Carchitecture House

As many of you know I have a Facebook Photo album which highlights interesting architecture and home decor. This week's post features a home inspired by the original Beetle produced by Porsche in 1935. The builder is 35 year old Markus Voglreiter and he built his car-home in 2003.

The structure is 3-stories and has 900 square feet of living space. Markus purchased the corner lot on the border of a nature preserve in Gnigl, Austria. When they purchased it there was already a home on the lot with an adjacent garden plot. Markus wanted to 'renovate' and 'update' the house and structure. During the process he decided to build his car-house extension on the adjacent garden plot. Here is an early concept design:

Here are some photos of the construction process:

It has a cement foundation and the rest of the home is built out of pine wood.

It cost £750,000 (which is approximately $1,175,000) to complete. This is what the inside looks like:

The "headlights" are actually windows for the second story bedroom.

Since the trend in the auto industry is environmentally friendly, Markus went to great lengths to keep his home energy efficient as well. He installed a '3-liter' energy efficient heating and insulation system that optimizes all the latest energy reducing technology.



This small window in the bathroom is the 'fuel cap' seen from the outside.

Markus re-designed the house to create two separate living areas. He did this to allow for future generations to live together under one roof (one side for parents, the other side for children).

What do you think? Would you want to live in a car-house?



He has since build a Beetle inspired restaurant:

Who Will Sell Their Home This May?

Low inventory coupled with increasing demand is making it easier to sell your home!

By using the Crystal Ball application on my website you can check the probability of selling your home. There have been a recent trend where the hottest areas, are getting hotter. The chance of selling your home in all 5 of these hot spots is steadily increasing.

Who's going to sell their home this May? Look in these areas and price ranges to see successful sellers. If you live in a hot spot, now is the time to put your house on the market. Use the app on my website and check out how long it would sell your house.

Orem (84097)  $300K - $350K
Homes for Sale     Market History

Sandy (84093)  $350K - $400K
Homes for Sale    Market History

Sandy (84093)   $200K - $250K
Homes for Sale     Market History

Sandy (84092)  $200K - $250K
Homes for Sale     Market History

Salt Lake City (84101)  $100K - $200K
Homes for Sale     Market History

Review all recent Market Statistics

Making Extra Money With Your Home

YOUR HOME, one of your greatest financial assets, can also be a source of extra income, with a little creativity. With the slump in home values, people have been thinking outside the box to get a little extra cash from of their home. There are many common ways of getting extra money from your home such as renting out an extra room or selling some of your clutter. But what about using your home exterior for advertising? Offering your home as a location for magazine or film shoots? Or even renting out your driveway? These are some of the creative ways homeowners are pulling extra cash from their home.

Recently a company called Braniacs from Mars offered to make your mortgage payments for you for up to a year! What do you have to do? Fill out the application and if your home is chosen it will be converted into a billboard! Of course you must own the home (no rentals) and keep the billboard up for a minimum of 3 months. At the end of the contract the company will return the house to it's original color.

Another creative way to get extra cash from your home is registering it as a possible location for magazine shoots and filming. You're probably familiar with the 1992 film The Sandlot and the inclusion of many Utah homes and locations in that film. Similarly magazines need homes to serve as backdrops for their photo shoots. Of course this is not a guaranteed way of making extra cash with your home, but if you have a gorgeous home it could be ideal for film. This may involve having a large crew in your home for days, and they may re-arrange things, scrape walls, or even re-paint. But with some companies offering to pay around $1,000 a day that may be only a minor inconvenience.

Renting a room is a common way to make money with your home, but what else can you rent out? Your den as a study lounge? A section of your yard for garden space? Now you can rent out your driveway as a parking space. Park At My House is a company that allows you to register your driveway as a possible location for renters. Living downtown, near mass transit hubs, or near large venues can not help you earn extra cash.

If these methods don't get you the extra cash you need to continue to make your payments, you may need to short sale. Contact me if you may be facing foreclosure and want to know your other options.

Springing Ahead

Spring is upon us and it is time to look ahead. The clocks have already moved ahead one hour, so make sure you don't miss one more minute. We need to assess our goals for summer before it's gone. 

The housing market almost always increases during the spring and summer months. This year conditions are perfect for an even more significant improvement! Inventory is 30% down, mortgage rates may have hit bottom and the number of homes sold each month has been increasing all year. If you're considering moving this year NOW is the time to do it.

I track the statistics for you so you can know where to buy, where to sell, and when the time is right! If you think this may be the year you finally make the move, contact me ASAP so we can get the process started. When the right deal comes along you want to be able to move fast.

Here are April's Hot Spots for Real Estate activity:

Alpine (84004)     $300K - $350K
Homes for Sale     Recent Statistics

Sandy (84093)      $350K - $400K
Homes for Sale     Recent Statistics

Sandy (84093)      $200K - $250K
Homes for Sale     Recent Statistics

Holladay (84117)  $350K - $400K
Homes for Sale     Recent Statistics

SLC (84101)        $100K - $200K
Homes for Sale     Recent Statistics

Statistics for All of of Utah

Caucus This Week!

Remember to attend your neighborhood caucus this week!

Caucus is a great opportunity to support the political platforms you support. County and State delegates will be selected at each meeting to represent their precinct at political conventions. Support your delegates that will represent you. You can also register to vote at caucus meetting.

Democratic Caucus will be 7:00 PM on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. Go to www.utahdemocrats.org or call (801) 328-1212 for more info.

Republican Caucus will be 7:00 PM on Thursday, March 15, 2012. Go to www.utgop.org or call (801) 533-9777 for more info.

Other political party caucus information can be here: http://elections.utah.gov/election-resources.


If you want a chance to be elected as your precinct's delegate, here are 5 steps you need to follow:

1. Find your precinct number and caucus location. Visit http://elections.utah.gov/election-resources to find your precinct number. Contact your political party for your caucus location. (Republican, Democratic, Other)

2. Bring your own support (10-20 people to vote for you). Find people in your precinct boundaries who will support you and bring them to the caucus meeting. 

3. Come Early (at least 10 minutes). This will give you the opportunity to introduce yourself to new people, tell them you are interested in being a delegate, and ask for their support.

4. Pick someone to nominate you. Delegates will be selected after the initial business. When the nominations are open someone else must nominate you.

5. Prepare your introduction statement. You'll likely be asked for a short speech. Be sure to state your name, where you live, and your support of the party platform. You should also mention your experience in party politics or other civic endeavours.