Orem UT Real Estate Blog | Selling a Home, Buying a Home, Real Estate Market, Foreclosures, First Time Home Buyers, Homes for Sale

Property Tax in Orem | Orem Utah Sales Tax Rates

Denise Martin — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:02:33 +0000

Orem Property Tax Rates | Orem Sales Tax Rates

History of Scera Park

Denise Martin — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 00:03:07 +0000

Scera Park History
In 1990, Orem City purchased 20 acres of land from the SCERA Center for the Arts for $1.17 million. Along with the land, the city became the new owner of an outdoor amphitheater, a swimming pool, two pavilions, and two playgrounds.

The City Council agreed to the purchase the property, just north of 800 South on State Street, after SCERA asked the city to buy the park in 1989. While no one ever anticipated that SCERA would sell the park, city officials were delighted to bring the park ownership to the citizens.

The city used federal block-grant funds to purchase the park. For years, some funds from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program went into a revolving loan fund for new businesses. The block grant funds that went to the revolving loan fund went to pay for the park instead.

Since Orem’s purchase of the Scera Park, millions of dollars have been invested in walking paths, new play-sets, landscaping, and rebuilding the Scera Pool. As a result, Scera Park has remained one of the most popular parks in Utah County.

Denise Martin, known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor, specializes in Utah County Real Estate. Together, Denise and her brother, Stacy Sommers, own Utah real estate company, @Home Realty Network. Denise is the leader of the SoldByDenise.com sales team.

Difference between Utah Condos and Utah Townhomes

Denise Martin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:09:10 +0000

The Provo and Orem Utah area is home to over 60,000 students attending either Brigham Young University (BYU) or Utah Valley University (UVU). Because BYU is a private university owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), students from around the world move to Provo to attend. UVU, on the other hand, is the only university in Utah with an “open-admission” policy. As a result, UVU draws students from across Utah who were not accepted at other Utah colleges. This huge influx of students creates a huge demand for student housing.

Majority of Students Take Six Years to Graduate

The Institute of Education Sciences reports that nearly 58% of students take six years to complete a Bachelor’s Degree. This causes many parents and young newlywed couples to consider the total cost of renting housing for such an extended length of time. Each year, a large number conclude that the costs, convenience, and benefits of owning a residence make it worth purchasing a home near campus.

Property Maintenance a Deciding Factor

Many of those who choose to purchase a student residence decide against a single family home simply because of the extra time and expense required for its upkeep. It’s a fact that most full-time students do not have the time nor the desire to take care of the yard, paint the exterior, or make repairs to the roof. Consequently, most end up purchasing a condo or a townhome for student housing.

Condo Ownership vs. Townhome Ownership

This brings up the frequently asked question, “What is the difference between a Utah condominium and a Utah townhome or townhouse?” Here is a brief clarification of what makes them different:

Condominium: Owning a condo means you hold title to the space inside the four walls of a unit within a complex, but not the land or the building itself. This means that other condo units can be located above and below yours, as well as beside you.

Townhouse: Ownership of a townhome consists of not only the unit itself, but the land it sits on. Therefore, no other units can be located above or below yours. As a result, most townhomes are two stories and many include a basement and/or garage.

Property Taxes: Townhome owners pay individually for property taxes on their home and the land it sits on while condo owners pay taxes only for their unit and then their calculated share for property under the entire complex.

Homeowners Association: Both condos and townhomes are part of a homeowner’s association, which collects fees for the expenses of all common areas. This usually includes exterior maintenance, exterior insurance (not including the interior of units or personal possessions,) water, sewer, trash, and reserves for future major repairs.

With so many out-of-area BYU students and UVU students needing housing in the Provo Utah and Orem Utah areas, demand for condominiums and townhouses has remained high and consistent. Historically, the price of condos and townhomes in Provo/Orem have remained stable or grown during any 4 – 6 year period (with the exception of 2008 – 2010.)

Denise Martin, known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor, specializes in Orem and Provo real estate. She can be reached at Orem Homes for Sale. Denise and her brother, Stacy Sommers, co-own @Home Realty Network selling Utah Real Estate.

2012 Utah Real Estate Market Update

Denise Martin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:11:10 +0000

The Utah real estate market is showing tremendous signs of improvement. The bottom line – more people are buying Utah homes.

Sales Jump During Second Half of 2011

Utah home sales rose 10.4% in November 2011. This was the sixth straight month that sales have increased. Utah Realtors sold about 200 more homes in November 2011 than they did in November 2010.

Loss of Tax Credit Doesn’t Slow Sales

Realtors have sold more homes this year without a tax credit than they did last year when a $8,000 tax credit was in place for half the year.

