Is It Limited?

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  Moving to Chicago?  Maybe parts of Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin?  Last week thousands of Zillow listings disappeared on that website. Why? Well, the 411 is simple-there’s a battle going on across the country between MLS services and in this case it’s between Zillow and Chi-town’s real estate database called MRED. The database cut off 43,000 listings claiming that Zillow violated its agreement in regard to a new trend of some listings not being advertised on the platform but instead kept from the internet for weeks before you can hear about or see them.

Zillow (and me as well) believe that if a seller wants the best marketing and the most eyes on a property, you go ‘full MLS’ so that millions see the listing. Compass Real Estate owns Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, Century 21, Colwell Banker, Corcoran, ERA, Sotheby’s International Realty and Christie’s International Real Estate with about 340,000 real estate agents under their umbrella. Zillow sued MRED and Compass earlier this month stating that those two entities conspired to cut off Zillow’s access to Chicago-area listings.

Holding listings off the MLS is happening here. I just did a search in the Wasatch Front MLS and there were ten of them, most of which were in the Park City area. These look a lot like pocket or limited access listings to me but some and for the consumer you must be working with one of these firms to see the full listing. I have a buyer that found one of these in the Sugar House area listed by a local real estate firm and it wasn’t on the MLS. I was able to show it to her with a bit of research and a week later it appeared on the MLS.

What’s the advantage? First, a buyer might find less competition for a property if the world (internet) doesn’t know about it. Real estate companies can lure in buyers if their listings are private to that firm only. Second, a buyer can get early access before other buyers know about the home.  For sellers, some may not want the world to see the property because of a divorce or estate sale situation or they are relatively famous. Others may want to ‘test’ the market through extremely limited marketing to see if anyone bites at a price. Sadly, many sellers still believe in ‘Covid pricing’-listing higher than comparables, which can lead to a long, long time on the market.

According to effectiveagents.com, the reality is that off-market homes often sell for less than list-about 17% less than comparable public MLS listings which certainly benefits buyers but not sellers. If it were me selling a home, I’d want a ‘limited or non-public’ listing broker to charge me a lot less commission for less service. I’d want the seller to handle showings, negotiations and even paperwork with a clear understanding of the limits of this kind of marketing.

ADU UPDATES

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SLC has three residential zoning areas, ranging from very low-density single-family areas to high density areas for multi-family dwellings. There are actually 12 residential zones as part of the City’s total of 30 zoning classifications that also include commercial, industrial and special purpose areas. Each zone allows for different activities and supposedly helps prevent conflicts between different uses. You don’t want a noisy, stinky factory next door to your home or as was seen in the ‘80’s and 90’s in Draper, a pig farm next door to your new housing subdivision.

The capitol city has been looking at updating zoning rules as of late and especially those that pertain to single family living regulations. Right now, there are three main zones for homes, with rules that state a new home must be built on 5,000-12,000 square foot lots. Unless you’re a major gardener, have need for a massive garage or workshop, many people don’t use much of their rear yards and the trend now is to build accessory dwelling units on that unused land.  Up until a few years ago there were very few laws that would allow for such density but facing a massive housing crunch now and in our future, citizens and city leaders are now putting together proposed new rules that would make adding housing inventory easier than ever before with loosening and regulating adding mini-homes/ADUs in the city.

St. George/Washington County where I often work has had a long-standing OK for ADU’s (aka ‘casitas’) as long as the structure abides by rules covering the size, height, parking, lot requirements and rental use for such in-law/guest house units. Since the area is known for retirees, it makes sense to have extra living space for family members and caretakers for seniors to live, and live affordably. Most of the homes with casitas that I’ve shown and sold have these mini homes in the rear yard and they often look (architecturally) like them main home. They often have around 800-1000 sq. ft, 1-2 bedrooms, 1-2 bathrooms and an open kitchen and great room, but no basement. Parking is sometimes in a third space to the primary home or on the street. Unless you walked into the rear yard you might not even know the second dwelling is there!

If you want to add such a dwelling, call SLC Planning and Zoning at 801-535-7700 or go online at zoning@slc.gov to read the current rules and regulations. Although the city doesn’t know how many ADU’s there currently are, they do put out an annual report about applications and the process updates. If you’re really really interested, you can attend Planning and Zoning public meetings held monthly at the city or watch them on slc.gov television with their live streams on slctv on their YouTube channel.  You can also subscribe to the live meetings of the City Council, CRA Board and Historic Landmarks Commission meetings as well.

