The St. George Real Estate Market

As 2020 continues to lead on, the increase in folks working from home continues to rise. Feelings of isolation and cabin fever for those who are stuck inside on Zoom calls all day is starting to become more and more common. Not only are some of our clients working from home but they have also had to view homes virtually. It has now become more important than ever, to create a space that is open, welcoming, and calming. To alleviate some of that longing for days of our pasts, here are some tips to make working from home more manageable.

Invest in a Standing Desk

There are several pieces of furniture that you can get to make the space more comfortable. We recommend investing in a standing desk that allows you to stand and sit. This will keep your body actively moving and help you hit your target steps for the day. A few standing desks that we recommend are:

1. Uplift V2
2. ApexDesk Elite
3. Fully Jarvis Bamboo
4. Stir Kinetic Desk M1
5. Flowmotion Standing Desk

These desks should face the window or sit directly against the window. For those who are easily distracted, move your desk to the left or right of the window if the space allows. The more light that is streaming in on your face, the better as this will help you feel less trapped by four walls. 

Bring in More Furniture 

If the space allows, we also recommend putting a love seat or some type of small seating piece that is not a desk chair. This will allow you to choose between sitting at your desk or on the love seat. Pair this love seat with a medium-sized side table so you can set your laptop somewhere.

The two last important pieces of furniture you should invest in buying or move to your at-home office is a light-colored or gray-scaled bookshelf and a small side desk drawer. Having these items will allow you to put different décor in your workspace, lightening the mood, and making room for our next recommendation, plants.

Thoughtfully Select Décor & Inside Plants

The idea for the at-home office space that you are creating is to inspire productivity. Although those who have been working from home for several months now, everyone has or may soon reach the inevitable, becoming unmotivated, disgruntled, or unsatisfied. We’re going to fix that by adding in décor and greenery. Depending on the style of your home and office space, we recommend going for a minimalist working area where more is less. This will make the room appear less compact. Find your favorite pieces of literature and stick them on the sides of your desk area and in your shelving units. Hang aesthetically pleasing paintings and place miscellaneous items that modernize the space.

The next thing you seriously need to focus on when creating your new working space is house plants. You may not be a plant person, but the fact is, is that plants purify the air in which you will be breathing. It will make the room’s atmosphere feel familiar and give you a sense of being outside. What’s better than working in nature anyway? We recommend snake plants, aloe, succulents, and any hanging basket plants.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, whatever you believe you need in your home office to keep you sane is all that matters. Adopt your pet as a comfort assistant throughout each Zoom Meeting you have, go outside on your lunch for a walk, whatever you need to do, be sure to create a space that you can be both productive and enjoy being in.

Contact Us

The Shaffer team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at (435) 525-0079.

Most sellers or those who are pondering the idea of selling their home always look around their house and imagine large-scaled renovations or home improvements that are costly. While this may be the case for some homes that are outdated or lack the ability to accentuate a specific space, there are cheaper alternative options. Let’s explore our 6-week plan to get your house in tip-top shape before showing. 

Week 1  

Before you start decorating and staging your home, you need to first give the space a clean canvas to paint on. In this first week, look into renting a storage unit and begin decluttering your home. Find any excess décor, kitchie items, or any other pieces of clutter that are non-essential and move them to a storage unit. When the stagers come in, you want them to be able to move furniture, paintings, and any utilities as freely as possible.

After or as you are decluttering, begin to deep clean the entirety of the inside of your home (we’ll work on the outside property in future weeks). We recommend going above and beyond the typical “my mom is coming into town” cleaning mentality and grab the entire team to get this task done. Remember to do these often forgotten tasks as you deep clean:

• Mop under appliances
• Dust/wash walls and baseboards
• Polish washing machines, dryers, and heating appliances
• Clean behind toilets 
• Dust blinds and air ducts
• Wash your rugs twice 
• Polish any wood frames or door knobs
• Get new shower curtains/liners
• Dust light fixtures and house plants

Week 2 

Now that we’ve decluttered and deep cleaned our living space, let’s now focus a little more closely on carpet, ceiling, and wall cleanliness. Some may choose to hire a third-party company to come and deep clean their carpets, however, if you are looking for a more cost-effective method, there are many ways to do this.

• Keep it real simple and invest in a Carpet Cleaner
• Rent a Carpet Cleaner, you can find local rental companies, here.

