St. George Real Estate Podcast with Jeremy Larkin

How to avoid the "No-Man's Land" of Home Selling

Elevate your selling strategy and boost your property's appeal. Today, we’ll discuss strategies to maximize your earnings in real estate, particularly for home sellers. The enduring truth in real estate is that sellers aim for the highest possible return on their homes. Homes hold significant emotional value, serving as the backdrop to family moments, life events, and memories. The problem arises when sellers, who are emotionally attached to their homes, overprice them to find an ideal buy...

Master the Art of Home Selling: A Four-Step Guide to Maximize Your Profit

Here are four steps to take toward a simple and profitable sale. Are you ready to sidestep the stress of selling and maximize your profit at the same time? Today, I’ll guide you through the four-step home selling process: 1. Prepare your home for sale. The first crucial step in the home selling process is preparing your home. While staging is an option, it’s more about ensuring your home shows and smells its absolute best. Investing time and, if necessary, money in this step is essential ...

Legacy Corner Welcomes The Larkin Group - Our Journey to a New Home!

Explore the exciting transformation of the beloved Cameo Florist space. Today, we’re thrilled to take you on a special journey behind the scenes of our recent venture – the construction and grand opening of our brand-new Larkin Group Headquarters at Legacy Corner. If you’re a resident of St. George, you’re probably no stranger to Cameo Florist, a beloved establishment that’s been part of the community for years. Whether it was a bouquet for a special occasion, a heartfelt thank-you gift, o...

Sell Smarter: Avoiding These Pricing Pitfalls When Selling Your Home

Here are common misconceptions that can impact your home valuation. Today, we’ll discuss six common misconceptions about home pricing that can significantly impact your finances. Drawing from our extensive experience of helping nearly 2000 families with real estate transactions over almost two decades, I’ve identified these key pricing pitfalls.  Selling a home involves a great deal of emotion, and this sentiment is understandable. I, too, have personally owned and sold homes, and the pro...

We asked Chat GPT what Homebuyers want to know about!

Ten common, but important, questions that buyers are asking AI. Are you on the hunt for your dream home? Never fear, Chat GPT is here! :) I understand that the process can be overwhelming, which is why we (naturally) asked Chat GPT which questions Homebuyers most often ask about the process. Over the next several weeks we’ll answer ALL of them on our Instagram and YouTube pages.  Check out the top 10 questions HERE!  Here are the top 10 most common questions that homebuyers asked Chat G...

3 Secrets To Successful Home Staging: Elevate Your Property's Value

Here are three ways you can use staging to unlock your home’s potential. When it comes to selling your home, first impressions matter. Properly staging your home can significantly impact its perceived value and attract potential buyers. By strategically arranging and presenting your space, you can create an inviting atmosphere that resonates with prospective buyers and boosts your home’s selling price. To help with this, I’m sharing three key tips for staging your home to maximize its appeal...

Winning Strategies for Finding and Buying Foreclosed Properties

Sharing three things you need to consider when buying a foreclosed home. One way for homebuyers to find a great deal on a property is by purchasing a foreclosed home. This is a home that has been repossessed by the bank or a lender after the owner failed to make mortgage payments. According to real estate data curator ATTOM, although still below pandemic levels, the number of foreclosed homes has increased from February 2022 to February 2023, so now is a great time to consider this option.  ...

“Your First Home” workshop at The Larkin Group!

I can’t tell you how many families we speak to (mainly “younger folk”) who desperately want to break up with their Landlord and enter the realm of homeownership! The “American Dream” is still alive and well despite higher home prices and mortgage interest rates. Why? Many reasons.  1. Homeowners in America have, on average, a 46x higher net worth than renters (wow!). 2. Homeownership provides a slew of tax advantages that renting does not. 3. When renting a home, you do get to live there!...

Surprising Home Value Update!

