Park City's Best Cash Flow Condos (Part III)

Don't be misled to believe that Deer Valley is the only area where savvy investors are parking investment dollars to diversify their portfolios.

Park City has some high quality properties with potential for year-round rental demand.  

In Park City, we see a few properties the represent attractive values for investment-minded buyers looking to maximize their annual cash flow.

The Hotel Park City has a Proven Track Record of Rental Demand

Hotel Park City is a full-service hotel, conveniently located on Park Avenue as you enter Park City.  We have helped a couple of families explore and acquire Hotel Park City condos in recent months.

The hotel features meeting rooms, a spa, outdoor swimming pool, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and lots of year-round group business like weddings, corporate events, that create demand for rooms in the off-season months.

Condos in the Hotel Park City range from studios to 2 bedroom suites.  Click here for available condos for sale in the Hotel Park City.

Silver Star Fills A Niche in Park City

I had a frank conversation with the president of one of Park City's most influential property management companies last year, and he mentioned that Silver Star filled one of their biggest needs as a management company...

"We need 'Deer Valley quality,' but ski-in, ski-out at Park City Mountain Resort for families with snowboarders."

Ten years ago when the Silver Star developer released the units, they had to cut off reservations after just a couple of weeks because they received more than 500 reservations for less than 100 units!

Now Silver Star is a mature neighborhood with a vibrant commercial core, including the Silver Star cafe and a ski/bike shop.  The Sundance Institute relocated it's corporate headquarters from Salt Lake City to the Silver Star neighborhood, where it is the anchor commercial tenant.

Silver Star includes town-homes, Village Loft flats, and Cottage homes.   Click here for available condos for sale at Silver Star.

Waldorf Astoria Park City

You may also want to check out the Waldorf Astoria Park City, which opened in 2009.

Like the other properties we have mentioned in this series, luxurious amenities (like the spa, restaurant, and pool area) and conference spaces will help increase your off-season rental demand.

Unit sizes in the Waldorf Astoria Park City range from studios to 4 bedrooms.  Prices range from $400k to over $2 million.  Click here to browse available Waldorf Astoria Park City condos for sale.

Disclaimer:  Past investment performance is no guarantee of future results.  Please consult your legal, tax, and investment managers for professional advice.  We provide this information as a courtesy only.

Related Articles:

The Best Cash-Flow Condos in Deer Valley (Part II)
Park City and Deer Valley’s Best Cash Flow Condos are… (Part I)
How To Estimate Your Utah Property Taxes

Here's the good news...

Stein Eriksen Lodge Isn't Your Only Good Investment Condo Option

The Chateaux at Silver Lake is Also a Great Cash-Flow Generator

Right across the street from Stein Eriksen Lodge in Silver Lake Village is the Chateaux at Silver Lake, which has similar amenities but slightly less convenient ski access. But don't let the easy walk across the street to skiing location put a damper on your enthusiasm for this top-notch property.

The Chateaux at Silver Lake is now operated by Stein Eriksen Lodge Management Company, and these units have been able to generate $90,000-$195,000  in gross rental income annually, according to the families who own condos at Chateaux.  There is some variability depending on size, views, location within the resort, and amount of owner use.

I dined at The Chateaux's Bistro Toujours restaurant with my wife and a long-time client last month during the Sundance Film Festival, and we had another great experience.  Here's why...

• No hectic Sundance Festival traffic
• Free, easy heated underground parking
• We called for reservations just the day before..no problem!
• The food was tasty and perfectly prepared
• We even sat next to an A-List Hollywood celeb! We'll leave his identity private, but you'll be comforted to learn he treated the staff with courtesy and gratitude.

There are actually two elements of the Chateaux...the main lodge (Chateaux A and B Buildings) and The Residences at The Chateaux, which are fractional ownership.

The Residences at The Chateaux do not allow you to generate rental revenue if you can't use your allotted weeks, but it's a great opportunity to buy a Deer Valley Condo at a fraction of the investment of a whole ownership Deer Valley condo.

Don't Forget The Lodges at Deer Valley & Silver Baron Lodge

In Lower Deer Valley, The Lodges at Deer Valley & The Silver Baron Lodge seem to generate the most rental income, as they also have group meeting space, shuttle service, and amenities including fitness area and a swimming pool.

This property is always a favorite of readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

This year, The Lodges at Deer Valley was ranked the 5th best ski Hotel in the USA by loyal readers of this luxury travel magazine.

Ski access isn't as good as in Silver Lake Village (Stein Eriksen Lodge and The Chateaux), but the prices reflect this reality too.

Not to worry, it's right on the free bus route, so you can just walk out in front of the hotel and catch the bus to Snow Park Lodge (the base area of Deer Valley Resort).  Deer Valley busses have racks for your skis on the back of the bus, by the way!

Montage Deer Valley and St. Regis Deer Valley Have Captured Much of the Ultra-Luxury Renter Segment

The St. Regis Deer Valley has become one of the finest investment properties in the Park City and Deer Valley area.  