Next, begin to work on the walls and ceilings. The paint that we brighten or darken our living spaces with is typically delicate. We recommend that you use this non-aggressive cleaner recipe when washing your walls and ceilings:

• Fill one bucket half-full of water and mix in 3 drops of detergent
• or
• Fill one bucket with one (1) gallon of water and mix in 2 ½ tablespoons of distilled white vinegar.

Remember, this is a large task and will most likely take the full week as there is a large amount of walls and ceilings so pace yourself. 

Week 3 

Let’s now head to the outside of our home and look at the landscaping and state of the surrounding yard. Curb appeal is one of the most defining features of a showing. It is the first thing the potential buyer will see and the last. Take this week to mow the lawn (and continually do so as it is being shown) and pull out weeds and perennial beds. Run to a Home Depot or Kroger and purchase plants or bushes to coordinate with the existing landscaping. 

If you have any outdoor living spaces (gazebos, outdoor pools, fireplaces, etc.) make a point to clean these up as well. 

Week 4 

This week we’re going to focus on making your home “smart”. Buyers are loving the homes that already have these features inside. If you do have smart-home products, we recommend leaving them out so that the viewers can envision living there with these products already there. A few products you can buy to boost the “intelligence” of your home are:

• LED/ Phillip Hue Lights
• Nest Thermostat
• Ring Doorbell
• Smart Faucet
• Keyless Smart Locks

If you aren’t able to invest in some of these brand-name products, updating simple household utilities such as installing new lights and digital clocks is a simple fix as well.

Week 5 

This is the week you’ve all been waiting for, painting! To update your space by keeping it modern, paint walls with neutralizing color schemes. We are finding that many of our listings have colors that are based around a gray-beige tone as well as white. One thing you can do if you do not feel in the mood to repaint your walls is to find the exact paint your walls were originally painted and add a fresh coat on top of it. This will help to embellish the cleanliness of the space.

Depending on the size and the number of walls you plan on painting, be sure to plan for this to take the entire week. 

Week 6  

You’ve made it to the last week and it is smooth sailing from here. In this final week, you should focus removing any “house” smells that define where a family lives. You painted last week, and have been using cleaning products weekly to keep the space clean. It is now time to neutralize the odors (removing pet smells, chemical odors, expired food smells, etc.) There are a few ways to do this and any of them will work:

• Use oil infusers for the large spaces
• Place citrus candles in bedrooms without lighting them
• Open all windows of the home for the entire day (season/weather permitting)
• Use artificial baked-good scented candles for the kitchen area (be careful, these can end up smelling terrible. Seriously, we mean it!)

You’ve now reached the finish line. There are more projects that you can do in and around your home before you list it but these are great starting points. These simple tasks can help you increase the value of your home and leave you feeling jealous that someone else gets to enjoy the updates you’ve made. 

Let us know how your 6-week challenge went!

Contact Us

The Shaffer team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at (435) 525-0079.

Housing Trends From the Early 2000’s You Definitely Forgot About

The year is 2005. Your friends that were college sweethearts just moved into a new space. They are the first of your friends to make their next adulthood move to purchase a new home. At first, you were excited for them, but then they wouldn’t stop talking about the strangest things. Bronze faucets? Removing walls? And what in the world is Shabby Chic? Let’s take a trip down memory lane and reminisce on what we used to call “in-style”.

All White Kitchens

If you pick your brain for a few seconds, you may remember the hype about having your cabinetry not only match your appliances but also your countertops. This trend came about right around the turn of the century. The only explanation we can come up with is that many people were tired of the vivid colors from the three decades prior. Look - we totally get it. Having an all-white kitchen gives you a blank canvas for your earthy decor and “kitchie” items. It can also make the room feel larger and more spacious. 

But we’ve now moved into another decade where kitchens are being transformed dramatically again but with dark-wooded cabinetry, gray-scaled granite, and stainless steel appliances. The moods of modern kitchens are becoming darker which offers a quiet and calming ambiance. Folks are also relying on their countertop appliances and plants to guide the decor of the space.

