South Jordan residents say they feel pressured from realtors over construction project

SOUTH JORDAN – Homeowners in South Jordan say they’re not happy with some of the things realtors are telling them about the fate of their homes.  They say they’re being pressured to sell their houses before construction begins near the Bangerter Highway and 10400 South.

Eleven homes are on the potential chopping block on Big Meadow Drive.  Ayse Hannon lives in one of them.  Even though plans have not been finalized, she says homeowners are already getting inundated with realtors who want to help them buy a new place to live.

In many cases, Hannon says the realtors have been professional. However, she says there are some that she has serious doubts about.

“When I was [asking] ‘Can I remove this or that?’ they made it sound like UDOT was going to take everything.  It was almost like they were trying to scare you into hurrying up and grab another home,” Hannon says.

She says she’s been approached by realtors who claims to have close friendships with directors within UDOT, and they have inside information about the decisions that the department has made.

“I’m a little concerned with the realtors coming out and saying that they don’t work for UDOT, but they work closely with UDOT, and they had information before we homeowners did,” she says.

Officials within UDOT say it’s possible that realtors may have learned some information from workers within the department.  However, Right of Way Lead Agent Dian McGuire believes it’s unlikely.

She says the open house meeting they hosted on the 26^th was designed to show homeowners the latest environmental studies and the potential impacts of the project.  Still, a lot of work needs to happen before construction starts.  McGuire says an outside appraiser has to physically inspect each home before they can assess the value.

“We have a second appraiser review that report to make sure that it’s correct.  Then, it comes to a right of way lead agent, and they approve the appraisal as just compensation for the property owner,” she says.

If a homeowner wants to sell their home as soon as possible, McGuire says there are some advantages to it, but, there’s also a big drawback.

“The only difference between [selling] early and waiting for the project is that they’re not eligible for relocation.  So, they don’t get any relocation benefits,” McGuire states.

If someone wants to get fair market value for their home from UDOT, they might not need to use a realtor.  McGuire says UDOT would have to use the corridor preservation fund to pay for those homes, and only UDOT has control of that money.