Charming Utah: Treasure Hunters of the Utah Real Estate Market

I remember reading an article years ago about a sea expedition that was looking for an ancient Spanish treasure that had yet to be found. The company had gone public, and people were buying shares. It made me realize that there is a certain mystique in investing in a company… we certainly feel like we are part owners, and therefore, we have a small piece of the action. When we invest in Disney, perhaps we feel a little bit of pixie dust swirling around us. When we invest in the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps we feel the rush of that touchdown we never quite made in high school football. Personally, I wish I could invest in Antiques Roadshow but I don’t think they are publically traded…

 

I guess what I am trying to say is that inside of us, I think we are all looking for a little bit of magic. And when we are hunting for our dream home, I hope, that the Indiana Jones… the African Queen… the Dora the Explorer in all of us comes leaping forth as we prowl the listings on Zillow or Yahoo. After all, for most of us, our home will be the greatest tangible treasure we will ever own. And it is quite an adventure out there in the real estate jungle.

So, for those of us who still believe in treasure and are crazy enough to think home searches COULD be as fun as a treasure hunt, here is an homage to some of the world’s greatest and most mysterious treasures yet to be found:

• Forresst Fenn Hidden Treasure - -Like Einstein and his compass, Fenn was given an arrowhead when he was a child and it spurred a lifelong fascination with purveying artifacts from around the world. In the 1980’s he was diagnosed with cancer… but he didn’t leave his property in a will. No, like a true treasure hunter, he left clues for those willing to chase them. Yes, good ole Fenn wanted to make us work for the treasure, just like any swashbuckling pirate worth his/her salt. The reward? An estimated $1-3 million dollars in gold, jewelry, and other priceless objects. Almost enough to make me quit my day job.

• Mosby’s Treasure – This confederate soldier hauled a burlap sack full of an estimated $350,000 worth of goods along a route that parallels US 211… until he ran into some Union soldiers. Well he wasn’t going to give up his burlap sack so he buried it somewhere. Strangely, he never went back to get it. Here’s your clue: it is between two pine trees. Happy hunting… Yes? Yes! Yes.
• Butch Cassidy – Awwe, a personal favorite since it lies so close to home. Rumor has it Butch and his Wild Bunch hid $20,000 somewhere in Irish Canyon.
• My Crazy Great Uncle’s Stash in Victorville – I once had a crazy Uncle who lived in a trailer in Victorville. He had a big, BIG dog that terrified me every time I went to pay a visit. Anyway, before he died he allegedly stashed all of his gold and cash in tin coffee cans around the property. I have no idea where this is, but I guess my other Uncles probably know so if anyone wants to join me for a “routine souvenir hunt” grab a shovel and let’s go.

Well, that’s all for now folks. As you set out on your home search, I hope these stories inspire the treasure hunter in all of you.

Charming Utah: "A window—it’s more entertaining than TV. Just ask a cat looking out, or a man looking in on a life he desires.”

Someone said to me recently that once you become a real estate agent you suddenly notice every “Sold” sign in front of a home. Personally, since I became a Realtor I obtained a related but somewhat unexpected fascination with architecture. Lately, I have been finding myself having a love affair with windows.

It’s interesting how much we value “a view”. We venerate corner offices with a view. Rooms on a cruise ship or in hotels often have a price based largely on the size of the window, from porthole to floor to ceiling whoppers. And of course, nobody wants to live in a basement room with no windows.

Indeed, the word “window” is an Old Norse word for “Wind Eye”. I love the imagery of that! Originally it referred to holes in a roof or in the wall; Romans were the first known to use glass in their windows utilizing Egyptian glass blowing technology, but many different things were used in lieu of glass throughout history… anything from animal bones, to paper, to cloth.

Now there are so many kinds of windows; I love “louvered” windows… think of the blinds that you open and close every day, and imagine glass panes that move in slats like that, open and shut… letting air in, or closing it out just the way blinds let light in or shut it out.

Or “sidewalk skylights” like those in Seattle that allow a view into what was once it’s mysterious underground city.

 I could write a whole other blog entry about stained glass (and I probably will), I have an absolute adoration for them and am known to prowl antiques malls looking for them in any form, from Art Deco to modern. Speaking of modern… storefront windows offer the perfect combination of art, advertising, and practical use. Check out these storefront windows… http://www.flickriver.com/groups/storewindowsaroundtheworld/pool/interesting/

So now when I am driving down the street, it’s almost like a game of I Spy… there’s a clerestory… a bay window… an oriel. They tell us so much about the history of a home, or the tastes of the architect who designed them.

We are approaching winter so I hope you will think about the Jarod Kintz' quote above and pay tribute to your window by simply gazing out of it on a snowy day, clutching a cup of hot chocolate in your hand. After you are done, check out this collection of some of the most beautiful windows in the world: http://www.quora.com/Which-are-the-most-beautiful-windows-in-the-world

Windows offer an often under-appreciated awesomeness.

Charming Utah: Sego Lilies and... Day Spas?

I am currently reading a book I picked up from the Pioneer Memorial Museum about the relationship between the Native Utes, Shoshone, and more, and the Mormon Pioneers. It has a lot of interesting information in it... from the name "Uintahs" (to this day nobody knows exactly what it means) to storytelling around campfires along the shores of the Jordan River where Chiefs would tell stories of their great ancestors who lived on the islands of the Great Salt Lake, and how seagulls white like the heavens they came from, and they were sent from the gods.

