I’ve decided to do a series of short informational blog posts about some of the cities that are near Salt Lake City. Some people in Utah refer to the whole valley as Salt Lake City, but there are quite a few suburbs of the capital city that I’m going to cover individually. I’ll start with where I live – Draper, Utah.

Draper is located in an ideal spot. It’s lies right about where Salt Lake and Utah counties meet, making for a nice central location. It’s also pushed up against the Wasatch mountains, adding a beauty to the city that is difficult to parallel. On a day with minimal traffic, you can expect a drive to downtown Salt Lake to take about 20 minutes, and to Provo in the heart of Utah Valley to take maybe 25. Even better is how short of a drive it is to the four mountain resorts close by. Draper residents are about 15 miles from Brighton, Solitude, Snowbird, and Alta, give or take a few miles.

So why might you want to live in Draper? First, the quality of life is great here. Draper residents take pride in their city, and it shows through the various festivals, shows, and events that take place here. And if you just look at the condition of the city itself, you’ll see pride of ownership, or pride of citizenship, or whatever you might call it.

Second, you are close to business. 12300 South street is home to an abundance of eating establishments and other businesses. There are plenty of other business building around Draper too. One of my favorites is the Ralph Wadsworth Construction Co. building. It’s different in a good way. There are other retail businesses, prominent among them being IKEA, small businesses, office buildings, and much more to come. In fact, there is a Harmon’s grocery store being built as I write this. But the above is just a sampling of the business here.

Third, just take a look at some of the neighborhoods in Draper and you’ll see why it’s a place that people want to spend their careers and raise their families. You’ll find everything from apartments, to luxury townhomes, to historical homes, to mega-mansions, and everything in between. There are a ton of young people here, a few retirees, and quite a few kids. Most residents that I know will tell you that their neighbors are great and always willing to help you with something. I can attest first hand – just the other day I was bailed out of a bind that included a large snow drift, grass, and my car. But that’s not important here. The point is, you won’t have trouble finding a place to call home and you’ll be able to find and afford something in Draper.

I don’t know how much I need to go into the weather, since it’s typical Utah weather. Lots of snow in the winter, especially if you live on the benches or atop Suncrest, and hot in the summer. I love Draper in the summer. Lots of tall trees, well groomed parks, excellent trails for those who are into the outdoors, and a big nice pool for those days that become unbearable. What to do in the winter? What else?!!

Draper is a great place to live and I’d recommend it to anyone. Like I said before, people in any stage of life will be able to find something here.

*My service doesn’t stop here! In addition to maintaining The Salt Lake City Utah Real Estate Blog, I also help people buy and sell homes in Draper Utah. When you need help with either of these, contact me!

The good news is that you probably don’t have to pay taxes on the profit of the home you sold. The 1997 act states that if your gains didn’t exceed $250,000 if single and $500,000 if married, you pay zero taxes on those gains. None.

The law used to be that you had to rollover your gains into another home, but now you can use that money for whatever you please.

Of course, if you sold a secondary residence that you didn’t live in for two out of the last five years, then you can’ t take advantage of the tax break, but you can if it was your primary residence. Isn’t that great news?

Hopefully now you’re not feeling so bad about tax time.

*My service doesn’t stop here! In addition to maintaining The Salt Lake City, Utah Real Estate Blog, I also help people buy and sell homes. When you need help with either of those, contact me!