Todd Anderson

On June 2, 2009 KSL.com News reported that ‘short sales' are on the rise in Salt Lake City, UT. The report gives very few details and goes on to quote a few Realtors in Salt Lake City about the effects of short sales and whether or not they are good for a potential buyer. The overall report had very little information in terms of data, but it does note that 1 in 7 listings in Sandy, Utah (a suburb of Salt Lake City) is listed as a short sale.

Information like this that goes out nationally (most of the news about Utah is delivered via Salt Lake City) gives people the idea that the news is applicable throughout the state including Park City and Deer Valley, Utah. Real estate is a very local commodity and it is impossible to make assumptions based on one neighborhood and imply that it is true across all neighborhoods. The number of short sales per active listing in the Park City area is less than one in 25. While there is a glut of homes on the market here in Park City, most homes are not a distressed sale.

This is not to say that there are not any deals to be found in the Park City area. Many neighborhoods in the Park City real estate area are seeing prices of homes and condominiums fall by 20% off of their highs. Also there are short sales in the Park City real estate market, and they cover just about every price range including a short sale in the Colony at The Canyons Resort listed at $3.99M down to condominiums in the Kimball Junction area listed at $119K. Of the 50 or so short/distressed sale inventory in the Park City area, nine are listed at over $1M, and 20 are over $500K.

Short sales are not the only way to purchase a property in Park City and Deer Valley at a bargain price, and the relatively few short sales in the area (1 in 25 versus 1 in 5 in Draper, UT) make them a longer and tougher process. Due to the fact that many owners in Park City have a lot of equity in their homes, the deal is often not a short sale, but just an owner taking a large loss.

So when you are looking for a real estate deal in Park City, keep a focus on the end you are hoping for, whether it is a home to retire to, a weekend get-away, an investment or rental property. The deals are there, contact your YouInParkcity.com Keller Williams REALTOR® to find the one that is right for you.

The Park City Board of Realtors welcomed speakers from the Rocky Mountain Resort Alliance at its monthly luncheon last week. The alliance is made up of the Boards of Realtors from destination ski towns in the western United States. The alliance includes Park City, Utah, Sun Valley Idaho, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Whistler, BC, Aspen, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Telluride, Summit County, and Winter Park, CO. Speakers were present from Lake Tahoe area of California as well as Vail, Co and Jackson Hole, WY.

The real estate sales statistics for first quarter of 2009 were presented to the Park City Board attendees for each area in the Alliance. A quick look at the statistics gives an immediate sense of "misery loves company". Statistics across the board show sales figures being down from 50% to 75% along with falling median sales prices. There does not seem to be any area that is immune to the effects of the National and International economic downturns especially since it is combined with the current squeeze on credit markets.

The interesting part of the meeting was the discussion that followed. It was noted by each of the speakers that there were bright spots and areas (price ranges) that are seeing activity. Much of the activity is in the lower and entry level end. Some areas also noted sales activity on the very high end of the market. Many of the "bright spots" in the current market may be attributed to the small sample size we are dealing with when looking at the latest quarter statistics. The speakers all seemed to agree that there are many "lookers" in the current market and that while many people are waiting for the bottom, there is a sense of pent-up demand.

All of the resort towns in the Rocky Mountain Resort Alliance seemed to agree that it is a Buyers market and Park City real estate is right in step with the others. Increased inventories and few sales are leading to strong values in the secondary home and vacation markets.

For more information; contact your YouinParkcity.com Keller Williams Park City Real estate Agent.

In the spring of 2008 creditors forced the Promontory luxury golf subdivision in Park City, UT into bankruptcy. The developer, Arizona based Pivotal defaulted on loans amounting to over $270M.

On April 15, 2009 a group named Pivotal 7000 headed by the CEO of Pivotal, Francis Najafi, purchased the development for a price far less than the debt on which Pivotal defaulted. The $70M bid by Najafi which was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court effectively wiped out $275M in loans that had been packaged by Credit Suisse.

During the bankruptcy, Promontory maintained its operations which consist of two golf courses, clubhouses (golf, tennis, kids, outfitters, etc) an equestrian facility and more than 1000 building lots. The assets have been valued between $230M and $560M.

The new ownership plans to move forward with Promontory's original vision for the second home luxury community. While some property owners within Promontory may still have a bad taste for Pivotal, the fact that the development is no longer in bankruptcy and is being run by a company familiar with the project may be a benefit. Promontory's plan of reorganization binds Pivotal 7000, LLC, as the new owner, to observe key provisions of the court-approved plan and sale procedures. These provisions include the obligation to honor Promontory's county-approved master plan, the Promontory Club's membership agreements and membership plan, and the assumption of all lot purchase agreements with Promontory lot and home owners. In addition, provisions have been made in the plan for funding of legitimate unsecured creditor claims and the creation of a reserve fund for Promontory's homeowners' association, the Promontory Conservancy.

