In a recent Realtor political luncheon held during the Ogden City mayor's race, one of the questions that was posed to the Mayoral candidates was this: What are you going to do to make Ogden City a friendly place for Realtors to do business?
One of the particular complaints Realtors have had against Ogden City over the years is its unhelpful demeanor when it comes to turning on water to vacant homes.
Why make such a fuss about a seemingly small issue? Well, current loan underwriting standards and traditional market practice have been to conduct inspections and appraisals on property. These inspections require that utilities be turned on. If they aren't on, you can't inspect the systems. If you can't inspect the systems, then the buyer assumes a lot more risk and will either not buy the home or demand a significant price reduction.
So, what? Well, from a city perspective, either one of these outcomes is undesirable. The city looses water revenue from homes that sit vacant. Plus, the longer homes sit vacant, the lower their property value goes and thus the assessed property taxes as well. Putting up road blocks to homes being sold is a lose-lose proposition for the municipal coffers.
I had a conversation today with city staff sharing some of my thoughts. They assured me that they have been working diligently to change the culture at the Ogden City Utility Department and make it easier for Realtors and buyers to turn the water on to vacant homes.
They asked that Realtors take notes about their experience with the City Utility Department and report in a few weeks to give feedback. Let's be vigilant and hopefully we can make Ogden one of the most Realtor friendly cities in the county.
If you have any recent experiences you would like to share, please email them to me and I can share those when I report.
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