Considering a move to SLC, need a foundation to start researching (Salt Lake City: for sale, real estate)

[pageerror404]

My wife and I currently live in Phoenix. We moved here three years ago seeking job opportunities (and we found them). There are a lot of things we like about Arizona, but we are starting to hate the oppressive heat and desert climate. We both suffer horribly from dry-weather/dust allergies and we also miss trees and grass. We both work for a company that is based in Salt Lake City. We have travelled there a few times on business trips. We haven't been able to do any leisurely activities, but we always enjoy our stay and the area seems beautiful and the people pleasant.

I know there are many places we could move to escape the desert, but SLC would be the easiest since we would basically be guaranteed jobs through a work transfer. Also it's fairly close so it would be cheap and easy to visit and look at homes.


I was hoping I could get some recommendations for nice and safe suburbs/areas to research that would meet our needs. Here is some information about us if that helps.

1. We are looking for a house that costs between $210,000-255,000.

2. We do not have children and do not plan to have any in the immediate future. Schools and childcare are of no importance to us.

3. We don't care about nightlife. We are quiet and invest most of our time into hobbies.

4. Rush hour commutes up to 30 minutes are okay.

5. We are not LDS, but we don't mind living around them as long as it doesn't make us social outcasts.


If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer them.

[kaytidid]

Well, there really isn't much in the way of trees and grass up here. I moved from NJ where that's ALL there was! If you are looking for a suburb, try looking at Stansbury Park. I live there now, so I am partial to it.

It is about 30ish minutes or so from SL. Possibly slightly more to downtown, but the traffic hums along. Not like the nightmareish traffic I have heard about in the Phoenix area. My son in law is from Phoenix and he says the traffic is HORRIBLE there.

You could find a very nice home in my neighborhood for that price range. We also have a private lake for swimming and boating. We have a golf course and an observatory to check out the awesome night sky! You can see stars forever here!

It's very friendly and although there are many LDS, there are also many that aren't. They DO make terrific neighbors, though!

Stansbury Park Service Agency Home Page

Try typing Stansbury Park, UT into Zillow and you can see the houses that are listed for sale. Don't mind the value amounts though. They are not accurate.

[irman]

Originally Posted by kaytidid

Well, there really isn't much in the way of trees and grass up here.

Depends on where you live.

You have to keep in mind, where Kaytidid lives, is a fairly *new* neighbourhood.
It used to be just desert area there, with very few trees and no grass (the kind you like) per sé.

I live in an old established neighbourhood, with lots of trees, which in Autumn becomes a real nuisance !
Those trees *leave* you all over and it looks horrible.
Our grass, has to be mowed at least once a week, and I have plenty of it.
Older established places often are also a bit bigger in real estate.
We are a bit over 1/2 acre. Older places also tend to be void of HOA groups (I absolutely do not like that)

Originally Posted by pageerror404

I was hoping I could get some recommendations for nice and safe suburbs/areas to research that would meet our needs. Here is some information about us if that helps.

1. We are looking for a house that costs between $210,000-255,000.

In many areas that will be low end ... Still possible to find a good place !

2. We do not have children and do not plan to have any in the immediate future. Schools and childcare are of no importance to us.

Certain areas with no or *not many* children around,
are by all probability occupied by the older generation.
Kids leave, parents stay around.
Still, if you decide to hang around, until you may become ready to have children,
then you might want to be around families.
Not much fun for a child to grow up with nothing but old people around !

3. We don't care about nightlife. We are quiet and invest most of our time into hobbies.

Anywhere around a quiet neighbourhood would be thus good for you.
Drive around and look at the neighbourhood. Often you get this feeling that you *belong there*.
Depending on your hobbies, you may want to look for something with a bit more property than *normal*.
We like to keep working stock animals, like chickens.
In order to do that you need a bit more than *normal*,
since you will have to deal with minimum distance to the neighbours !!

4. Rush hour commutes up to 30 minutes are okay.

About average for almost everybody living here ...
From your place of work, draw a circle that represents 30 minutes driving,
or at freeway speed of 50 mph average, that would be 25 miles around.
Also --- depending on which direction your work is from your home,
if the wrong way (with traffic) you are in the wrong place.
Look for something in that area.

5. We are not LDS, but we don't mind living around them as long as it doesn't make us social outcasts.

Something again, which depends on your attitude.
You WILL be contacted sooner or later, and depending on your reaction,
they may like you or not, so up to you.
Always smile when you look at people and make them wonder what you are up to.
Never slam the door on anybody, unless you like that to be done to you !
Be a good person and they will treat you similar.

What would you classify as *social outcast* ?
Whatever you answer is, do not be like that !

[kaytidid]

Originally Posted by irman

Depends on where you live.

You have to keep in mind, where Kaytidid lives, is a fairly *new* neighbourhood.
It used to be just desert area there, with very few trees and no grass (the kind you like) per sé.

