What I learned from our Customers

Sophisticated
As I visit our customers in their new homes, I am almost always struck initially by the sophistication of their interior décor. Even if budgets are modest, the thought and care given brings remarkable results. I am continually amazed at how many different ways our customers find to demonstrate their individuality through their home décor. It’s sometimes hard to believe that these are the same basic room configurations.

Super Shoppers
Our customers are smart and really do their homework. This becomes very apparent in conversation. Some have no previous experience with home ownership but have done research on line and interviewed others. They are careful shoppers.

Good Neighbors
A strong sense of community is already prevalent when I arrive for my visits--which may be only a few weeks or months after move in. This is a big indicator that, for the most part, our new home owners are ready to extend themselves as good neighbors. It is a lot of fun to see new neighborhoods form. In a brand new neighborhood, everyone is a newbie. There are no established cliques that families have to try to crack.

Adventurous
And most seem to have a sense of adventure. Moving out of a comfort zone and taking the big step of having a house built and then moving in to a new community requires a bit of daring. Building a new home also requires the courage to make decisions. And getting into a new home requires a bit of resourcefulness. Our customers seem to radiate a spirit of fun and a zest for life.

Eager to Learn
I love an experience one of our home owners related to me recently. This couple felt they wanted to purchase a new home so that they could start building equity instead of “throwing the rent money out each month”. But they were new to home ownership and had no idea of what they could really afford. They visited with a couple of other builders, and when they expressed what they thought they could afford, were scorned. Our Gold Medallion Sales Counselor, Christine, took them seriously and hooked them up with our preferred lender, Kristen at Countrywide. They discovered that he could borrow from his 401 (k) for a down payment and eliminated Mortgage Insurance Premiums. Then they examined their life style and discovered that they were spending $600 a month in fast food. They exclaimed that eating that was “not healthy”. They found that all they needed to do was to plan ahead. They were amazed to learn that they could actually afford more than they dreamed. Now they are packing lunches for pennies on the dollars compared to what they were spending on fast food, eating more healthy meals, and loving their brand new Gold Medallion home.

One Week Special

How would you like to own a brand new home, without having to wait for it to be built?

Now you can have that chance and save a bunch of money too!

Gold Medallion Homes is offering a one week special on selected new homes.

$10,000 of listed price
$6,000 in lender incentives
Priced from the high $200s

What's the catch? You have to close by the end of this month and use our preferred lender Countrywide. Garden Cottages at Daybreak are excluded. That's it!

Take a look at the great homes and great communities we have available for this promotion at the Gold Medallion Homes website.

Pineae Gardens Set To Open

Pineae Gardens, a new community in Centerville, UT is set to open May 16th. The Tuscan Village features three types of homes including townhouses, patio homes and our Tuscan Terrace condominiums. At this time, Gold Medallion will be selling the first phase of the Tuscan Terraces which start in the low $180's.

The Salt Lake Tribune pointed out today affordable housing when it comes to new construction is very difficult to find. At Gold Medallion, we're pleased to offer affordable luxury and spaciousness at Pinea Gardens. The Tuscan Terraces are 1400 square feet and include granite counter tops standard. Following the Tuscan Terraces will be our Villa patio homes and townhouses.

Tuscan Terraces will become available for purchase this Saturday, May 5th. Come early for best selection.

Pineae Gardens, a Tuscan Village is located at 675 N. Main St. in Centerville. Call 801-298-9900 for details.

Traverse Mountain Open to the Public

We had a great time showing off our new homes available at Traverse Mountain a couple weeks ago. Thanks to everyone who came up to the top of the mountain to enjoy the view and the new house.

We'll be open again to the public this Saturday from noon to 5 pm. Please join us for a truly unique experience at the top of Traverse Mountain.

There are only eight lots available, each with a different floor plan and architectural style. Essentially, you'll be getting a one of a kind house with a one of a kind view, with personalized finishes that you select.

The kitchen is ready for entertaining.

A view of the living room from the top of the staircase.

The best view of the valley from Traverse Mountain.

Sales Agent: Scott Erskine 801-706-5602

Are Utah Home Builders Desperate?

That’s the implication a recent article in the Salt Lake Tribune wants to imply. It begins rather benignly with a title of Home builders offering incentives, but it's not a sign of a market crash.

The article quickly goes to the jugular by saying:

As expected, Utah's red-hot housing market is cooling off, and builders are offering up goodies such as free appliances and luxury vehicles in a bid to reel in buyers.
The freebies represent an abrupt change from the past two years, when builders along the Wasatch Front have not had to offer much of anything to entice buyers. Utah's economy has been among the strongest in the nation, with stellar job growth and population gains, both of which bode well for builders.

One example cited in the article is from another local builder:

To spur sales, Hawkins Homes & Communities in North Salt Lake said it began advertising a "free" Lexus IS250 on two billboards in Davis and Salt Lake counties earlier this month.

The fine print says that buyers who meet certain criteria get a free one-year lease on the luxury sedan. (They can also elect instead to get a $10,000 kitchen or bathroom upgrade.)

The builder, which has subdivisions in Draper, Herriman and Fruit Heights, said it will offer the incentive through end of the month.

But, the other example cited isn’t really indicative of special incentives.

Sage Builders, which is building in south Salt Lake County and Utah County, was offering $5,000 off closing costs to buyers who use a "preferred lender."