Elon Musk says that home values are crashing and the world’s going to end. He always has something to say, doesn’t he? If you’re curious about how much equity you’re sitting on as we move into summer 2023, take a whopping 2 minutes and get an estimate of your home’s value here: https://www.gostgeorge.com/homevalue I think you’re going to like the home value dashboard you’ll receive, and it will even update you regularly on changes to your home’s value over time. HOME VALUE ESTIMATOR If ...

Navigating the Complexities of Contingencies

Tips to help you buy your dream home contingent on selling your old house. Do you already own a home but want to buy a new one? Unfortunately, not everyone has the money to keep two homes and pay both mortgages. Most people will have to sell their current property to have the funds to pay for the new house. However, two transactions can sometimes mean double the headache. If you’re in this position, what can you do to ensure a successful home purchase? One option that you have is to include...

Why You Shouldn’t Let Interest Rates Dictate Your Home-Selling Decision

Why you shouldn’t let higher interest rates stop you from selling Are you letting your low-interest rate stop you from selling your home? I understand! Today’s rates aren’t as good as what we saw not too long ago. However, I’m reminding you that the decision to move should be based on more than an interest rate.  Realtor.com recently surveyed a bunch of home sellers and asked them why they sold their homes. 33% of those people said they wanted to make a profit, 32% had changing needs, 30%...

Homeowners NEED To Claim This Crucial Exemption

Here’s how you can avoid overpaying property taxes in 2023. Did you know there’s an easy way to save money on your property taxes this year? I’m here today to tell you about the Residential Tax Exemption that can save you a lot of money. If you’re not aware of this or if you’re getting ready to buy a home, pay attention! When you purchase a home and plan to occupy it as your full-time residence, you must fill out a Residential Tax Exemption Form. Otherwise, the County might tax you as an ...

Concerned About a Foreclosure Boom? Here’s Why You Can Rest Easy

Foreclosures are rising, but there's no need to be alarmed. According to media reports, foreclosure filings doubled in the United States in 2022. This alarming statistic may have some people wondering if we’re in for another wave of foreclosures. However, taking a closer look at the data and putting things into perspective is essential. First, while a doubling of foreclosure filings may sound like a significant increase, it’s important to remember that it’s nowhere near the levels we saw ...

Why isn't my home selling? (And the problem with $5 haircuts...)

How would you like to receive a 621% return on your money? Utah homeowners did!

Exciting facts you need to know about investing in Utah real estate! Today I have an exciting opportunity I knew I needed to rush to tell you about because it’s that big. It has to do with owning a home in Utah; there’s some crazy data you need to know about. From the second quarter of 2021 to the second quarter of 2022, the average home value in Utah increased by $71,000. These homeowners didn’t have to do anything special to raise values; they just paid their mortgages on time. Addition...

When will home prices hit the bottom?

What you should know if you’re waiting for the market bottom. When will real estate values hit the bottom? I wish someone would tell ME. I’d be a rich man if they would.  Let’s assume you’re sitting at your house, or maybe you’re on the toilet, and you’re watching the video above. Yup, caught you on the toilet! Digressing… At 0:38 in the video, I have a diagram with home values on the y-axis and months from one to 18 are on the x-axis. I want you to predict when we’ll hit the bottom.  A...

Don’t Let Rising Rates Stop You

By using the trick of dating the rate, you can marry the home you’ve always wanted. Marry the house, date the rate. It’s the end of summer 2022, moving into fall. Everybody knows that interest rates have gone up significantly. Mortgage interest rates have doubled in the last three to four months, meaning the cost of borrowing money to buy a home has actually doubled. Many people are freaking out, and thinking they won’t buy now. One of the things that we’re really teaching is that you marr...

Answered: Is Now the Time To Buy?

If you’re wondering whether you should buy now, know that I just did. “Jeremy, would you buy a home in this market?” I get asked this question a lot. The answer? I already did. Despite rising interest rates and plenty of negative real estate news circulating, I purchased the historic “Miles House” on Main Street in my hometown of St. George!  This home is not my primary residence - I live just four blocks away. So why would I buy now, with prices falling and interest rates rising? I ma...

