Entries by Babs De Lay

Condo Drought

‘How much are all those condos going for that they are building everywhere?’  ‘ALL OF THOSE ARE APARTMENTS, NOT CONDOS!’  That’s right-just about every crane and every high rise in construction is an apartment building in the Salt Lake Valley and we are in a bona fide drought for condo buyers. Who buys condos? Well […]

#1 Place to Grow OLD!

To practice your Utah accent, repeat after me: “Lard, Darris, wat a gar jus arng farmal ur wear un!” (Lord, Doris, what a gorgeous orange formal you’re wearing!). Good job!  Sister Dottie S. Dixon would be proud. Guess what?  Utahr is sa speshul that we’re now the bestest playce ta git old! Call your folks, […]

The Apocalypse?

The President of North Korea keeps threatening to blow up the U.S. with nuclear bombs. Are you scared we might all be glowing with radiation in the near future? Are you ready for the apocalypse? When I was a kid the same nuclear threat occurred in 1962 during what was known as the ‘Cuban Missile […]

Home/Condo Price Update!

Wasatch Front home prices in this year’s second quarter climbed to their highest point ever. The median Wasatch Front home price reached $300,000, up from $275,000 a year ago. In Salt Lake County, the median single-family home price was $327,000, a 10 percent increase from last year. The top five most expensive housing areas by […]

Utah’s Bad Drivers

I wonder if Donald Trump drives anything but a golf cart. I’ve never seen a photo of him behind the wheel of an automobile, but then I don’t remember seeing any presidents in my life time driving and waving at a camera. The first U.S. president to ride in a car was William McKinley, who […]

AFFORDABLE HOUSING?

Besides the NBA finals and your brackets, the two hottest topics these days are affordable housing and tiny homes. First, affordable housing is really two things…what you think you can pay for a roof over your head, and what the government thinks you can/should be able to afford.         The Housing Authority of the County […]

SHANGRI-LA LA LAND

You might be too young to know the reference of ‘Shangri-La’ unless you were a Lit major or an old movie buff. Shangri-La is a mythical place in the mountains of Tibet imagined by James Hilton in his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon. It was perfect paradise cut off from the world, with no violence, no […]

Comfort Pets

The definition of comfort is simply the easing or alleviation of a person’s feelings of grief or distress. We all know how to get our own comfort, from a hug of a loved one to a grilled cheese sammich and soup. It may come from a favorite quilt wrapped around you at home on the […]

IT’S A SELLERS MARKET!

I just got back in the office from a meeting with a 94-year old ex-REALTOR because I had an offer on her condominium. She lives in assisted living and I always bring her ‘biscuits’ (cookies) from Ruby Snap which she adores. I’ve been in the real estate business for 32 years and she too .was […]

RENTAL BLUES

The Utah Apartment Association tells us that the vacancy rate for apartments in Salt Lake City right now is 3%.  That means that 97% of all rental housing is leased out. That blows if you’re looking for a place to hang your hat, and it’s probably even worse if you have a cat.  Most landlords […]