Summer Shorts

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I went out to lunch with friends the other day across from IHC’s mega hospital to a chain restaurant not of my choosing. The food was horrible, like warmed from a SYSCO bag of product produced in San Diego and shipped to chains around the west. Generally, I’ve always seen the parking lot there full, but at the noon rush hour there were only five tables full that hour in a restaurant that seats 144.  And I’ve noticed restaurants closing as of late. What’s up? Simply, the economy is beating up both consumers and businesses alike.

For example, according to the USDA, the U.S. beef cattle herd has reached its lowest size since President Truman’s administration (1945-1953), with total cattle and calves at 86.2 million head as of January 1, 2026 — the smallest inventory in 75 years The beef cow herd is even more dire, down 1% to 27.6 million head, the lowest since 1961. Predictions are for a small calf crop and tight feed supplies will push beef prices higher and higher this year, which explains in part why ground beef is at $6 a pound these days. Other factors such as drought in much of the country is causing some ranchers and farmers to cull their herds. Plus, the price of fertilizers and gas is rising drastically.

If you like a good steak, then you may also like a garlic-based chimichurri sauce on top, or garlic fries with your slab of meat? There’s a garlic shortage outlook for this year due to (again) weather, production and supply chain issues. California produces about 90% of the U.S. crop of this spicy bulb but garlic powder, granulated garlic and chopped garlic (think ‘jar-lic’, the chopped stuff in a glass jar) for most food brands is produced in China. China produces over 10 billion pounds of garlic a year, grown by over 1.2 million farmers there.

I gleaned from several websites’ predictions for more shortages this year. I’m not trying to scare you, just sharing some facts based on weather, labor and supply issues affecting food. For example, olive oil production is at a low because areas in Spain, Greece and Jordan have experienced both massive drought, heatwaves and heavy rainfalls. Increased demand by people on Keto/high protein diets has seen massive demand for low carb alternatives like frozen veggies, and farmers have also been victims of extreme weather and crop yields. Same is true with spices like black pepper and cumin and there were some early frost kills in the southern U.S. that has affected citrus production there and the supply chain has shifted more towards California for our need for lemons, limes, oranges, etc. You may have noticed that after 80 years, Minute Maid orange juice concentrate has been discontinued. Grain harvests have been in chaos and profits at your favorite cereal producer (General Mills) were down 32% last year, causing some products to be discontinued. Happy news tho-some cereals will bring back prizes in the boxes to lure you to buy their product later this year.

Purge your spurge

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I recently filmed some social media (@thebabsdelay) about purging your spurge. Most folks I’ve talked to had no idea that this plant known as Myrtle Spurge (aka: Donkey Tail or Burro Tail)  grows low to the ground and thrives in crappy soils, looks like a pleasing silvery succulent and has lovely little yellow flowers this time of year is a wonderful …and deadly…landscaping addition to their properties. It is proliffic in the foothills and in arid areas of the state, but it’s an invasive species found within our borders not native but found in southeastern Europe, parts of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region. It came to Utah back in the last century and was valued by landscapers and home gardeners for it’s attractive foliage, low water needs and ability to grow in bad soil. Utah nursuries promoted it as a ‘waterwise’ ornamental perennial, a unique new plant that ticked off all the good things it could offer homeowners. It even won the UK’s Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit which gave it credibility that helped sales here in the U.S. Sadly, the spurge spread out from homes to open areas which is logical, as seeds from the plant blast out up to 15 feet once the pods open.  Of course birds eat the seeds and poop them out all over residential and open lands areas of the state which feeds the vicious growth cycle of the spurge.

So what’s bad about myrtle spurge? Simply put, it crowds out native plants by forming dense patches of it, destablizes the soil underneath, and reduces biodiversity. Worse, it’s abundant milky white sap is toxic to both humans and animals. It’s easy to dig up as the roots aren’t deep, but you must use some kind of gloves and protect your mouth and eyes. And utahweed.org says that herbicides can be effective to purge this plant from your yard. It has become a Class 4 Noxious Weed, which bans the sale or propagation of the plant.

There are plenty of other invasive plant species in our state, including cheatgrass, tumbleweeds, giant canes (sucking up water like crazy), bromes, some types of thistles, tamarisk (found along the Green, and Colorado River banks as well as around Utah Lake and Farmington Bay). Besides plants, there are also invasive animal species like Rock pigeons, American bullfrogs and the Fox Squirrels who not only compete with native species but can introduce diseases to other animals.

.Tip: If you see an invasive plant or animal in Salt Lake City, photograph it, note the location, and report it to the Salt Lake County Noxious Weed Program or Utah DAF’s UIS dashboard. This helps coordinate control efforts and protects native ecosystems.