Should I sell or wait for the market to come back?

Did you miss the peak selling season? The real estate market has gone through some big changes this year. And after TEN STRAIGHT YEARS OF APPRECIATION, how could it not?  I was visiting a client recently, and I found out that in his mind, the “bubble had burst,” and the market had crashed. His words, “well, I wouldn’t sell my house now!” Let’s talk about what truly happened to the housing market in Utah. From 2007 to 2011, Utah home values dropped by 22-24%, and people thought it was th...

The Biggest Real Estate Market Shift in Over a Decade Explained!

The Perfect Storm: What just happened to the real estate market? What do all these real estate price reductions mean? Guys, Jeremy Larkin here. Hold onto your hat for this conversation about price reductions and for this incredible view. Guys, there are a whole bunch of price reductions going on. And if you think you’re seeing it as a consumer, if you were an agent, you’d see what we see all day long and it’s like this:  “Price reduced 50K, price reduced 90K, price reduced 100K. Seller m...

Market Crash Imminent? Webinar Replay

With Mortgage interest rates jumping nearly 3% in less than 2 months, people are asking questions, and rightfully so, about whether a real estate crash is imminent. In our Q1 “Larkin Real Estate Report” webinar we answered these questions, and a dozen more!  Are “Out of State” Buyers still coming in droves? Where are home prices today and how high can they go? Will rising interest rates price EVERYONE out of the market? Jump to the following time stamps for detailed data that might ...

Is There a Massive Wave of Foreclosures Headed Our Way?

The data we have doesn’t indicate an oncoming wave of foreclosures. Prices just seem to keep going up and up in our current market. Lots of people see this trend and are worried about a repeat of the 2008 crash. Today I’ll walk through some data and show you why foreclosures are not on the horizon. Feel free to watch the full message or use these timestamps to browse specific topics at your leisure: 0:00 — Introducing today’s topic 0:47 — The percentage of people worried about a bubble...

Will This Be Another 2007?

I have two theories about what’s happening in our market right now. We’re coming to you from high on the hill to talk about the possibility of a market crash. We get asked all the time if this is another housing bubble. The market feels bubbly, right? But, we have two theories that cover what might happen. Let’s go over them: Theory No. 1 is that this thing crashes. It’s very simple. This market feels like 2005 to a lot of people. We’ve seen stratospheric increases in home values; prices ...

Do We Need To Keep Building Homes in St. George?

Do we truly need to be building so many more homes in St. George? There have been a lot of complaints on social media lately about the fact that developers are building so many homes in the St. George area since the influx has been causing home prices to go up. The issue is that if we don’t build new homes, our community will become like San Francisco. Let me explain. As of 2015, San Francisco had the highest rents in the country. In the early 2000s, they enacted strict zoning regulations...

How Has St. George Changed In The Last 80 Years?

Here’s a quick tour of St. George I took with my dad, Dale Larkin. Today I’m joined by one of the greatest St. George legends in living memory: my dad! Dale Larkin is 80 years young, so I thought it would be interesting to walk around the city with him and learn how it’s changed in the last 80 years. While St. George has changed a lot since my dad was a kid, some things haven’t changed a bit.  You can watch our full journey in the video above or skip to each location using the timestamps ...

Who Should We Blame For Skyrocketing Real Estate Prices?

Here are my thoughts on who’s responsible for these crazy home prices. Ok, guys, we’re ALL aware that St. George home values are sky-high right now! And I imagine that ten years from now, we might wish they were “this cheap” again! In the short term, locals hate the prices, and out-of-state Buyers think St. George is a bargain!  But are the rising home prices we’re seeing a result of greedy builders and homeowners, or is something else causing it?  We’ve participated in nearly 1,500 rea...

