Thursday, December 18, 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

KNOW UTAH

Local News

KUTV - CBS AffiliateKTVX - ABC AffiliateKSL - NBC AffiliateFOX13 - FOX AffiliateKJZZKUED - PBS AffiliateKBYU - PBS AffiliateDeseret NewsSalt Lake TribuneDaily Utah ChronicleSalt Lake City WeeklyProvo Daily HeraldKSL -- News Radio 1160 AMKALL -- Talk Radio 910 AMStandard-Examiner



Sports

Utah Jazz - BasketballSalt Lake Stingers - BaseballUtah Grizzlies - HockeyUtah Starzz - WNBAOgden RaptorsSki Utah - Utah Winter SportsSalt Lake City Ski Information



Transportation

Salt Lake City AirportUtah Transit Authority - Light Rail / Bus ServiceTaxi, Shuttle and Limo ServiceAir TravelCommuter Link



Arts and Entertainment

Seven PeaksHogle ZooWheeler Historic FarmSalt Lake County Parks and RecreationUtah Shakespearean FestivalUtah OperaHale Centre TheaterThe Dinosaur MuseumClark PlanetariumWasatch-Cache National ForestHale Centre TheatreE Center of West Valley CityDelta CenterUtah Museum of Natural HistoryBallet WestHeber Creeper RailroadUtah SymphonyOgden Eccles Conference CenterThanksgiving PointTracy AviaryUtah State ParksThe Children's Museum of UtahUtah Arts FestivalUtah EventsUtah State FairSundance InstituteUtah OperaFun Dome Family Entertainment and Amusement CenterUsana AmphitheatreOgden Eccles Dinosaur Park



Dining

Salt Lake City Magazine Dining GuideUtah Restaurant GuideDining in UtahCitysearch Dining GuideSalt Lake City Area GuideWhere To Eat in Salt Lake City



Local School Districts K-12

Salt Lake City School DistrictOgden City School DistrictWeber School Districthttp://www.davis.k12.ut.us/



Universities / Secondary Schools

Ogden/Weber Applied Technology CenterWeber State UniversityUniversity of UtahBrigham Young UniversityUtah State UniversitySouthern Utah State UniversityWestminster College - Salt Lake CitySalt Lake Community CollegeUtah Valley State CollegeDixie State College of Utah



Government

Ogden CityWeber CountySalt Lake Convention and Visitors BureauUtah.Gov - Official State Site



History / Misc.

Salt Lake City Public LibraryAnswers to FAQ about Salt Lake - from skitravel.comSalt Lake City History - from utah.com

City Information

Ogden/Weber ChamberOgdenSalt Lake City

Utilities

ComcastUtah PowerQuestar Gas

Hospitals

Country Hills Eye CenterOgden Regional Medical CenterMcKay Dee Hospital-IHC

Weather

National Weather Service - Salt Lake City Office

Monday, June 16, 2008

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST!!


Schedule of Normal Life
The Old House Web


Appliances
Life Estimate in Years
Dishwashers
5 to 12
Disposals
5 to 12
Washers and dryers
8 to 12
Water heaters
8 to 12
Refrigerators
15 to 20
Stoves
15 to 20
Gutters and Downspouts

Copper
Life Estimate in Years

Galvanized
15 to 20


Life of home if well-maintained
Heating and Air Conditioning
Life Estimate in Years

Warm air furnace

8 to 12
Heat pumps
8 to 12
Air conditioning compressors
8 to 15
Gas chillers
8 to 15
Hot water boilers
30 to 50

Plumbing
Life Estimate in Years

Gas hot water heater

8 to 12
Electric hot water heater
10-15
Private disposal systems (septic)
15 to 25
Galvanized water pipes
30 to 50

Roofs
Life Estimate in Years

Selvage or asphalt roll

12 to 20
Wood shake and shingle
15 to 20
Asphalt
15 to 20
Fiberglass
15 to 20
Asbestos shingle
30-50
Slate
40-75
(c) 1995 Freddie Mac. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission from Freddie Mac.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Base your decision on local facts



If you want to know what the weather is going to be like in Utah, you don't check the national forecast. The same is true with housing. If you want to know the local conditions, you have to look at the local facts:

  • FACT: Utah has a strong economy with high job growth and low unemployment
  • FACT: Mortgage rates are at historic lows. Loans are readily available for qualified borrowers and there are good finacing options for those with less-than-perfect credit

  • FACT:Utah's record population growth is expected to continue throughout the decade.


HUD program provides big discount for qualified buyers


Know anyone who would like to buy a home for a 50 percent discount? It’s hard to believe, but the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has a program that allows homes to be sold at a 50 percent discount — meaning a buyer could purchase a home listed for $100,000 for $50,000. The catch is that the buyer has to be a teacher, law enforcement officer, firefighter or emergency medical technician to qualify.
HUD’s program, called Good Neighbor Next Door, allows eligible buyers to receive the discount if they purchase a single-family HUD home in a designated revitalization area and live in it as their sole residence for three years. After that, they can sell the home and keep any profits. Qualified participants do not have to be first-time homeowners although they must not have owned any residential property for one year prior to making an offer on a Good Neighbor home.
As part of the three-year occupancy agreement, buyers must sign a mortgage note for the discount amount. Once the three years is up, HUD releases the “second” mortgage obligation. If buyers fail to meet the three-year agreement, HUD requires a prorated repayment of the mortgage amount — 1/36 of the discount — for each month short of the commitment.
Properties available for the Good Neighbor Next Door program are available on the Utah Web page of Michaelson, Connor, & Boul, a management company contracted by HUD. Any eligible properties will be listed on Fridays under the “Special Programs” section. No negotiations or offers for less than the list price are allowed for these properties, and buyers must use a HUD-registered real estate agent or broker. If more than one person places a bid, the buyer is selected at random. More information about how to become HUD-registered agent is available on HUD’s Web site.


(information from the Utah Association or Realtors)

Getting the House Ready to Sell

Thank you for Visting my Blog When selling your home, your goal is to get the potential buyers to see the house as their potential home. Following are some ideas to make your home more attractive. I hope you find them useful and interesting.

Uncluttering the House
After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, closets, garages, attics, and basements. Take a step back, and pretend you are a buyer. Let a friend help point out areas of clutter, as long as you can accept their views without getting defensive. Let your agent help you too.
Organize the Kitchen
The kitchen is a great place to start organizing your home, because it is an easy place to start. First, get everything off the counters. “I mean everything,” including the toaster and other appliances. Put the toaster in a cabinet, and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage too. You see, homebuyers will open all your cabinets and drawers, especially in the kitchen. They want to be sure there is enough room for their "stuff." If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as possible.

Beneath the sink is very critical too. Make sure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible, removing all extra cleaning supplies. You should scrub the area down as well, and determine if there is any tell-tale signs of water leaks that may cause a homebuyer to hesitate in buying your home.
Closet Clutter
Closets are great for accumulating clutter, though you may not think of it as clutter. We are talking about extra clothes and shoes – things you rarely wear but cannot bear to be without.
Furniture Clutter
Many people have too much furniture in certain rooms – not too much for your own personal living needs – but too much to give the illusion of space that a homebuyer would like to see.
Cleaning Your Storage Areas
Basements, garages, attics, and sheds accumulate not only clutter, but junk. These areas should be as empty as possible so that buyers can imagine what they would do with the space. Remove anything that is not essential and take it to the storage area.