Park City was recently named as one of the top 5 Ski Resorts in the US in terms of “Awesomeness”.

Contributing author for Forbes.com Christopher Steiner notes how “ubiquitous rankings have become” and decided to rank ski resorts in his own terms as a measure of Awesomeness “do you need to know anything else?”

Park City was grouped as one resort due to the proximity of its three ski mountains (Canyons, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort)all being within ten minutes of one-another. Similarly Alta and Snowbird were grouped together as were Vail and Beaver Creek (they were ranked #2 and #4 on the Ski Resort Awesomeness rankings). Jackson Hole led the way and Telluride came in at #3.

Of interest in this Ski Resort Awesomeness ranking is the ratings of the skiing; the author rates Canyons as the best of the three resorts in Park City with Deer Valley second and Park City Mountain Resort third. Mr. Steiner definitely knows the resorts as he makes mention of the good and bad at all three. Canyons 9990 lift takes his top spot to ski while there (we’d throw in peak 5 as a great spot to make laps until 9990 opens) and he cautions against spending the day getting to something as the mountain is quite spread out. Deer Valley gets a strong recommendation not only as a fancy resort, but also for its great skiing terrain including trees and chutes. He calls Empire Lodge the greatest ski lodge in the world and calls the Deer Valley Turkey Chili the greatest single dish served mountainside anywhere. Forbes.com calls Jupiter Peak the best of the skiing at Park City Mountain Resort but laments the run-outs and the occasional crowds (for Utah). A thumbs-up was given for the ability to ski into Main St and ride the Town Lift back.

All-in-all it was a great positive article based almost solely on the ski aspects of Park City. When you throw in the other things that make the area great (restaurants, shopping, galleries, Sundance, nightlife, spas and all the non-ski-related amenities) Park City continues to shine as one of the most well-rounded destination vacations or place to call home.

For everyone east of the Rockies it was noted that no resort there made the list due to the snow and terrain not ranking in terms of Awesomeness versus the west.

For a complete version of the story see: Top 10 Ski Resorts in the United States for 2013.

For information about Park City Real Estate contact a realty professional with the YouInParkCity.com Group at (888)968-4672.

Why do people buy country club memberships and why isn’t there a ski oriented membership Park City real estate option?

People buy country club memberships for many reasons but probably the primary motivation is the quality of the golf experience and the easy access to the course. People are also drawn to the social element of a country club and the many (non-golf) functions the clubs host which allow members to interact in a relaxing setting with their family, friends and peers.

In Park City there actually are several ski oriented country club experiences which come in the form of interval or fractional real estate offerings. In my mind purchasing one these luxury ski condos offerings is very similar to buying an equity country club membership.

• You purchase your membership or condo and pay annual dues.
• When you want to do something different you sell your membership. Most golf clubs make you sell the membership through the club. They set the price and keep a portion of the proceeds. With a fractional or interval ski condo sale you generally sell it at market price and no proceeds are returned to the club.
• You pay dues to maintain the facilities, pay for staffing and market and communicate with members and the public who are the clubs future members.
• Just like country clubs there is no usually no financing available for a fractional or interval condo purchase. It is a luxury real estate purchase and an investment in lifestyle.
• Golf is included in country club dues. With the purchase of a Park City fractional or interval condo you get access to lodging. The number of weeks available and the reservation policies vary from property to property.
When buying a fractional mountain resort condo what questions should you ask?
• Is the condo ski in ski out and what are the other winter activities will be provided?
• What summer activities are organized for you?
• Is airport transportation and in town shuttle service provided. You are looking for a hassle free experience aren’t you?
• What other amenities are within walking distance to the condo, i.e. restaurants, shopping, ski and bike rentals, etc.?
• What are the other owners like?
• What level of service are you expecting? What is the staff like? Are they knowledgeable about the property and the community? Are they friendly?
• What do you own and how is ownership conveyed?
• Are property taxes paid as part of your dues?
• If you aren’t going to use one of your weeks what can you do with the condo?

What interval or fractional condos offerings are there in Park City?
In Deer Valley:
• Deer Valley Club, a Private Residence Club.
• Red Stag Lodge
• Residences at the Chateaux
In Old Town
• Sky Lodge
At Canyons Resort
• Grand Summit Hotel

For expert information on these fractional or interval ownership condominiums or any Park City Real Estate information contact the realty professionals with the YouInParkCity.com Group at (888)968-4672.

