If you can believe it we are only one month away from the Habitat for Humanity build day event. A big thank you to all of those who have volunteered…Last year we really had a good time, and I think this year will be just as fun.

A quick reminder to all of you who still need to get your Volunteer application, and your waiver forms turned in…Please have them to me A.S.A.P. so that we can reserve your spot on the team. (If you need the form please contact us and we will get it to you).

For those of you whom have turned them in…stay tuned for more information (regarding time and location).

Thank you once again from the Salt City Home Designs Team.

Buyers, sellers, and agents should be prepared for extra costs and delays as cautious mortgage lenders order stricter reviews. This article comes from MSN Real Estate…. I have seen first hand what this article is talking about with some of my own investments. We had a home this last winter that appraised for $5,000 under the approved sales price. The buyers were ready to close (the appraisal was all that was left)….and when it came back low it threw everything into disarray…..

Here in as excerpt from the article;

“Any time you have a market in transition; appraisals aren’t going to keep up because the appraisal is based on historical data…… Inadequate “comps” can present problems as well. (“Comps” are recent sales of nearby homes that are similar, or comparable, to the home that’s the subject of the appraisal.) The mortgage lender may deem the comps inadequate if the homes were too far away or were sold in such nontraditional circumstances as a short sale or foreclosure or if the sales occurred too long ago. If the comps aren’t sufficient, the lender may order a review or second home appraisal to verify that they were chosen correctly.

Read the whole article and as always…please send your comments and tell us what you think.

MSN Real Eastate Home appraisals

Heavens know I hate to hear bad news (we all do)… but I ran across this article on MSNBC talking about how the standards for home loans have become so stringent that they are boarding on the ridiculous.

Here is an excerpt:

“The real estate business seems to have switched its motto from “location, location, location” to “documentation, documentation, documentation.” Potential buyers must chronicle every dollar of income and all assets via pay stubs, W-2s, tax returns, bank statements, credit reports and sometimes even letters from employers or family members. Mortgage brokers blame new federal lending rules for injecting unneeded delays in the loan process, and they accuse some underwriters of focusing on their own job security rather than fairly analyzing a consumer’s default risk.”

Lets all keep our eyes open for solutions to these problems!! (Read this article and let us know what you think)

Read the entire article here
MSNBC….Tighter Standards

I just wanted to send out a quick thank you to everyone who tuned into the radio this weekend to hear our radio ad campaign. We will be running advertisements again in the near future so stay tuned for upcoming information.

Listen to Utah’s Arrow 103.5 This Weekend to hear our new Salt City Home Designs advertisments. Jeremy (the owner) will be speaking on the ad….

Let us know if you hear it, and what you think.

I found a great article (on MSN real-estate, entitled “10 Tips for adding value”) the article talks about 10 things you should look for when remodeling a home. The very first item talks about having a good strategy in place before you begin in order to get good results. This is a topic that we have discussed before in a number of blog entries. Part of having a good strategy is having a good, solid set of plans. If you want your contractor to give you a solid bid….he needs a set of solid plans.

“Many people want to build it cheap and fast,”……. “They want an estimate before they even have a plan.” A solid strategy will ensure that the homeowner and the builder are on the same page, saving both parties time and money.” (Quote directly from article)

The article goes on to list a number of other good ideas (I think it would help anyone looking to remodel to take just a few minutes and read this article).

MSN Article – 10 Tips For Adding Value

I came across this realy good article on MSN.COM (in the realestate section).

Here is how it starts out; “The term “flipper” became a dirty word in the real-estate business just before the bubble burst. Now the federal government is turning to these quick-turnaround investors to pump some new life into the deflated housing market.”

Check out the entire article for more information!

MSN.com Article on Flipping Homes

In keeping up with the never-ending search for sustainable “green” building products I have been looking into the Rammed Earth method of building construction. This method has been gaining popularity in the South Western United States. Using it involves the process of combining moist (filtered) soil and a combination of sand, gravel, and clay. The mixture is rammed together in layers (as shown here in this diagram) I found this diagram on iagram.com

This style of construction has been around for thousands of years (sections of the Great Wall of China were built using this construction method). Check out this You Tube video and let me know what you think…..

I just got back from a successful business trip to St.George, Utah. Even though the economy has been down the past few years, lots of great things are starting to happen. The new airport is scheduled to open sometime next year….(I went to the sight personally to check on the progress). Home sales are still low…HOWEVER they are up from last year.

Salt City Homes has done work in Southern Utah in the past….both remodel work as well as new home plans. We are very excited about the prospects of opening a second office in St.George, Utah.

We have been working out the details for some time now and are partnering with a number of firms (both design, and engineering) to get the ball rolling. We will be servicing Southern Utah, Southern Nevada as well as parts of Arizona. We hope to target Las Vegas, Mesquite, St.George, Cedar City, and the surrounding areas.

Keep an eye out for our new Southwestern style homes coming soon to the website!!

As the New Year progresses and we see January quickly coming to a close, I am happy to say that we are already seeing new clients come through the door. We are finishing up a nice little remodel, and have another one starting today. We also have a new client meeting this afternoon.

Still working on the systems upgrade….keep your fingers crossed!!