Decreasing Supply of Homes for Sale

November 2011 ”pending sales” were up 31% from November 2010. A decreasing supply of homes for sale on the Utah market should help boost the sales prices for home sellers.

Fewer Listings Results in Increasing Prices

There are currently fewer Utah homes on the market. At the end of November 2011, there were 21,731 homes on the market. The last time this few homes were on the market was in April 2007. In addition, fewer Utah real estate listings came on the market in November 2011, placing increasing upward price pressure on Utah homes for sale.

Denise Martin is known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor. She and her brother, Stacy Sommers, own @Home Realty Network and make up the SoldByDenise.com team. To buy or sell Orem Real Estate, they can be reached at (801) 602-9552.

3 Proven Tips to Sell Orem Homes

Denise Martin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:05:14 +0000

In a tough real estate market, putting your home in “ showroom” condition is imperative for a quick sale and top price. Here are 3 proven tips to sell your Orem Home for sale:

1. Keep your home immaculately clean.

a. Focus on the kitchen and bathrooms
b. Empty all trash cans before showings
c. Scrub the toilets and showers; replace shower curtains, if needed.
d. Shine the front door knob and wash or paint the door.

2. Remove clutter and excessive décor. Buyers must become emotionally attached to your home. The more depersonalized your house is, the easier it is for buyers to picture themselves living there.

a. Remove everything from the refridgerator door.
b. Remove family pictures from the walls.
c. Reduce items in your closets and organize the remainder.
d. Remove everything possible from the kitchen counters.

3. Stage your home.

a. Remove extra furniture. Float the couches and chairs to the center of the room.
b. Move items into any vacant rooms. Bare rooms don’t show well.
c. Decorate in three’s. Groups of five looks like clutter.
d. Update walls by removing wallpaper and repainting in light colors.

Denise Martin is known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor. She and her partner, Stacy Sommers, own @Home Realty Network and form the Sold By Denise Team. Denise specializes in Orem Homes for Sale.

Orem Utilities – Utilities for Orem, UT – Orem UT Water

Denise Martin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:50:46 +0000

Setting-up your utilities in Orem, UT only requires 3 or 4 phone calls or a few clicks on the Internet.

Orem Water, Sewer, Trash: Sign-up online at Orem.org or call (801) 229-7275

Orem Electricity: Sign-up online with Rocky Mountain Power or call (888) 221-7070

Orem Natural Gas: Sign-up online with Questar Gas or call (800) 323-5517

Orem Home Phone Service: 1. Sign-up online with CenturyLink (formerly Qwest) or call (855) 234-5724, or 2. Sign-up online with Comcast Voice or call (800) 266-2278

Orem Television Service: 1. Sign-up online with Comcast Cable (800) 266-2278, Dish Network, or Direct TV.

Denise Martin, known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor, is partners with Stacy Sommers. She specializes in Orem UT Homes for Sale and is part owner of At Home Realty Network, a Utah Real Estate company.

Buying your first home in Orem is Hot!

Denise Martin — Fri, 06 May 2011 03:34:39 +0000

The housing market for first-time buyers in Orem, UT has never been better. Rates are low and housing prices are even lower. We sold a single family house with a very large 2-car detached garage, on a corner lot no less, for $71,000 this week!

As recently as three years ago, you couldn’t even buy a 1 bedroom condo in Utah County for that low.

It’s been 20 years since homes have been this affordable. Prices could very likely stay depressed for the next few years, but the growth and demand for homes in Orem and Provo will fuel rapid price increases.

Buyers can log-in to SoldByDenise.com and register for the Listing Flash. This free service will flash hot new listings to your in-box every time a listing matching your criteria comes on the market.

Denise Martin is known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor. Along with her brother Stacy Sommers, they make up the Sold By Denise Team and own @Home Realty Network.

Internet Service Providers (ISP) for Orem, Utah

Denise Martin — Tue, 03 May 2011 19:33:18 +0000

Once you move into your new Orem home, you have the task of figuring out who is your best choice for your new Internet Service Provider. It is a challenge to even figure out who provides Internet service, let alone which is the best one for you. Here is a list of Orem Internet Service Providers to help out.

This list is sorted alphabetically, not by our preference.

Clear is a wireless service provider utilizing 4G Cellular signals. This is the same 4G that your mobile phone runs on. Clear leases you a small wireless receiver. You can choose a portable device or a stationary device for your home or office.

Clear.com

888-885-7471

Comcast Cable feeds the Internet signal through cables, which are pre-wired to nearly every house. Because the bandwidth in a cable is larger than over a standard phone line, Comcast can provide you with faster speeds for downloading movies, music, and photos.

