Someone accused me of overstating the market situation.  She said I was too bullish.

This is what I think and what I’ve consistently said:  There are some amazingly hot deals out there right now and homes might never be this low again.  As far as selling, it depends on where you are.  Home sales in Utah have increased every single month since December.

 Geoff

Utah homes are on the rebound.  We now have four successive months of sales increases over the previous month.

Stop listening to the news - they dwell on and magnify the negative.  We are not in and are nowhere near being in a recession.  Sure gas is expensive and some food items have increased, but overall we’re in good shape.

If you are looking to buy a new home buy now.  What are you waiting for ?- you want homes to go up in price and then buy?  You might never get a lower price than what’s out there right now.  Great selection and great prices form a terrific combination for success.  AND interest rates are low.  You buy now and in a year or so people will say, “How were you so smart?”

So what are you waiting for?  Call me, Geoff Lighten @ 801-362-5454.

Three of the four Champions League semi finalists are/were English teams.  Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona comprised the final four.  Yesterday Manchester United dispatched Barcelona, resulting in the first ever match up of two English teams in the final game, to be played in Moscow.  Later on today Chelsea plays Liverpool and then we’ll know who Man U plays.

Actually I’m an Arsenal fan, but if forced to say who will win the Champions League I’ll go with Manchester United.

Utah ranks just behind New Hampshire in U.S. livability rankings; up two spots from last year.  Mississippi comes in last.

The measures used are economic development, public safety, environment and public health, household income, crime rate, sunny days and infant mortality rates.

Also, Utah ranks 9th in a new report of Top 10 Pro-Business States 2008.

Just last week I represented a buyer in the purchasing of a new town home.  The seller, which in this case was the builder, did not want to budge on the price, since he’d already lowered it.  It took some haggling and several addendums, but when it was over we had negotiated the price down another $10,000.  Builders, who up to a year ago would have snubbed you if you didn’t pay full price, are now entertaining offers.

 Call me to learn more.  801-362-5454

We’ve all heard about the real estate market and how values and sales have declined.  Yet there is a flip side to this.  Utah ranks third in the country in home retention values and tens of thousands move here annually because Utah has the best economy in the country.  Utah also ranks 39th in foreclosures.

 Call me to find you a home.  I am a licensed experienced realtor  and I’ll do a great job for you.

Geoff Lighten

801-492-4324

1. BYU football
2. BYU basketball
3. Student wards
4. Devotionals
5. Honor code
6. Great education
7. Friendly atmosphere
8. Beautiful campus
9. top notch law and business schools
10. Lots of easy accessible parking

We’ve all heard of housing sales and values declining.  Yet Utah is a flip-side to this:

1. Utah ranks third nationally in home value retention
2. Tens of thousands of people move here annually
3. Utah has the best state economy in the nation
4. Utah has the lowest unemployment in the country
5. Utah created 5% of all new jobs in the USA in 2007

It’s great living here and you might never again buy such great houses at such terrific prices.

 Self-improvement is a multi billion dollar industry.  Although there are varied approaches as to how we become our very best selves there is one element that runs through the writings of all the experts.  That is visualization.  Steven Covey speaks of it, (‘Begin with the end in mind’) as does Anthony Robbins and Wayne Dyer.  The idea is to crystallize in your mind what you really want and if you do that frequently in deep and rich detail it becomes a part of you.  The result is that what you think about most is what you become.  I find these ideas very troubling because - if it’s true - I will turn into a double fudge brownie.

 Selling a home by yourself can be rewarding, but it can be discouraging also.  When few people respond to ads or yard signs sellers become disheartened and wonder what’s creating the problem.  Instinctively then they often reduce the sales price, sometimes over and over until they get to an undervalued price and still nobody makes an offer. The problem is created when sellers confuse a tactic with a strategy.  Sometimes reducing a home’s price is a good tactic but that’s just a small part of an overall and effective strategy to sell your home. There are lots of causes as to why a home doesn’t sell quickly – the biggest problem being attracting really interested and active buyers in your home.  But there are real solutions to these real concerns. The market does determine value.  Meaning basically that a home will only sell for what the buyers are willing to pay, and of course what sellers are willing to accept.  You can take advantage of the market depending on how you price your home. There are many ways to determine value.  The most recognized method is the one used by appraisers.  Appraisers use a format of comparing three comparable sales with the subject as closely as possible.  The problem is that the “as closely as possible” part is somewhat limited.  Real estate agents depend on the MLS computer program to determine value, which can produce inaccurate evaluations based on incorrect adjustments in the program. So what should you do?  A list of comparable sales is easy to produce, and though not necessarily specific to your home’s value, it will give you an idea of where your price should be.  A more accurate determination of value could be completed after seeing the home.  Please advise if a market analysis interests you.  No cost or obligation, of course.