Annual Ski Resort area rankings put all three Park City Resorts in the Top Ten.

SKI Magazine is due on the newsstands or in your mailbox the 16th of October. The upcoming issue features the results of the annual readers’ poll. In the magazine they will rank the top 50 Resorts in North America.

Park City, Utah is home to three resorts that cover nearly 10,000 skiable acres located just a few miles apart. This year for the first time Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort are all ranked in the readers’ poll top 10.

Deer Valley Resort takes the 2nd place ranking; dropping from its unprecedented reign in the number one spot for five years in a row. Deer Valley still saw a number one rating in many individual categories and was likely impacted by the lack of natural snowfall last season.

Park City Mountain Resort moves up a notch this year to number four in the SKI Magazine Readers’ Poll top 50 Resorts. This is the best ranking that the resort has ever earned.

The tens of millions of dollars that have been spent at Canyons Resort in the past few years are paying dividends in the minds of SKI Magazine readers as Canyons receives the number ten spot in this year’s poll. This is an impressive move from rankings in the low 20’s just a few years ago. The number ten ranking for Canyons Resort is also the best that the resort has ever earned.

Park City, Utah is unique in that there are not many cities that are home to multiple ski and snowboard resorts. Deer Valley, Park City Mountain and Canyons Resorts all share in some high ratings related to Park City’s snow, weather, accessibility to an International Airport as well as local restaurants and non-ski related activity options.

The YouInParkCity.com Group congratulates all three of Park City’s World Class Resorts on their rankings in SKI Magazine’s annual reader poll for the 2012/2013 season.

For information about how the resort rankings may affect real estate prices in Park City, Utah contact a Park City Real Estate Professional with YouInParkCity.com at (888)968-4672.

Preseason Season Pass Sales at Park City Ski and Snowboard Resorts

Season passes can now be purchased at Park City Mountain Resort, Canyons Resort, and Deer Valley. Daily ticket prices have not been released at all of the resorts, but if you are going to ski ten days or more it makes good sense to look into making an early purchase of your season pass.

Park City Mountain Resort Season passes offer the broadest range of options as their passes can be customized for the resort’s various offerings. Adult Season passes start at $750 and top out at $1425. The add-ons include underground parking, night skiing/riding, and Fast Tracks express lanes. Youth Passes (7-12 years old) range from $145-$445; Teen Passes (13-17 years old) range from $195-$495; Young Adult/College Passes range from $475-$1050; Senior Passes (65-69 years) are offered from $475 to $1050, and Super Seniors (age 70 and above) start at $270 and max out at $845 with all the options. Pass purchases include summer lift access for the current season. The age of the passholder is determined as their age on opening day November 17, 2012. Daily rates have not been published yet, but were $96 per day for adults last season, so anything more than 8 days for the year could prove to be a worthy investment. Pass prices go up on September 15.

Canyons Resort made a change this year and got rid of the mid-week pass option, but they have also reduced the rate on their full season pass so that it is less than the price of last years’ mid-week pass. If you buy an adult full season pass before Sept 15, 2012, the price is $849 (after Sept 15 the price jumps to $1149, and $1449 after Oct 15). Canyons offers a “platinum upgrade” which includes valet parking and a ski/boot locker with boot dryer. Youth (7-12 years old) Season Passes at Canyons Resort are $409 for non-residents and $249 for Utah students. Young adults (ages 13-17) from out of state can purchase a full season pass for $749 while Utah students pay $279-$319 depending on their school grades. Utah college students can buy a season pass for $599. Canyons Resort also offers pass deals for Teachers, Firefighters, and Police as well as Military personnel. As with Park City, Canyons season passes can become a better value with as little as 8 days of skiing/riding for the season.

Deer Valley which was ranked the #1 Resort in North America for the 5th year in a row last season is the only one of Park City’s three resorts to have posted their daily ticket rate for the 2012-2013 season and for the first time, it has topped $100 with a daily rate of $102 ($106 Holidays). Adult full season ski passes at Deer Valley are $1810 ($1470 for the 2nd when purchasing 2). Youth passes (4-12) are $450. Teen passes are $750 and Young Adult passes (18-23) are $1100 for the season. Seniors in the 65-71 year old bracket can purchase a season pass for $925 while Super Seniors (72 and up) can get a pass for $850. Midweek passes are available at Deer Valley; adult passes are $925 while Senior rates are $850; note that midweek passes are not valid Dec 26-Jan 1. Prices go up on November 1, 2012.

