salt lake: Interest Rates in Utah are around 7%. Should I buy a home now or wait?
- 07/17/23 03:55 PM
I'm not usually one to suggest that "now is the perfect time to buy" a home. In fact, the perfect time to buy a home is almost always "years, if not decades ago". That's because in spite of crashes and corrections, we are likely never going back to the $80,000 homes of the 1990s or the $3,000 homes of the 1940s. There is no doubt that real estate is a proven LONG-TERM investment. Housing is not getting less expensive Prices do occasionally go down, but not generally over the long term. Ask yourself how long will you need housing? Here is a list of … (1 comments)
salt lake: Salt Lake Real Estate Housing Update Spring 2018
- 04/17/18 12:18 PM
Is the Salt Lake Real Estate Market in a bubble? What is the housing outlook and forecast? What's going on with mortgage interest rates and why? Are homes still affordable? Text me at 801-999-8889 for a free report that answers these questions and much more. Factors affecting the Salt Lake Housing market this spring include: Significantly tighter lending standards are keeping prices in check Demand for housing remains robust Interest rates have to be raised Employment figures Not enough new homes Not enough homes for sale on any given day There are more Millennials than any other group looking for housing Home affordability Condos & Townhome … (3 comments)
salt lake: Salt Lake City #6 on List of Best Cities for 20-Somethings
- 09/19/13 03:39 AM
Salt Lake is always making the best places to live lists, so this isn't too much of a surprise. In addition to being one of the best places for 20-somethings, Salt Lake is also THE best place to live for new grads, and the 2nd best place to live for women's health. Links are in the article on greatest.com: http://greatist.com/health/20-best-cities-20-somethings If you're thinking of making Salt Lake City YOUR best place to live, make sure you call us for the best real estate representation option for buyers! Do you have excellent credit? Do you plan to purchase a $300,000-$800,000 home within 60 … (0 comments)
salt lake: Is Buying a Home in 2012 within Your Means?
- 01/19/12 08:29 AM
Homebuyer Representation, Inc. offers a free consultation to home buyers. What does it mean to consult an Exclusive Buyer's Agent? A consultation is a one-time meeting to get any of your real estate questions answered and to find out what it would take to buy a home. The meeting can be in person or over the phone. It doesn't mean that you have to hire the agent to represent you, or even hire an agent at all. You should come away from the consultation with enough information to answer these questions: Does it make sense to buy vs. rent? Is what … (1 comments)
salt lake: Salt Lake City Utah - Earthquake Country
- 01/10/12 05:20 PM
I'm not trying to scare anybody off, Utah is a great place to live. But you may as well know before you move here that Utah is earthquake country. I was talking to a potential new client today who is relocating here from the east coast. In conversation I brought up earthquake insurance and the prospect asked: You have earthquakes there? Well, we don't have too many, but we are one of the 5 Most Dangerous U.S. Earthquake Hot Spots Beyond California. (Wired Magazine)
Image: US Geological Survey If you want to research the topic, here is a link to … (3 comments)
salt lake: 2012 Salt Lake Housing Forecast
- 01/06/12 07:18 AM
I'm looking forward to the 2012 Salt Lake Housing Forecast Breakfast on Wednesday, January 18th. Eric Belsky, Director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University will present on the key factors crucial to supporting a housing and economic recovery in Utah and the nation. James Wood, Director of the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research will also be presenting the 2012 Salt Lake housing forecast. In addition to being informative, these forecast meetings are really fun to go to. Given that the presentation is given to 500 Realtors, you know the "spin" on the data … (0 comments)
salt lake: Salt Lake City "Super" Accredited Buyer Representative
- 09/30/11 08:10 AM
Well, I did it again! I decided to get the ABR designation for the second time. Yes, this means I took the entire curriculum over again, so you could say I'm twice as knowledgeable as those who have only earned the Accredited Buyer Representative designation once! Okay, so maybe I didn't learn twice as much, but taking it from different instructors each time and a few years apart, I do have to say the course was a great reminder of how to property serve the real estate buyer and gave me some ideas on how I can make my buyer representation … (0 comments)