A top international brand, the St. Regis has a loyal following of high net worth guests who will pay astronomical nightly rental rates for the quality and service the St. Regis brand delivers at each of their worldwide network of properties.

The developer of St. Regis Deer Valleyis nearly sold-out, but there are some fantastic view locations available as re-sales from early buyers.  St. Regis Deer Valley rents and occupancy have risen consistently every year since the resort opened in 2009/10. Here are the available St. Regis Deer Valley Condos for sale right now.

The developer will not provide any rental specifics, but if you want to see historical rental numbers that actual St. Regis Deer valley condo owners have received, we can get them from existing St. Regis Deer Valley condo owners.

If you can't find your preferred location or floor-plan via the link above, please email us at stregis@parkcityrealestateguide.com and we'll get you a list of the developer's "Secret Stash" of unreleased units and potential prices.

Montage Deer Valley Investment Properties

Montage Deer Valley is located near the top of the ski mountain next to the Empire Day Lodge in Empire Pass, Deer Valley.  Montage Deer Valley is a favorite choice with families and discriminating travelers from around the world.

Montage Deer Valley Condos For Sale

Montage Deer Valley is nearly sold-out, but you can still get some great deals from the developer on their remaining handful of residences.  If you are looking for premium views at Montage Deer Valley, take a look at some of the resale Montage Deer Valley residences that early Montage buyers are now reselling.

Disclaimer:  Past investment performance is no guarantee of future results.  Please consult your legal, tax, and investment managers for professional advice.  We provide this information as a courtesy only.

For the rest of the "Best Cash-Flow Condos in Park City" story, read...

Park City and Deer Valley’s Best Cash Flow Condos are... (Part I)
Deer Valley Is Not the Only Smart Money Bet in Town (Part III)
How To Estimate Your Utah Real Estate Taxes

It's one of the most common queries we receive from investment-minded buyer clients.

Park City & Deer Valley ® Owners Love Winter Revenue

Not surprisingly, the winter months will generate the bulk of your annual rental revenue. There's demand for rental properties in Deer Valley and Park City.

How To Generate Rental Income When it's not Snowing?

The trick--from an investment perspective--is to discover which properties will be rented during the other 8 months of the year, albeit at lower nightly rental rates than in the peak winter season.

Amenities Help Maximize Park City Rental Income

The difference that top cash-flow properties offer relative to inferior cash-flow properties is on-site amenities.

Take Stein Eriksen Lodge, for example. The new conference center they built a few years ago, plus the spa, restaurants, bar, room service, and business center are all additional profit centers for the owners, who share in the profits from these assorted operations.

Most important is the group business that the hotel's group sales office generates. Bringing groups of 100-300 people at a time to the lodge for 3 or 4 days tends to boost the occupancy!

Increased Rental Revenue =  Increased Appreciation Potential

Here's the catch...as the management has improved the profitability of the hotel and owner profit sharing has increased, why would an owner want to sell their unit?  You may have to be very patient--and lucky--to find an available unit for sale at Steins.

Click here to check for Stein Eriksen condos for sale. 

However, Stein's isn't the only property that offers potential investors an attractive investment opportunity.  This story is continued here:

The Best Cash-Flow Condos in Deer Valley (Part II)
Deer Valley Is Not the Only Smart Money Bet in Town (Part III)
Dakota Mountain Lodge and Waldorf=Astoria Announcement
How To Estimate Your Utah Real Estate Taxes

5 Killer Strategies To Get A Great Deal on Park City Real Estate (2010)

How to Estimate Your Utah Property Taxes

Unlike some states, real estate property taxes in Utah are not based on actual sales prices!

This may come as a surprise to you if you own property in other states, and you are accustomed to being able to predict your property taxes each year with precision.  In Utah, the process is not quite as cut and dry.  

In Utah, the County Assessors determine the "assessed value" of your property each year.  It's typically not a property-specific "appraisal" but more of a blanket neighborhood-level adjustment based on overall market conditions.

You will pay taxes based on this assessed value, at a tax rate that varies from county to county, depending on local programs, bonds, etc.

How To Estimate Your Park City Area Property Taxes

If you are considering purchasing a property in Utah (home, condo, or land)...

A "quick & dirty" rule to estimate your first year of property taxes is to figure that you'll pay about 1% of your purchase price.  The actual rate is closer to 1.1%, but...

You'll be pleased to learn that the "assessed value" is typically lower than "fair market value." 

After all, the county assessor doesn't have the time or the resources to deal with every property owner in the county lining up at their door to contest their tax assessment every year!

Utah Primary Residents Get A Discount

To help make it possible for local teachers, firemen, resort and restaurant workers etc. to actually live in the community, the counties give "primary residents" a discount on their property taxes. 

In Summit and Wasatch Counties (Park City & Deer Valley areas) Primary Residents get a 45% Discount on their taxes compared to "Non-Primary" residents.  

Park City & Deer Valley Second Home and Investment Property Owners Carry the Tax Burden for Local Services.

This might seem counterintuitive, but it's reality.  Second home and investment property owners pay a disproportionate share of the taxes for schools, fire, police, etc... even though they're not year-round residents.

