Affiliated Organizations
Salt Lake City
Household Hazardous Waste Collection
A Household Hazardous Waste Collection event will be held on July 22nd from 7 to 10 am in Sugarhouse Park at the Big Field Pavilion 1300 East – 1700 East 2100 South. Salt Lake City Police will be on hand to accept prescription Drugs. Electronics are also being accepted.
The next (and last) household hazardous waste collection event is scheduled for August 26th, so as you clean out your basements and garages, keep the date in mind.
This free event is sponsored by Salt Lake City Public Utilities and Salt Lake Valley Health and is only for Salt Lake Valley residents. If you have questions, call 801.313.6700.
Open House – Short Sale near 9th & 9th
Great opportunity to buy in the sought-after 9th & 9th area! One of the best values around.
Listed at $230,000 (Short Sale – all offers must be approved by the lender). Totally remodeled within the past four years – newer systems, roof, and more.
1064 Princeton Avenue, Salt Lake City 84105
Open House Saturday, June 12th from 2:00 – 4:00: 1064 Princeton Avenue, Salt Lake City 84105. For details contact Beverly Hanson: 801-680-4325.
A Great Financing Option for Home Upgrades
The FHA 203k Loan is a great mortgage option that can provide clients up to $45,000 on top of their purchase loan for property upgrades. It is specifically for renovation of a purchased home (but can also be used as a refinance option for people who want to renovate their existing homes).
This loan allows buyers to add up to:
$35K for non-structural home improvements and upgrades
$8K for Energy Efficiency Upgrades (Ex. windows, furnace, insulation, energy star appliances, etc.)
$2K for Weatherization Upgrades
These loans are the perfect solution for buyers who want to buy a “fixer upper” or even those who simply want to update a home that doesn’t have the granite countertops and new appliances they want.
While these loans are perfect for the right buyer, they can be tricky to navigate. Make sure you work with a loan officer who knows the ins and outs of the 203K process and can minimize the impact on the borrower.
For more information, or to see if you qualify, contact Carl Churchill, Mortgage and Refinance Specialist, at 801.573.8475 or carl@mortgagebycarl.com.
Salt Lake City – 1st Quarter Real Estate Sales Report
According to the National Association of Realtors, median home prices are on the rise in most U.S. metropolitan areas, with 91 out of 152 areas showing higher median sales prices compared to the first quarter of 2009.
Unfortunately, Salt Lake City ranked in the bottom 10 areas, with the largest home price decline. In Salt Lake, home prices fell 11.4 percent in the first quarter compared to the same quarter of 2009.
Salt Lake’s falling home prices are expected to continue throughout 2010, but should stabilize in 2011, according to a report commissioned earlier this year by the Salt Lake Board of Realtors and conducted by Jim Wood, Director of the University of Utah’s Business of Economic and Business Research. In that report, Wood said that Salt Lake home prices would fall another 3 percent to 5 percent in 2010.
The falling home prices have attracted more first-time buyers and have led to a 33% increase in home sales compared to the same period last year.
So, if you need to move, but are waiting for prices to rebound, you may want to consider selling now. Also keep in mind, if you’re “moving up,” you will make up whatever you lose on the sale of your current home upon purchasing a more expensive home (I’ll help you do the math!).
Buyers – it’s still a great time to buy. Interest rates have just dropped again, there’s great inventory, and these “bargain basement” prices will be going away soon.
Please contact me if you, or anybody you know, could use my professional assistance with a real estate transaction: Beverly@SLCGreenHomes.com
Recycled Granite Pavers
While attending the Live Green SLC! Festival in Salt Lake City this past weekend, I discovered a new player in the recycled home decor category: Recycled Stone Products. They salvage left-over material from stone fabricators in the mountain west region, and shape them into pavers for a beautiful and 100% recycled look for your patio.
According to one of the owners, Levi Ernest, the cost is about the same as regular garden pavers – yet they are keeping millions of pounds of waste out our landfills each year!
Check them out online or contact Levi at 801 580-3305.
