What Surprises Out-of-State Buyers Most About Utah County New Construction?

The one that trips up the most out-of-state buyers is how Utah counts basement square footage. In Utah, the basement counts toward the home’s total square footage even if it is completely unfinished – a concrete floor, wood framing, one light switch, and rough plumbing for a future bathroom still counts. But national listing sites like Zillow often do not show basement square footage, because most of the country does not count an unfinished basement (and sometimes not even a finished one). So a buyer sees one square-footage number online and a larger one from the builder or the local MLS, and it takes some getting used to. The second surprise is how low Utah HOA fees are. Buyers coming from Las Vegas, San Jose, San Francisco, Houston, or Miami are often used to HOA dues over $500 a month. They come to Utah, see a single-family home in a nice community with a $100-a-month HOA, and are amazed at what that fee gets them. The unfinished-cost items, builder incentives, and design-center costs are things most buyers already understand regardless of where they live – the basement math and the low HOAs are the genuine Utah surprises.

Full breakdown: Utah Home Square Footage: Why Homes Look Overpriced Online. Related: How Much Does It Cost to Finish a Basement in a Utah New Build? · Can I Buy a New Construction Home in Utah From Out of State? · Moving to Utah