St. George Real Estate Podcast with Jeremy Larkin

With Mortgage interest rates jumping nearly 3% in less than 2 months, people are asking questions, and rightfully so, about whether a real estate crash is imminent. In our Q1 “Larkin Real Estate Report” webinar we answered these questions, and a dozen more!  Are “Out of State” Buyers still coming in droves? Where are home prices today and how high can they go? Will rising interest rates price EVERYONE out of the market? Jump to the following time stamps for detailed data that might blow your mind! Southern Utah Title “Good News” Report: 5:01 (direct link here: https://sutc.com/good_news ) Are we under or over-built in Southern Utah? 10:17 Where specifically are Buyers moving in Southern Utah? 15:30 Is a wave of foreclosures coming? 16:51 Could prices continue increasing with rising interest rates? 19:00 - 35:00 minutes Home price forecasts: 39:00 MORE info on how underbuilt the US housing market is: 40:00 Owning a home is best “hedge” against inflation: 42:00 What does low housing inventory mean? 49:30 What's next? And wrap up: 52:00 Have other questions about living in, moving to, or visiting St. George and Southern Utah? Just ask! http://www.GoStGeorge.com

The data we have doesn't indicate an oncoming wave of foreclosures. Prices just seem to keep going up and up in our current market. Lots of people see this trend and are worried about a repeat of the 2008 crash. Today I'll walk through some data and show you why foreclosures are not on the horizon. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:00 — Introducing today's topic 0:47 — The percentage of people worried about a bubble 1:23 — Homeowners' Equity Gains in 2021 2:13 — Foreclosures are at an all-time low 3:28 — Notices of Default in 2021 & 2022 4:37 — Trustees Deeds in 2021 & 2022 5:10 — Foreclosures aren't coming, but we are in a bubble 5:57 — Wrapping up If you have any questions about your situation, visit gostgeorge.com and don't hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email. I'd love to help you and look forward to hearing from you.

I have two theories about what's happening in our market right now. We're coming to you from high on the hill to talk about the possibility of a market crash. We get asked all the time if this is another housing bubble. The market feels bubbly, right? But, we have two theories that cover what might happen. Let's go over them: Theory No. 1 is that this thing crashes. It's very simple. This market feels like 2005 to a lot of people. We've seen stratospheric increases in home values; prices are rising too much, too quickly. 4% to 5% appreciation per year is normal. Guys, we saw 30% appreciation in Washington County in the last 12 months. Iron County and Cedar City saw the same thing, and we had 15% and 12% appreciation in the years before that. Home values in Washington County are up 100% since 2016. Your $250,000 home in 2016 is now a $500,000 home five years later. We're so used to it that we don't even notice it. Theory No. 1 is that there's a massive crash; it's 2007 and 2008 all over again. “This is just an exhale, the calm before the next storm.” Theory No. 2, which I'm leaning toward, is that the “bubble” that has been blown gets a pin hole in it and the market stabilizes. The difference between now and 2005 is that buyers are either paying with cash or thoroughly qualified for their home loans. There are still some folks buying sight-unseen…actually MANY are doing so because they can't physically get here quick enough to win the bid. But they aren't just buying flippantly like we saw in 2007.  Lastly, let's talk about California. They have some lovely things like the beach and Disneyland. My videographer is here from California, but he's planning to move to Texas because California also has forest fires, burning cities, oil spills, and a failed gubernatorial recall! There are reasons people are leaning. People will continue to leave, and they're going to go right up the interstate to our town, which supports theory no. 2. Meaning we DO NOT foresee a market crash.  If you're a Buyer waiting for prices to drop significantly, I'm not sure it's coming. What's your theory? Crash or no? Bursting bubble or just “blowing” a bubble? If you have any questions about our theories or real estate in general, don't hesitate to call or email us. We'd love to hear from you!

Do we truly need to be building so many more homes in St. George? There have been a lot of complaints on social media lately about the fact that developers are building so many homes in the St. George area since the influx has been causing home prices to go up. The issue is that if we don't build new homes, our community will become like San Francisco. Let me explain. As of 2015, San Francisco had the highest rents in the country. In the early 2000s, they enacted strict zoning regulations; when your zoning regulations are too tight, you suppress the new inventory from hitting the market. If there aren't enough homes, prices will go up exponentially higher. “The United States is under-built by about five million homes.” Back in 2005 when the market reached its peak insanity, there were 3,512 building permits in Washington County. By 2009, that number had dropped to just 400. It took until 2019 before we hit 2,500 permits, and only now in 2021 will we hit 3,500 again. The bottom line is that the United States is underbuilt by about five million homes. This massive effort by developers is ultimately safeguarding the market from rising home prices. If you have any questions about buying or building a new home or if you'd like to speak with one of our great builder clients, give us a call or send an email. We'd love to hear from you.

Here's a quick tour of St. George I took with my dad, Dale Larkin. Today I'm joined by one of the greatest St. George legends in living memory: my dad! Dale Larkin is 80 years young, so I thought it would be interesting to walk around the city with him and learn how it's changed in the last 80 years. While St. George has changed a lot since my dad was a kid, some things haven't changed a bit.  You can watch our full journey in the video above or skip to each location using the timestamps provided below: 0:00 — Introduction 1:15 — Robert Gardner Jr. statue and the center of town 2:26 — Dale's memories of walking to school and playing hooky 4:35 — Tabernacle Street and Dale's father's business 6:12 — Town square 7:38 — Dale's brother as mayor and the evolution of St. George 9:08 — Wrapping up I would like to thank my dad for joining me today, it was a real pleasure! As always, if you are looking to buy or sell, please give me a call. I'm always willing to help.

Here are my thoughts on who's responsible for these crazy home prices. Ok, guys, we're ALL aware that St. George home values are sky-high right now! And I imagine that ten years from now, we might wish they were “this cheap” again! In the short term, locals hate the prices, and out-of-state Buyers think St. George is a bargain!  But are the rising home prices we're seeing a result of greedy builders and homeowners, or is something else causing it?  We've participated in nearly 1,500 real estate transactions as a team. We were selling before the 2005 boom, through the crash, the foreclosure market, and the incredible ascent of the last five years. Something we learned long ago was this:  Buyers set prices. Home Buyers - not Sellers or Builders - determine “the market.” So you shouldn't be blaming sellers or builders for rising prices if buyers agree to pay them. “Buyers set prices and determine value.” We need to abandon the idea that people are being greedy in this market. Ok, well, some are attempting to be greedy. But hasn't greed been around since the beginning of time? Yet that “greed” is allowed, or disallowed, by the Buyers in the marketplace! The sellers, builders, and developers are all you and me. If you were trying to sell your home right now, you would try to sell for the highest price possible, right? Buyers set prices and determine value. If they stopped paying those prices, prices would decrease. But, until then, they are what they are. Nonetheless, the market has changed in the last 90 days. *Sharply*. Reach out to us to get a current pulse on navigating the market and see if the timing is right for you and your family to make a move! -Jeremy Larkin & The Larkin Group

Need to cool off this summer? Check out these excellent places. Record breaking heat! Sweltering. Agonizing? Some say so. I say so!  And we're officially headed into “Fool's Fall” here in St. George…that time when we think, “oh it will certainly cool off now that school started” :). LOL is the response I have to that one. So since Summer is far from over, where are the best places to cool off? We visited several and would love to hear about your favorites!  1. Pine Valley Recreation Area. As they say, if you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em, and if you can't beat the heat, just leave. The Pine Valley Recreation Area is located about 45 minutes away from St. George. The ducks love it, the kids love it, and the senior citizens love it. It only costs $6 to enter, and the town of Pine Valley is free to explore as well. The best part? It's 20℉ cooler than St. George! 2. St. George Town Square and splash pad. This is one of my favorite places to cool off in the summer. It's fun for all ages, and I've run through it with my kids many times over the years. It's located right in the heart of downtown, and it's completely free.  3. The St. George City Pool. I've been coming to this place for 40 years. As a matter of fact, it's the place that most reminds me of the epic pool scene in “The Sandlot!” We somehow missed a clip of the “hydrotube” slide, but for the super low entry fee, you can't beat a good ol' community pool! “If all else fails, find a friend, family member, or neighbor who has a pool.” 4. Veyo Pool Resort & Crawdad Canyon Rock Climbing. Could there be a natural, spring-fed swimming pool in a volcanic canyon in the desert? The answer is yes, this is where you'll find it. You'll also have the chance to snack on a Pronto Pup, which is Utah's version of a corndog. I've been coming to this place even longer than the St. George municipal pool, and as you can see in the video at 2:36, the crowds flock here even on weekdays.  5. Someone else's swimming pool

