Luxury may be more attractive in sound economic times, but haven’t you heard? - the economy is improving. Even if you’re skeptical, luxury homes are as attractive today as they ever were. And you can sell your Park City luxury home fast in any market if you keep a few standard principles in mind.

1. Maximize your curb appeal - It doesn’t mater what the home looks like on the inside if no one wants to get past the curb. Make it attractive from viewing through a car window in the street because that will be the first impression that everyone has of your home and you don’t want them just driving by.
2. Don’t price it too high - People expect to pay for luxury, but no one wants to pay too much. If you price your home too high then you will scare buyers away before they even pick up the phone. Some people won’t even drive by if they perceive that you have priced your home out of the market.
3. Don’t price it too low - As contrary as it may seem, you can also price your home too low. If you are considerably lower than market then you are essentially telling buyers that something is wrong with your home - something they’ll need to fix. Some buyers will not even talk to you because the perception is they’ll have to put sweat equity into owning their Park City home. If nothing is wrong with your home then don’t price it too low.
4. Hold an open house - Draw in potential buyers with an open house. It works to get people to a viewing then begin negotiations.
5. Focus on the kitchen and bathroom - Even in a luxury home, you’ll sell your house quicker if you make your kitchen and bathroom more attractive. Women home buyers will spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Even if they only spend a part of the year in the home, a lot of that time will be spent in the kitchen so make it appealing.
6. Spruce up your back yard - While the kitchen will get a lot of use, the back yard will too in the summer time. Even in Park City Utah back yard barbecues are fun and you can expect the back yard to be used. Make it look “homey”.

Never underestimate the power of a luxury home in any market. You can sell your luxury home in Park City fast if you stick to the basic principles.

Visitors to Park City Utah rave about our restaurants. Modestly speaking, we do have some of the best restaurants in the world. Several world class chefs live and work here and if you enjoy dining out then Park City is the place to be.

Most people take for granted the restaurants in their town. You go out to eat and pick your favorite but you likely don’t stop to think about all the people and all the activity that goes into the preparation of your meal. In Park City, we hope that won’t happen. The restaurants here are divinely fabulous and while you may have your favorites, we doubt that you’ll take them for granted.

Here are a few of the restaurants in Park City that many people, visitors and residents alike, pick as their favorites:

• Flying Sumo - This restaurant features a sushi bar and rustic Asian decor. If you don’t like sushi, there are other Japanese and Asian alternatives.
• Reef’s Kitchen - If you like hummus you’ll love Reef’s. The menu consists of European-style dishes and cuisine from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco and Israel. A truly beautiful place.
• El Chubasco - Mexican food never tasted better. And it’s not that bad eating at the mall.
• Blind Dog Grill - The first restaurant named for a blind dog. You’ll love the Alaskan hallibut wrapped in prosciutto. And there are other seafood treats as well, but if seafood isn’t your thing then feast on the crabcakes. Yum yum.

These are just a few of the best restaurants we have here in Park City. If you lived here then you could enjoy them any time you want. But don’t let me persuade you. Just call a Park City real estate agent and set up a showing.

We recently went through the following exercise, only to find out that it is a real estate scam that is going around the internet.

Mr. Ming Xing, allegedly the Chief Financial Officer of the Hangzhou Iron & Steel Group Company, (Bogus name, Valid company and Website), contacted us through our website searching for a home in Park City. He requested some selections up to $1.2M.  We were suspicious, however, we sent him 10 listings meeting his criteria and he chose one. He indicated that he wanted us to write an offer and he would be in town in 4 weeks to review, but in the meantime his stockbroker would send a deposit check to our lawyer.  We responded that he could send it to our title company, InWest Title Services. We also outlined the purchase process and we even obtained a signed Buyer Agency Agreement. We proceeded with the offer and even got to an accepted offer by Addendum Two, and in every request, received a prompt response and signed documents. At each step I did advise the Owner/Agent of the property that this could be a scam and it might not work, however, we both decided to proceed.  The “check” arrived at the title company from his “stockbroker” in California via UPS within a week of our initial contact.  The “check” was for considerably more than the requested Earnest Money amount and we were directed that the excess should be held until his arrival for the purchase of furniture and other items and that his relocation manager would be contacting us. Needless to say the “check” did not clear and the title company informed us that there was another agent in the Salt Lake Valley, that had done the same thing, and received a check for the same amount and that it was a scam that was going around the country.

Fortunately, we were only out some time and expectation, but had we done completely as requested, it certainly could have cost us a substantial amount of money.  We wanted to provide this warning to real estate agents, and if you have any questions, please contact Jim and Billie Harsch with Mountain Town Realty Group at http://www.unlockparkcity.com

Park City Utah is not just a city full of culture, art and history. It is also a city of science. That truth will bear itself out March 19-21 as thousands of neuroscience and medical professionals descend upon the city for one of the largest neuroscience conferences in the nation.

The Brain Institute, a part of the University of Utah, will sponsor the event. Conference speakers include:

• Kim Burchiel, MD, FACS - John Raaf Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at the Oregon Health & Science University
• Helena Chui, MD - Chair of the Department of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California
• Geoffrey Tabin, MD - Director of the International Ophthalmology Division at the Moran Eye Center
• David Dodick, MD, FRCP(C), FACP - President-Elect of the American Headache Society

Neuroscientists of all sorts will attend the conference from all over the country. That includes nuerologists, nuerosurgeons, physicians, nurses, radiologists and other medical professionals. Topics of discussion will include vascular neurology and stroke conditions, chronic neurological diseases, headache causes and remedies, traumatic brain injuries, addictions, neuro-interventional radiology, multiple sclerosis, functional MRI and atrial fibrillation.

As a resident of Park City Utah, you’ll not only be at the center of arts and culture but at the apex of scientific discovery. Just when you thought there weren’t enough reasons to live here.

The Sundance Film Festival is a Park City mainstay, but it happens just once a year - in January. What do film buffs in Park City do for the rest of the year? One option is the Park City Film Series.

Starting tomorrow, the film series kicks off with a free screening of Hoop Dreams. The following night through March 7, Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus hits the theatre. The sudden death of Heath Ledger in January 2008 left film makers searching for ways to keep the film in production. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all came to the rescue in the form of alternate versions of Ledger’s character, a man who won a bet with the devil to earn the ability to control the imaginations of others.

The screenings take place in the Jim Santy Auditorium of the Park City Library. The Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus shows at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 5 and Saturday, March 6, and at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 8.

Other films in the series include:

• Broken Embraces
• Race Across The Sky
• Big River Man
• Walking On Water
• A Single Man
• Up In The Air
• Crazy Heart
• and The Last Station

The Park City Film Series is a mainstay here in Park City and residents love to see the latest that the film industry has to offer, whether from veterans in the industry or from newcomers. If you have an interest in residing in Park City Utah, find out how to schedule time to view properties that meet your criteria.