by Monique Higginson | Jul 17, 2019 | Things To Do In Salt Lake City, YourStory
If you have lived in Utah for any length of time, especially during the summer months, you have most likely heard the debate of Pioneer Day vs. Pie and Beer Day. Pioneer Day is celebrated on July 24 to commemorate the first Mormon settlers in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Pie and Beer Day also celebrated on July 24th, is an annual tradition where bakeries and local restaurants have pies paired with local craft beers. Whichever holiday you celebrate, or perhaps both, we have found a few places around town that put on an array of fun-tivities.
1. Pioneer Day
Parades down Main Street, the smell of Brigham’s donuts inside the Social Hall and a beautiful bird show that you can get up close and personal, are some of the main events that make celebrating Pioneer Day at This is the Place Heritage Park unique. Be sure you get in on the watermelon eating contest.
This is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 East Sunnyside Ave.
2. Days of ‘47
The celebrations run from July 19th-24th. Cowboy games and the rodeo take place at the Utah State Fair Park. Desert News Marathon kicks off the morning of the 24th with the colorful historic parade beginning shortly after. Families line the streets the night before to get that special seat. Fireworks take place at dusk at Liberty park
Utah State Fair Park, 155 1000 W, Liberty Park, 900 South 700 East
3. Pie and Beer Day
The Beer Bar will be offering 26 different pairings of pie and beer. Tickets are $30 and include five pairings.
4. Beer Bar
161 E. 200 S. 2pm-6pm
Ogden Bicycle Collective is hosting a celebration at Talisman Brewing Company. There will pie, beer, and a raffle, along with a guided community ride and safety inspection. Tickets are just $5.
5. Talisman Brewing Company
1258 Gibson Ave 4pm-7pm
6. Route starts at South Temple and State Street.
Then runs East to 200 East.
Then turns South to 900 South.
Then turns East to 600 East (Liberty Park).
Courtesy of Daysof47.com
by Monique Higginson | Feb 21, 2019 | Moving, Moving Tips, Relocating to Salt Lake City, Relocating to Utah, Salt Lake City, YourHome, YourLifestyle, YourStory
Moving to a new city or even a new home can be very upsetting for children. Having to say goodbye to neighbors, school friends and teachers can be overwhelming and scary. Children often think of being the ‘new kid’ with a negative connotation and they may have anxiety about making new friends. Maintaining a positive attitude about the move and find things that they can get excited about, like decorating a new room or having a bigger yard to play in, are crucial to helping kiddos make the transition.
1. Start packing early
Give children plenty of time so that they may feel like they have some control over the situation by allowing them to help pack, especially their own things. If you plan to get rid of any of their items, be sure to do it with their permission or when they are not around to see it go.
2. Provide Reassurance
Reassure them that they can still maintain the friendships they have made at their former school or neighborhood. Invite those kids over periodically and utilize social media to stay in touch on a regular basis.
3. Say Goodbye
Say goodbye to the old house. On the morning of the move, take the time to walk through the empty house and say goodbye, it will help your child have closure.
4. Find a Routine
Be sure to establish a new routine quickly in your new house. Routines provide stability and young children especially do better with a routine
5. Get Them Settled
Set up their room/space quickly. Having familiar things around them will be comforting in a new space and assure them they are ‘home’.
6. Get to Know the New Teacher
Make early connections at the child’s new school. Let the teacher know if your child is having any anxiety, is shy, has difficulty making friends, etc. This heads up will give the teacher a good understanding of how they can help put your child at ease.
by Monique Higginson | Jan 22, 2019 | Salt Lake City, YourHome, YourLifestyle, YourStory
The timeless tradition of setting new goals for oneself is a way to refocus at the beginning of a new year. Whether your goals are professional or personal, or both, they can be a powerful motivator when kept top of mind. Nothing is more satisfying than checking off those resolutions as you conquer the list.
This year, Monique has set both professional and personal goals. Taking on the year with gusto, she has already sold her first house of 2019, making her one step closer to her goal of 50.
On a personal note, Monique hopes to do more traveling this year. 2018 did not lend itself to much downtime and she is ready to recharge!
In addition, she plans to work out, at least twice a week to take care of her body and her mind. The life of a real estate agent is a lot of hustle and moving parts, Monique wants to slow her pace down just a tad.
