RE/MAX Metro Utah

Connect with Clients Through Social Media

Meeting new people in real estate is part of the job. Another part of the job is connecting with clients and keeping those relationships long after you've closed on a house. One way to keep those connections, promote yourself, and gain new clients is through social media. However, building and nurturing those relationships through social networks is not always easy.

So, how do you relate with clients online and engage with them?

First of all, foster relationships and a great way to stay in touch with clients is through newsletters and blogs. Let them know what you are up to and more importantly, let them know you are always available to answer their questions or help them where you can.

Be authentic and think of social media as a way to collaborate with others, not push yourself on to them. Please know if you are being fake with them so take the time to let people get to know you on social media. By building their trust you can better assist your clients with finding their dream home.

For more about connecting with clients through social media, Entrepreneur has a great article.

Tell us your thoughts. How do you stay in touch with past and current clients?

Utah the Happiest State?

In a recent study released by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research, measured which states are the happiest. So, did Utah make the list? In the rankings for the U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest reported happiness, one of the places might surprise you. Provo, Utah made the list as one of the happiest metropolitan areas. See the whole list below and be sure to read the full study here.

If you are looking to make the move to Utah, check out this great cost-of-living calculator.

According to the Forbes list, Utah is #8 for best places for business and careers. With the unemployment rate, as of December 2014, at 3.6% (compared to the national unemployment rate of 5.7%) it might come as no surprise that Utah is #30 in job growth.

U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest reported happiness:

Charlottesville, VA
Rochester, MN
Lafayette, LA
Naples, FL
Baton Rouge, LA
Flagstaff, AZ
Shreveport, LA
Houma, LA
Corpus Christi, TX
Provo, UT

St. Patrick's Day Fun Around Utah

Do you love DIY projects? With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, why not make some festive soap? Here is a fun soap recipe for those who are feeling ambitious.

Not really into crafts? No problem. There are a lot of great events taking place around Ogden to check out. On Saturday, March 14th, various 5k Runs will be going on around Utah. Learn more and sign up, here.

If you are heading to Salt Lake, the Young Dubliners will be performing, Friday, March 13th at 8 pm. Tickets are: $23 online or $25 at the door. Listen to their song, I’ll Tell Me Ma, and get your tickets today!

Or, if you are headed in the opposite direction, Celtic Night will be performing in Logan, March 13 and 14th! Celtic Night combines their gift of weaving songs and dance together that will leave you wanting more. Grab your friends and enjoy a night of fun. For more information. go here.

Luxury Home Buying 101

Are you looking for a luxury home?

Did you know many high-end properties are not listed on MLS or other home buying search engines. So, how do you go about finding the luxury home of your dreams? Hiring a qualified agent who has a working knowledge of the luxury home market is the best option you have. In some cases, agents have inside information about a listing before it is even placed on the open market.

Applying for a loan to buy a luxury home usually takes longer than a regular loan, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time. For further guidance on moving forward, speak with a mortgage lender about what type of loan is best for you, your purchase range, if you even qualify, and much more. Most real estate agents recommend you have financial approval early on to avoid any surprises when you go to make an offer.

Be clear on what you are looking for and do your due diligence. Just like with other properties, it is important to take time to properly inspect the luxury home prior to purchase. This can take a little more time as specialized home inspectors may be required.

There are a lot of wonderful agents at RE/MAX Metro ready to answer your questions and help you find your next luxury home.

Now is the Time to Buy for Millennials

In a recent article by Builder.com. economists are predicting 2015 will be a leading year for the growth in the housing market. Millennials have started to make the move into the role of homeowners.

So where are they buying the houses? The answer might surprise you. Utah.

With the Utah’s strong economy and affordable housing market, more people are finding they can afford to buy their first home. In Ogden and Clearfield, between 2011-2013, an estimated 39.8 percent of new homes were sold to buyers between the ages of 25 and 34.

Home buying can be an intimidating experience, especially for first time home buyers. Know what you are getting yourself into, how much you can afford, and determine what you actually want by taking time to ask yourself these questions.

If you are ready to make the move towards becoming a homeowner, give us a call today! We are more than happy to answer any of your questio
ns and assist you through the home buying process.

4 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Agent

Selling or buying a home can add some extra stress in your life, so why not hire a real estate agent to help you navigate the process? There are a lot of benefits with working with a qualified agent. They are equipped to answer all your questions, be your buffer and help negotiate the price, and will be there to show your home to potential home buyers. In addition, real estate agents have access to a Multiple Listings Service (MLS) which allows them to view homes that were just listed.

