Split Jet Stream, Skiers' Woe

It is not uncommon in fall/early winter for a split jet stream to set up over the interior west. What occurs is that a strong and dominant high-pressure system takes hold of the western US. Low-pressure systems originating in the Gulf of Alaska typically move southward along the coast of British Columbia and swing inland anywhere between Northern California and Washington, sweeping over Utah and providing our famously fluffy powder snow. However when a high-pressure system sets up over the west as it is currently, as these low-pressure systems start to move inland they encounter the high-pressure and split apart. With one part going north over the top of the high-pressure and another section swinging south under the high-pressure leaving Utah warm and dry. This is the pattern that we are currently in. But the high pressure is just far enough to the west that the northern branch of the jet stream does clip Utah bringing us occasional light snowfall. This is what is going to happen this Wednesday and Thursday with probably not more than 3-4 inches of snow for the northern Utah resorts while the central and southern Utah mountains could see several feet.HMMM, Could we possibly switch this pattern for May, when it snows continuously and we want sunshine?

On a brighter note, Deer Valley opens this Saturday and conditions should be pretty decent for opening day. I haven't heard what is going to be open yet but I would expect runs down Bald Mountain, Flagstaff and Northside should be open. The Stein Eriksen Lodge, located on the mountain in Silver Lake, Deer Valley, has received the Forbes 5-Star rating for its spa. This is the only 5-star rating for a spa in the state of Utah and only one of 4 throughout the country. This is quite a feather in the cap for Stein's, as it completely redid its spa two years ago and has made great efforts to bring up the level of service.

Last week I spoke of The Montage Hotel here in Deer Valley. This week I'd like to talk about one of Deer Valley's other great hotels, The St. Regis. The St. Regis Hotel, located in the Deer Crest area of Deer Valley overlooking both the town of Park City and the Jordanelle Reservoir is truly one of the luxury hotels here in town. The St. Regis first started selling units in 2005, prior to completion of the hotel, The hotel was substantially completed in December of 2009 and at that time was about 60% sold. Even during the downturn of the economy the majority of owners who purchased during the pre-construction phase ended up closing on their units, and this year there have been four new sales in the St. Regis. There are only ten units available for sale, a one-bedroom listed for $1,370,000, two-bedrooms listed around $1,500,000, and three-bedrooms listed anywhere from $2,000,000 to $3,000,000 depending on location and views. The hotel has the space, feel, and services that you'd expect from the St. Regis and certainly lives up to its brand. The St. Regis features a wonderful heated patio overlooking the ski slopes of Deer Valley, which is a favorite gathering spot for lunch or early afternoon cocktails in the spring and Sunday afternoons throughout the summer.

To get to the St. Regis, guest ride a funicular--a European-style cog train--from lower Deer Valley to the terminal in the St. Regis. Riding down the funicular in the evening with the lights of Deer Valley sparkling is something all visitors to Park City should experience.

Ski season is here and going strong. I have been arduously working off my Thanksgiving dinner, as I hope you have. So plan your trip to Park City, come see me in my office at Silver Lake in mid-mountain Deer Valley and let's go skiing. In the meantime, do your snowdance, drink a glass of wine to the Snow Gods, or whatever else you feel works to bring on the snow!

Third Quarter Resort Comparisons

A very interesting observation as winter approaches North America is in watching reactions to forecasts of snow. When watching the news stations or weather channel I have noticed that when snow is forecast for most cities in North America or the US, it comes with a warning for travel and usually with advice for residents to avoid traveling outside and to stay at home. It does not seem to matter whether the forecast is for an inch of snow or several. Ski resort towns, on the other hand, not only do not panic with the forecast of snow, but instead celebrate it. The ski resorts in the western US really don't even take notice or start to get excited unless the forecast is for at least a foot. Then the excitement is not for concerns of traveling around town (we all know how to drive in snow) but rather the prospect of excellent skiing the next day. Just another example of how ski country people are just a little different from the rest of the country.

This past weekend we had a fairly decent storm with 8-10 inches of snow on the Park City side and between 1 and 2 feet in the Alta/Snowbird area. Unfortunately the combination of new snow and early season enthusiasm is a recipe for disaster. Over the weekend and mostly on Sunday, there were around a dozen skier/boarder-triggered avalanches in the Wasatch Range. And most unfortunately, pro-skier,  Jamie Pierre was killed in an avalanche at Snowbird Resort. Prior to the opening of the resorts--Snowbird and Alta don't open until this Friday--the resorts aren't doing avalanche control work and early season enthusiasts forget that while skiing at these resorts, one must take the same precautions as backcountry skiing. This is a lesson that is all too often learned too late.

