After a prolonged staring contest, the real estate market is entering a new phase as interest rates have reached a recent peak and market participants acclimate to the new reality of the cost of money. The next chapter will be written in a year promising political, geo-political, and yet-to-be-known fireworks.  Before we prognosticate on what the future holds, let’s take a look at where we left off.   Our inflation adjusted house price chart shows that we ended 2023 just a little above where we started.  A choppy mid-year bump […]

Progress on the Matson House project continues, albeit slowly.  Here are the videos that will catch you up: Enjoy!

We closed on the sale of a wholesale grade property in Ogden recently.  It was very interesting to see all the different offers that came in for the property and how they stacked up.  Here is a walk through tour of the home, the sales story, some insights, and the end result. If you have a difficult property and need to get it sold, give me a call. 801-390-1480

This video has been a long time coming.  Last fall we put the (mostly) final touches on our shed in our garden and orchard.  We constructed the shed using old methods and clad it with dutch lap siding that we milled from scratch.  We also reclaimed some old doors.  We want this shed to stand for 100 years or more.  Here is the video of us putting all those pieces together to get a beautiful final product. If you are considering a project like this and need some pointers, don’t […]

We just completed the remodel of an old tired bathroom in a historic home that we manage as a rental in Ogden.  The bathroom was last remodeled sometime in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.  Big 18′ tiles were used and they were placed directly over top of the wood floor.  Because of the flexibility of the wood floors, the tiles began to crack and weaken over time.  This led to tenants complaining about sharp tile edges and unstable floors. Replacing the broken tiles was a difficult proposition because we […]

It’s been a long time coming (14 months!) but the once beautiful Victorian next door to us finally had its appointment with the excavator.  It would have been wonderful to see the home restored but, alas, neglect, mismanagement, and ultimately a catastrophic fire took its tole on the property.  The bed sore next door is no more. Losing these great old homes is such a waste, if you are thinking of scraping a derelict home give me a call before you do, it may just be worth saving. 801-390-1480

A lot of attention has been paid to mortgage interest rates over the past two years as rates have soared from a low of 2.77% in August 2021 to today’s nosebleed rates approaching 8%.  Obviously, higher rates have translated into lower sales volumes.  But, real estate sales aren’t just affected by the level of interest rates.  They are also affected by the direction and speed which rates move regardless of level. To illustrate the point, let’s take a look at the time period between June and October in both 2022 […]

Due to some technical difficulties with video, today’s market update comes to you in the form of an old fashioned written blog.  So, let’s commence with something we should probably be doing a lot more of anyway…reading. We will start with the villain of today’s story which happens to be 30-Year Mortgage interest rates.  They will be lurking in the background laughing as I present the rest of today’s charts.  As you can see, rates are high and headed higher.  That market is reacting accordingly. Inflation adjusted house prices in […]

We recently listed this unique development opportunity in Ogden located at the site of former Grandview Elementary (approx. 38th and Jackson Ave.).  The site is 5.15 acres and zoned R-2S. The list price for this property is $2,080,000.  It is a fantastic location very close to Weber State University and McKay Dee Hospital. ***UPDATE*** The offer window for this listing ended October 2, 2023.  Multiple offers were received.  No additional offers are being received at this time.

The Matson House project continues to move forward, albeit in fits and starts.  Part of the challenge of this project has been trying to determine what was original 1895, what was newer (1905-ish), and what was newest (1950).  The only way to find that out is to strip things down.  And that is exactly what we have been doing.  Hopefully you will find our toil entertaining: Expect more videos in the coming months!

Big development continues across Ogden and the Wasatch Front but not all is happy in the land of apartment monoliths.  KSL recently reported on the Union Walk project underway on Historic 25th Street in Ogden.  This unique (and controversial) mixed use project has promised to bring 55 apartments to 25th Street while its design and imposing mass have irked many locals for its lack of parking and unhistoric aesthetic. Now, to add injury to insult, it has been revealed that the developer’s contractor, Makers Line, unilaterally swapped out fire treated […]

In December of 2021, the Lotus Company, a large developer based out of Salt Lake City, purchased three parcels of land which encompasses the Ogden Plaza at 23rd and Grant Ave. The site might be most famous for hosting the Teleperformance building among some other small shops in the strip. The Planning Commission held a meeting recently to review fine tuned details of the plan for the site. Based on the specs and the drawings, the project that will replace the existing structures there is impressive. Above is the current […]

Finishes and restoration work have been going on methodically at the Hibbs House. These videos catch you up to the progress:

We recently closed on the purchase of this Ogden landmark located at the corner of Jefferson Ave. and 24th St. in Ogden.  The Matson House came to us in distress.  It is our plan to resuscitate the home and restore it to its former grandeur.  You get to join along with us on our journey.  Here are the first three  exciting video installments:       More Exciting Episodes to Come…

We just closed on the sale of this duplex located at 902 Sullivan Ave. in Ogden.  This duplex is located in the Sullivan Hollow neighborhood.  The duplex hosts a three bed unit upstairs which was previously occupied by the owners.  The basement walkout unit is 2 beds with additional storage accessible from the exterior.  The whole structure is 2,152 SQFT.   We had a lot of interest in this property immediately after listing it.  Our list price was $419,900.  The fine finishes were attractive.  After a week on the market […]