If you're waiting to sell, you're missing out on some fantastic profits. Our real estate market is as hot as our temperatures, which is to say it's practically on fire. So if you own a home right now, you're essentially swimming in a pile of money.  Sellers are making ridiculous profits by jumping into the market. Agents are keeping their hands full with new clients who are flooding in and trying to buy and sell homes. We just served our 110th client this year, closing over $50 million for area Buyers and Sellers in 2021! So we are acutely aware of just how much demand is out there.  “But show us the money - we want examples!” No problem! To give you an idea of what sellers can get today, I'd like to show off a few homes that are what I call “stoopid money properties” (the two oo's are for emphasis). Stoopid Money Scenario #1 - Downtown St. George: We listed a home in Downtown St. George for $499,000, which is already pretty high based on historical values in the area. Just a bit larger than 1,900 sf! Get this: It sold for $550,000 within 24 hours. We literally had half a dozen buyers fighting for it. “If you've had even the slightest thought of potentially selling your home, now is the moment to strike.” Stoopid Money Scenario #2 - Red Cliffs: Another home in the Red Cliffs area sold for $240,000 in 2016, but it just sold again for $405,000 last month. A “stucco box” built in the 1990s…the epitome of average! And they struck $165k worth of “gold”—in just four years.  Stoopid Money Scenario #3 - Arcadia Resort: Finally, a home in Arcadia sold for $660,000 in 2019—guess how much it went for this year? Would you believe it sold for $1.1 million?  If that's not stoopid money, I don't know what is. Needless to say, it's an incredible time to be a (selling) homeowner right now. So if you've had even the slightest thought of selling your home, now is the moment to strike—especially if it's an investment property or second home. If you'd like to get a “quick and dirty” estimate of what your home might be worth, you can do so in about 60 seconds right here: www.DixieHomeValue.com.  That's an automated valuation system. It's generally accurate but far from having us look at your home and provide a full-blown, on-the-ground opinion of value.  If you'd like us to do so, just say the word! Reply to this email or call the Larkin Group team and me at 435-375-3462.  We'll give you a custom, written report that will show precisely how much you can expect to pocket if you sell now - no obligation whatsoever.  If you have any other St. George real estate questions, feel free to reach out to us. We look forward to helping you soon! -Jeremy Larkin & The Larkin Group

Here's an abbreviated history of how the “Dixie Rock” came to be. Today we're taking a closer look at the “Dixie Rock,” where it came from, and why it has this name. Originally, it was called the “Sugar Loaf”. When the pioneers came here in the 1800s, the shape of this rock looked like a loaf of sugar from the valley below. The color and the shape resembled the sugar of their time, so that's why they nicknamed it as such. There was even a restaurant called The Sugar Loaf.  It's now Cafe Sabor, a killer Mexican joint that draws crowds from all over.  Some write it “Sugarloaf”, while others use “Sugar Loaf.”  In 1913, students at the Dixie Academy came up here and painted the word “Dixie” across the front of the Sugar Loaf. Dixie, referring to the “heart of the south” and the fact that original pioneers who came to St. George did so to raise cotton, a key southern crop. “It was originally called the Sugar Loaf.” The name has been controversial over the last few years, to say the least. Dixie State University has been under a lot of fire because people are tying the name to the South. The bottom line is that it has a very different connotation here in Utah, but people will feel the way they do, and I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel.  I graduated from Dixie High School, Dixie State University, and even Dixie Academy, so Dixie Rock has been part of my entire life. Every spring, DHS has “D week” where students have the opportunity to come up and paint over the “Dixie” on the rock with a fresh coat of paint. That's why it always looks so bright and vibrant. There you have it, the history of The Dixie Rock!  If you have any questions for us about this incredible community, and of course, St. George Real Estate, don't hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon. -Jeremy Larkin

Not everyone moving to our area from out of state is a rich Californian. Is everybody moving to St. George a cash-rich California homebuyer? Let's go ahead and debunk this myth. “St. George is a beautiful place, and you can get a lot for $1.1 million.” Here's a typical scenario for you: A family buys a home in Los Angeles County 20 years ago for $350,000. Since homes have appreciated wildly over the last decade or two, theirs is now worth $1.4 million. The fun part about owning a home is that you pay down your mortgage over time, so now this family has a home they paid $350,000 for that they owe nothing on (or very little) and are able to sell for $1.4 million. Let's pretend, though, they took the equity out of the home along the way and owed $300,000 when they sold it. They still have $1.1 million to buy a house in St. George. St. George is a beautiful place, and you can get a lot for $1.1 million. So to answer your question, the people moving to our area from out of state aren't all rich cash buyers (although a good percentage of them are). Many others are just regular people with regular jobs—including retirees—who've built up a lot of equity in their homes in the last two decades and are transferring that equity to Washington County.  If you have questions about this topic or are thinking of selling your St. George home and wondering how you can get top dollar for it, email us at sales@gostgeorge.com or give us a jingle at 435-215-4533! I'd love to hear from you.

Are we building too many homes in St. George? Let's discuss that today. It seems as if everywhere you look new homes are being built. Are we building too many houses in St. George? For today's video, I'm at the lovely Desert Flower subdivision where Sunwood Homes is building houses. If you haven't checked out Desert Flower, you're missing out on what I believe to be the coolest subdivision in town.  Many of us have some post-traumatic stress left from the 2005 through 2007 housing crisis that caused record-setting foreclosures here in Washington County. From 2009 to 2013, we sold about 400 foreclosures at the Larkin Group.  In 2005, everything got out of control; 3,479 building permits were pulled in Washington County. (Yes, believe it or not, I brought a paper graph to film this video at 1:05). By 2009, only 474 were pulled because around half the town was in foreclosure or short sale. 15 years later, we're only projected to pull 2,600 building permits—that's roughly 1,000 fewer than in 2005.  So are we building too many homes? Not even close. (Though it may feel like it). Currently in Washington County, we can't keep up with the demand. Record-breaking interest rates, the pandemic, and political unrest are driving people here in droves. We have nearly an unlimited supply of buyers. “Are we building too many homes? Not even close.” In Moab, Utah, rural development experts are saying that the migration out of major cities to rural areas has been sped up by 15 years. We're 15 years ahead of schedule! Buyers are well-qualified and bringing cash, equity, great credit, and quality loans to the market. The huge question will come to be: How will we maintain affordability?  If you're considering buying or selling a house or just have questions, please visit our website, and feel free to contact us from there. If you'd like to know what Sunwood Home's next phase is, visit their website here. We would love to help you with any real estate needs; we know this town!

We're facing a massive inventory crisis in our St. George market. At the end of 2020, housing inventory nationwide hit an all-time low. You read that right: the lowest in recorded history. What does that mean for buyers and sellers in Washington County? To have a balanced market that produces healthy appreciation over time, we need roughly 1,400 homes available for sale. As it stands, we only have about 400. This is a problem. We all want our homes to appreciate, right? Sure. But how do “regular folk” afford housing if St. George home prices continue to escalate at such a pace? More on that in a moment. Where are all these buyers coming from? You name it: California, Nevada, Virginia, Florida—you name it; they're coming from everywhere. During the last boom they were mainly coming from the West Coast. Now we've added in the rest of the country plus thousands of Buyers from Northern Utah and surrounding who want a piece of the St. George second home market. In the $200,000 to $300,000 price range in Washington County, we only have 0.3 months of available inventory. That means it would only take a third of a month to sell all the homes for sale (i.e., 10 days). We typically keep a four- to six-month supply of homes. This. Is. Nuts. “My team and I can negotiate a contract that will enable you to buy and sell without being temporarily homeless.” Who benefits from this in our market? Primarily, investors and landlords. They don't need to move across town and don't need another home to move into. If you're an investor or landlord and have owned a home for more than two years, it's likely appreciated by $30,000 or more. I could probably put a buyer in your home without ever listing it on the MLS. “Regular” Sellers (folks relocating across town or out of town) are the second group that benefits from this. If you need to move across town or upgrade to a better home, my team and I can negotiate a contract that will enable you to buy and sell without being temporarily homeless. In the last month, my team's probably gotten around 50 inquiries from buyers looking to buy just in our Desert Flower and Brookwood subdivisions alone. If you'd like to know more about our St. George market or are interested in a home valuation, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'd love to speak with you. I hope you have an amazing rest of your winter and an even better spring in 2021! Bottom line? The only solution to this housing shortage, and to stop prices from escalating to skyscraping levels, is for folks to put their home on the market. “But where will we move?” We can handle that. As a matter of fact, we can guarantee you won't go homeless when we sell your home by way of unique contracts we're writing for our clients. Wanna scratch that itch about what your home's value may be? Start HERE with our “HomeBot” service. I promise you'll love it! Call us directly at 435-215-4533 if you want to open up a conversation about selling your home, buying another, or just to catch up! PS!! Here's a list of our active, ready, willing and able Buyer clients who would buy TODAY if they found their home! Please call, email, text, or courier pigeon ASAP if you or a friend's home is a match!

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Yes the traffic is out of control and don't even THINK about trying to go to Walmart or Costco mid-day! But the music, energy, and LIGHTS are amazing ANY year, and just what our spirits needed this year. Today we'll take you on a quick tour of three of the BEST spots to enjoy Christmas lights in my hometown of St. George, Utah! In our Holiday tour we visited: St. George Town Square The Red Hills Desert Garden The ABC “Christmas Light Fight” award-winning Olsen Family home on Harmony Place in Bloomington Hills! You'll of course want to hop in the car and see these and many others. Thanks to Hedgehog Electric for their annual St. George Christmas Lights map! You can find it HERE. Happy Holidays friends! -Jeremy & The Larkin Group

Don't be shy, come claim your pie at our TOUCHLESS "Pie-Thru" event! Tuesday November 24th from 4 - 6 PM 2020 has been...well, "complicated." And there's never been a BETTER time for us to gift you some Holiday cheer in the form of a beautiful Thanksgiving Pie! This is a "touchless" event where you will literally just DRIVE THROUGH our Larkin Group HQ parking lot and we'll (masked of course) hand you a pie through your vehicle window! RSVP for your PUMPKIN or APPLE Pie by clicking HERE. Our office is located at: 50 E. 100 S. #300 St. George, Utah, 84770 See you November 24th!

