Show SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Developers turning longtime apartment buildings into condominiums argue they are providing an alternative to both escalating rents and home prices Housing advocates however are alarmed that a condominium boom is making affordable rental housing increasingly rare in the Salt Lake Valley Conventional wisdom holds that home ownership is always better Im not sure if thats true not if it is at the expense of renters Salt Lake Councilwoman Deeda Seed said At the current rate 10 apartment buildings in the city will become condominiums this year Salt Lakes condominium surge start low-inco- ed and peaked in 1979 when 1380 apartments were converted Since then hundreds of apartments have been turned into condominiums Of 75000 total housing units in the city 6000 are now condominiums more than half of those once were apartments Converted condominiums sell for as low as $55000 Prudential Prestige Realtor Kevin Jensen sees condominiums as a critical step in the housing cycle Renters buy condominiums and vacate their apartments for other tenants Then after building equity the condominium owners move into a home leaving the condominium for a new buj er With low interest rates and home prices leveling off just out of reach of buyers condominiums fill the between gap apartments and $1000 mortgage payments Jensen said In some cases buying a condominium is easier and cheaper than buying a house or renting Some lenders require only 3 percent of the condominium price as a down payment And some sellers are willing to pay their buyers closing costs This kind of housing fits the need for a lot of people who didnt even think they could afford to get into a house Jensen said While converted condominiums provide an affordable option to renters conversion also means tenants who cannot afford to buy their units are first-tim- e $600-a-mon- How can you know if you should tackle problem yourself or him out? By Nick Harder The Orange County Register boon to the vendor because he or she can get to the next job that much faster Another method of determining whether to do a job is to decide whether you can do it as well or almost as well - as a vendor Some are very capable but might find themselves lacking proper tools or the best grade of product Not all products are sold through hardware stores or home centers However if you find a vendor who will let you examine a product take careful note of its ingredients See if those same ones are listed on a similar product you can buy across the counter Chances are youre not going to be able to memorize all the chemical ingredients listed on the product But ask the vendor which ingredients make that product special Another question to ask the vendor is why should you hire him? Ask why his product or service is better than the competitors If youd like to do the job yourself ask him what - Lf anything - he could do on the One of the toughest questions around the house is whether to tackle a project yourself or hire someone to do it for you To a great extent the answer depends on a few questions you should ask yourself The first question should be: Can I afford to pay to have this job done? If the answer is no your answer is obvious However you might also ask yourself: Can I do the part of the job perhaps the simple removal of paint or prep work? Sometimes a vendor will allow you to do the prep work and then charge solely for the product and its application There are vendors who dont allow this Some have had bad experiences when a homeowner didnt do a proper job of preparation On the other hand a lot of prep work is nothing more than hard labor Some vendors would love to have a homeowner do all this grunt work Sometimes its a labor-intensi- job that you cant Even if you dont have any intention of doing the job yourself it helps to know more about what a vendor does Also consider the value of warranties vendors offer against those listed on products you might use yourself Find out if the warranty a vendor offers is void if not all of the work is done by him That could make you think twice about even doing a portion of it Some vendors like this type of participation some dont Those who like it like it because it shows youre interested Then there are those vendors who hate people asking them questions That doesnt mean they have anything to hide or that their product or service isnt first-rat- e it could simply mean theyre not people persons There are a lot of those But even if the vendor doesnt like you asking so many questions its the vendors responsibility to answer them A vendor who flat refuses isnt worth hiring forced to look for other abodes Theyre taking older presumably affordable housing and turning it into high-en- d condominiums said Whitney Rearick Utah Issues housing specialist These developers are not replacing what is lost Amy Rowland Bank of America's community development vice president added: I have doubts about whether this is really the best thing for this market Rental housing is what seems to be in most short supply Some owners simply turn around and start renting the unit again turning some condominium complexes into buildings with dozens of different landlords And once an apartment becomes a th quasi-apartme- nt Real Estate Learn How You Can Work a Normal Work Week and Still