If you enjoy fine cuisine with a view, you will thoroughly enjoy visiting the Fish Rock Grille at The Legends Golf Course community.   This restaurant features an interesting menu of carefully selected salads, sandwiches and entrees.  Having tried several items on this menu, I have not been disappointed. My companions rave about a sandwich, the Rachel, which appears to look like a Reuben.  You will also want to try the spinach and pear salad.  Though my experience of this restaurant has been limited to luncheons, I am sure that dinners and brunches are equally pleasing.

The architecture, large open fireplace and interior furnishings provide a sophisticated yet comfortable dining room which is located in the beautiful club house.     Tall windows allow a view to the south across a water feature and well maintained golf course.  

Fish Rock Grille at the Ledges

5070 North   SR18, 
St. George, UT  84770

435-634-4650 

If you’re interested in finding southern Utah real estate in The Ledges at St. George – we’d be happy to help! Give us a call at 435-632-5491. 

Thanks and Good Luck!

Anita Kay – 435-632-5491 – owner/broker of Vista Real Estate

Now is a great time to get a good deal on a St. George, Utah foreclosure.  There was also another statistic which showed that 4.5% of all mortgages are now more than 90 days past due. This means there are many southern Utah short sale opportunities for buyers to take advantage of. 

Many homes are now being sold for less than replacement cost – especially in the upper price ranges of $500k+. The problem with many of these homes is that it is increasingly difficult to obtain a jumbo mortgage. Due to the high rate of foreclosures – Washington County has been classified as high risk by many lending institutions.  The result of this is – higher down payment requirements and higher interest rates.

With interest rates around 5% for a conforming loan and prices closer to where we were 5 years ago – it’s a great time to invest in southern Utah real estate. Contact me if you’d like a list of homes in your price range today!

Sales were down from the previous month; however, cancellations, expired and withdrawn numbers caused the total inventory to decrease, which in our market is a good thing.

The general feeling among Realtors that I regularly associate with is that phones are ringing more, and there is certainly more interest from prospective buyers right now than there has been in some time.  This could be due to the fact that prices have continued to decrease consistently for several months.  Buyers who have been watching the market closely are convinced that we are near the bottom.  This may very well be the case because as southern Utah foreclosures are postponed and troubled loans are renegotiated (due to government intervention), the numbers of bank owned and St. George, Utah short sale listings will decrease which in turn will decrease the total inventory of homes for sale in this area.

If you are feeling that now is the right time for you to buy won’t you contact us immediately.

Vista Real Estate
(435)632-5491

Can one order a drink with dinner?  Do you still have those funny little bottles?  Which restaurants serve wine (or beer, or mixed drinks)?  Your grocery stores do not have what
I want, where can I buy alcohol?   I have paraphrased here, just citing a few of the kinds of questions I get related to obtaining alcoholic beverages.

In Southern Utah communities, many  restaurants are licensed to offer full alcoholic beverage service to their diners.     Most of my clients are pleasantly surprised to find that they will enjoy meals in the same way as they do elsewhere.  

We do have State Liquor Stores in the State of Utah, where one may purchase what they would normally find in their grocery or liquor store.  

Having sold Southern Utah real estate to numerous happy residents,  I am confident that the State’s liquor laws have not had a negative impact on our lifestyles.

Should YOU have questions about this or any other topic having to do with the general St. George area, please contact me.

There are many bank owned homes available right now, and discerning buyers will want to make sure they see all those in their price range and area of interest.  The listing prices have been set by the bank, unlike the listed prices of short sales.  Therefore, the response time from the seller is usually fast.  Whereas, the short sale offer most often takes a bit of time before one knows if their offer is accepted, countered or rejected.  The bank has already obtained their appraisal before setting a listing price so they are able to close as quickly as a buyer desires.    The bank owned seller transactions are much easier to navigate than the short sale transaction for all parties involved.