STAYING HOME

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A study done at the end of last year by Marketscreener.com found that 43% of U.S. homeowners renovated their home last year, and an additional 33% plan to renovate this year.  This means roughly two in five Americans are either currently remodeling or planning to do so! The survey showed that for those who have recently renovated, 65% chose to upgrade their current home instead of moving and 71% said they are choosing to remodel rather than buy a new home.  Also, it found Gen Z and Millennials are especially likely to remodel instead of moving and homeowners with children living at home were found to choose renovations to stay in the same school district and community.

I would generally agree with these stats, but oddly enough, I often find that people who renovate often DO sell their home within a year for a variety of reasons: the remodeling with constant workers in and out made them crazy and question themselves why they decided to renovate in the first place; they didn’t like the finished work when really all they did want was to move to a larger or smaller home. Many homeowners said they wanted to stay put and improve their existing homes due to high moving costs, elevated mortgage rates, and limited desirable new inventory. It makes no sense these days when you bought during the COVID years with a 3% mortgage rate to buy now at a 6%+ rate, right? And despite the U.S. about to get a new head of the Federal Reserve (‘The FED’-central banking system) shortly, I don’t see interest rates dropping back to 3% for a long, long time if ever. There’s too much going on with the world economy and inflation to see such low rates again.

Remember those rates during the epidemic were a response by the FED to the economic problems caused by the national/international pandemic. The FED cut rates to almost zero to boost the U.S. economy and boost businesses like mortgage lending, insurance sales, construction and supply chains. Basically, we were in a short recession and the FED’s website has a great explanation as to what was going on back then and the response taken by our government at Federalreserve.gov.

The average renovation/upgrades they found in the survey that people were doing were under $20,000. Want to get a guesstimate of renovations for your home?  There are millions of sites, but I like Homeadvisor.com for reasonable remodeling quotes, like: bathroom ($6,640-$17,624), kitchen ($14,587-$41,540), basement ($12,021-$34,635), new central air unit ($3,912-$8,072), build a small addition ($21,904-$83,368), etc.  I’ve also heard locally to build a separate detached ADU, say in your backyard, can cost $50,000-$400,000 depending on the type that you build. A garage conversion for an ADU can cost $50,000-$150,000 according to Utahhomebuilders.com. Washington County is famous for homes with ADU’s called ‘casitas’ as many seniors desire a separate space for visiting family or caregivers.

A Boozy Park

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Utah’s liquor laws have historically been strict, and in this case where you can and can’t locate a bar. Our current laws require that any bar, liquor store or restaurant that serves alcohol must be located at least 600 feet from a park, school, or place of worship. These kind of laws aren’t specific just to our state. Drinking in public is often restricted in coastal areas in the country-not on beaches and nearby parks. Golden Gate Park allows you to drink while enjoying the views of the bridge and bay. Florida doesn’t like drinkers (especially the Spring Breaker type), except on the Tampa Riverwalk. Louisiana has adopted policies permitting public consumption in designated areas, especially during festivals and special events. New Orleans have ‘open container’ zones as does Nevada and places there like the Las Vegas Strip.

I remember back in the 1980’s the Park Café wanted a liquor license. The owner applied at the time and was rejected because it was across the street from a public park, and the rule was that it couldn’t be 600 feet or closer to the public space. After much deliberation a helpful change was made, in that the ‘official’ entrance for Liberty Park was not on the south end of the park, but the north end. And thus, a liquor license was granted with the new entrance designation which was far across the park.

There’s a new bill at our Legislature that was submitted last week that would redefine how close a hotel bar/restaurant that serves liquor could be to a public park. The 600 ft. walking distance rule (or 200 feet in a straight line) would have an exception that would allow a local city to waive the rule for how close alcohol could be served by a park. The reason for this is simple: Magnus Commercial Properties has asked Salt Lake City to allow liquor at the proposed hotel they are planning in Sugar House at the location of the old Sizzler restaurant site on 2100 South and 1300 East.

Having owned a bar several years ago, I can say that the State Liquor Commission was very helpful when I applied for a license but damn, the rules for a business who wants to serve booze are massive. Of course, you can’t drink under the age of 21and must report the measurement of liquor in each drink sold, and the accounting can be a nightmare to tally what and how much was sold each day.

I rarely drink these days. I like to say I drank so much in college I forgot what I had learned and so I had to go back and get another degree after the first four years! I see no problem with a hotel bar offering drinks to its patrons of age, and it would be nice to sit on a patio and look out onto the park and our scenic mountain vistas. This Legislative session is over March 6th, so we’ll see what happens.