The St. George Basket Brigade celebrates 11 years delivering love, hope and a FULL THANKSGIVING MEAL to nominated St. George families. And we couldn't have done it without your help! Over that time period we estimate that nearly 1000 families in need received a Brigade basket delivered by one of as many as 1500+ individual volunteers.  If you've been one of those volunteers, you're aware that it's a prized opportunity that folks literally join a waiting list to take part in! So now we pop the question! WILL YOU NOMINATE or FEED a family to help us celebrate 11 years? Perhaps both? Here's how:  1. PLEASE NOMINATE a family in need HERE. What does “in need” mean? If you think for even a second that they're in need, they're in need! 2. If you're able to FEED a family, please do so HERE. It's just $50 to have a full Thanksgiving meal delivered to a family.  Can't donate $50? Then donate $5 or $10! Want to feed multiple families? Email us about being a 10-family corporate sponsor at baskets@gostgeorge.com. The greatest part of this event is that the recipients prepare and cook the meal themselves, in their own homes, rather than a “charity” soup line. It endows them with hope, self-confidence during a tough time, and makes the community better.  Here's (just one) of the messages we received from families who received a basket in 2018: “It was a very, very nice surprise to get this thoughtful basket. Thank you for everyone who put in the love, time, thought, and money to make this happen. It was humbling to see we were number 171 on the envelope and to think of how many baskets had been delivered. Super clever with the use of the laundry basket, we used it yesterday :) Thank you again and we will be paying it forward.” -Love, a grateful family. We know it's a busy time, please take just a moment to nominate a family who will be forever grateful!  DO IT HERE.  -Jeremy Larkin, Basket Brigade Chairman

Homebuyers are coming to St. George in droves right now. Gender-reveal wildfires, murder hornets, and a booming real estate market—what a year. I'm out today at the Desert Flower subdivision, where we have seven homes going up all at once. Although it feels like everything 2020 has thrown at us is out of control, what's even more out of control is our market in St. George. Homes are selling as soon as we can list them. At the Desert Flower subdivision we've pre-sold almost ALL of our 40 homes! “Our real estate market is out of control.” What's driving the market right now? People are looking for a sense of place and security. People are moving out here from larger cities, while others are finally becoming homeowners after years of renting. This combination has driven up real estate values by an average of $40,000 in the last year. Yes. You read that correctly, 40 grand! If you'd like to see how much equity you currently have in your home enter your address HERE. If you've thought about selling your home at all in the near future, we should have a conversation. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me. Give me a call or send me an email today and let's have a conversation.

After much anticipation the Desert Flower subdivision is here! We've worked with over 1,300 families buying and selling homes here in the St. George area and we can tell you without hesitation, this is the most attractive, highest quality, most well-located “affordable” (everyone defines that differently) housing product in the county! Our friends at Sunwood Homes spent a few YEARS developing something the community would really love, AND really needs! Desert Flower is made up of 40 single-family homes, ranging from the high $270,000 range to the mid- $350,000 range with 2-car garages, block privacy walls and fantastic curb appeal. We'd love to have you at our Grand Opening event, here are the details: Date / Time: Saturday, August 1, 2020 from 8 - 11 a.m. Location: 691 E. Desert Flower Dr. Washington, Utah 84780 Google Maps link: here What to expect: Chick-fil-A catered breakfast (while supplies last!), cornhole, model home tours and prizes totally over $500.00!! RSVP Here

I have incredible news about the real estate market! Q: “Jeremy, after COVID-19, riots, and some murder hornets, how’s the real estate market?” A: Our answer might shock you! It shocked us at The Larkin Group, and we do this every day! Every single thing about 2020 could, and perhaps should have, indicated that a major real estate market correction was coming. And then it didn’t.  So what gives?  I’ve gone through and organically compiled the market data all the way back to the first week of January to see where things were headed, where they derailed with COVID-19, and where they SHOULD have gone thereafter.  We tracked new homes hitting the market, price reductions, closings, and pending sales (see the spreadsheet in the video above). **During the week of May 3 through May 9, we closed on 126 homes in Washington County and 174 homes went under contract. This is exactly what we would expect from a non-pandemic market. ** “The St. George real estate market is alive and well, and conditions are strong for both buying and selling.” COVID-19 hit in March, and quarantine measures were strong during those weeks but began to fade in April. The data show that pending sales fell from 145 in the first week to just 99 in the last week of March. But in April, pending sales increased by 22% in the second week and by 4% in the first week of May.  How is this possible? There are quite a few factors, actually, but here are a couple of key ones: There was pent-up demand during COVID-19, given that fewer people were buying and selling during the worst of the pandemic. Mortgage interest rates are low. As in borrowing money to buy a home is REALLY inexpensive! How much so?  In the 1970s, mortgage interest rates averaged around 8.86%;  in the ‘80s, they averaged 12.7%;  in the ‘90s, it was 8.12%;  in the ‘00s, it was 6.29%;  in the ‘10s, it was 4.07;  and today, interest rates hover around 3.24%. Homes today are literally MORE affordable than they were in the ‘70s and ‘80s, despite massive increases in home values since then.  The last thing I want to share with you is something I broached about six weeks ago: There are a lot of folks who are living in major metropolitan areas who are just plain ready to get outta dodge. A piece in USA Today discussed how folks who live in large cities are considering moving to smaller areas because they don’t want to be stuck in another pandemic. That was BEFORE folks started rioting and looting their cities…. The great news is that the St. George real estate market is alive and well, and conditions are strong for both buying and selling. If you have any questions about making a move, reach out to us. We would love to answer your questions.

Many people are concerned about decreasing home values. Today I’m sharing what you need to know about that. Are St. George and Southern Utah home prices falling due to the pandemic?  Clearly, I’ve spent some time working from home (as many others have)…do the cap and flannel give it away?

I’m sharing five important tips to know when buying a new construction home. The new construction home buying process is a different process than going out and to look at an array of homes, picking an existing house, and writing an offer on it.  We’ve been looking at the data from Zillow from 2019 about who is buying new construction homes, how old they are, and so on. In 2019, 73% of homebuyers were employed, 16% were retired, and 11% were unemployed or students. Nearly half of those buying new homes were parents. Another interesting figure is income: 17% made less than $50,000, 31% made $50,000 to $99,000, and 53% earned over $100,000. “90% of new construction homes are sold before they’re built.” No matter where you are in the country, the following five tips will save you an enormous amount of headache in the new home construction process!  1. (Most) new homes may not be listed in the MLS. You need to call a great agent and ask about new properties that are not yet listed on the MLS. You could be missing out on some wonderful homes otherwise.  2. New homes are often sold before they’re built. Home buying is not the same as walking into Walmart and saying, “I need to see the baseball bats.” Sometimes you need to buy something that doesn’t yet exist. 90% of new construction homes are sold before they’re built. 3. The first buyers usually get the best discounts. In our Sunwood Homes, for example, we have an excellent incentive right now where you can get a free iron door if you work with our preferred lender. When builders launch a new subdivision, they load up incentives to get people to want to move there. Over time the area is popular so they do not need to offer them anymore. If you can do it, it pays to be first.  4. Builders do not have a personal attachment to the home. You may wonder why they won’t negotiate with you, but generally, the price advertised is the price; there is very rarely a ‘make an offer’ option. Their list price is based on the actual cost of materials and labor, plus market value of the land, plus reasonable markup for profit. This is business for them, so they’re running by numbers and spreadsheets. And often very thin margins.  5. Some of the best discounts can be in upgrades. Check with the builder, find out what kind of incentives are being offered.  You need to work with an exceptional agent who can show you all the best neighborhoods, and we can do that for you. If you have questions about the home buying process, new construction, the financing process, or anything else concerning real estate, please reach out to us. We would love to help you. Have a happy 2020! Cheers, Jeremy Larkin & The Larkin Group

As a homeowner, you need to know your property’s value and the status of your mortgage. Here’s why. We’re on the verge of a new decade, and you may have plans for your physical health in 2020, but today I’ll address something equally as important: your financial health. Specifically, there are two pieces of information you absolutely need to maintain or improve your financial health as a homeowner.   The first is an up-to-date valuation of your property. At 1:28 in the video above, you’ll see a quick demonstration of how to figure this out on my website. The point is, the average sale price of homes in Washington County has increased almost $150,000 in the last seven years, so you might want to consider pulling a “Seinfeld” and going out on top by selling now. “If you have student loan debt, auto loan debt, or a couple of credit cards you can’t seem to pay off, you can consolidate them in a home equity line of credit.” The second is the status of your mortgage. As you’ll recall, I recently shared an article on my blog and Facebook page that revealed what Americans believe are the five safest investments they can make. The results are as follows: U.S. Housing: 27.2% Savings Account: 21.8% Gold: 16% U.S. Bonds: 10.6% U.S. Stocks: 10.4% You need to know your current interest rate, whether you have private mortgage insurance, whether you can get rid of that insurance, etc. A lot of homeowners got their mortgage when their credit wasn’t as good as it is now. They didn’t have as much equity as they do now, and they may be paying fees they don’t need to be. If you have student loan debt, auto loan debt, or a couple of credit cards you can’t seem to pay off, you can consolidate them in a home equity line of credit. If you’d like to know more about this or any other real estate topic or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home in 2020, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you, and I hope you have a great New Year.

