The best resource that I've been able to find was at http://www.hothomesofstgeorge.com/ they seem to have the best foreclosure list that I've seen anywhere in the Southern Utah Real Estate market. They have a very detailed foreclosure list of all the homes for sale in St. George Utah. I think the list is called the Hot List. They also have some very good investment properties on their website as well.

Susan, you'll need to really look into this first. I have a few friends that went there and purchased houses and apts to rent.................iIF they can find a renter, they are giving them away. Now what about 'short term' rentals by the day or week??? I wonder how that would go? Is it legal and or how do you go about doing that?

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(One place I would look at investing is Elim Valley .... http://www.elimvalley.com. It's going to be amazing.)

Good summary by Stephanie but in regards to the comment above, MUCH caution. Elim Valley is a master-planned community based on the theme of "most loved places" such as you see in the Jim Carey movie "Pleasantville." As much as I love what they are doing, it is NOT an invesment opportunity and they most likely wont get real excited about investors.

That said, as values settle back to equilibrium there are definitely going to be rental opportunities which takes us to "investment" vs. "speculation." Both have their merits, but investment is about making logical purchases and holding on for the long term steady appreciation while a tenant pays your mortgage down.
It's safe and over history has always worked.

Speculation on the other hand burnt many a speculator in recent years. (See: 'major pain and suffering"..... ) The challenge with speculation is that it is often dependent on extreme short-term appreciation.

Washington County WILL see an upswing, but there is no data whatsover to indicate that it will be anytime soon. PLUS, it will have to stabilize prior to the upswing. Hence, safe time to "invest" despite declining market.
Best of luck.
J

Susan,
There are multi-family units in St. George as well as surrounding areas. There is not any newer construction for apartments. The rental market for multi-family is still good.
Thank You,
Loetta Richter
St George GMAC Real Estate

The market in St. George is starting to show activity. As you may know we have many retirees here. Prices have declined and if you search the market there are some excellent buys recently. We do not have the foreclosures like Las Vegas. There are a few multiple units but the land is so expensive and there are not a lot of properties zoned for Multi units. Now is a good time to be looking for townhouses to purchase for rental. Search for properties in St George on my web site listed below

The reason you didn't see any tri or 4-plexes is because there really aren't any. St. George and Washington have been behind in allowing zoning for these types of housing. For the most part there are only single family, condo units, or duplexes. As far as investing, you would do really well with rentals because a lot of people are going into foreclosure here and will have to rent. And there aren't a lot of choices. There are not a lot of apt buildings either. Usually there are places that look like apts, but are condos instead. There is definately a need here for that type of housing. Because people here tend to have a lot of children I would suggest getting a home with atleast 3 bdrms, preferably 4. Or just rent to students going to Dixie State College which will soon become University of Utah St. George which will bring a lot of new students here, there is already a need for student housing. Most of the realtors here think it will be another 2 years before the real estate markets start to pick up. One place I would look at investing is Elim Valley .... http://www.elimvalley.com. It's going to be amazing.

You're right - there are a lot of developments. Many of those have some good investment opportunities, as the amount of inventory has really increased. I would recommend getting an agent who is familiar with the area and can point you to some good deals.

I'm not sure why you didn't see multi-family - maybe you were in an area that has a zoning that doesn't allow for it. There are some multi-family opportunities there as well.