Monique also turns the big 4 0 this year! We can’t wait to see what else she has in store to make this year her best yet.
by Monique Higginson | Jul 13, 2017 | Real Estate Tips, YourHome, YourStory
Want to remodel that vintage home?
How much ‘fixing’ are you really prepared to do? The romanticism behind reinvigorating the forgotten can be for some an insatiable lust. We would know. We have bought and remodeled 20 homes in the last 15 years. Now most of these homes were “flips” but a few of them were labors of love that we lived in for years. The majority of these fixers were built between 1920 and 1960, with a few newer duplexes mixed in for good measure. The biggest exception to that would be our most recent home being our oldest, built in 1912. It took the entire summer and some of the fall of 2016 for the major renovations, but here we are in summer of 2017 and still making changes. This one falls under the labor of love category. Read more about it in our upcoming book 19 Houses, coming out this fall!
When buying any home you should always make sure to do your due diligence and get all the inspections you need and make sure you’re ready for this massive investment. For older homes, unless they’ve already been renovated, inspections are more of a starting point or just a good idea as to what you’re about to dive into. Usually it’s not so much as to “if” it breaks, as “when” it breaks or “how many times has it already been fixed.” When you buy an older home you normally get older technology, appliances, fixtures, and so on. Our 1912 home came with a few big surprises that required a decent amount of time and money to deal with. When your home is over 100 be prepared. Even though the headaches and late nights tend to lead to gray hairs in the end we love to remodel. It’s just one of those Love / Hate relationships.
Now, I’m not saying “don’t buy that old house” (unless I want it, then yea you don’t want that one, it’s ugly), I would just recommend being well prepared.
Here are 5 Tips to get started:
#1 Have a large contingency plan in your budget. Once you start making small changes, they can turn into large changes quickly. We usually estimate all the known costs and add 30% for things we don’t know about.
#2 Hire the right people. (our vendor list) Contractors come in many shapes, sizes, and experience. Many contractors may say they understand old homes, but they don’t. Ask for references and examples and hopefully pictures of their work. Keep in mind, that the best contractor for your project may not be the least or most expensive. Get multiple bids, and let them know you are getting multiple bids.
#3 Styles change, be prepared. It might be trendy to have a red kitchen cabinets (it’s not by the way), but will it stand the test of time? If you decide to go with current trends be prepared to change it in the next 5-10 years. We always try to add a bit of modern style with the classic looks that will stand the test of time. For example, our new kitchen has very modern blue glass tile backsplash with a classic style of cabinets. When, not if, the tile goes out of style we can replace it for a few hundred dollars. The cabinets, not so easy to replace.
#4 Fix it right not cheap. Sure, it can be less expensive to replace only part of the plumbing, but that doesn’t mean you should. Some things are best to fix it all upfront rather than just in pieces. Plumbing is a good example. You remodel the kitchen, but only replace part of the plumbing. At some point, the old pipes will burst and ruin your new kitchen. It may cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars (depending on the house) extra to replace the pipes when your kitchen is gutted. Now, since you cheaped out you get to replace the plumbing, kitchen floor, and possibly your cabinets.
#5 Start up and work down. It is really tempting to start painting and getting your new appliances. Don’t do it, don’t give in. This isn’t HGTV. Start your remodel with the roof (if needed) and work your way down. After up to down, work inside out. Meaning, replace what needs to be replaced inside the walls. This could be structural fixes, plumbing, wiring etc. Then, you can start to put it all back together. If you are doing a kitchen, the very last thing you do is the appliances. If they are on the site before it is finished, they are always in the way and become tool storage for contractors. We had a worker drop a huge drill on our stove and completely destroy the control mechanism. That was a $350 lesson.
The list really goes on and there many blogs (more on our blog as well) , books, shows and articles that you can research to better prepare yourself. We will soon release a book of our own that dives further into our homebuyer experiences but until then, give us a call or send us an email if you have any questions or just want to know more.
by Monique Higginson | Jun 19, 2017 | Home Page Post, YourLifestyle, YourStory
A little over 27 years ago, developers negotiated with the city and RDA to develop the land and I-80 freeway exit in Sugar House. Part of the plan was to close off two streets and create the Sugar House shopping area we all know. Despite this, developers are again working on changing the shopping center. The days of Shopko and its large parking lot have come to an end. Soon, demolition of the Shopko will begin, and a new rebirth of the space will start to take place…
Check out the rest of our article at http://utahstories.com/2017/04/death-of-a-shopko/