The St. George Basket Brigade celebrates 10 years delivering love, hope and a FULL THANKSGIVING MEAL to nominated St. George families. And we couldn’t have done it without your help! Over that time period we estimate that nearly 1000 families in need received a Brigade basket delivered by one of as many as 1500 individual volunteers.  If you’ve been one of those volunteers, you’re aware that it’s a prized opportunity that folks literally join a waiting list to take part in! So now we pop the question! WILL YOU NOMINATE or FEED a family to help us celebrate 10 years? Perhaps both? Here’s how:  1. PLEASE NOMINATE a family in need HERE. What does “in need” mean? If you think for even a second that they’re in need, they’re in need! 2. If you’re able to FEED a family, please do so HERE. It’s just $50 to have a full Thanksgiving meal delivered to a family.  Can’t donate $50? Then donate $5 or $10! Want to feed multiple families? Email us about being a 10-family corporate sponsor at baskets@gostgeorge.com. The greatest part of this event is that the recipients prepare and cook the meal themselves, in their own homes, rather than a “charity” soup line. It endows them with hope, self-confidence during a tough time, and makes the community better.  Here’s (just one) of the messages we received from families who received a basket last year: “It was a very, very nice surprise to get this thoughtful basket. Thank you for everyone who put in the love, time, thought, and money to make this happen. It was humbling to see we were number 171 on the envelope and to think of how many baskets had been delivered. Super clever with the use of the laundry basket, we used it yesterday :) Thank you again and we will be paying it forward.” -Love, a grateful family. We know it’s a busy time, please take just a moment to nominate a family who will be forever grateful!  DO IT HERE.  -Jeremy Larkin, Basket Brigade Chairman

Shawn Stallard from Chaparral Visuals has worked with us on hundreds of homes over the years. I recently caught up with him at the newest Sunwood Homes. I had a great trip recently out to the Brookwood subdivision to visit one of their models and the photographer who was set to photograph it. It was developed and built by Sunwood Homes.  This place is absolutely epic and Shawn Stallard from Chaparral Visuals talked to us about what he does in his day-to-day process. He’s probably done hundreds of home photography sessions for us and he shoots around 20 homes per week.  Shawn takes anywhere from 60 to 80 pictures of each home and we take the 20 to 30 best ones to put online. Working with a professional photographer is such a luxury. Shawn knows exactly what he needs to do to capture homes in their best light and he does a fantastic job. His background is in architectural photography and he has a keen sense of using light. “Having professional photography is a luxury.” If you have any questions for Shawn, give him a call at (435) 321-9016. If you have any real estate-related questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Join us this Saturday for a great time! We’re delighted to have partnered with Sunwood Homes to market their Brookwood Community. In addition to the incredibly stylish and well built homes they’re offering, you’re going to LOVE the location with ZERO through-streets in the Green Springs area! Join us Saturday July 13th from 12-2 PM for: (FREE) Lunch Model Home Tours Live Radio Broadcast with Carl Lamar of 99.9 KONY COUNTRY Multiple giveaways including a Lagoon Family 4-Pack! 814 N. Brookwood Dr. in Washington City (You can enter through the Brio Community) If you’d like to RSVP so we have a handle on how many are coming you can do so HERE. If not, just come on out, we’ll see you Saturday!

Inventory is increasing, prices are dropping, and interest rates are low in our St. George market. The time is now for buyers and sellers. We all know about the “one that got away”! The car, home, guy, gal, eBay auction……it might even bring tears to your eyes just thinking about it! In today’s video Jeremy Larkin describes the current St. George Real Estate market as that “one that MIGHT get away” for many home sellers! And how to avoid it. Enjoy! If you’re a home seller in our St. George market, what are you waiting for? If home prices had peaked and were starting to decline, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Of course you would. Well, that already happened. In fact, home prices peaked all the way back in July 2018.  Right now, we have 1,647 homes for sale, which is an 18% increase compared to how many were on the market last year. As we know, real estate is all about supply and demand. As supply goes up and demand goes down, prices go down too.  Along with home prices, interest rates are falling too. Right now, they’re hovering around the 4.5% range, which is almost half as low as the historical average of 8%. Essentially, this means in about six months, a whole bunch of sellers will look back on this moment and wish they had sold their home. Buyers are going to wish they had purchased a home, too, because interest rates will only go up from here.  Every day, your home’s value drops little by little. We’re not in a bubble, and we’re certainly not headed for a crash—I’m simply saying there is downward pressure on prices right now, so the sooner you can get your home sold, the better.  “Along with home prices, interest rates are falling too.” If you’re a buyer, the good news is our market is becoming more flexible, so you won’t have to worry as much about competing against other buyers for the same home. You may even have some additional leverage when negotiating with sellers.  If you have any other questions about our St. George market or you want to get started buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d love to help you.

Today on “GoStGeorgeTV,” I’ll discuss how to estimate your property taxes in Washington County. If your property is in Washington County, how can you figure out how much you’ll pay in property taxes? Let me walk you through it. To follow along with the video above, visit the Washington County Assessor’s webpage and click the “Tax Estimator” button. The question that inspired today’s topic came from a client who asked how much she would pay in property taxes on a $100,000 home. Washington County works on what is called a “mill rate,” which refers to the Latin wording meaning ‘thousand.’ Essentially, it means that they base property taxes on a rate per each $1,000 of estimated value. Let’s say that the client’s property is located in St. George City. If the property value is $100,000, the tax area rate, or mill rate, is 1.0046% per each $1,000. When you plug in these values into the property tax estimator on the Washington County Assessor’s page, it will generate two figures: your estimated non-primary-residential property tax, and your estimated property tax with the primary residential exemption. ‘Non-primary residence’ refers to a home that isn’t your primary residence, such as in the case of having a second home, investment property, or vacation rental property. A ‘primary residence’ is defined as the home you live in most of the time. The tax rate for a non-primary occupant is 45% higher than that of a primary occupant. The reason for this disparity, by the way, is that the owner of a non-primary residence isn’t here all the time, so they aren’t contributing resources to the community, so they’re charged at a higher tax rate. Primary residents who live in the community are plugging their income into the community, and so are charged at a lower rate. So in the case of my client’s $100,000 home, if it was her primary residence, she would pay $552.53. If it wasn’t her primary residence, she would pay $1,004.60. The key in all this is the property’s assessed value. If we change the property’s value on the tax estimator to $300,000, Washington County’s current average sales price, a primary resident would pay $1,657.59 annually, and a non-primary resident would pay $3,013.80 annually. Compared to a place like New York City, where property taxes could be $20,000 or $30,000, Washington County’s property taxes are very low. “The tax rate for a non-primary occupant is 45% higher than that of a primary occupant.” Now, how do you determine your property’s assessed value? Well, on the Washington County Assessor’s homepage, go to the left side, click “Assessor Record Search,” and plug in the address of your property. Find and click on your property, and you’ll then be sent to a page with the property’s account summary. Click “View Property Record,” and on the right side of the page, you’ll see the property’s assessed value, as well as its tax rate, which you can then go back and plug into the site’s tax estimator. Hopefully this guide was helpful to you! If you have any questions about buying, selling, or investing in real estate in St. George, don’t hesitate to reach out. Here at the Larkin Group, we know this town!  435-215-4533 | sales@gostgeorge.com

Does the St. George Parade of Homes affect our real estate market? Here’s what we found from a three-year analysis. Looking to buy a home? Click here to perform a full home search If you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. Complete this simple 3-question survey about the local market to win 2 tickets ($30 value) to this year’s parade! Today’s video comes from atop the iconic Red Hill, looking into the iconic St. George Valley, talking about the iconic St. George Parade of Homes, which is now in its 29th year. It’s an iconic video! Every February right around President’s Day weekend, as many as 35,000 people from Washington County and all over northern Utah descend upon our community for the Parade of Homes to look at the best and brightest of St. George building. “As many as 35,000 people come to Washington County for the Parade of Homes.” They come here also to hit soccer tournaments and enjoy softball and baseball tournaments, and of course to get out of that smog and into this beauty. It was at least 65 degrees on the early February day we shot this video! The question is, how does it affect St. George real estate? Often at this time of year, our clients at the Larkin Group reach out and say, “Hey, Jeremy, we want to hold an open house during the Parade of Homes because we think that someone will buy our home.” The reality is that some time back, we conducted a three-year analysis of home sales between January and April to determine what the Parade of Homes is really doing for or against St. George real estate. We were able to determine the following. The parade itself during the parade does not really impact St. George real estate in any way, shape, or form unless you are selling a parade home or selling a luxury home very near a parade home. The long-term benefit later in the spring and into the summer and year after year is that it continues to sell what is so great about living here in St. George. If you’re living in smoggy Logan or Salt Lake City and you come see St. George on an early spring weekend and look at luxury real estate, there’s a great chance that you will eventually purchase a secondary or even primary home here in beautiful Washington County. If you’ve got questions about your home’s value, I’d say don’t put it on the market just because it’s the Parade of Homes. Put it on the market if it’s time for you to sell your home. If you’ve got more questions, visit us online at soldinstgeorge.com or give us a phone call. Now get out and see the parade! Complete this simple 3-question survey about the local market to win 2 tickets ($30 value) to this year’s parade!

