Moving to salt lake, help me with an area (Sandy: renting, new home)

[frozensurfer]

Hello all,
My paperwork has been signed, I'm moving to salt lake in august.

Let me give you a brief idea of me.

Married, no kids, just turning 30 this year. Not LDS.
Extreme outdoor enthusiasts (Skiing, biking, hiking, climbing... I usually do 2-3 ironmans a year)
We have a boat, and waterskiing is our summertime life.
I work at the airport, wife is a teacher, but probably won't be working
Budget.... that's a tough one. We are keeping our house in CA and renting it out, so that limits my budget in salt lake, from what I've seen, staying below $350k seems doable.

We are looking for an area that is close to skiing (preferably alta) with a doable commute to the north side of the airport. We're also looking for a waterski friendly lake nearby.

I've looked at sandy and draper. Both seem like nice areas. Close to Lake Utah... but I know nothing about lake utah. How's the commute?

Do you have any other recommendations on where to live?

How do the property taxes work out there?


Thanks!

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by frozensurfer

Hello all,
My paperwork has been signed, I'm moving to salt lake in august.

Let me give you a brief idea of me.

Married, no kids, just turning 30 this year. Not LDS.
Extreme outdoor enthusiasts (Skiing, biking, hiking, climbing... I usually do 2-3 ironmans a year)
We have a boat, and waterskiing is our summertime life.
I work at the airport, wife is a teacher, but probably won't be working
Budget.... that's a tough one. We are keeping our house in CA and renting it out, so that limits my budget in salt lake, from what I've seen, staying below $350k seems doable.

We are looking for an area that is close to skiing (preferably alta) with a doable commute to the north side of the airport. We're also looking for a waterski friendly lake nearby.

I've looked at sandy and draper. Both seem like nice areas. Close to Lake Utah... but I know nothing about lake utah. How's the commute?

Do you have any other recommendations on where to live?

How do the property taxes work out there?


Thanks!

You really do need to consider Cottonwood Heights -- for several reasons. Cottonwood Height's nickname is "City Between the Canyons." It's situated at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, right smack dab in between Big Cottonwood Canyon (Brighton and Solitude) and Little Cottonwood Canyon (Alta and Snowbird). From my house in Cottonwood Heights (I've lived here for over 30 years), I can get to the mouth of either canyon in under five minutes and to any of the aforementioned resorts in under 20 minutes. I used to work within minutes of the Salt Lake airport and the commute was about 25 minutes. (That's shorter than from either Sandy or Draper.) As for being close to Utah Lake, you really don't need that. There are a number of other, better options for waterskiing. Should you end up moving to Cottonwood Heights, you can also join the Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center for very reasonable rates. You should be able to find a nice home in Cottonwood Heights for what you're willing to spend.

[frozensurfer]

Wow, great info there. I think I was looking at the sandy draper area because most of the homes are newer construction, and it's easier to find a 3 car garage (gotta put the boat inside)

I like the cottonwood heights area. I've visited a few times to check out the area and I really liked those neighborhoods.

How bad are indoor storage rates out there? I mean, here in socal I pay almost 400 a month in storage fees, hopefully it's better than that to store a boat indoors.

Ok, that rec center is perfect for my swim training. Sweet!

[eggalegga]

How property taxes are determined.

SL County property tax rates.

To find the last property tax amount assessed on any given property...

1. Enter the address here to find the parcel number.

2. Then enter the parcel number here to find the most recent property tax assessment.

[frozensurfer]

Awesome, thanks... I've discovered that Salt Lake has the single most confusing property tax structure...

Originally Posted by eggalegga

How property taxes are determined.

SL County property tax rates.

To find the last property tax amount assessed on any given property...

1. Enter the address here to find the parcel number.

2. Then enter the parcel number here to find the most recent property tax assessment.

[eggalegga]

Just wait til you try to understand our liquor laws....

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by frozensurfer

Wow, great info there. I think I was looking at the sandy draper area because most of the homes are newer construction, and it's easier to find a 3 car garage (gotta put the boat inside)

That may be true (the newer construction), but there are still new homes being built in Cottonwood Heights. I can think of close to a half dozen homes within two or three blocks of my home that have 3-car garages, with one to accomodate a boat. So, keep the area in mind.

[Lamborgotti]

For $350k though? Cottonwood Heights can be kind of pricey.

If you have to commute somewhere north of the airport, Bountiful is a pretty nice option. It's pretty domestic, but no more so than Sandy, Draper, or Cottonwood Heights. Closer to the city and work anyway.

Unfortunately all of your boating options require some travel. I wouldn't rule out Utah Lake.. it's by far the most convenient option from the valley. It's not the cleanest, but it's big and easy. It's where we typically go wakeboarding. Jordanelle is the next best option from the valley. It's choppier, colder, and a lot harder to get to, but much prettier. If you went with Bountiful you'd be much closer to Willard Bay and Pineview, which are both pretty good. All 4 of those would be about an hour from Bountiful.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by Lamborgotti

For $350k though? Cottonwood Heights can be kind of pricey.

It can but, but I doubt very much any home in my Cottonwood Heights neighborhood would sell for that much.