As the snow flies and temperatures drop here in the Flathead Valley our attention turns to winter activities and especially to Whitefish Mountain Resort. Though the early season snow fall has been below average, the Resort is making great efforts to have as much skiing open as possible. Fingers are crossed that the next week brings substantial snow, but we can rest assured that come mid-winter we will have plenty of snow.

Holiday cheer is evident in Bigfork and Whitefish with their annual holiday decorations providing the backdrop for family memories. The Whitefish Christmas Stroll was heralded as a great success, and many have commented that the Bigfork decorations are the best in years.

At year end it is appropriate to look back and reflect on where we have come during the year. From the real estate perspective it has been a very good year for its lack of surprises. For the first time in recent memory we have enjoyed relative stability in the local real estate market through the entire year, with very little knee jerk reaction to national and international stock market woes. Two important trends have held consistent through the year, as the number of sales is increasing slowly, with the number of new listings gradually decreasing over the year. Though these two indicators are still in single digits, it is just this stability that the market needs to gain confidence that we are really seeing the turning of the tide. Sales prices remain relatively constant for most product types, again giving buyers and sellers the confidence to commit.

Please accept warm holiday wishes from Glacier Sotheby's International Realty. Wherever you find yourself this Holiday Season, may you have a wonderful time with friends and family.

*Click here for a list of Glacier Sotheby's International Realty's current Real Estate available at Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Barclays analyst sees housing rebound coming in 2012 -housingwire.com Barclays Capital ( BCS: 12.18 +2.70%) analyst Stephen Kim predicts a housing recovery buoyed by improving jobs numbers and the fact prices for non-distressed homes will have stabilized...Read full story.