Real estate agents also have a great professional network of contractors, inspectors, landscapers, and other agents to assist with getting your home in sellable shape. If you are a person who enjoys buying fixer uppers, your agent can help you find qualified and reliable professionals to repair your home.

Did you know, in Utah, agents are required to take 120 hours of approved real estate classes along with a state exam? Before hiring an agent, here are 4 questions to ask them:

References. Request list of the homes they've listed and sold in the past year, along with contact information (references). You can call a few of the contacts and get a sense of what their experience was like.

Environment. Ask the agent if they work solo or part of a team. If they work with a team, find out what aspects of the job do they handle. If they work solo, what is their current workload like?

Strategy. Find out how the agent is planning on marketing your home. Will they be holding open houses? How many often are they planning on having them and how many do they plan on having?

Communication. Find out how accessible your agent will be because most likely you’ll have questions and concerns throughout the process. What hours does the agent work and can you call them outside the office? Will the agent be contacting you through email or by phone?

For a full list of questions to ask your agent, check out this website.

301 N 3425 W, Layton, UT 84041

301 N 3425 W, Layton, UT 84041

Special Features:

Asking Price: $498,500
MLS Number: 1272696

Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2.5
Approx. Square Feet: 4180
Garage: 3 Car Garage
Acres: 0.42 Acres

Description:
Custom built 3 bedroom home ready for you to pick your own finishes and colors. Open floor plan great for entertaining. Large kitchen that opens up to the great room with a cozy fireplace. Room to grow in the full walkout daylight basement. Home sits on 0.42 acres, 3 car garage and RV parking.

Click here for more details and photos.

Seller Contact Information:
Ron Snow
RE/MAX Metro
801-774-1617

www.BuyAHomeInUtah.com
www.facebook.com/REMAXMetroHomes

Brad Skinner Retires From Real Estate

The RE/MAX Metro family is pleased to announce the retirement of Brad Skinner. Brad will be retiring from real estate in December 2014.

Brad Skinner ~ the original owner of the Utah RE/MAX Balloon! ~ earned his real estate license in 1982 and has gone to have an illustrious career. In 1993, Brad became of the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Associates in Ogden, Utah. He sold his company to Ron Snow with RE/MAX Metro in 2008.

Throughout his real estate career, Brad has received the following awards:

Executive Club (2009)

100% Club (2010)

Platinum Club (2011)

100% Club (2012)

Executive Club (2013)

100% Club (2014)

With his free time, Brad plans on enjoying the beautiful Utah scenery. He is looking forward to spending more time skiing and boating.

Congrats to Brad on all his success! We wish you the very best and all the happiness as you take on this new phase of life. You will be missed by all of us.

Check out a few photos from his real estate career:

Want Better Smartphone Pictures? Check Out 3 Awesome Tips

The smartphone has become the everyday camera for many people, simply because it's always on hand. But smartphone photos often aren't so great, especially when you see them on a larger screen or printout. Here are three ways to fix that:

1. Hold your smartphone steady. Smartphone photos turn out blurry if you don't hold the phone steady. Today's bigger, thinner phones can be harder to hold when taking pictures and most phone cameras don't have image stabilization. Always hold the phone with two hands and, if possible, brace your elbows against your torso or knees or on a table or chair back.

2. Don't use the zoom. Smartphones don't have big, bulky "optical zoom" lenses. Their "digital zooms" crop the image, so you can wind up with a splotchy, blurry shot. Instead, zoom with your feet: for a close-up, move in; for a wide shot, step back.

3. Check out some apps. Your phone's built-in camera app is fine, but downloadable apps can give you big benefits. Instagram and Hipstamatic offer easy-to-use, one-touch filters. And you get added control from apps such as Camera+, Snapseed, and VSCO Cam. Many are free.

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to taking pictures with your phone? Do you prefer your phone’s pictures over a traditional camera?

Information was provided by Danene Strand with Veritas Funding.

Taking Time to Give Back to the Homeless

RE/MAX Metro had the privilege of participating with the Salvation Army’s Food Drive. We would like to say thank you to everyone who helped us raise money for this great cause and donated canned goods. We had a total of 1,227 food items donated and raised a grand total of $762!

The Salvation Army recently served breakfast to the homeless in Ogden, Utah. Realtors from both Weber and Davis county also participated in this event.

