Life here in the Flathead Valley is returning to normal after a wonderful holiday season.  Whitefish Mountain Resort business revenues are ahead of 2009 by nearly 25%, with forecasts for the remainder of the season ahead of last year as well.  This underscores what most valley merchants and restaurants report was a solid season.  Activity in our mountain office has been hectic, fueled in part by the strong Canadian dollar, currently trading near par. 

The year ended with disappointing news from the National Association of Realtors, indicating that prices were down in nearly all of the metropolitan areas they track.  The dreaded "double dip" appears to be here, as the rally of last summer fades and no new stimulus is in place to take up the slack.  Follow the link below to CNN Money.com for the full story.

The silver lining to this dark cloud is reflected locally with an increase of 17.5% in the number of sales last year, with average sale prices virtually unchanged over 2009.  Once again any optimism for price increases in the near future is tempered by the significant level of listed inventory, currently approaching a 3-year supply. 

Next significant tourism event in the area is the Whitefish Winter Carnival, scheduled for the first weekend in February.  Finally, ESPN Action Sports posted a great report on Whitefish Mountain Resort, Whitefish and the Flathead Valley.  Check out the link below and forward to friends looking for that special winter getaway.