I know its not even Thanksgiving just yet. However it is that time of year to start planning out what you would like to do for Christmas. This is one of my favorite things about Utah. We have the snow, and so many wonderful Christmas Concerts to choose from. I will keep putting them up here as I find them. So if any of you find some good one’s I don’t know about please make a comment and post it. Who knows maybe I will see you all there.
This is actually one of my favorites every year. They have several other groups that end up coming, it really makes for a wonderful Christmas concert in Salt Lake City.
It’s that time of the year again; time to set our clocks back an hour, return to standard time, and “gain” an extra hour. That means this Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 am, Daylight Saving Time officially ends until its return on the second Sunday in March, 2010.
Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time has actually been four weeks longer, thanks to the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005. The Act extended Daylight Saving Time by four weeks in an attempt to save 10,000 barrels of oil each day through reduced use of power by businesses during daylight hours. Unfortunately, the Department of Energy (DOE) says that it’s difficult to determine actual energy savings, if any, as a result of Daylight Saving Time. But, there are definitely some easy steps you can take to save significantly on your household energy bills.
Did you know that water heating can account for 14%–25% of the energy consumed in your home, especially in the coming months? According to the DOE, it’s true. With this in mind, we thought we’d share with you a few of the DOE’s energy-efficient water heating strategies to help you save throughout the holiday season.
Wash only full loads of dishes and clothes.
Lower the thermostat on your hot water heater to 120° F.
Repair leaky faucets promptly; a leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time.
Install aerating, low-flow faucets and showerheads. Select a shower head with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) for maximum water efficiency.
Consider natural-gas on-demand or tankless water heaters. Researchers have found savings can be up to 30% compared with a standard natural-gas storage tank water heater.
Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE study showed energy savings of 25% to about 30% for water heating using such a system.
Install heat traps on the hot and cold pipes at the water heater to prevent heat loss. Some new water heaters have built-in heat traps.
Insulate the first 6 feet of the hot and cold water pipes connected to the water heater.
Have a safe and happy Halloween – and enjoy your “extra hour” of standard time. And don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’d like to invest that extra hour reviewing your mortgage options. A lot has changed in the industry recently, and you may be able to save even more money.
Once again, Skiing Magazine is giving Utah the credit we deserve.. Top 10 Ski Resorts listed Alta and Snowbird ski resorts in the top 10.
Not just any snow, but the best snow in North America, at least in the opinion of those Skiing devotees who again said no resort anywhere on the continent has better powder than Alta and Snowbird.
The magazine’s annual reader survey, out this month, also makes clear that Utah’s high-quality snow is not confined to Little Cottonwood Canyon. The “best snow” Top 10 includes four other Utah resorts – Snowbasin (7), The Canyons (8), Powder Mountain (9) and Deer Valley (10).
I am sure this will be great for tourism dollars for our wonderful state. Now speaking from a true avid skiier myself, makes me a little sad. This just mean I will have to deal with more amateurs on the slopes with me the next coming season Good News for UTAH SKI RESORTS
Deal of the day is the house at the TOP of the LIST…..ALL the rest are COMPS. As you can see, you could buy this house, finish it and be in well under what your neighbors have spent. If it were me I would OFFER $195K instead of $230K and you might even get it for that!
This is really interesting, you will all find this fascinating. Not only are they going to be extending the Tax credit for first time home buyers. They are playing with the idea of expanding it to include current home owners, as long as they have been in their current home for a minimum of 5 years.
The agreement would extend the existing credit for first-time home buyers, worth up to $8,000, while offering a new credit of up to $6,500 for some existing homeowners. The reduced credit would be available to all home buyers who have been in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.
The credit would be extended from its current expiration date of Dec. 1 to all contracts entered into by April 30, and closed before July 1. It is expected that income limits on people claiming the credit would be increased to $125,000 for singles and $250,000 for couples, from the current $75,000 and $150,000, aides said. The credit phases out for people making more than those amounts.
As more information comes out regarding the new tax credit for buying a home, I will make sure to post everything I can find to keep you all informed. If you have any questions, give me a call. Spencer Janke
Here is the deal of the day. Most of SANDY east of 13th over the past 90 days has sold for an AVERAGE of $101 a square foot. Here is a NEWER home nice and ready to go at $80 a foot. About 20% below market value. The best DEAL I have seen in this area this year is $76 a square foot. That put’s this house among there best deals out there.
***BANK OWNED*** FOR SHOW INSTRUCTIONS AND KEYBOX CODE CLICK ON “VIEW AGENT REMARKS.” A Pre-Qual Letter or Proof of Funds and earnest money MUST accompany ALL offers. SOLD AS-IS. Open floor plan. Vaulted ceilings. Very bright and close to everything!
The Senate is more than likely going to extend the “First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit” until April 30th, 2010. The proposal on the table is to extend the credit and allow 60 days to close on homes under contract by April 30th. Also, the proposal has language to include higher income borrowers and more than just first time buyers eligible for the credit.
The Senate just announced that they will more than likely vote in favor of the proposal and pass this to the House by this Friday, October 30th, 2009.
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, just confirmed that she is a fan of the extension but wants to see more detail.
This is great news for our industry and really great news for those of you that are closing purchase loans because of this tax incentive!
Stay tuned for more info, we will pass it along as we learn!
Hi everyone! So our team just took a new listing up Emigration Canyon and if you are at all interested in that area, you won’t want to miss these. There are three out of the five remaining to be sold. Each is ten acres and has gorgeous mtn and canyon views and have roughly 300 feet of frontage each. Each lot is extremely private and won’t dissappoint.
Say you pick the lot up for $465,000 then you build a 6,000 sq foot home. Builders are telling us you can build an amazing custom home for $100/sq foot, so you’d be into the house about $1,065,000. That’s cheaper than most ten year old homes up there for sale that sit on only one acre!
Lot Facts: Cul-de-Sac, Curb&Gutter, Terrain, Mtn., View, Mountain, View, Valley, Wooded
Remarks: Magnificent 10 acre parcels in Exclusive Snowberry Canyon.Each lot is quiet & private.All utilities are in.Only a short ride down canyon.This is as cheap as it gets!Look at $/sq ft.Call agent for details and a showing*Byr2Vrfy all.Taxes not yet assessed
Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Buyer to verify all information.
Here are all of the new one’s I have found that I think are worth looking at. Most of these will all go fast, so let me know if you have any questions asap. banks are getting smart, they know they don’t have to give their properties away, however if you look hard enough and you act fast you can take advantage of some of these great deals. Most of them that would fall under the category of a “deal” usually go extremely fast. People are just waiting by the side lines to take advantage of them. So let me know, Spencer Janke
So I thought you would all find this interesting. Apparently people are still buying houses? An interesting local statistic. Last October Salt Lake County Real Estate saw an average of 125 houses going under contract every 5 days. The interesting statistic right now is, so far this October we are seeing an average of 227 houses going under contract every 5 days.
This is an indicator of properties in Salt Lake County that will be selling or closing in the near future. That is an 81% increase over last year. Another statistic of our local Real Estate market you will find interesting, is our last 4 weeks have seen more under-contracts than compared to the entire last year. Including those hot peak summer months. What does this mean? Well, to be honest, 1- it means buyers are trying to take advantage of all the crazy great incentives there are right now. 2- it also means with interest rates as low as they are, people are starting to realize that the chance of them going down any more is probably a wish that will never come to fruition. Last week we just had a client lock at 4.5%… That is by far one of the lowest rates I have ever seen. Interesting stuff happening in good old Salt Lake City UTAH Real Estate. Let me know if you have any questions..
Good News for UTAH SKI RESORTS
