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Showings In Utah

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.
Jul 31, 2019

This week we wanted to share 4 Steps to Take Before a Home Showing and where to catch an outdoor movie before the summer ends.

Buyers want to know exactly what they're getting when purchasing a home. As it's a major investment, all potential homebuyers will want to inspect your entire property while keeping an eye out for any signs of damage. What can you do to make sure your home is ready for public scrutiny? Here's what you need to know:

Thoroughly Clean the Home - Before the showing, you should have your home thoroughly cleaned. This means dusting, vacuuming and taking out the trash. It may also mean taking steps to remove smoke or other odors from the air. If walls or other surfaces have mold on them, be sure to clean them prior to an open house. In addition to increasing the odds that someone makes an offer, taking the time to eliminate mold will go a long way toward reducing the risk of potential buyers getting sick.

Take Time to Stage the Home - Prospective buyers want to get an idea as to how a given space within a home can be used. For instance, they may want to see if there's enough room for their bed in the master bedroom or if there's enough room for the couch in the living room. If you have a finished attic or basement, be sure to showcase it as a space a buyer can make good use of.

Remove Potentially Offensive Items - When you show a house, you want to present a neutral look to potential buyers. This may mean getting rid of posters that make political or religious references. You may also want to hide items with sports logos, especially if you live in an area where rivalries are huge. By doing so, you will allow those who visit your home to imagine themselves living in the space without having anything to cloud their vision.

Make Necessary Repairs Before an Open House - If you're planning on making repairs prior to selling the home, do them before allowing anyone to see the space. For instance, you may want to repair the leaking water heater or replace shingles that have fallen off the roof as soon as possible. You should also make sure the garage door opens and closes properly and that all of the lights work.

If you want to sell your home in a timely manner, you must know how to prepare the space for public viewing. Making repairs, removing offensive items and properly staging the property may all increase the odds of selling your home. By taking these steps before a showing, you may very well increase a buyer’s confidence that the home is worth putting an offer on.

The weather in Utah is amazing and before the summer ends here are some places to watch movies in Utah's great outdoors. Arrive early for a good spot and bring blankets, chairs and bug spray. Movies are free and begin at dusk, unless otherwise noted - always check the website before heading out for some of the movies with a further drive time.

The Gateway

July 31: “Despicable Me”

Aug. 7: “Incredibles 2”

Aug. 14: “10 Things I Hate About You”

The Gateway in downtown Salt Lake will be showing a movie every Wednesday night this summer. Bring a blanket and enjoy free popcorn and movies. You can buy food and drinks at The Gateway and enter to win drawings for DVDs and gift cards. All movies will be held at the Olympic Plaza at The Gateway, 10 N. Rio Grande, Salt Lake City. The plaza opens at 7:30 p.m., and movies begin at sunset. For more information, visit shopthegateway.com.

Draper SunCrest

Aug. 3: “Princess and the Frog”

Aug. 9: “The House With a Clock in Its Walls”

Enjoy movies under the stars hosted by SunCrest in Draper. Movies begin at dusk at Village Green Park, 2016 E. Village Green Circle, Draper. For more information, visit facebook.com/suncrestoa.

Kearns

Aug. 2: “Smallfoot,” Chomper’s Cove

Kearns’ Friday Night Flicks hosted by the Kearns Oquirrh Park Fitness Center and the Utah Olympic Oval is back for the summer. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the movies start at sundown. All movies will be held at KOPFC, 5624 Cougar Lane, Kearns. For Chomper’s Cove movies, enter through the south gate. For Park Pavilion movies, enter through the main entrance. Visit kopfc.com for more information.

Magna

Aug. 2: “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”

Aug. 9: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Every Friday night, you can come hear free live music followed by a movie in the park. The movie for Aug. 16 hasn’t been announced yet. All events begin at 8 p.m. at Pleasant Green Park, 3270 S. 8400 West, Magna. For more information, visit magnautah.org.

Millcreek

Aug. 2: “Little Rascals Silent Shorts,” Evergreen Park, 2266 E. Evergreen Ave.

Venture Out invites you and your family to enjoy outdoor movies as well as activities, live music, food trucks and more. Activities start at 6 p.m. and movies begin at dusk. For more information, visit ventureout.org.

Murray

Aug 9: “Bumblebee,” Ken Price Ballpark, 270 E. Vine St.

Murray City is showing outdoor movies all summer with food trucks and concessions available. All movies are free, but you need to reserve seats online at mcreg.com for the June 28 and July 19 movies. All movies start at 9 p.m. For more information, visit murray.utah.gov.

