Browsing Posts From: Real Estate News

Ogden’s steady turn around continues as perennial problems are neutralized and removed from the community.  A recent example is the Courtyard Motel located at the intersection of 25th Streets and Ogden Ave.  This motel was constructed sometime mid-century and attached itself like a parasite to the back of the much more dignified Bigelow Hotel. After Ogden’s economy tanked in the late 1950’s this motel served as a haven for criminal elements of the community.  In 2017, Ogden City Council approved its acquisition and plans for demolition. However, demolition efforts were […]

A foreclosure auction is not something we hear much about in the current real estate climate.  However, recently a local real estate investor has been making big bets with other people’s money.  It appears some of those bets are not paying off as planned and the lender could only tolerate non-payment for so long.  We attended the recent foreclosure auction of two properties up for grabs:  529 30th St. and 2072 Monroe Blvd.     You can watch the fun as the bidding starts at $40,000 for each property.  Ironically, […]

Ogden’s downtown neighborhoods are a scene of constant improvement.  Along with new construction, renovations, and restorations, Ogden’s Trolley District area east of Washington Blvd. is blooming.     With past week the mechanized-arm-of-death arrived to raze a home in anticipation of future development.  This particular home was a sad place.  Due to some recurring lapses in judgement, the previous owner was compelled to accept taxpayer-funded housing in Draper for the next several decades.  Meanwhile, the home wasted away and became a nuisance to the neighborhood.  The home came up for […]

Ogden will soon see a boost in housing stock as Westates Companies has recently purchased the old Staker Parsons lot located at the corner of 17th Street and Wall Ave. for townhome development.  The lot is 9.5 acres and will host a total of 166 housing units. The mix of buildings constructed on the site will vary between three 30-unit apartment buildings, eleven 6-plex townhouse buildings, and two 5-plex structures of the same variety. Each of the townhomes will have a 2 car attached garage while the rest of the […]

The Swift Building, one of Ogden’s last great dilapidated icons from yesteryear, has sat untouched as a toxic waste hoarder’s paradise for decades.  But, recent efforts by Ogden City and the EPA to clean up the bloated stockpiles of carcinogenic goo have yielded great results.  It was announced recently that the almost 100,000 canisters of chemical mischief housed in the building have been purged from the premises.  Its a good day for the property.   With the liability of hazardous waste now gone, developers have started taking a keen eye to the property […]

Interesting news from the real estate investor universe as Cottonwood Heights based company Zurixx LLC has been slapped with federal and state charges.  According to the formal complaint to the courts, the company over promised and under delivered on its pledge to make its clients rich with little or no effort on their part.  Oops. According to the complaint, the company would use HGTV and A&E stars as spokespersons to lure people to their “free” seminars.  At the seminar, they would supposedly learn nothing but instead be invited to spend $2,000 on a […]

Until recently, one of the best kept secrets of outdoor adventure in Weber County was Causey Reservoir.  Just 25 minutes from downtown Ogden, the out-of-the-way water hole was a quick reprieve from city heat.  The reservoir’s back country location provides ample wildlife sightseeing opportunities, water recreation, and a chance to temporarily escape the din of city life. Well, the secret is out, and on any warm weekend you can expect to see the area packed with cars as outdoor enthusiasts sharpen their elbows to get the best parking spots closest to the trailhead or kayak […]

In a surprising new rule that will shake up the way homebuyers and lenders work together during home purchases, Federal banking regulatory agencies are moving forward with a new rule that will eliminate the need for an appraisal for non-government backed mortgages made on homes and multi-unit property under $400,000.   The last time this rule was changed was in 1994, which is before living memory for most Realtors in the business (Hint: I was a junior in high school).   The last remaining entity to sign off on this rule before it becomes law is the Federal Reserve.  […]

In August, the crews from HGTV’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition descended on our neighborhood to film the construction and delivery of a new home to a family in our community.  Ogden City had recently purchased 517 22nd St. which had been a problem property in the area for many years. The site was bulldozed several months ago and left as an empty lot.  This site was chosen to be the location of the HGTV home to be given do a deserving family.  The premise of the show was to build […]

In a day that couldn’t come soon enough for downtown Ogden, the notorious Ogden River Inn has finally seen its last days as a great assembly hall of despair and hopelessness.  Demolition crews began last week tearing the sordid building down in anticipation of redevelopment for a new Mountain America Credit Union building.   The Ogden River Inn was constructed in the late 1970’s to provide lodging for motorists traveling to the city center.  Like other establishments built for that same purpose, it steadily fell into decline and decay once […]

Developers recently made a pitch to the Ogden Planning Commission to construct a Hilton Hotel at the corners of Lincoln Ave. and 24th St.  Currently the site is the home to a grove of trees and an under utilized commercial building. The proposed hotel will be 23,500 SQFT and host the “Home 2” and “Tru” sub brands that Hilton offers. While we are excited about the prospect of the city continuing to grow and redevelop, we can’t help but hold our nose at today’s unfortunate architectural trends with gaudy fins, […]

Our property management company manages a freaky property located in a formerly creepy part of Ogden City.  The property is currently used as a duplex and tenants have occupied it for years.  Recently however, the owner received a letter from the city stating that the property did not have a “legal non-conforming use” certificate.  What is that, you say?  To make a long story short, a legal non-conforming use certificate says that a property can be used for a purpose that conflicts with the zone that the property resides in.  […]

So imagine you move into a cheap basement apartment to save some money while you go to school.  While you are there, a neighbor moves into the apartment next door.  You and your spouse befriend them.  You make a plate of cookies and introduce yourselves to them in a gracious act if neighborliness.   Meanwhile, your neighbor’s daughter and her ne’er-do-well boyfriend start hanging out next door.  When you come home from work, the boyfriend gives you bad looks and watches you.  You have a bad feeling about the guy. […]

Recently Ogden City tore down the old Hostess Factory between the 25th blocks of Grant and Lincoln Ave.  That was a source of local consternation as people wondered if the historic part of the factory would disappear as well.  Fortunately, that part was saved.     Even more exciting is that the City Council and Administration have acted to create a new RDA for the area to promote residential and commercial development on the now-vacant site.  KSL was in town to report on the details.  Here is the link to […]

Those of us in the real estate profession were shocked and saddened this week to learn of the death of Realtor and Landlord David Stokoe. We express our sincere condolences to his family and friends during this time of loss and separation.     Details are still forthcoming but the story is already alarming.   On a Thursday, David went to a property he owned in Salt Lake City to collect rent from a delinquent tenant.  Reports suggest he was going to encourage the tenants to leave because of non-payment.  Sometime during […]