The C Team

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I recognized one of the restaurants in Parowan with another of my blogs.  Today I wanted to highlight one of the real gems in Cedar City as far as restaurants go,(at least in my humble opinion.)  It is called Ninja, at it serves Japanese Fare with a great sushi bar.  There is a variety of ways to dine, they do have the sushi bar, you can order your dinner to be prepared or you can sit at the teppanyaki grille and enjoy a show while they cook your dinner.

The prices are reasonable, lunch and dinner are served on weekdays.  Lunch combination plates are very reasonable and the food is very good, and reasonably priced.  The Ninja is located at 1180 S. Sage Drive just west of Interstate 15 at the South end of Cedar City.

Today Darcy and I had to go to Brian Head to photograph a condo that we are listing.  The first thing that popped out at us was that it is a gorgeous day.  It was in the 60’s even at the Ski Resort, people were out enjoying the slopes.  On days like today, I wish that my knees would allow me to learn to ski!  

“Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s alright”

George Harrison really had it right when he penned these immortal lyrics that the Beatles recorded!  

A shot of the ski slope with the blue sky in the background and a light fluffy cloud!

A Shot of the surrounding area!

One more shot of the area with the brilliant blue sky!

One of the great things about living in a place like Parowan is that it is very quiet.  It is almost Mayberry-esque in that it doesn’t take long to get to know everyone.  Another great thing is that they have an active theater company.  The company purchased the old Movie Theater and have turned into a playhouse theater, where the local residents put on plays.  

As you can see this Springs production is Beauty and the Beast.

The first quarter of the year is nearing it’s end.  How are you doing on your goals and expectations?  Does it seem like there is a mountain left to climb?  These are important questions to ask as we move forward through the year.  Are you at least getting more business and closing more deals?  

I know that there are times when the mountain seems so daunting and overwhelming.  I came across this quote by NFL and NCAA Hall of Fame Quarterback Steve Young.  I have followed Steve Young since I wondered if he would end the line of great Quarterbacks to come out of BYU.  After a 5 interception game at the University of Georgia, I wondered if the line ended with his predecessor, Jim McMahon.

Steve went on not only to not end the line, but to in the end, to have been the best of the bunch.  That is if you look at his professional career combined with his college career.  Here is the quote that I found relevant to my topic for this blog:

“The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self improvement, about being better than you were the day before.”

This is viable in goals as well, if we are better tomorrow than we are today, then we are going the right direction.  That may just be a slight improvement, 1 more client a week, a closing each month.  It doesn’t matter as much as it matters that we’re going in the right direction and that we’re getting better.  

I have never met anyone that can climb this or any other mountain in one step, rather in a sometimes longer series of steps until we get to the top.  Sure, some of you will climb faster and seemingly more easily than others, but again, the important thing is to go in the right direction and to always be improving!

I debated using just using the lyrics that the Byrds put to music for the text of this post, instead, I will use the original text found in the King James Version of the Bible in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:

I thought of this as I watched the icicles melting this morning in the warmth of the sun.

“To every thing there is a Season, and a time to every purpose under heaven“

Sometimes we just have to let things happen at there own pace.

In real estate that axiom has been the basis of every listing that we take.  If it is in a great location, we can get a better price for that property.  In this case the location, location, and location has to do with which cliff face gets to enjoy the warming rays of the sun.

<!– .hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { font-size: 10pt; font-family:Verdana } –>On Monday March 15 at the Utah State University Extension Office 585 N Main Street, there will be a class taught on gardening.  This class runs from 6 to 7:30 PM, seating is limited so call Candace at (435)586-8132 to reserve your seat.  This class will also be offered on Tuesday March 16th at the same time and place, again you will need to call Candace to reserve your seat.

At the Southern Utah University Campus South Hall Gallery, Relief Prints will be on display from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.  This is free and the prints were created by the students for more information you can visit www.suu.edu/pva or call (435) 586-5432 this will continue until April 5th

On Thursday March 18 there will be a discover tour at the Frontier Homestead State Park Museum and the Daughters of the Utah Pioneer Museum.  Meet at 1 pm at the Iron County Visitors Center 581 N Main in Cedar City. This is free but they do request an rsvp with Bonnie at (435) 586-5127 or email at: bchar@ironcounty.net.  You can get a passport to fun and get it stamped for a chance to win prizes.  You do have to attend 5 tours to be eligible to qualify for the prize drawing.