The third quarter statistics for all of the resorts of the Western Mountain Resort Alliance have just come out and are pretty interesting. The statistics are for most of the major resorts in the western US: Whistler in British Columbia; Park City, Utah; Steamboat, Vail, and Crested Butte in Colorado; Sun Valley, Idaho; Big Sky, Montana; Lake Tahoe, California; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Pretty interesting that what I've been reporting for Park City all year is quite similar to what's happening at the other resorts. All year I've been reporting that the number of listings has been down (and for Park City it's down 6% over last year) and likewise, the other resorts are down anywhere from 2% in Whistler to 16% in Big Sky. Only Lake Tahoe is up at 6% and Jackson Hole is even from last year. Over this past year I've been saying the number of units sold has been up in Park City (which it has by 18%) and every resort except for Crested Butte is also showing number of sales up over last year. Vail is basically even, up only 1%. Big Sky, Montana has had the biggest increase at 40% in number of sales of last year, and Crested Butte is the anomaly down 45% in number of sales last year. I have been following these statistics since 1996 and pretty consistently, Vail has always sold about twice as much as we have in Park City. However last year and again this year, total dollar volume sold in Park City has surpassed Vail. Through September, Park City has sold just over $853,000,000 for a 7% increase over 2010. Vail, on the other hand, has sold just under $725,000,000, which is a 24% decrease over 2010. In looking at all of the resorts, four are up this year and five are down. Whistler, Park City, Steamboat and Big Sky are all showing increases in dollar volume over 2010. While Sun Valley, Vail, Lake Tahoe, Jackson and Crested Butte are all showing a decrease. Jackson Hole continues to have the highest average sales price of all resorts with the average sales price for all property types for the entire county of $1,225,000. By contrast, Vail, which we always assume is very expensive, is showing an average for all property types of $898,000 and Park City at $676,000. Jackson Hole has always been expensive because of the scarcity of developable land. Only 3% of all the land in and around Jackson is available for development. This is one of the big contrasts that we have here in Park City where one of our main issues is actually that there is too much land that can be developed. Please feel free to contact me for detailed or more specific information for any of these resorts.

The snow is piling up, the resorts are opening, Park City, Alta, and Snowbird open this weekend, so it's definitely time to find where your ski gear hid itself over the summer and get the ski legs in shape.

Snow, snow, snow

Last Saturday, Park City held a Snow Dance Parade on Main Street where everybody was encouraged to dress up in appropriate snow gear, ring cowbells and parade to bring on winter. Well, it worked! It's been snowing ever since, and all three resorts are making snow. Big news this week is the announcement of opening days. Brighton Ski Resort in Big Cottonwood Canyon opens this Thursday followed by Solitude on Friday. Park City, Snowbird and Alta are opening the following week on the 18th or 19th, Canyons on the 25th, and Deer Valley as is consistent, opens the first Saturday in December which is the 3rd this year. Fall has definitely ended and winter is here now for the duration.

The excitement in town is readily apparent with the ski shops getting all the new equipment out and everybody gearing up for a great winter. With last ski season showing a marked improvement in visitors to Park City over the 2009-2010 season, we are hoping the trend  will continue and with abundant snowfall visitors will come.

In real estate happenings, for the off-time of the year, we are remaining relatively busy. Buyers are continuing to take advantage of low prices and low interest rates to purchase their ski property prior to the arrival of winter visitors. I had some clients in town last week and their reasoning for coming this time of the year was the of the availability of properties to look at. With very few visitors in town right now getting appointments to see property is very easy, unlike during the height of the ski season when everything is rented. So if you are contemplating purchasing a ski property this year, this is a terrific time to come out and look. The availability is high and there is great selection of properties to look at.

The start of the ski season is just days away so continue working on your strength and agility exercises, and let's go skiing!

Fall Has Arrived

There is one tree on the Park City Resort that gives up way too easy and is the first tree to turn every fall. This past weekend I notice it has changed colors and is bright red in a sea of green on the resort. I've informed the other trees to hang on and don't give up so quickly but I'm afraid fall is here. This weekend was cool--actually chilly--and quite rainy. A perfect weekend for tennis and football. On Saturday, went out to Rockport Reservoir, one of the local reservoirs here, to attend a blues festival. While the music was terrific, the weather was not. Driving out, we encountered severe lightning, high winds and heavy rain. While at the festival site it was only light rain, the temperature was in the low 50s and it really wasn't very pleasant for sitting outside listening to music. But that's fall in the mountains and we just get used to it.

The other news over the weekend is that La Nina has returned! For skiers this is generally good news as a La Nina weather pattern typically means that the Pacific northwest through northern California and the northern and central Rockies tend to be wetter and colder than normal. Bad news is that the southwest (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas) tends to be warmer and drier than normal. The same pattern that we saw last winter that brought record snows to Utah and record drought to Texas.

In real estate news real estate continues to be quite active. In looking at our MLS sales, as of today, 9/12, there are 20 homes within the Park City limits with contracts pending on them waiting to close. Of these homes, the least expensive home under contract has a list price of $638,000 and the most expensive is a ski-in/ski-out in the Bald Eagle community of Deer Valley with a list price of $7,250,000. Of the 20 homes with contracts pending, 6 have a list price over $2,000,000.

As of today and inside the city limits there are 44 condos with contracts pending on them with the low price of $125,000 up to the high of $6,250,000. Included in this are about 10 condos in the St. Regis hotel in Deer Valley that have been under contract for quite some time and are still waiting to close. What this does show is that there is a lot of activity going on right now and it covers the full range of prices. When I talk to most buyers and sellers, I am always asked what is selling. And when I show them statistics such as these they are usually quite surprised as their guess would have been only the lower price range would be selling. Another thing that I take from these statistics is that the buyers are out there and are looking in all price ranges and are ready to purchase if the property is right for their needs and they feel it is properly priced for today's market.

Hopefully we will have our traditional Indian summer here but I am seeing signs of the aspens starting to turn. I would expect by early October we should be pretty close to peak colors. With all the rain that we've had, I believe that the colors will be particularly vibrant this year, so if you've never seen fall in the mountains, this may be a great year to do it. And be sure to stop in and say hello if you are in town, particularly to see which restaurants are open and what events are going on.

