New Homes Still Selling

As a prospective new home buyer you may be concerned about the national news regarding home mortgages becoming harder to get. While this is true in some instances, particularly for people with bad credit or no down payment, for the vast portion of new home buyers the impact is minimal.

In fact, mortgage rates are just about where they were last year at this time. All the builders participating on Homes Today have preferred lenders they've worked with for years. These lenders have a variety of loan programs that can help you get into the new home of your choice.

On a national basis, new home sales rebounded in July, further showing that most Americans can still get the loan they need for the house they want. In Utah, home sales are still doing very well and homes below $300,000 are selling the fastest. Ask your builder about their preferred lender program.

Kitchens Are the Cornerstone of New Homes

The kitchen is perhaps the most crucial part of purchasing a new home. Other home features can be dismissed or changed, but if a kitchen doesn't feel right, the home won't feel right either.

Homes Today builders offer a great range of kitchens for each of the dozens of floor plans they collectively offer. While the kitchen in this photo from Steve Dockstader's 2006 Parade of Homes entry in St. George is magnificent, it may not appeal to everyone in the market for a new home.

Be sure to watch Homes Today - Utah Edition on Sundays to see the latest in kitchens around the Wasatch Front. If you want to get an idea of top kitchens in the country, take a look at this slide show from CNN.

Homes Today Lifestyle - Dog Days of August

It's August, the time of year when the heat is up and the motivation to do anything is low. The threat of fall, back to school and cooler temperatures is just around the corner. Dog days indeed.

Why not take a look at these relaxing and refreshing recipes straight from The New Yorker executive chef Will Pliler. Check out the video on the Homes Today website. Hostess Lisa Cline brings us the story.


Recipes from this episode.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

4 - 8 oz Flat Iron Steaks, seasoned well with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil
4 slices Cambazola cheese
1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, sliced quarter inch thick
3 T olive oil

Over medium heat in a medium skillet, sauté the onions with olive oil until lightly browned, set aside. Grill steaks over hot coals or gas grill until desired temperature. Top with sautéed onions and Cambazola cheese. Serve immediately.

Melon and Prosciutto

1 medium size cantaloupe, honeydew or Crenshaw melon, peeled, seeded and sliced into 12 wedges
12 thin slices of prosciutto
8 oz. fresh arugula leaves washed and spun dry

Wrap wedges with each slice of prosciutto, arrange on platter. Toss the arugula with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Arrange on top of melon and prosciutto, serve chilled or room temperature.

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

2 lbs. fresh fingerling potatoes, washed, slice lengthwise
2 large sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, peeled and sliced into quarter inch slices
¼ cup olive oil

In a large mixing bowl toss all ingredients together, season with salt and pepper to taste, spill onto large cookie sheet. Bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Pour into serving dish, serve warm or room temperature.

The Press Release That Started It All

Here's the press release from ABC4 announcing the new Homes Today Show.

<click here to see the large version>

Homes Today Utah Edition Welcomes You

Welcome to Homes Today - Utah Edition the blog. We are Utah's newest destination homes show featuring local communities, builders, design tips and more. If it has something to do with homes, you can be sure we'll be talking about it on our TV show, website or right here on the blog.

Homes Today was born just last month and is a collaborative effort with KTVX, Channel 4 in Salt Lake City. We know there are other home shows you can watch, but we're confident there are no others in Utah that can bring you entertainment and education about Utah housing than Homes Today.

KTVX General Manager David D' Antuano feels the same way. He recently wrote about our three year agreement:

We at ABC4(KTVX) have the utmost confidence in the success of this production. We've look at the show and are enthusiastic about the excellent production quality, exciting content variety, and great air times. Homes Today Utah Edition will be seen on ABC4(KTVX) three times weekly:

Sundays at 8:30 AM
Sundays at 4:30 PM
Sundays at 11:30 PM

In addition to these air times, which have been selected to ensure the very best viewership demographics and figures, Homes Today Utah Edition will also be seen on The HiveTV - a community-driven local access television channel available digitally, as well as to 150,000 current area homes via Comcast.

Thanks David for your kind words. Now it's up to us to produce a great show, website and blog people will want to return to for the latest on Utah homes.

You can view our latest episodes live on Sundays or stream them on demand from our website. If you have suggestions or questions about Homes Today, feel free to leave a comment on the blog or email us directly.