Demand for Vacation Homes Soaring

 

With vacation home sales on the rise,

we take a look at four popular

second-home locations to give you

a peek into what local living could

look like in your dream spot.

Deer Valley Resort Real Estate 

 The Four Areas for Homes and Condos

Select from the four distinctive areas that collectively form the remarkable Deer Valley Resort, an unparalleled destination for experiencing Park City and Summit County life through Utah skiing and mountain biking.

The Deer Valley Resort Area, situated in Park City, Utah, has undergone continuous expansion over the past several decades, incorporating the following four distinct areas of real estate.

When embarking on a real estate search in Deer Valley, buyers often explore properties throughout the resort area. Our team can efficiently assist in refining your search through a brief ten-minute phone call. Whether your preferences lean toward direct ski access, panoramic views, newer construction, or a value-oriented remodel, we have the expertise to guide your search.

UPPER DEER VALLEY: Encompassing 35 subdivisions in the Silver Lake area, this location is in proximity to various restaurants, shops, and renowned lodges. Many properties provide premier ski access to America's top mountain ski resorts.
LOWER DEER VALLEY: Featuring 30 subdivisions at the base of Deer Valley Resort, this area offers excellent views and easy access to downtown Park City. Properties include single-family homes and condos.
DEER CREST: Offering ski-in-ski-out access for nearly all properties for sale, excluding Snowtop, Deer Crest provides stunning views of Bald Mountain and Jordanelle Reservoir. Easily accessible to Park City and the Salt Lake City International Airport. Contact us to discuss new development opportunities for condos in Deer Crest.
EMPIRE PASS: A master-planned community and the newest neighborhood in the Deer Valley resort area, Empire Pass features ski homes and offers the Talisker membership with access to the Talisker Club, shuttle service, and amenities in Tuhaye, including golf.

DEER CREST ESTATES

 

Deer Crest, nestled within the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah, is a truly exceptional and upscale gated community. Spanning 600 acres, it boasts fewer than 100 home sites, each representing the epitome of luxury living. The residences in Deer Crest are expansive, with a minimum of 8,000 square feet, offering ski-in/ski-out convenience.

Homeowners in Deer Crest have exclusive access to the Deer Valley ski runs, including the Jordanelle Ski Run and the private Lower Home Run ski run. These residences are magnificent estates designed to accommodate multiple generations, featuring up to four levels and contemporary amenities such as private home theaters, indoor golf rooms, well-equipped home gyms, and hot tubs that provide unparalleled views of the mountains or Jordanelle Reservoir.

Deer Crest real estate in the Deer Valley Ski Resort, Park City, provides potential buyers with a range of luxurious properties. These homes are situated close to restaurants, shopping centers, and cultural attractions, all just minutes outside the private gates. With convenient access to major roads, Deer Crest homes are around 40 minutes from the Salt Lake City International Airport, making commuting for work or travel easy. If you're interested in acquiring one of the stunning homes for sale in Deer Crest, Park City, please contact us today.

The Colony At White Pine Canyon

Private gated ski-in, ski-out community on 4,600 acres

Award-winning development The Colony at White Pine Canyon is the largest ski-in/ski-out ranch in the nation and is located between Canyons Village and Resort Village at Park City Resort, America's largest ski area. Among 4,600 acres of pristine high alpine terrain where approximately 90% of the land is preserved as open space and home sites in the latest release average 8 acres. Only at The Colony can you build a mountain dream home and a separate guest house on the same home site.

The most sought-after homes enjoy private settings, beautiful scenery, and amazing views. We know more about The Colony than just about anyone, so give us a call and we'll set up a tour. If you are looking for the ultimate in ski-in, ski-out estate homes, you must visit the Colony. This is a gated community, so call us to set up a tour.

PROMONTORY ESTATES

Promontory is an exclusive gated community offering the best of Mountain Living and Luxury Lifestyles. The Promontory Club is a family-friendly private club that includes an array of endless activities and amenities for you and your family. Some of the amenities include golf, tennis, fitness as well as private clubs with restaurants and spa, an equestrian center, a beach/pool area and kids cabin, and much more. Outdoor activities expand from golf to hiking/camping, mountain biking, and fishing, to name but a few, as well as an array of snow adventures. Promontory is a wonderful year-round community atmosphere for all ages.

Featured Listings

Paula's Website

	PAULA HIGMAN REALTOR® | SFR Coldwell Banker Realty Lic#: 10124111-SA00 +1 (435) 602.8228 Paula@PaulaHigman.com Paula's Website 2018 Distinguished Member -  Park City Board of REALTORS®

 

What You Should Know About Buying a Home in 2023

While the housing market is certainly cooling off from the sky-high prices of the past few years, rising interest rates may be keeping the market in a tricky position for the coming year. 

 

Is a new home on the horizon for your family in 2023? Despite the ever-changing climate of home-buying, we’re here to help you navigate the coming twists and turns you may face along the way. 