Save our H2O !

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With a record weak winter and extreme drought in Utah, Spring seemed to come on early and strong in many areas. When that happens many rush to garden stores to get the first flowering plants into their yards and yet Mother Nature usually has a snow or freeze or both in March or April so set those gardeners back again to pull up frozen plants and restock and replant.  Folks forget that last year had the biggest snow of 2025 in March with 3.3 inches in the City limits and then a few weeks later Little Cottonwood Canyon snow hit Alta ski resort over the 500-inch mark for the season by picking up 22 inches in two days. We could still get a dumper for all you powhounds before this month ends.

This disappointing winter snowfall is indicative of the lack of water the West now faces and as we can see Summer looming in our near future, we’re all going to have to cut back to save our resource. The Utah Department of Natural Resources has a wonderful website that shows when we should water and how much water we should use.  There’s a quote on the site: “April showers bring May flowers…not watering hours!” Many sites say that we should not start watering our lawns here-especially in Northern Utah until May 15th.

The basic guide is that if you have a lawn, water it efficiently by following weekly, weather-based recommendations, using ½ inch per irrigation but adjusting for the type of law, soil and season. The run time on your sprinklers (if you have them) will differ with each kind of sprinkler system you own. The ½ rule really depends on your system’s precipitation rate. For example, a system that applies 1.3” per hour needs about 23 minutes to deliver .05 inches of water.

In the Spring and Fall, apply 1-2 inches of water per week. In Summer, double that almost to 2.5-3” of water per week. Best time to water is after 8PM at night until 8 AM in the morning. Overwatering not only wastes water but can lead to disease, weeds and pests in your grass. Measure your sprinkler output with a few empty cans placed near sprinkler heads to find tune your system so it’s efficiently doing its job. Target dryer areas with a hose to soak the ground and watch the weather reports to turn off your system in case we get one of those crazy atmospheric rivers like the one that just hit Hawaii. I hate seeing sprinklers on when it’s raining outside and I must say that’s a common site at many government buildings in the State. Also, you can capture rainwater to put into your gardens and even use repurposed household water from cooking.  Put in mulch to reduce water evaporation and plant water-wise landscaping plants whenever possible.

Vroom Vroom Crash!

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I’m minding my own beeswax, driving in the middle lane of I-15 when I hear a really loud engine behind me…so loud that it scared me! I looked around and almost instantly a motorcyclist passed me on the left going over 100 mph with NO helmet. Given his racing and weaving in and out of traffic, I expected (sadly) that I’d see him splattered all over the freeway a few miles ahead. Luckily, I didn’t have to witness what ER doctors call “donorcycles or mobile organ donors”.

Helmet laws are in effect now that HB381 has passed, which requires all riders under 21 operating any class of electric assisted bikes on highways. This law came about due to the popularity of electric bikes and the increasing accidents of the young and old around the state, and the simple fact that many riders are taking their bikes on sidewalks, in bus lanes and causing accidents themselves. Basically, the legislature cracked down this year on E-Bike riders who often are kids.  For example, riders under 14 can use bikes on public roads unless directly supervised by a parent or guardian, nor can any kid under 8 use it on public roads.

There’s also now a ‘High Power Electric Device’ category to the law which covers vehicles that can go faster than 20 mph and requires licensing and registration just like motorcycles or high-powered electric bikes. And I like the fact that a new safety certificate is now required for younger/unlicensed riders ages 8-15. They must complete an online safety course to ride unsupervised on highways. Mind you, we don’t see too many E-Bikes of I-15, but many of our state roads are considered highways such as 700 East, and State Street (part of U.S. Highway 89).

In Utah, there were 53 fatalities of motorcycle riders in 2024, which marked a 15-year high. Handylawutah.com reports that motorcycle fatalities account for 32% of all roadway fatalities in the state.  Utah doesn’t collect E-bike crash data separately from regular bicycle crashes, but their website says that from 2020-2024 there were 2,988 total bicycle crashes statewide with 45 fatalities, adding that from 2024-2025, Utah say 66.7 percent increase in crashes involving both e-mobility devices (e-bikes and e-scooters). Police reports indicate the crashes came from riders exceeding legal speeds, using E-bikes in inappropriate zones, and riding without helmets.

In addition to on-line safety courses for young riders, there are several motorcycle training courses throughout the state, from Washington County north. There’s also a Harley-Davidson driving school. Plus, the DMV has a motorcycle practice test so you can learn and test for specifics in riding your bikes safely.