Friends and clients –  As we settle into 2019, it’s time to take a look at our St. George market. It’s certainly ebbed slightly recently. Does this mean the market, in general, is slowing down? No—we’re still in a robust market. To explain why, there are four points you need to remember. *I STRONGLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THE ENTIRE VIDEO* to make, or save, the most money in your real estate moves this year. But if you’ve absolutely gotta “skim” it, I’ve provided timestamps of each point in the video above so you can skip ahead to the section(s) that interest you the most:  1:57—We are not—I repeat, not—in a housing bubble! 2:54—Interest rates are rising – do you know how high they COULD go? 3:51—Buying a home is one the best investments you can make5:22—2019 will be an “I wish I would have” year for many people As always, if you have any questions about our St. George market or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home soon, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Myself and my entire team of Larkin Group Professionals are ready to help you make the best decisions possible! Call us at 435-215-4533, or shoot an email to sales@gostgeorge.com.

If you’re worried about finding the right home while you’re selling your current one, today’s message may help. There are three ways you can navigate this common scenario. “Hey Jeremy, I heard the St. George real estate market is fantastic!” It is. It has been. Washington County home values are up over $120,000 on average since 2013 and growth appears to be happening everywhere! And this is great…unless your home sells so quickly that you may find yourself homeless before you find the next one! One of the biggest challenges our St. George real estate clients are facing in a fast- market is the delicate balancing act of lining up a buyer to close on their home, while simultaneously trying to close on their next home purchase. What happens if you sell your home TOO fast? Say 1-31 days fast? First, to give you some perspective, let’s consider the example of a listing our team recently sold. Within three days of going on the market, we’d received eight offers, and our seller ultimately earned $20,000 more than their list price. This kind of scenario is exciting, but it is exactly the sort of situation that might elicit the concern we mentioned earlier. Thankfully, there are several ways you can protect yourself from ending up without a home after you sell. Here are three of the best (and most common) solutions: 1. Purchase a home before you sell. If you have the means to do this, this is the ideal solution. This of course requires either: a. A bunch of cash ($300k on average) in the bank, or; b. Financing and income to carry two house payments for a short period of time. 2. Get a bridge loan. Though less preferable than our first option, this financing solution allows you to literally “bridge the gap” as you sell one home to purchase the next. 3. Submit an offer “subject to” the sale of your current residence. Although the third-best of these options, this solution has become very common. Submitting a contingent offer essentially means that when you write offers as a buyer, you include a contingency stating that your purchase is subject to the success of your own home sale. However, sellers are sometimes skeptical of this kind of offer. “Our team has the systems and resources to find your next home, even if it isn’t on the MLS.” This type of issue is exactly why a good real estate professional is worth their weight in salt, especially in a “hot market.” Whichever option you choose, our team would be happy to guide you to the perfect home. We have the systems and resources to find your next property, even if it isn’t on the MLS. If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call at 435-215-4533 or email us at sales@gostgeorge.com.

Friends — You may remember that last year we took over the “Basket Brigade”” charity here in St. George and had the opportunity to deliver Thanksgiving to 200+ nominated families! It was incredible. And guess what? It’s time to do it again! WILL YOU PLEASE HELP? There are families in need who have not been nominated. PLEASE NOMINATE a family in need HERE. What does "in need" mean? If you think for even a second that they're in need, they're in need! If you're able to feed a family, please do so HERE. It's just $45 to have a full Thanksgiving meal delivered to a family. And … we'll be sending you an amazing gift (see here) for doing so! Here’s (just one) of the messages we received from families who received a basket last year: “It was a very, very nice surprise to get this thoughtful basket. Thank you for everyone who put in the love, time, thought, and money to make this happen. It was humbling to see we were number 171 on the envelope and to think of how many baskets had been delivered. Super clever with the use of the laundry basket, we used it yesterday :) Thank you again and we will be paying it forward.” -Love, a grateful family. We know it’s a busy time, please take just a moment to nominate a family who will be forever grateful! -Jeremy Larkin, Basket Brigade Chairman PS — The event is NEXT WEEK so please don’t delay!

How much is a typical real estate commission? Actually, there isn’t a “typical” anymore. What is the typical real estate commission percentage? In the past it was 6%, but why? Traditionally it was 6% because 3% was always paid out to the agent representing the buyer in the transaction. as well as 3% paid to the Agent you hired for the job of selling your home. 3%+3% = 6%. But there have been some changes in the real estate market in recent years and there are now some new options available to you. Have you ever had a time in your life when you bought the cheapest option because you were in a hurry and then regretted it later? I have. Six months ago I bought a pot and pan set from Kohl’s for $49.99 and it’s already dying. It’s the same with real estate commissions—you get what you pay for. “When you meet with a real estate professional, you need to ask about their fee and marketing structure.” You should be asking your Agent: Will you be using a professional Architectural photographer? Do you plan to shoot a Matterport “Dollhouse” tour of my property? What about professional (drone) video? How do you plan to utilize Zillow, Trulia and even print marketing to attract Buyers? And perhaps much, much more…. More marketing dollars, used more wisely, attracts more eyeballs (i.e. Buyers) to your property, thus typically bringing you a higher sales price! At this point you could hire a 3rd party As you look at real estate commissions, you need to look at how much money you want to put into your pocket at the close of sale. You could easily list your home today for hundreds of dollars on the MLS and have the agent do no service or marketing, need to schedule your own showings, pre-qualify your own Buyers, and have that agent only show up when it’s time to negotiate the contract or pay an attorney to negotiate for you. And for some folks, this makes sense! On the extreme other end of the spectrum you could also pay a premium auction company $30,000 to $40,000 upfront to market your home and then also pay a 7% fee at the end of the transaction for your $1 million home. But in today’s market, set aside 3-7% of the sales price for premium market exposure, drone photography, unique placement on Zillow, Trulia and other websites, and ultimately, getting the highest price possible! Most Sellers don’t actually want a commission discount. Really? How? Really. What Sellers want is the MOST MONEY IN THEIR POCKET AT CLOSING. The actual commission percentage is irrelevant as long as they’re confident in that outcome. When you meet with a real estate professional, you need to ask about their fee structure. At the Larkin Group, we actually have a flexible fee structure. It’s based on what you want to put in your pocket at the close of sale. If you have any questions about this or anything else real estate-related, please feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Today I have three reasons that your home may not be selling in our hot market. Why isn’t my home selling? This is a crazy question only because we are in probably the best real estate market the Washington County has ever seen. While many people will say that 2005 to 2006 was a hotter market, it wasn’t. Much like when you go on a road trip and eat a lot of junk food only to feel like you need real food, 2005 and 2006 were a junk food market. People were buying homes without seeing them and lying about their income to qualify for loans. Now in 2018, we have a healthy market full of people who qualify for loans necessary to buy a home. So, why isn’t your home selling? In the last six months, there have been 2,170 homes, condos, and townhomes sold in Washington County. It is so hot that I put my friend Charlotte’s home on the market last week and we received five offers before selling the home for $12,000 over asking price. While over 2,000 homes sold in the last six months, 712 didn’t. They went unsold for three reasons. “The reality is that poor marketing and poor condition could actually be costing you $15,000 to $20,000.” 1. Price. I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, but in 80% of the cases where the home didn’t sell, it was because it was priced outside of the market. Even though the market is fantastic, it is a market and there is a certain price that you are willing to pay or not pay. 2. Condition. You probably have a home that needs to be updated with new carpet, paint, landscaping, etc. You need a good agent to tell you the truth about what you need to do to spruce it up so you get the most money. 3. Marketing. This is not usually the primary issue; however, if your home is not marketed fully, it is very easy to fall back on the mentality of “Well, it’s a hot market.” Just putting it on Craigslist or Zillow is not enough. The reality is that poor marketing and poor condition could actually be costing you $15,000 to $20,000. Meanwhile, the wrong pricing strategy could cost you a sale entirely. If you have any questions about this or buying and selling in general, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Regardless of whether you have 10 kids or NO kids at home, come celebrate back to school time with The Larkin Group. Did you hear the collective cheers of parents across the land as school started this week? We did, and we were some of them! And to celebrate “back to school” time you’re invited to our “Back to School Bash” this Friday, August 18th! When: Friday August 17th from 4:30 – 6:30 PM (Come ANYTIME in that window to pick up your goodies!) You can RSVP HERE.  Where: 50 E. 100 S. #300 in St. George.  What: Pick up (FREE!) pizza and drinks to ring in the new school year! What do I have to bring? NOTHING! Take 10 minutes to say hello, make a stab at our school-supplies guessing jar (all supplies donated to a local school in need) to win a Steakhouse Gift Card, and enjoy dinner and a movie on The Larkin Group! THANK YOU again for choosing The Larkin Group for your real estate adventures! We’re honored and hope to see you Friday! RSVP HERE! Thanks to our amazing sponsors!

