Entries by Babs De Lay

Happy Graduation-Now DON’T Buy a Home!

2012             My fellow Realtors are going to be a bit peeved at me when they read this article. Why? It’s college graduation time and I’m going to tell you lucky graduates NOT to run out and buy a home for a few years. I know that seems like crazy advice right now especially since […]

The Low Down Dirty Mortgage Poop

2012             Utah’s rate of foreclosed homes has dropped 49% in the first three months of 2012. That should be great news for home sellers, right? Maybe property values will stabilize or stop falling?  Hold onto your bootstraps-Salt Lake City is still in the top of the pile of mortgage muck for the nation in […]

Help For Second Time Homebuyers

2012    The State of Utah has a pretty terrific non-profit that helps lower and middle income families here own homes. They’ve not necessarily been known as the ‘second time’ loan brokers, but with the economy as such, Utah Housing Corporation  is now providing second mortgages to current and previous home owners as well as […]

Mulitple Offers in This Economy?

2012    “There are a million homes for sale! What do you mean this property has multiple offers on it?!” says the buyer who just lost out on a home that had been for sale on the market for five months.      Welcome to our world these days.  Yes, there are a ton of homes […]

2012 Salt Lake Housing Forecast

2012    No matter what industry you work in, there is always a year end wrap up and January prediction/ forecast available from some industry expert out in the world. Glass blowers and fuzzy sock makers want to know the prices of materials and demand for products each year just as much as home builders […]

Use Your VA Benefits!

2011        We just commemorated our service men and women on Veterans Day. Unless you are a Vet, it’s hard to understand the commitment that military service requires. There are over 25 million Vets in this country.  Thanks to President Franklin Roosevelt (in 1944), Vet’s can get assistance in buying homes as a reward for […]

Who Slept In Your Bed?

2011 I’m just about to put a home across the MLS that is rather historic…it is the birthplace of Gordon B. Hinkley, the 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  There’s not a bronze plaque outside the front door noting the significance of the property, but there could be if the […]

The Sky Falling Is To BUYERS Advantage!

2011    Wow-the economy is crazy! The Dow Jones has tanked, the U.S. credit rating got downgraded for the first time in our history and many people think that this may indicate the sky is falling.  I find it an interesting parallel that many home owners out there need a loan modification ( so does […]

Great Home But Needs A New Kitchen, Damn!

2011    How many times have you heard someone shopping for a home to say, “We saw the perfect house, perfect neighborhood, but needed (insert) a) a new kitchen b) another bathroom c) central air d) all new carpets e) all of the above?!    If you’re getting a bank loan to buy a home […]

Fire Season Is Always At Home

2011 It’s been a snowy, rainy year in the State of Utah. The wildflowers are lush, the hills are green. Pretty!… and pretty scary if we get a hot summer. We could get massive wildfires, many which could be started by fireworks and lightening storms. What was Utah’s largest wildfire on record? The ‘Milford Flat […]