Even so, this "non-primary" rate is substantially lower than California, New York, Florida, New Jersey, and lots of other states. 

According to Summit County Assessor, second homes make up 36 percent of the appraised value of single family Park City dwellings.  When it comes to condominiums, however, that number soars to about 80 percent.

After many years, it was time to rebuild our Park City Real Estate website.  Hard to see the old one go, but we brought over much of the original content to the new site.

We hope you find our new Park City real estate website easier to navigate on your mobile devices and tablets.

We look forward to helping you buy, sell, or invest in Park City real estate!

Just Because You're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They're Not Out To Get You...

Did you know there's a disturbing new strategy that some asset management companies and/or REO listing brokerages have begun to employ?

It's a conspiracy designed to shield you from the best deals left in our Park City Utah real estate marketplace!

We've noticed a disturbing trend of some bank-owned properties being absent from the Park City MLS listing feed, which means you can't get instant access to all of the foreclosure inventory.

We're up in arms about this strategy because it intentionally obstructs your path to Park City investing success.  Plus, it violates our team's core belief that has driven our clients' foreclosure acquisition successes, which is...

**Empower You with Free Access To Comprehensive Real Estate Information Over the Internet!**

So, if you are an active or potential investor looking for a great deal in Park City or Deer Valley, pay attention now!

This is How the Park City Foreclosure Cover-Up Starts...

When seller lists their property for sale with a brokerage in the State of Utah, they have the option to enable syndication of the property in a RETS or IDX feed of the property's MLS data.  I know this industry jargon sounds like Greek, but hang in there...

In other words, the seller has the option to broadcast their property details  to hundreds or thousands of other websites across cyberspace, or not.  If they check the "no" syndication box on their listing agreement, their property becomes invisible to the majority of  prospective buyers & investors shopping online around the world.  So if you're a seller, it seems like a no-brainer to check the "yes" box, right?

Why This Nasty Tactic Hurts Park City Real Estate Sellers: It Violates The Auction Principle

We make a point to have a serious conversation with our seller clients about this syndication issue.  They're hiring us to help them maximize their sales proceeds, and in the pursuit of that goal, our job is to bring as many qualified buyers to the table as possible.

Have you ever attended an auction?  The best way to drive up the price of an asset is to have multiple buyers who are competing to acquire it, right?

So why would a real estate company not want their seller clients to have this same advantage?

Why This Nasty Tactic Hurts You...and Other Potential Park City Foreclosure Investors

It's hard to believe in this instant-information age, but apparently there are still real estate companies who use tired old tactics like only showing their own company's listings, desperately trying to represent both buyers and sellers in the same transaction to double their commissions, etc.  We're as disgusted as you are with these tactics...

Little do these short-sighted real estate companies know that they're operating on borrowed time.  Sooner or later, they'll realize that you, the educated online real estate consumer, likely knows more about market conditions than they do!

In any case, we think that's what's happening is some of these REO brokers are omitting their bank-owned listings from the MLS feed.  They think that if they don't syndicate the property details, buyers will have to come directly to them for the information. 

Don't reward these people with your phone calls!

Here's A Better Solution:

We track the Deer Valley & Park City foreclosure inventory daily, whether the properties appear in the MLS feed or not.  We can still send you all the information you need to make an informed decision about these un-syndicated foreclosures.

Best part is, we work exclusively for you.  Frankly, we much prefer to represent only one party in a transaction, to ensure that our fiduciary responsibilities are not at all limited working on your behalf.

We'll help you navigate through the inevitable multiple offer situations, complicated and lengthy bank required addenda, and we'll help you spot other potential landmines (unpaid HOA dues & assessments, liens and cluds on title, etc) along the path towards your acquisition of a below-market value distress sale in Park City or Deer Valley.

Don't Miss This Next Step...

Simply lurking out there and waiting for our Park City foreclosure updates isn't enough to know about ALL Park City & Deer Valley foreclosures & Distress Sales.  If you're really serious about finding one of these hidden gems that doesn't make the feed, please call us (Tel. 1-800-485-0218) and share your specific requirements with us.  It might sound old-fashioned, but it will insure you'll be at the top of our list of calls to make when the best distress sale opportunities come along.

Happy Foreclosure Hunting!

Park City Real Estate Market Stats

We thought it might help those of you who have been tracking the Park City real estate market to see a quick summary of the year-end market wide sales stats.

All real estate markets are highly localized, so it may not be safe to assume that what's happening in your back-yard is the same as what's happening in Deer Valley & Park City, Utah.

Here are the key takaways from the year-end 2011 Park City real estate market...

• The number of units sold is up for the second straight year
• Total sales volume increased for the second straight year
• Median price of sold units decreased for the fourth straight year
• Average sales prices decreased for the fourth straight year

Different areas of town are tracking different trends, so it may help you to break it down further and look at your specific areas of interest.  The markets for Park City homes, condos, and land are all different.

Here is a link to the complete 12 page summary of the Park City real estate market trends.