Tony & Darcy Cannon - The C Team

Hello again! Well the sun is out and there is once again this week some great new listings on our Multiple Listing Service. As I have mentioned before, we have some great starter homes and some wonderful brand new "move up" homes. One thing that I haven't mentioned about many of our homes is that several come on half acre and larger lots. Many areas allow for horses, thus giving one the option of a mini ranch. There are several areas that have been built as mini ranches with 2 1/2 acre and larger lots.

So if you are looking for a place for horses, or you just don't want neighbors right on top you, give us a look. This week is an especially nice week to do so, we still have some snow on the ground, but the temperatures are climbing into the 50's. The one drawback is that there are some dirt roads that are a little muddy this time of year. If you do come this way, give us a shout, we would be happy to help with any of your needs or answer your questions!

Great news! The inventory of starter homes seems to be growing daily with several great options coming on the market today. The economy is still doing well here in Cedar City, as the factories are still challenged to fill their staffs. The wages could be higher, but that could most likely be said of every city in the country! The move up and executive homes also have a great selection that also seem to be growing daily. Those homes tend to stay on the market longer than the starter homes do, but that are selling.

We are enjoying the benefits of another wintery storm front. The good news with that is that we should have plenty of water to drink come summertime, whenever that may arrive! Just kidding, we know that at our altitude we could have snow well into the Spring months. The one nice thing with the later snows is that Brian Head Ski Resort has great snow to ski on. There are also miles of playground area for those that snowmobile to play in. I know that it seems like I say the same thing each week, but it really is a great place to live and play! Come up and see us!!

As many of you know I am a baseball junkie. I can't get enough baseball. I read an article somewhere on the internet where a computer program was fed statistics and computed that Derek Jeter was the worst fielding shortstop in the major leagues. Sportswriters have voted him 3 gold gloves during the course of his career, yet the computer doesn't lie, or does it?

I am not going to argue that Derek Jeter is the best shortstop in baseball, and I am sure that he has plenty of detractors, playing for the Yankees and all. In fact, I am not sure that he is the best shortstop on his team, but he is the starting shortstop. The thing that makes this entire argument ridiculous is that it doesn't factor in the plays that he makes that no one else does.

I do think that he isn't the most gifted fielding shortstop that I have ever seen, I grew up watching Ozzie Smith make plays that as a baseball fan left me speechless. I have also Derek Jeter make plays that I wonder if even Ozzie would have made. The great play in the playoffs against the Oakland A's where he race in, picked up an errant throw and threw out Jeremy Giambi at home plate comes to mind. That is instinct that a computer cannot factor into any equation, I don't know that the great Ozzie Smith would have made that play, (although if anyone else could have, it would have been him) yet according to the raw statistics, Derek Jeter simply isn't a very good fielder compared to his peers.

There are a number of other plays that he has made that made me wonder how he knew where the ball was going even before it was hit. The other factor not accounted for, is that I have never seen him not play hard. I can't say that about every player that I have ever watched.

The point that I am trying to make early this morning, is that the human factor can never be removed from the equation, even in Real Estate. There are some things that the Internet, and brilliant photography cannot replace, and that is the Realtor. There are just some things that a good Realtor does, that aren't measurable by raw data. The impression that one gets while showing a house that the couple may tell you that they are looking for one thing, when in reality, they really want something a little different. They may not know that they want something other than what they have said, but once you, as a Realtor show it to them, they love it.

A Realtor also has the human element of negotiating the best possible solution to allow people to realize their dream, and make the largest purchase that most people will make in their lifetime. They also stay on top of the paperwork to allow as smooth a transaction as possible until the deal gets done. A Realtor has the ability to think outside of the box to make sure the inevitable snags are ironed out and that the deal gets done. There are too many more traits to list in a single blog that a Realtor does, that tools and equipment just can't do.

What I am saying is don't sell yourselves short. Fancy computers and fancier software are only tools, they aren't the whole show. They are like the baseball glove or bat, they aren't what makes a baseball player. I am not saying that we shouldn't use these and other tools to the best of our abilities, just that we don't lose sight of what makes them work! Have a great and prosperous weekend!

I have blogged several times on the availability of great starters and especially "move up" homes in our market. I have been neglecting the one area that we really have a great variety to choose from, land. Whether it is large parcels or smaller builiding lots, we have a great inventory. There is a good selection of building lots available in the more exclusive areas and in almost all of the other areas in the city or out in the county.

We, ourselves have several good listings of raw land and subdivided lots, some of which would be good investments over time. So if you're looking to build, Cedar City is a great place to do so! Come on up and see if you want to build your own ranch, estate or just house! Now is a great time to build that dream house in Cedar City. Have a great week!

I don't know how many have seen the Time Magazine article from 2/19/2008 saying that now is the time to buy a house if you're a 1st time home buyer. With prices and interest rates low, if you have good credit, there is no reason to wait. I am not going to quote the article, you can read it for yourselves www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713483,00.html

I found it an interesting read, and like it or not, it is the best time to buy if you are planning on staying in the home at least 5 years. This goes along with what a lot of Realtors have been saying and writing for weeks, now is the time! Before you lose the advantage of a lower payment should interest rates rise, buy a house! If it looks like I believe that you should look at buying, you're right, but now one of the investment guru's agree with me and the others!