How can you make out who’s a good trustworthy builder? Before making this important life altering decision take a minute to learn these few simple tips to ensure you are choosing the right builder for the job.

The first and most important step is to look in your circle of loved ones for any references. This way you can see the type of work they’ve done and know they can be trusted. If you can not find one through a personal reference canvas your local community and find a builder with a good reputation. People who have found a good builder are excited to share the news with you. This is not the time to pull out the phone book and choose someone at random. This decision is way too important for that.

Now that you’ve found at least one possible builder you’ll need to come up with a list of questions you want to ask them. Write them down. (This comes in handy so you don’t forget anything you want to ask especially if you are calling more than builder.) Some of your questions can be answer by looking at their website. However, depending on the size of the company some don’t have websites.

Here are some things you are going to want to know: how long has the company been up and running, what type of industry experience it possesses, and whether the company is a full-time professional constructor or only a part-time builder. Then after that you are going to want to check to see if they meet all licensing and bonding requirements in your area. A good way to triple check on their reputation is to go to the Better Business Bureau. There you will find any formal complaints made by former clients.

Now it’s time to find out if this builder is capable and willing to build the home you really want. Ask what the builder specializes in, how much time they spend on residentail building, and the types of custom homes they build. You don’t want a builder who doesn’t know how to build the house your are invisioning.

The final step in this process is to research what type of warranty they will be including to back up their work. Ask what type of post-sale services they will include. Many times nothing will go wrong with a new home. However, this is not always the case. You want to make sure your covered in these instances, but if you do the right research and choose a good builder you’ll minimize any problems that may arise. The longer and more appealing the warranty is that the builder offers is only a clue of how confident they are about their work.

A little time researching for a great builder will save you money and save you from long term stress. Plus, you will have a comfortable, quality home you are proud of.

But it’s just your luck that there are many home builders to choose from. While
there are many builders out there to choose from you still have to know how to
weed out the good from the bad. You need to know what it takes for a home
builder to meet your qualifications. Randomly choosing a builder won’t help you at
all. There are different types of builders that do very different jobs. Plus, there are
builders who earn every penny you might pay them. Then there are some builders
that will do bare minimum just to get paid.

So how do you weed out the bad ones so you can have your pick from the good
ones?

Are you ready to choose the best home builder for your situation? Then next are
some questions you will want to remember to ask your list of home builders as sort
of an interview process. These next questions will help you weed through the home
builders leaving you with only the ones that do good quality work. Those questions
are:

How much time do they spend building residential homes? This is going to be
important when setting deadlines. You don’t want to have a home builder that
doesn’t build residential homes full time. Building your new home shouldn’t be a part
time job especially when you have specific time restrictions your new home needs
to be built in.

Plus, they need to have the experience to build your new home, and doing
residential building part time isn’t the experience you want in a home builder.

How much time have they spent as a company? The longer the company has been
in business the more experience they have and the more established the company
is. A well established company also makes it easier to find previous clients to use
as referrences. Most reputable companies will gladly refer a few clients that were
satified with their work so you can hear their testimonials.

Also, be sure to ask them what type of homes they specialize in. What type of
customization are their strengths? If you are still not sure about their track record
then you can go to the Better Business Bureau and search for any previous
customer complaints.

What types of services are they willing to offer after the home is built? While new
homes don’t usually have any problems with them you want to be ready. There are
some occassions where a new home will have a small and sometimes major
malfunctions. You want to know that your builder is confident in their work and will
stand behind it 100%.

Do they offer a strong home warranty? This is another way you will find out how
confident the company is with their work. A warranty that is strong will let you know
that the company knows they do good work and don’t expect anything to go
wrong. (Remember to get details of what the warranty will cover.)

Ask to view one of their work sites… These jobs sites are homes in progress. Here
you can see what type of work they really do. Check out the home and make sure
it meets your standards.

Remember to look at the job site carefully. Note the cleanliness of the jobsite.
Also, notice the site crew. Introduce yourself and get to know them. See if you can
get a feel of who they are and what kind of work ethic they may have. If you get
any gut feeling go with your gut. One important thing to notice also is where they
store their materials. They need to be out of the elements such as snow, and rain.

Once you have gone through these six questions you will have a much better idea
of what type of home builders you are dealing with. Choose wisely and be sure to
take the necessary time to research them a little bit before making a decision of
this magnitude. You’ll thank yourself later.

• One-of-a-kind custom made street & road wall map of your hometown.
• 18 x 18 inch map includes a title, north arrow, legend, and scale bar.
• Maps are printed on heavyweight coated matte paper.
• Printed with archival inks. 100 year life with proper storage.
• Rolled and shipped in a tube USPS First Class Mail.