It's Still Winter

Winter, winter, go away, come back in October! Woke up with another 4" of snow on the back barbecue and it has been snowing hard all day, probably close to a foot of new snow. As was said this morning, if you are surprised by this morning's snow then you are new to Park City. The big problem yet to come is going to be when it does finally warm up (and it will) and all of the snow comes down quickly. The year 1983 saw a spring like this and it resulted in severe flooding in Salt Lake City. So much so that people were canoeing on State Street (one of the main thoroughfares through Salt Lake City). In late April, the snowpack should be diminishing with warm sunny days, but instead it is at worst staying even and lately been increasing. As I said earlier, it will warm up and when it does there will be a lot of snow coming down the mountain. A week ago, the mountain snowpack was at 140% of normal. This week it has risen to 197% of normal. On Tuesday, Snowbird eclipsed it's previous season record snowfall and has now recorded over 690" of snowfall, with much more to come!

Final Week

This is the final week for Deer Valley's ski season, although Park City and Canyons have extended their season one more week to April 17th.

To get the most enjoyment from spring skiing, one has to plan their day carefully. First of all, come springtime, not all days are worth even skiing. If it doesn't freeze overnight and it is warm and humid during the day you're better off finding another activity, such as snowshoeing, biking, or even going to work. However when it does freeze overnight, you wait a little bit for the snow to soften then head for the east and southerly-facing slopes where you can find good corn snow. Then, as those slopes become too soft and sticky, look for the north-facing slopes and as the afternoon progresses, move to the western slopes. By doing this, you are trying to find each aspect at the perfect time for softness. And there may be times that you just have to quit, have lunch, and call it a day. Spring skiing is for relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, and recapping a great winter.

Closing week this year looks to be very, very good as we received a foot of snow Sunday, it is supposed to snow again tonight, and it looks like more snow Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If the forecast holds true, it will be a great way to finish the year and we will close with a base of over 120" and powder skiing. It is time for thoughts to turn to white sand beaches and warm Caribbean water. Everyone in ski towns are ready to thaw out and relax.

It's been a pleasant surprise that as we wind down the ski season real estate sales have continued to stay strong. In looking across what has sold in the last couple of weeks, I have seen several multi-million-dollar homes and condos sold including two ski-in/ski-out condos in Deer Valley priced at over $6,000,000 and another ski-in/ski-out home in The Colony at Canyons Resort also priced well over $6,000,000. On the 15th of April I will be able to get the stats for the ski season and will put together an analysis of how this season's activity was and how it compared to the previous winter. So stay tuned for that and until then, enjoy spring and plan your summer vacation to the mountains.

Finding the Perfect Vacation Home

This is the time of the year when many of our visitors, after having a thoroughly enjoyable ski week, consider purchasing a vacation home here in the mountains. When they come to my office asking about vacation properties there are several questions that I ask that help both me and the prospective buyer narrow down just what it is they actually are looking for.

The first question that needs to be asked is: Are you intending to rent the property during the times you are not using it? The importance of this question is that not all properties are zoned for vacation rentals, so if this is an important criterion I immediately eliminate the areas that are not zoned for this or in some cases, though zoned for vacation rentals, may not be practical.

The second question concerns location: Is ski-in/ski-out important? Is being close to the center of town important? Or, is getting in the car to go skiing or into town acceptable? As we spoke of in the previous post, ski-in/ski-out properties, like ocean-front properties, tend to be quite expensive. So if you are willing to put up with the inconvenience of taking a car or public transportation to the resorts, you can find a similar property for considerably less, or a much larger property for the same price.

Now we get into the nuts and bolts questions: How many bedrooms are needed? Would you prefer a townhouse-style condo over an apartment-style condo? And of course, price range. Here in Park City, we are blessed with having an abundance of developable land throughout the area which gives us a wide variety of size and price of vacation properties. We can find one-bedroom condos outside the core area under $100,000 while a one-bedroom near the resorts can easily be $300,000 or higher.

One thing that most people don’t actually think about until we start looking at property is views. Not only are views important aesthetically but also very important for resale. In purchasing in a resort, people are looking for the view as that is why they came here in the first place. This is where a local Realtor becomes invaluable. If you are just looking on the internet at properties and are focused on size and price, proximity to the resorts and the views may be confusing or even misleading. A photo from the deck of a condo may show fabulous views to the resort, when in fact those views could be blocked by a new development going in near by, or perhaps the view is taken from an angle that you wouldn’t normally see. Having local knowledge of upcoming developments, preferred views or preferred locations is information that is best obtained by your Realtor.

So when considering purchasing in a resort, in order to ensure that your Realtor is focusing on the properties that are right for you and your family, there needs to be a discussion on just what it is you’re looking for, what your use will be, and of course, a price range that you’re comfortable with. It is important to have this discussion when you first sit down with your Realtor. Your Realtor will be able to put together a selection of properties that best fit your needs, rather than showing you every property with the right number of bedrooms and right price. You are here on vacation and our goal, while wanting to find you the perfect vacation home, is also to maximize your vacation time and spend time looking at properties to just what works for your family.Hopefully your Realtor will have this discussion with you on your first meeting or very early on, but if not, know the answers to these questions yourself and make your Realtor aware of your needs.

