Utah has an abundance of natural beauty.  Utah is so beautiful, that on social media there is a popular hashtag reinforcing the point with a slight misspelling but emphasizing how common it is in Utah - #beutahful.  

Utah is indeed beautiful and is one of the reasons so many people move to Utah and want to live in Utah.  While many people know that Utah has lots of natural beauty, great snow, tall mountains, and incredible red rock and arches in the south of the state, but did you know that Utah has more national parks per square mile than any other state in the country?  There are only two states that have more National Parks than Utah.  California has the most with 9 national parks, followed by Alaska with 8 national parks.  Utah has five national parks – often referred to as The Mighty Five

1. Arches National Park

The Arches have more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches.  Some of the more popular arches are Delicate Arch, Double Arch, Rainbow Arch, and Landscape Arch.  These arches and other geological features such as fins, balancing rocks, and pinnacles were formed over millions of years of erosion and water cycles.  The raw beauty, red rock, and unique landscape attract visitors from around the world to hike and take it in.

2. Bryce Canyon National Park

There is no other place on the planet quite like Bryce Canyon with hundreds of tall different sandstone hoodoos which is constantly changing through extreme temperatures.  The area was originally settled by Native Americans and then later by Mormon Pioneers.  It is also one of the best places on earth for stargazing with almost no light pollution.  There are campgrounds, RV parks, hotels, and a lodge where you can stay and enjoy multiple hikes that provide different views of the natural beauty.

3. Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands was formed by the efforts of erosion from multiple different rivers including Green River, Colorado River, and many smaller tributaries.  It was established as a National Park on September 12, 1964, but it took millions of years for the erosion to take place carving through sandstone and salt deposits creating jagged rock and steep cliffs.  There are many hikes and some of the more popular things to see are Island in the Sky and Needles.

4. Capital Reef National Park

Capital Reef National Park in Utah is located in south-central Utah and is not the highest visited park in Utah, but it is stunning and displays, in stunning fashion, the diverse geologic layers in earth’s history in what is called the Weatherpocket Fold.  There are cliffs, sandstone dunes, monoliths, and other natural geologic features that showcase geologic history over millions of years.  

5. Zion National Park

Located in Southwestern Utah, near the city of Springdale, in Iron, Washington, and Kane counties.  It is where the Mohave desert, Colorado Plateau, and Great Basin meet.  There are 7 different trails with varying distance that people can choose from based on available time and technical abilities that range from beginner to very advanced.  In fact, some areas require a permit.  Popular times to visit are the spring and fall when the temperature is typically much cooler.  There are campgrounds that are available and a lodge as well.   One of the most popular hikes in Zion National Park, is Angel’s Landing.  The hike is about 2.4 miles long.  There are several steep switchbacks and there is a place to stop at Scout’s lookout before doing the last ½ mile to the summit which is much more technical and while they do have chains to help support people, it is still only for those with considerable physical ability.

Picture of Zion National Park from Angel's Landing Hike (Left) and View of Narrows (Right)

I received a call last week from one of my friends about the value of a home that was sold in his neighborhood.  I was helping him with some sold comps for an appraisal. The information wasn’t on the Wasatch Front Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Most Utah real estate that is sold through the MLS, has the list price, sales price, concessions, sales & list date, and other pertinent data. The Utah MLS is available to licensed real estate professionals in Utah and is a critical tool.

Unlike many other states where real estate sales data becomes public record, not all data on Utah real estate transactions is freely available to everyone.  To obtain sales data, you need to be a licensed Utah real estate agent or Broker and have access the multiple listing service. (MLS) When Utah homeowners agree to sell their home using a licensed Utah real estate agent or Utah Realtor®, they agree to share pertinent data related to the transaction with the MLS. Utah real estate agents who are part of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors and who have access to the Wasatch Front Multiple Listing Service also agree to report the information. 

