Flathead Lake and snow-covered mountains glowing in the evening light, framed by pines and a dock.

Flathead Lake Real Estate - November 2024 Sales

Flathead Lake Real Estate

As we enter in to the first few days of December, it is safe to announce that winter has arrived in the Flathead Valley. The mountains have received a healthy base layer of snow along with portions of the valley floor. Our first thermal inversion event is currently shrouding all of Flathead Lake in freezing fog for days on end. Forecasters are calling for a snowy and cold winter, building anticipation for winter sports enthusiasts.

There were four reported sales around the lake for the month of November, building on the increased sales volume earlier in the summer. Our year-to-date total has already surpassed each of the last two years with $114M in dollar volume. Important to note is the increased dollar volume coincides with a significant drop in transaction count. Year to date we have closed 34 transactions as the average transaction size has grown to over $3.3M.

Inventory appears to have stabilized, slightly above last year at this time for residential listings, but down for land listings. We expect a modest seasonal decrease in transactions as we head into the winter months.

November Sales:

Table of four November 2024 sales in Polson, Rollins, and Bigfork, with prices and lakefront frontage.

Pricing and Sales Summary:

Tables comparing Flathead Lake frontage values and total sales for 2022, 2023, and 2024 year to date.

Significant Sale

Bigfork Bay - Commercial Developer Lot

516ft of waterfront frontage

List price $3.695M

Aerial view of a Flathead Lake inlet lined with homes, forest, and private docks.

This developer lot includes 516 feet of prime waterfront on the Swan River in sheltered Bigfork Bay, where the river enters Flathead Lake approximately 1/4 mile away. 7.09 acres in two parcels with prime development potential for multi-family dwellings, restaurant/bar, mixed use or other commercial options in B-3: Community business district. Site has 0.91 acre above engineered sea wall, 0.95 acre above approximate high water and 6.14 deeded, surveyed acres below high water for potential substantial expansion of the existing 10 slip marina in downtown Bigfork, MT.

Active Waterfront Listings

Residential inventory around the lake continues to increase year over year. The 35 residential active listings currently on Flathead Lake represent a 17% increase in listings over this time last year. Median list prices have flattened out around $3.25M.

Waterfront land inventory has dropped from 12 to 7 listings for the same period last year. The decrease in inventory has resulted in an increased median list price of $2.0M.

Bar chart of monthly Flathead Lake waterfront listings, with residential and land counts peaking in August 2024.

Chart of Flathead Lake median waterfront prices for land and residential properties, December 2023–December 2024.

Flathead Lake Condominium Market

With nearly two dozen waterfront condominium communities around Flathead Lake, there has historically been plenty of options for buyers who want the waterfront lifestyle without having to worry about maintaining a lake home. Below is a summary of currently active and sold units so far this year as compared to last year's sales.

The condo market has stabilized after a few years of strong growth in both sales and prices. The current active listings represent approximately 12 months of inventory.