It’s springtime in the Rockies, which means that we’re getting lots of snow. It seems that the last few years some of the best skiing has been at the end of the season and this year is no exception. Strong snowstorms with great powder skiing followed by bright, sunny days. So come experience spring skiing in Park City, bring your sunscreen, warm clothes, as well as spring wear, and be prepared for anything.

Springtime in the Mountains

It is the middle of March and the days are getting longer, the sun is shining and spring skiing is on. Spring skiing means not having to bundle up like you are in the arctic, sitting outside on the deck for lunch and après ski outside looking at the mountains.

Early January In Park City

While the eastern half of the U.S. is locked in a deep freeze, we in the Rockies are basking in warm sunshine. Even at 8000 feet today’s temperature is approaching 30 degrees. While the warmth certainly feels good, and it’s nice not having to clear the driveway every day, we would all be much happier with more snow. I would call the skiing “adequate”, but then I am a fanatic skier also. While for us we would refer to the current ski conditions as marginal, most resorts would be thrilled with our current conditions. All of the resorts have around 95%, or more, of the mountain open. And anywhere that the resorts make snow has very good coverage. So while we certainly are not showing off our Sunday best dress, the skiing is quite good and the weather is spectacular. The great thing about January is with a low sun angle, even on warm days such as today, the snow stays cold and crisp. Plus, the slopes are nearly empty. The first two weeks of January are traditionally the slowest time of the season, following Christmas break, and then here in Park City, the Sundance film festival is the last 10 days of the month. During Sundance the traffic is bad, restaurants are full, and the ski slopes are empty. If you are willing put up with a busy town it is a great time to ski.


In real estate news the two weeks of the Christmas holidays were pleasantly busy. People were stopping in at open houses and the questions they asked were indicative of serious buyers. It was enjoyable to have my phone ringing with agents wanting to show my listings. We are certainly still in a buyers market but I see signs of a change. As the great deals get picked up and inventory dwindles, we will start to see sellers holding much more firm to their prices than they have in the past. Right now the hot commodity is as expected, properties on or very near the slopes. Almost everyone who has an interest in Park City real estate has heard about the upcoming auction of the Silver Strike condo’s in Empire Pass. This auction is the talk of the town and around 200 people have already registered. Interestingly enough, we are now starting to see serious buyers who realize that the odds of getting one of these auction properties is slim, so they are taking advantage of some terrific opportunities in other ski developments. For example, a new condo project called Flagstaff, also in Empire Pass, is discounting their list price 30% for the next 3 to 4 buyers. The Grand Lodge located at the base of the Northside lift at Deer Valley Resort has only one developer unit left, a beautiful 5 bed penthouse unit looking straight up the mountain. This unit is listed for $3,800,000 and I suspect that the developer is willing to make a great deal on this to get the last condo off his books. While there are great deals like this all over town and in every price range, you have to know where they are and which ones truly are good deals. This is where working with a local and experienced real estate agent is so important.

Come out, take advantage of empty ski slopes and great weather. If you are in the market for a ski home be sure to call me….and send the eastern snow to the west!!!

Christmas In Park City

This is the start of the Christmas Holiday and the Park City resorts are ready. After a week of bitter cold, followed by a two day blizzard, this week has been quite warm with temperatures in the upper 30’s. Fortunately it is colder up on the mountain so the resorts have been able to make snow non-stop, even this week. Park City and Deer valley have been able to open new runs and lifts daily and as of today over half of the mountain is open. I expect both resorts to open new runs throughout the next couple of weeks.

The town is festive and decorated to bring out the holiday spirit in everyone. One of the great fun things in Park City is how all the condominium projects and private homes light up the trees. A nighttime drive around town with snow still in the tree branches and Christmas lights twinkling is really quite magical. Along with skiing we have many other activities such as sleigh rides and snowmobiling in the back country of Utah. Christmas is a special time of year and to spend it with family and friends in a place like Park City is simply the best.
I wish everyone the happiest of holidays and a prosperous 2010.

Good Old Fashion Utah Snow Storm

After a week of bone chilling cold this weekend saw a good old fashion Utah snow storm. From Saturday morning to Sunday evening the Utah ski resorts received 3 to 4 ft of new snow just in time for the Christmas holidays. I skied at Deer Valley yesterday with knee deep powder and new runs were opening up as the day progressed. With continued cold weather and snow making as well as more snow forecast for later in the week, most of the mountain should be open later this week. If you have been waiting to see what the conditions would be like before booking your vacation to park city, wait no longer! The conditions are excellent and the skiing is fabulous so come on out!

Latest Happenings In Deer Valley

While there has been a lot happening in real estate here in the last week or two, let’s start by talking about just how cold it is. Yesterday morning it was -9 and warmed up to a balmy 15 degrees. This was actually quite pleasant as earlier in the week the high temperatures stayed in the single digits. This has been one of the coldest December’s that I have seen in a long time, and it feels much more like January than December. While everyone has been running around complaining about the cold and many of the people in the older historic Park City homes are dealing with frozen water pipes, the ski resort snow makers are having a field day making snow. Last weekend before it got really cold I spoke with Bob Wheaton (president of Deer Valley) who said that Deer Valley is pumping 7000 gallons of water per minute in snow making. That was before it got really really cold, so that number has increased this week. The snow making has been so good that Deer Valley is opening up new runs and lifts every day. Even without natural snow, we will have the majority of the mountain open for the Christmas Holiday. HOWEVER, the forecast is for 2 to 3 ft of snow this weekend! The skies are already starting to cloud up and the south winds are blowing strong, indicating a major change in weather. If the forecast holds true, we should have almost all of the mountain open by next weekend…just in time for Christmas!