A Sellers Market

 

The first thing to understand, whether this is your first time in the home-buying process or your tenth, is that we’re currently still experiencing a seller’s market. A seller’s market is a real estate market in which there are more buyers than there are homes available, resulting in higher prices and increased competition among buyers. While we’re experiencing a cooling off of the intensity, homes will stay on the market for shorter periods of time and buyers may need to make more concessions – whether in the budget, location, etc. 

Tips & Advice for Homebuying in 2023

If you are considering finding your dream home in 2023, here are some of our best tips for staying sane through the process: 

 

1. Get Pre-approved First. 

 

Before you start looking at homes, it is important to get pre-approved for a mortgage. This will give you a clear idea of your budget and will make you a more competitive buyer. 

This critical first step also ensures that you’re ready to put an offer on a property as soon as you decide you’d like to purchase it, rather than having to go through the process of getting approved after finding an interesting house. 

 

This step can ultimately make or break your ability to have a competitive offer on “the one”, so don’t skip out on this simply because you don’t think you’re ready to put an offer down. If you get pre-approved in advance, you can usually have your lender extend your pre-approval with no penalty to you as the borrower. This leaves you ready at a moment’s notice if you should find your dream house unexpectedly. 

 

2. Work With a Real Estate Agent.

 

Put simply, there is no reason to not use a real estate agent. They’re low-cost or free to use as a home buyer (depending on the agent you work with), and home buying and selling are what they do for a living. Don’t stress yourself out about negotiating with the seller’s agent or researching every aspect of the purchase contract. Work with a seasoned professional and let them do what they do best. 

 

When you work with a real estate agent that you trust, you’re able to not only stress less through the entire process but also gain insight into elements such as similar sales and the concessions that were made to benefit the buyers in those instances. As an outsider, those are things you simply may not be aware of on your own. 

 

3. Be Flexible. 

 

The current market is a challenging one, especially for those looking to purchase a home for the first time. The best thing you can do as a buyer aside from financial preparation is to be more flexible with your expectations and necessities. Many borrowers are paying nearly double what they would have in 2021 due to rising interest rates, and inevitably that is leading to less value for money overall. 

 

You can absolutely maintain a deal-breaker list, but we urge you to consider areas, properties, and perhaps even types of homes that you may not have considered in an ideal situation. Boil your must-haves to the absolute essentials and broaden your search as much as possible. That’s not to say that you can’t find a home that ticks every box, but by expanding your search you’ll be more likely to find a home that meets your needs and is within your set budget. 

 

Whatever the year brings, it’s important to be as prepared as you possibly can. A challenging housing market may be an inconvenience to finding and moving into your dream home, but with preparation and a solid real estate team, your dream home can become a reality for your family’s next chapter.

            

Regardless of price point, our team is united in their efforts to support the client, support each other, and get the job done in the best way possible. Paula Higman Real Estate is a unique team of talented and diverse individuals with a passion for success and client satisfaction.

Contact Paula Higman today and let us take this journey with you to marketing and selling your home for the best value, to the biggest luxury real estate market out there.

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What is a 72-hour clause?

 

What is a 72-hour clause?

Unless you’re well-versed in legalese, you may have a hard time wading through all the technical jargon and industry lingo that are typically included in a real estate contract. One phrase you may have come across in your reading is “72-hour clause.” Perhaps you’ve seen variations of this, such as escape clause, hedge clause, kick-out clause, release clause or right of first refusal clause. Enough with the clauses already, you say. But these clauses may be the only things that stand between you and disaster! Okay, that may be overstating. Let’s start with what a 72-hour clause is not. Some people mistakenly believe that the 72-hour clause is a buyer’s remorse protection, as in you buy a house and you have 72 hours in which to change your mind and give the house back. That’s not what it is. Let us explain. A 72-hour clause works like this: it is put in a contract to give a house seller the opportunity to accept a contingency offer while still marketing the house to other potential buyers. Let’s say that in order to buy a new house, you must sell your current residence first (most people are like that, so don’t feel bad). So you put down an offer on a house contingent on the sale of your current house. Easy enough. But then let’s say another buyer comes along, one who can buy the house outright without waiting for another house to sell. That buyer puts an offer on the house you’ve already put an offer on. Here comes the 72-hour part: now you have exactly 72 hours, or three days, to either sell your house and close on it or come up with a bridge loan or win Powerball to get that house. Another common scenario goes like this: a buyer puts down an offer on a house for $250,000. Three days later, another buyer comes along who finds out the seller has been offered $250,000. This second buyer really loves this house. He offers $300,000 for the house. Is the seller stuck with the lower price? Not if a 72-hour clause has been written into the contract. If the clause is there, the original buyer now has 72 hours to make a better offer than the $300,000 that the second buyer offered. But wait…there’s still more confusing stuff to add to the mix. The 72-hour clause does not have to be a 72-hour clause. In other words, you can specify that the 72-hour clause give the contingent buyer five days or five weeks to fulfill the contingency. Or the 72-hour clause can be 72 hours of working days and not include weekend days or holidays. Who does this clause protect? The seller. If the seller is forced to take the house off the market in the dim hope that your house will sell, they’re closing the door on buyers who potentially could buy the house today—not at some unspecified time in the future. As an added bonus, the buyer, knowing that her dream house is within her grasp but still on the market, has added incentive to stage the house, work on curb appeal and make sure that the marketing is the best it can be. Here’s a sample 72-hour clause courtesy of Bankapedia: The Seller shall have the right to keep marketing the property, and to receive alternative offers to purchase the property. Should the Seller receive a bona fide offer to purchase the property from a third party, at any stage prior to the fulfillment of the suspensive conditions contained herein, which the seller considers more favorable than this offer to purchase, the Seller shall be entitled to accept such offer to purchase. If the Seller accepts an alternative offer, the Seller shall notify the Buyer that the Release Clause has started to function immediately. The Buyer shall then have 24 hours to fulfill all suspensive conditions contained in this offer to purchase. The Buyer has to commit within this time frame, to taking transfer of the property, free from said conditions. Failing compliance within 24 hours, this agreement of sale shall lapse and become null and void, and neither party shall have any claim against the other whatsoever.