I particularly love this legend of the Sego Lily, Utah's state flower, as it is recounted in Levi Edgar Young's book "Founding of Utah":

Many, many suns ago, the Indians lived in great numbers in these valleys of the mountains. They grew corn and berries in rich abundance. As they increased in yield, the Indians became jealous of one another and tried to see who could gather the most food for winter living, when the snows were deep and cold. Then they warred. The game stick was replaced by the tomahawk. Many Indians were killed. The Great Spirit was displeased. He dried up the corn and berries. The children were left without food. The sky became dark with great clouds for many moons; the earth refused to yield; the sands blew over all the land. The Indians sorrowed and prayed to the Great Spirit. One day the sun shone bright up on the hills, and the people saw a little plant growing everywhere, even in the canyons and far above to the very peaks. The Great Spirit had heard the prayers of the people. When the Indians tasted the root, they knew the Great Spirit had saved them from death. Ever after, they refused to fight where the Sego Lily grew. They called it the 'Little Life Plant of the Hills'."

-- by Adrienne Montgomery

I am not sure that we have any particular appreciation for our state flower these days; do a quick Google search and it is difficult to even find this legend. In fact, when I did a search on "Sego Lily Utah" the first few pages of Google entries were for a day spa. Not that I have anything against day spas, but like so many other things, I find it sad that we are bombarded with commercials that bury rich traditions and amazing stories. I for one, plan on seeking out a Sego Lily at the local home improvement stores and turning it into a potted plant... if I can develop a green thumb, that is.

Ghosts of Council Hall: Utah Uncovered -- Secrets of the Salty City and More by Charming Utah

Charming Utah: Why it Might be Better to do More Research on Your Next Blender Than Your Next House

If I said you should do more research about your next microwave than your next home would you believe me? No, you probably wouldn’t and I don't blame you. But I have the facts to back me up, I promise... but we’ll get to that in a second.

I am currently reading a collection of American Tall Tales; they go right along with my nightly reading of an Aesop Fable or a Grimm Fairy Tale. These narratives of the Old West got me thinking about real estate and its close relationship with the American Dream, and how that American Dream has changed over the years. I recently read somewhere that the  "American Dream" was a coin phrased by Fannie Mae, the mortgage company.

In the film "Far and Away" they race each other on horseback to flag their property in the wild, unspoiled West. It doesn’t work quite like that anymore, but I would suggest that the process gives just as much of an adrenaline rush. We cherish this American Dream of owning our own land, no matter what the unemployment rates or Dow Jones statistics say. Nothing touches our souls quite like the white picket fences and wrap-around porches of our ultimate dream home.

When I decided to become a real estate agent, I had to examine some of my preconceptions of a what a real estate agent is. My image was roughly that of a man with a sporty tie that drives up in his Mercedes, perfectly white teeth glinting as he elaborates on the crown moldings of House Exhibit A as John and Susie Homebuyer look on, eating it all up with a spoon. I wondered if, to succeed in this business, one had to be ok with bending the truth a little bit… or a lot. I wasn't ok with that, but it got me thinking… what’s the difference between a good tall tale, what in the real estate industry is referred to as "puffing" … and a lie?

American tall talk, or “exaggerated storytelling” as it is often called began as a way for early American settlers to cope with the vast unknown of the lands they inhabited. If Davy Crockett could triumph over the wild, so could your everyday back woodsman. Some of these tall tales (Davy Crockett and Johnny Appleseed, for example) were born of historical figures who, through the retelling of their stories over campfires, become almost superheroes. Other tall-tale characters were born of complete fiction; but in the present day form as we find it written, there is no way to tell the difference.

Now, we hack our living out of the wilderness in an entirely different way, but for some reason this tales still have resonance. Who doesn’t love a good story of braving the wilds, after all? This land could be just dirt, OR, it could be the dirt that once hosted an exciting Gold Rush. This pen could be just a pen... OR it could be a centuries old pen that crafted the Gettysburg Address or the Declaration of Independence.

I love places that have a hidden story… I recently visited a café in Santa Monica, where a worn out framed newspaper proudly proclaimed that the Watergate scandal had been leaked to a journalist right in that cafe, at a table next to a rustic looking steering wheel. Of course, this was completely unconfirmed. But who cared? It was interesting.

True or false, you have to admit that these stories are the spice of life. But when on the hunt for our dream home… or when we are giving up a home that has held so many memories that are dear to us… are we left with no option other than to dismiss this tradition of tall tales as part of the great American tradition? What is a wayfaring home seeker or seller to do?

When real estate agents enchant you with tales of the best crown moldings or the “highest sales rating EVER” you have several options. You can get really agitated and confused and start frequenting home improvement stores so you can research crown molding for yourself, or you can throw your hands up in the air and allow yourself to get caught up in the love affair.

I am about to tell you something that might shock you: if you select the second option, you actually have science on your side. In the bestselling novel “Blink” Malcolm Gladwell references a study completed by the University of Amsterdam (granted they used IKEA customers, not homebuyers as their guinea pigs). They found that big purchase decisions ( like home buying) are best made with your gut… in fact, surveys show that the MORE research that goes into a large purchase such as a home, the MORE dissatisfied buyers often are later when compared to those that purchased based mostly on what their gut told them to do.

I'm not saying be blind. I'm not saying be uneducated. That would be hypocritical to the avid researcher that I am--but I do believe you shoud listen to what the house is “saying” and maybe, just maybe, go with it! You might just find your fantasy home… a home that is as good on paper as it was in your dreams.