I live in an old established neighbourhood, with lots of trees, which in Autumn becomes a real nuisance !
Those trees *leave* you all over and it looks horrible.
Our grass, has to be mowed at least once a week, and I have plenty of it.
Older established places often are also a bit bigger in real estate.
We are a bit over 1/2 acre. Older places also tend to be void of HOA groups (I absolutely do not like that)

This is true. There are some older areas of Tooele that have a lot of very mature, beautiful trees! I am stuck because I do love trees, but I love newer homes, too.

[irman]

Originally Posted by kaytidid

This is true. There are some older areas of Tooele that have a lot of very mature, beautiful trees! I am stuck because I do love trees, but I love newer homes, too.

Sadly, the life of a tree, from seedling to mature, takes a long time, almost as long as a human life time.
You think you can hang around for that long Kaytidid ?

I grew up around rubber plantations (Dutch East Indies), and they used to have a saying,
that would rhyme in the Dutch Language:
Boompje groot
Planterje dood.

You can *see* where it rhymes.
What it means in English:
When the tree is big enough to produce,
the person who planted is laying in the ground next to the tree ...
(really freely translated !!)

Aw... , you get the gist !

[Geo-Aggie]

I don't get to say this often, but literally everything you described on your list fits the western third of West Valley City (Hunter). The eastern third (Redwood/Chesterfield) isn't super safe or nice, unfortunately. Granger is... somewhere in between. I don't care for it much, but some like it.

1. Typical houses on the western side run between 200k-250k. You can find nice newer (1995-2015) development here in the 225k range, with about 2000 square feet.
2. The schools here are objectively poor, but if you have no kids then you don't care! I have a 1 month old, so I don't care about leaving WVC for 3-4 years. The good thing about the crappy schools is they make property affordable.
3. There are no less than 30 restaurants near 5600 W and 3100 So., but actual nightlife would require you to go into SLC. Which if you decide you do want some, you're in luck because....
4. It's only about 15 minutes to downtown.
5. WVC is probably the most culturally diverse city you can find in your price range. Park City and SLC would be better, but out of your price range - unless you're interested in West/Central Salt Lake, which I would also recommend for you, but there aren't many newer homes.

Now obviously I'm being biased toward my city, and many of those descriptions also match Taylorsville, Midvale, West/Central Salt Lake (ideally Rose Park or Liberty Wells - Glendale and Poplar Grove kind of make me uneasy at night) Murray and maybe even parts of Millcreek and Bountiful/North Salt Lake still have homes in the 250 range. Good luck with your search! Avoid the exurbs, unless you really like driving. As for trees... eh... good luck. We're not a desert, but we're still a semi-desert (about 10-14" of precipitations per year). We only have trees if people irrigate them.

Try looking at zip codes 84128, 84107, 84047, 84123, 84118 and 84116.

[CaptainCrape]

Originally Posted by Geo-Aggie

I don't get to say this often, but literally everything you described on your list fits the western third of West Valley City (Hunter). The eastern third (Redwood/Chesterfield) isn't super safe or nice, unfortunately. Granger is... somewhere in between. I don't care for it much, but some like it.

1. Typical houses on the western side run between 200k-250k. You can find nice newer (1995-2015) development here in the 225k range, with about 2000 square feet.
2. The schools here are objectively poor, but if you have no kids then you don't care! I have a 1 month old, so I don't care about leaving WVC for 3-4 years. The good thing about the crappy schools is they make property affordable.
3. There are no less than 30 restaurants near 5600 W and 3100 So., but actual nightlife would require you to go into SLC. Which if you decide you do want some, you're in luck because....
4. It's only about 15 minutes to downtown.
5. WVC is probably the most culturally diverse city you can find in your price range. Park City and SLC would be better, but out of your price range - unless you're interested in West/Central Salt Lake, which I would also recommend for you, but there aren't many newer homes.

Now obviously I'm being biased toward my city, and many of those descriptions also match Taylorsville, Midvale, West/Central Salt Lake (ideally Rose Park or Liberty Wells - Glendale and Poplar Grove kind of make me uneasy at night) Murray and maybe even parts of Millcreek and Bountiful/North Salt Lake still have homes in the 250 range. Good luck with your search! Avoid the exurbs, unless you really like driving. As for trees... eh... good luck. We're not a desert, but we're still a semi-desert (about 10-14" of precipitations per year). We only have trees if people irrigate them.

Try looking at zip codes 84128, 84107, 84047, 84123, 84118 and 84116.

West Valley City? Not the best place. Crime, homelessness and poverty are issues there. At least from what I have seen. It is not as bad as some parts of Salt Lake, particularly South Salt Lake, but its not the best. It has a low LDS, population, which would be good for him as a non-mormon person, but I don't know...

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

But Geo-aggie DOES know as he lives there.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by SouthernBelleInUtah

But Geo-aggie DOES know as he lives there.

You beat me to it.

[Chango]

Salt Lake is still technically a desert but it's a fairly lush one... especially compared to Phoenix! Summer temps still get to the low 100s and you'll get the added bonus of cold miserable winters so I'd think the climate is more severe than Phoenix even though it doesn't get quite as hot.

OP, you'll find the greener areas are the older East Bench neighborhoods. You might look at Davis County (Farmington and surrounds)... more greenery and not as expensive as other East Bench locations.