[quote=EconProf]We just got back from our “walk-through” of the new house and will move in this Friday. Brio is one of many developments this company has done, and they are pros. 400 or so well-designed houses and condos, nearby clubhouse, pools, exercise room, tennis, pickleball, etc. two blocks away. Our 2700 SF single-level has views of snow-capped mountains. Glad we locked in the price last July at approximately $550,000, because the same model is now $57,000 higher.
Talking to the sales manager at Brio and various realtors in town reveals how hot this market is.
New listings are gobbled up in a week and bidding wars are the norm. All the contractors are super busy, and it takes a year to get a house built. One result is that developers of communities no longer quote a fixed price–they realize that waiting until the house is built costs them too much in lost appreciation. Plus they can get hurt by the rising labor and materials costs (lumber has doubled). So they have to build spec homes and then put them on the market, meaning buyers no longer get to chose their colors, options, cabinets, etc., as we did.
Growth in nearby Cedar City (50 minutes up I-15), and Hurricane (20 minutes away) is nearly as frantic as St. George).
So the population is booming, and it is all from an influx of buyers, mainly from California.
Gosh, I wonder why.[/quote]

I dont know. The market looks pretty hot here in SD too.