Selling a second home or a ski home

A house you occupy for part of the year, a house that is rented, and a house you live in all year are different stories. Tell your advisor the truth about how you have used it. A buyer and the buyer’s lender will ask. The association documents may already limit that use.

Your own use and a rental program can both be limited by the association. A city or county permit, when one exists, does not override a stricter association rule. Do not advertise a rental use the documents do not allow.

An association manages shared rules and shared costs. Some addresses have more than one. Gather the resale certificate, the recorded rules, and the budget for each. Read what the dues cover, and whether a special assessment is approved or under discussion. Dues are not estimated on this page.

The documents say whether an owner may rent, for how long, and whether a rental program applies. Nightly rental, a minimum stay, and no rental at all are all possible. Park City and Summit County each have their own rules for short-term rentals. Deer Valley East and some other Wasatch Back addresses are in Wasatch County. The county on the deed is the one whose rules apply. An association can be stricter than the city or the county. Confirm the current public rule with that city or county, and read the association documents for this house.

In a ski house, buyers often ask whether the furniture stays. It stays only if the contract says so. Decide before the photographs, so the pictures and the offer tell the same story. The preparing page covers what else to put away before a showing.

Some houses people shop alongside Deer Valley are in private clubs, such as Promontory, Glenwild, Talisker, or Jeremy Ranch. The deed transfers the real estate. A club membership, when one is offered, is a separate relationship on the club’s terms. It may transfer, it may require an application, or it may not be available. Confirm membership, guests, and assessments with the club, in writing. The longer note on this site is Membership is not the deed.

A buyer of a mountain house often inspects the roof, heat tape, snow load, the heating system, and the road in winter. You are not the inspector. You do disclose what you know. Heat tape, also called heat cable, melts a channel on a roof edge only if it has power and is attached where the ice forms. Snow load is the weight of snow the roof is built to carry. It depends on the site. This page does not state a figure for it.

If the house sits empty between your visits, say how the heat is left, and what protects the pipes. A showing in January still needs a plowed drive. Write that into the showing instructions.

If you live in another state, the contract deadlines still run on Mountain Time. Plan for someone you trust to open the house if you cannot. Ask the title company early what Utah allows for a remote signing. Do not leave that question for the morning of closing.

Selling a second home or a ski home can raise tax questions. This page does not give tax advice and does not list tax amounts. Consult a tax professional. Your advisor can help you gather the property facts that person may ask for. The tax answer itself comes from the tax professional.

Until the deed is recorded, the house is still yours. Insurance, heat, and plow service stay in place through that day unless the contract says otherwise. The closing page is the rest of the path.