Michael T. Burns

The question was posed, what is a “Twin Home”?  I have decieded to take this chance to define the common types of homes in Utah.

“Single Family Home” - This is the traditional freestanding house.  It often includes a one or more car garage.

“Twin Home” - This is the same as a single family home, but features a “Zero lot line” meaning that the wall the houses share IS the lot line.  This results in two homes attached to one another even though each has a seperate yard.  You will often see a fence in the back yard that comes right to the middle of the building.

“Mobile Home” - Also known as the “Manufactured” home.  This is completely built offsite and trucked to the lot.  It may have more than one peice, which are joined on the lot.  Most of these are located in “mobile home parks” where you own the unit, but rent the lot.  There are some on their own property, but cities have become much more restrictive about allowing these

“Town Home” - This is actually a style of home.  Usually two stories, attached to the neighboring homes.  This looks like a “Row house” in other parts of the country.  These properties are either set up as a PUD or a condo.

“Condo” - If referencing the style of home often means a multi-story building where each unit is a portion of one level.  More importantly this is a type of ownership.

“Condo” - This is a form of ownership in which the owner of a unit officially owns from the paint on the walls and ceiling inward.  In reality you own the airspace of your unit exclusively, and have an undivided ownership with all the other members of the condo association.

“PUD” - This form of ownership results each owner of each unit owning their structure as well as the ground it sits on, or possibly a slightly larger piece than the actual structure.  Sometimes these developments have an association and share many practical similarities with condos.  The difference is in the way the property needs to be insured.

I hope this helps

This is an excerpt of an email response that I sent to a good man who just can’t find his home, and may not actually want to find it.

You cannot chase a feeling.  They do not bear being chased.  A goal should be pursued, but the serendipity of a feeling associated with that goal cannot be forced, and the hoped for emotions may not necessarily coincide once the goal is achieved. 

I would agree that God’s will plays a huge factor in home purchases and sales.  I have seen homes sell that have no business selling and homes that are killer deals NOT sell because it was not the right time for the sellers.  I do have several interesting stories, but I will try to avoid being so presumptuous as to assume that I know all the reasons.

You should know that it is perfectly natural for criteria to change throughout a search.  That is not a problem it is part of the process.  I have helped many clients decide not to buy at a certain time– that is just part of the business.  Progress is made by making a series of decisions and commitments in finding a property, just like it is in life.  My job is to help people reach those decisions with their lives intact.

As to the actions of agents, I would agree with you that many merit a huge “No confidence” vote.  Unfortunately my business is littered with people who should not be trusted with your confidence.  You have dealt with many.  You get the automated searches which are easy to set up and go on forever if you don’t stop them.  There is a high likelihood that the agents that send those have forgotten about you.  On the other hand, there are the persistent souls who follow-up even when told to go away.  I like to think I am different, but am certain that at times I fallen into both camps.

A few facts about real estate agents

When everything is considered you, and any qualified and motivated buyer, should interview several agents, select one, and be faithful to that agent as long as they are faithful to you.  A good agent will suffer through the process with you.  They will not dedicate every waking hour to you, because that is impossible, but if they know that you will use them when a purchase is made they will consistently seek out properties for your evaluation and prepare you in every way to make a good decision.  When that property is located, they will negotiate the best possible price, help you evaluate the condition of the property, determine the manner in which repairs should be completed, negotiate the repairs or compensation, direct you to other competent professionals, and guide you through the minefields of the transaction with as little injury (both psychic and financial) as possible.

An agent only gets paid when a transaction closes.  As a result, the buyers who have selected an exclusive agent get first priority.  Finding new buyers who are likely to sign an exclusive agreement become the next priority.  Finally the buyers who are qualified and motivated, but will not sign an agreement may get an occasional call.  The reason these buyers are the last priority is because they are not committed to you, and their intention often is to go around the agent and attempt to cut the agent out of any deal they make.  I have even had this occur with close family members!  The other challenge is that as an agent you are creating what is referred to as “Implied Agency” which has been vigorously objected to by the state and is considered by many to be an illegitimate, if not illegal, method of operating as a real estate agent.

