Things To Do In Ogden: Hiking the Wheeler and Icebox Canyon Loop

Sometimes, it pays to be a tourist in your own town.  There is an old saying that local folks often under appreciate their own local attractions.  So, to defy this truism, I thought I would take two of my favorite hiking buddies out to explore some trails I haven't had an opportunity to hike.

My miniature hiking buddies, my two youngest daughters, accompanied me on the adventure to hike Wheeler and Icebox Canyons.

Our hike began at the Wheeler Canyon trailhead at the base of the Pineview Reservoir Dam. The weather was threatening but was perfect for our purposes.  

  

The recent rain made the vegetation extremely green.  

The trail to the Art Nord trailhead junction is approximately 1.8 miles from the Ogden Canyon trailhead at the base of the dam.  

Glimpses of Mount Ogden are visible from the Wheeler Canyon portion of the trail.  

Rain did moisten a small portion or our trip.  

Once we reached the Art Nord trailhead we took a brief break and then began heading west on a trail that parallels the old road to Snow Basin.  

Unfortunately, the soil on this leg of the trail was clay instead of sand.  The girls were apprehensive at first.  But, after slipping and falling in the mud, they had no other option than to enjoy stomping through the gooey mess.  The trail was like this for about a mile.  

The wildflowers were in full bloom and made great picking for the girls.

Despite the mud, we were rewarded with some great views.

  

This connecting section of trail ascended to a trailhead off the Old Snow Basin Road halfway between the junction to Icebox Canyon. After this trailhead, the trail descends significantly.  At this time though, the road is closed for construction.  

Any yes, there was more mud...

After a mile or so of hiking west from the Art Nord trailhead, we reach the Icebox Canyon junction.  

The trail hugs closely to the creek and the canyon is narrow.  On this trip, the creek was brimming with water. 

The scenery and seclusion were great.  

Ultimately the trail descends to the junction of Wheeler and Icebox Canyons.  Here is where the two creeks meet on their way to the Ogden River.

The junction is clearly marked from the Wheeler Canyon trail.

  
The complete trip is approxomately five miles.

The next time you are looking for some outdoor adventure, head up Ogden Canyon and be sure to check out Wheeler and Icebox Canyons.  

FOR SALE: Updated 10 Unit Apartment Building

I just listed this investment property for sale located at 846 25th St. in Ogden.

The building was constructed in the 1950s and has since been updated.  The building houses 10 1-bedroom units with a 7-bay cinder block garage in the rear..  The units are in good condition and rented most of the time.  The building is serviced by one gas meter and 10 electrical meters.  The location is perfect for those traveling to Weber State University or Downtown Ogden which are close by.

Here is a video tour of three units in the building that are an example of the condition and floorplan in the rest of the building:

The owner requests that the tenants not be disturbed.  If you have questions or are interested in this property, please CONTACT ME for details, current pricing, and income/expense figures.    

JUST SOLD! Ogden Cottage Short Sale

I just closed on the sale of this short sale listing in Ogden.

This 2 bed 1 bath cottage is located at 1118 22nd St.  The owner of the property needed to sell and it was over encumbered with loans.  We initiated a short sale with an initial list price of $81,900 in September of 2014.  We received few showings at that time.  In November 2014 we reduced the price to 71,900 which spurred much more activity.  In December we received an offer for $64,000.  The sellers agreed to the offer and the hard work of negotiating the short sale began.

It took five months of tedious effort to get the short sale approved with Wells Fargo accepting the $64,000 price point.  Once approved though, the buyers quickly proceeded with their due diligence and closed with a cash transaction.

The owners will be redesigning the floorplan to include a third bedroom and relocating the kitchen.  The home should shine with all-new floorplan and finishes and the buyers should double the value of the home through these improvements.

If you are struggling with making mortgage payments you can't afford or owe too much on your home, CONTACT ME, and we can explore the options of a short sale and how that can benefit you.      

JUST SOLD! Updated Split-Entry Homestead

I recently closed on purchase of this home with some buyers.

Located in northern Ogden in the Mountain Road Estate subdivision, this home had a complete interior remodel done prior to it going on the market.  The home was listed on March 23rd for $157,900.  We viewed the property on the 25th and the home had gone under contract at that time with another buyer.  However, we liked the home so much, we decided to place a backup offer.

Two weeks later, we received a call that the financing for the first buyer had fallen through.  We immediately refreshed our offer with the sellers and placed the home under contract for a purchase price of $155,000 and asking for $4,500 in closing costs.  Our offer was accepted.

However, during our due diligence, a closer inspection of the property revealed a few shortcomings.  One of the significant problems involved the grade of the driveway which had cracked and settled almost 4 inches in the direction of the home. We missed this point during our initial walk through because we had parked on the driveway.  Our inspector caught the problem.  A lot of concrete needed to be removed and repoured so we asked for a $3,000 reduction in price.  The seller agreed.

We closed very quickly on this home at a final sale price of $152,000.

If you are looking for your next home and want an experienced helping hand to guide you through the process successfully, CONTACT ME, and lets make sure your next buying experience is a good one.

JUST SOLD! East Bench Mid-Century Rambler

We recently closed on this listing I marketed for a seller.

This home is located in a highly coveted neighborhood high on Ogden's east bench in a neighborhood near Taylor Canyon.  We first listed this property in September 2014 for $274,900.  Immediately, we received a torrent of requests to show the property. We received an early offer from some local buyers but who quickly faded out due to financing issues.  Nevertheless, showings continued.

After several weeks of showings but having received no more offers, we reduced the price to $269,900 to move a potential buyer off the fence.  At that time, received a low ball offer which my clients politely refused.  After two more months of intense showings but no offers, my clients decided to do some remodeling work to make their home more attractive.  We took the home off of the MLS while they did some updating to the home.

During this time, I received a call from an agent who showed the home back in October.  They wanted to submit an offer.  We acquiesced and we negotiated acceptable terms for both parties.

Due to my client's housing needs, the contract was for an extended period of time to give my clients time to purchase another home.  In the end, however, they did not need to find another home immediately and we finally closed the last week in April with a final sale price of $265,000.

If you are looking to seller your home or what to know what your home is worth, CONTACT ME, and let's find out how much equity you have in your home.