The 5 Best Places St. George Residents Can Cool Off

Need to cool off this summer? Check out these excellent places. Record breaking heat! Sweltering. Agonizing? Some say so. I say so!  And we’re officially headed into “Fool’s Fall” here in St. George…that time when we think, “oh it will certainly cool off now that school started” :). LOL is the response I have to that one. So since Summer is far from over, where are the best places to cool off? We visited several and would love to hear about your favorites!  1. Pine Valley Recreation Area...

“STOOPID” Money! St. George Home Sellers Hitting Real Estate Jackpot

If you’re waiting to sell, you’re missing out on some fantastic profits. Our real estate market is as hot as our temperatures, which is to say it’s practically on fire. So if you own a home right now, you’re essentially swimming in a pile of money.  Sellers are making ridiculous profits by jumping into the market. Agents are keeping their hands full with new clients who are flooding in and trying to buy and sell homes. We just served our 110th client this year, closing over $50 million fo...

Why Now Is the Perfect Time for Homeowners to Sell

If you’re waiting to sell, you’re missing out on some fantastic profits. Our real estate market is as hot as our temperatures, which is to say it’s practically on fire. If you own a home right now, you’re basically swimming in a pile of money. Sellers are making ridiculous profits by jumping into the market, and agents are keeping their hands full with new clients who are flooding in and trying to buy and sell homes. We just helped our 105th client in 2021, so we’re acutely aware of how cr...

The Origins of The Dixie Rock

Here’s an abbreviated history of how the “Dixie Rock” came to be. Today we’re taking a closer look at the “Dixie Rock,” where it came from, and why it has this name. Originally, it was called the “Sugar Loaf”. When the pioneers came here in the 1800s, the shape of this rock looked like a loaf of sugar from the valley below. The color and the shape resembled the sugar of their time, so that’s why they nicknamed it as such. There was even a restaurant called The Sugar Loaf.  It’s now Cafe ...

Are ‘Rich’ California Homebuyers Buying Up All Our Homes?

Not everyone moving to our area from out of state is a rich Californian. Is everybody moving to St. George a cash-rich California homebuyer? Let’s go ahead and debunk this myth. “St. George is a beautiful place, and you can get a lot for $1.1 million.” Here’s a typical scenario for you: A family buys a home in Los Angeles County 20 years ago for $350,000. Since homes have appreciated wildly over the last decade or two, theirs is now worth $1.4 million. The fun part about owning a home is...

Are We Building Too Many Homes?

Are we building too many homes in St. George? Let’s discuss that today. It seems as if everywhere you look new homes are being built. Are we building too many houses in St. George? For today’s video, I’m at the lovely Desert Flower subdivision where Sunwood Homes is building houses. If you haven’t checked out Desert Flower, you’re missing out on what I believe to be the coolest subdivision in town.  Many of us have some post-traumatic stress left from the 2005 through 2007 housing crisis ...

Houston, We Have a Problem in Washington County!

We’re facing a massive inventory crisis in our St. George market. At the end of 2020, housing inventory nationwide hit an all-time low. You read that right: the lowest in recorded history. What does that mean for buyers and sellers in Washington County? To have a balanced market that produces healthy appreciation over time, we need roughly 1,400 homes available for sale. As it stands, we only have about 400. This is a problem. We all want our homes to appreciate, right? Sure. But how do ...

Where Are The Best Christmas Lights in St. George, Utah?

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Yes the traffic is out of control and don’t even THINK about trying to go to Walmart or Costco mid-day! But the music, energy, and LIGHTS are amazing ANY year, and just what our spirits needed this year. Today we’ll take you on a quick tour of three of the BEST spots to enjoy Christmas lights in my hometown of St. George, Utah! In our Holiday tour we visited: St. George Town Square The Red Hills Desert Garden The ABC “Christmas Light...