Now back to real estate. As I mentioned last week the St. Regis hotel in the Deer Crest area of Deer Valley has opened. I took a tour of the hotel last Wednesday. Riding the funicular to the St. Regis was just the start of an incredible tour. The bar, lounges, restaurant’s and lobby’s are all spacious and beautifully decorated with spectacular views from every window. The highlights are the ski out patio, which will be the new “beach” for the Deer Valley après ski scene and the outdoor pool which even without the setting of the ski run’s and the mountain back drop is beautiful. But no visit to the St. Regis would be complete without a visit to the spa. The massage rooms invite you to relax and unwind but what will be most enjoyable is the couples massage room with private whirlpool. The waiting room for the spa has a stream flowing through it with river rocks for the bed. A must visit on any trip to Deer Valley will be the St. Regis, either for lunch or après ski, or for a romantic dinner in a beautiful setting.

The St. Regis has now closed on 10 units with a low price $1,040,000 for a 991 sq foot for a 1 bed/1 bath unit to a high of $5,454,000 for a 2947 sq ft 4 bed/5 bath unit. Along with this there are 49 units under contract and getting ready to close. These range in price from a low $1,540,000 for a 1502 sq ft 2 bed/2 bath to a high of $8,916,550 for 6229 sq ft 6 bed/7bath unit.

Another new development in the Empire Pass area of Deer Valley is a condominium project called The Flagstaff. This building has just been completed, as was the St. Regis, and they have just started closing on units. Flagstaff had pre-sold 8 units prior to completion and 5 of those have closed. These range from a low of $1,902,000 for a 2140 sq ft 3 bed/4 bath condo to a high of $2,322,000 for a 2140 sq ft 3 bed/4 bath unit. There are 3 units with contracts waiting to close and range from a low of $2,710,000 for a 1749 sq ft 2 bed/3 bath to a high of $3, 020,000 for a 2324 sq ft 3 bed/4 bath condo. The Flagstaff development is at Empire Pass and is part of the Talisker Club with direct ski in/ski out access and in the common area features a children’s game room, an adult pub and a wonderful outdoor fire-pit.

Another condominium building that was completed a year ago, called Silver Strike in Empire Pass, is trying a novel approach to jumpstart the market. 15 out of 34 units have closed to date, but there has only been one sale in the last 18 months. In order to generate interest the developer of Silver Strike is going to auction 8 of the best units in January. The units will have a minimum bid which will be more than 50% off of the current list price. The developer is hoping that there will be sufficient interest so that the bidding will increase prices from the minimum. It will be very interesting to see how this transpires and at what price the condos will actually sell for. This could be an interesting venture and be aware that all condo’s will come with the full Talisker Club membership. Should you have an interest in registering for the auction, you will have to be pre-registered so contact me and I will set you up. It could possibly be a way to pick up a brand new ski-in/ski-out condo in Empire Pass at a significantly reduced price.

As you can see there is a lot going here in real estate and it is very exciting. I skied this morning and despite the lack of natural snow the skiing is quite good so come out to Park City, enjoy some terrific skiing and let’s go look at some fabulous real estate opportunities.

Big News In Park City

This past week the new St. Regis Hotel at Deer Valley opened to rave reviews. The bar, lounge and restaurant are spectacularly decorated and many people felt that it looked just like the St. Regis in Manhattan. Owners have begun closing on their units and with prices approaching $2000 per square foot; a new standard has been set in Deer Valley. What is very telling is that the first buyers wrote contracts 4 years ago and even after the economic downturn of the last 2 years, only two buyers are attempting to get out of their contracts. This is very telling about the quality and perceived value of the St. Regis. From speaking with the listing agent they expect to have closed on 20 units prior to the Christmas vacation at which time all of the available units will be rented out.

The second piece of big news this week is that Deer Valley will be opening Saturday December 5th.This fall we have only seen about half of our normal snow fall but fortunately it has been cold so Deer Valley will have a decent opening of man made snow. Even better is the forecast for snow…beginning this Saturday and continuing at least through next Wednesday. This is much needed and should get the mountain ready for the Christmas holidays. Part of the opening ski weekend tradition at Deer Valley is a two day celebrity ski race. This is always a fun event with many Hollywood celebrities running around mid-mountain Deer Valley.

In real estate news our real estate market continues to move along and is showing some signs of strengthening. While we are still definitely in a buyers market and I see many price reductions on properties every day I am beginning to see a few price increases. Is this a sign of things to come? While I do not think that we are out of the woods, the light at the end of the tunnel just might be a bit brighter.

The first couple of weeks in December and again the first couple of weeks in January are relatively quiet times here in park City and are an excellent time to visit and enjoy less crowded ski slopes and restaurants. Whether it is during these more quiet times or later in the year, make your plans to come visit Park City and experience for yourself why this has been my home for the last 25 years.

NAR Real Estate Convention In San Diego

This week the National Association of Realtor's (NAR) is holding their annual convention in San Diego, which I am attending. This annual event is attended by over 20,000 realtors from all over the world. The convention is a source of education featuring top real estate speakers from around the country and is a terrific opportunity to meet and network with agent's who deal in a wide variety of markets, not just resorts, which I typically work with. I feel that this is an opportunity to get a better feel for shat is happening nationally in the real estate market. Of course, I still spend quite a bit of time talking to my fellow realtors from the western resorts.

