Thinking of skiing this winter but not sure it’s going to be Utah or Colorado? Watch the video below to get your answer.

Although currently pending legislation may postpone or change the plan, the Utah Division of Public Utilities will be requiring you to dial all ten digits (including area code) for every phone call whether it’s local or long distance starting March 1st, 2009! Make sure that you program the area codes into your cell phone contacts and be aware when making calls from any home or office land lines. For more information and to see what areas will be affected, visit the public utilities website

What is the new project at the University of Utah?

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 25, 2009; The Universe Project is on hold because of the economy, lack of retail interest and money. See here for more details.

For those that attend or live in and around the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, a new project is being planed for the south west part of campus that encompasses the 8 acres Rice-Eccles stadium parking lot. The Universe Project is a mixed use, transit-oriented development (TOD) proposal that will include university offices, housing, retail shops, restaurants and additional parking.

What is the purpose of this project?

According to the projects planners, the goals for project Universe are:

• Provide amenities that will attract outstanding students, exceptional faculty, neighbors, and visitors from the Salt Lake area and beyond
• Create an exciting and vibrant experience for patrons coming to the university, both for scheduled events and general visits
• Take advantage of the mass transit opportunities made available through the TRAX rail system
• Establish a compatible and stronger connection between the university campus and neighborhood communities
• Stimulate high quality development of the western edge of campus as an entry portal onto the University of Utah campus and a gateway to Salt Lake City
• Engage the community and weave the interests of the university into the fabric of the local community
• Enhance the appearance and functional use of the proposed site without detracting from or reducing the current functional aspects of the area, namely parking.

To learn more about the project and participate in comments for the community see this power point presentation.

 

photo by shutter stock

 

A home is a place of residence or refuge.^[1] It is usually a place in which an individual or a family canrest and be able to store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food.  Wikipedia 

 

Where does it say that a home has to make its owner a bazillion dollars OR is of no use in a declining market? With all the talk these days about the housing bubble and home values, to buy or not to buy, I want to look at the issue from another angle.

People NEED a place to live, shelters from the weather, a place to raise a family, to store their things, create memories. There are 2 options; you are either the owner of your domicile, or a renter/tenant of your domicile.  Why own? First, it cost less to own than rent. Second, payments stay the same monthly (fixed rate over 15 or 30 years) eventually the mortgage is paid off. Third, the tax benefits from owning. Finally, after it is paid, there is a nice little nest egg, and even if it’s worth nothing, you have a place to live!

Let’s look at the last few years and why people are in such a huff over the real estate market. Without going into the details of what and why we had a real estate bubble (there are hundreds of articles out there to read), prices have fallen drastically in some markets of the country, BUT NOT ALL markets! Yes if you purchase 2 years ago and HAVE to sell now, you could loose money. But how many people have to do this? Don’t most people live in their homes at least 5 to 7 years? The problem with the last few years is that some people where caught up in the lure of rising prices and speculation, the upward spiral continued to feed on itself. The mantra for home ownership became, how much can I make on my home? And should I buy 2 more?  But is this what home ownership is all about? For some, yes, for investors, for sure, but for most people, no way!  Owning a home is about shelter, raising a family, security from the weather and the world? Why hasn’t this been the mantra of late? How can we bring this mantra back?

We bring it back by talking about all the reason for home ownership; what are the basic tenets of home. Reinforce the definition of HOME at the beginning of this blog, ask the question, where are you going to live and why would you wait to buy home? Taking this basic premise of home ownership, is it good to own in any market? Must you make money on your home every year? Is the requisite for home ownership to turn a profit?

I would like to take this opportunity, the beginning of the New Year, 2009, to educate and change the mantra of what it means to be a homeowner. Show that it is good to buy a home almost anytime.

People have asked me , if I have all these designations, why don’t I tell people what they mean and why I spent all the TIME and MONEY to get them. So here is the first in a series of posts that will explain the professional designations I have and how they might benefit you, the client.

