It’s late at night. You put the kids to bed hours ago. You wake with a start to small footsteps across the wood floor. You wait for the common site of your toddler to open your door and climb in bed, but she never comes. Slightly panicked, you sit up. You listen more carefully. Footsteps, you’d bet your life you were hearing footsteps. Slowly, cautiously, you creep out of bed and open the door. Certainly it’s your toddler, it’s always your toddler, but no one is there. You cautiously walk all the way down stairs to find your children all tucked snugly in their beds. At first you sigh a sigh of relief, but then your heart starts racing…if it wasn’t your toddler what was walking in your house?!?

Odd noises and similar spooky situations plague most homes. Here is a list from Real Simple of what could possibly be haunting your house this Halloween.

Doors Opening Spontaneously? Well it could be a visitor from beyond the realm, but more likely your door is breathing. Did you know that most claims of this type of paranormal activity in the Northern United States are made in the winter? Grant Wilson, co-host of Syfy’s “Ghost Hunters” explains that “in the winter, the heating system evaporates moisture in the wood, making doors contract and causing them to become unlatched.” The doors could also be opening because of a small draft, or a change of air pressure in the room.

Voices in the Night? While it might be an unexpected visit from “the others,” there is likely a more realistic and less frightening explanation. Radio waves can interfere with audio devices. These mixed signals can result in you receiving CB messages during your favorite tv show. You could also just be very tired, lack of sleep (particularly REM sleep) can make you think you are hearing things. But then again if your microwave starts criticizing your poor meal choices, you may have a true paranormal problem.

Moving Objects? While there are those who claim that ghosts are moving objects around in their house, it is far more common that there is a more scientific explanation. In this day and age with so many gadgets and wifi and radio waves permeating our air it is easy for our “lines” to get crossed. Meaning your neighbors remote might turn the channel on your tv. Also, dying batteries can make gizmos do crazy things. We once had a toddler play table that would turn on during all hours of the night. Before we called the Ghostbusters we took out the batteries, problem solved! Other times pure physics is the culprit. Where it is the condensation on the bottom of a glass of water that makes it appear to move across a table, or the vibrations from a nearby train knocking picture frames off of the wall, physics can play lots of seeming paranormal tricks in our homes!

So hopefully if your home is plagued by scary noises and bumps in the night these explanations can help! But if your house is truly haunted, don’t hesitate to contact us, we will be more than happy to show you some Utah real estate bargains around town to consider if your house is legitimately haunted! Happy Halloween!

Great News for Home Buyers!

We received great news from the Community Development Corporation over the weekend! There are currently funds available for Salt Lake City real estate, Magna real estate, and Kearns real estate. These down payment assistance programs are used to help eligible first time home buyers purchase a primary residence. The funds can only be used to assist with closing costs and down payments.

Applicants must be pre-approved for an FHA, VA or conventional loan. These funds are extremely limited each year and applicants are awarded the down payment assistance on a first come, first serve basis. The availability of funds can change quickly so be sure to call us to verify if funds are still available in the area you are looking in.

Details of the Program

The Own in Salt Lake County Program is a federally funded deferred loan program offering down payment assistance up to 6% (not to exceed $10,000). Applicants must meet income eligibility for their household size and have a yearly combined household income equal to or less than 80% of the area median household income (as determined by HUD).

Applicants must be a first time home buyer or have not owned a home in the previous three years. Eligible properties are detached single family residences as well as town homes and condos. Applicants must contribute a minimum of $500 in personal funds to the down payment or closing costs. The purchase price of the home cannot exceed $230,000

Act Now, While Supplies Last!

As we mentioned earlier these funds go quickly, so if you have been considering a home purchase in Salt Lake, Magna or Kearns give us a call today so we can start looking at homes that qualify for this great grant program!

Search for Qualifying Real Estate!