This morning we had our Fall meeting for the Western Mountain Resort Alliance, of which I am the founder and president where we discussed along with business issues what was happening in our respective resorts. The consensus was that while this past year has been the worst that anyone has seen there is some optimism that the markets are turning, or beginning to turn, and that this ski season may see buyers re-entering the market. To give you an idea of what happened to our market last year, see the graph attached. As you can see from this graph, most of 2006 was the high point of the market, with a slight decline in 2007 and 2008. This year we saw a drastic drop in number of sales as well as dollar volume. This has been reflected in home prices in our resort as well as the length of time properties are listed before selling.

As a result of lower home prices which are being perceived as, “bargains”, everyone is seeing buyers getting back into the game. One of things that we have seen over the last year and a half with the slow down of the market was that buyers were still out there and still wanted that vacation ski home but were reluctant to act on their wishes as the U.S economy was spiraling downward. Now that the economy appears to be stabilizing, or hopefully recovering, there is a pent up demand of buyers once again looking for resort real estate.

The Good News Is That It Is Snowing Here In Park City! It started snowing last night, turned very cold and more snow is expected tonight and tomorrow. The resorts have all resumed their snowmaking operations and with a forecast of rainy and snowy cold weather for next week, it is looking very positive for thanksgiving skiing!

Come back next week! I will have further updates on what I have learned here in San Diego and further updates on the resort openings. Also upcoming will be my annual restaurant review of what’s new in Park City.

Snowmaking and Real Estate

This week winter arrived in earnest with snow and very cold temperatures. With the arrival of the cold weather all of the Utah resorts have begun making snow in preparation for the upcoming ski season. Snow making puts down a very dense layer of snow which is perfect for building a base and virtually guarantees that the resorts will be open on their individual scheduled dates.

Surprisingly, the concept of making snow was first discovered in Florida of all places. A method that the citrus growers in Florida used to protect their crops during cold snaps was to spray a fine mist of water over their citrus trees. This would create a layer of ice over the fruit, thereby insulating the fruit from cold temperatures. As the story goes, on one particularly cold snap as the farmers were spraying this mist over their fields it was cold enough that the mist froze coming out of the nozzle and fell in the form of snow. While not particularly useful for citrus growers, the ski resorts in the northeast immediately saw the potential that this had and thus snowmaking was born. Snowmaking systems are very sophisticated and resorts use a combination of two different methods for making snow. One is using compressed air and water and the other is known as “airless” system.

The compressed air/water system was the first system developed and is still used extensively at most resorts. The air/water system is composed of two pipes buried deep in the ground with a “hydrant” spaced at intervals up the mountain to which hoses are connected to along with a snowmaking “gun” on the other end. With the two pipes under ground one contains water and the other pipe has highly compressed air. One hose is hooked to the water outlet and the other to the compressed air. The pipes feed the water and air to a mixing chamber in the snowmaking gun and force it out at a very high speed through a narrow nozzle. This breaks the water into a fine mist or small droplets. When this hits cold air it freezes into snow crystals and consequently falls as a very dense piece of snow. A big advantage that this air/water system has is that as the air/water mixture is forced out of the nozzle and the air expands rapidly. As a result of this expansion the air also cools. The air temperature in the vicinity of the gun is significantly reduced making for more efficient snow making and allowing for snow to be made at temperatures in the mid to upper 30’s.

The “airless” system, which is shown in the photos taken today at Deer Valley Resort, consists of a large tube with a fan at one end and a ring of water nozzles at the other end. The fan blows a large column of air through the tube to which water is injected with the same result; the water droplets freeze and falls snow. This kind of system is capable of making large quantities of snow over a very short period but also requires lower temperatures below freezing, as there is little cooling effect from air expansion. With both systems the density of the snow is controlled by the amount of water that is mixed with the air. In early season snowmaking the desire is for the largest quantity with the most density possible, so the snowmakers inject as much water as they can. The amount of water that can be injected is determined by the air temperature and humidity. The lower the temperature and the dryer the air, the more water that can be injected and still fall of snow. If the snowmakers inject too much water or if temperatures start rising the water droplets are too large to freeze and instead come out as a liquid drop and freeze on the ground, which creates ice instead of snow. So the snowmaking crews are constantly monitoring the air temperatures and adjusting the water/air ratio’s to make the largest quantity of snow possible.

A few years ago Sun Valley Resort installed a state of the art computer driven snowmaking system. This is an air/water system which is operated by a computer that monitors the air temperatures and humidity’s as well as constantly adjusting the air/water ratios. This is very efficient and Sun Valley is known for having a layer of “fresh snow” most mornings for their skiers and boarders to enjoy.

Moving on to real estate news, here are some of the latest statistics pulled from the Park City Board of Realtors:

• Starting from January 2009 the average list price for all property types has dropped 14%.
• The number of contracts written and accepted has increased each month beginning in March.
• The average sales price for a single family home is nearly $1,000,000.
• Total dollar sales volume from January-September is $576,401,594.
• We will end up the year just shy of $1 billion dollars in total sales volume. The highest sales volume was in 2006 totaling just over $2 billion.

Bargain hunters are taking full advantage of the decrease in sales price and the decrease in sales activity. All of the real estate agents in Park City are saying the same thing, sales are increasing, but only for properties that are well priced or for properties that sellers are willing to sell at a perceived bargain price. If you have been at all considering purchasing a mountain property, I can not stress enough that now is the time to buy.

