Hey! I am in Montana too, and have been looking since 2018 in Vermont, but finally got the ok with work to make it happen in fall of ‘21. I have also given up at this point. I was turned away twice (not even allowed to look) from properties because we did not have all cash.

The greed run up is exactly what happened in Montana in the early 00s. Have you been back to MT recently? It’s basically a whole population turnover. White fundie Christian flight is real and I swear they all came here.

Hope you find your spot. No place is perfect but Vermont is pretty great. We have started looking in other areas. Kid starts kindergarten in the fall, so I don’t have the luxury of waiting out the real estate bubble.

I am In Montana near a city about the size of Burlington. Salt just really isn’t a thing here. Supposedly there is a small amount in the sand they put out at intersections, but it’s a very small amount. Severe shortage of plow drivers. With the huge influx of people now that everyone’s moving here to live out their Yellowstone cowboy fantasies, the roads have been a shit show the last few years, interstate has been closed multiple times this winter for pileups. We don’t have rust though, so there’s that I guess.

Check out the AmericanChestnut Foundation. They do research on finding varieties resistant to blight. Your info could be valuable to them.