Kalleen Foster's Real Estate Blog | Ogden UT | Roy UT | Homes for Sale, Buying a House, Selling a House, Real Estate Market
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Direct: (801) 589-2220
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
2225 Washington Blvd #100
Ogden, UT 84401
Merry Christmas!!! May the light of the Savior’s love be with you this day.
The perfect day to ski or snowboard…the morning after a snow storm. What a beautiful day and doesn’t it take your breath away?
This is Ben Lomand Peak watching over the Ogden area and I have spent my life admiring this gorgeous view. The more snow and the brighter the blue sky the better.
I remember years ago sitting in the library at Weber State, gazing out the window at this peak, and wishing I was up at Powder Mountain skiing. Powder Mountian, Snow Basin and Wolf Creek ski resorts are only about 45 minutes away.
One can live at the base of this mountain and look out at the valley. Or one can live out in neighboring cities and enjoy this impressive and majestic site. This is the scene I prefer. One can’t be too sad after catching a glimpse of Ben Lomand Peak–no matter what season of the year. Of course, the sunsets are spectacular if one lives on the foothills. Either way it’s great!
This beautiful view and easy access to skiing can be a reality, if it isn’t already. Interest rates are low, home prices are stablilizing, and with the tax credits, it is a good time to buy or sell. Please let me know how I can help you make the change.
What’s another reason to buy/sell in the Ogden area? According to the Standard-Examiner, Ogden is surviving the economic downturn better than most Intermountain West metropolitan areas. According to a six state study done jointly by UNLV and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Ogden’s economy is fairly diverse and has a lot of jobs in the public sector. Also mentioned was Ogden’s minor dependence on the housing market. Even though Ogden did have a higher than average share of employment in housing and construction, it was not nearly as bad as in other places.
This study was a comforting.
It was also comforting to learn that GSL Minerals Corp donated $12,000 worth of food to an Ogden foodbank because the need is 30% greater this year.
For those of us who are able during this time of the year, please give whatever you can–food, money or your time, to the many community services requesting help. These kind of actions truly make our communities stronger as we help one another.
www.standard.net, Tuesday, December 15, 2009.
The Ogden Area includes all of Weber county, northern Davis county, and southern Box Elder county. Cities include Perry, Willard, Pleasant View, North Ogden, Farr West, West Haven, Roy, Clearfield, Clinton, South Weber, Layton, just to name a few.
The Utah Jazz are located in Salt Lake City and travel time is less than an hour from the Ogden area. Even on a work or school night, one can be home by 10:30 PM and not lose alot of sleep for the next day. One of my best memories and funnest times are attending Jazz games, especially in the winter and around Christmas. The lights are beautiful and the walk from the car to the arena is cold but brisk. It is fun to listen to the chatter of fans entering and waiting for the game to start.
Last night was very exciting because the Jazz pulled their game together in the fourth quarter and won the visiting Orlando Magic. I can image how ears were ringing from the high volume of excitement because of the win as fans departed for home.
The Ogden area is fortunate to be so close to NBA basketball. And with interest rates still low, the tax incentives, and affordable home prices, it is an excellent time to buy or sell if you are thinking of moving or relocating.
IMPROVEMENTS PAY OFF
With interest rates more than 1.5 percent lower than they were a year ago, and today’s excellent home prices, prospective buyers are considering homes that need a little TLC. Purchasers are looking past the leaky faucets, breezy windows and outdated appliances in order to take advantage of below market sales prices. By doing so they will be able to reduce their taxes by up to $1,500 when they purchase and install energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment. A tax credit of 30 percent of the cost of the improvement is available through the end of 2010.
Buyers that plan environmentally-friendly projects on a newly purchased home will realize substantial tax savings, lower monthly energy costs and a lifetime of enjoyment.
So…don’t worry if you want to sell and your home is not in tiptop shape. Save your money to purchase your new home and let the buyer take advantage of these incentives. You might even be able to take advantage of these incentives on your new home!
Another reason to buy a home in Utah and the Ogden area is Weber State University. The Sunday issue of the Standard Examiner ran an article stating Forbes Magazine ranked WSU as one of the top public colleges and universities to attend in the nation. It was ranked 43rd. The rankings were based on 25% student student satisfaction with course instructors, 25% post graduate success, 16% likelihood of graduation from college within four years, and 20% on student loan debt rankings.