Riverton

Aug 2: “Leave No Trace”

Aug. 9: “Incredibles 2”

Aug. 16: “The House With a Clock in its Walls”

Aug. 23: “Dumbo”

Come enjoy food trucks, vendors, entertainment and games before the movies. Friday Fun Nights will be from 6-9 p.m. followed by the movie at dusk for all dates except the first two. The first movie will take place outside the Riverton Hospital, and the second will be held in conjunction with Town Days. All movies but the first will be at Riverton City Park, 12600 S. 1450 West, Riverton. For more information, visit rivertoncity.com.

Snowbird

Aug. 2: “Grease”

Aug. 9: “Goonies”

Watch free movies up in the mountains on Friday nights. Concessions will be available at The Birdfeeder. Movies begin at dusk and will be at the Snowbird Center Plaza Deck, 9385 S. Snowbird Center Drive. For more information, visit snowbird.com

South Jordan

Aug. 9: “Babe,” County Polo Field, 2100 W. 11400 South

Participate in themed activities and stay for the movie afterward. Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m., and the movies begin at dusk. For more information, visit sjc.utah.gov.

Taylorsville

Aug. 10: “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”

The first movie will be a part of Taylorsville Dayzz and will be held at the Valley Regional Park at 9:30 p.m. All other movies will be at dusk at City Hall, 2600 W. Taylorsville Blvd. For more information, visit taylorsvilleut.gov.

West Valley City

Aug. 9: “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”

The first movie will be a part of WestFest, June 13-16. There will be popcorn and concessions available. All movies will start at dusk at Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South. For more information, visit wvc-ut.gov.

Hyde Park

Aug. 10: “Incredibles 2”

Once a month this summer, Hyde Park will be showing a free family movie in the park. All movies start at dusk at Lee Park, 200 W. Center, Hyde Park, Cache County. For more information, visit hydepark.utahlinks.org.

Bountiful

Aug. 10: “Mary Poppins Returns”

Join the South Davis Recreation Center for free family movie nights. Popcorn, nachos and drinks will be available to purchase. The events start at 8:30 p.m., and the movie begins at dusk at 550 N. 200 West, Bountiful. For more information, visit southdavisrecreation.com.

Centerville

Aug. 2: “Peter Rabbit”

Aug. 9: “Incredibles 2”

Centerville’s Movies in the Park open to the whole family. All movies start at 9 p.m. at Smith Park, 300 N. 100 East, Centerville. For more information, visit centervilleut.net.

Kaysville

Aug. 16: “Smallfoot”

Kaysville’s Movies in the Park has food trucks, a splash pad and, of course, movies. The event begins at 9 p.m. and will be at Heritage Park, 250 N. Fairfield Road, Kaysville. For more information, visit kaysvillecity.com.

Layton

Aug. 2: “The Emperor’s New Groove”

Aug. 9: “Matilda”

Aug. 23: “You’ve Got Mail”

Aug. 30: “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Davis Arts’ Free Friday Film Series uses an outdoor LED screen so they don’t have to wait to start until dusk. There will be different pre-movie activities each Friday starting at 6:30 p.m. All movies begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Kenley Amphitheater, 403 N. Wasatch Drive, Layton. For more information, visit davisarts.org.

Nephi

Aug. 16: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy movies in the Nephi City Park, 600 N. Main. Concessions will be available to purchase. For more information, visit nephi.utah.gov.

Monticello

Aug. 2: “Smallfoot,” Pioneer Park, 9165 Fallon Ave.

Aug. 16: “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part,” Montiview Park, 5980 Jason Ave.

Monticello Movies in the Park will be happening this August. Bring blankets and chairs and the whole family. Movies start at dusk. For more information, visit monticellocommunitycenter.com.

Park City

Aug. 10: “Storm Boy,” Prospector Square Lot K, 1920 Prospector Ave.

Basin Recreation will be hosting outdoor movies in various locations this summer. On Aug. 23, there will be outdoor movies at Trailside Park, 5715 Trailside Drive, though voting is still open for which titles will be shown. The Aug. 10 movie will be a drive-in and costs $9. For more information, visit parkcityfilm.org.

Vernal

Aug. 9: “Captain Marvel”

Uintah Recreation District is putting on its summer Movie in the Park series again. All movies will start at dusk and will be held at the Uintah Community Center, 610 S. Vernal Ave., Vernal. For more information, visit uintahrecreation.org.

