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Show Friday, Octbber.6, 1S95- THE DAILY HERALD,; Udme Magaiihe, 3 rea resiae ntial sales tumps e in t our switch to a new reporting sysThe new Multiple Listing Sertem. vice book issued by the Wasatch Front Regional MLS is packed certain However, pockets with statistics aimed at keeping throughout Utah County are still real estate agents informed on the appreciexperiencing double-dig- it ation. Those areas include Lehi. up fL, marketplace. The stats are much 13.7 percent: Highland, up 29.6 more complete than what was preottered. For percent: American Fork, up 33 perviously example: cent: southwest Orem. 78.2 perAugust residential sales in Utah cent: southeast Orem. 26.9 perCounty tumbled 55.4 percent from cent: southwest Provo. 13.3 perfrom 202 to 90. August 1994, cent: Springville. 22.4 percent: while new listings increased 42.9 On The Market Spanish Fork. 21.5 percent: Elk percent during the month, from 82 tq 260. Volume, the total dollar significantly from the double-dig- it Ridge. 20.3 percent: and Payson. .6 percent. value of all residential sales, fell appreciation Utah County has 52.7 percent, from $27.1 million to experienced over the past several Some areas have actually SI2.8 million. years. declined in their average selling The average sales price climbed price. They include Alpine, down That kind of activity puts a downward pressure on appreciaonly 5.7 percent from August "94 52.8 percent; Cedar Hi lis, down tion, slowing the rate of growth. to $142,539. That average price 10.3 percent: northeast Orem. That rate is now single digit, less represents a correction from previ- down 22.6 percent: and southeast than 6 percent, which is reduced ously reported figures because of Provo. down 22.7 percent. The Rodger Hardy jjjr drop. The number of new listings, also 21, represented a 48.8 percent decline from a year ago. The total volume. $2.2 million, is down 43.3 Alpine decline may be an aberration. The average price in August '94 was $434,700. compared with a more common S205.(X)() this past August. percent. As with single family homes, some areas are appreciating more than others. Significant are southwest Provo. up 64.8 percent. Ldge-mon- t. up 60.6 percent: southwest Orem. up 39.3 percent and northwest Orem. up 2 .2 percent. Areas where the average condo selling price has fallen, compared with August '94, include northeast Orem. down 29.2 percent anil Lehi, down 5.8 percent. Rodger L. Hardy is associated with Century 21 Rushnell-Cour-teOrem. If you have a real estate question tall him at the condominium market, the story In In the condominium market, the story differs. Double digit appreciation is still taking place, with the average price in August sales up 21.6 percent over the August '94 price. The average condominium sales price is $108,371. However, sales are down significantly. The 21 condos sold during August represented a 53.3 percent s; Thomas begins 1 7th season as host, skeptic of 'This Old House By JEAN PRESCOTT Knight-Ridd- Newspapers er Everybody has a dream house. Some of us simply haven't been lucky enough to find ours. We carry it around inside our heads or on scraps of paper or pages torn from magazines. And every day. a few of us hurl ourselves into that whirlwind called renovation where dream houses sometimes hide. It's a place Steve Thomas knows well. Truth be told, the host of PBS' "This Old House" series likes it there. He liked it long before he joined the "TOH" team in 1989, and he knows it's no place to go unarmed and defenseless. "I grew up in 'this old house,"' Thomas says. "My dad was always buying an old house, fixing it up and selling it. "He wasn't a pro, but I learned from him the will to do it." It's a lesson that equipped him to survive more than a few such projects over the years before he began a career in public television. Thomas, a native Californian. has been at the center of personal renovation whirlwinds in the Pacific Northwest and his adopted state, Massachusetts. And his experiences perfectly suit him to "portray" the informed consumer among "This Old House's" cast of memorable characters. In his role and we suspect in real life as well. Thomas is deliberately skeptical. He's the one who forever asks "why." It's the only position for a homeowner to take in a renovation or any other building project. And on "TOH." Thomas has a trio of sidekicks who help him help iiOhlCuvViiul'S Cijlup ilii.iiist.ives K'l the task. If you watch, and we recommend that you do. you know them all: steady Norm Abrams, the master carpenter: Richard Trethewey. the plumbing and heating consultant who seems perfectly at case in front of the camera; and Tommy Silva. the contractor. All of them are in the midst of tTie'sm"? TTrff fYolJcVdr ft 1 7th laid-bac- k, season. The m is a project that will keep them and viewers engaged for 18 half-hoepisodes. The house, which looks a bit shabby from the outside, is on Lynn Street in historic Salem. Mass. Thomas tells us it was chosen as much for the location as anything else. "There is no set of criteria." he says. "We look for something 10 lire our viewers" imaginations. ... (the lixation must be) something you can build into the show, a destination place." Earlier projects in New Orleans, London and Miami come immediately to mind. "Our executive producer (and creator of the scries) Russ Morash fell in love with Salem." Witches come immediately to mind, but Thomas points also to that city's China trade and the wealth it brought to build those great old houses. "There's the House of Seven Gables," he continues, "and the Customs House where (Nathaniel) Hawthorne wrote." It's a prime spot for side trips while the nitty-gritt- y work is in progress. Speaking of which, what happens when a project hits a snag, when Silva and company, uncover nasty unexpected surprises? "You just tell the story the way it is." Thomas says. "Thai's the strength of "This Old House,' I think." And telling the story rests less with scripting and more with rehearsal. The key. Thomas says, is to pay attention to the tradespeople. ' They teii us what their jobs are. and then we take their words, polish them up and edit them, but ... It's been a fairly deliberate strategy to let everyone speak with their own words." he says. "It seems to work better that way." That "This Old House" works is a given. It's the highest rated rcgu'ar program on public television, and it reaches something like 9X percent or 'all U.S. TV house holds, which makes its dozen Emmy Awards not at all surprising. Awards and ratings aside, the program would seem to entertain and enlighten even those w ith slim prospects of home ow nership. And that's no surprise to Thomas. "It's a really powerful urge .that people have to gel shelter," he says, "and I also think that it is a particularly American fantasy to fix up an old house." In pursuit of that dream house, viewers can go beyond the WGBH d programs to four companion volumes from Little, Brown & Co.. two by Thomas (baths and kitchens) and one each by Abrams (new homes) and Trethewey (heating and ac). And last week, a "TOH" site went up on the World Wide Web. zine, available now on newsstands or subscribe bv phone, extension of the show." Thomas says. "I don't know why it hasn't been done before." "This Old House, " the World Wide Web Home Page, includes program info, how-t- o advice. Steve Thomas and Norm Abram's per- "This Old House." the TV series, can be seen Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET: check local listings for broadcast date and time in your area. "This Old House. " the maga sonal appearance schedules and address: more: http:www.wghb.org Boston-produce- WfL Open Houses Anyone not yel comfortable in cyberspace can supplement the program with a weekly half-honewsstand. the to simple trip That's right, "This Old House" is now a maa.ine. "a logical OREM - Must sell, reduced to $119,900. apt, near WP. Open House: Sat 1522 N 75 E New carpetpaint, 4 bd. 2 bth Beck REMAX Ctrl PROVO Absolutely the best value, with views at Sunridge Hills, starling at $121,900, 2540 sf, full unfinished 1212 S bsmnl, model open 10-7 Slate Canyon Dr. Sunridge Develop NE poss Provo's newest townhomes! ' 3floorplans J UtiCJl ihh lii 2 12 bathrooms CO! I Large 2 car garage Vaulted ceilings .Developed by KADD DEVELOPMENT Outdoor amenities jwii ii in pvAJi Central air I CALL kMJI I Next to school, city park and church DATWYLER CONSTRUCTION . 1 J JQm. - f Qn yu iOUin . 1 Bf 0k Sk jyyw DUU Provo . ncil |