Mar 09, 2022

Economic seminars highlight housing crisis

MONTANA LIVING — The 47^th Annual Economic Outlook Seminar is heading your way very soon with all of the latest economic data on the local, state, and national economy.

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The final seminars are in Lewistown and Havre, March 18-16, 2022.

The seminar in Lewistown on March 15, is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Montana Head Start.

The BBER seminar in Havre is March 16 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Montana State University's Hensler Auditorium.

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana will present national, state and local economic forecasts for Montana’s largest communities and industry experts will give their outlook for the state’s important sectors, including tourism, health care, real estate and housing, agriculture, manufacturing, high-tech and forest products.

Where Housing Is Headed: How Will Today’s Imbalances Be Resolved?

Things that can’t go on forever usually don’t. But if you are millennial waiting for housing prices to crash so you can buy a home, you might have a long wait. The notion that today’s housing price situation is a bubble waiting to break is belied by the fact that housing prices have increased faster than median income almost anywhere for more than 20 years – that includes most places in Montana.

So where is housing going? It’s a critical question being faced by communities everywhere as sky-high housing costs have affected everything from labor markets to public services. That’s why we’ve returned to a focus on housing as a theme for the 2022 Economic Outlook Seminar – to try to understand where we are going and what action steps we can take to get to a better place.

The seminar will also have data on housing, which is the theme of our seminar this year. “Where Housing is Headed: How Will Today’s Imbalances Be Resolved” will discuss the housing costs that have affected everything from labor markets to public services in communities throughout Montana.

Keynote Speaker Abigail St. Lawrence

Abigail St. Lawrence is an attorney practicing in water rights, natural resource, environmental and administrative law. A native of Great Falls, she holds a Juris Doctorate from Lewis and Clark College.

St. Lawrence is a frequent lecturer for continuing legal education courses, presenting on topics of easements, land use and water law. She has significant experience in government relations work, representing both business organizations and nonprofit interests.

This year our schedule will include three local panelists in a roundtable discussion about affordable housing. The 2022 Economic Outlook Seminar will be a robust, half-day event that will include economic outlooks for Montana’s major sectors.

Learn more here