Why would you buy or sell real estate right now?  We are in one of the greatest real estate markets we have seen in quite some time. What defines “great?”  For starters, Washington County home values are up by an average of $110,000 since 2013. $110k!!!  No, it’s not sustainable, but it’s real and the market is supporting these prices.  Second, very different from the real estate bubble of 2007, buyers are actually qualifying for the homes they’re purchasing…go figure!

Our instant offer program is not a joke. Here’s how it works and how it could benefit plenty of homeowners. Today we’re answering a question about our instant offers program. Over the last several years, I’m sure you’ve heard about this program on the radio. A lot of people wonder if it’s real. It definitely is! This program was born out of a need that we saw in the community last year. We recently met with Tonie, and elderly woman who had heard about our services on 99.9 KONY Country radio. Her goal was to move East to Colorado within 60 days but expressed great concern about hassling with repairs, cleaning up, and showing the house with three cats. She was not only worried that the cats might affect the sale, but that she’d actually lose one of them during a showing! These are real concerns that we see more often than you might imagine working with St. George area home sellers. Every seller has their reasons for moving, and they may be not only emotionally compelling, but in actual need based on health, divorce, finances, or other life stress. Initially quite motivated at the decision to sell, sellers suddenly face questions like: “Where am I going to move all of my stuff in the garage?” “What about my cat/dog/hamster/pet shark? Where will they go during showings? Will they get lost?” “I have expensive heirlooms. Do you think someone will steal them while in the home?” “I’m feeling pressured to get out of town, AND I’m short on cash. How am I going to make needed repairs to show and sell the properly?” It’s all fun and games watching folks sell their home on HGTV…it’s entirely different when it comes time to actually do the work required to sell yours! After our lead Listing Specialist Robert Macfarlane met with Tonie to price and list the home he shared her concerns with me. I thought, “What if I/we bought it?” I presented the idea to Tonie 24 hours later. Her eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning! 30 days later I purchased the home in its as-is condition, they never had to show it a single time to other buyers, nor make a single repair. She was off to Colorado, just like that! Many home sellers don’t have the time, the money, or the energy to prepare and show their homes. Many are under a time crunch and need to sell quickly. That’s why we created this program. “There’s a segment of the population that needed a program like this.” If you’re interested in the program, here’s what we’ll do: We’ll schedule a very simple 30-minute walk-through of your property. We’ll do a side-by-side comparison of what your home would sell for by us preparing it for top dollar, “open market” (MLS) marketing, versus a cash “instant offer” that can close as soon as seven days. We’ll give you all the time you need to consider your options, ask questions, make a decision to sell, or do nothing. Both are ok with us! The market value of your property and any instant offer will of course be subject to the condition of the home. Submit a request for an instant offer evaluation here. If you have other questions about buying, selling or investing in St. George real estate, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email anytime! We look forward to hearing from you soon.

The Market is steadily growing in the St. George area, and today I’m going to talk about what this means for you. Friends, clients, and colleagues – Here’s an update for you on the price of your St. George area home.  Look at these recent headlines… >>>“Median price of Southern Utah single family homes up $110,000 since March 2013”, The Spectrum>>>“St. George, Utah is nation’s fastest growing metro area”, USA Today We’re seeing more millennials buying homes, consumer confidence is up, and interest rates are still hovering around 5%, but climbing. And get this - in some St. George neighborhoods we’re having all-out bidding wars with multiple offers on a single home for sale. Look at some recent Larkin Group sales:•    Single Family home on Bulloch St. in Washington City, 9 offers, home sold at $10k over asking price.•    $500k+ executive home in Green Springs, 2 Buyers bidding against each other, sold for 100% of asking price.•    Single family home in Ivins, 5 offers, sold at $12k over asking price.•    St. George townhome, 2-Buyer bidding war sold at $15k over asking price.Clearly it’s a seller’s market. Supply is not keeping up with demand, not even close. Consider that in the four above scenarios alone, (and there are HUNDREDS of those scenarios), 14 home buyers were left looking for a home after the bidding war. Willing, ready and able to purchase a home today.  “” This is very comforting to my clients who need to sell their homes at higher prices - especially those recovering from the recession. In particular, Investor Landlords are making a killing selling their rentals right now and can sit on sidelines until they feel values have adjusted down enough for their comfort. If you’ve been thinking about selling your home, I purchased access to an up-to-date St. George home sale estimator tool that tells you what price your home will sell based on neighborhood sales data. Here’s a link to that tool: http://www.dixiehomevalue.com/ This is a paid service I provide my clients complimentary, which I’m offering free to you, too. Enter your home address and you’ll get your estimated home selling price based on comparable neighborhood sales. Now, of course, the calculator can’t see into your home, upgrades, your personal touch. That’s where we come in.  Simply reply to this email, or call us at 435-215-4533, and tell me the specifics of your home – bedrooms, bathrooms, improvements, and your situation. We’ll happily get you a complete and deadly accurate market analysis for FREE.  We’ll give you a more accurate price estimate since we know the area and talk to St. George home buyers every day.  I can also send an email to our home buyer and client database, which is now over 8000 consumers strong, and promote it in advance of hitting the market. Again, the link to the home value estimator is http://www.dixiehomevalue.com/. You should get the estimate in 60 seconds or less. Summary? I’m happy to say we have a strong St. George real estate market this summer with MUCH BETTER fundamentals supporting it than existed during the “bubble” of a decade ago.  If I can help you in any way, just reply to this email or call. Your St. George real estate consultants, -Jeremy Larkin & The Larkin Groupsales@gostgeorge.com435-215-4533 PS – Some of you have heard Carl Lamar and Marty & Amy of 99.9 KONY Country, as well as Mike McGary of 890 KDXU, talking about our new “instant offers” program. I’m fielding more questions these days about it. It’s a REAL program that really works for certain Sellers who don’t’ want to hassle with repairing, updating or otherwise getting their home ready for sale. You can check out a bit more detail HERE, or let us know by email that you have questions and we’ll be happy to answer them!-JL

Think St. George home values are high? Wait until you see what it costs to live in Manhattan. As you can see in the video above, I am halfway up the citizenM hotel in the heart of Times Square in Manhattan, and this is the perfect spot to talk a little bit about real estate prices back in St. George. About four or five weeks ago, St. George was named as the fastest-growing metro in the entire country. Two weeks after that, The Daily Spectrum published an article stating that southern Utah homeowners were being priced out of the St. George real estate market. That is not untrue—the average home price in St. George has increased $110,000 since 2013. However, take this into consideration: I learned today that here in Manhattan there’s a brand-new building right next to the World Trade Center Observatory whose available penthouses are listed at $4 million. Learning this, I decided to do some further research about Manhattan real estate prices on Trulia. A 500- to 600-square foot studio apartment costs around $750,000 here. A 5-bedroom, 3,800 square foot apartment costs about $9.5 million. “We have it pretty darn good in Utah’s Dixie.” My point is this: Real estate values are relative to your market. In every market right now, the tide is high. When the tide is high, all boats float. If you thought the situation was bad in St. George, imagine what you would have to pay to live here in Manhattan. The average sale price in St. George is $300,000 right now, which is still within reasonable range. We still need our wages to go up, but remember—we have it pretty darn good in Utah’s Dixie. Get a computerized estimate of what your home might sell for in about 60 seconds right here. If you’d like us to create a detailed market analysis for you we’d be happy to! Free of charge of course. Just give us a ring at 435-215-4533 or send me an email. As always, if you have any questions about our St. George market or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home soon, please reach out to me. I would love to help you.

