we have gained in the past is still applicable. We just need to add a dash of creativity.

Maybe you are thinking that you want to make a change, knowing you will most likely get a good price for your property. But what happens then? Can you afford a new home? This is not the time for fear, this is the time for new and bold thinking. I am known for walking all the way with my clients, giving them everything I have and never letting them slip. Times may have changed but I have not. If you want to make a change, we can and will do it--together. Now is the time to grab that brass ring that you have always dreamed. Call me, there is always a way.

On that note and from our home to yours, we wish you the happiest of times and I thank each of you for your friendship. This is truly a season of gratitude for our blessings and living in a place we cherish.
Denise
FLATHEAD AND LAKE COUNTY STATS
Median Days on Market-November
Median Sales Price-November
Homes for Sale-November
LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE...BIGFORK
Silent Night, Holy Night.
Image by Art Crane
Frosty the Snowman was a jolly happy soul. Parade of Lights.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow! Heidi & Dolby at Camp Lang.
Toasty together. Gather for a holiday bonfire at the River View Bar on December 22 starting at 5 pm. All welcome! 
Jump Into 2023 with both feet.
­Start the new year in Flathead Lake at the
28th annual Polar Bear Plunge.
Bigfork Happenings
All Around the Flathead
FLATHEAD VALLEY NEWS...
What are the 6 ridiculous myths about Montana that people actually believe?
Always fun, here are 18 things to do in Bigfork, in and out of doors. Some are even free!
Elevate your holiday charcuterie board using all the edible bounty that the local area offers.
NATIONAL INTEREST...
There's a new normal of selling in this post pandemic market. It is more important than ever to weigh the options and work with experts.
Windows of opportunity are opening for lower mortgage rates but experts don't think the windows will last. Pay attention to rates.
If you are downsizing, this could be the perfect time for you. High home prices and rising interest rates could be your friend.
The market is cooling for investors, particularly in these 10 cities, opening the door for regular home buyers to have a shot at a property.
New Listing
1043 Roosevelt Trail, Kalispell
MLS #22216735 $224,665
Price Reduced
6090 Highway 35, Bigfork
MLS #22215093 $574,750
Under Contract Taking Back-Up Offers - 12524 Trinkus Lane, Bigfork
MLS #22215603 $499,875
SOLD
Sold
2334 Nordic Loop, Whitefish
MLS #22214260
Sold
443 Osborn Avenue #207, Bigfork
MLS #22214451
DENISE LANG - GO WITH SUCCESS
#22 in Montana for Volume Sold
Top 1.49% of Realtors® Nationwide
Top 1.5% Of Real Estate Agents “America’s Best” by Real Trends - Featured In Forbes
MLS period 1/1/2019 to 6/30/22
CERI'S CORNER...
Ceri says...

Here I am enjoying my morning latte (the milk part). People food is the absolute best, right? But we canines are really not humans (shocker)! We need to be careful what we graze on off the floor. A friend of mine, Biscuit, a teacup Yorkie, ate a grape once. 3 Days on an IV and $3500 later, he lived to tell the tale.

To my doggie friends, watch what you eat. Some "people food" is OK and some is not. Ask Biscuit or better yet, his owner! Here is a link to give you more information on the subject. Happy Hunting, Happy Nibbling, Happy Holidays!
Denise's Cooking Corner -  Sesame Salmon Bowls
With this light , one-pot meal, you’ll have room for egg nog!
I like to add bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and julienne bell pepper for color and crunch.

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1½ cups sushi rice (short-grain white rice), rinsed until water runs clear
1½ pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped scallions
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from one 2-inch piece)
3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
8 ounces green coleslaw mix (about 3 packed cups)
1 avocado, halved, pitted and thinly sliced
Torn toasted nori sheets, for garnish (optional)

PREPARATION
Step 1
In a large saucepan, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt; stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the rice and 1¾ cups water, and mix well. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
 Step 2
In a small bowl, toss salmon with ¼ teaspoon sesame oil and season with salt. Once rice is tender (after about 20 minutes), arrange salmon in an even layer on top of rice. Cover and steam over low heat until fish is cooked to medium, about 12 minutes longer.
 Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, white vinegar, safflower oil, scallions, ginger and the remaining ¼ teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well, and season with salt.
 Step 4
Scoop salmon and rice into bowls. Top each with some cucumbers, coleslaw mix and avocado. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with nori, if using.
Denise's Book Corner - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson
This book reminds me of another I read about the Kentucky Library Project, also a story of women who brought books to the Appalachian people, kind of like how Dolly Parton sends free books to children from birth to 5 with her Imagination Library. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek has so many layers, I don’t even know where to start! Although it’s fiction, it has roots in the real history of eastern Kentucky and specifically Troublesome Creek.

It starts with Cussy Mary Carter, who is called “Bluet” because she is has blue skin and is the last of the Troublesome Creek Kentucky Blues. What is that? Blue skinned people? The background story on the Kentucky Blues is helpful to know for understanding the novel. So I looked it up.

Blue skin is a condition known as methemoglobinemia in which a higher than normal amount of methemoglobin is found in the blood and cannot carry oxygen. This is an hereditary condition through a recessive gene brought to Troublesome Creek by Martin Fugate, who came from France in the 1800s and married a women with the same recessive gene. Four of their seven children had blue skin. Another fascinating story, but I’m going to get back to the book.

At nineteen and blue-skinned, Bluet is not really “marriageable material” so she uses her resources to join the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding up treacherous mountains on a mule to deliver books and reading materials to the hill communities of Eastern Kentucky. The route is dangerous--physically difficult and the because she must confront distrust and distaste because of the color of her skin. People are quick to blame Bluet for whatever digressions are going on in their small towns. In the story, she meets a local doctor who agrees to protect her in exchange for her submission to medical testing. As the stakes get higher, her passionate soul enables her to find the strength and courage to push forward past the ignorance and humiliation. It's a novel of history, heartbreak and hope. Loved it!!!!
406.249.1758
DeniseLang@NPRMT.com
www.DeniseLangRealEstate.com
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