Canyons/Solitude Tram update

Excerpts from the Park Record article:

Proponents of the proposed SkiLink went to Washington, D.C., this week to begin laying the groundwork for a gondola that would link Canyons ski resort with Solitude.


Meanwhile, on the Utah home front, opponents of the project have been mustering their own forces and are characterizing the project as a potential environmental catastrophe.

Representatives of the ski industry have long argued that connecting the area's resorts would be a boon to tourism and the state's economy. In this case, they also suggest the link could reduce traffic in Big Cottonwood Canyon and over Parley's Summit. Environmentalists, though, say it would open up the remaining backcountry to development and destroy a vital watershed.

But what if the two sides were able to negotiate a compromise, one that could actually reduce traffic and offer skiers

I believe this tram would only help Park City's economy by making our resorts even more desirable by linking with the other side of the Wasatch Mountains.

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Wasatch 360 exciting new TV show on Fox 13 in Utah!

If you weren't up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, December 3, 2011 you probably missed the debut of the brand new TV show on Fox 13 here in Utah. Wasatch 360 is a news magazine/lifestyle show showcasing the best and most exciting things in the Wasatch front and Wasatch back regions of Northern Utah.

This new, exciting show will feature guests like Stein Erickson, Olympians Ted Ligety and Shannon Bahrke. You will also watch an interviews with acclaimed director Morgan Spurlock and other Sundance Film Festival Celebrities. The show will also feature some of the most luxurious estates in Salt Lake City and Park City. You will get tips on the hottest ski gear and clothing along with watching some really cool adventures while riding the Olympic Bobsled,  hot air ballooning and pretty much anything you can think of that is fun to do in the  Wasatch Mountain Region. There will also be a segment called Utah Spotlight that will be 3 minute segments featuring some of Utah's most compelling and interesting companies in Utah. If you own a company that would like to be featured, go to the website below and contact Larry Feldman (yes, he is my husband) or John Goulet to become part if this exciting show.
Visit www.wasatch360tv.com  to view details and watch a demo of what the show will be. The first show will be available to view soon.

Selling your Home? A few things NOT to do!

So, you're thinking about putting your home on the market. Good Idea!

A few things you don't want to do:


Don’t allow Deferred Maintenance ruin your chances of selling.

Ever hear the term “Deferred Maintenance”? What exactly does that mean anyway?

Deferred Maintenance is a nice way of referring to household maintenance that has not been kept up on or done. As a buyer walks through your home, they are falling in love with the floorplan, with how their family will live in this home and starting to imagine their furniture in there, right? Maybe. They also are walking through noticing all the repairs needed to your home and getting a sour taste in their mouth wondering what needs attention that they can’t see.

What to do? Have a friend walk your home and look for cosmetic items with a buyer’s eye for items that look dirty or worn- paint, carpet, dirty vents, crumbling grout etc. They will see things you have walked past for years. If you really want to make sure deferred maintenance does not become an issue once your home is for sale, get an inspection and fix whatever comes up on the inspection. You won’t catch every single item, but you have a good chance of the sale not falling out because of the condition of your home.

The next big one:

Disclose everything!!! Even if you think it is inconsequential.

Your agent should impress upon you the importance of disclosing everything. If they try to tell you that basement flooding or the car sliding down the driveway into the dining room isn't worth disclosing, RUN!

Case in point – had a home under contract recently. It was my buyer’s dream home. The seller filled out the required seller’s disclosure form, which indicated no known problems with the home in a number of categories. During the inspection a sizable water intrusion was discovered. Water stains on the baseboards and eventually mold was found near the source of the intrusion.

My buyer ‘s first reaction was to wonder what else they were hiding. What else was wrong with this home that the seller was not telling us about? The seller suddenly remembered an occasion where water came in through the window during a heavy rain season. Amazing how that works! The water intrusion is discovered and miraculously they remember it. Cynical? Maybe, or maybe just a reasonable reaction to an unfortunate situation. Not an insurmountable situation, just one that leaves the buyer uneasy.