Peak Fall Colors & Snow

After a warm and glorious September winter arrived yesterday with snow. It is very rare to see both the peak fall colors and snow at the same time. Enjoy these photos taken this morning October 1, 2009.

Click here to view the photos, or copy and paste this link into your browser:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33891876@N04/sets/72157622495363498/show/

Snow, Snow, Snow

This September was the most beautiful that I have seen here in Park City. Every day was bright blue skies and warm balmy days. With some early cold weather that we had in August and all of the rain in June, the trees turned a little earlier than normal, but were particularly vibrant this year. Then today arrived, September 30, 2009 and we were reminded that we do live in the mountains. A very strong cold front arrived during the night with thunder, lightening and howling winds. We woke up this morning to rain which quickly changed to snow. It has been snowing all day here in Park City and while it is not sticking to the ground here in town the mountains are certainly white. The extended forecast is for more snow off and on for the next week. A certain reminder that winter is on its way and ski season is not far. While the resorts generally open in mid November, I have seen excellent skiing on Halloween…perhaps this will be one of those years.

In real estate news the real estate recovery seems to be continuing here in Park City. After a dismal start to the year the summer months were stronger than last year and the trend is continuing. For example, the number of properties under contract but not yet closed is down this year from last. There have been 750 homes pended this year and 912 in 2008. The number of pending sales increased for the month of August, 116 this year compared to 110 in 2008. Year to date, condos and land pending sales were down 16% and 42%. However during the month of August, condo sales were up 79% and while land sales were still down compared to last year they were down less than 30%. In numbers of actual closed listings year to date, we are off about 34%, 635 closed this year compared to 969 in 2008. The number of single family homes sold in the month of August was even last year and condo sales were off about 15%. The big drop in sales so far this year compared to last year is in vacant land, only 9 parcels closed this year compared to 22 in 2008. This reflects the caution of spec builders right now. With the lack of new home starts here in Park City and the likelihood that there will not be many for the next year to year and a half, newly completed homes are a rarity and are sought after if they are within the city limits. In the Deer Valley area there are less than a handful of newly completed homes for buyers to choose from. Everything else is either an existing older home or at best an older home that has been remodeled or updated. I expect that as a result of this new homes may be in demand this ski season. Scarcity has always been a significant driving factor in real estate.
With the new snow in the mountains as a backdrop for the bright gold’s and red’s, if there is any way to come out to the mountains this is the time to do it.

Shoulder Season in the Mountains

April and May are the shoulder season months in the mountain resorts where one day you are playing golf in shorts & tee shirt and the next day it is snowing. This is the time of the year when locals leave to head for warmer climates and several of the local restaurants and business’s close for several weeks to give the employee’s time off to re-cooperate from the busy winter.

Yesterday I brought in REALTOR® representatives from the ski resorts of Vail, CO, Jackson Hole, WY and North Lake Tahoe, CA to talk to the members of the Park City Board of Realtors about what the real estate market has been like this past year in our neighboring resorts. The panel discussion was attended by 200 members of the Park City Board of Realtors. The questions that we asked the panel members were: Compare the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter or 2008? What are the strongest and weakest parts of your market? What is the average price per square foot of homes and condos in your resort? What is the price per square foot for new developments and are they selling? And finally, what is your outlook going into the summer?

As far as year to year comparison all 3 resorts were quite similar. Numbers on average were down about 20-30% over the same period from last year. The difference between each resort was the average price per square foot of properties. Lake Tahoe reported that the average price of their high end homes (which are located on the lake) run around $800 a square foot and condominiums located at the base of Squaw Valley run around $300 per square foot. In Jackson Hole the price per square foot of homes near Teton resort range from $1000 per square foot for an older home without ski access to nearly $2000 per square foot for a newer home on the mountain. Condominium’s located in the village run anywhere from $1000-$1200 per square foot. Vail reports that resort condominium’s run from $1600-$1800 per square foot and homes run around $1000 per square foot.

Regarding new condominium developments Lake Tahoe reported that they are essentially built out and have been for quite some time, so other than a couple of newer developments around the base of Squaw Valley they really do not have new condominium projects. In Jackson Hole a couple of new developments, such as The Four Seasons, were selling briskly until this past year at over $1000 per square foot. Vail has several new condominium developments that have just completed or are near completion. These projects are priced anywhere from $1800-$2500 per square foot and as expected, sales have been slow this season.

All three resorts felt that the high end of the market was quite strong but the middle market (homes priced between $1 and $2 million) was one of the weakest areas. The reasoning behind this is that the middle range market homes are not in a particularly good area and tend to be older with only mid range finishes. There is nothing to make this type of home stand out in the minds of buyers looking for exceptional value and location.

Regarding the future outlook, all three panelists were cautiously optimistic going into the summer months. They all reported an increase in activity and interest at the end of this ski season and feel that this will carry into the next few months.

If you would like a more in depth discussion on our neighboring resorts feel free to call me at (435) 640-5851 or email me at DHanlon532@aol.com. In the meantime I am waiting for the next sunny day to break out the golf clubs!

Spring Skiing in Park City

This is the time of the year that we change over from the cold winter snow conditions to spring skiing. The joys of spring skiing are skiing corn snow and spending the afternoons on “the beach” at Deer Valley. Click here for fun photos.

