Buying a Home in Salt Lake City, UT

Salt Lake City Best Commute in Country

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:26:13 -0400

In the first quarter 2010, Salt Lake City Metro Area was ranked #1 for the best commute out of the 60 largest metropolitan areas in the country.

Barring a major accident or closure, the Salt Lake City metro area is quick and easy to get around. On most days you can get from any point of the valley to any other point in the valley in less than 30 minutes.

Depending on where you live and work, commuting to or from the surrounding counties is also pretty good on most days as well. With the Front Runner commuter train currently reaching as far north as Weber County and soon to be functioning down into Utah County, things can only get better!

Not to mention the great mountain views we get to see each day as we drive around the valley!

Here is the Forbes Story.

Tired of a 1-2 hour each way commute?
Relocate to the Salt Lake City Metro Area for the best commute in the country!
Do you have excellent credit?
Thinking of buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days?
Want an agent who will work exclusively for you?
Are you making a substantial down payment?

You deserve the best!

Make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists atrepresenting Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to getBUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Salt Lake City is the Least Stressful City in America!

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:13:12 -0400

According to a just released report on Portfolio.com Salt Lake ranks as the least stressful city in the US!

Considerations for ranking the cities in the report include commute time, outdoor activities, health, employment levels, income growth, crime, pollution, murder, cost of housing, personal finances... even how many days of sunshine they get each year.

The report ranks the 50 largest metropolitain areas in the United States and according to its findings, there is no place less stressful to live than Salt Lake City, Utah.

Are you thinking of relocating to the least stressful big city in America? Don't make a move without getting an agent on your side!

Are you thinking about relocating to the least stressful big city in America?
Do you have excellent credit?
Will you be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days?
Do you have a 20% Down Payment?
You Deserve the BEST! Make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction!

Make sure you hire an E B A! (Exclusive Buyer Agent)

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

5 Tips to Keep Your House Cool This Summer

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:09:48 -0400

5 Tips to Keep Your House Cool This Summer

Fans and ceiling fans can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler
Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from the house.
Turn off appliances, electronics and lights when not in use. Avoid cooking and baking mid-day.
Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents, they use a fifth the energy and heat.
Add insulation to your attic. Upgrading from 3 inches to 12 inches can cut cooling costs by 10%.

I got these tips from RisMedia. The original article is here.

Here's a bonus tip I'm throwing in because it works awesome for me:

Install awnings or EXTERIOR shade screens. I installed a product called SunShade by Suntex, but there are others out there. It's an exterior mount screen that blocks 60-80% of the heat, but still allows light to enter the house and you can still see out. It significanly reduced the amount of heat entering the house and how long I had to run the Air Conditioner.

If you have excellent credit and will be buying a $300,000-$800,000 home within 90 days and would like an agent who will work exclusively for you, make sure you get an Agent on YOUR side of the transaction! Make sure you hire an E B A!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Homebuying Advice - Talk to the Neighbors

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:42:47 -0400

One of the things I recommend Buyers do when considering an offer on a home, or that they do as part of their due diligence, is make contact with the surrounding neighbors.

For one thing, they will tell you all kinds of things about the home, the neighborhood and the sellers. But it also gives you a chance to decide whether or not having them as neighbors might be enough to reconsider the purchase.

Here is a link to an article I contributed to in the Chicago Tribune on this subject:

http://tinyurl.com/talktotheneighbors

This is good advice in any economy.

If you have questions about how, when and why we advise this, feel free to ask!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Deadline to Close on Tax Credit Purchase May Be Extended to September 30, 2010.

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 23:54:36 -0400

Good news may come soon for Buyers who qualified for the federal homebuyer tax credit and were Under Contract on a home BEFORE April 30, 2010 AND whose closings may not be looking like they will happen before the original tax credit closing deadline of June 30, 2010.

Today, the Senate approved an extension of the closing deadline to September 30, 2010. It sounds like the House will also have to pass the amendment before it becomes law.

Stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you are one of the nervous Buyers, you probably want your agent to keep working on getting your transaction done before the existing deadline if possible.

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

FHA 90 Day Seasoning Rule Waiver

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:36:42 -0400

Effective February 1, 2010, HUD waived the requirement that an FHA Loan could not be issued on a home where the current owner was on title for less than 90 days before a contract to purchase was entered into.

Well, the fact that it was not included in a Mortgagee Letter is causing some problems.