Product Description
For most small towns, this is the first time a printed street map has been available. The street map of Salt Lake City, Utah is a great gift for any collector of hometown maps & memorabilia. One will spend hours discovering their hometown with this wall map. The 18 inch map is suitable for framing. *NOTE* Actual map is much more crisp than images above. We are constantly updating our roads and town boundaries. Actual street map may vary slightly from samples above. Street & Road Map of Salt Lake City, Utah UT – Printed poster size wall atlas of your home town

• One-of-a-kind custom made street & road wall map of your hometown.
• 18 x 18 inch map includes a title, north arrow, legend, and scale bar.
• Maps are printed on heavyweight coated matte paper.
• Printed with archival inks. 100 year life with proper storage.
• Rolled and shipped in a tube USPS First Class Mail.

Product Description
For most small towns, this is the first time a printed street map has been available. The street map of Salt Lake City, Utah is a great gift for any collector of hometown maps & memorabilia. One will spend hours discovering their hometown with this wall map. The 18 inch map is suitable for framing. *NOTE* Actual map is much more crisp than images above. We are constantly updating our roads and town boundaries. Actual street map may vary slightly from samples above. Street & Road Map of Salt Lake City, Utah UT – Printed poster size wall atlas of your home town

The RE/MAX Value Proposition 

What does this mean, in real terms, to clients who are buying and selling Utah real estate through me?  World-class marketing, top-tier internet exposure, referrals from and exposure to the largest network of real estate agents in the world, and personal service and local market expertise critical to helping you achieve your real estate objectives.

As further evidence of RE/MAX’s commitment to provide the most value to its clients, just visit the new Remax.com website.  Re-worked from top to bottom, Remax.com is now the most comprehensive source of real estate information available on the internet.  Whether you are searching for a new home in Salt Lake City or thinking of selling your existing home in Sandy, Utah, looking for home values in South Jordan or investment opportunities in St. George, UT, or just trying to locate a good Realtor, you’ll find all you need on Remax.com.

Finally, another example of how RE/MAX works for you, when other Real Estate companies fall short.  RE/MAX has always invested heavily in television advertising to build a trusted brand that draws both buyers and sellers to RE/MAX agents, who then get the job done for you.  Last year, RE/MAX had a 50% share of national TV ad impressions for real estate franchises–which translates to very strong brand awareness among both real estate buyers and sellers.  This year, based on 1st quarter results, RE/MAX holds a 99.9% “share of voice” for national television.  What this means is that RE/MAX was the only national real estate franchise to advertise on national television during Q1 2009.

Granted, it has been a tough year financially for just about everyone, including Real Estate brokerages.  However, when other national franchises are curtailing spending on critical national advertising, one company, RE/MAX International, is both strong enough and savvy enough to continue to spend to provide the best value proposition to its clients.

Let RE/MAX Help You Buy or Sell Your Home in Utah

Now, who would you rather be working with?  A company in retreat, or a company in the forefront when it comes to providing services, information, and results?  I’m with you–and that’s why I’m with RE/MAX.  Call today to find out how RE/MAX and Dwell Utah can help you achieve your Utah real estate dreams!

What you can do to help the sale is keep the house clean and tidy. In fact, in may be a good idea to get a jump on your packing, putting knickknacks and non-essential items in storage while your home is on the market. Even if you have a good storage room in the house, renting storage elsewhere is recommended. The storage space in the house may be a big selling feature, and if it’s full of boxes a buyer can’t see what it’s like. This is the same reason why I recommend packing up some of your extras. If shelves are covered with your stuff, and corners are packed with your furniture, a buyer has a hard time seeing the home itself. Instead what they see is your life, and they may have a hard time imagining their own life in the house. By emptying it of clutter, you help make your home a blank slate, something a buyer can imagine filling with their own possessions. This is crucial to a successful sale.

Some other things you can do to increase the saleability of your home is to do any repairs that really stand out. The front of the house is key. If the front door sticks and squeaks when it’s opened, that’s a bad first impression. Similarly if the paint on your home is peeling. Investing a bit of time and money into freshening up what is worn out is likely to pay off in the end, as your home will attract higher offers. Keep in mind that people often open cupboard and closet doors when looking around at a house they may buy. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep these spaces clean and tidy, and also make sure they open and close easily.

