Get the latest news from the Utah real estate and mortgage scene.

Utah planners and leaders are asking residents to give their input on the future of the state. EnvisionUtah.org presents visitors with five different scenarios discussing 11 different areas of focus. Utah residents are asked to vote on which scenario they would like state and local leaders to carry out. The goal is to reach 50,000 participants by the time the survey closes in a month.

Unfortunately, not enough people have taken the survey to reach any conclusive results, especially in rural areas.

“As of last week, only 420 Washington County residents had logged in to participate.” reports The Spectrum.

Utah’s population is expected to double by 2050, and Southern Utah is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. In St. George, new homes…

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The National Parks surrounding Utah are providing a boost to the economy, according to a report by the National Parks Service. Specifically, Southern Utah received $433 million in economic benefits due to national park visitors in 2014.

Visitors come to the area and they need transportation, fuel, food and places to stay. The prime real estate in St. George means residents reap a lot of the rewards of visitor spending.

The study reports that most of the spending went towards lodging, followed by food and then gas and oil. Since Washington County is usually the last stop for many people traveling to these national parks, most of that money is going into the St. George economy. For every $1 spent on National Parks, there is a $10 return on…

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http://www.good4utah.com/story/d/story/mall-drive-bridge-opens-but-not-safe-for-foot-traf/13290/BlP7y8NhxkKyReXnBo84fg

In our recent blog posts, we have discussed how St. George is growing and recovering from the economic recession. Better home prices and more qualified home buyers are good signs. News coming out of last week’s St. George city council meeting signals the potential for more growth as well.

New Plan at Mall Drive Bride

A plan was approved to develop commercial real estate around Mall Drive Bridge according to a recent article in The Spectrum.

“The St. George City Council approved a scaled-back request to change its general plan on Thursday to accommodate plans for commercial development along the south sides of the intersection of Mall Drive and 3000 East.” reported the Spectrum.

The original plan was to include 121 acres of land, but that…

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In the last few months, two major manufacturers, L’Chef and Viracon, took steps to opening new plants in St. George. This means new jobs and a further improved economy. More and more industries are finding their way to Southern Utah. Here is a spotlight on just two of them.

L’Chef

The kitchen machine manufacturer and distributor, L’Chef, opened a plant in St. George Industrial park at the end of September. This company creates Bosch kitchen products and acts as the parent company to NutriMill, which sells home grain mills.

The Washington County plant is dedicated to the production of NutriMill products. As of now, they employ about 10 people with plans to grow. They expect to hire four new employees by the end of 2014 and will also provide…

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An empty plot of 13 acres behind the Dixie Center could soon be turned into a water park. The city of St. George began negotiations with Island Trading Company last week for the sale of the land.

Investors discussed buying the plot for $6.1 million. If sold, they will pay a down payment of 10% now with 4% interest over the next 25 years. They have 90 days to research and create a plan for the property. Although they have seriously discussed the idea of a water park, they are taking this time to be sure. The area is zoned for a long list of business possibilities. If a water park does not work, a family entertainment complex complete with restaurants, shopping and other hospitality business is possible.

While the details are still being worked out, the…

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Home-Price Growth Fastest in 7 Years, CoreLogic Says

As housing inventory remains low, prices continue to rise, posting the fastest year-over-year growth since 2006, according to data released Tuesday.

Home prices, including distressed sales, rose 2.6 percent in May and were up 12.2 percent from a year earlier, the largest annual growth since February 2006, according to CoreLogic, an Irvine, Calif.-based analysis firm. Excluding short sales and other distressed properties, prices rose 2.3 percent in May and were up 11.6 percent from the year-earlier period.

"As we approach the halfway point of 2013, home prices continue to respond positively to the reductions in home inventory thus far," said Mark Fleming, CoreLogic's chief economist.

Annual…

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The 2013 Washington County Economic Summit, also known as What's Up Down South, took place this past week at the Dixie Center.  The overall census during the Summit is the economy in St. George, Utah is back.  2013 guarantees to be a year of increased growth as businesses continue to build new facilities, thus; creating more jobs and bringing more people to Washington County.  A few reasons businesses are looking at St. George to expand their businesses are its labor force and logistics.  The work force is educated and reliable.  St. George City is also centrally located to allow companies effective shipment of their product.  Businesses, such as Family Dollar, feel St. George and Washington County area's great locations just a good place to be.

Lt.…

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Looking for some tax relief?  According to a study conducted by The Tax Foundation, Utah has one of the top 10 climates in the nation for businesses.  See the Tax Foundation's Report.

The report ranks States according to how business friendly they are, and has Utah ranked 3rd in the nation for property taxes, and 5th for corporate taxes - with an overall ranking of 10.  Utah's sales tax rate is ranked 22nd in the U.S.

Touting Utah's business-friendly atmosphere, Spencer P. Eccles, Executive Director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, said "We've done a good job ensuring that we have a very business-friendly environment in the state of Utah and that's attractive to companies...whether you're talking about Salt Lake or all the way…

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