If you think you’ll be in a position to ski more than a week this upcoming season take a hard look at a season pass at your favorite Park City area resort. I guarantee that if you have a pass you will ski/ride more than if you are buying individual tickets. You will be willing to go up for just a couple of hours because you’ve already paid for it. Take full advantage of why you own real estate in Park City and get out on the snow this year.

For more lift ticket specifics visit: www.CanyonsResort.com, www.ParkCityMountain.com , and www.DeerValley.com.

The 2011-2012 ski season is half over; hard to believe, but it is true. It is a great time to check on real estate sales in Park City as well as a time to remind yourself to get out and ski before you start thinking about summer related activities.

So far this season the lack of snowfall hasn’t impacted Park City real estate sales. The December through mid-February period equating to half of the winter season shows sale numbers about on par with the same period in 2010-2011 even though the snow depth has been less than half of last season. Current trends still show pricing down (about 4% on single family homes and 10% on condominiums). Unit sales of homes and condominiums are nearly identical for the periods while building lots are off nearly 40% for the period. The drop in vacant lot sales appears to have been impacted by the drop in bank REO offerings which represented 25% of the sales last year and only 5% of the vacant lot sales this season so far.

Other interesting trends for the current ski season real estate sales include:

Fewer sales of condominiums over $1M and half as many sales of Park City area condominiums in the luxury category (over $2M) compared to the previous season.

Park City Single family home sales remain steady across all market levels including the luxury segment over $2M.

Bank REO sales were down dramatically for the compared seasons, but look for that to change as the MERS issues are cleared nationally.

Canyons Resort real estate is showing stronger condominium sales, but weaker single family home sales.

Data herein is derived from the Park City MLS system for sales in the greater Park City areas (areas 1-23). Data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. For specifics about any Park City real estate neighborhood contact a realty professional with the YouInParkCity.com group at (888)968-4672.

Click here for Park City Real Estate Best Buys

The Hyatt Escala Lodge

About a month ago we toured the changes at The Hyatt Escala Lodge at Canyons Resort and had a fantastic dinner in one of their mountain view 3 bedroom luxury condos. The Lodge, which was rated as one of the top 12 “Hot Hotels” in North America, continues to step it up and is delivering on the news that they announced months ago, the opening of The Escala Provisions Company, “The Restaurant” and bar. Other additions include 5,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, a staffed children’s center and 7,000 sq. ft of “flexible indoor /outdoor space”.

This gives Park City Real Estate another amenity rich, high end luxury condo option for clients who are considering a ski in/ski out Park City home. There are currently 21 Hyatt Escala Lodge Condos on the market ranging in price from $365,000 for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath condo to $2,000,000 for a 4 bedroom, 5 bath residence. In the past 12 months there have been 5 sales at the Hyatt Escala Lodge. The sold prices ranged from $299,000 for a 1 bedroom to $1,916,000 for a penthouse 3 bedroom 5 bath.

Another factor to take into account when considering purchasing Canyons Resort real estate in general are the many changes that have taken place in the last year or are on the books. The Winter Zip Line tour is in and is something I have to try. The tour is comprised of two zip lines; one is 800 feet long has an 8% grade the other is 2100 feet with a 10% grade. Just thinking about this makes me grin. Additional snowmaking, new lifts, a remake of the resort center area and the beginning of construction on the new golf course are just a few things that have happened recently. For skiers and boarders (and owners of any Park City real estate) the proposed “Skilink” which will connect Canyons Resort in Park City to Solitude Ski Resort in Little Cottonwood Canyon will have positive impacts too many to list. If and when the Ski Link goes through final approval and is built skiers and riders will be able to access Solitude from Canyons ski resort and avoid the 45 minute drive.

If you have questions about The Hyatt Escala Park City, Canyon Resort Real Estate or Park City Real Estate in general please contact the YouInParkCity.com Group Real Estate Professionals at 888-968-4672

Click for more information including all for sale listings at the Hyatt Escala Park City or contact the YouinParkCity.com group.

Click here to learn more about SkiLink.

We are close to having one year of sales data for the Montage at Deer Valley and the sales data shows surprising strength given the overall market and world economy. Thirteen sales have been completed for Montage Deer Valley Residences. The sales represent just over 15% of the available units but were nearly 50% of all sales in Park City’s luxury real estate enclave of Empire Pass. Sales prices have ranged from $1.6M to $8M.