Call or text me today for more information: 435-602-8228

Paula Higman Real Estate - Coldwell Banker Park City

paula@paulahigman.com

https://paulahigmanrealestate.com

(435) 602-8228

FOLLOW YOUR DREAM, HOME.

On How to Know You’ve Thrown a Succesful Holiday Party

 

How to Host a Stylish (and small) Holiday Party, 
According to the Experts

W ill 2022 be the year of the beloved holiday dinner party’s return? Small parties are trending this year. But even if you do plan on downsizing your party to keep it more intimate this holiday season, the tiniest of gatherings still call for proper prep, from cocktails and food to decor and mood music. As the master of your domain, the responsibility falls on you to cultivate an inviting atmosphere for your guests.

On How to Know You’ve Thrown a Succesful Holiday Party

A sign of success is how your attendees change and evolve.

Planning is key. Then again, it’s also OK to not stick to the plan. Don’t become so obsessed with how you plan something that you get stuck. Observe how people are feeling and pivot as you need to. As a DJ that’s one of the most qualities to have. I use my intuition to observe how people are reacting and if something isn’t working, that’s OK and I move on to the next thing. I also enjoy giving my guests a task to get them engaged. I like to ask guests to help me set the table or light the candles. I was recently at a party and the hostess handed me the plates and asked me to set the table. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh!’ It makes your guests feel like this is our night, rather than your night.

On Curating a Small Party and Putting Your Magic Touch on the Night

I always encourage people to share more of their personality, culture and history when they are styling or preparing a menu. A dinner party is like a page in a journal. It’s a chance to show people, ‘This is a who I am,’ and especially as a chef. I’m always leaning into my Caribbean heritage, like serving food on banana leaves. It’s always a great conversation starter

For music, play a live recording of something. It brings life into the room because you can hear the applause or the background noise. It takes guests out of their element and puts them in the moment. You want your party to be an experience — an escape from the mundane.

Whenever you travel, pick up small things here and there that can bring unique style to your space

On Their Party Prep Must-Haves

The objects that electrify you and carry the story of who you are and where you’ve been. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money, and my family has passed things down to me that I love to bring into my events

I want to enjoy my own party. The worst party to me, is me slaving over a stove. I love creating a margarita station or making a batch of margaritas so guests can pour their own drink and I can enjoy my own party. I love serveware that’s super functional since I don’t have a lot of space in my apartment. I’ll serve dessert in a martini glass or drink wine out of anything! I collect charcuterie boards and little bowls and vessels — easy serving pieces. I’ll put sandwiches on a cake stand.

The layout of your room is really important. People always congregate somewhere. If you are noticing that people are going into a corner or that they can’t interact with other guests easily — like the chairs are too far away — it’s important to notice that and pay attention and adjust it. Pull up a bench so your guests feel at home. Be an observer.

On Planning the Guest List

In addition to space, it’s important to have people present who are good at reading a room. Sometimes I like to ask a friend to be the ‘connector’ for the evening — someone who is charismatic and who knows who’s coming to the party and can manage guest introductions. These ‘connectors’ are important fixtures in events for me. Sometimes it takes an hour for someone to feel comfortable to jump into a conversation

On Seating in Small Spaces

Try stylish stackable stools that could be used for other things or pillows on the floor. There’s something fun about sitting on the floor – it feels slightly irreverent.

On Keeping Guests From Conregating in the Kitchen

Watch the volume of music. No one will want to congregate in the living room if you’re blasting music. You have the whole evening to go. Start with something guests can bop a little, but still have a conversation. And no repeating playlists — keep it moving!

Remember that a party is a living thing. Feed it based on what it needs to keep the energy and vibe going.

Remember that a party is a living thing. Feed it based on what it needs to keep the energy and vibe going

Go-To Holiday Cocktail

• 1½ ounces fresh lime juice

• 1½ ounces Madre Mezcal

• 1 ounce Chartreuse

• 1 teaspoon light agave nectar

• 1 large egg white

• Garnish: lime twist

• Garnish: YWxMM Black Citrus Salt