The Park City, UT housing market is often thought of as being different than the rest of the country due to its luxury resort nature, but many of the indicators housing experts are pointing to in the rest of the country are mirrored closely here in Park City.
A Wall Street Journal article today titled ‘Housing Ends Slide but Faces a Long Bottom’ notes gains being made in the construction of new homes in the US Market. Locally in Park City, construction of new homes has yet to rebound, but the combination of lower building lot prices and construction costs has many Buyers weighing new-builds versus purchasing previously owned homes. This trend is even more prevalent in the outlying areas of Park City such as Midway, Heber and Kamas where new home offerings can be found for less than $100 per square foot.

Shadow inventory, tenuous job growth and the likelihood of mortgage rates rising in the future are cited as possible stumbling blocks to the recovery, but the overall tone of the article is positive and while it doesn’t suggest a rebound in pricing, it does see the market at or near the bottom.

An article also from the Wall Street Journal Friday April 27 entitled ‘Stunned Home Buyers Find the Bidding Wars Are Back’ notes that the current lack of supply in the housing market has people offering prices above list for homes in some parts of the country. The article notes that at the height of the housing crisis in 2008 inventory was at an 11.1 month’s supply and that number currently is 6.3 nationally. That represents a 40+% reduction; Park City real saw a peak of nearly 3600 listed properties and now has just 2100 listed across the MLS also a 40% reduction in inventory. Multiple offers and prices being bid up are common with bank REO properties and it is also seen in any aggressively priced property. The prices are not coming near peak levels, and Park City buyers are well in tune with what is a good deal; buyers are aggressively pursuing these deals.

While the Park City real estate market has seen a drop in inventory, the drop in inventory and changes in price have not been equal across all areas of town or all price points. For a report specific to the Park City neighborhood or home value that interests you most contact a realty professional with YouInPakCity.com at (888)968-4672.

A look at Park City home and condominium sales in the first quarter plus some interesting resort news.

If we had to pick out what stood out most about the first quarter of 2012 in Park City, the weather might be the first thing to talk about. Winter just never seemed to take hold this season; snowfall totals for the year were less than half of last year.

The lack of snowfall seems to have affected the locals much more than the tourists. Most locals will tell you that they hardly skied or snowboarded at all this past year and yet Park City Mountain Resort reported that ticket sales for the season were down by just 4%. Similarly the lodging occupancy totals for the year so far are off by only 3%. This is a tribute to area snowmakers and groomers who did an amazing job at area resorts.

Park City area real estate sales for the first quarter of the year were relatively flat compared with the first quarter home sales of 2011. Single family home sales in the greater Park City area registered 81 (down from 100 in the 2011 period) with the median price falling to $692K. Condominium sales saw a slight boost with 131 sales and a median price of $402K up from 121 and $381K for the same period last year. Building lots saw a sharp decline but prices were way up as the number of distressed sales have fallen. Distressed inventory (bank REO and Short Sales) made up less than 20% of the sales and are currently under 9% of the active real estate inventory in Park City.

As we move into the summer season (which has come about quickly with the low snowpack from the winter and current 70 degree weather), real estate in Park City is experiencing a decline in available inventory and deals are getting tougher to find.

For in depth information on buying or selling in a particular segment of the Park City real estate market contact a realty professional with the YouInParkCity.com group at (888)968-4672 or email info@YouInParkCity.com.

Real Estate sales in Deer Valley, Utah for the current year.

We here at the YouInParkCity.com group keep a constant eye on what is going on in Park City real estate through a consistent watch of the Park City MLS, regular open house attendance, talking with other agents and monitoring what our clients and local visitors tell us among other things. A recent post indicating that Deer Valley sales were on an uptick caught our eye. Here is a summary of what we found to be true:

Current Park City MLS data shows that there have been 40 sales of homes condominiums and vacant land in Deer Valley since the first of the year. This number is almost identical to the real estate sales for the same period for last year. The average sales price is down a bit at just under $2 million, but the median sales price (half above and half below) is off by nearly $1M. So, thus far in 2012, half of the real estate sales in Deer Valley have been for less than $1M. While we are still seeing movement in the luxury market with sales at the Montage and St Regis Deer Crest hotel residences, real estate sales of above $2M in Deer Valley are currently off by 25% from this time last year. The 16 current pending sales represent a possible upward movement if they make it through to closed sales.

Overall the Deer Valley real estate market is a somewhat mixed bag with pockets of strengths and weaknesses but overall fairly stable in relation to last year. For an in-depth analysis of the portion of the Deer Valley or Park City real estate market that interests you contact a realty professional with YouInParkCity.com at (888)968-4672.

How much off the list price can I expect to pay for Park City Real Estate?

