Finding the Right Neighborhood & Home
Yesterday, Dion and I met with a couple who will be downsizing and moving to a different area in our market. They have been Park City locals for more than a decade. Yet, as we sat with them and looked up homes they liked on Zillow, we provided information about each neighborhood that they were unaware of. Can you guess which neighborhood matches each of the descriptions below?
- This neighborhood is at 8000 feet. The roads aren’t paved and tow trucks are not allowed behind the gates in the winter. You will need to make friends with neighbors who can winch you out of a ditch if you slide off the road.
- This neighborhood does not have year-round water. In the winter, you will access water from a tank that you will fill before temperatures freeze. If you run low on water before winter is over, your showers will need to be a lot shorter.
- This neighborhood is at the far end of the Mirror Lake Highway. It has year-round access, but only if you drive up to Wyoming and then take the road west from there.
- This neighborhood has a “winter parking lot” so its residents can transfer their belongings from their car to their snowmobile to get to their home.
- This neighborhood is where “people go to disappear.”
These are all real neighborhoods in our MLS with homes currently for sale. Can you imagine the time it would have taken our clients to do the research to find the information we shared with them during a one-hour meeting? Imagine all the driving around. The appointments. The showings. Only to find that none of these homes would suit their needs. And these clients have lived in the area for over 10 years!
Imagine if you are visiting from another state? In addition to ruling out some neighborhoods, we were able to rule out and suggest specific homes because we had already previewed them. It’s taken years of experience and continuous learning for us to provide this type of value to our clients.
Buyer’s Agents Understand the Contract
Last year, we had a client who was confused about when her earnest money deposit was going non-refundable because the process was different in her home state. If she didn’t have proper buyer representation, she could have lost her $50,000 deposit. Certainly, the listing agent would not be educating her on the process.
I have had buyers tell me they have bought and sold 20 homes, which is a lot for most people. I negotiate the sale of 20 or more homes every 6 months. We know when to push and when to concede. We know strategies to get the best price and terms for our buyers. Who you work with matters, and in 2025, more than half of all Park City agents had one or fewer transactions.
Off-Market Listings in the Park City Area
Our brokerage, Summit Sotheby’s International Realty, is the brokerage with the greatest market share in our area. We often hear of listings before they hit the market and find off-market listings for our clients.
Bottom Line: You NEED An Experienced Buyer’s Agent
Sellers select the agent who sells their home. On the opposite side of the transaction, you, as a buyer, get to choose who represents you. You should prioritize hiring an agent you feel has the most experience, best reputation, and provides the most value to your unique situation. We are here to help!