Browsing Posts From: Real Estate News

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 […]

Big changes are coming to Downtown Ogden’s landscape.  Many acres of downtown are being prepared for new construction.  Watch the video and learn more about these exciting changes.    

Many of Ogden’s homes are receiving a much needed make over.  I thought we would take a moment to showcase a this Victorian home as a prime example of the great work going on in the neighborhoods to gentrify and revitalize some tired homes.   Enjoy this video of 2524 Madison Ave. that was completely remade on the interior in 2015.     The story behind this home is full of twists and turns.  It was purchased by a local investor in the mid 1990’s who held on to it […]

Ogden’s downtown scene continues to develop.  Recently a regional LDS Church official announced the Church’s intentions to build a Family History Library on the corner of 22nd St. and Grant Ave.   Nearly 10 years ago, prior to the real estate market collapse, the lot was moving toward being developed as Ashton Square Condominiums.  I recently had lunch with the former developer and heard the story.  In 2008, the market began to crumble while designs were still being polished on the project.  Up till that point, the building had been […]

A lot of people have asked me recently about the idea of converting their rental property in Ogden City to vacation rental use.  With the proliferation of online venues like AirBNB, it seems that becoming a vacation rental owner is easier than ever.  This year was our first time using the service as customers.  We stayed at a condo in St. George in June and just about two weeks ago we found an impossibly small Victorian Cottage in Leadville, CO while we hiked Mount Elbert.  The service was convenient and […]

Ogden City recently took action that will make a dramatic change in the landscape.  City officials recently concluded the purchase of the Swift Building, the monolithic edifice that dominates the west end of the 24th Street viaduct.  The former slaughter house has been neglected for decades.  Yet, the area adjacent to the building has seen intense development recently and the acquisition by the city makes room for more development to occur.     The building also sits a stones throw away from the Ogden River kayak park which is currently […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

While working with some buyers recently we found a home that they like which had recently been renovated.  When we viewed the home, there were various tools scattered about the residence and we knew that they weren’t completely done with the work.  We wrote an offer and asked the seller to make some final repairs to the building.  We thought that the seller had hired crews that came in periodically to do the work. Well, it turns out we were wrong.  The “crews” actually lived on site.  Not in the […]

The housing market is experiencing a dynamic that is off the charts.  Inventory is so low that the days that a home sits on market has reached record low levels.  The most recent reading is that homes sit on the market an average of only 10 days in Weber County (look for charts and analysis in another post to come). These circumstances are putting tremendous upward pressure on house prices.  Several of my recent listings began immediately with bidding wars.  For a seller this is certainly a good thing.  However, it […]

For those of us who have been around for a few turns of the real estate cycle, there are similar signs that mark each market peak.  While exact timing is anyone’s guess, the signs are nevertheless consistent.  Here are a few red flags that tell us that Utah real estate prices are reaching their zenith in this current market run:   Real Estate Guru Ads – Have you heard the ads on the radio from a national real estate guru telling you he has more money than he has real […]