We are all familiar with the typical star-shaped snowflake that falls, for which Utah is so famous for. However, come spring the snow going through constant melt-freeze cycles and changes to what is referred to as “corn snow”. The snow crystal melts during the day, refreezes at night, melts again the next day and freezes once again. After several cycles of this, the snow has lost its crystal shape and resembles more that of a grain of corn. Very sought after skiing occurs just as the surface starts to soften and has about an inch or two of soft snow over a firm base. The skiing in these conditions is smooth, consistent and completely delightful. Experienced spring skiers know to go to the east or south exposures first thing in the morning where the snow softens first, and then work their way around to the west, and finally the north exposures as daytime heating progresses. All too often I talk to visitors who do not understand the sun and its effect on the snow and try to ski north or west exposures first thing in the morning, which can be rock hard and very unpleasant. When spring skiing, look for the sun first thing or follow the locals, who know where to go, and you will find your day extremely enjoyable.

In real estate news, a concern that everyone is hearing is the ability, or non-ability to obtain financing for vacation properties. While financing is certainly not as easy as it was a few years ago, financing is available. In the past few years stated income, non-verification loans where easy to obtain. And it is largely responsible for creating the financial mess that we are in right now. As is typical, the pendulum has now swung strongly the other direction where lenders require verification of everything. When financing a resort property, particularly a condo or condo-hotel, I feel that it is imperative to use a local lender. One who knows the property and knows how to package the loan in such a way that the underwriters will fund it. Too many times I have seen buyers search the internet for what they think is the best rate, or use a lender in their home town. Experience has taught me that these loans rarely go through. One of the first questions an out-of-state lender asks is, “What percentage of the condo development is non-owner occupied?” In a resort town, such as Park City, the answer is frequently, “Nearly 100% of the properties are non-owner occupied.” This will often kill any possibility of the lender funding the loan. Local lenders understand that these wholly owned condos are used by their owners for vacations and know how to package this so that the underwriter is comfortable with the loan. Frequently, experienced Realtors® will ask the buyer’s agent who the buyer is using for their loan. If the property being purchased is a condominium which is used for vacation rentals, it is not uncommon for the listing agent to require that the buyer submit a loan application with a local lender as well as their out of state lender. What we are trying to accomplish here is to increase the sellers confidence that the loan will go through. So my advice when purchasing resort real estate is to rely on your Realtor® for advice on financing. Our local lenders know how to work with out-of-state buyers and the peculiarities of resort property. This helps make the loan process as smooth and painless as possible.

Culinary Adventures in Park City

Last night I joined some clients for dinner at the Viking Yurt at The Canyons. For anyone visiting Park City during the ski season, the Viking Yurt dinner should be high on their list of places to go.

The meal begins with a sleigh ride from the base of The Canyons resort to mid-mountain at about 8,300 feet in elevation. The sleigh holds about 30 people and is pulled up the mountain by a Snow Cat. This in itself is quite enjoyable, cruising up the ski runs after dark, enjoying the lights from the town below. After about a 2- minute sleigh ride we arrive at the Viking Yurt. The Yurt is a round, tent-like structure, with wooden support beams, a pot-bellied stove for heating and a small kitchen. The Yurt has no electricity or running water, so it is lit by gas lanterns and the meal is brought up by Snow Cat during the evening. Coming in from the cold to the warm Yurt, we are warmly greeted by the hostess, who presents us with a steaming mug of hot grog. There are 4 tables in the Yurt, each seating around 10 people. So unless you have a large group, you will enjoy your meal with soon-to-be new friends. As most are visitors from around the country, conversation is lively and topics range from the day’s skiing to current events. We are treated to a 4 course dinner and the meal is always extraordinary, and last night was no exception. At the end of the meal, and several bottles of wine, we board the sleigh for a beautiful trip down the mountain to the base. This is such a different and relaxing way of dining, a far cry from the hustle and noise of Main Street.

Another dining experience not to be missed is the Fireside Dining at the Empire Lodge at Deer Valley. The Empire Lodge is located at about 8,500 feet up on the mountain, but is accessible by car. The Empire Lodge, which is one of Deer Valley’s Day Lodges, is transformed from the day cafeteria style meal to this fine dining experience. The Empire Lodge boasts five very large stone fireplaces and all of the meals are prepared at the fire places, thus the name “Fireside Dining”. The first station is Swiss Raclette. For this several large bricks of cheese are hung by hooks in front of the fire. The heat of the fire melts the cheese and it drips onto plates, which the quests will then pick up and add to it all of the condiments one would expect for raclette. The second station is hearty stews and soups. Here, several large cast iron pots are hung from the fire with a variety of delicious soups and stews. At the third station, a leg of lamb is hung in front of the fire and slowly spun to cook evenly and deliciously. The fourth and final station is my personal favorite…dessert of course. Here we have several fondues, chocolate, white chocolate and caramel with a variety of fruits and Deer Valley cookies. During the dinner your group can take a short break and go for about a 20 minute horse drawn sleigh ride around the base area and some of the ski runs. On a snowy night this will be a memorable experience.

Other adventures around Park City include early morning hot air balloon rides, snowmobile tours in the back country, and cross country skiing or snowshoe trips in either the Park City Mountains or the surrounding Uinta Mountains. These can either be guided, or for the adventurous, you can strike off on your own. Being a true destination resort, we understand that not everyone comes to ski, or wants to ski everyday. The days are getting longer, the sun is higher in the sky, so plan your trip to Park City. But leave time to try something different.