If a real estate property owner doesn’t use an agent to sell or buy a property, parties involved in a transaction can choose to keep the sales price anonymous in Utah which is a non-disclosure state.  The sales price of the transaction is not held as a public record in Utah.  Some information is kept private and confidential. Because Utah is a non-disclosure state, people can also opt out of disclosing their sales price on the MLS with an agent, but there is a $500 fee.

There are a handful of other states (and certain counties in some states) that are also considered "non-disclosure states": 14 to be exact, they are:

• Alaska
• Idaho
• Indiana
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• New Mexico
• North Dakota
• Texas
• Wyoming

We weren’t able to find the exact sales amount for my friend for his purposes.  There may be several different tools that can give you an approximate value for a home using Zillow, county assessor, or another automated value, nothing will be accurate as a Comparative Market Analysis provided by a licensed real estate agent with complete access to the Utah MLS.

If you are looking for the most accurate value for your home, please contact us or click on this home valuation link here

The majority of the public schools in Draper are in the Canyons School District. Canyons school district is one of the best districts in the state with the majority of their schools receiving an A or B grade.

There are only two high schools in Draper.  The newly-built Corner Canyon which is a public high school in the Canyons School District and Juan Diego, a private Catholic School.   In addition, many students in Draper choose to attend Alta in Sandy or Summit Academy High School in Bluffdale.

One unique thing about the schools In Draper is the number of elementary charter schools that are available.  Summit Academy, Channing Hall and 3 different campuses for American Prep Academy.  They each have their strengths and are excellent options if you choose to have your kids attend charter schools.

Whether you are a longtime resident of Draper or considering moving to Utah, I hope this list is helpful for you.  If you find any that I am missing or have questions about any of these schools, I am happy to share what I know and provide additional resources for you.

The process of buying a home in Utah can seem complex.  This video talks about buying Utah homes and answers some common questions that come up. It also explains how Realtors, lenders, inspectors, escrow officers, and others all work together to help you buy your home in Utah and make it a great experience for you.

Video Transcript

So you’re thinking about buying a home in Utah. There are a lot of people involved in the homebuying process that you should be familiar with, Real estate agents, lenders, inspectors, and escrow will all play a role in your home purchase. So let’s talk a little bit about what these people do.

You are going to want to find a real estate agent who is a Realtor, because not all agents are. Realtors have a higher standard that they are required to follow. Your Realtor is going to research the right properties for you, run down appointments and showings, negotiate prices and contract terms and take the time to answer any questions that you may have.

As a buyer you want to have a different agent than the one who represents the seller. With your own representation, you will know that your Realtor is working specifically for your interest. The great part for the buyer is that the seller pays the commission for both agents, that means you as the buyer pay nothing to your agent.

Next, you will want to contact a lender. Lenders can be banks, mortgage companies and credit unions and your Realtor can give you a few recommendations if you need them.

The lender is going to ask you about your employment, your assets, and your income and once you put together an application, they will work on getting your loan approved and getting you a preapproval letter so that you can start house hunting.

Once you and your Realtor have found the perfect home for you and you make an offer (and it’s accepted), it’s then time for you to hire an inspector.

The inspector checks the exterior and interior of the home and will provide you with a written report of the homes condition. You can then decide if you want to ask the seller to make repairs or reduce the listing price to make up for any issues the inspector finds. Working in the background we have escrow and title.

The title companies do research to ensure the home’s ownership can be legally transferred to you and escrow manages the closing process according to your contract. They coordinate getting your down payment money and the banks money safely to the seller as well as getting you the legal title to the home.

So that’s just a quick introduction to all the people involved in helping you buy a home in Utah. You will certainly want to learn more. And remember your Utah Realtor is your first point of contact for any questions that you may have.

We pride ourselves in going above and beyond the call of duty for or clients, so please don’t hesitate to ask for anything you need. The buying process in Utah can be complex.

We hope this video has helped explain it a little more. Please call, text, or email us anytime and we look forward to helping you find the perfect home!