Many local builders, Gold Medallion included, offer incentives for using our preferred lender. It helps speed up the financing process, assures customer satisfaction and insures a timely close for our clients. This is a common practice among builders and certainly doesn’t indicate a market slowdown.

In fact, the market outlook for new homes in Utah is quite good according to the latest report from real estate data provider NewReach.

Complete unoccupied homes, or standing inventory, remains exceptionally low in most of the counties within the Wasatch Front. Salt Lake County, however, has seen an increase from 1Q06, as standing inventory along the western corridor has increased. Currently, this is not a serious concern as new home closings within the entire county remain extremely robust.

Salt Lake continues to be a great place to work and live with plenty of jobs available. Both housing appreciation and demand remain strong and we expect a consistent growth rate over the coming years.

Traverse Mountain Open House - For People Moving Up

Gold Medallion Homes is pleased to offer our newest community at Traverse Mountain. Our model home is complete and ready to tour. Saturday is the Grand Opening from 2 pm - 5 pm.


Our homes at Traverse Mountain set on the most choice sites at the top of the community. These locations offer panoramic views of the valley and Utah Lake.


Only eight sites are available at Eagle Summit and each features a different architectural style. Prices start in the high $600s and each home can be personalized to the owner's specifications.


Come take a look for yourself this Saturday from 2 to 5 pm. If you can't make it this Saturday, call Scott Erskine to schedule a personal tour.



Directions: Take the Highland-Alpine Highway to Triumph Blvd. Head North to Traverse Mountain Blvd. Make a left on Traverse Mountain Blvd and follow it to Homestead Dr. until you reach the roundabout. Follow the roundabout and make a right on Gray Hawk Dr, then your next left on Ravencrest Ln. Make a left on the next road which is Eagles View Dr. and follow it to the end.


Sales Agent: Scott Erskine 801-706-5602

Carnival of Real Estate Investing

That prescient groundhog from Pennsylvania got it right this year, at least in Utah, and the temperatures have risen, the snow has melted and construction on new homes is at full swing.

Welcome to this week's edition of the Carnival of Real Estate Investing. We have six entries worthy of comment.

Starting out, Brian Brady presents BAD LOANS: Buried In The Back Of The BreadBox posted at BloodhoundBlog. Quite frankly, it's not fair to "judge" entries when Brian is submitting because he is in a league of his own. If we had to call a winner, Brian would be it. Brian's article discusses the real impact of failed subprime loans to financial investors.

Please take a look at the other excellent entries this week -

Dan Harris presents Foreign Ownership Of Real Estate In China/China's New Forex Rules posted at China Law Blog. If buying property in the U.S. is getting too costly, take a look at China. Dan Harris explains how to buy investment property there the legal way.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents The Unconvential Way To Buy Or Sell A House: Online Auctions posted at The Digerati Life. SV Blogger writes about online auction sites as a way to sell a house. Builders across the country are using auctions with little or no success, but online auction sites might be a way to attract more eyeballs.

Victor Emeli presents Getting Money Out of a 1031 Exchange posted at Financial Freedom Through Real Estate. Victor's blurb states a way to get cash back from a 1031 exchange, the method investors use to defer taxes on investment properties.

Paul presents Housing Slump - Crisis or Opportunity? posted at ExtremePerspective. Paul's blurb suggests rising foreclosures present opportunities for real estate investors.

Nigel Swaby presents Real Estate Investing - A Wholesale Perspective posted at Salt Lake Real Estate Blog. Nigel's guest blogger, Byron Goates, writes about his personal real estate investing experience and strategy...some successful, some not.

That's it for this week's Carnival of Real Estate Investing. We hope you enjoy this spring. If spring hasn't struck where you live, we hope you'll see it soon. The next Carnival will be hosted at Bigger Pockets.

Carnival of Real Estate Investing

Pick up a funnel cake and grab some cotton candy because the Carnival of Real Estate Investing is coming to Utah.

Gold Medallion Homes Blog is proud to host the upcoming edition on Monday and there's still time to submit your entry.

If you don't know what a blog carnival is, check out this week's edition hosted by The Real Estate Guide.

We're look forward to our hosting duties and hope you enjoy the presentation on Monday.

Step right up!

Gold Medallion Homes Sponsors Riverton Lacrosse

Part of being a member of the community as a home builder is being a good citizen. In that spirit, we'd like to announce our sponsorship of the Riverton High School lacrosse team.

Riverton High School is one of the schools represented by our Daybreak community and we're happy to help them this year.

The lacrosse season began on Tuesday and Riverton won their first game two games against Skyline and Clearfield. You can check out all the high school lacrosse schedules and results here.

Good luck this season!

Grey Hawk - Is A Spray Can Really A Marketing Campaign?

It's hard to believe the marketing campaign for our new development named Grey Hawk is beginning with just a few swaths of orange spray paint.

The orange paint actually represents where our sign will go, the first marketing and awareness building we'll do as construction starts.

Grey Hawk will be a nice development in East Layton with tremendous views and large new homes.

Three car garages will be standard and four floor plans will be offered. Grey Hawk is close to schools, shopping and both Highway 89 and I-15.

We're very excited about this new project. Building won't start until the fall of 2007. Right now, the earth is being leveled and retaining walls are being built.

We'll keep you updated on construction details as they progress.