The first is the CRS Designation, short for Certified Residential Specialist. Some consider this the PH d of real estate. I will start with what the official CRS explanation:

There are over one million REALTORS® in business today. So if you want to find that one-in-a-million REALTOR®, start with the over 37,000 who hold the Certified Residential Specialist Designation. CRS is the symbol of excellence in residential real estate. Our members have proven they have the experience, training and commitment to be among the best in their profession.

This sums up a lot of why I like this designation, the best of the best! There are weeks of core courses to take (thousands of dollars including travel and expenses), plus there are elective classes, you can get credit for college work or other advanced real estate designations. Next is the required number of real estate transaction, years in the busines, and fees. Gather all these up and you can apply for the designation.

Of all the Realtors in the U.S., just 4% can call themselves Certified Residential Specialist. Just 1 in 25 has the experience, the commitment and the hours of advanced training necessary to call themselves a Certified Residential Specialist.

How does this help you the consumer? Well, despite all the expertise you get when you work with me, it doesn’t cost you any more than working with any other Realtor. In fact, the skills and know-how you get from me may actually save you time and money.

 I found this great blog post today about the flaws in the Short Sale process, I couldn’t have said it better:

photo stock vault

I don’t mind being unable to show a house that there is very little shot at the buyer closing on. I actually appreciate it! But the entire short sale process is flawed. I don’t blame the Real Estate Brokers who are listing these properties, I blame the Banks!  The Brokers are just playing the game.  A game whose rules are set by the incompetent banks and lending institutions that started this whole fiasco.Blog Home Denver 

You should read the whole article.

Image via Wikipedia

The Utah Housing Corporation is planning to sell bonds, about $400 Million dollars worth, to help the Utah housing market. Bonds would be issued by the agency, not the state, so taxpayer money would not be used. This is all in an effort to boost the real estate market and overall economy. 

Read more

This report shows sales for all areas of Utah. Most notably is Salt Lake County, 3rd quarter 2007 to 3rd quarter 2008 sales on homes were down 8.91% with an average price of $286,409 which represents a 7.4% decline from 2007. Central Utah, Iron and Morgan counties all showed increases in prices 10%, 8% and 6% respectively. The worst performer was Park City area condominiums, down 40%.  

Click here for report: 3rdQuarter 2008 Sales

Time to get ready for winter. If you haven’t ready done so, here are 14 steps that need to be completed within the next few weeks:

STEP 1: Add a second layer of insulation to your attic. R-30 insulation is considered the minimum. If your house is relatively new, it probably conforms. If not, consider adding insulation.

STEP 2: Caulk around window and door glass and trim, and all exterior trim. Install or replace weather stripping on all doors and windows. Check for cracks around pipes and electrical outlets entering or exiting the walls.

STEP 3: Install storm windows and doors if you have them. Consider purchasing storm windows if you have older windows that are not made from modern insulated glass.

STEP 4: Have your heating system checked by a licensed heating/air-conditioning professional. Most furnace manufacturers recommend at least annual inspections. Get the Green Sticker as well.

STEP 5: Check gutters and clean them if necessary. Clogged gutters can result in basement flooding when the snow melts.

STEP 6: Replace any roof shingles that are missing or damaged.

STEP 7: Have your chimneys inspected by a chimney service and, if necessary, cleaned.

STEP 8: Check the foundation for areas where water may puddle.

STEP 9: Trim trees away from the house. Have dead trees and branches removed by professional tree trimmers, or do it yourself.

STEP 10: Drain and shut off outdoor water faucets and turn off sprinklers. Disconnect the hose from the faucet!

STEP 11: Insulate any water pipes that are exposed to freezing cold.

STEP 12: Replace the batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, and check to make sure these are all in working order.

STEP 13: Check fire extinguishers and charge and replace as necessary.

STEP 14: Make sure you are stocked with rock salt, sand, snow shovels and any other items you will need during the winter. Test run the snow blower before you need it, and get your gas mixed and ready.

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