The latest release of residence models at Montage Deer Valley will feature a showcase residence that is a collaboration between interior designer Philip Gorrivan and One Kings Lane (a leading online site for designer décor, furnishings and accessories). The 3471 square foot home is a two story three bedroom, three bath model featuring a large great room, dining room, gourmet kitchen, and den. Three private balconies offer incomparable ski resort and valley views. The designer elements in the home have created a mountain modern feel in which each room has its own unique sense and appeal to the luxury Park City lifestyle. Our recent tour through this home was impressive.

The home will enjoy access to all of the Montage Deer Valley spa and resort services and amenities; not the least of which is its slope-side Deer Valley location.

For more information about this special Montage Deer Valley home or a private tour focused on luxury Park City and Deer Valley real estate contact YouInParkCity.com at (888)968-4672.

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For the fifth year in a row the readers of SKI Magazine have named Deer Valley as the number one resort in North America. This is the 6th time in the last 7 years that Deer Valley has been named number one overall. The resort has not been lower than 3rd in the last 11 years.

The rankings take in many different aspects of the resort and while Deer Valley may not be the toughest or largest resort, or get the best snow, its ranking as best overall is impressive. Deer Valley Resort always gets accolades for its grooming, food, andguest services. The editor of SKI Magazine notes that the size of the resort and the fact that snowboarding is not allowed helps Deer Valley to edge its large competitors Vail and Whistler for the number one spot.

The other Park City area resorts alos fared well with Park City Mountain Resort coming in at number 6 and Canyons Resort in the number 16 slot.

A new lifestyle category named Park City Mountain Resort as the best place in North America to ski with kids.

The consistent rankings from the readers of SKI Magazine have a great impact on tourism in Park City as well as housing values. A town with the best overall ski resort ranking which shares a ropeline with the resort ranked as the best place to ski with a family makes for quite a place to live or own a vacation home.

            The Real Estate market in Park City, Utah has not been immune to the value changes that the rest of the country has seen. Early on in the National housing and credit collapse many agents in Park City claimed that our area was insulated and we would not be affected by the changes the rest of the country was experiencing. An in depth analysis of our market now shows that market changes in Park City mirror the national averages. Prices have retreated to the 2005-2006 levels in many areas while falling well below that in the outlying areas of the city.  The change has occurred in residential entry level condominiums and every market segment right through multi-million dollar luxury ski villas.

            Changes can be seen not only in sales prices, but also in the mindset of the Buyers. Park City is a destination ski resort area offering arguably one of the county’s best vacation and second home experiences. The things that made Park City desirable before the economic change have not changed, but the Buyers now have a different perspective on real estate here. Buyers still want to own in Park City and the emotion behind the decision to buy here has not changed. The focus that drives which Park City home a Buyer purchases has changed and the emotional drive toward a particular home is gone. In past years Buyers fell in love with a home, now the buyers can be just as focused on the deal as they are a particular home. Park City real estate buyers now often have a somewhat indifferent attitude to the home or condominium they are purchasing; as long as they are getting a deal, they love the home.

            Prospective property owners are writing offers on multiple homes with the intent of purchasing whichever property presents the best bargain. Park City real estate Buyers are still focused within a particular area, property type, and price range, but the message to Sellers is “I like your home best, but I’ll substitute it with the home down road or in the next subdivision if I believe it represents is a better value”.

            The weather is changing and on recent mornings a light dusting of snow has been visible on local peaks and ski runs here in Park City, UT. The classified ads in the newspaper are showing more seasonal jobs available with the resorts, hotels, property management, restaurant and service industries gearing up for the winter season. But more than the dark mornings and shorter days, the upcoming ski and snowboard season is marked by movies coming to town.

            In particular, it is ski movies coming to town. They mark the start of winter like spring training baseball games mark the start of summer. We have seen Matchstick Productions’ highly acclaimed The Way I See It already come and go (I couldn’t believe it was “already that time”).

            This weekend will see the screening of the latest Warren Miller film Wintervention. The film is the 61^st Warren Miller ski film. This year’s is narrated by Jonny Moseley and contains all of the music, powder shots and big mountain lines that make up ski dreams. For many it will also manage to make us think that it is time to get in shape for the winter.

            With the snow that is in the forecast for the week, a ski movie sounds like a perfect plan for the weekend. If you aren’t in Park City, take a look on line and find a ski movie playing near you. Winter is fast approaching, it is time to get that ski and snowboard mind-set.