E-bikes will continue to surge in popularity because they are eco-friendly and cost less than a car. But hell, people, please drive safely and within the law, and make sure your kids have helmets and are trained properly to enjoy their rides.

AI, REALLY?

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AI, AI, AI. There’s more news about artificial intelligence these days than just about anything else. It’s affecting everything in ways we can and cannot see and the future possibilities are mind boggling-especially like an old Boomer like me!

I’m not technically a Luddite, but I walk a fine line when new tech not only hits me in the face but demands that I learn it and use it.  The term came about in the 19TH century when factory workers in the UK destroyed machinery they felt was threatening their jobs. I definitely want to throw my laptop or cell phone at the wall when my IT expert is unavailable and I can see inklings of the future, where the technology is going to change how businesses work and how we work at business.

Experts in my industry predict that the AI real estate market is projected to grow by more than $41 billion by 2033; that most of us Realtors are interested in using AI; customers and clients are using AI to value properties, but the error rate is still high VS true values. Automated Valuation Models (AMVs) are on the rise and are mining historical sales data, neighborhood trends, crime stats, walkability scores, school ratings and market sales activity. Zillow was one of the first to incorporate AI and AVMs but they are notoriously inaccurate, but getting better every day.    Real estate investors like AI platforms to predict income on rental properties, price volatility and a huge variety of data

Chatbots are now becoming a norm at some real estate companies especially since they are available to consumers 24 hours a day. A Christie’s broker in Portugal reported closing over $100 million in sales by using AI assistants to qualify leads and schedule showings. Buyers can jump on an AI platform and ask specific questions to search for homes, more than just zip code, number of bedrooms and baths and price. Plus, AI remembers the searches for you to help with future searches.

I have used AI to write property descriptions but have often found them too flowery. I worry that buyers and sellers may rely too heavily on AI than actual people. I contend that nothing will ever beat my four decades of working with buyers and sellers and selling thousands of properties. Human verification and experience will always be the formula for success in real estate and will help ensure that fair housing laws aren’t violated and that clients and customers will see the value in our historic knowledge of neighborhoods and negotiating skills. There are people who never want to use a real estate agent and that will never change, but the majority see our value in helping see their dreams come true You may see me grinding my teeth, hear me grumble, but I  know the future is here and it’s going to help all of us-some more than others!

NO TOUCHIE!

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Spring break is over for most and students can return to class, but in 35 states and Washington, D.C. they aren’t allowed to use cell phones in K-12 classrooms.  Watching the news about this topic it appears American schools have been on the fast track to get control of the teaching environs around this country. Teachers, administrators, counselors and legislators have pushed to eliminate phone use in an attempt to help kids improve their academic performance and frankly, their mental health.

We can all most likely agree that both us and our kids have attention problems because of these hand-held computers. Our constant impulse to check our social media, email and such has spawned a nation of both students and adults presenting symptoms of or suffering from ADHD.  According to govfacts.org “The adolescent brain is outmatched by algorithmically optimized engagement loops designed by trillion-dollar tech companies.”  And in the book, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, he reported on research that correlates the sharp decline in youth mental health-beginning around 2012-with mass adoption of smartphones and the shift from “play-based” to “phone-based” childhoods.  Teachers, principals and school staff have reported that “removing phones acts as a circuit breaker for social anxiety and without the device, immediate pressure to curate a digital persona vanishes during the school day”.  And need I mention a potential reduction in cyber bullying?

Last year Utah outlawed phones in schools to reduce distraction and help students focus. It’s known as a “bell-to-bell” cellphone prohibition in Utah K-12 schools. Individual schools or districts can option out for a different policy. But maybe you’re not a student, have graduated?  There’s a ‘no touch’ law for drivers in that drivers under 18 are prohibited from using any wireless communication device while driving (even with hands-free tech) and the law specifically prohibits the use of handheld devices while driving that includes texting or talking on our phones.  The only exception is for medical emergency issues ore using GPS. If you’re caught violating the law you can get a fine of $100 for first-time offenses and more for repeat offenders.

As of last year, 31 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have hands-free driving laws that prohibit all drivers from holding or touching their phones while operating a vehicle. You may be planning your vacation this year out of Utah, and I might suggest checking on the driving /phone laws. There are some exceptions if you’re stopped at a red light or in traffic to alter your GPS instructions or if you need to call 911 due to an emergency.

This fall, Utah law will begin to enforce a ‘bell-to-bell’ ban on student cell phone use during instructional time, including lunch and breaks, to reduce distractions. Senate bill 69 and 178 require that personal devices, including smart watches, to be put away and silenced except for emergencies and students with medical needs and disabilities.