Banks are not required to fill out the traditional Seller’s Disclosure Statement, so it is a very good idea to obtain a professional home inspection from a reputable inspector.  It is usually very difficult for a  sales agent to find out many details about the condition of the home.  In order to have a complete home inspection all of the utilities will need to be turned on so that the inspector has the ability to check everything.

Seek the help of a good Realtor when searching for your ideal property.  She will be able to find answers to all of your questions, obtain neighborhood comparables, and make your purchase of a bank owned property as easy as possible.

If you would like info on St. George Utah Foreclosures please contact me @ 435-632-5491 or visit the link.

Good Luck!

The site lists schools, libraries, districts, and colleges/universities.  Profiles of each are listed with a map, statistics, contact information, as well as a link to the website if they have it on file. So I tried it out on the Utah Public Schools area.  It’s really cool how they have compiled all the data. They also have all the different categories broken down like : http://california.educationbug.org or http://florida.educationbug.org

The site offers users a free newsletter, articles on education topics, state-by-state resources, profiles, and a website directory. If you have a website or blog – you can submit to their web directory if you have anything related to education.

It’s also a great resource for real estate agents such as myself.  I will be linking to their local school resources from my website.  You can link to a city, state, or county on your site so your visitors can save time when searching for education data when moving to the area.  For example:

St. George, Utah public schools or Washington County public schools so if you’re buying St. George, Utah real estate – you can get the scoop on schools!

The site also features a blog – http://blog.educationbug.org and a jobs post that is free so schools/districts can post openings at www.educationbug.org/jobs/ . Private schools can also add their site for free.

Anyways – check it out. Add it to your blogroll, links page, or whatever if you like it.  When I was talking to my friend he mentioned the site has a lot of plans for development and it sounds really cool and could be the best resource on the web for education.  He says they are going to do a forum for parents, students, and educators – a blog network – and user contributed articles.  Sounds like they’ll be going places…pretty cool it’s local guys.

Howard Johnson Express Inn & Suites                 Comments:   Newly Remodeled
1040 S Main
St. George, UT  84790          

(435)628-8000
Holiday Inn           Comments:  The Palms Restaurant
850 S Bluff
St. George, UT  84770

(435)628-4235
Marriott Towne Place Suites                                 Comments:  New and St. George’s only
251 S 1470 E                                                         extended stay hotel.
St. George, UT  84790

(435)986-9955

Hilton Garden South                             Comments:  Convenient to Dixie Ctr.
1731 S Convention Center Dr.
St. George, UT  84790

(435)634-4102

Budget Inn & Suites
1221 S Main St.
St. George, UT  84770

(434)673-6661

If you’re coming to find a job in southern Utah – visit the link… Also, before your visit you’ll want to check the St. George Utah weather. 

Good luck in your travels!

I recently received statistics from one of our title company reps that says nearly 40% of all listings on the Washington County Utah Multiple Listing Services (MLS) are a distress situation.

What does this mean to the average homeowner in St. George Utah? Well…not great if you are looking to sell. As more of these distress sales go under contract and close this will create new comps for appraisers to use.  This combined with a large supply – ranging from 6 months to 3 years (depending on the price range) – is creating a buyer’s market. 

If you are a real estate investor looking for good opportunities – contact me for southern Utah real estate listing information. If you are a seller – if you can – we advise you to hold your property. There are other options such as renting out your property. We handle many rentals for clients who are just waiting for the perfect time to sell. Some are investors who timed the market wrong, some are second homeowners whose plans have changed with the economy, and others are people who had to downsize – but need to wait to sell.

If you have available funds for a down payment, good credit, and missed the last housing wave – now could be the time to get into investment real estate. Prices may not get much better, but we still have a good demand for rentals. If you are able to invest in a property and rent it out for close to your payment (or at least cover the interest and taxes) – you could be part of the next upswing.  While prices are slipping we are seeing rental prices holding fairly well in our office.  As a real estate advisor, I can show you some projections on investment real estate. I’d be happy to go over some ideas and discuss loan options, 1031 exchanges, or ???

If you’d like to get in on the buyer’s market - I’d love to talk to you!