This is great news. In other blogs I have mentioned Utah as one of the happiest state, the healthiest state, one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates and now the quality of education–right here in Ogden.
My own opinion is WSU is close, affordable and the qualtiy of education is impressive. Not only did I graduate from Weber State years ago, but my son and daughter both graduated recently. Because of Weber State and its opportunities, my son and his WSU grad wife are both attending graduate school and my daughter is a news reporter.
Congratulations Weber State!!!
Ocassionally I like to blog about home improvements. Today I am going to give some tips about bathrooms.
The bathroom is a great place to start if you’re considering making smart improvements to your home. This room affords many opportunities for simple yet effective changes that will not only add value to your home, but also make your bathroom safer and more environmentally sound. Here are just a few ideas.
WATER CONSERVATION
Low-Flow Fixtures
Cut down on the amount of water used in your bathroom by switching to a low-flow, aerating shower head and faucets. These fixtures can reduce your home’s water consumption by as much as 50%. Low-flow shower heads will use just 1.2 gallons of water per minute as opposed to the 2.5 gallon average, but the aerating feature makes the water flow seem just as strong.
Dual-flush Toilets
Dual -flush toilets allow users to select the amount of water flushed to correspond to the task at hand. There are two options; for solid waste there is a handle for full 1.6 gallon flush, and for liquid you can choose a 0.1 to 1.1 gallon flush. You could save your family as much as 1,500 gallons a year.
SAFETY FIRST
Twenty-five persent of all household accidents occur in the bathroom. Take precautions and select nonslip materials for floors, tubs, and showers, and use bath mats with nonskid backing. Make sure your electrical outlets are protected with GFCI circuit interrupters, which cut off power immediately in case of a current surge. These should be installed by a qualified electrician. Lower the setting of your water heater to avoid scalding and energy waste.
SOLAR WATER HEATERS
Water heating represents 15 percent of your home’s overall energy consumption. Reduce your costs with a solar water heater that utilizes the sun’s natural resources to give water temperature a head start. Putting a solar heater on your roof can offset 1.5 kilowatts of energy per day from other sources and could save you $450 per year.
Please visit pillartopost.com or call 1-888-700-7001 for more information.
I had a friend email me today needing advice. She stated that their neighborhood was changing and it was time to move. They have lived there for years and raised their family and wanted some advice. She stated they have savings plus the equity from their home and wondered what they should do.
I told her that it was an excellent time to buy because the inventories are high, prices are reduced, interest rates are low, and with the tax credits, her savings and equity she will be able to have a nice home with an affordable mortgage.
Her next step was to meet with a lender to decide how much of a mortgage she could afford and then she will know what price range she could focus on.
I advised her to go looking in different neighborhoods she was interested in to get a feel of the area and what she liked. She and her husband want to move closer to his job.
While she was doing this, start boxing and dejunking and leave only furniture and a few decorative items in her home. It was a perfect time to donate to the Deseret Industries and other organizations as well as throw away items as she cleaned closets and shelves and other storage areas. When I moved, we rented a storage unit for a month and a half. I had everything in boxes and labeled the boxes for easy unpacking.
She wanted to know if she should sell her home first or find a home first. I advised her that I could refer her to a good agent with Coldwell Banker (she doesn’t live near to me) to list her home and to consider the agent’s recommendations and price it exactly right because it will sell promptly. With the tax credits, first-time homebuyers are looking and buying too.
She asked if she should sell it on her own. That would be okay but how would she know how to price her home? And she would need to be available to show during times people want to see it. I think it is safer, personally, to list because of the safety issue. I wouldn’t want to show my home alone if I was the only one home. There is also a big security issue with belongings. This day and age is so uncertain.
Then she asked my opinion about offices that charge a flat fee. Homebuyers have changed over the years and not very many find their homes in the newspapers anymore. Most of my contacts come from other online sites Coldwell Banker pays for its clients. Ksl.com might sell homes, but realtors use it to find For Sale By Owner listings. The office might charge a flat fee but I don’t know how much a client gets or how professional the agent will be. A good agent will help price a home correctly. Open houses aren’t as popular as they once were. Homebuyers prefer to shop online and take a tour of a home at their leisure. I don’t know if this service is offered either.
And…be prepared for some stress. There are always some bumps that pop up and need to be dealt with. A good realtor will help smooth those out before they get started and out of control.
Avg. Sales Price: 379,000
Avg. Days on Market: 69
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