Logan only Utah metro to see home sales rise

(Herald Journal) After three years in an apartment, Jessica and John Knight finally bought their first home this summer.

An $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers spurred the young couple to take the leap, Jessica said. Their newly-constructed home in west Logan cost about $150,000.

“We built because it’s hard to find something in our price range that had all the things we wanted,” said 22-year-old Jessica. After living the apartment life, Jessica said she’s enjoying having a place set apart.

“It’s nice to talk as loud as you want and not have to worry about the downstairs neighbors getting mad.”

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Buyers of relatively inexpensive houses like the Knights are helping keep Logan’s housing market moving, said Ben Brown, owner of Logan-based Cornerstone Real Estate Professionals. The cheap stuff is getting snapped up, he said.

“First-time home buyers are what drives any market,” said Brown. “The government hit it right on the nose with incentives. In our market it’s worked extremely well.”

According to a new government report, Logan is the only metro area in the state where home prices are holding steady.

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