The bathroom is another key area. Make sure any mildew or bathtub build-up is completely eliminated. When you know the house will be shown, keep clean towels hung in a tidy fashion. If there are any burnt out light bulbs, replace them. Put in a new air-freshener. If the bathroom looks sharp, that’s a big point in your house’s favor.

The kitchen is similar. Assuring your appliances are clean and sparkling, and your counters free of clutter will be another plus point. Since the smell of your home is another thing a buyer encounters as soon as they open the door, make sure it’s pleasant. Consider creating some fresh baking smells in the kitchen. While cookies on a plate on the counter are certainly a nice offer, if you don’t have time to actually bake just put a few cinnamon sticks into a pot of water and leave it on a low heat setting. Alternatively, graham crackers lightly toasted in a pan in the over have a wonderful smell. If you aren’t going to be home, please don’t leave the stove on unattended. You could do this for a couple of hours before you leave and then turn it off.

On the topic of smells and first impressions, having your carpets cleaned is always a good idea. Further, if you have pets, it might be wise to board them or send them to visit a friend while your house is being shown. Nothing is more of a turn-off to a non dog lover than your hairy mutt jumping on them, then following them around the house scratching fleas.

By following these few tips, you are sure to have successful showings.

1) You are attempting to predict the bottom and unless you research economic data all day and all night you will likely never accurately time the bottom, even most analysts can never accurately predict market bottoms. In other words you still probably will not get as good of a deal as you anticipated. You are better off beginning your search right now, finding something you really like and negotiating the most favorable terms.

2) If you wait until there is a “confirmed” bottom, there will be a lot more buyers and when you find a property that you like there is a much better chance that someone else will be eyeing that same property and you will not be able to negotiate as favorable terms.

If you act now you will have more room to negotiate due to the lack of other buyers who are waiting for the bottom. The best way to gain financially is to be a contrarian, to zig when others zag, if nobody is buying real estate and you are in the position to purchase a home buy one.

If you currently own a home and are paying a mortgage on it then you have a few options.

1) You can sell you home. However, in a buyer’s market there will be some downside with this option. The upside that I mentioned above for buyers will be the downside for you as a seller. If you can afford two mortgages it is not as big of a deal you can buy your new home and sit on your first home until the market turns and then sell it.

2) You can rent the property. If you do not want it to be a long term rental or investment property you should consider a lease to own option. This will attract a broader range of prospects; many people would like to purchase but just cannot qualify at the moment. With a lease to own option they are paying you a little bit of the down payment every month and will also have incentive to take care of the house as they are going to own it soon.

Buying a home should be viewed as that a home and perhaps a long term investment. Flipping properties does not work in a buyer’s market. There will be no short term gains, so begin your search now and find a house that you love, with a good Realtor you will have no problems negotiating terms that are in your favor and therefore get the best deal you can possible receive. If you have any questions or would like to speak to an experienced agent call Ron Thurber at 801-860-2049 or visit my website www.utahagent.org.

The top eight cities that have exceeded the U.S. average in home appreciation and are prevailing against the current sag in the market are:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Seattle, Washington
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Boise, Idaho
5. Houston, Texas
6. Austin, Texas
7. Charlotte, Florida
8. Raleigh, Florida

Home price appreciation was much higher in these 8 cities with double digit increase in markets like Boise and Seattle, while the national average of home price increase was only 5.9 % between the fourth quarters of 2005-2006. Several of these cities had missed the housing boom of the last five years and many had lagged behind in the annual appreciation rates. For instance, while the national average for home appreciation ranged from 7 % to 12 % between 2001 and 2005, these cities had experienced only an annual appreciation of 2 % to 5 %. So, at present, the eight cities are catching up on the recent housing boom, making now the best time for buyers to enter their markets.

These top eight cities are also great places for settling up house because of their strong economies backed by flourishing industries and good educational levels that are above the national average.

Austin has a very affordable housing market with the median sales price of Austin-Rock Rock area at $173,700. Austin saw an appreciation of home prices by 6.7 % from the 4th quarter of 2005 to 4th quarter of 2006. This appreciation is steadier when compared to areas such as Fort Lauderdale where prices went up above 30 %.

Home prices in the Charlotte area increased 9.09 % from the 4th quarter of 2005 to the 4th quarter of 2006. This was its fastest appreciation since the past 14 years according to the OFHEO.

Even as Mr. Yun, senior economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR) predicts that the home prices on a national scale will bottom out this summer, economists and local real estate agents forecast a stable growth in these cities for the near future. Homes in these markets will continue to grow at a stable pace and they are not expected to be overpriced too much than in the booming markets in the first half of the decade.