Friends and clients! Have you, or someone you know (friend, child, neighbor) been thinking about purchasing your first home? GREAT NEWS – this Wednesday 2/28 we’re putting on a FREE seminar walking through the process, AND we’ll feed you while you’re there. No cost, no sales pitch, just incredible education from The Larkin Group’s outstanding Home Buying team and Lender partners. Learn: Pitfalls to buying a home and how to avoid them The outrageous clear benefits of owning over renting (i.e., paying your OWN mortgage instead of your Landlord’s!) Why many would-be Buyers will regret not taking advantage of this current market See exactly what is for sale out there, what homes cost, and what your payment will look like! Click on the RSVP links below and feel free to invite family or friends! View Flier Here RSVP here on Eventbrite Learn more and get tickets on Facebook

What should you do if your home isn’t selling? I’ll go over five options for you today. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value reportWant to buy a home? Search all homes for sale Lately, we’ve been getting a lot of questions from home sellers who havebeen trying to sell their home with other area Agents. They say, “I’ve had my home on the market with this other agent, and it’s notselling. Why isn’t it selling? What’s wrong with my home? Is this the wrongtime to be on the market? Is it my agent?” These are all valid questions. Let’s figure this out together. For context as to whether we are a proper “authority” to be answering thisquestion: In 2016 The Larkin Group sold 56 homes in 1 day or less! In 2017, we sold 73 homes in under 25 days. I say this not to impress you butrather to impress upon you that we have a system that routinely beats themarket and routinely works. I am approaching your questions as anexperienced real estate specialist who has sold over 1,100 homes. “Be very honest with yourself about the market value of your home.” The likely remedy to your home sale problem falls under one of these 5options: 1. Check your price. You need to be quite honest with yourself aboutyour price. Is your home overpriced for the market? Do you love yourhome so much that you’re willing to “buy it back” (overprice it) daily? Your listing price is not about what you need or want, and it’s not whatthe appraiser or grandmother told you. Ask yourself, “What is the marketvalue of my home? What would a real Buyer pay for this home? Whatwould I PERSONALLY pay if I were in the market and had all sorts of otheroptions?” You need to be very honest with yourself. This is a real “man(or woman) in the mirror” moment. 2. Look at the condition and staging. Did your agent give you anyfeedback about your house prior to listing? If so, did you ignore thatfeedback? Perhaps there is overlooked clutter or you need to update orneutralize the paint. It’s fairly likely that there is something you felt you neede3d to fix butdidn’t, and that is what’s keeping your home from selling. 3. Marketing? Did you hire a real estate agent who spends thousands ofdollars on radio, Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Homes.com? Have youseen exactly what the agent is doing to attract Buyers? If not, find out! Is your agent marketing to other real estate agents and incentivizingthose agents to bring buyers to your home? There is a good chance youdon’t know what they are doing, so ask your agent about their marketingplan. 4. Needed repairs? This goes back to my second point. You may need tospend some money to fix up your home. I don’t mean decluttering, thiscould mean replacing tattered flooring or even more significant repairs.It will cost you in the short run, but might cost you the entire sale in thelong run. 5. Quit. You always have the option to quit and take your home off themarket. In most cases, the reason a home doesn’t sell is due to pricing. Be honestwith yourself and your agent. This market has been great for sellers. INCREDIBLE even. And a good agentshould be able to sell your home in 30 days or less. If your home is still on themarket, it’s time to have a heart-to- heart with your agent. If you have any other questions or need help selling your home, just give me acall or send me an email. We’re happy to share our observations free ofcharge, and definitely will not solicit your listing if you happen to be actively onthe market with another agent. Our suggestions may even help them get itsold!

From 2017’s numbers, we can confidently say we’re not in a bubble, and your home should only increase in value moving forward in 2018. Want to sell your home? Get a FREE home value reportWant to buy a home? Search all homes for sale In case you haven’t heard, things are “moving and shaking” here in Washington County. According to an article published by The Spectrum this week, we’re seeing a record amount of construction. Before I talk about the numbers, let me clarify something. The term “record construction” can be misconstrued. We actually pulled more building permits and built more homes in 2005 than we did in 2017, so don’t let this news mislead you. However, it seems like everywhere you look they’re tearing something down and building something new. They’re referring to TOTAL CONSTRUCTION – all of those massive hotels, office buildings and student housing complexes you see going up. And yes, the total $$ value of that construction is indeed a record for Washington County. From December 2016 to December 2017, the average sale price for single-family homes, condos, and townhomes increased from $288,388 to $321,676—a 10.3% jump. This means your home’s value likely increased 5% to 15%. Why the difference? If you own a higher-end home, you probably saw closer to a 5% increase because of basic supply and demand. To get a better idea of what I mean by this, you can visit www.soldinstgeorge.com for a monthly market report for Washington County, Washington City, St. George City, Santa Clara, and Hurricane Valley. What you’ll find if you look there is the law of supply and demand is suppressing home values. However, if you own a home worth less than $200,000, there is less than a month’s worth of inventory in that price range, which means your home will be sold in 30 days or less if you put it on the market. We’re routinely putting homes on the market and selling them on day one. Now that we’re up 10.3%, what’s next for Washington County? First, we’re not in a bubble. A bubble has to consist of two things: values getting too high for the average wage earner and over-speculation. Values are higher than the average wage earner, but we don’t have over-speculation. “You can expect your home to receive another 5% bump in value.” You can expect another 600 to 800 brand-new housing units going up and your home receiving perhaps another 5% bump in value. 2018 is a great time to trade over, meaning sell your home, take all the equity in it, and buy another home. If you’re worried about how expensive that sounds given the 10.3% increase in home values, just know that the same relationship would exist if values went down. LAST, and perhaps MOST CRITICAL thought! The market is “peaked”. Even at that, many Sellers tell us, “we’d like to sell when our home is worth a bit more.” I get it. The challenge? It may not be worth much more for another DECADE after 2018. Real estate is cyclical and values WILL FALL again before they rise. Food for thought! If you have any questions about your real estate situation as we move further into 2018 or you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We know this town, and we’d be glad to help you.

We have been fortunate to run the Basket Brigade for the past two years. Thanksgiving 2017 was our most successful year to date. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. We recently completed our eighth year at the annual Basket Brigade. This event was started by the Barton and Palmer families, but it got so big a few years ago that they turned control over to The Larkin Group. We’re honored to keep this tradition alive. See the full story here: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2017/11/23/jmr-brigade-volunteers-surprise-260-local-families-with-baskets-of-thanksgiving-food/ Last year was our first year in charge and we were able to help 222 families. However, it was complete chaos. This year, I think we finally figured it out. We helped 260 families and it felt much easier. “We were able to help 260 families this year!” A lot of Thanksgiving events will serve meals to those in need on Thanksgiving and that’s great. With Basket Brigade, however, we’re adding that element of home back into the equation. Families in crisis are nominated at stgeorgebasketbrigade.org, and then we build a full basket for them that contains everything they need for a complete Thanksgiving meal. We just wanted to give you a quick update on the success we had this year with the Basket Brigade. If you have any questions for us about this event or about anything in the real estate world, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you soon.

Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. Friends and Clients — Fall is upon us, (the best season :) ), and with what it what can be some of the STRONGEST months in St. George Real Estate. And if you’re thinking you’ve missed your chance to sell your home, let me reassure you….. This autumn actually presents a fantastic moment to sell. Here’s why. First off, housing inventory is still incredibly low. In some areas of St. George inventory is so low that we’re selling homes BEFORE THEY EVER HIT THE MARKET! In fact, according to data from the Census Bureau and the National Association of Realtors, inventory remains well below historic averages, and is 50% less than the peak in 2006….and we thought no market could ever be that hot again. Go figure! Second, while mortgage rates also remain very low, recent announcements by the Federal Reserve might cause them to finally start rising. This would make mortgages less affordable and might turn away a significant number of potential buyers. This is even more of a concern when you consider the continuing growth of home prices—6.9% in the last year alone. Third, contrary to conventional wisdom, Fall is generally a great time to list your home. Buyers in the Fall are likely to be more serious because they have probably been searching for months without success. (For more on that, check out our recent post on bidding wars.) Also, because fewer homes are listed in the fall, this means there’s even less competition than we’ve seen due to the general low inventory. So what do you get when you put all those things together? Arguably the finest home-selling environment St. George has seen in a decade. Some will wait because it makes sense, others will wait because they’re trying to “time” the market….and will look back with regret. Here are a few resources to help you with whatever next steps you are considering: Our Fall 2017 Home Buying and Selling Guides. Download them (for free, without having to share your personal info), by clicking HERE. You can get started with this home value calculator on my website, which takes into account recent St. George sales: Enter your street address here to find out what your home is worth This calculator will give you a good idea of what your home is worth in about 60 seconds or less. And if you would like a more precise estimate of what your home could sell for this fall, or if you have any other questions about the current St. George real estate situation, give us a call at 435-215-4533. We’ve got the finest folks in St. George real estate ready to help! Now I’m headed out to enjoy this Fall weather, you should do the same! -Jeremy Larkin

Our team has seen explosive growth recently. Because of this, we’re looking to add a listing coordinator to our staff. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. It’s a lovely September day in St. George and there’s a career opportunity ahead. Is it for you? For someone you know? We’ve had explosive growth on our team. We’re running a highly successful real estate business and we’re looking for some administrative support. “We’ve seen explosive growth.” Specifically, we’re looking to hire a “Listing Coordinator.” This is a KEY admin / operations position who will interface with our home-selling clients on the “front lines” daily. This salaried position does NOT require a real estate license, but a license or experience in real estate is preferred. If you or someone you know is dynamic, likes working with people, and is highly detail-oriented, we want to hear from you. CLICK HERE to apply! We’ll be in touch if we think there’s a fit. Are you curious about our environment? If you’re on Facebook, CHECK OUT THE LIVE VIDEO I SHOT LAST WEEK: We hope to hear from you with the name of someone who’s perfect for The Larkin Group! Best, Jeremy & Team