Lehi

Aug. 2: “Incredibles 2”

Aug. 9: “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back”

Thanksgiving Point’s Outdoor Movie Series is back this year with a great series of movies. Concessions will be available to purchase. Admission is free for Thanksgiving Point members, $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 3-12 and seniors. All movies will be at the Waterfall Amphitheatre in Ashton Gardens, 3900 N. Garden Drive, Lehi. For more information, visit thanksgivingpoint.org.

Lindon

Aug. 6: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Pioneer Park, 150 S. 500 East

Movies in the Park in Lindon will be hosted by the Bank of Utah and Lindon Parks and Recreation this year. All movies are free and begin at dusk. For more information, visit lindonrecreation.org.

Orem

Aug. 7: “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”

Aug 14: “Incredibles 2”

SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre’s Movies Under the Stars series shows outdoor movies on a large screen in the shell amphitheatre. Tickets are $4 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-11 and seniors. Passes to all six movies are $12 for adults and $9 for children and seniors. The amphitheater is at 699 S. State, Orem. For more information, visit scera.org.

Pleasant Grove

Aug 9: “Aquaman,” City Pool, 532 S. 300 E St.

Join the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center for outdoor movies. Games and prizes start at 8 p.m. The first two will be at Pleasant Grove Recreation Center, 547 S. Locust Ave., Pleasant Grove. For more information, visit plgrove.org.

Hurricane

Aug. 3: “Wonder Park”

Aug. 17: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Sept. 14: “Captain Marvel”

Sept. 28: “Dumbo”

Enjoy movies at the pool and the park all summer long. The June 15 and Aug. 3 movies will be held at the City Pool, 750 N. 200 West. The rest will be at the Community Center, 63 S. 100 West, Hurricane, Washington County. For more information, visit hurricanerecreation.com.

St. George

Aug. 9: “Footloose”

Aug. 23: “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”

Sunset on the Square in St. George is happening every second and fourth Friday this summer at the St. George Town Square. Bring blankets and lawn chairs to see these free and family-friendly movies. All movies will be held at 50 S. Main., St. George, at dusk. For more information, visit sgcity.org.

Ogden

Aug. 5: “Ralph Breaks the Internet”

Aug. 12: “Remember the Titans”

Aug. 19: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”

Monday Night Movies are back with a broad range of movies. The Backstage Bistro will be open for food purchases. Movies begin at 7:30 p.m., at the Ogden Amphitheater, 343 25th St. For more information, visit ogdencity.com.

Huntsville

Aug. 5: “Avengers: Infinity War”

Comment on this story Go up to the mountains and enjoy free movies from Snowbasin Resort. Starting at 6 p.m., there will be Kid’s Zone activities, mini golf and food available to purchase. Movies begin at dusk at Earl’s Lodge Lawn, 3925 E. Snowbasin Road, Huntsville, Weber County. For more information, visit snowbasin.com.

Tags: Park City, Utah, Movies, Home, Buyers, Sellers
Posted in Uncategorized, Local Events, For Sale | 0 Responses to "Showings In Utah"

Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.
Jul 10, 2019

Since 2006 my wife and I have had the great pleasure of being a part of the real estate community. We represent buyers and sellers in the Greater Park City area as well as in Salt Lake City. This week we wanted to share the Top 6 Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home - As a homeowner, there's only so much you can do when trying to sell your home. When it comes to real estate, hiring a professional agent is more of a need than an option. A real estate agent's greatest goal is to sell your house at a higher price in a lesser number of days.

While it's possible to sell a home without representation, it's important to remember that real estate is also a legal matter. In fact, there has been a massive increase in scammers targeting real estate clients because they're fully aware that some people don't seek agent representation. If you decide to sell your house, understand that it's a heavy process with many stakes involved. Here are some reasons why hiring a real estate agent is crucial:

Years of Experience - Nothing can beat experience. As a homeowner, you might believe in relying on the internet, family or friends; however, the experience of a professional real estate agent is what will truly help you secure a worthy investment. With years of experience in cracking the real estate code, agents know the times of the year when house prices go up and when potential buyers are most active. Hiring an agent will save you the stress of learning everything about buying and selling a house.

Negotiation Skills - Experience also endows real estate agents with impressive negotiation skills. Dealing with buyers, brokers and legal representatives on a daily basis, real estate professionals know exactly what each stakeholder wants. Agents have the skills to negotiate prices well and secure a worthy investment. You'll never be disappointed after hiring a competent agent because they'll provide the best representation for your property.

