Weekly Events in Salt Lake City and Beyond

Weekly Event Update

June 18, 2013

EVENT SPOTLIGHT:

Tony Bennett June 20, 2013 Red Butte Garden and Arboretum - Salt Lake City He continues to captivate new audiences while garnering critical acclaim with recent albums  Duets, Duets II and Viva Duets . Bennett has won 17 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, is a multiple Emmy Award Winner and was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master and honored by the Kennedy Center.  < More Info

FEATURED EVENTS:

City Creek Center Live Entertainment June 20, 2013 City Creek Center - Salt Lake City     Join City Creek Center for live entertainment while you shop and dine Thursday, June 20. Dustin Christensen 3:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Joy & Eric 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Dillon Finn 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. < More Info

Guys and Dolls June 27-August 10, 2013 Hale Center Theater - Orem Based on the delightful Runyon stories, Guys and Dolls is the most fun you will ever have with gangsters, gamblers and missionaries.  Considered by critics the perfect musical comedy, this beloved play has it all: unforgettable music, adorable rapscallions and spunky belles, irresistible energy, and affectionate warmth for its characters, culture, and audience. < More Info

The Lone Texas Walker Ranger June 7-July 13, 2013 The Off Broadway Theatre - Salt Lake City Cheer on the heroes and boo the villains when the Texas Walker Ranger and his faithful Indian guide, Toronto, fight to right the wrongs perpetrated in the old lawless west. < More Info

Getting a Mortgage Means Finding the Right Lender

What Makes a Great Mortgage Lender?

Getting a mortgage in Salt Lake City or across the states can be more involved than in years past, not least because their historically low rates make them so desirable. That loan can make or break a fantastic deal — the kind of deal you don’t want to lose when you come across it! Central to the process of getting a mortgage is your mortgage broker…but how do you know when you’ve found a great one?

These are some of the qualities I believe most often point to the answer:  

•        Truly outstanding mortgage lenders get tons of referrals from previous clients and their real estate agents…while other less well-appreciated or experienced brokers must constantly solicit new business. BUT (a very important ‘but’) that is not to say that a mortgage lender who solicits isn’t perfectly well qualified; simply, if you have selected a lender through his marketing, be sure to ask for a few recent references — and speak with them!
•       Getting a mortgage often obligates as much as a third of a household’s income, so it’s vital that it fit properly into the overall financial picture. A great mortgage lender asks the right questions to find a product that best fits your long-term goals, even when they aren’t the easiest ones to ask.
•       The rules governing mortgage transactions have changed significantly in the last few years — and they were plenty complicated to begin with. Learning much of the process on the fly is part of the challenge facing lenders who are new to the field. When you are getting a mortgage in Utah, if you suspect yours will be anything other than a straightforward process, it may be best to look past a newly licensed lender. An easy way to learn how much experience your broker has is to inquire about his work experience over the last 10 years.

Getting a mortgage can be complicated, but it’s often decisive for your real estate transaction. I’ll be happy to introduce you to some of my proven local preferred lenders and favorites. It’s one way we’ll be ready to go when we find you the perfect house!

Shortening TOM for Your House for Sale

A Vacant Local House for Sale Can Widen the Market

Near the end of 2012, the National Association of Realtors® announced that the average home took 69 days to sell, a welcome shrinkage from the 98-day Time On Market (TOM) common during the housing market crisis. They expected the 2013 numbers to be even stronger, and they haven’t been disappointed: the last read for TOM registered a median of just 46 days!

Of course, that’s a national average, and if you have a house for sale in Utah this summer, your own experience could well differ. Although a family’s situation may rule out this particular step, there is one tried-and-true approach that seems to make a big difference when it comes to shortening TOM: 

MOVE OUT!

Why? For most prospective buyers, the clean slate represented by an unoccupied house represents is more attractive than a home filled with someone else’s belongings. If you have a house for sale in Utah, no matter how superbly the furnishings reflect your family’s taste and personality, they will limit its appeal to some buyers. This is particularly true when the furniture is a little worn or particularly bright. Subtract those factors and potential buyers can more readily picture their own items filling the rooms.

With any Utah house for sale, buyers know that a seller could at any time decide not to move. Psychologically, many buyers feel more confident that a deal will go ahead when a home is unoccupied. A vacant home sends the unambiguous signal that it is definitely available.

Then there is the special case of the Urgent Buyer — a great prospect for

any house for sale. Since they naturally gravitate towards homes that don’t have people living in them, the shortened move-in schedule is something that their agents are also aware of.  Too, it’s much easier to show a home that is vacant – and the more showings you get, the more likely you are to receive that hoped-for offer.

Showing and selling homes is my business.  If you are looking to sell your own home for top dollar, don’t hesitate to contact me today to discuss a winning game plan.

National Price Uptick Brings Smiles to Utah Homeowners

Homeowners Welcome Upward-Pointing Arrow  

 

For local homeowners watching property values rise and fall, surprises aren’t necessarily welcome. Surprises come in two flavors where real estate is concerned (and the previous decade certainly brought some of the unwelcome kind).

One of the basic numerical tools we have come to rely upon comes from Corelogic®, the California analytic brainiacs who collect and present national statistics mined from the MLS data. Their latest report on home prices is accompanied by a graphic that’s becoming increasingly familiar. For Utah homeowners, it’s always a welcome sight: an arrow pointing straight up.

These are national trends, but of course, most of the news we absorb as we go about our daily routines are just that. Like it or not, the news influences us in many overt and subtle ways, not the least of which is how eager we feel about opening our wallets to make any kind of purchase. And homeowners — even those who have no intention of selling or buying another home — can be relied upon to register the value of their own local real estate holdings somewhere in their consciousness.

The up-pointing arrow in this latest report is next to a bold blue number, 12.1%, which is the rise in home prices year-over-year. That’s the kind of jump that more volatile (and risky) investments aim for; the kind of rise that furrows brows from those who are still watching from the sidelines.

Deeper into the numbers, we do see that the rise from March to April was a full 3.2%, that prices are now within 22.4% of the peak of last decade’s bubble, and that, for the Corelogic® experts, the prediction is that the next month’s year-over-year rise will climb to 13.2%. We will have to wait to see if that can be matched for Utah homeowners, but whether or not it hits that kind of mark, we can expect to see another bold blue number. And another upward-pointing arrow.

All of which makes me happy to say that I am always standing by to answer questions or help with your next Salt Lake City and Beyond real estate acquisition or sale.