“With the weather turning cold, providing our patrons with a hot breakfast is incredibly timely and charitable. We know they really appreciate it,” Bub Fowers, Salvation Army operations director, said.

If you are looking for other ways to give back to the community, RE/MAX Metro is hosting their annual Safe Harbor Sub-4-Santa drive. We are accepting donations to this cause until December 22nd.

Supporting the Kaysville Women's Shelter

Sub 4 Santa 2013

It’s that time again and we need your help. RE/MAX Metro is collecting items to donate to the Safe Harbor Crisis Center Sub-4-Santa! We had such an amazing turn out last year and our goal is do even better this year.

Help us spread the word and please bring any and all donations to the RE/MAX Metro Office, last day for donations is December 22nd. What are some of the things they need? Check out their wish list, below.

Donation Drop Off Locations:

801 N 500 W Suite 210 Bountiful, Utah
579 Heritage Park Blvd Suite 201, Layton, Utah
5926 S Fashion Point Drive Suite 100, South Ogden, Utah 84010

Thank you in advance for taking the time to donate to such a wonderful cause! We cannot tell you how much your donations mean and we truly couldn't do it without you.

Sub-4-Santa Wish List

Pots and Pans
Silverware
Cups plastic and glass
Can opener
Coffee pot
Dish sets
Oven mitts
Kitchen towels
Toaster
Bake ware
Tupperware/Rubbermaid
Spice sets including salt and pepper
Coffee
Zip-lock baggies of all sizes
Garbage Bags Tall kitchen and 33 gallon
Sheet sets Twin and Full
Bedding
Pillows
Good quality mattress pads
Towels
Shower Curtain
Bathmats
Mops
Vacuum
Wall clocks
Alarm clocks
Umbrellas
Lamps
Nightlights
Extension Cords
Fans
Curling Irons
Blow Dryers
Garbage cans
Laundry baskets
Laundry soap
Women’s Jackets, Hoodies, Coats
New women’s shoes
2015 Day planners
Gas Cards
Gift Cards of any kind: Smiths, Walmart, Target, Shopko

Space Heaters - When and How to Use Them

The cool weather is here and with it comes nights cuddled on the couch with a soft blanket, hot coco, and snow. But with the cold, comes our space heaters. I’m a huge fan of mine, using it especially in the mornings as I get ready for work.

As you prepare to pull yours out, or if you've already pulled it out, here are some tips to remember to stay safe this winter:

Space heaters should never be used as your primary heat source. It is important to remember that space heaters have a lot of power and can overload quickly.

When purchasing a space heater, make sure the heater is certified by either the CSA or the ULC (or just plain old UL in the United States).

Extension cords should be used with care, preferably avoided. If the manufacturer of the space heater confirms it is safe to use an extension cord, you should make sure the cord is rated for the power the heater is going to use. Hiding the cord under a rug or carpet is strongly dissuaded. There are too many risks associated with doing this.

For so more tips check out this quick video highlighting some extra things you can do to stay safe.

Preferred Provider: Remedy Credit Restoration Services

If you are looking for a credit consulting and restoration service, Remedy Credit Restoration Services is here to help you through difficult financial times. In 2008, when the economy saw a temporary setback, Remedy Credit Restoration Services made it their quest to help people get back on the path of homeownership.

Remedy Credit Restoration Services has been in service for the past 6 years and are NASCO certified. With a great track record and experience, you can trust them to assist you and know they have your best interest in mind.

A quick tip from them for a healthy credit score:
1) pay on time
2) keep your limit balance ratio below 30%
3) have a good variety of account types. When you need your credit repaired, search for an accredited credit repair service.

If you are looking to navigate your way through financial difficulty, give them a call today at (877) 821-9500. They are here to answer your questions and help you move forward.

Preferred Provider: Wasatch Sky Cam

Are you looking for an awesome aerial photography and video company for your upcoming corporate event, wedding or...ahem...agents, a professional video that shows your listings true beauty?

Our Preferred Provider, Wasatch Sky Cam is where you should go. Their Aerial Photography and Video Tours have been approved with the MLS which gives you the extra edge on the competition to showcase your homes in a different light and providing the potential home-buyer with even more information. Serving the Wasatch Front, Sky Cam Web is committed to helping agents succeed.

To see some of their videos, check out their YouTube page.

Give them a call today for a consultation at 801-589-0544!