No agent can consistently find properties for you on the basis of being “used” if they are the first agent to bring you the opportunity.  As an agent you are basically playing a dangerous lottery game with your family’s finances if you allocate time to these buyers.

–
Sincerely,
Mike Burns
m.  801-836-6683
F.  801-406-0170

The basics

This is a nice twin home (meaning it shares a common wall with one other unit) with 4 bedrooms 1.5 baths and several updates.  It features new paint, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, and central air.

The Anti-Fluff 

This is a perfect home for the person who doesn’t demand a lot of bathrooms!  The second floor has 4 bedrooms and a single bath, the half bath is on the main floor.  If it had a master bath it would be priced close to $200,000, but since it onlyhas a single bathroom to serve the bedrooms it is a BARGAIN at $149,900.  This is the best priced property I have seen anywhere in the last year.

For the Practical minded

This home is located within walking distance to all the schools and a very cool new community recreation center.  How do you beat a low payment!

For the Soul

Payson is a small town where you can take a walk to meet the neighbor’s horse if you want to.  There is still a “Salt of the earth” feel to the people there, and I know a family around the corner that you can’t help but love.  I imagine it is not too difficult to find a road where you can test out just how fast your motorcycle will go…though I would never advocate speeding.

Why you’re crazy NOT to buy this house

The Payson Salmon festival is not to be missed…and though there are some interlopers, it just tastes better if you are a property owner.

I have got to make mention of this great home that I have listed in Lehi.  It is a 6 bedroom 4 bath home on a .35 acre lot.  The third car bay is extra deep and makes for a great shop.  There are a lot of unique features that I’ll split into 2 categories:

For the Practical Minded:  2×6 construction with blown insulation (quiet and efficient…LOW UTILITY BILLS!!!).  Wired for a backup generator to run essential items (Separate panels and everything).  Extra deep garage, even deeper in 3rd bay (keep your toys out of the weather).  RV parking behind fence (Hide the bigger toys).  Easy to clean flooring.

For the Soul:  great views all around, Mountains, Lake, and valley.  Fully fenced private yard with a garden spot, play area, and perennial plantings.  Fantastic neighborhood on a very quiet street.  Feel free to call for directions, you won’t drive by it by chance.

Finally the reason you are crazy not to buy this home…A laundry room “To die for”

More cabinets than you see in a lot of kitchens these days.  The price is just $384,900 and there are other bonuses available.  Call me at 801-836-6683, or email at heymikeburns@gmail.com.

Over the last few weeks I have met a few unnamed heroes in my training who I can’t help but give credit.  The first was an “Older gentleman” (mid sixties?)who killed me in a bicycle training ride.  I asked him how long it takes to get good at bicycling.  His answer was instructive…”After about 4 years of consistent riding, you’ll know if it will work out for you.”  Once I picked up my jaw, I clarified that he really meant 4 (Four) years, which he did, and decided to not give up.  As I thought about the implications I determined that in most things in life I really haven’t been patient enough.

Obviously, “Long-term” means different things to different people.  If 4 years is a trial period for a sport, how long does it take if you’re going to be serious about something?  In real estate long term is at least 10 years, in biblical terms it is multiple generations, and I guess in fitness it is 4 years.  Maybe the lesson here is to simply move forward every day, and focus more on the direction you are heading than the velocity with which you are traveling.

To be continued…

“Well begun is half done” or something like that.  Starting is the hardest part.  Once you have begun in a significant manner, other people know if you are a quitter or a winnner.  I have chosen to be accountable and to become more than I have been in the past, and since I must pay a lot of money to hire an accountability “coach” or hassle a specific freind.  Instead I will let the whole world be my accountability coach.  Feel free to “Razz” me when I fail, cheer me when I succeed or chastise me if I bore you. 

Perhaps in this manner I can become the person I often wish to become.  This website will address real estate matters in Utah (with a particular focus on North Utah County), fitness and training, personal study, economics, motorcycling, religion, parenting, but most importantly it will be a candid look at a life of a fairly insignificant human being, his name is Mike. (Maybe I shouldn’t do the “Third person thing” until I am a famous athlete, businessman, or circus performer)