  801-232-3434

Start Saving Your Home Energy With These Two Simple Tips

Most home buyers focus on price and payments, however, factoring in a home's energy consumption costs could save tens of thousands of dollars over years of ownership. Comparing the performance and construction quality of one home to another is often not apples to apples. Newly built homes tend to be more energy efficient than older homes, but total performance is also influenced by the builder and design, said CR Herro, a building scientist and vice president of environmental affairs for Meritage Homes.

In short, saving energy in your home is important, and if you don't know where to begin, here are two tips to get started:

1. Home Energy Rating Score

When buying a new or resale home, buyers can use a shopping tool to help them understand the anticipated costs of a home's energy bills. The Home Energy Rating Score, or HERS, is the industry standard for measuring a home's energy efficiency. It was created by the not-for-profit Residential Energy Services Network (RESNet), an independent consortium of building scientists and construction experts.

Think of HERS like miles-per-gallon fuel economy for your car, except that a lower HERS is better:

• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a typical resale home in the U.S. rates a HERS 130 and costs approximately $200,000 in utilities over a 30-year mortgage.
• Utilities for a home that scores 100 would cost 30 percent less, saving $60,000 in operating cost.
• Utilities for a home that scores 65 would cost approximately half, saving $100,000 in operating cost over 30 years. 

Some builders, such as Meritage Homes, design homes to capitalize on energy efficiency and can achieve HERS scores lower than the 2016 U.S. average of 62 by including high-efficiency heating, cooling, windows, lighting, and insulation in all their homes.

How to know Your Home's HERS score

"Knowing the HERS score of your home can be the difference between a European vacation every few years or a kiddie pool in the driveway," said Herro. "A lower HERS score could also raise the value of your home because the rating is being added to home appraisal standards." Proposed federal legislation also could provide mortgage borrowing advantages for homes with low HERS, he added.

More than 2 million homes in the U.S. have been HERS rated for energy efficiency, generating energy savings of $268 million in 2016 alone, according to RESNet. More homes are being rated as home builders increase their participation in the HERS program and post the ratings for the homes they build. To find the HERS for a home, a list of participating home builders and tips for improving the energy efficiency of your home, click here.

2. Take Care of Your Lawn

It might seems a little unorthodox, but optimizing your home energy can go beyond your actual home. Spring lawn care is easier than ever and the spring and summer means time to give your lawn the TLC it needs. If you dread the thought of weekends spent occupied by yard work, did you know that you can lower your air conditioning bill by simply keeping your grass cut and green? At www.greenworkstools.com you can get all the resources and tools you need to successfully maintain your yard!

Below are some other things to keep in mind when landscaping:

• Prevent disease and pests - Disease and pests can be stopped before they strike. At the beginning of the season, use your yard rake to remove any dead grass shoots. By removing this debris early you can prevent disease and pests while also giving your lawn sufficient time to recover.
• Simplify mowing - Cutting the grass no longer requires preparation and setup. With innovative options like the Greenworks 60-volt self-propelled lawn mower, you do not need to worry about gassing up your mower or finding the nearest outlet for the extension cord. The mower can run up to 60 minutes with a fully-charged battery, so it is ready to go when you are, and you never have to smell like gas again! The mower's smart-cut technology adjusts the power based on the thickness of your grass, extending the run time and improving cutting performance.
• Water on time - Consistency in watering is an easy way to keep your grass green and lush. Maintain a schedule to prevent your grass from drying out and browning. Sprinklers and outdoor timers will ensure that your grass does not miss a watering session.
• Shape hedges - Anyone can create the perfect hedge shape. Now that your grass is healthy, freshly cut and weed-free, it is time to focus on the rest of your yard. Try a cordless, battery-powered product like the Greenworks 60-volt hedge trimmer. The lighter weight and strong power allow you to trim your hedges without wearing out your body. Whether your hedges are up high or running along your fence, no place is out of reach.

To get more tips and information like this, or to stay up-to-date with the latest on Utah Real Estate, sign up for our newsletter here.