In this case, if the seller had not allowed this water intrusion become Deferred Maintenance ( they did not remedy the situation as they could have) and disclosed the water intrusion and what they did to remedy it, this sale may have been saved. Now, the buyer must start over in their search for a home and the seller starts over looking for a new buyer. Hopefully they will amend their seller’s disclosure to lawfully show the issues at hand and maybe even fix them prior to the next buyer discovering them.

As a seasoned Realtor, we see deferred maintenance all the time. It doesn’t necessarily kill every sale, but it can put a seed of doubt in a buyer’s mind. How refreshing  it is to list a home where it is evident the owner has taken care of it and in a timely manner. Sure makes our job easier, and the sale of the home a stronger possibility. In Park City we find buyers from out of the area will respond better to a home that needs less attention. It is usually too difficult to have repairs and remodeling done from a long distance.

The Moral of this story:

Maintain your home, get all items fixed prior to listing and DISCLOSE!

Looking for a ski property or investment property?

Call me for more information about Park City, Utah.

Heather Feldman 435-731-0803

Park City Mountain Opening Day

It was awesome! We got about 6-12 inches last night, so we knew it would be ok. We didn't expect to have so much fun. Yes, I should have been holding an open house or 2, but I couldn't resist. Only 2 runs open, but plenty of fun.

If you had a residence here in Park City, you could have been here today too! Contact me for some excellent property deals!

Heather Feldman
Equity Real Estate Luxury Group
435-731-0803
heather@parkcityhousehunters.com

Park City Mountain $25 Benefit Lift tickets

Park City Mountain Resort’s Legacy Fund is offering $25 Benefit Day(s) lift tickets again this year.  

The tickets are valid from November 19 – December 16 and all ticket proceeds go to the Park City Mountain Resort Legacy Fund and the Summit Land Conservancy. There are a limited number of tickets left. You can purchase in-person in the Resort Services Office at Park City Mountain Resort. Tickets must be purchased by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 18. These are a great gift for clients, friends, family, etc. Don’t miss out!

The goal of the Park City Mountain Resort Legacy Fund is to support Summit County through grants to nonprofit organizations that provide our community with effective programs in the areas of Environmental Stewardship, Children and Athletics, Education, and/or provide social services and humanitarian aid to help people in need. Contact Park City Mountain Resort www.pcmr.com 

Park City condo under $100,000!

Did you ever think it was possible? This featured property is small but stunning. The owners have done such a great job with the space and have made it gorgeous to boot!

You are looking at the brand new sleeper sofa with seating cubes that convert into ottomans or eating trays. Notice the beautiful colors on the walls along with the coordinated wall coverings and artwork. They have really made this a Zen-like retreat.

This condo is only a studio, but boasts beautiful wood floors, a flat screen Tv, convertible eating/working table and tons of smart storage.

Take a look out your window to see
Park City Mountain and check out how much snow
they have!

This fabulous condo is in Prospector Square which is a 10acre development with 9 condo buildings, a pool, convention center and Theatre. Prospector Square is an official Sundance Film Festival venue too!
Offered at $87,500.  Buy it for yourself or buy it for an investment. Great rental numbers at Prospector.

Call me today for a private showing!
Heather Feldman 435-731-0803

Is your Realtor doing a good job with your listing?

Touchy subject, I know.

How do you know if your Realtor is doing a good job with your property?

If it sells have they done a good job? If it doesn't sell are they doing a poor job?

Here are some guidelines to follow when evaluating whether your agent is worth holding on to, or when choosing an agent:


1. Do they answer their phone and email? Not just when you call, but for potential buyers and other agents. I cannot tell you how many times I call on a property to show it or ask questions for a potential buyer and never get any communication back. Test your agent. Have your friends and associates call just to see what happens. If your agent is not calling/emailing back within a reasonable time frame, this is a red flag. Many times buyers and agents will move on to the next property and not even bother to show it.



