Utah Places Again!

We love it when Utah places in these types of lists.

This time it was Logan that placed #3 as Best Place to Retire Young according to CNN Money.

And Salt Lake City was named the 10th Best Place for Unemployment Pay according to Forbes.

And according to the latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, Utah paced 17th lowest in the nation for foreclosure rates.

"At the end of the fourth quarter, 1.79 percent of mortgage loans in Utah were in the foreclosure process compared to the national rate of 3.3 percent. "

"The state’s delinquency rate, a measure of mortgages at least 30 days past due and an early indicator of foreclosures, was 6.06 percent. Although the rate was up from the 4.15 percent in fourth quarter 2007, the state still had the 13th-lowest delinquency rate, with the national rate at 7.88 percent."

Way to go Utah! We love it when we're on the good lists!

5 Tips To Avoid Foreclosure Scams

While we were busy posting the St George Parade of Homes last week, we didn't quite get around to telling you that it was National Consumer Protection Week and the Federal Reserve Board had released these five tips for helping consumers avoid foreclosure scams:

1. Work only with a non-profit HUD-approved counselor. For a list of certified counselors, visit www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm or call 877-HUD-1515 (877-483-1515). If the name of the organization you are working with isn't on the list, then switch to one that is.

2. Don't pay an arm and a leg. Most housing counselors provide no- or low-cost counseling services. You should not have to pay hundreds, or thousands, of dollars for assistance.

3. Be wary of "guarantees." No one can ensure you good results.

4. Know what you are signing. Don't let a counselor pressure you into signing paperwork you haven't had a chance to read thoroughly or that you don't understand.

5. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you feel you are a victim of foreclosure fraud, trust your instincts and ask for help. Report suspicious schemes to your state and local consumer protection agencies, which you can find on the Consumer Action Web site.

Parade of Homes Floorplans and Drawings

We wish we could have seen all of the fantastic homes at the Parade, but we just didn't have enough time. If you want to check out any of the floorplans and architectural drawings (because oops, sorry! Sometimes we forgot to take pictures of the exteriors!) you can visit the St George Parade of Homes website online.

St George also has a lot of regional specific architecture due to the more desert landscape, so some of the trends there may be different than what you would find up here along the Wasatch Front.

To see what trends are common here the Salt Lake Parade of Homes will be August 7-23, 2009.

We can't wait!

Maison Enchante: Main Floor

Welcome to our last stop on the St George Parade of Homes. Welcome to #19, Maison Enchante--the home creating a huge buzz. The home, all 15,000 square feet of it, was so large that we are going to split this one up into different levels.

But first, a few of the basic statistics on this home. It featured 8 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms and had a total of 15,053 square feet up for sale at $2,999,999 unfurnished, or $3,500,000 furnished. Just wait until you see what else was included in this house! Here we go!

Entrance:

Living room:

Study:

Kitchen:

Dining:

Family room:



Master suite:

Laundry room:

Casita / Guest House

One of the six garages:

~~~

Architect: Shawn Patten/ Creative Dimensions

Builder: K. Welch Construction

Interior Designer: Hamilton Park Interiors - Linda Ashton, Stephanie Page, Jamie Welch

Maison Enchante: Upper Level

The upstairs had six bedrooms, a home theater room (not shown, but trust us, it was pretty spectacular with a twinkling night sky), a Harry Potter hallway, and a giant common area with pool tables and study areas.

The upstairs common area:

Bedrooms:

One of the bathrooms:

With a small girls nail salon tucked in

The Harry Potter playroom

with murals

Even a snitch:

Study nook:

Maison Enchante: Places to Play

This one features the fun amenities the home had to offer in the backyard as well as in the basement. We would say that it was these areas that helped created such a huge stir.

The Pool Area

With caves you can swim into, waterfalls, waterslides, and fire features for dramatic swimming at night, this was like having your own resort get away in your own backyard!

Swim into the caves:

The Basement

Who needs a gym membership when you have your own right in your very own basement? Not only is this a fun place to work out, but it would also be a fun place to host some pretty fun parties!

Basketball court:

Check out that giant tv screen!

Racquetball court:

Two story weight room

Climbing wall:

Putting green:

Hope you enjoyed our tours of the St George Parade of Homes. We know some of these pictures really didn't do these amazing homes justice (like this one for instance). Some of them you really just needed to experience in person! So if you ever get a chance to attend the Parade of Homes we think you should definitely go! The Parade is fun and full of good ideas and who knows, maybe you will just find the next home of your dreams!