Friday March 19 Live music at Toadz featuring ‘Sabbath Judas Sabbath’.  This begins at 9 pm and has an admission price of $5.  Toadz is located at 432 N 100 W, Cedar City.  For more information call (435) 867-8988

Also on Friday March 19 the Neil Simon Festival and Cedar City’s own Off The Cuff presents an evening of The World’s Greatest Comedy Routines.  Held at the Hampton Inn 1145 S Bentley Blvd in Cedar City.  Admission is $20 and you must be 15 or older, there will be door prizes.  Reservations are required call Kathy at (435) 590-9681 or (435) 867-4935

The Comedy Show “Off the Cuff” will be going on at the Crystal Inn 1575 W 200 N Cedar City.  This will also be Friday March 19 at begins at 10pm.  This is a “G” rated show that is 2 hours of non stop entertainment.  Admission is $5 and is fun for the whole family.  For more information call (435)261-4216 or visit: www.otccomedy.com

Saturday March 20 the Spring Equinox Observation will begin at 6:30pm at the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs National Historic site.  For more information call (435)477-3734

The Discover Tour will also hold a Saturday Session similar to the Thursday Session this also will meet at 1pm at the Iron County Visitors Center 581 N Main St. Cedar City.  Please again rsvp with Bonnie at (435)586-5127 or email at bchar@ironcounty.net.

Saturday March 20 at 7pm Spring Bonfire and S’mores at the Town Fires Station in Brian Head.  This is free, for more information call (888) 677-2810.

This wraps up most of the happenings here in Cedar City and surrounding areas.

Unfortunately the bursting forth of Spring is also the beginning of the Scams that con artists afflict on people, unfortunately, the elderly are often the primary target of these sleezy individuals.  What can we do to protect ourselves and our loved ones?  The first thing is to get involved, by this I mean watch the news, talk to neighbors, and especially if we have elderly family members or friends ask them to talk to you before agreeing to have any work done.

When a contractor (that you’re unfamiliar with) contacts you or someone in your circle of friends and family to do work, whether it is landscaping, repairing the roof or even something like yard maintenance:

1. Get at least two more bids.  Tell the contractor from the outset that you want at least 3 bids for the work.  Legitimate contractors welcome the bidding process.  (You choose the other contractors to get bids from, not the one asking you to do the work.)

2. Check References:  As for reference from past clients, or talk to trade associations, the chamber of commerce in your area, or even call the local Police Department and ask if there have been complaints of fraud on the company.

3.  Never pay for the job until it is completed:  There is a difference in making the asked for payments to begin the work or purchase supplies and paying for the entire job.  

4.  Most importantly,   If you have doubts, check them out!  Also the old axiom that says: “if something seems too good to be true, it probably is!” That phrase is as true today as it was the day that it was coined.  

These suggestions may make the difference between having a partly sunny or partly cloudy outcome!

As of February 1, 2010 through February 1, 2011 the FHA has dropped the 90 day seasoning requirement to obtain FHA financing on a home.  This helps both investors and first time home buyers.  Investors can buy homes, fix them up and flip them to an FHA approved buyer.  This will help us get our inventory of homes that need some work off the market and in turn, increase are inventory of turn key homes for the FHA approved buyers.

This will help the FHA buyer in that the more “turn key” homes that are available the better off they will be in finding the home that best fits their needs, without having to imagine the possibilities or taking on the prospect of living in a home while they are fixing it up.  I don’t know how it is in every market, but in our market, we have had several buyers that didn’t want to take on a punch list of projects once they buy their house.  We have also noticed a shrinkage of good homes that would qualify for FHA financing.

There are some restrictions to get the homes to qualify under the seasoning requirements.

  
I hope that this is more information that helps us better serve our clients.

There are several nuances with the tax credit that I was familiar with and as I have found out some stuff that I didn’t know exactly about the Homebuyer Tax Credit.  First off with what I did know.  I knew that homeowners can qualify for up to $6500 in a tax credit without selling their current residence.  One of the criteria is that they have to have lived in the home for 5 of the last 8 years as their primary residence. 

I also knew that you do not have to close by April 30, 2010.  You do have to be under contract by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30, 2010, unless you’re Military or a government employee and meet the criteria established for those extensions, then you may have up to an extra year to purchase your home!

I also didn’t know that the tax credit must be filed by mail!  It cannot be filed electronically!  These requirements are to prevent fraud, so make sure that your buyers understand this!  I didn’t know that the salary thresholds had been increased to $125K for a single buyer or $225K for a married couple. 

I also didn’t know that if a buyer doesn’t stay in the home for 3 years, they may have to repay all or part of the tax credit!  Again there are rules to assist Government and members of Military to keep them from being liable to repay the credit.

I do hope this simple guidelines help you guide your buyers through this credit.