🔨 DEAL OF THE WEEK — Sandy (White City)

9950 S Barium Ln | $472,000 | 4 bed, 2 bath | 2,106 sqft | $224/sqft

Estate sale, hit the market today, and it's dated — which is exactly why it works.

The bones are all there: 1959 rambler with original hardwood on the main, two fireplaces, full basement, fully fenced .19-acre lot, no HOA. What it needs is cosmetic — paint, finishes, a kitchen refresh. Nothing structural in the way of value.

Two reasons this one pencils:

1. The price per foot. At $224/sqft you're in under the valley's $231 median for single family — and this is Sandy, Canyons School District, where renovated ramblers trade in the higher numbers. Buy the ugly one on the street, do the cosmetic work, and the equity is built on day one. The listing agent says it himself: "build instant equity."

2. The basement kitchen. Downstairs is basically its own living space — second kitchen, family room with fireplace, bedroom, full bath, and storage. Live up, offset your mortgage down, or use it as a true in-law setup. 

The details: taxes ~$2,958/yr, attached garage plus driveway parking, ground-level access, cash or conventional terms. It's an estate seller with a 48-hour response window on offers — so there's time to see it, but at this price per foot in Sandy I wouldn't count on it lasting the week.

📊 WHY NOW — August numbers just dropped:

3,191 homes sold statewide, down 13.8% from last year, while active inventory climbed to 14,701 (up 9%). Median days on market hit 46, up from 41 in July. Translation: fewer buyers competing, sellers sitting longer, and estate sellers like this one pricing to move. Single family is holding at $577K median / $231.70 per foot — which is exactly why a $224/sqft entry in Canyons District is the trade. This is the most negotiating room Utah buyers have had in a while, and deals like this are why I keep saying sales being down isn't a problem for investors. It's the opening.