Heber Valley Life

Tag: Real Estate

  • Beljar Home

    Beljar Home

    “Laid back luxury for lifestyle and home” is the statement Beljar has listed as their home decor shop’s description but when you walk through the doors of the local Heber shop, you quickly find out its meaning runs much deeper than that.

     

    Opening their doors in April 2020, owners Aimee Simpson and Desiree Ashworth had no idea what to expect in a time when the whole world was shutting down and no one knew what was on the horizon. To say they took a risk and opened full of hope, would be an understatement. They stuck to their feelings that the Heber Valley needed a place for women to connect, to feel accepted about their design choices, and receive encouragement to create a lifestyle that comes from the heart. They call it — Poetry of Design. Layering like poetry but also layering with feelings and connections. Eliminating the unnecessary so the necessary can not only speak but also shine. They are about quality and not quantity and a pared-back lifestyle. They carry items from all over the world; items that are made by hand and feel artisanal. Antique clay jars and cutting boards, dishes, original art, local handmade jewelry, textiles, furniture, copper, and incredible Turkish rugs are just a few of the treasures they have.

    Aimee is the savvy business side that has great practicality for what women love. She genuinely wants to get to know every person that comes in, personally. She is the “real deal” and chatting with her, it’s almost like reconnecting with someone you’ve known for years. If you’ve ever experienced visiting the shop, you know it’s so easy to lose track of time when you are lost in conversation with any of the ladies that are there. (When my husband asks why I was there for so long, I can always answer with a truthful, “we were just talking! I only bought one thing!”) Aimee has always wanted a place to personally connect with the community and she absolutely loves reminding people, women especially, that we all come from craftsmen, artists, and makers. We have been creating from the beginning of time with only our needs and hearts to guide us. Somewhere along the way it got more and more complicated and filled with rules, do’s, and don’ts. “We all have so much creative potential in us, don’t worry about trends or rules, what do YOU like? Does it speak to you? Create something that is from the heart and a reflection of YOU, not from a designer book and you will love it forever.” She is passionate about lifting others and truly wants abundance for everyone.

    Like Aimee, Desiree had always dreamed of having a place where she could provide her design services and offer bespoke styling items for an effortless look with influences of simple, Scandinavian design. Desiree has been studying foundations of design from different cultures, historical genres, and architecture, for years. She loves finding connections to feelings and familiarity and is always searching for the little, unknown details of how some historical methods can still influence the way we build today. Design that has deep roots to the land inspires her the most because that in and of itself can create a great foundation. The shop is a reflection of Desiree’s design aesthetic. Before the shop, she would spend countless days and hours traveling all over Utah and other states, trying to locate just the right items for her client’s homes. Having the shop has simplified that and she is so happy that it also allows her to share her tried and true favorite finds with everyone, not just design clients. Desiree can effortlessly create an unpredictable moment of “zing” that people fall in love with. She is a master vignette creator and loves teaching others how to create little moments of art in a home sense. “It is such an easy way to encourage a client to create something small that they love and continue the layering to another space, and then another.”

    When asked about what has surprised them the most about running a home decor shop, the answer is that most of the people that come in are not locals. Word of mouth and sharing on Instagram have people driving up to our valley from all over Utah, just to visit and connect with this shop. (Beljar also has become well known as one of the locations to get the popular Kamut flour from The Food Nanny.) Another surprise is how much people just want to connect, how many people are craving any kind of connection right now.

    Desiree and Aimee are both busy mothers, their regular lives outside the store are busy with children, everyday chores, and even building houses for clients. Yet their presence, love, and community radiates throughout the whole shop, even in the wonderful employees they have helping them. One thing Aimee shared with me is that she has moments of “Oh my gosh! We did it — we actually have a shop. Look, we’re doing it!” They want women to feel like they deserve beauty, hope, and abundance. In fact, in these interesting and unpredictable times, they are clinging so hard to it. These ladies have a love for travel, people, homes, and chasing that zing in life and it has translated into something that has been a success of connections and community. They love being here and hope you can stop in to chat and maybe even find a zingy treasure or two!

  • 2020 Year-End Real Estate Market Recap

    2020 Year-End Real Estate Market Recap

    I know, I know! Why would we want to revisit 2020 when we are so glad to be over it and pushing ahead for a better 2021? I don’t know about you, but I want my rear-view mirror to have cute little bobbles dangling from it instead of my assortment of face masks.

    Regardless, 2020 as it pertains to Utah Real Estate is something to marvel at. It’s nothing like we have ever seen. Low available inventory, record home sales, record sold prices, and exponential homebuilding increases.

    Utah has had the fastest growth rate over the last decade (April 2010 thru July 2020) per the U.S. Census, and 2020 didn’t slow us down.