I called HUD today to make them aware of the absence. I have no idea if or when they will actually put it into a Mortgagee Letter or not, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask them to.

HUD and FHA were both on board with waiving the rule back on January 15, 2010. It was supposed to take effect on February 1, 2010. OK... it DID take effect then, but it hasn't been implemented by some lenders because the policy isn't easily found, nor was it included in an official Mortgagee Letter (how many lenders stay current on policy changes).

The waiver is supposed to be in effect for one full year unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. The Special Assistant to the Secretary of HUD that I spoke to today confirmed that the waiver is still in effect. (June 9 2010)

Some stated goals in instituting the waiver are:

To stabilize home values
To revitalize neighborhoods and communities
To expand access to FHA Mortgage Insurance
To allow for the quick resale of foreclosed properties
To combat the effects of vacant and abandoned homes
To give FHA borrowers accdess to a broader array of recently foreclosed properties

There are a few requirements that go along with the waiver. Some are:

Transaction must be arms-length
Sales price of the property cannot be 20% or more than what the Seller acquired it for. (Well, it CAN, but if so, additional requirements must be met)
Limited to forward mortgages, (not Home Equity Conversion Mortgages)

Borrowers are not limited to foreclosed properties. They can buy bank-owned, HUD-owned, or privately owned homes (Includes both personally owned and entity-owned).

For more details (and the ever-elusive documentation), see HUD's January 15, 2010 release.

The HUD Press Release about the Waiver

The actual waiver itself

It sounds like the lender we're working with is satisfied with the documentation we provided and the transaction would go smoothly.

Has anybody been able to help a buyer purchase a home with an FHA loan where the seller has been on title for less than 90 days, since February 1, 2010? How did it go? Any problems with Lenders or Underwriters?

Thanks for your comments!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Only 22% of Home Buyers are Satisfied with Their Agent? Not HERE!

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:24:40 -0400

A recent RISMedia article stated that only 22% of home buyers are happy with their real estate agent.

I wondered why this might be, and reading the article didn't really shed any new light on the reasons. Strangely enough, the article talked more about complaints from Sellers, such as, "The agent priced my home too high, so it took too long to sell".

Still, there was some mention of Buyers who felt that the process was not adequately explained, loan terms were not adequately disclosed, or simply felt that their agent was looking out more for themselves, and not for the buyer.

I don't know exactly what percent of past clients are happy with our services, but I feel confident in saying that the number approaches near 100%. (Read some of our past client reviews here)

A few reasons clients are satisfied with our Exclusive Buyer Agency services:

We always represent the Buyer, and ONLY The Buyer. We never list homes or represent sellers.
Our focus is on educating the client and answering their questions, allowing them to make their own decisions; and we respect the decisions the client makes.
We understand the process and the mortgage process and options. We will help them understand it too, and help them properly shop for a loan if requested.
We are specialists. We don't wear multiple hats. We are good at what we do because we focus on Buyer representation at all times.
We continue to improve our own understanding of the home buying process. We stay current with changes to laws and procedures and changes in the marketplace.
We don't work with grumpy people. Grumpy persons are not a protected class. If you are sour, angry, or otherwise rude, ungrateful or disrespectful, we will not accept you as a client. We enjoy our job and enjoy working with intelligent, happy people. This, in turn, makes us more pleasant to work with as well!

Are you an intelligent, happy person who wants to ENJOY the homebuying experience?

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Why didn't you tell me it was a meth lab?

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:35:14 -0400

After making multiple visits to a property with a size, layout and price that all seemed "too good to be true" my client decided to make an offer. It wasn't until that point when it was disclosed to us that the property had been used as a meth lab and that cleanup of the property had not yet happened. In fact, it was being sold AS-IS, all cleanup and liability was being passed on to the buyer.

Well, now everything made more sense. But what bothered me most was that this information was not stated up front.

We probably spent over an hour in the house. What if my clients had brought an infant and let it crawl around on the floor that whole time? What if one of them had respiratory problems that were exacerbated by visiting the home? As far as we can tell, nobody was harmed by the experience, but we should have known about the hazardous condition before we went through the place, right?

I found some old posts on meth houses and methamphetamine remediation here on ActiveRain which I shared with my client.

Here are a few that may benefit some other people:

Meth Labs

Identifying Meth Impacted Homes

REO and Meth Labs - Read This, It's Good

DEA Meth Lab Registry for homes that were used as meth labs - Did you know?

