Coming to explore for possible relocation. (Salt Lake City, Provo: real estate, HOA, houses)

[Snowbear00]

My gf and I will be in the SLC area this upcoming Labor Day week. We are there on vacation but are also giving some serious consideration to a potential move there in the next 5-7yrs.
We plan on a taking a day and checking out the different areas and but wouldnt mind a little direction so we won’t be wasting time in areas that aren’t for us.
We aren’t interested in SLC itself but the surrounding areas. Our range is roughly Ogden down to about Provo/S. Fork to Tooele to Heber city(but pretty sure this area is out of our price range) basically an hour around the Salt Lake itself.

What we re looking for:
*An area with a decent view of mountains.
*An area that receives a decent amount of snow. We see about 75”/yr where we are now, I wouldn’t mind a bit more, but ideally not less. We also love t-storms. Low-mid 80s with low humidity is perfect here.We’ve never experienced a “dry” heat, so not sure what a good comparison is. Ideally not much wind.
*Preferably a smaller town/city, say <25000 either way we’d like to still be on the outskirts with minimal neighbors.
*Not crazy about HOA’s/subdivisions but perhaps the right place and view I could be persuaded.
*I hate cookie cutter/vinyl sided homes, prefer more rustic, timber frame,log houses. Given what I’ve seen looking at real estate in the area, that could be hard to come by in Utah. *Probably in the 600k range,2000-2500 sq ft. Would like a bit of a yard but again that looks like that might be hard to come by.
*No intentions of kids so schools are of no concern.
*We are both catholic, but not active. Live and let live.

I’ve been following the weather (via WeatherBug)for Tooele, Park City, Heber city, Coalville since about mid May and have only noticed maybe 6-8 days in the 90s. Is this about the norm or is this a cooler than average summer?
Thanks for any and all suggestions.

[Katzpur]

If you can afford it, I'd recommend either Park City or Heber City. You won't have to worry about not getting enough snow anywhere in northern Utah, but the summers can be very hot. If you don't like the idea of hot summers, Park City or Heber City would definitely be your best bets. Incidentally, I think most people would agree that both dry heat and dry cold are easier to take that humid heat or cold.

[kletter1mann]

Anywhere on the Wasatch Front (west side of mountains) will be scorchingly hot in summer. Dry heat doesn't mean much when it's +95 deg and sunny at altitude. You really can't do anything active during the day. This applies to Tooele as well. That leaves PC and Heber. Unfortunately there's simply no way to get a house to your specs in PC for your budget. Maybe Heber or Kamas. As for Coalville, you'd do well to visit first. You say little about social life, restaurants, food, etc., but if those things are of no importance then maybe it would be OK. Start browsing listings. You may be better off in MT or ID. Also, as far as UT goes, consider the extractive mindset, the grow-at-any-cost ethos and environmental denialism. If the lake gets back on track to drying up, which it seems to be doing despite a record snow year, you're looking at increasingly frequent and toxic dust storms (heavy metals scoured off the ever-growing dry lake bed).

[kaytidid]

If you don’t like wind, stay away from Tooele. Our breezy days can have winds regularly around 30-40mph. 70mph isn’t unheard of during storms. I live in Tooele County and we have had a lot of high 90 degree days this summer, which is pretty typical.

Dry heat summers are definitely the way to go, however. Down in the Salt Lake Valley there are sometimes weeks of 100 or near 100 degree days.

Finding a home in the $600k range for the size of home you are looking for will not be easy right now. The housing market is crazy.

However, any place you live it will have magnificent mountain views. I have a gorgeous view right from my driveway.

[SWFL_Native]

Heber/Midway would be a fantastic place to start looking... A great point of accessibility to the reservoirs, park city, and Uintas. Real estate is pricey all over but perhaps you can fit your budget.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

Heber/Midway would be a fantastic place to start looking... A great point of accessibility to the reservoirs, park city, and Uintas. Real estate is pricey all over but perhaps you can fit your budget.

Median home price in Midway is $1.2M and Heber is $750K, pricey is a good way to describe those areas. It's also about 70% LDS if that is a consideration for the OP.

[irman]

If you do not like cookie-cutter homes, you'd be surprised that you can find something within the Salt Lake Proper area, if you just make an effort to look around...

We live in one of the SLC suburbs on a little over half an acre piece of property. NO HOA !
I have a small creek in front of my place and a tremendous amount of full-grown trees all over the neighbourhood which keeps the area rather cool during the hot days.

Our house is over 60 years old and has 10-inch solid brick outside walls which keeps the house either cool in summer or warm in winter. All the inside walls are 6-inch thick lath and plaster. The house is a three-floor split-level home with two full basements...

Everything that I need is within no more than 15 minutes away by car.
If we had kids, there are all the schools we would need within walking distance except the university level...I have a bus stop within a 5-minute walk from me.

I have no need to move out somewhere in the countryside...

So it all depends on what you like to work with... we bought it 30 years ago and have only done minor upgrades like new paint, new high-efficiency windows etc.

What I am trying to convey is that Salt Lake City is not just all-new housing where you do not know which one is your house...

[SWFL_Native]

Originally Posted by locolife

Median home price in Midway is $1.2M and Heber is $750K, pricey is a good way to describe those areas. It's also about 70% LDS if that is a consideration for the OP.

It can be done given the OP’s criteria. I also don’t think 70% LDS is relevant with this type of property as your neighbors become somewhat less relevant.

https://www.redfin.com/UT/Heber-City...home/104146508


https://www.redfin.com/UT/Midway/238.../home/86509802

[ejisme]

Will either of you be working in SLC proper? If so, then commute becomes a much bigger issue and makes distant towns harder to live in. You might give a quick look at Morgan, UT up Weber Canyon on I-84 east of Ogden. It would work great if you are working remote, or working in the Ogden area. It's a bit cooler on the east side of the mountains as the sun sets a little earlier in the evening behind the mountains. You get a great eastern view of the mountains. You have the Weber River and East Canyon Creek for rafting/tubing and fishing. Easier access to East Canyon Lake and Echo Reservoir if boating is your thing. Easy access to the mountains for downhill skiing (Powder Mt and Snowbasin), cross country skiing outside of town, snowmobiling I would assume is available both North and South of town. If a work commute isn't an issue it might be a good fit.

[altajoe]

Originally Posted by ejisme

Will either of you be working in SLC proper? If so, then commute becomes a much bigger issue and makes distant towns harder to live in. You might give a quick look at Morgan, UT up Weber Canyon on I-84 east of Ogden. It would work great if you are working remote, or working in the Ogden area. It's a bit cooler on the east side of the mountains as the sun sets a little earlier in the evening behind the mountains. You get a great eastern view of the mountains. You have the Weber River and East Canyon Creek for rafting/tubing and fishing. Easier access to East Canyon Lake and Echo Reservoir if boating is your thing. Easy access to the mountains for downhill skiing (Powder Mt and Snowbasin), cross country skiing outside of town, snowmobiling I would assume is available both North and South of town. If a work commute isn't an issue it might be a good fit.

I was going to suggest Morgan, Mountain Green and the Ogden Valley. But, I hesitated for the same "work" reason. The Ogden Valley (Huntsville, Eden & Liberty) also allows quick access to the city of Ogden for urban amenities.

Those areas are showing asking prices for real estate a bit higher than the target, but the recent ridiculous price explosion is over and those actually seeking to move property could very well be on the verge of having to accept lower than asking offers.