Shabby Chic

Images via

For some reason, many homes looked like modern-day boutiques. We’re not kidding. This trend can be described as basically letting a childhood tea party set explode all over the walls, doilies, and all. Some folks were not ready to let go of the 20th century, so to welcome the new millennium into existence, they would purchase and upholster 60-year-old furniture, decor, and appliances to bring life back to old times. Remember that old wooden dresser your grandfather had in his study? Well, if it were 2005 again, that wooden dresser would most likely now be painted with a Tiffany Blue as well as distressed edges.

If we were to look for any comparable styles or trends to Shabby Chic, you would not find one easily here in 2020. We can say that rustic and antique styles are consistently in and we’re loving it.

Green Accent Walls

Image by HomeAdvisor

Whether it was your hallway or room with deep brown colors, for some reasons we all thought having a lime green or forest green accent wall was a good idea. Thinking back on those times, fake plants were commonly found in homes. This idea of having a green thumb inside and outside became the norm and we firmly believe this is why folks painted green accent walls. Looking to more modern times, accent walls are typically the opposite of eye-catching. Many neutral colors are used to set the accent mood of a room or a wall fixture.

Other Honorable Mentions

Sleigh Beds

Image via Ashley Furniture

Nautical Motifs

 Image via

Tuscan Kitchens

Image via

Contact Us

The Shaffer Team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at (435) 525-0079.

Whether you are marketing the sale of your home or seeking new housing options, it is always important to have an understanding of the local schooling system. Even if you are a family without kids, understanding the rating of a school could potentially describe the state of the surrounding area of that school. We’ve compiled a few schools to keep your eye on if you are selling or purchasing a home in the St. George area.

George Washington Academy (GWA) – Charter School

This school is well known for its academics and rigor of curriculum which leaves the students more than prepared as they enter their high school years. GWA has recently reported that they hold a 22:1 student-teach ratio for their 1,016 Kindergarten – 8th-grade population. When it comes to ratings, Niche provided the school with a #2 spot in several awards including, Best Public Elementary Schools in Utah, Best Public Elementary School Teachers in Utah, and Best Public Middle Schools in Utah. Test score reporting showed a 70% proficiency in Reading and a 74% mathematics proficiency.

DSU SUCCESS Academy – Charter High School

DSU is also well known for its high school academics and highly-educated teachers. This tight-knit community includes 237 students for grades 10 through 12. Looking at school accolades, it received several different rankings including #7 Best Charter High Schools in Utah, #9 Best Public High Schools in Utah, and #11 Best High Schools for STEM in Utah. Looking specifically at academics, they maintain a 72% proficiency in reading and an 82% proficiency in mathematics.

Crimson View School – Public Elementary School

Crimson is, as the previously named schools, highly rated in St. George. Last year they instructed 806 students between the grades of Kindergarten to 5th grade. Their teacher-student ratio stood at 34:1, which may seem higher than others, however, their renowned teachers and their proficiency scores showcase no marginal differences among other schools. Their academics sit at 78% proficiency in reading and a 78% proficiency in mathematics.

Pine View Middle School – Public Middle School

Pine View is a well-known public middle school in St. George. They hold a student-teach ratio of 24 to 1 and instruct grades 8th-9th. They have claimed the award of #15 Best Public Middle Schools in Utah and have proficiency ratings of 53% for Reading and 47% for Math.

The Bottom Line

Something to mention if you are not familiar with the Southern Utah primary and secondary education system is that they are not as traditional as other states in the country. Commonly, a student will spend Kindergarten through 5th grade in elementary school and then move on to an intermediate school for grades 6 and 7. Middle school will hold the 8th and 9th graders and high school will provide years 10-12. The charter schools may operate differently as well, so it is important to research the schools your kids may attend based on where your home is located.

Of course, there are many other note-worthy schools in the area and we suggest you take some time to look at the difference between academic offerings. St. George takes pride in its academics, school cultures, and college preparation for its students and any school would be lucky to have your child attend.

Contact Us

The Shaffer team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at (435) 525-0079.

Now that things have begun to slowly open up here in Washington County (now having moved to a Yellow risk level), several family favorite activities have resumed. We are especially excited about the Broadway show seasons beginning again at venues all over the city. Let’s take a look at a few events that allow for social distancing:

Tuacahn’s Broadway Amphitheater Season

Image Source: https://www.utahsbestvacationrentals.com/tuacahn-amphitheater-st-george 

There has been much talk around whether or not the delay for their summer/fall season would be pushed out further, but Tuacahn has recently announced that the season will begin on July 11, 2020. They will be opening the season with Disney’s musical production of Beauty and the Beast. Following the closing night of this esteemed Broadway musical, Tuacahn will host several other shows including The Count of Monte Cristo, Annie, and Smokey Joe’s Café. 