Larkin Group “Pie-Thru” Pie Event is on! RSVP NOW

Don't be shy, come claim your pie at our TOUCHLESS "Pie-Thru" event! Tuesday November 24th from 4 - 6 PM 2020 has been...well, "complicated." And there's never been a BETTER time for us to gift you some Holiday cheer in the form of a beautiful Thanksgiving Pie! This is a "touchless" event where you will literally just DRIVE THROUGH our Larkin Group HQ parking lot and we'll (masked of course) hand you a pie through your vehicle window! RSVP for your PUMPKIN or APPLE Pie by clicking HERE....

The Election Effect: How Will The Presidential Election Affect The (St. George) Real Estate Market?

Before we get down to brass tacks, I want you to know that:  There’s a 100% chance Trump or Biden was elected and… If you plan on leaving the country because of this, I’d like to apply for the job of selling your home!  Now on to the serious business!  Look, a lot of people have concerns. A lot of you said if Trump or Clinton were elected last time you were leaving the country. No one left—not anyone we wanted to leave. By the time you watch this video, the election will likely be de...

Time to Feed A Few Hundred St. George Families!

The St. George Basket Brigade celebrates 11 years delivering love, hope and a FULL THANKSGIVING MEAL to nominated St. George families. And we couldn’t have done it without your help! Over that time period we estimate that nearly 1000 families in need received a Brigade basket delivered by one of as many as 1500+ individual volunteers.  If you’ve been one of those volunteers, you’re aware that it’s a prized opportunity that folks literally join a waiting list to take part in! So now we po...

What’s Driving This Crazy Market?

Homebuyers are coming to St. George in droves right now. Gender-reveal wildfires, murder hornets, and a booming real estate market—what a year. I’m out today at the Desert Flower subdivision, where we have seven homes going up all at once. Although it feels like everything 2020 has thrown at us is out of control, what’s even more out of control is our market in St. George. Homes are selling as soon as we can list them. At the Desert Flower subdivision we’ve pre-sold almost ALL of our 40 h...

Desert Flower Affordable Single-Family Home Grand Opening Event!

After much anticipation the Desert Flower subdivision is here! We’ve worked with over 1,300 families buying and selling homes here in the St. George area and we can tell you without hesitation, this is the most attractive, highest quality, most well-located “affordable” (everyone defines that differently) housing product in the county! Our friends at Sunwood Homes spent a few YEARS developing something the community would really love, AND really needs! Desert Flower is made up of 40 sing...

NEW Single Family Homes at $277k? YUP! Desert Flower Taking Reservations

Greetings friends and clients,  What kid, middle-aged kid, little kid doesn’t want to ride their two wheeled, one wheeled, four wheel, rollerblade, skate, scooter, bike on a brand new road? It’s just pure joy.  And who hasn’t either uttered, or at least heard, the plight of St. George area home Buyers facing rising real estate prices: “This place has become so unaffordable!” We get it. We’re working in it every day. Fortunately we’ve got Builders doing their darndest to produce a product ...

NEW Single-Family Homes at $277k? YUP! Desert Flower Taking Reservations

Greetings Friends and Clients,  What kid, middle-aged kid, little kid doesn’t want to ride their two-wheeler, one-wheeler, four-wheeler, roller blades, skates, scooters, or bikes on a brand-new road? It’s just pure joy.  And who hasn’t either uttered, or at least heard, the plight of St. George area home buyers facing rising real estate prices: “This place has become so unaffordable!” We get it. We’re working in it every day. Fortunately we’ve got builders doing their darndest to produce ...

The (“thank heavens, it’s been a while”) GOOD News of the Real Estate Market!

I have incredible news about the real estate market! Q: “Jeremy, after COVID-19, riots, and some murder hornets, how’s the real estate market?” A: Our answer might shock you! It shocked us at The Larkin Group, and we do this every day! Every single thing about 2020 could, and perhaps should have, indicated that a major real estate market correction was coming. And then it didn’t.  So what gives?  I’ve gone through and organically compiled the market data all the way back to the first we...