salt lake: Being Romantic
- 02/16/11 07:42 AM
What does romance have to do with real estate? Probably not much. Nevertheless, my last blog entry focused on romantic things to do in the Salt Lake City, Utah in response to Salt Lake being ranked by Amazon.com as the 14th most romantic city in the US. The ranking was based, however on things such as sales of romance novels, relationship books and Barry White albums. I saw the opportunity to ask my Facebook friends for romantic things to do nearby. In addition to their great responses on that topic, I got a number of suggestions that could really be … (0 comments)
salt lake: Home Prices Down 6% in Salt Lake County
- 02/08/11 08:12 AM
As an Exclusive Buyer's Agent I'm constantly exposed to the inventory on the market in the Salt Lake area. There are still a ton of overpriced listings on the market, but that's improving. 1. Inventory is actually falling. My gut feeling is that the majority of homes coming off the market are from sellers who mistakenly thought their house was different from the others and that somehow it could commmand pre-bust pricing. Which leads us to point #2: 2. Fewer sellers are putting their homes on the market at ridiculous prices. Homes are finally being discounted to reasonable prices. Here … (0 comments)
salt lake: Avenues Homebuyers Find Working with Exclusive Buyer's Agent "Extremely Rewarding Experience"
- 04/13/10 05:28 AM
We relocated from California at the end of last summer, and having sold our home there, we were excited to begin looking for a new one in the Sugarhouse area. Initially, we were using a listing agent that was set up for us by the relocation company. When it became clear that this arrangement wasn’t working out, we decided to find an agent that was more attentive to our needs and interests. Our Exclusive Buyers Agent has been excellent at every stage of helping us to acquire our new home. We had absolutely no pressure to look in particular areas, … (0 comments)
salt lake: Salt Lake City Home Buyer - Exclusive Buyers Agent Was "Wholly Dedicated to My Cause"
- 04/06/10 05:37 PM
Benjamin Clark of Homebuyer Representation, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah, helped me find and buy my home. He was an excellent agent in all ways and I recommend him wholeheartedly to any potential home buyer. Because he is an Exclusive Buyer's Agent, Ben was wholly dedicated to my cause throughout what turned out to be a 4-1/2 month long process. He was enormously helpful, dedicated, persistent, knowledgeable, proactive, and consistently agreeable and pleasant. His negotiating skills are impressive. He makes great efforts to stay current in his field. I enjoyed our association and greatly appreciate his work … (3 comments)
salt lake: Mortgage Shopping Will Soon be a Lot Less Complicated
- 11/10/09 11:11 AM
Mortgage shopping will soon be a lot less complicated. RESPA Reform takes effect on January 1, 2010. While still not perfect, the changes do simplify the ability to compare loan offerings between lenders. The goal was to simplify and improve disclosure requirements for mortgage settlement costs under RESPA. My analysis: Mission Accomplished Here are some key highlights for borrowers: The new Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and the New Settlement Statement (HUD1 or HUD1A) now correspond to one another. In the past, there was no direct correllation between line items, making it difficult for a consumer to know whether or not … (3 comments)
salt lake: Owning Becomes More Attractive as Rent's Rise, Home Prices and Interest Rates Fall
- 04/09/09 06:48 PM
Demand for rental homes and units in many parts of the country is on the rise as many homeowners who are unable to refinance their mortgages to today's lower rates because their property values have declined have sold their homes "short" or left them altogether after foreclosure. Increased restrictions for obtaining mortgage financing (high credit scores and larger down payments) have also reduced the pool of renters who "qualify" for homeownership. As demand rises for rental units, the cost of renting should rise. As inventory of homes available for purchase grows, and demand shrinks (or is reduced due to a smaller … (1 comments)
salt lake: Utah Once Again Nations "Best State" to Live
- 03/23/09 06:11 AM