I want to take you on a brief tour today to show you all that St. George has to offer. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. Here’s a transcript of the video: As a lifetime resident of St. George, one of my favorite places is the remarkable Town Square, the epicenter of downtown’s energy and the location of the Ironman 70.3 finish line. Today, I want to give you a brief tour of all this wonderful city has to offer and show you why people continue to flock here from all over the world. St. George is the county seat and the largest city in Washington County. The area is also known as Utah’s Dixie. Why? Many of the first pioneers in the area were cotton farmers from the South who settled here. St. George has a long, rich history even before the 1860s. It used to be a major stop on the Old Spanish Trail, and a home to Native Americans dating back 2,000 years. Right now, there are 90,000 residents in St. George. We stopped by to ask Mayor Jon Pike why he thinks so many people love living in St. George. “We really do care,” says Mayor Pike. “We have an attitude of service. That’s why we’re here. This city is owned by the people who work here; it’s theirs. They are the stockholders, in my view. I’m here to do the very best job I can to serve them.” The city is nestled in a picturesque valley surrounded by lava rock, sandstone, and other formations. St. George boasts over 300 days of sunshine a year, which is perfect for recreational activities. “St. George is perfect for outdoor recreational activities.” There are four championship golf courses within city limits, as well as miles of hiking and biking trails, parks, and festivals. Some popular events at St. George include the Ironman, World Senior Games, and the St. George Marathon. We took a moment in our tour to talk with Stacey McAfee, who was showing her niece around town and hanging out at the Town Square—which, again, is one of my favorite places. Stacey says, “St. George does a great job with parks, splash pads, and things to do with young children. My four-year-old requested that we come to this splash pad today because he loves the river and the water. It’s hot here, so we like to get in the water and cool off.” Education has always been a priority for the St. George community. There are 12 elementary schools, three intermediate schools, four middle schools, and five high schools—with more on the way. St. George is also home to the 111-acre Dixie State University campus, which has an enrollment of 8,500 undergraduates. The accredited and expanding Dixie Regional Medical Center is another great benefit to the area. This state-of-the-art facility offers rehabilitation services, sports medicine and training, outpatient surgery, and the neuroscience institute. It is the top major medical referral center for northwest Arizona, southeast Nevada, and southern Utah. In the first quarter of 2017, the unemployment rate in St. George dipped down to 3.4%, which is the lowest we’ve seen since the beginning of the recession. In 2016, the average monthly wage was $2,813. This July, there are 1,097 homes for sale and 70 for rent, which puts us firmly in a seller’s market. The median listing price is currently at $289,000. So, with mild weather, beautiful scenery, a progressive business atmosphere, educated workforce, low crime, and close proximity to Las Vegas—not to mention the gateway to National Parks—it’s no wonder why St. George is one of the fastest-growing areas in Utah. If you have any questions about St. George or if you know someone who’s thinking of moving to the area, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you! END TRANSCRIPT. Thanks for going on the 4-minute tour with us! We love, love, LOVE this town and hope you do too. Don’t hesitate to shoot us an email at sales@gostgeorge.com or a quick jingle to 435-216-3888 with questions about real estate, schools, bike trails, or even our favorite St. George eateries!

Backup offers used to be a fool’s errand in our market, but two recent developments have changed that way of thinking. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. Is it wise to write backup offers if you’re a homebuyer? For years, we told people not to write backup offers because it was considered a fool’s errand. If they did write a backup offer, they often failed to close on the house they wanted because someone else closed ahead of them. These buyers were always seeing other homes. Every time they saw one dream home, another dream home popped up somewhere else. Two situations in our St. George market, however, have changed this real estate rule of thumb. First, we have insanely low inventory—less than three months’ worth. That means it would take less than three months to sell every single home currently for sale. Buyers in this case are having a hard time finding what they want to purchase. When they DO find what they want to purchase they’re often getting beat out by 1,2, even 5 other Buyers ahead of them! UGH. How is this helpful to you as a St. George home buyer? Because so many folks are writing so many offers on so many homes…(that’s a lot of “so many”), many buyers are “flaking out” on the first offer they wrote. They’re writing offers on properties they’re not sure they even want just to tie the property up, then later cancelling their offer after finding a home they like better. Enter: your backup offer, stage right! Knowing that many of the Buyers that beat you out may in fact end up pulling their offer, you write a backup! This means if you see a home you like and someone else has already written an offer on it: pick up the phone, call your real estate agent, and tell them you’d like to write a backup offer on that home. If they’re not willing to do that for you, they clearly don’t understand the current real estate market. Bottom line? There’s a better chance now than ever in our market to score a home with a backup offer. “Don’t be discouraged to write a backup offer—it just might work.” If you have any questions about the buying or selling process or you’re thinking about buying or selling a home yourself, give us a call. We know this town, and we’d love to help you. Our phone # is 435-216-3888 or email us at sales@gostgeorge.com.

Shockingly, almost half of the homes that go on the market will fail to sell. Here are three main reasons why. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. When you hire a real estate professional, put a sign in the ground, and put your home on the market, you automatically assume that the home is going to sell. However, many homes that hit the market NEVER SELL! In fact, 49% of homes that hit the market in 2016 in Washington County failed to sell. REALLY. Why? Three primary reasons: 1. Price 2. Condition 3. Marketing “Almost half of the homes that hit the market fail to sell.” Price Pricing your home is, amazingly, not too unlike pricing a piece of clothing in a retail store. Have you ever walked into your local Gap or Old Navy and gone STRAIGHT to the sale rack? I know – me too. EVERY TIME! How do articles of clothing end up there? Quite simply, the were offered to “the marketplace”, and based on a variety of factors, but primarily PRICE and STYLE…they were rejected. Will they ever sell? Yes. At some price, everything sells. Where you DO NOT want your home… is on the sale rack. Properly pricing a home in the first 30 days of listing has statistically proven to get Sellers the most money…much more, in fact, than if they “hold out” for the “right buyer” over months or even years. Condition While pricing may get buyers in the door, a poorly conditioned home will send them right back out the door! As you prepare your home for sale, remember that Buyers will most often have problems with: a. Your colors. b. Your clutter. c. Your dirt. Especially your dirt. The improvements and upgrades you made for your enjoyment may not mean much to another Buyer who hasn’t been raising their children or living their life in your home! At The Larkin Group we utilize a professional staging consult, all at our cost, to help clients prepare their home for sale. Every time. And it pays big dividends in time on market and ultimate sales price to our Sellers! Marketing Why did we list this LAST? Well ironically, it’s what most Sellers expect FIRST from their Realtor….and what they get LAST from their Realtor. If they get it at all. Marketing is the “story” we tell about your home. Think “depth”….how GOOD we tell the story, and “breadth”, how WIDELY we share that story. According to Borrell Media, the average real estate agent spends just $400 per month. Per month. Can we put that into perspective? At The Larkin Group we spend nearly $3000.00 per month pushing our listings to the top of Zillow Trulia….alone. That doesn’t include Radio, pay per click (google) advertising, a host of websites, our YouTube channel, paid Facebook marketing…. A great question for your Agent: “How much do you spend on marketing monthly? (answer). Great! Show me.” Don’t let them make a claim without backing it up! So there you have it – the 3 reasons nearly 50% of homes never sell! We’re baking cookies here folks with your home…..if we leave out the vanilla or baking powder or sugar? It’s going to be a BAD cookie. Be sure that the St. George Real Estate Agent you hire to sell your home is including ALL of the three ingredients above for the most profitable and timely home sale! Questions about selling or buying a St. George home? Give us a jingle at (435) 215-4533, or just shoot us an email to sales@gostgeorge.com Happy home selling!

The St. George real estate market is ripe for the picking in 2017. Here’s how you can take advantage of it. Want to see which St. George area homes are currently for sale? Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You can always call us at 435-215-4533 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions. One of the questions we often get around January 1st of every year is, “How do I take advantage of St. George Real Estate in the coming new year?” I’ve got three very simple and practical tips for every St. George homeowner as we move into 2017. 1. You need to determine your home’s current market value. The rationale for this is you might want to use the equity in your property for, say, home improvements or take that equity and trade over or trade up to a new home. You can do that online at a free home valuation site like DixieHomeValue.com, Zillow.com, or contact an appraiser who can conduction an independent appraisal for about $350.00. 2. Every homeowner who has a mortgage should consider a refinance. A refinance can save you between $100 and $300 per month on your mortgage during 2017 and many years beyond. So don’t walk, RUN to a good Lender and see if you qualify! We work the best lenders in St. George daily. One of our favorites is Chantry Abbott of Guild Mortgage. He can be reached at 435-979-1775. Here’s a video we shot with him last year: http://www.soldinstgeorge.com/1-reason-home-buyers-dreams-may-crushed/ 3. Finally, every homeowner should consider purchasing an investment property. Now that you own your own home, you might want to consider investing in a property that a stranger will pay the mortgage on, and build your retirement nest egg. How cool is that? If you don’t have copy of the book “Hold”, please contact us at 435-215-4533 and if you mention this blog post, we’ll give you a FREE copy! It’s arguably the finest book on investing in real estate ever written. Those are three very simple tips to help you have a profitable and happy real estate year in 2017. If you have any questions about selecting the right lender, determining your home’s value, or finding an investment property please give us a call and we’ll help point you in the right direction! -Jeremy Larkin & The Larkin Group 435-215-4533 / sales@gostgeorge.com