6 Web Traffic Terms You Need To Understand

The Internet can do a lot for your business. But as you expand from website to blogs to business pages on social media, you want to measure how well these platforms are working for you. For small and mid-sized businesses, there are many free or relatively inexpensive web analytic tools available, such as Google Analytics and HubSpot. These can tell you the traffic you're getting on each of your platforms, so you can eliminate ones that aren't working and improve those that are. In order to make data-backed web decisions, you need to understand the web traffic terms these analytic tools use:

1. Pageviews/Views. A pageview, called a view by some analytic tools, is logged every time a browser loads a page on your website. That means if a visitor views a page, goes to a second page on your site, then returns to the original one, that counts as three pageviews. This data determines your site's stickiness, since it tells you whether visitors are seeing one page and then leaving, or sticking around to check out more content.

2. Visits. A visit is counted when someone lands on your site from a source outside your website domain. Analytic tools usually count only one visit, even if a user goes to several pages on your site while there. This is why visit counts are generally smaller than pageviews, since multiple pageviews still only log as one visit. With some analytic tools, when a person visits your website, clicks a link to another site, but then comes back to yours, it counts as two visits.

3. Sessions. In Google Analytics, this is a series of interactions on your website by a visitor, occurring within a given time frame. Think of it as a container for the actions a visitor takes during a specific period of time. Google's default sessions are 30 minutes, but you can specify any time, from a few seconds to several hours. A session ends and a new one starts when either: 1) the day ends at midnight; 2) there's been no activity for the specified length of time and the user resumes activity; or 3) a visitor comes from one campaign, leaves, then returns by a different campaign.
4. Unique Pageviews. This term is used within sessions. If a person views the same page two or more times during a single session, all those views are counted as only one unique pageview.

5. Visitors or Users. A visitor, called a user by some web analytic tools, is someone who lands on your site. One visitor can make multiple visits to a site, or be involved in multiple sessions (in Google Analytics). Some tools track visitors by placing cookies in their browsers, which are generated by tracking code installed on your site. Others use complex calculations to tell you how many different people-"unique visitors"-visited your site during a particular time frame.

6. New vs. Returning Users or Visitors. Data comparing these gives you a sense of how well you're keeping visitors interested, as well as how good you are at attracting prospects. Some tools, however, will track a visitor on a computer as new again if they visit for the second time on a mobile device.
Bear in mind that different web analytic tools can have different definitions for the same term. Check the tool's documentation to understand what it in fact is measuring. Here's to your continued success online and off-line, as you keep putting together your best year ever... Enjoy a great month!

Provided by:
Danene Strand
Senior Mortgage Consultant
Veritas Funding
NMLS# 4424935926 S Fashion Pointe Ste 210
South Ogden, UT 84403
Direct: 801-645-5363
Fax: 866-825-6714
my website

2667 N 325 W, Sunset, UT 84015

Special Features

MLS #: 1263787
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 2
Total Sq. Feet: 2,376
Year Built: 1960
Price: $167,000

Description

Nice home in Sunset. Needs a little TLC, but has great potential!It has a jetted handicapped walk in tub. Nice fenced yard. Buyer to verify all info.

Agent Information

Ron Snow
RE/MAX METRO
http://ronsnow.remax-mountainstates.com

Ziegfeld's Theatre Presents Shrek!

Shrek, the Musical is playing and the Ziegfeld Theatre now until November 8th! I had the pleasure of catching this hilarious, family friendly show and this is one you do not want to miss. I have never laughed so hard in my life…

Bonus! RE/MAX superstar Tanner Snow is playing the Big Bad Wolf in the production and he is awesome! Tanner is a natural on the stage and remember to keep your eye out, he has MANY cameos throughout the production and he doesn’t disappoint.

Get your tickets TODAY by checking out their website (http://www.theziegfeldtheater.com/)

Who is your favorite character from Shrek?

RE/MAX Metro's Annual Halloween Party

Every year our Ogden, Layton and Bountiful offices throw a Halloween bash with food, pictures, and a costume contest with prizes. That time of year is here again and we couldn't be more excited!

Our Halloween Party is open to the public. Anyone can come!

So join us October 31st, 11:30 am till closing. We will provide the food and the prizes for the best costume.

Everyone is welcome to enter the costume contest. Costume contest ends at 1:00 pm. To enter, see the front desk to sign up at least 30 minutes before the deadline at 1:00 pm. Judges are anonymous.