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A Straightforward Guide for Sellers Around Livingston & Paradise Valley
If you’re thinking about selling a home or property in Livingston, Paradise Valley, Gardiner, or the surrounding areas, you eventually bump into this line:
“Montana is a non-disclosure state.”
Then the next thought is usually:
- “If sold prices aren’t public, how do we actually decide on a list price?”
- “Are we just throwing a number out there and hoping it sticks?”
The short answer: no — there is a real process.
It just doesn’t show up on public websites the way it does in most other states.
Here’s some information about how we’ll walk you through properly pricing your property in the Montana marrket.
What “Non-Disclosure” Really Means for You as a Seller
In a non-disclosure state, sale prices aren’t part of the public record the way they are in many other places. That means:
- Third-party websites (that don’t belong to an MLS covering the local area), are working with partial information.
- Your neighbors can’t just click and see what everything has sold for.
- Accurate pricing depends heavily on local MLS data and on-the-ground context, not just what shows up on a national site.
As a seller, that’s not a bad thing. It just means you and your agent have access to more detailed information than the general public does, and we use that information to price your home to sell.
Step 1: Start With the Right “Comparison Group”
Pricing isn’t about finding one “magic comp.” It’s about building a comparison group that actually makes sense for your property.
We look at:
- Location: In-town Livingston, Paradise Valley river corridor, bench areas, rural acreage, etc.
- Property type: Single-family home, cabin cluster, home on acreage, small ranch, etc.
- Key features: Views, river or creek proximity, outbuildings, guest spaces, access type.
- Age and condition: Updated vs. original, recent major systems work, overall level of finish.
From there, we pull recent and relevant sales from the Southwest Montana MLS — properties that a buyer looking at your place would realistically be considering as alternatives.
Step 2: Look at Both Sold Properties and Current Competition
Sold properties tell us where the market has actually been.
Active and pending properties tell us where it seems to be heading right now.
For your property, we’ll talk through:
- Recently closed sales that are as comparable as possible.
- Pending sales, when we have enough context to understand where they likely landed
- Current active listings, aka your competition that buyers will see right next to yours
That three-part picture is much more useful than just saying, “The house down the road sold for X.”
Step 3: Adjust for the Things That Don’t Show in a Spreadsheet
Two homes can look similar on paper but feel very different in person. In southwest Montana, that can make a big difference.
As we narrow in on pricing, we’ll talk through details like:
- How your views actually feel from inside the home and outdoor spaces
- The drive in — winter reality, privacy, and overall experience
- Quality and usability of outbuildings, shops, and guest spaces
- How “turn-key” the property is for a likely buyer at your level
This is where in-person experience with both your home and the comparison properties makes a difference. We’re not just lining up bedroom counts and square footage and calling it good.
Step 4: Match the Price to Your Strategy, Not Just a Number
Once we have a realistic value range, the next step is to decide how you want to position your property within that range.
We’ll factor in things like:
- How quickly you’d like to move, realistically
- How much showing activity you’re comfortable with
- Whether your type of property has a broad buyer pool or a more specific, niche audience
From there, we can choose a pricing approach that fits your goals:
- Toward the aggressive end of the range if timing is a priority and you want strong early activity.
- Right in the middle if you’re aiming for steady, solid interest without courting a feeding frenzy.
- Toward the upper end if your property has unique strengths and you’re willing to be more patient to find the right buyer.
The important part is that the number is tied to a clear plan, not just wishful thinking.
Step 5: Reality-Check Against Early Activity
Even in a non-disclosure state, the market gives feedback pretty quickly once you’re live.
In the first few weeks, we’ll watch:
- Online views and saves (how many people are looking and keeping an eye on the listing)
- Showing requests (how many people are motivated enough to come see it in person)
- The type of buyers we’re seeing — local, regional, out-of-area, and how qualified they are
If everything lines up — steady showings, good feedback, and real interest — that’s a sign we’re in the right zone.
If we see traffic but no traction, or very little activity at all, that’s information we can use to adjust strategy, presentation, or price, depending on what the pattern tells us.
What About Just “Testing the Market” High?
Every seller wonders about this at some point.
Could we start high and see what happens?
We can talk through that option honestly. In some cases, for very unique properties, there’s a little more room to explore the upper edge of the range. But it’s important to understand the trade-offs:
- The best, most motivated buyers are usually watching closely when a property is new to the market.
- Starting too high can mean those buyers quietly move on and never come back to take a second look when you reduce.
- Sitting on the market with no movement can start to raise questions in people’s minds, even if nothing is “wrong.”
If we decide to aim high, it should be a deliberate choice with a clear plan and timeline—not just a hope that someone will ignore everything else and pay more because they like your place.
In order to get your place sold, we have to get the worm in the water – not just hover above and hope someone will jump up and bite!
The Bottom Line
In a Montana non-disclosure state, pricing your property isn’t guesswork and it isn’t just copying whatever number you saw online.
Done well, it’s a mix of:
- Solid MLS data and recent sales
- An honest look at current competition
- Real-world adjustments for what your property is actually like to live in
- A pricing strategy that matches your timing, your risk tolerance, and your goals
If you’re starting to think about selling in Livingston, Paradise Valley, Gardiner, or the surrounding areas and you’re curious where your property might land in today’s market, I’m happy to sit down with you, walk through the numbers, and put real context around the price. Pricing doesn’t need to be stressful, particularly when we’ve got a solid plan and pay attention to details of the market.