Earn a High Income in Real Estate Real Estate is published each Sunday by the Newspaper Agency Corporation and is provided as an advertising supplement to The Salt Lake Tribune Articles in this section are for the promotional consideration of the advertisers Views expressed in Real Estate do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune Editor: Kent A Condon realestatenacorpcom Phone: 237-231- 4 k(i fflosfielnlftdh every Saturday in your newspaper condominium Salt Lake City has no control over inspections or management You can get the worst of both worlds said Councilman Roger You have a condominium Thompson full of rentals and nobody complex there to manage the building Thompson ventured in real estate in 1973 when he and his partners turned the Bonneville Tower and the Belvedere buildings into condominiums He wants city staff to add a clause to the law covering conversions that would allow condominium associations to limit the number of units that can be rented and expand their rights to evict problem tenants SALT LAKE CITY --Changes in the real estate industry and the market at large have made it tough for agents to earn a decent living while achieving any kind of balance in their lives outside their jobs In fact the largest proportion of agents practicing real estate in North America in the 90s are working a minimum of 60-7- 0 hours a week and many are casualties of the high rate of bum out bankruptcy and broken relationships that hound the industry If youre tired of the endless prospecting and rejection and yearn to live a normal life with a decent income youre not alone And yet the balance required to achieve this goal has eluded most There is a much easier way to get ahead in this industry Local real estate broker Hank Kennedy has developed an entirely new and innovative approach to real estate sales ennedy is creating what he calls the Real Estate Office of the Future which makes winners of not only the members of his team but also of his customers If youd like to earn good money in much less time while helping your customers get more for their homes fax your resume in confidence to 467-878- 5 Thi report i courteoy of Hank Kennedy Copyright &1997 Recipient of the Better Business Bureaus 1996 Ethics in Business Award Winner of the 1996 PIIH Cup Member of RELIANCE Relocation Network rut an CllrncTi Price Location $349900 Sandy $73500 iilllnei Murray San Lake City Lake City Sah' HoOoday HoHaday Murray Salt lake City Wi 4 Ctf tf 0 03 MO Q SSOsSMBfis tI m m e EauSXHt SBkSl SsfegSfe $113900 Salt Late City $114900 Salt Lake City $115900 Safi $121900 Sandy $127800 Wed Jordan $129900 Condo $134903 Hoiloday $134900 Holladay $134900 Murray Downtown $137500 Jieesr if 1' Lake City $139900 Salt Lake City $140000 Salt lake CRy $144900 Midvale $144900 Sandy $145000 Midvale $148000 Sad Murray $149900 Sandy $149558 Condo $152900 Farmington $149999 u A Available at supermarkets t and convenient stores Finding Us Hsss or 466-580-0 www utahhomacom Perfect Nemo Never Been insier PREMIER REALTY Custom Built Homes bi 90 Days! psiis Over 300 lots to choose from awe $ I loti Wed Jordan $164900 $169800 Sandy $169900 Sandy $169989 West $174900 Safi $174900 Jordan lake City $179000 Sandy Salt Lake City $179900 Salt $189900 Draper $189900 Sugar House lake City $189900 Hclktday $199900 Farmington $209900 $210000 Murray Sugar House $214900 North $139900 $215000 Sail lake $215500 Holladay $237500 Hoikiday $239900 Draper ay $249900 Sugar House South Jordan $257500 Avenues $259000 Bountiful $269900 111 E E E Wanda Way (4570 S) 1633 East Spring Run Dr (5000 S) 14029 S Old Dobbin (1160 E) S E E $279900 Sandy 1928 $279900 Riverton $284900 Draper $299900 Frufi Heights Safi Lake City $379900 Bfuffdale 1300 E 2777 S Wood Hollow Way (1900 E) 318 Diaper SaSy Beagle Bd2 Ba 6 Bd3 Ba 5 Bd3 Ba 4 Bd3 Ba 3 Bd3 Ba 4 Bd3 Ba 5 Bd3 Ba 4 Bd3 Ba 3 Bd3 Ba 4 Bd3 Ba 3 Bd2 Ba 3 Bd3 Ba 5 Bd4 Ba 4 Bd2 Ba 5 Bd3 Ba MikeCarolFrank Marcus Clawson Jennie Brown 4-- 3968 W Skye Dr (9800 S) 428 N I St (650 E) 478 $340000 Raygene 2845 1581 4 Bd3 Ba 3 Wy (105 S) Vine St (5100 S) 6159 S Walnut Ridge (5660 W) 797 E 4315 S $274500 Avenues $349900 Sandy Wilson Ave (1770 S) 501 W Lake City Sail 1933 So lake 772 $214900 Murray $255X100 can build on your own Murray $156500 Sandy Pheasant View (12940 S) 2nd Ave (100 N) E Qua! Crossing In (11780 S) 13679 S White Tai Cove (3840 W) 4 Bd3 Ba 12865 S Cindy Lane (1120 E) 166 N Old Farm Road (840 E) 6 Bd4 Bo 6 Bd4 Ba 34 N Fox HB 4 3 Longwood Lane (10700 S) 4 2428 West Soddtehom Cir (13940 S) 7 Bd3 Ba Bd4 Ba Bd35 Ba Linda Secrist CathyKaren Sue Jones Janet Brennan Lance Fairbanks Marcus Clawson Les Kappel Sarah Chapman Frank Graver Cole Delaine McEwan Carolyn Kathy Nielsen Elaine Abramowfiz David Rentmeister Jute Jensen Sharon Mattson Dave Bermfon Chris Bangerter Marie Rice 1 Judy Bown Pat Cavataio Linda Secrist DORMER With A Price Tag That Won't Take A Lifetime To Save For I93 Square GUERDON i Feet base priced i Toll Free Your One Source Home Source Salt Lake W Karen Judy Judy Bown Rebecca Cooper 78639 All - - w 978-333- 9 Nate Kerman Model Homes Opened 7 days a week Call or come in today! - ' Mueller Kathryn Barton li 3875 South Redwood Road COPY 9 JW022277715PM862 M' Chris Bangerter Judy Bown Ml JUttU 1 m JiMUu j fk-JLJUa- u- L-U- m m m m m m - A 4B Sat WSui 230-4:3-0 mTO&I |