Utah once again ranked as the Best State to live in overall based on a Forbes.com report of a recent Gallup-Healthways poll. Utah ranked first for both Well-Being and Work Quality, and ranked second for Life Evaluation. It also ranked in the top 10 for Physical Health, Emotional Health and Basic Access. If you are moving to Salt Lake City or the Surrounding Area, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home in the next 90 days and would like an agent who will work … (1 comments)
salt lake: An Equal Level of Representation for Home Buyers
- 03/16/09 04:14 PM
Great Article in the New York Times Friday, featuring a good friend and colleague of mine, Ira Freireich of Long Island, NY. The article points out how many homebuyers are becoming more savvy and aware of how they can get the best level of representation in the real estate transaction: Exclusive Buyer Agency. Some key points: Exclusive Buyer Agents (EBAs) negotiate for the Buyer EBAs work for the Buyer only - Not the Seller like traditional real estate agents EBAs keep confidential information confidential - The seller won't know that you can or will pay more EBAs give you more control … (3 comments)
salt lake: Home Buyers in Sandy, Utah Value Having an Agent on Their Side
- 03/12/09 01:29 PM
We recently purchased our first home in the Salt Lake area. In choosing a realtor, we considered several options, but ultimately chose to work with Benjamin Clark based on positive recommendations we'd received. We weren't very familiar with the concept of an Exclusive Buyer's Agent (EBA) at the outset, but during the home buying process learned how valuable it can be to have our realtor looking out solely for our interests. We never felt pushed into a particular house as we might have with a realtor who also had an interest in selling certain homes. Our experience with Ben was quite … (2 comments)
salt lake: "Impressed with Your Professionalism"
- 02/27/09 05:26 AM
Ben,I wanted to take a moment and thank you for letting us help you with the purchase transaction for the Tanners. I was impressed with your professionalism and particularly the depth of your understanding of the closing process and the HUD-1 settlement statement. Your attention to detail is obviously a huge benefit to your clients.I was also impressed with the loan package you were able to help your buyer obtain. I've closed loans and purchases at interest rates in the 4's before, but I've never closed one at that rate with no lender fees. Your buyer focus shows in how well … (5 comments)
salt lake: Real Estate Negotiation Skills a Must for All Salt Lake Area Home Buyers, Especially in the Current Market
- 10/13/08 06:33 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Benjamin D. Clark has been awarded the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation, achieved by real estate professionals who have successfully completed formal training in the art of negotiation. Agents who receive this certification are in the top 1% of all agents nationally. Buyer's agents with professional negotiation skills are much more likely to obtain better results for their clients. Agents with the Certified Negotiation Expert designation have a powerful competitive edge because of their ability to uncover information effectively, get more and give less during negotiations, and retain control over desired outcomes. The Bottom Line: CNE … (6 comments)
salt lake: Buying "Small" in Salt Lake
- 10/03/08 08:53 AM
With all the plusses that come with more square footage, the smart buyer will look at the additional costs. Whether you are buying a home as an investment, or planning on living there a long time, there are many reasons some Buyers choose to buy "small" rather than buying "large" homes. Most Buyers who choose to buy small do so out of some necessity: The home is closer to work, their buying budget only gets them a small home, etc. But some buyers who could buy big, still choose to buy small and their reasons are food for thought. Some of … (3 comments)
salt lake: Are Downpayment Assistance Programs Bad?
- 10/03/08 07:49 AM
So were (are?) Downpayment Assistance Programs bad? I don't think DAPs are bad in and of themselves. But coupled with additional items from the lender's bags-of-tricks, they likely contributed to a number of defaulted mortgages, including some that will continue to default as adjustment dates and balloons come due. (Click Here to read How a Downpayment Assistance Program Works) Here's why: In many cases, those who got this "help" from down payment assistance programs, unfortunately also bought more home than they should have. They went for the big new home instead of the more traditional "starter" home. In order to buy … (0 comments)
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