Thanks and Good Luck!

Here are the top property management firms in St. George, Utah.

1. Vista Real Estate, St. George - broker Anita Kay at 435-632-5491. Anita specializes in townhomes, condos, and single family residences. 

2. Jensen Property Management – broker Jerry Jensen at 435-628-1678. JPM specializes in residential and commercial properties with offices in Mesquite, Nevada, Hurricane, Utah, and St. George, Utah.  They also offer storage units.

3. Advanced Realty – broker Trent Leavitt at 435-674-4343. Advanced offers southern Utah rental property of all kinds including storage units.  They currently offer many duplex and 4-plex rentals.

4. Preferred Property Management – 435-673-5000. Preferred will manage your HOA or personal real estate holdings. 

Any of these companies will be able to help you find a St. George, Utah rental. They are all professionals with many years of experience. At most you will find there is an application fee that covers a one-time charge to run the applicants credit and check references.

If you are just visiting the area and want a short term rental or condo – please look into the condos at Las Palmas or Sports Village. These condo associations are located on the west end of St. George in Green Valley.  It’s very convenient and they have great amenities such as pool, tennis, games, etc.

Rental rates in St. George, Utah range from $400-500 for a 1 bedroom studio, $600-750 for a 2 bedroom townhome/condo/apartment, $750-850 for a 3 bedroom apartment/townhome/condo, and $900-1200 for a 3 bedroom home depending on age, location, amenities, and condition.  For very large family homes in the area – it will usually run $1300-$1800 for a 4-6 bedroom home and could be a bit more depending on the items listed above.

If you are a real estate investor looking to purchase residential or commercial real estate in southern Utah – expect lower cap-rates than larger markets. We enjoy lower vacancy rates than most areas, but at the same time – lower cap-rates for investors.  Purchase prices and rental rates are now starting to balance out after the recent housing boom and mortgage crisis that followed.

Now is the perfect time to invest in St. George real estate because it’s a buyer’s market. We have many homes to choose from – especially short-sales.

Good luck in your search for rental real estate in St. George, Utah.

1. Visit Zion National Park – it’s only a 45 minute drive and there are lots of good dining choices.  Take a hike, prepare a picnic, or just go for a pretty drive.

2. Take in a play at Tuacahn – about 7 minutes from downtown St. George. Located below the cliffs of Snow Canyon State Park in Ivins, Utah.  This summer they will feature: Les Miserables, High School Musical, and Sound of Music.  Prices start around $20/person.

3. St. George Live! This is a tour of the historic buildings in the downtown St. George area which are well kept and rich with history.  Prices for adults are $2/person and kids under 12 are free!

4. Visit the lake – we have 3 large reservoirs nearby so bring your jet-skis or boat! Gunlock, Sand Hollow, and Quail.

5. Fine dining! We recommend Bear Paw for breakfast, Scaldonis for lunch, and Painted Pony for dinner.

6. Visit the Downtown Farmers Market. This is relatively new to St. George located in Ancestor Square on Saturday mornings from mid-May to November.  Live music! Free!

7. Thursday Night Downtown.  Each week there is live entertainment on Main St. around the new downtown project that features a waterpark, new library, and vendors on display. Free!

8. Parks and Recreations – the Utah Recreation and Parks Association awarded St. George City two awards this year. Outstanding Facility and Outstanding Program – so visit one of our awesome parks today! We have so many things to do – tennis courts, softball fields, trails, and more!

9. St. George Art Museum – 47 E. 200 N.  – $2 for adults and $1 for kids ages 3-11.  Currently on display is an exhibit which features paintings of national parks.

10. GOLF!!! St. George has some of the nation’s finest golf courses. You can get a discount by booking a package room/golf deal. We recommend playing Sunbrook or Green Springs for mid-range pricing or for the nicest in town we recommend The Ledges or Entrada.

These are just a few things to do in the area – we’ll be posting more ideas soon! Come give St. George a try – you won’t be disappointed!

The Vista Real Estate Team

Your Southern Utah Real Estate Office