Comcast.com

866-943-7021

Digis is a wireless signal system which requires the installation of a receiving dish on the roof of your home. Your home must have unobstructed “line-of-sight” to one of their towers. Reports are that the service is good and reliable, if you are in a good coverage area.

Digis.net

1-888-344-4788

FiberNet is a reseller for the Utopia fiber optic network. If you happen to live in an area wired with fiber optic, there is nothing consistently faster.

Fiber.net

800-305-6995

NetZero is an old-fashioned dial-up internet provider. They are able to accelerate some websites, but are not acceptable for watching TV or downloading music on your computer. However, there is nothing cheaper if you just need to check your e-mail and Facebook accounts

Account.NetZero.net

866-319-2046

Qwest (now CenturyLink) runs Internet service through telephone wires. Depending on where you live and which wires they have leading to your home, Internet speed will run from fairly slow to lightning fast.

Qwest.com

801-494-0237

Veracity Networks is a reseller for the Utopia fiber optic network. If you happen to live in an area wired with fiber optic, there is nothing consistently faster.

Residential.veracitynetworks.com

801-691-5800

Your Cell Phone can be turned into a wireless Internet network, if you have a 4G device and pay the extra to convert it into a wireless router. Check with your preferred cell phone provider.

Denise Martin is part of the SoldByDenise team with her brother Stacy Sommers. Together they specialize in Orem Homes and Provo Real Estate and own @Home Realty Network.

Utah Supreme Court Requires Full Seller Property Disclosure

Denise Martin — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:35:23 +0000

On April 26, 2011, the Utah Supreme Court ruled in favor of a homeowner in the Canberra subdivision in Lindon, UT against the developer for not disclosing soil problems where their house was built. They also affirmed a damages award of nearly $3 Million. One result of this ruling is the clarification that sellers in Utah have an affirmative duty to disclose anything they are aware of that materially negatively affects the value of real property.

The court affirmed three conditions are required for a buyer to recover damages resulting from fraudulent non-disclosure:

They stated that a plaintiff must prove by clear and convincing evidence that

(1) the defendant had a legal duty to communicate information,

(2) the defendant knew of the information he failed to disclose, and

(3) the non-disclosed information was material.

See Yazd v. Woodside Homes Corp., 2006 UT 47, ¶ 10, 143 P.3d 283.

They affirmed the instructions given to the jury by the District Judge at trial were correct and clear:

First, the instructions stated that, upon inquiry, a developer has a “duty to disclose . . . information he has developed in the course of the subdivision process which is relevant to the suitability of the land for its expected use.”

Second, the instructions provided that as sellers of real property, developers “have a duty to disclose material known defects that cannot be

discovered by an ordinary, prudent buyer.”

This instruction also explained that “[a]n ordinary, prudent buyer is not required to hire numerous experts to search for hidden defects, but this does not mean that inspection by an expert will never be required.”

Third, the agreed-upon jury instructions stated that “[a] developer, subdivider, or person performing similar tasks has a duty to . . . disclose to his purchaser any condition which he knows or reasonably ought to know makes the subdivided lots unsuitable for . . . residential building.”

It is important to note that it is up to the buyer to prove the fraudulent non-disclosure. The Supreme Court stated in its ruling:

“To prevail on a claim of fraudulent non-disclosure, a plaintiff must prove by clear and convincing evidence that (1) the defendant had a legal duty to communicate information, (2) the defendant knew of the information he failed to disclose, and (3) the non-disclosed information was material.”

Denise Martin is known as Orem’s Nicest Realtor. She is not an attorney and this article should not be relied upon as legal advice. She, along with her brother Stacy Sommers, make up the SoldByDenise team. They specialize in Provo Homes for Sale and Orem Real Estate. Together, they own one of America’s premier brokerages, @Home Realty Network.

Orem Police Go Black and White

Denise Martin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 23:42:52 +0000

Orem City, UT has announced that it will be switching its police car colors to the traditional black and white. They are happy with, and will continue to purchase, Ford Crown Victorias for their reliability and size.

Is this a good thing? I grew up in Southern California (Whittier) and whenever I picture a police car, I picture it as black and white. There was never any confusion that it was the police when you saw an L.A. County Sheriff car!

To me, the black and white design implies authority and respect. Drivers are always more cautious when they see a police car … and a black and white vehicle is substantially more visible than the current Orem white police cars with a pin-stripe.

Orem expects to purchase 5 or 6 new cars this year with the black and white paint job. Orem also plans to repaint any damaged vehicles to speed up the transition.