In every case where we have found properties that are WAY too good to be true... they are.

So, buyer beware!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Utah 2nd Healthiest State

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:55:03 -0400

Old news, but good news.

Utah moved from 5th healthiest state to 2nd healthiest state in the U.S.

Utah ranked either first or second in the following categories:

Prevalence of smoking
Infant mortality
Cancer deaths
Prevalence of binge drinking
Children in poverty
Preventable hospitalizations.

Vermont ranked as the Healthiest State.

Article Link

Moving to the 2nd Healthiest State?

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Avenues Homebuyers Find Working with Exclusive Buyer's Agent "Extremely Rewarding Experience"

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:28:49 -0400

We relocated from California at the end of last summer, and having sold our home there, we were excited to begin looking for a new one in the Sugarhouse area. Initially, we were using a listing agent that was set up for us by the relocation company.

When it became clear that this arrangement wasn’t working out, we decided to find an agent that was more attentive to our needs and interests.

Our Exclusive Buyers Agent has been excellent at every stage of helping us to acquire our new home. We had absolutely no pressure to look in particular areas, or to limit the number of homes that we wanted to see, or to rush as we looked at homes. He set us up with an account, where we were able to store and track homes that we wanted to see, and rate and make comments on homes that we had seen.

On many occasions, he was able to point out characteristics of a home’s location and condition that would affect its value, that we did not observe ourselves. Whenever we were narrowing in on a property, he would do detailed research for us, so that we would know what range of price was reasonable, and then upon our request, he would submit our offer.

After almost 5 months of house hunting, we expanded our search area, and soon after, we found a home in the Avenues. Our Exclusive Buyer's Agent did a terrific job of negotiating and we got the home for $12,600 less than asking price. We really believe that our agent wanted the best possible deal for us.

The communication level with our EBA has been beyond excellent. If you text, phone, or email him, he gets it right away, and gets back to you quickly. Although it was not the norm, we did have a few late night phone calls with him when we had an offer pending, or something critical to resolve. His level of service was so high that we felt like his only clients.

One of the best things that our EBA did for us was to have us shop our loan in such a way that we could get an “apples-to-apples” comparison, to find out which loan originator truly had the best deal. We thought that using the bank recommended by our relocation company, and getting the 1% off the loan that went with using them, would be the best deal by far, but after researching a total of 6 different loan sources, it turns out that the worst deal was the one given us through the relocation company recommendation.

If you are on the fence about using an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent, we can only say that it has been an extremely rewarding experience for us, and in the future, we will only be buying homes with their services.

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Salt Lake City Home Buyer - Exclusive Buyers Agent Was "Wholly Dedicated to My Cause"

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:37:42 -0400

Benjamin Clark of Homebuyer Representation, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah, helped me find and buy my home. He was an excellent agent in all ways and I recommend him wholeheartedly to any potential home buyer.

Because he is an Exclusive Buyer's Agent, Ben was wholly dedicated to my cause throughout what turned out to be a 4-1/2 month long process.

He was enormously helpful, dedicated, persistent, knowledgeable, proactive, and consistently agreeable and pleasant.

His negotiating skills are impressive.

He makes great efforts to stay current in his field.

I enjoyed our association and greatly appreciate his work and his approach.

I am convinced that he will always put the interests of his clients first, and will never rush through a sale or fail to point out, based on his considerable experience, potential drawbacks in a property that might adversely affect its value.

Thanks to him, I am now in a lovely home that I purchased for an incredibly good price, at the end of a process that he made as smooth as humanly possible.

If you are looking for an Exclusive Buyer’s Agent of exceptional capability and honesty, you can not find a person better able to represent you than Ben.

