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Southern Utah County Real Estate
Wednesday Edition — Week of May 13, 2026
From the desk of Lori Collins, Associate Broker — Collins Team / eXp Realty
End-of-week wrap: how the week's data shaped up, why your offer strategy matters more than your offer amount, and the prep work that actually pays back at sale.
Local Market Snapshot
This Week in Southern Utah County
Closing the week, here's the activity that defined southern Utah County:
Sold this week
There were 304 sold properties in Utah County, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condos, from May 1st to May 8th. The Sold price ranged from $205.000 for a 2 bed, 1 bath, 984 sq.ft. to $944,516 for a 7 bed, 6 bath, 11,126 sq.ft.
New under contract
In Utah County, there were 4 homes, including single-family homes, townhomes, and condos, that went under contract this last week out of 110 homes Active on the Market.
The pattern
Looking at the week's data in aggregate, the market is doing what we expected: well-priced homes under $525K are moving in 14 days or less, the $525K-$700K band is taking 30-45 days, and above $700K is fully buyer's market with significant negotiation room. If you're trying to read the southern Utah County market right now, you're really reading three different markets in one zip code.
Lending Pulse
Loan Programs Worth Knowing About
Beyond conventional and FHA, there are programs specifically suited to southern Utah County buyers. Most lenders won't volunteer these — you have to ask.
Utah Housing Corporation (UHC)
UHC offers down payment assistance up to 6% of the loan amount for qualifying first-time buyers — and "first-time" here means anyone who hasn't owned a primary residence in the last 3 years. Income limits apply (varies by county and family size). The assistance is structured as a second mortgage that's forgivable or repayable depending on the program tier.
USDA Rural Development loans
Most of southern Utah County qualifies for USDA loans — Santaquin, Genola, Goshen, parts of Salem, and the agricultural areas south of Payson are all designated rural for USDA purposes. USDA offers 100% financing (zero down payment) for qualifying buyers under income limits, with rates often comparable to conventional. If you're buying outside city limits in southern Utah County, ask your lender to run the address through USDA's eligibility map.
VA loans
If you've served, the VA loan is the strongest mortgage product available in this market: zero down, no PMI, competitive rates, and the seller can pay closing costs. Utah County is a high VA market because of how many veterans choose to retire here. We've seen too many veterans default to FHA because their lender didn't even mention VA. Always ask.
Doctor / professional loans
If you're a physician, dentist, or in a few other licensed professions, several lenders offer specialized programs with low or no down payment, no PMI, and underwriting that handles student loan debt differently. Mountain America, Zions, and several national lenders run these in Utah.
Seller's Corner
This Week's Seller Tip: The Prep Work That Actually Pays Back
Sellers ask me constantly: "Should we paint? New flooring? Update the kitchen?" The honest answer is, only if the math works. Most pre-listing improvements don't return what they cost. A few do — significantly.
Highest ROI prep work
Deep cleaning and decluttering — costs $300-$800, returns thousands. Non-negotiable.
Interior paint in current neutrals — costs $2K-$5K, returns 100-150% in faster sale and higher price
Light landscaping — fresh mulch, trimmed shrubs, dead-plant removal — costs $200-$1,000, returns multiples in showing impressions
Carpet cleaning or replacement of badly worn carpet — judgment call, but worn carpet kills offers
Replacing dated brass fixtures with modern matte black or brushed nickel — costs $300-$800, refreshes the whole house
Lower ROI — usually a mistake
Major kitchen remodels right before sale — almost never recovered. Buyers want to choose finishes.
Bathroom remodels — same reason
Adding rooms or finishing a basement specifically to sell — you'll recover 60-70% at best
New roof unless current roof is failing inspections — the buyer's appraiser doesn't care about a roof's age, only its function
The mindset shift
You're not renovating for yourself. You're staging for the largest possible buyer pool. Clean, neutral, well-lit, and uncluttered beats expensive every time.
Buyer's Corner
This Week's Buyer Tip: Offer Strategy in a Mixed Market
When you find the home, the offer is everything. Buyers in southern Utah County are still walking into mixed conditions: some homes will get multiple offers, others have been sitting for 60 days. Your strategy has to match what you're walking into.
On a fresh listing (first 14 days)
Move fast — within 48-72 hours of touring
Strong earnest money signals serious intent ($5K-$10K typical in this price range)
Limit contingencies where you can — but never waive inspection. Ever.
If competing, submit your highest reasonable offer first. Best-and-final rounds rarely give you a second chance.
On a stale listing (45+ days on market)
You have leverage — use it
Ask for closing cost concessions, rate buydowns, or repair credits
Longer inspection periods are easier to negotiate
Don't insult — but don't overpay either. Run comps.
Always — regardless of timing
Get pre-approved, not just pre-qualified. There's a real difference.
Have your earnest money funds ready to wire
Know your absolute walk-away number before you write
Read your contract before you sign it. All of it.
Recruitment
Thinking About a Move? (Your Career, Not Just Your Address.)
Most agents don't leave their brokerage because of one big thing. They leave because of a hundred small ones — splits that punish growth, training that stalls, tech they have to duct-tape together, and a culture that forgets agents are the customer.
eXp is built differently. Cloud-based, agent-owned through revenue share and stock awards, and backed by training that actually moves the needle on production. The Collins Team mentors agents one-on-one — not in a webinar that gets recorded and forgotten.
If you've ever wondered what your business would look like under a model designed for the agent first, let's have a real conversation. No pressure, no pitch deck.
#RealEstateCareers #UtahRealEstate #JoinOurTeam #eXpRealty #TheCollinsTeam #RealEstateAgent #UtahCountyRealEstate #AgentLife #RealEstateMentorship #SwitchBrokerages
Myth vs. Reality
Myth: "You should always offer 10% below asking."
Reality
This advice was bad in 2019 and it's worse now. Offer strategy depends on three things, none of which is a 10% rule:
How long the home has been on market
How the home is priced relative to recent comparable sales
How much competition you're facing
On a properly priced fresh listing in a competitive segment, offering 10% under asking gets your offer thrown in the trash and the home goes to someone else at full price. We've watched it happen this year on multiple Spanish Fork and Salem listings.
On an overpriced listing that's been sitting for 75 days, 10% under might be too generous — the market has already told that seller their price is wrong, and the right offer might be 12-15% under their current ask.
The right number is the one supported by sold comparable properties — not by a percentage rule someone repeats from a 1990s real estate book.
#UtahCountyRealEstate #HomeBuyer #MythVsReality #MortgageRates #BuyNow #SpringvilleUT #TheCollinsTeam #eXpRealty #UtahHomes #RealEstateTips
Coming Up
On Saturday
Weekly recap — full data, full analysis
Lending watch: rate movement and what's coming
Seller deep-dive: pricing strategy in a slowing market
Buyer playbook: contingencies that protect you without killing your offer
Myth vs. Reality — a brand-new myth, fully unpacked
You're getting this because you signed up at one of our open houses, market events, or through our website. We send three short newsletters a week — Saturday, Monday, Wednesday — and we'll never sell your information.
That’s it for today.
Keep showing up, keep cheering each other on — and as always, keep busy.
Lori Collins, Associate Broker #14213653-AB00
Jeff Collins, Salesperson #1421190-SA00
Springville, UT 84663
385-543-5553
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[Phone] 📧 [Email] 🌐 [Website]
The Collins Team/eXp Realty LLC