On a rate basis, new townhomes tend to carry a slightly higher effective property tax rate than new single-family homes, because a lot of new-townhome supply sits in higher-rate submarkets. Overall the effective rate on new townhomes runs about 0.55% of value versus about 0.52% for new single-family. In Salt Lake County the gap is…
Magna is one of the more affordable new-construction markets in Salt Lake County, especially for townhomes, but it carries the highest effective property tax rate of any new-construction submarket in the valley – about 0.75% of assessed value, for both single-family and townhomes, based on 2024 assessor records. For comparison, most Utah County new-construction cities…
Based on 2024 assessor records for recently completed new construction, the lowest effective property tax rates – annual tax as a share of assessed value, after the primary-residence exemption – are in Highland, Orem, and Lindon (about 0.44%), Saratoga Springs (about 0.45%), Lehi (about 0.46%), and American Fork (about 0.48%). Bluffdale townhomes also come in…
It is because Utah assesses a brand-new home on the land only for its first assessment cycle, and sometimes two. The house does not get added to the tax roll until the county assessor catches up, which happens on the January 1 lien date after the home is finished. So the first bill you see…
For new construction, yes – Salt Lake County taxes at a higher effective rate. Based on 2024 assessor records for recently completed homes, a new single-family home is taxed at about 0.55% of its assessed value in Salt Lake County versus about 0.52% in Utah County. The gap is wider on townhomes: about 0.60% in…
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…
A large share of Silicon Slopes tech workers live in northern Utah County, and many commute from central Utah County as well. A lot of them are relocating from big out-of-state metros – San Jose, San Francisco, Houston – where commutes run multiple hours each way, so a 30 to 40 minute Utah drive feels…
Saratoga Springs generally has lower prices and a larger selection of new construction homes; as of 2026 the median new single-family home there runs roughly $70,000 under Lehi. Saratoga Springs is made up of more planned communities and feels more community-driven, with neighborhoods that are fairly self-contained and do not carry much through traffic –…
There are genuine pros and cons on both sides for a first-time buyer. But right now, most first-time buyers are payment-conscious and are willing to do a little work if it builds equity. They tend to be smart, long-term-value buyers who care more about what the home will be worth than about whether the basement…
There may be a little more appreciation early on with new construction than with a comparable resale home. But all else equal, over a longer horizon – say ten to fifteen years – a resale home and a new construction home in the same area generally appreciate in a similar way. The exception is when…
This is a real worry for a lot of buyers – nobody wants to be between homes if the new build is not ready. If you have an interim housing plan – a short-term rental, an Airbnb, or family you can stay with – it is much less stressful to be under contract to sell…
As of September 2026, the least expensive new single-family homes in Utah County start around $504,840 – roughly the bottom 10% of new-construction listings – and the median is near $703,900. At the entry price the full monthly payment (principal and interest, FHA mortgage insurance, property tax at the Utah County average of about 0.52%…