Are Home Prices Falling?

Many people are concerned about decreasing home values. Today I’m sharing what you need to know about that. Are St. George and Southern Utah home prices falling due to the pandemic?  Clearly, I’ve spent some time working from home (as many others have)…do the cap and flannel give it away? 😊 PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS VIDEO? The fact that it was actually shot in MARCH. The forecast has proven to be accurate so far! People are concerned that home prices are decreasing, and it...

Q: Are Home Prices Falling?

Many people are concerned about decreasing home values. Today I’m sharing what you need to know about that. Are St. George and Southern Utah home prices falling due to the pandemic?  Clearly, I’m working from home (as many others are), so I’m dressed comfortably for this video. We’re essentially running our entire business virtually right now. People are concerned that home prices are decreasing, and it makes sense; cities are shut down, people are losing jobs, 300 thousand people are out...

Spring ("Winter" for the Rest of Utah) 2020 St. George Home Price Update

Friends and Clients — If you’ve been thinking about upgrading to a new home, you’ll want to read this. As you’ll see, current conditions make it an incredible time to sell — as well as to buy a bigger or more luxurious home. Let’s look at the details: 1. Enticing mortgage rates The 30-year fixed mortgage rate recently fell to 3.49%. THIS IS CRAZY! This is a drop of 1.5% in the last year alone. It puts current mortgage rates in the neighborhood of record lows that we saw in 2012. Not sur...

5 Things Every Buyer Needs To Know About Building or Buying a New Home

I’m sharing five important tips to know when buying a new construction home. The new construction home buying process is a different process than going out and to look at an array of homes, picking an existing house, and writing an offer on it.  We’ve been looking at the data from Zillow from 2019 about who is buying new construction homes, how old they are, and so on. In 2019, 73% of homebuyers were employed, 16% were retired, and 11% were unemployed or students. Nearly half of those buy...

2 Crucial Pieces of Info Every Homeowner Needs in 2020

As a homeowner, you need to know your property’s value and the status of your mortgage. Here’s why. We’re on the verge of a new decade, and you may have plans for your physical health in 2020, but today I’ll address something equally as important: your financial health. Specifically, there are two pieces of information you absolutely need to maintain or improve your financial health as a homeowner.   The first is an up-to-date valuation of your property. At 1:28 in the video above, you’ll...

St. George Basket Brigade Celebrates 10 Years of Feeding St. George Families

The St. George Basket Brigade celebrates 10 years delivering love, hope and a FULL THANKSGIVING MEAL to nominated St. George families. And we couldn’t have done it without your help! Over that time period we estimate that nearly 1000 families in need received a Brigade basket delivered by one of as many as 1500 individual volunteers.  If you’ve been one of those volunteers, you’re aware that it’s a prized opportunity that folks literally join a waiting list to take part in! So now we pop...

A Quick Conversation With a Master Photographer

Shawn Stallard from Chaparral Visuals has worked with us on hundreds of homes over the years. I recently caught up with him at the newest Sunwood Homes. I had a great trip recently out to the Brookwood subdivision to visit one of their models and the photographer who was set to photograph it. It was developed and built by Sunwood Homes.  This place is absolutely epic and Shawn Stallard from Chaparral Visuals talked to us about what he does in his day-to-day process. He’s probably done hun...

Brookwood Grand Opening

Join us this Saturday for a great time! We’re delighted to have partnered with Sunwood Homes to market their Brookwood Community. In addition to the incredibly stylish and well built homes they’re offering, you’re going to LOVE the location with ZERO through-streets in the Green Springs area! Join us Saturday July 13th from 12-2 PM for: (FREE) Lunch Model Home Tours Live Radio Broadcast with Carl Lamar of 99.9 KONY COUNTRY Multiple giveaways including a Lagoon Family 4-Pack! 81...