    Have you noticed an influx of California license plates? Well, our new neighbors are coming from places like California, New York, and Chicago. I myself am a transplant. I was a Broker in Brentwood, California, lived in LA and Orange counties for over 13 years, then Uptown Dallas for 4.5 years before making my permanent home in our beautiful state of Utah. I have to admit that when I would hear about Utah, I didn’t understand the attraction. Then I spent more and more time here and realized it is addicting! I am all about lifestyle. I sell homes but more importantly, if I am doing my job well, I pinpoint my client’s vision of what their perfect way of life looks like as it pertains to their new sought-after surroundings. We can be attracted to many styles of living, but new areas open up unique possibilities with more ways to dream.

    For those that have lived in Utah a long time, especially here in the Wasatch Back, you may be asking yourself, “How do we co-exist with these transplants moving in droves to our state?” How will they change the dynamics here? Well, I hope they do what I did; learn to appreciate the rich history of our area. Strive to preserve it, its legacy, and the incredible men and women who shaped it. Don’t try to change it. It’s so cliché-ish for a big city person to see a local mom-and-pop shop on Main Street in Heber and maybe snicker a little or wonder why Target hasn’t bought it out yet! Okay, maybe I have even done that. However, when you get to know the local business owners and their incredible stories, that’s when the magic really happens. That’s when you grow a bit of pride in your new home. There are so many nuggets of gold to discover if you allow yourself to explore and see your new home with less judgment and more appreciation.

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • U.S. homebuilding and permits increased solidly in November
    • Housing starts rose 1.2% in November
    • Single-family starts have increased for 7 straight months & hit the highest level since April 2007
    • Building permits increased 6.2% in November with multi-family housing projects rising 19.2%
    • Homebuilding has surged 12.8% on a year-over-year basis
    • The housing market is defying showing economic growth, thanks to pent-up demand & historically low mortgage rates

    Information provided by: https://www.cnbc.com

  • Booming Real Estate

    Booming Real Estate

    Utah ranked number one in Best Economies Nationwide.

    Utah has the highest Employment growth in the Nation.

    (https://247wallst.com/special-report/2020/08/25/the-states-with-the-best-and-worst-economics-4/1/)

    Utah ranked as the second happiest state and ranked number one for community and environment and work environment.

    (https://wallethub.com/edu/happiest-states/6959)

    The questions over the housing market linger, but the fact of the matter is there has never been a better time to sell, buy, or refinance.

    In early March 2020, we all received a crash course on COVID, whether we liked it or not. As quarantine, business shutdowns, and required masks became the new norm; it became abundantly clear how reliant we all truly are on each other. Assessing the four necessities of life became front and center: food, water, clothing, and shelter (and apparently toilet paper).

    For most, the worry of whether their job would be considered “essential” was front and center. For me, as a Real Estate Agent, I certainly had this concern. In an industry that already ebbs and flows, a pandemic could have unheard-of consequences for the industry. Initially, early Spring Real Estate went on hold. All phone calls stopped, sellers began to take their homes off the market, and renters stopped paying their rent. Clients pulled out of escrows, deeming it a win to walk away from $10,000-$15,000 earnest money rather than risk the possibility of losing out on a lower price point later. Everyone was trying to predict the future to know what the housing market would do. In my industry, though, we don’t predict the future; we just do the best with what’s happening to the market at the moment.

    And for that moment, it paused. However, when Utah moved from Red to Orange, the Real Estate Market, especially that of the Wasatch Front, was an unforeseen boom.

    Some of the “consequences” of COVID actually brought about some amazing silver linings for the state of Utah. These silver linings led to a housing market perfect for buyers and sellers:

    There was a new realization that people could productively work virtually from anywhere. Avoiding other people and crowded areas was the new norm. Many in big metro cities saw Utah, with its booming economy, historically low unemployment rates, a backdrop that rivals the best in the world — and according to a recent article in Utah Business, a now cleaner air quality — as a top spot to relocate to. (https://www.utahbusiness.com/air-apparent-improving-utahs-air-quality)

    Interest rates dropped to an all-time low. Interest rates on a typical 30- year mortgage dropped (and currently remain) well below 3%. Many areas are seeing a record decrease in inventory, which creates a very competitive market. If you are purchasing a home, expect to be one of multiple competitive offers and expect your closing to be longer than usual. Some lenders are asking for 45 plus days to close a new loan. Lenders are flooded with business, and many are focusing primarily on refinancing existing loans versus new loans. However, there are competitive lenders out there. Ask a Real Estate professional for assistance in locating them.

    Many Utah schools planned to reopen come fall, which perked a lot of interest in the late summer months! Schools reopening became especially attractive to residents of states like IL, NY, and CA who have stricter COVID policies in place. Even within our own state, people in the more congested areas of Utah had Wasatch and Summit Counties on their radar for potential moves.

    There is no doubt that the events of 2020 will go down in history books and the suffering that COVID caused right along with it. However, one thing that never fails is Utah’s resilience.

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