The stigma of bankruptcy and the relatively large number of speculative purchases and building that was done by private investors has hurt the market in Promontory. The luxury homes that are for sale in the Promontory area are currently some of the best values in Park City. Now may be a perfect time to invest or purchase a second home in a golf course community as the developer should be on much more stable ground for the near future.

On another positive note, Golf Digest just ranked the Jack Nicklaus and Pete Dye designed courses at Promontory as the number 2 and 3 courses in the state behind Glenwild (also in Park City). For more Park City golf property contact us at YouInparkCity.com.

The first quarter of 2009 Park City real estate statistics show that the Park City and Deer Valley area are not immune to the impacts of the national and global economic downturn.

There were 91 total sales in the greater Park City area (PCMLS 1-22): 30 Single Family Homes, 55 Condominiums, and 6 Vacant Land parcels. These numbers as a total are less than half when compared to the same period for 2008 both in terms of total unit volume as well as total dollar volume. While these numbers show a steep decline in the market, there are some bright spots.

One major difference between Park City real estate sales in the first quarters of 2008 and 2009 is the lack of new development communities available in 2009. In the first quarter of 2008, nearly half of the condominiums sold were brand new (Newpark Hotel and Silver Star were a large portion of sales). If these are removed from the comparatives, the 2009 numbers while definitely down, do not show nearly as dramatic a decrease.

A more telling statistical comparison may be to look at original price versus list price when sold and final sales price. For the first quarter of 2008, the list price of homes sold was actually higher than its original price and the final sales price was about 5% off of the list price. So prices were holding very steady and sellers were getting offers very close to their asking price. The first quarter of 2009 shows a definite softening of prices. Original prices versus list price when sold show a 3% drop in price while the actual sold price represents an additional discount of approximately 8% versus asking price.

As with all statistical analysis, it can be very hard to see a true picture when too small or too large a sample is taken. The Park City and Deer Valley real estate markets have bright and dim spots which vary not only from subdivision to subdivision, but vary greatly depending on which side of a transaction you find yourself.

Real estate sales in Park City are influenced dramatically by location and views as well as amenities available to the property. Scarcity is a major factor and while there are new products on the horizon, there are very few places that can offer all of what Park City offers its residents and second home owners. For more complete analysis or information on a particular Park City neighborhood or community contact a YouInParkCity.com Group Keller Williams Park City REALTOR® or call us at (888) 968-4672.

Data compiled from the PCMLS for sales of Single Family Homes, Condominiums, and Vacant Land in areas 1-22 from 1/1/2009 thru 3/31/2009 deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Efforts to work through the Chapter 11 bankruptcy moved forward last week as it was announced that the Promontory Development will be auctioned off on the 15^th of April, 2009. Credit Suisse has opted to send the property and operations to auction rather than provide the $70 Million in exit financing mandated by the bankruptcy court.

It is expected that Promontory will emerge from bankruptcy in April and the winner of the auction will be bound to observe key provisions of the Court-approved reorganization plan and sale procedures. The provisions include the new owner's obligation to honor Promontory's County-approved master plan, the Promontory Club's membership agreements and membership plan and the assumption of all lot purchase agreements with Promontory lot and home owners. With some luck, this will remove some of the cloud of uncertainty that has been over the development since it was forced into bankruptcy in March of 2008.

The Promontory luxury golf, equestrian and "club" community of second homes covers approx. 7200 acres in the Park City Area with a master plan including 5 golf courses (2 are currently complete), pool, tennis, kids clubhouse, trails, outfitters cabin, ski resort amenities at Deer Valley and Park City Resorts and more (many of which are currently in place). The area includes over 1900 home sites. Of the 700 or so lots that have been sold, nearly 300 have homes completed or homes under construction.

Many of the homes and lots were purchased and constructed during the Park City real estate boom. They have not escaped the current market downturn and the effects of the bankruptcy cloud over the development. There are currently over 100 lots for sale and nearly 90 homes in various states of completion. Many of the lots are offered at prices near or below their original sales price. There are 26 homes available for under $2 Million (I can recall a time two years ago when there was only one).

If The Promontory development emerges successfully from this bankruptcy and is able to complete its original vision as a four-season, multi-generational luxury community, this may prove to be one of the best times to purchase. See the Promontory golf page of the YouInParkCity.com website for a couple of our favorites.