We live in a time when everyone wants a deal and consequently people don’t want to pay the asking price for just about anything. Discounts flood our email in-boxes, coupons fill the mail and newspapers are delivery vehicles for weekly sale circulars. It has gotten to the point that we readily know that full price isn’t what we’ll pay in the end.

There are of course some exceptions; we know the price of an iPad will be the same wherever we buy it and there won’t be any discounts, and we don’t wait to go to Starbucks until the coffee is on sale.

What about houses and condominiums in Park City, UT? Are people paying full price or is everything on sale?

Over the past 90 days there have been 228 sales registered across the Park City MLS. Of these sales, 36 recorded at or above the asking price. Over 15% of the sales were full price or more. Moreover over half of the transactions recorded with a sales price of 95% or more of the asking price. In terms of a retail sale, a 5% off banner wouldn’t turn any heads. What happened to the big discounts? Only 39 of the 228 real estate sales in Park City were discounted by more than 10%.

This isn’t necessarily an indication that people are willing to pay full price, but rather that people are willing to pay for value. If full price is less than a comparable recent home sale and/or if the home or condo is better than other options or part of a limited supply, asking price can be a good value or deal.

Interestingly, not all of the sales that were not discounted moved quickly. Nearly half of the sales that show 5% or less discounting from their original price had been on the market for over 90 days.

Your YouInParkCity.com Group real estate professional can help you determine if a Park City or Deer Valley home or condominium is “on sale” and a value in our current market. Call us at (888)968-4672 or email info@youinparkcity.com to discuss current area home values.

Days on market for real estate in the Park City adn Deer Valey, Utah area

Days on Market is a piece of information that can give us some information about home sales in an area, but it is not the end-all statistic. In Park City, Utah the current average days on market for real estate is about 150 days from initial list to sale. This statistic counts only those properties that have sold (not inventory or expired/removed properties).

In general a lower number of days on market relates to a “hotter” market and less of a “buyer’s market” but there are other factors that also have to be considered. Note that the 2007 timeframe has a relatively higher days on market; yet things were selling within days at this time. New construction is the reason in this case. Projects were selling out quickly, but the days on market statistic counts from the time the property goes under contract until the sale closes which in this case does not happen until the home or condominium is complete. Similarly, current days on market may be averaging a little longer due to the loan process taking longer now than it did a few years ago.

Buyers often ask how long something has been on the market and try and use that information in determining an initial offer. Unfortunately the correlation between days on market and accepted sales price does not always have a straight forward correlation. No two properties are exactly the same, so the sales price of two similar homes need not be the same. Similarly, the financial situation and reasons for selling are never the same for two individual sellers.

This is not to say that days on market does not have any value in determining a fair price. It is interesting to note that of the over 500 sales in the past 6 months, over 20% sold in less than 21 days (sales this quick are cash purchases). The average sales price of these quick sales was over 95% of the list price. Conversely, Park City properties that took longer than 180 days to sell had a sales price of about 90% of the list price.

The 2011-2012 ski season is half over; hard to believe, but it is true. It is a great time to check on real estate sales in Park City as well as a time to remind yourself to get out and ski before you start thinking about summer related activities.

So far this season the lack of snowfall hasn’t impacted Park City real estate sales. The December through mid-February period equating to half of the winter season shows sale numbers about on par with the same period in 2010-2011 even though the snow depth has been less than half of last season. Current trends still show pricing down (about 4% on single family homes and 10% on condominiums). Unit sales of homes and condominiums are nearly identical for the periods while building lots are off nearly 40% for the period. The drop in vacant lot sales appears to have been impacted by the drop in bank REO offerings which represented 25% of the sales last year and only 5% of the vacant lot sales this season so far.

Other interesting trends for the current ski season real estate sales include:

Fewer sales of condominiums over $1M and half as many sales of Park City area condominiums in the luxury category (over $2M) compared to the previous season.

Park City Single family home sales remain steady across all market levels including the luxury segment over $2M.

Bank REO sales were down dramatically for the compared seasons, but look for that to change as the MERS issues are cleared nationally.

Canyons Resort real estate is showing stronger condominium sales, but weaker single family home sales.

Data herein is derived from the Park City MLS system for sales in the greater Park City areas (areas 1-23). Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For specifics about any Park City real estate neighborhood contact a realty professional with the YouInParkCity.com group at (888)968-4672.

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Park City, Utah has seen its share of distressed real estate sales in the past 2 years.

A look at the sales statistics from the Park City area MLS reveals that distressed sales have made up 25% of the total sales of homes, condominiums and land in the Greater Park City area in 2010 and 2011.

The sales of bank owned properties have far outpaced the short sales (more than 2 to 1) and 2011 saw a smaller percentage of distressed sales than 2010.

The number of distressed for sale real estate listings in Park City has been steadily decreasing. People looking to buy bank owned properties in the Park City area are increasingly encountering multiple offer situations and sales prices are often higher than the listing price for bank owned Park City properties.

