Market Research Monday: The Glendale Area of Salt Lake City – Home of “The Sandlot”
A few of my clients have been looking at a lot of homes in the Glendale and Poplar Grove areas lately, and I have been in most of the houses on the market around there so I decided to make them our spotlight for today.
I know a lot of you are going to say that you’re not really familiar with the area, and you’d be surprised that most of you have seen it – regardless of where you live in the United States. It’s where one of the greatest classics of all time was filmed: “The Sandlot.” And if you haven’t seen it…you have some homework to do.
Geography
Glendale and Poplar Grove (we’ll just call it Glendale here for simplicity’s sake) is the area sandwiched in between I-80, UT-201, I-15, and I-215, just south of Rose Park and west of Downtown Salt Lake City. Close to the airport, and not in the direct path of incoming airplanes, so minimal noise. You can see it highlighted yellow here:
History & Development
In the 1890′s several industries were established near the northeast corner of what is now Glendale (950 S and 600 W), including a brickyard, brewery, biscuit factory, salt works, and soup factory, and today it continues to be regarded as more of an industrial area and working class neighborhood. It is home to Uinta Brewery, the largest brewery in Utah by volume.
Most of the houses were built in between 1937-1958 in the post-World War II expansion, with some scattered about from the early 1900′s. There are also lots of new homes popping up in the area within the last 10 years as it’s going through a gentrification period, and you’ll find several new neighborhoods tucked amongst the old. Many of the houses hitting the market have tasteful updates within the current trends, and there is a new revived energy being spread through the area. It’s been going through some changes over the past few years, with big plans for the future.
Neighborhood
There are still mostly mom & pop type stores around town, with a small-town-feel barber shop or salon usually within walking distance, and in recent years they have begun to get some of the bigger stores popping up while holding on to it’s small town charm. As you drive around you’ll notice small neighborhoods and different pockets of homes that have a similar theme in style and were built around the same time; gives it a great sense of community.
2016 Annual Unity Fair held at the Sorenson Unity Center
Glendale, and neighboring Poplar Grove, Fair Park, & Rose Park enjoy a vibrant multi ethnic environment, with residents speaking over 17 different languages. The Sorenson Unity Center hosts art exhibits, cultural events, film, and other events, and offers many services that your typical community center would provide. Other big draws to the area are Seven Peaks, and the many parks the city has to offer, including the renowned International Peace Gardens. It is also home to one of the only co-housing developments in Utah, Wasatch Commons.
Sorenson Unity Center
Schools
These neighborhoods are within the Salt Lake City School District, and the schools most kids attend are:
Crime
The crime rate in this area is comparable to Rose Park and Liberty Wells, and is lower than the downtown area. You can get details on reported crimes on CrimeReports.com or check out Trulia’s crime map, which is pictured here:
Real Estate Market
Currently there are 20 active properties on the market in this area, and I have been inside 12 out of the 17 that have been built (3 are new construction that haven’t been completed), plus a whole bunch more that have already sold over the past couple months. There are 23 homes currently under contract, and 13 have sold in the last 30 days. Single family homes right now range from $120,000 – $269,900, though keep in mind that those at the lower end are mostly homes that have not been updated and are in need of some major remodeling; a great opportunity for some sweat equity if you’ve got the money to fund the TLC projects. Homes that are liveable but need some updating start more around $180,000 going all the way up to new construction and fully remodeled.
Below are two graphs generated with data from the Wasatch Front MLS to show home sales in Glendale & Poplar Grove. The green line is the number of homes listed, the black is number of homes sold, and the blue is the average sales price.
Home sales from 2010-2016 by quarter.
You can see that prices have peaked recently, averaging in the $170′s, which is just shy of what it was at at it’s last peak in 2007, just before the crash, when adjusted for inflation. Home sales have stayed relatively steady over the past 20 years.
Home sales from 1996-2016 by quarter – I know the numbers on this one are messy, it’s meant to give you a general idea of the market over the last two decades.
A Few of My Favorite Homes on the Market
904 S Emery St
Listed at $159,900
2 Bedroom
1 Bath
700 Sq Ft
0.19 Acre
831 S Cheyenne St
Listed at $236,000
3 Bedroom
2 Bath
1657 Sq Ft
0.13 Acre
This is new construction, and there is another house next door available with the same layout and lighter wood finishes: 841 S Cheyenne St
1550 W Van Buren Cir
Listed at $225,000
5 Bedroom
2.5 Bath
2253 Sq Ft
0.17 Acre
1489 S Cheyenne St
Listed at $209,900
3 Bedroom
1 Bath
1449 Sq Ft
0.22 Acre
If you have questions on any of the information here, specific properties in the area, or are considering buying a home (doesn’t have to be in Glendale) – give me a call or shoot me a text or email!