Top 10 City Lists – Salt Lake City #7
Every year, RelocateAmerica.com judges U.S. cities based on different criteria, and puts out their Top 10 Lists for those considering a move. While we didn’t make the Top 10 Overall, Salt Lake City did make it to the number seven spot for recreation (of course, those who live here aren’t surprised…but just what does Ithica, NY have over us?!):
Top 10 Recreation Cities:
1. Boulder, CO
2. Santa Cruz, CA
3. Flagstaff, AZ
4. St. George, UT
5. Ithaca, NY
6. Corvallis, OR
7. Salt Lake City, UT
8. Stevens Point, WI
9. Wilmington, NC
10. Portland, OR
See the other Top 10 Lists.
Recycling Efforts in Salt Lake City
Who says recycling isn’t working?
As joint owners of the landfill Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County each received a one time dividend of $7 million dollars from landfill funds that were intended to cover some of the expenses to close the landfill. Due to waste diversion efforts, the life of the landfill has increased, and we expect it to remain open for at least 50 more years. The City has chosen to use the funds to support further sustainability efforts.
The “waste diversion efforts” means, in large part, RECYCLING.
Now is the Time to Go Solar
Take advantage of the new renewable energy rebate for home & business owners while it lasts!
The Utah State Energy Program will be offering a new rebate for home and business owners that install solar energy. That means if you install solar energy on your home or business you could get a check in the mail for thousands of dollars back! This is a brand new program intended to stimulate economic growth and create jobs, but it won’t last forever and everyone will have questions about how it works. To help answer those questions and provide the info you need to take advantage of the new rebate while it is available, the Utah Solar Energy Association is hosting the Utah Renewable Energy Conference 2010 that will provide a physical location where you can come and learn about the new rebate and how much money it can save you. This event will be held on Saturday, March 27th from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and it will be located at the Salt Lake Community College Miller Campus off I-15 at 9750 South in Sandy. Admission is $5 for an individual or $10 for a family, and your conference admission will get you $100 off a solar energy system from any of the solar installers participating in the conference! For more information and to register for the event visit www.utsolar.org.
Home Buyer Tax Credit Made Simple
With so much buzz about the first-time (and “long time”) homebuyers tax credits, I thought it might be helpful to post a straightforward summary of the rules that govern these credits:
General Rules:
- A “first time home buyer” is defined as someone who has not owned a primary home in the last three years. If you are a “first-time home buyer,” your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home, not to exceed $8,000.
- A “long-time resident” is defined as someone who has lived in the same primary home for 5 out of the past 8 years. If you are a “long-time resident”, your tax credit will amount to 10% of the purchase price of your new home not to exceed $6,500.
- The tax credit does not need to be paid back if you continue living in the home as your Primary residence for three years without selling it. (more…)
Birds and the Bees (Raising them, that is!)
Salt Lake City has made changes to city ordinances to relax restrictions and allow residential chicken coops and beekeeping.
Residents who qualify are now permitted to raise chickens for the purpose of eggs and bees for the purpose of honey. Residential bees and chickens benefit our community in a variety of ways while providing a sustainable, healthy and fun source of food.
Over the past 50 years, domesticated bee populations have decreased by 50%. These animals are critical in our food production for the pollination services they provide. Pollination by bees alone is responsible for 15-30% of the food eaten in the United States. Concerns about “killer” bees led to a ban on beekeeping in Salt Lake City in the 1980s; however, domestic strains of honeybees have been selectively bred for their gentleness and can be safely kept in populated areas with proper maintenance.
Backyard chickens can improve the health of your yard and your family. The most obvious benefit of keeping chickens is the production of eggs. Eggs from well-maintained backyard chickens are not only cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but they are actually healthier and taste better too! Compared to factory-farmed eggs, backyard eggs contain significantly more Vitamins A and E, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids.
Chickens provide more than healthy food. They act as a natural pest control by eating insects and their droppings are rich in nitrogen, making it an excellent addition to your compost bin.
Finally, raising chickens and bees at home can help reconnect the divide that has been created between the American diet and food production. Playing a larger role in the production of the food on your table will help foster a greater understanding of and appreciation for the food you eat.
Learn more about the chicken ordinance.
Learn more about the bee-keeping ordinance.
Source: Salt Lake City Council District Seven
