Owning income property is like running a small business.  You want your incomes (rents) to exceed your expenses (mortgage, repairs, utilities, management fees) in all cases.  But, because you can’t control every aspect of the universe, you also want to hedge against bad things happening.  In that case, you purchase insurance (tenant security deposit).  Then you tend to the duties of business and as you do that things usually work out.   However, we recently ran into a situation that illustrates one of the conundrums of property management.  What […]

We just initiated a lease for a client who asked us to market their commercial building in Pleasant View.  The space was formerly a “Dirty” Soda shop.  The new tenant will be turning the space into a pizza restaurant.   Because the space is ideal for a start up, and indeed our new tenants are doing just that, we agreed to give some concessions to allow for the health and safety improvements necessary to use the space for food service.  In order to serve food, ceiling surfaces above the food […]

There is trouble brewing among Utah’s retailers and telemarketing businesses.  Recent headlines indicate that some of Weber County’s long standing companies have found themselves on the rocks.  This week Convergys corporation announced closure of its Ogden facility in May.  The facility employs about 300 people in the telemarketing industry.  Most of the rest of Convergys centers in Utah will be closing as well.  Why would the centers be closing?  The cost of labor in Utah cannot compete with other parts of the world.  With telephony technology being so affordable, it […]

The real estate market enters Spring of 2017 as a white hot sellers market.  While the number of sales remains at historic highs, the days it takes to sell a home is been at record lows.  This translates into a near record low level of inventory for homes on the market.  The competition among buyers to purchase a home for sale is fierce.  To see how lopsided the market is in favor of sellers, lets take a look at inventory levels in Weber and Davis Counties.         […]

Ogden has seen an uncanny number of house fires lately.  None of them are related but it does speak somewhat to the need to attend to regular maintenance and common sense safety in regards to flammable situations.  A home was recently lost to fire at 2250 Jackson Ave. just a couple months ago. Yet, the most sensational house fire just occurred in early March at 2831 Monroe Blvd.  The home exploded and blew the roof off the top after a gas leak ignited in the home.  A resident was upstairs […]

I recently listed this home located at 2175 Jackson Ave. in Ogden.  The property is a quaint cottage with 2 bedrooms, Jack-and-Jill bath, fenced yard, and off-street parking.  It is situated in one of Ogden’s vintage neighborhoods and just minutes from trails, recreation, and downtown entertainment and amenities.  Priced affordably at $99,900.      

Vesta Real Estate is proud to have sponsored the recent concert of the Northern Utah Youth Symphony held at the Ogden High School auditorium.  The performance was brilliant and the venue could not have been better for the occasion.   We are glad that our sponsorship was able to make the performance free to the public and those 400 or so in attendance.  Classical music both touches the heart and invigorates the mind.  It is especially satisfying to see our youth involved in this difficult and tedious performing art.

We just took over management for this nicely finished rambler home located in Syracuse, Utah.  The home sites on a quarter acre lot with a fenced back yard.  Lots of parking.  The home is a 3 bed 1 bath configuration with an mother in law apartment in the basement.   This unit will be available very soon.  Visit our rental listings page for current availability.  

Ogden City has been spending a lot of effort to rejuvenate its city center.  There are many buildings that have sat fallow for some time or have run past their ‘best used by’ date.  Fortunately, progress is being made.  Here are a couple examples. DEE SCHOOL     Dee school is an icon in Ogden.  Build in the 1970’s when avant-garde school architecture was in vogue, this school boasted a circular floorplan with no interior walls!  Whoa!  My two oldest children had the opportunity to attend the school when they […]

The 30-Year fixed mortgage has been a mainstay of the housing market since the Great Depression.  The collapse of the banking industry at that time sparked government intervention to prop up the housing market.  Since then, home buyers have enjoyed taxpayer backing via FHA loans to help them purchase a home.  The loans have unusually low down payment requirements with buyers needing just 3.5% of the purchase price to put toward equity up front.   However, when you live by government whim, you die by it as well.  The recent change […]

I just recently closed on the sale of this listing located at 968  Jefferson Ave. in Ogden.  This home was purchased by the owner back in 2009 and used as a rental property until recently.  The tenant vacated in late Spring and the owner wanted to have the home made ready for market.  We organized the renovation of the property and prepared to put the home’s best face forward. The home is petite with just 670 SQFT upstairs and a partial basement space that is half finished.  The home sits […]

I just closed on the sale of this home located at 472 21st Street in Ogden, Utah.  The home is located just a half block from the recently updated Ogden LDS Temple and sits near the site of future development.   The home is 1020 square feet split between the main and upstairs level and was constructed at the turn of the century in 1900.   It also has a two car garage that was recently converted from a run down crack house to a more noble purpose. This particular […]

  I just closed on the sale of this unique and amazing Victorian home located at 2002 Jackson Ave. in Ogden, Utah.  I originally listed this home for the owner in 2013 for $79,500.  At that time, the real estate market was still in early recovery and the condition of the property prevented buyers from moving forward on purchasing and fixing up the home.  The owner didn’t want the home to languish on the market and after several months of little interest, we pulled the listing. Recently, another agent took […]

I just closed on the sale of this listing in Syracuse.  Located at 2049 W 1175 S, this property served as an income property for its owner for the past several years.  We took over management of the home in 2014 and had kept it occupied nearly the entire time.  Recently, however, the owner expressed an interest in selling so we took steps to make that happen. Our first issue with selling the property was that the tenants had a lease agreement through March of this year.  If we sold […]

  KUTV recently reported on the prevalence of sinking foundations in subdivisions in Woods Cross, Utah just north of Salt Lake City.  Typically, we find foundation settling in areas where water is prevalent or changes in the water table occur.  In Woods Cross, city officials are still trying to figure out what is causing the problem. Meanwhile, homeowners are left in the lurch wondering what to do.  Foundation repairs are very expensive.  Yet, a home’s value becomes questionable if its foundation is constantly at risk of being compromised. Here is […]