2. Is your property listed in the appropriate MLS? How unfortunate for the seller that wants to help out a friend with their real estate career and lists their property in the wrong area. In Park City, we have our own MLS that covers the Wasatch back - Park City, Midway, Heber ,Oakley and surrounding areas. Many times a home will be listed with a Salt Lake agent who is not a member of our MLS, so when the agents that work and sell up here pull properties to show, that one won't show up, and most likely won’t be shown.



3. Is your property being marketed in the most effective way for your area? Each area has a proven method for marketing that works. Some areas it is the newspaper, other areas it is a local magazine or radio program. For many resort areas the internet is the most effective tool available. Find out not just the circulation of the marketing tool, but the results of the marketing tool. When looking for a buyer in a resort market like Park City, they aren't usually reading our local paper or listening to KPCW, our local radio station. They begin their search on the internet, they ask their friends for a referral to a local Realtor. Then they start their search.



4. Has your agent helped you prepare your home for sale? Prior to listing, your agent should conduct a walkthrough with you and help with suggestions for decluttering, staging and a list of items to fix. Your agent should tell you how important these things are in the sales process. If a home appears dirty or unkempt, buyers will subconsciously look for deferred maintenance and wonder how the seller could possibly keep up with maintenance when they can’t even keep up with the daily clutter. I offer my sellers a no charge 1 hour consultation with a home staging expert to really give them the edge on the competition.



5. Pricing. Even if you and your agent do everything possible to stage and prepare your home for showing, price will determine whether you get activity and offers. In today’s market price is everything. Every agent should know the maximum activity will come in the first few weeks of listing the property. Having said that, is your agent sharing the feedback with you? Are you acting on it?





6. The key to helping the seller make the right choices is feedback. Feedback comes in two forms - agent feedback from showings, and market feedback in terms of how the homes with which you are competing are responding. Are other similar properties selling and yours is not? Examine why - most of the time it will come down to price.

We know that the majority of the time the buyer that purchases your home will be represented by a Realtor other than the listing agent. So if there are no showings by agents, then they are not all on vacation. They are showing other homes that their buyers think offer the most value. Overpriced properties will only be shown to demonstrate to buyers why another home is a good deal, and they will sit unsold.



So ask your Realtor for a market update. Use this information wisely. Your agent can send you a detailed report where you can look at each and every property that has sold. Were they really better than yours or just marketed better and priced right?



For all of your Park City, Utah Real Estate needs call me today.

Heather Feldman

435-731-0803

Park City/Solutude Tramway audio update from KPCW

Just a quick update audio clip from KPCW, our local radio station.
Tramway interview with Bill Malone

Rental demand on the rise

I love being right!
I have been preaching this for years. I  watched it happen in the last down cycle and here it comes again. In light of the recent recession and unprecedented number of foreclosures, rentals are in high demand. I think we all know what happens to prices once something is in demand...prices rise. It only makes sense...people have to live somewhere. If they can't buy, they rent.

Here in Park City, rentals are tough to find and not cheap. Especially if you are looking mid-ski season. Good Luck!
Check out this article from Inman News about just that - rental demand on the rise.

Inman News Rentals on the Rise

Are you ready to be a landord in Park City? Make some money on your investment and wait for the equity? Contact me at 435-731-0803 or heather@parkcityhousehunters.com

Octoberfest and beautiful fall color at Snowbird

Today was a fall color capturing day and some great fun at Snowbird's Octoberfest. Great fun - We toured the market place, ate some great bratwurst and enjoyed the gorgeous fall color.
See the short video below for the Alpenhorn concert at the top of the Tram. Very cool.

Octoberfest was busy today! The picture below was taken from the Chicadee lift.

Pic looking toward the Salt Lake valley from top of Snowbird.

The most exciting part of the day was not caught on film...when I went head over bull on the mechanical bull ride! I have heard a rumor that there is a video out there somewhere...

Beautiful valley on the way to Midway via Brighton.