For all of you investors out there, now is a great time to look at investment property. Right now, vacancy rates are at an all time low of 6.5%. This is down from last year. Predictions are that vacancy rates will continue to fall with property values increasing and possible interest rates rising. For a copy of the article call or email me.

"Declining vacancy rates also have fueled investment in multifamily properties, such as apartments, duplexes and fourplexes, said David Svikhart, adviser with Sperry Van Ness Commercial Real Estate Advisors in Salt Lake City. "This is a very attractive market right now for apartment investment," he said. Indeed, a record $400 million worth of apartments having 10 or more units were sold along the Wasatch Front in 2005, up from about $350 million in 2004, EquiMark reported. The selling prices of apartments have risen dramatically, too. Even a predicted increase in apartment construction probably won't raise vacancy rates much, Millburn noted." from the Salt Lake Tribune.

Utah ranks 10th in the nation with interest only loans. These loans can be great for an investor but for a first time homebuyer they can be very tricky. They are very attractive in that they have a lower payment but the payment does not pay down the principle. The rise in the popularity of interest-only loans prompted the Fed to issue a warning to banks in December "that the loans pose a real risk to the nation's financial system."

Real Estate values along the Wasatch Front were up for the fourth quarter this year. For the year, all of our quarters were up double digit numbers. If you would like to know about a specific areas appreciation, email me and I can email you the areas information. Thanks Scott

44,000 new jobs were created in the Beehive state for 2005. Our jobs growth was over 3% when the national average was 1.5%. This is great for our real estate market. More jobs mean more buyers for our market. Here is a brief text from the Salt Lake Tribune article. If you would like to see the full article...Email me and I will get you a copy.

"Utah's job growth rate continued to accelerate in December, closing out 2005 at one of the fastest paces in the nation. Utah spawned 44,000 jobs in the past year - a growth rate of 3.9 percent from Dec. 2004 to Dec. 2005, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Nationally, job growth was 1.5 percent in the same period. The influx of new jobs cut Utah's unemployment rate in December to 3.8 percent, down from 5 percent in Dec. 2004. The national unemployment rate last month was 4.9 percent. "We're in a strong growth cycle," said DWS economist Austin Sargent. "We are seeing growth in both the high-wage and low-wage areas. That's really good for Utah."

2006 is looking to be a great year for Utah's economy. Strong job growth and home demand are the two factors driving our states economy. The real estate market has really turned around. In just two years, we went from 50th in appreciation to now 22nd in the nation. And home prices are predicted to be in the top 15 percent for the next year. It has really been interesting to see last year to a couple of years ago. Our market has changed to where you can't wait a few days for to look at a property. Many properties are moving within a day and also there is a strong possibility multiple offers. It has been a great year and 2006 should be just as strong. For more information look at