Haunted Real Estate

Being scared out of your ever-loving mind. It’s not really a feeling I enjoy. Heck, yesterday I took the family to a corn maze that wasn’t even haunted and I still screamed like a school girl about twelve times. All I had to do was turn a corner and see another human being, even cute little toddlers and it would send me in to a fit of shrieking. Yeah, my kids thought it was hil-ar-i-ous. So, feeling like I am perpetually in a haunted house isn’t really on the top of my to-do list, but I understand that it could appeal to some people.

Some homes with sordid pasts can come as an excellent real estate bargain!  Take for example  Ohio resident Chris Butler. He was in search of a nice home with plenty of space for his band to practice. He didn’t want to disturb anyone so he wanted some distance from his neighbors. These types of homes were hard to come by in Summit County, Ohio, but after a determined search Chris found the perfect house. It was a bit of a kill-joy when he learned that it was the childhood home of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Not only his childhood home, but the home where he committed his first murder. While Butler was taken aback by the news, he bought the home regardless, and at a significantly reduced price. *shudder*

In fact there are even real estate agents who specialize in niche markets — like haunted houses (I’m still working on that certification!). Take for example Bonnie Vent, a San Diego based agent who is also a Paranormal Expert and Medium (talk about an impressive resume!).  Some of her listings on her site include these ghostly descriptions…

“The house has two house “guests,” one makes your arm tingle, the other one rushes past. Both are manageable, entertaining.”

Hey well, that sounds ideal if you are lonely, right? Nothing like an entertaining apparition to help you pass the dull, lonely nights.

“Orbs in pictures, lights flashing, doorbell rings unexplained. Noises upstairs. During recent investigation with local ghost hunters, one of ghost hunters was pulled into a closet (I was a witness to this). During clearing ceremonies flames shot up 3 feet and spiraled.  I am the realtor representing this client and would love to sell this to a “ghost” friendly buyer. This area of NW Florida is also very famous for the “Gulf Breeze UFO’s”..Gulf Breeze is a short 3 1/2 miles from this house. Very open community to the paranormal.”

Ghosts AND UFOs? Where do I sign?!

“Dogs growl up at the stairway, heavy footsteps up the stairs, sounds of person “falling” down in attic, boxes falling in attic when it is empty, light bulbs “pop” after electrician says there is ‘no problem’, things ‘disappear’ and never return, some return in different places. Hearing far-off voices, etc.  Nothing has ever been mean or frightening.”

Well…yeah, it’s not like having a clumsy old ghost who keeps falling in your attack and moans occasional is frightening. Not at all.

So, yes, if you prefer to share your residence with the spooky sort there are plenty of opportunities out there for you! If haunted houses are your thing, give us a call, I am sure we can help you find the haunted Utah real estate of your nightmares dreams!

Deseret News Home Show

The annual Deseret News Home Show is going on this weekend at the South Towne Expo Center.  The home show will feature dozens of exhibits with experts there to answer all of your questions about anything for remodeling your kitchen or adding a room to your home to increasing your home security or adding a backyard pool. Generally at these types of shows the vendors will also offer fantastic discounts for their services, so if you are looking in to improving your home in the upcoming months this show could save you both time and money!

In addition to the exhibits mentioned above there will be lots of celebrity presenters as well, including :

John Gidding of HGTV’s Designed to Sell and Curb Appeal: The Block 

Bryan Baeumler of HGTV’s DIY KING

Joy Bossi, Host of KNRS Radio’s Joy In the Garden 

and even Utah’s own Grocery Guru, Ken Roesbury. I’ll be honest, I had the opportunity to attend one of Ken’s workshops (and then to go shopping with him) and it really is amazing. You’ll recoup the cost of your home show ticket just by implementing some of the strategies he will teach you.

There will also be an ENERGY STAR center where you can go to learn more about rebates, incentives and discounts that are available to you to help save you money and increase the energy efficiency of your home.

There will even be local chefs every hour at the chef stage teaching you how to make fun new dishes for your family (now that’s my kind of exhibit!).

Be sure to buy your tickets online since it will save you $3 a person (adults $8, children under 12 – FREE!). And be sure to contact us if you have any additional questions!