Access to a Critical Database - Real estate agents have deep connections and access to crucial real estate databases. The Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is an interface of all the current homes for sale. When you hire an agent, all the information required to sell your house will be available over the MLS for other agents. Your agent can effectively advertise your property by featuring an attractive package. With instant visibility, there are far more chances of selling your house quicker than when you may have tried it on your own. With greater access to buyers, you can sell your house fast instead of waiting and lowering the price. Hiring an agent may seem costly at first, but it can give you the upper hand in steering the price of your house.

Network of Professionals - Agents can never give their best service in isolation. With experience and education, they will always have a pool of professionals that they stay in touch with for speedy selling, buying and referrals. Agents work with many other people who can directly impact the price of your property.

Knowledge of Market Conditions - Real estate professionals have to stay updated with the rising house prices, and the best times to invest in the real estate market. They have insights into the market conditions that'll eventually dictate the price at which you sell your house. There are many calculations involved when it comes to learning the real estate climate. Data like the average-per-square foot cost, average house sale prices, list-to-sold prices and how long a house stays on the market are all things that ultimately decide how fast your house sells. Learning about this can be a hefty task, especially when you have to take care of the investment and insurance. Instead of taking all the stress yourself, hire an agent to guide you accordingly. You'll save both time and money.

Confidentiality and Security - As mentioned, with scammers on the rise, it only makes sense to hire a professional who will keep all your information confidential until the deal closes. With your identity papers, bank statements and mortgages at stake, hiring an agent is critical. Sometimes, even the smoothest transactions can have issues like tax assessments and missing stamps. Missing even a single step of selling your house can come back to haunt you. Enjoy the peace of mind that follows placing your property in safe hands.

Buying and selling a house is no joke—it's a lifetime investment. While these are only a handful of reasons eliciting the importance of a real estate agent, hiring one will save you from the trouble of paperwork, taxing complications, and, most of all, fraudulent schemes.

With the beautiful weather in Park City, it is time to be outside and if you’re lucky enough to have outdoor space (even if it’s just a sliver of grass) you’ll want to make the most of it. But knowing where to start can be tricky. Here are 7 Design Ideas to Make the Most of Your Backyard:

Swinging Seat - If you have the space, consider creating a variety of seating options — the neutral color palette ties together each of these. Warning: Hanging a hammock or swinging chair means that guests will be rushing over to your place whenever they get the chance. Kids and adults alike will love kicking back with a good book and a refreshing glass of lemonade all summer long. And when in doubt: add string lights.

Family Friendly Features - This backyard allows for plenty of space to play. But despite all of the kid-friendly equipment, it still manages to look stylish. Hang a macramé piece under a covered area for a boho touch, and set out some mod chairs to keep the look current.

Comfy and Cool - How stunning is this covered patio space? The homeowners with the backyard featured in the previous photo also did an excellent job styling this seating area. We love the addition of string bulb lights (again, a backyard essential) and the fun and funky egg chair. Pillows and a throw blanket add texture and necessary warmth for chillier nights.

Festive Fire Pit - Gather round! Group your chairs around a fire pit and set out poufs for extra seating if the weather permits. You’ll have the ideal space to spend many a summer evening talking and laughing with friends and neighbors—and indulging in a s’more or two.

Poolside Perch - Lucky enough to have a pool? Add a comfy outdoor couch and chairs, and you’ll never want to leave the yard. Adults can supervise little ones while kicking back and relaxing in the shade.

Patterned Patio - Having guests over? Jazz up patio furniture with the addition of colorful throws and patterned pillows to bring a well-traveled look to your backyard space. Pattern-mixing newbie? Stick to one color palette (here: pinks, blues, browns, and whites), to tie everything together.

Kids Only - Create a special oasis for the kids by setting up an outdoor dining space that’s just their size. Giant buckets make for great toy storage (which means easy access while the adults are still eating).

Tags: Real Estate, Utah, Homes, Agent, Buyers, Sellers
Posted in Local Events, Real Estate Stats, Things To Do in Park City, For Sale | 2 Responses to "Reasons to Hire a Real Estate Agent"

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Bitcoins in Park City

By Ramon Gomez, Jr.
Nov 15, 2017

Bitcoins are making a splash into the Park City real estate market as Buyers and Sellers are beginning to make use of the cryptocurrency. I am pleased to be working directly with Real Advantage Title to assist buyers with Bitcoin purchases. Having worked with Karen Kasperick for years we are pleased to partner with Russ Smith and his entire team to assist our clients and future clients in their Bitcoin transactions on real estate purchases in the Park City area. If you would like to purchase a property in Park City using Bitcoins, my team and I can make it happen - Call me with questions.

Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part. Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment system.

Read on to see The Park Records article on the most recent Bitcoin purchase in Park City by Carolyn Webber.

Russ Smith, left, and Karen Kasperick are excited at the prospect of future Bitcoin transactions after this first successful one.

When Russ Smith picked up a call and heard the words, "What do you know about Bitcoin?" he did not have a precise answer to give. About two months later, he was finalizing a deal with a client using the new currency.

Smith, state manager of the Real Advantage Title Insurance Agency in Park City, recently made one of the first real estate transactions with bitcoins in the country and likely the first in Utah. The $3.5 million transaction was also one of the largest reported real estate deals to date using bitcoins.

Bitcoin is a form of cryptocurrency created in 2009 that is tied to no banks or country. Its value is based on algorithms from computers dependent on its use in the marketplace.

"It's basically a stock that you can use via a credit card," Smith said.

While bitcoin has become popular in some corners of the internet, it is only recently being used to purchase real estate. The first recorded bitcoin purchase for real estate in the U.S. took place in California in 2014. After a few years, another deal was finalized in Texas, Smith said.

He started looking into it after receiving a phone call from Dougan Jones, executive chairman of the real estate agency Engel & Völkers. Jones had received a call from one of his listing clients telling him that he would accept bitcoin for his property in Sundance. Another seller quickly followed suit. Jones realized that he needed to find a title agency that could help with those transactions, so he called Smith.

"I asked him if he would look into it, because it is coming at us in our industry," Jones said. Jones' seller did not find a buyer with bitcoins, but the seed was planted in Smith's mind.

In the meantime, Bob Struwe, a real estate agent for High Country Properties who worked with the buyer in the recent transaction, was doing his own research on bitcoin transactions because his client wanted to use the currency for a property purchase. It turned out to be hard to convince anyone to take him seriously.

"We were running into a real problem," he said. "His ideal scenario would be if a seller would take Bitcoin, and I knew that was going to be pretty remote."

Part of the problem is that many states, including Utah, do not consider Bitcoin legal currency, so it makes deals difficult for agencies. Plus, many people do not trust the currency because of a lingering negative connotation, Smith said. The buyer did not want to be identified in this story or have the seller know because of the stigma.

"Initially, a long time ago, it was conventional wisdom that bitcoin was considered a money laundering avenue," Smith said.

Luckily, Smith knew that it was legitimate and he and Struwe began the deal.

"It was an unbelievable success," Struwe said. "For us, (Real Advantage) was amazing to work with. The first time doing anything this complicated and large, there are some problems here and there, but everyone worked together so well."

The entire transaction took only seven days.

A typical cash deal takes three weeks to 30 days, Smith said.

Part of the reason the transaction closed so quickly is because bitcoins change value just as stocks do. If the value went up or down before the deal was closed, it would have caused some hiccups.

Smith said the setup for the deal was difficult because neither the market nor the government is prepared for bitcoin. He and Karen Kasperick, senior escrew officer at Real Advantage, had to find a way to quickly convert the bitcoins so it could be put into the title agency's trust accounts as U.S. dollars.

They eventually found BitPay, the same payment service used in the Texas transaction in September.

As more transactions take place around the country, real estate firms and title agencies will find it easier to make use of bitcoins in the market, Smith said. He believes bitcoins will only grow in popularity, and Park City should be ready.

"As we see more and more of these transactions happen, people will become more comfortable with it," he said. "And that's when the constituencies will start pressuring their local government to start moving toward moving cryptocurrency mainstream."

Smith and Jones agree that making Park City ready for Bitcoin transactions would be beneficial for the tourism market, since many foreign nations are jumping on the cryptocurrency bandwagon before the U.S..

"A lot of the people that we get in Park City are from overseas," Smith said. "They're very comfortable with it. If a hotel or a lodging company or any type of tourism starts taking cryptocurrency, I think that would be huge."

Since Struwe's involvement in the deal, he has received calls from people around the world interested in purchasing properties with their bitcoins. He, Smith and Jones believe that buyers and sellers are ready, but they need to be ready as well.

"It's our obligation to know enough about it to speak intelligently and represent our client in any form of consideration," Jones said. "Since our clients are coming to us offering bitcoins and proposing to receive bitcoins, we need to come up to speed. I think it is something we have a duty to understand and educate our clients on."

Tags: Park City, Bitcoin, Buyers, Sellers
Posted in Social Network, Real Estate Stats, For Sale | 0 Responses to "Bitcoins in Park City"

 
 
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