Historic Opera House

For those days where Southern Utah feels like the Sahara Dessert and an outdoor amphitheater just does not sound appealing, look to the Historic Opera House (HIO) for a night of singing and dancing (air conditioned rooms no extra cost)! The HIO has already began their summer season and is currently running SGMT’s Fiddler on the Roof with its final curtain call of the show falling at the end of July.

Movies in the Mall

Image Source: https://greaterzion.com/events/movies-at-the-mall/?occurrence=2020-07-21

Another great way to escape the heat is by packing up your family, grabbing a few blankets, pillows, or lawn chairs and heading to the mall. On Tuesday’s and Thursdays, the Red Cliffs Mall will have showings of favorite past-time family movies such as Toy Story, the Lego Movies (yes, plural!), and a few other Disney Live Action films. You can purchase pizza by the slice for $1.50 with BOGO pretzels as an option as well. The movie showing itself is FREE; you can’t get any better deal than that!

Uncle Sam 4K Road Race

We know quarantine has been hard, especially on your fitness plans. So get those dusty tennis shoes out of the closet and start training for Uncle Sam’s 4K road race, happening on the Fourth of July. The race starts at 6:30am and will offer a great tour of historic downtown St. George. Each runner/walker will receive an Uncle Sam hat and beard and all race finishers will be given a t-shirt and medal as well. 

Coming Soon to St. George

Now that things are opening up, construction on a few new places to shop and dine at have also resumed. In the coming months, you will see openings of Lululemon, Blaze Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Contact (Climbing Yoga Fitness Center), and Café Zupas. We love seeing our quaint town continue to grow!

Contact Us

We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time. The Shaffer Team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. We are committed to keeping you informed of all the great offerings of this city so you too, can experience this place we all get to call home. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at 435-525-0079.

Tips for Relocating to St. George, UT

We’ve said it time and time again, when it comes to relocating to St. George and the surrounding area, you will experience a life of wholesome community and nature. Even though there is much development currently happening in the city, the nature continues to standout thanks to the roaring red rocks. When you explore the many neighborhoods in the area, you will find that each are unique to their own. Let’s take a look at a few key points you should take with you before considering a relocation to this beautiful city.

Average Neighborhood Costs

We acknowledge that although St. George is primarily home-owned oriented, there is still a large percentage that makes up our renter population. For apartment, condo, and townhome rentals, you should plan to pay a monthly cost of around $800-1,000. If you'd prefer to own a home rather than rent, expect to pay $1,500-2,500 per month at a minimum. If you are looking for something with a few more upgrades, you will most likely see prices of around $2,500-3,500 per month. For those who are looking to splurge on a luxury home, expect to see homes listed at values between $3,000 and $5,000 per month.

Be Commuter Friendly

St. George is extremely spread out. If you are planning to relocate to this city, be sure to take into consideration of moving with a car. If you are looking to live in the area without a vehicle, be sure to take a gander at the public transportation system and its stops relevant to the places you expect to be traveling to and from.

Get Ready for Suburbia

St. George prides themselves in being a highly family-oriented community. There are larger-than-average families living in the city which therefore means more schools, playgrounds, parks, and opportunities for your children to make friends and meet other kids their ages. Another valuable aspect about this suburban lead city is the fact that many families choose to carpool with other families, offering additional resources for community.

Before You Settle In

Below are a few things to remember to take care of within 30 days or so of moving into your new place in St. George:

Obtain your Driver’s License (if Out-of-State): The state expects you to notify of any address change within 10 days, so be sure to get this done as soon as possible. You can find resources for renewing your ID, here.

Set up Trash and Recycling: Help keep St. George clean and eco-friendly by registering your home.

Register to Vote!: This is an election year so be sure to save yourself the trouble by registering to vote when you apply or renew your license.

Contact Us

The Shaffer Team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. We are committed to keeping you informed with the state of the amazing city we get to call home. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at 435-525-0079.

