The real estate market activity during this month seems to be leaps and bounds ahead of last year for buyers. According to the Wasatch Front Multiple Listing Service, 877 homes in Utah County have come on the market as new listings in the last 30 days. At the same time, 502 homes have sold.

In Salt Lake County, 1,578 homes have been listed in the last 30 days and 1,055 homes have sold. Potential buyers shouldn’t wait. With a strong buyer’s market, combined with nearly all-time low mortgage rates, now’s the time to get a great deal on your dream home.

I dropped by the Saratoga Springs city planning office the other day and was amazed at the amount of new development activity going on out there. It’s happening all over town as developers are gobbling up land and planning new neighborhoods with some already digging dirt.

I talked with Peter Staks, land planner for Wardley Companies that has a 19-acre, 35-lot, gated subdivision right on the western shore of Utah Lake in preliminary stages. The project was conceived in 2007 but owner Lynn Wardley held off because at the time Saratoga Springs had plenty of lots for sale.

These are half-acre lots and about 15 of them will be right on the lake, Staks said. While pricing hasn’t yet been established, they will likely be expensive in this soon-to-be-created exclusive community. Staks said he designed the entrance with a clear visual shot of Mt. Timpanogos.

“A park will be on one side and the lake on the other,” he said.

While the project still is going through the city planning and approval process, Staks says he hasn’t seen any NIMBY (not in my backyard), common in new developments.

“In fact,” he said, “the neighbors are quite excited about it.”

Enough so that he has compiled a hefty list of interested, potential buyers just from word of mouth.

On a personal note, Prudential Utah Real Estate will soon become Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. We have a new owner, Warren Buffet! That will happen this month. Prudential has several franchises throughout the Wasatch Front. When you see Prudential signs switch to the darker Berkshire Hathaway signs you will know the change has taken place. It’s more than just a name change. It also comes with fresh marketing ideas and procedures to help buyers and sellers.

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