Monday, December 26, 2011

On the 12th Day of Christmas ... A Helping Hand

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 11th Day of Christmas ... Cleaning Out Behind the Fridge

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 10th Day of Christmas ... Water Heater Maintenance

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Thursday, December 22, 2011

On the 9th Day of Christmas ... Repair and Replace Worn Trim and Molding

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The 12 Days of Christmas - Home Repair and Maintenance Version


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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 8th Day of Christmas ... Shiny New Cabinet Hardware

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 7th Day of Christmas ... Seal Air Leaks at Windows and Doors

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 6th Day of Christmas ... Repair Sagging Rain Gutters

  • On the 6th Day of Christmas ... Repair Sagging Rain Gutters

    If you’d like to play Santa this Christmas but are keeping an eye on your budget, save your cash. Instead, spend some time and energy repairing the house of a family member, friend, or neighbor in need of a helping hand. It’s the true spirit of the holiday! Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 5th Day of Christmas ... Repair Drywall

  • On the 5th Day of Christmas ... Repair Drywall

    Devote a little time and energy to fixing up the house of a friend or family member, and you’ll be giving the true spirit of Christmas. It doesn’t cost much to offer a helping hand (even if you’re all thumbs), and you’ll brighten everyone’s holiday — especially your own. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 4th Day of Christmas ... Fix Interior Doors

  • On the 4th Day of Christmas ... Fix Interior Doors

    Give a great gift this Christmas by devoting some time and energy to fixing up the house of a friend or family member who could use your helping hand. It won’t cost much — in fact, it’s way cheaper than five golden rings. Read
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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 3rd Day of Christmas ... New Low-Flow Shower Heads

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the 2nd Day of Christmas ... Repair Countertop Scratches

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

On the First Day of Christmas ... New Filters for Their HVAC

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

How to Make Your Gingerbread House As Solid as a Real House

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Friday, December 16, 2011

October 2011 Utah County Housing Statistics



Housing StatisticsFor the fifth straight month closed home sales have posted at double digit gain over the prior year. October put us at 16.8% over 2010 closed sales, pushing our year to date at 366 more sales than last year, an 8.8% increase. This trend should continue as pending sales posted a sixth straight month of double digit increase, sitting at 19.1% this October compared to last and YTD we are up 12.6%.
Inventory and new listings continue to decline. October new listings were down 15.3% and YTD we are down 14.5%. This has pushed our total inventory down 18.8% and our months supply of inventory is also down substantially to 8.0 months, a 24.0% decrease from last year at this same time.
Utah County October 2011 Housing Statistics

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bruce Tucker Shaves His Head!

What happens when Prudential Utah Elite Real Estate's principal broker/owner challenges his agents to increase their 4th Quarter production over 2010's numbers?
They rise to the challenge and exceed his expectation of a 10% increase by beating 2010 listings by 43% and under contracts by 38%.
This is especially exciting when you consider that listings in Utah County are down 14.5%!
Huge congratulations to all of the Prudential agents who made this happen!

True to his word, Bruce Tucker had his head shaved in sales meeting today!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

How to Mulch Leaves: Cheap Mulch for Your Landscaping

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Monday, November 28, 2011

Chimney Maintenance for Warmth and Safety

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Monday, November 21, 2011

Why Lose Time Waiting for the Cable Guy? 5 Ways to Take Back That Time

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Friday, November 18, 2011

LED Holiday Lights: 6 Need-to-Know Tips

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Tips on How To Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Thursday, November 17, 2011

2011 NAR Strategic Planning Committee Focus Group Reports

buyersTo help with the 2011 NAR Strategic Plan, focus groups were conducted with both REALTORS® and with consumers. The focus groups were conducted in Jacksonville, FL; Chicago, IL; Salt Lake City, UT; Memphis, TN; and Pittsburgh, PA. The groups were led by a professional facilitator with an observer from NAR behind the one-way mirror. Here are the reports: 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Radically Practical Meets Practically Radical


Some of the most enjoyable sessions I attend at NAR Annual Conference are the EES or Entrepreneurial Excellence Sessions. This year has been no exception as we had the opportunity to listen to William Taylor, the co-founder of the cutting edge magazine Fast Company.

William started off his presentation with an example of an industry that, like real estate, has been struggling for the last several years – the airline industry. In the last decade this industry’s combined losses have totaled more than $60 Million! Yet despite this difficult environment, one airline has risen above the rest to be profitable and successful while others have failed. That airline is Southwest. Everything Southwest does is different and unique in a field where most are indistinguishable from one another.

Taylor’s message was simple, you have to differentiate yourself, much like Southwest Airlines has, to be successful in both good and bad economies. Here are just a few of his top quotes from the session:

“Being able to clearly and succinctly verbalize your value proposition will make all the difference in your business.”

“Being in the middle of the road means you are on the road to nowhere.”

“STOP asking what keeps you up at night and start asking what gets you up in the morning.”

“Think differently! Your brand is your culture, your culture is your brand.”

“Business today isn’t about price, commission, etc It’s about making everything more memorable for your customers.”

“Brand of the future will offer something that is hard to come by, be committed to a big idea, & intensely human.”

“The job of leadership is to help your organization see the opportunities to do things differently.”

“You can’t let what you know limit what you can imagine.”

“Tap into the hidden and collective genius of your customers and colleagues.”

It was a great session and really got me thinking about how important it is to be different than my competitors. Would love to hear some of your thoughts on doing thing differently and incorporating some of William Taylor’s ideas into your business.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Utah's Housing Affordability Index Reaches Record High


Housing Affordability IndexWhile some would have you believe that the sky is falling when it comes to real estate, Chicken Little is actually craning his neck because the housing affordability index is so high!
Since 1970 the National Association of REALTORS has been tracking this index. Earlier this year we reached the all time record high for this index! As of September, 2011, Utah’s index is at 168!
Housing Affordability Index 1970 - 2011The index is designed to show the relationship between the median income and the median home price, it also takes into consideration the current interest rate. To put it more simply the index represents the percentage of the median income needed to purchase a median price home. In other words, in Utah right now, a family earning a median income makes 168% of what is required to purchase a median priced home.
housing affordabilityWhy is this important? Well first off it’s good news in the sense that more people can afford to be homeowners. This is especially important when you consider that current studies are showing that it’s more expensive to rent than to own! Secondly, if a median income family wants to buy a median priced home they will be spending less per month on that home than they would have just a few short years ago!
With decreasing inventories, home prices stabilizing, and interest rates at historic lows, coupled with this record high Housing Affordability Index; it really is a great time to buy a home!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Why Renters are the Next Mortgage Crisis

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Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

September 2011 Utah County Housing Statistics



Housing StatisticsFor the fourth straight month closed home sales have posted at double digit gain over the prior year. September put us at 19.0% over 2010 closed sales, pushing our year to date at 288 more sales than last year, a 7.6% increase. This trend should continue as pending sales posted a fifth straight month of double digit increase, sitting at 35.6% this September compared to last and YTD we are up 12.7%.
Inventory and new listings continue to decline. September new listings were down 7.5% and YTD we are down 14.5%. This has pushed our total inventory down 19.8% and our months supply of inventory is also down substantially to 8.3 months, a 21.6% decrease from last year at this same time.
Utah County September 2011 Housing Statistics
Utah County Median Sales September 2011