Escrow, or what we like to call,  ”limbo”, is something that you should prepare for in any attempt to purchase a home. At times, purchasing a home can feel extremely nerve-wracking. There may be times in the process where you don’t understand what is happening. One of the most misunderstood and overlooked steps in the purchasing process is Escrow. Let’s discuss what escrow is, and what to expect.

What is Escrow?

Zillow defines escrow as a time in a purchase when an impartial third-party keeps something of value during a transaction. As it relates to real estate, escrow is basically a financial instrument where a third-party holds onto everything in an account until the sale closes. The purpose of the escrow account is to keep both parties (buyer and seller) neutral throughout the sale.

What Happens During Escrow?

One thing to note about escrow is that every process varies in length. A major roadblock that may lengthen the time of escrow directly relates to not having pre-approval for a mortgage loan.  Escrow is known to be a daunting experience and there may come a time when you question “umm...excuse me, where is the money that I paid with for this house?” It is important to remember that you, as the buyer, should leave the sale just as satisfied as to the seller. Escrow holds onto all items to ensure the sale is finalized between the two parties with zero financial conflicts where both have actioned all items of their contractual agreements.

How Are Escrow Accounts Opened?

Once you make an offer on a home to a seller, the check  you write will go directly into an escrow account. The funds will be deposited into the account by the agent (that’s right, we do the interfacing for you!) This part is important because you don’t want the seller to hold onto the money. The could easily provide a verbal commitment to depositing the check-in an escrow account when instead they keep it and ploy you out of their contractual obligations.

The Bottom Line

Escrow is a natural part of the sales process when buying a home. Sure, experiences may differ from buyer to buyer, but know that everyone will experience some type of escrow. Your agents are there to support you and guide you through contractual agreements with the seller. Your agents will understand and validate your uneasiness as you hand over your earnest check when making an offer for your dream house. At the end of the day, escrow is actually a positive aspect of the process as it safeguards your money and the state of your new home when you move in.

Contact Us

We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during this historical time in our lives. The Shaffer Team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. We are committed to keeping you informed through the entire sales process and educating you on anything you may not understand. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at 435-525-0079.

Life in St. George, UT. What's the Scoop?

When we talk about living in St. George to our friends and families who may have only visited a few times or not at all, we immediately dismiss the idea that there are both positives and negatives to living here. Our life and experiences here in Southern Utah are unique to their own. So naturally, there are only positives in our minds!

With that said, when our clients visit to scope out the area, we always speak about St. George in a neutral way. The goal here is to allow the warm and nature-filled surroundings to speak for itself. Let's take a look at the buzz traits of this quaint city.

Community

If you are looking for a quiet and safe city that also allows for hiking and exploration, then St. George is the place for you. With a friendly community of around 60,000, this city gives you and your families the ability to create lasting relationships with others. The city comes together often so that its members can live in a city that serves all. Dixie State is also at the heart of downtown, giving younger 20-somethings, millennials, and our grandparents the ability to enjoy all aspects of St. George.

Access to National Parks

We've talked about national parks several times before, but it's what we're known for and we can't get enough of them. Need a weekend getaway or simply a day-trip with the family and the doggos? Pack the car up with hiking gear and a picnic basket full of goodies and visit our many national parks such as Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, or Capitol Reef National Park.

Desert Climate

Deserts can be, well, hot. After living through a full year in Southern Utah, you will easily say that July and August are the more "uncomfortable" months within the year but the other months are still widely BBQ and outdoor pool hangout central. This means that all of those rocks you love to climb and the many hikes and trails you enjoy still remain right at your fingertips almost every day of the year (yes, we still get rain and cloud cover!).

State of Employment

You can look at employment rates in two different ways. There are specific niche markets that cater to specific occupations. This could then prove to be a challenge for those who are not moving in with a remote job or a specific occupation to the market. On the other hand, the job market is actively expanding year-to-year. This indicates that there is great opportunity for business to expand and start-ups or smaller businesses to thrive. You will find a large community of entrepreneurs here in St. George with great business minds and a willingness to see others succeed.

Contact Us

We hope that everyone is staying safe and healthy during this historical time in our lives. The Shaffer Team consists of real estate professionals in Southern Utah, specializing in selling homes. We work with talented photographers, stagers, and lenders to ensure your home buying or selling process is efficient and smooth. Call us to learn more about the area and to understand how we can help you find your dream home at 435-525-0079.