The sales of bank owned in relation to the number available is an indicator of how quickly they move. The number of short sales completed is an indication of how hard they can be to complete. Also of note is that half of the current short sale supply has offers awaiting bank approval. Buying distressed real estate in Park City is possible, but there can be many pitfalls and the competition can be fierce.

For more information about real estate sales in Park City, Utah contact a Park City realty professional with YouInParkCity.com at (888)968-4672.

Data and sales information from the Park City MLS deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The Hyatt Escala Lodge

About a month ago we toured the changes at The Hyatt Escala Lodge at Canyons Resort and had a fantastic dinner in one of their mountain view 3 bedroom luxury condos. The Lodge, which was rated as one of the top 12 “Hot Hotels” in North America, continues to step it up and is delivering on the news that they announced months ago, the opening of The Escala Provisions Company, “The Restaurant” and bar. Other additions include 5,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a staffed children’s center and 7,000 sq. ft of “flexible indoor /outdoor space”.

This gives Park City Real Estate another amenity rich, high end luxury condo option for clients who are considering a ski in/ski out Park City home. There are currently 21 Hyatt Escala Lodge Condos on the market ranging in price from $365,000 for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath condo to $2,000,000 for a 4 bedroom, 5 bath residence. In the past 12 months there have been 5 sales at the Hyatt Escala Lodge. The sold prices ranged from $299,000 for a 1 bedroom to $1,916,000 for a penthouse 3 bedroom 5 bath.

Another factor to take into account when considering purchasing Canyons Resort real estate in general are the many changes that have taken place in the last year or are on the books. The Winter Zip Line tour is in and is something I have to try. The tour is comprised of two zip lines; one is 800 feet long has an 8% grade the other is 2100 feet with a 10% grade. Just thinking about this makes me grin. Additional snowmaking, new lifts, a remake of the resort center area and the beginning of construction on the new golf course are just a few things that have happened recently. For skiers and boarders (and owners of any Park City real estate) the proposed “Skilink” which will connect Canyons Resort in Park City to Solitude Ski Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon will have positive impacts too many to list. If and when the Ski Link goes through final approval and is built skiers and riders will be able to access Solitude from Canyons ski resort and avoid the 45 minute drive.

If you have questions about The Hyatt Escala Park City, Canyon Resort Real Estate or Park City Real Estate in general please contact the YouInParkCity.com Group Real Estate Professionals at 888-968-4672

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Click here to learn more about SkiLink.

Park City Mountain Resort to Improve Base Area

Resort Officials of Park City Mountain Resort announced to the Park City Council and Planning Committee that they are beginning to explore new development around the resort base area.

In recent years the resort has positioned itself as a ski resort operator and not a developer. They now point to new base area development as a way to ensure that they are adequately taking care of their customers as well as increasing capacity for new resort guests.

There have been many rumors in the past about possible resort hotels going in at the base of the resort where the parking lots are currently located. The recent additions of the Hyatt Escala and Waldorf Astoria at Canyons Resort as well as the St Regis and Montage Hotels at Deer Valley leave Park City Mountain Resort without a luxury offering to compete with Deer Valley and Canyons. The lower lots near the base of the First Time Lift and Super-pipe would appear to be the most logical place for a new resort hotel and base area expansion. A Four Seasons Resort Hotel was once rumored for this location; maybe it is a step closer to reality (?).

The plans are still conceptual at this point, but as the supply of new luxury condominiums in Park City dwindles another resort property will make sense. The addition would be great for the Town of Park City as well as the Park City Mountain Resort.

We are close to having one year of sales data for the Montage at Deer Valley and the sales data shows surprising strength given the overall market and world economy. Thirteen sales have been completed for Montage Deer Valley Residences. The sales represent just over 15% of the available units but were nearly 50% of all sales in Park City’s luxury real estate enclave of Empire Pass. Sales prices have ranged from $1.6M to $8M.

The latest release of residence models at Montage Deer Valley will feature a showcase residence that is a collaboration between interior designer Philip Gorrivan and One Kings Lane (a leading online site for designer décor, furnishings and accessories). The 3471 square foot home is a two story three bedroom, three bath model featuring a large great room, dining room, gourmet kitchen, and den. Three private balconies offer incomparable ski resort and valley views. The designer elements in the home have created a mountain modern feel in which each room has its own unique sense and appeal to the luxury Park City lifestyle. Our recent tour through this home was impressive.

The home will enjoy access to all of the Montage Deer Valley spa and resort services and amenities; not the least of which is its slope-side Deer Valley location.

For more information about this special Montage Deer Valley home or a private tour focused on luxury Park City and Deer Valley real estate contact YouInParkCity.com at (888)968-4672.

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