Helen

Salt Lake City, UT

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

25 Reasons to Hire an Exclusive Buyer's Agent

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:18:54 -0400

Exclusive Buyer Agents:

Do not list homes or represent sellers
Work for real estate companies that take no listings
Work solely for the buyer
Remain loyal to the homebuyer throughout the transaction
Avoid conflicts of interest inherent in the traditional seller-oriented purchase transaction
Never represent the seller in a real estate transaction
Are less than 1/2 of 1% of all real estate firms nationwide
Offer a unique relationship of trust to real estate buyers
Offer a higher degree of loyalty to a buyer than an agent who also works on behalf of the Seller
Do not practice dual-agency
Are 100% loyal to home buyers 100% of the time
Will show buyers any listings, from any company
Will show buyers For Sale By Owners, foreclosures, bank owned homes, etc.
Assist buyers in property evaluation
Point out negative, as well as positive aspects of properties and terms
Negotiate and advocate for the buyer's best interest without restriction
Provide data on comparable sales
Assist buyers in formulating an offering price
Give today's home-buying consumers the level of service they deserve and are increasingly demanding
Can help you select other professionals who will be involved in your transaction. Professionals who will also work on your behalf.
Will keep buyers' confidential information private
Will tell buyers what they learn about the sellers and their motivations / bottom line
Guarantee buyers undivided loyalty
Will not try to change their relationship to "dual agency", "transactional agent", "facilitator", or any other form of limited agency.
Believe that home buyers have the same full and equal rights as sellers in any real estate transaction

Points taken from a Press Release issued by the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents on December 14, 2009

Buying a home in the near future? Get an Agent on YOUR side! Get an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

U.S. President Barack Obama Recommends Home Buyers Hire Their Own Agent

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:43:46 -0400

U.S. President Barack Obama met Thursday with the President of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents to express his support for the efforts of the consumer friendly non-profit association which educates consumers about their right to equal representation in the real estate transaction.

The President just recently became aware of Exclusive Buyer Agency at a joint meeting of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. He was intrigued by a section within HUD's new guidebook, which details ways in which consumers can protect themselves when buying a home and obtaining a mortgage loan.

In his remarks, he stated that Exclusive Buyer Agency, or hiring a real estate company that will represent only you as a buyer, "just makes sense."

"Now, let me be clear..." he said. "I've bought and sold a number of homes over the years, but I've never heard of Exclusive Buyer Agency. Being guaranteed in writing, up-front, that my agent would not ask me to limit my level of representation... ever... regardless of the home I wanted to buy... I didn't know that type of real estate brokerage existed."

When asked what he thought about the growing trend of buyers to seek out and hire Exclusive Buyer's Agents to represent them in their real estate transactions he said, "These are the types of change we hope to hear about in the real estate and financial sectors. I congratulate the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agency and its members for all they do to educate consumers, and to protect consumers throughout the home buying process. From NAEBA, consumers can get clear information they can understand about the home buying process."

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, speaking at a press conference in Washington last Monday, also gave his endorsement. "Exclusive Buyer Agency levels the playing field in the real estate transaction. Sellers usually have an agent on their side of the transaction. Now Buyers can have equal representation."

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and push on you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Full Disclosure:

THIS ARTICLE IS AN APRIL FOOLS JOKE! (Except the part about buyers of real estate being able to hire agents who will only work for them and not against them. That part is true!)

The Smartest Way to Buy a Home

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:23:28 -0400

The Smartest Way to Buy a Home

Lifetime Channel's "The Balancing Act" with Beth Troutman

Get an Agent on YOUR side!

Get an Exclusive Buyer's Agent!

Exclusive Buyer's Agents do not list homes for sale and never represent Sellers. They have no "inventory" to try and sell you. They can represent you in purchasing any home. They are specialists at representing Buyers ONLY on the Buyer's side of the transaction. Exclusive Buyer's Agents work to get BUYERS the Best Price and Terms when they Buy a home...

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...

Benefits of Using an Exclusive Buyer's Agent Explained by a Real Home Buyer

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:43:43 -0500

When you use an Exclusive Buyers Agent, they are not biased in their opinion of which properties they want you to view or buy. Our Exclusive Buyer's Agent was very willing to show us any property that we wanted to see.

He went the extra mile and beyond to meet our needs and wants in a home. He worked in every way to save us money. He helped us see down payment and closing cost options we would not have known about without his help. He took care of all the paperwork and even ran documents to our places of employment during negotiations.

He was always pleasant and enjoyable to work with, even during what could have been stressful negotiations. He definitely told us of things that we were able to negotiate on... things we wouldn't have been aware of. When the Seller became difficult (this was a short sale), I was very glad we had an agent who had our best interests in mind.

We heard about Exclusive Buyer's Agents through friends who had worked with an Exclusive Buyer's Agent and had a great experience!

Petruzzi Family - New Homeowners - Salt Lake County

Call us at (801) 969-8989 or contact us via the link on this page.

Finally...