'Tenders' keep homes show-ready, their own 'rents' low

That's because the Hills also are professional "home tenders," who contract with Salt Lake City-based Designer Home Tending. Folks such as the Hills pay on average only $600 per month to live in digs that often are luxurious -- in the Hills' case, a 7,000-square-foot home high atop the east bench in Davis County.

In exchange for highly affordable rent, the Hills furnish and occupy the home, keeping it clean and neat -- and ready to show prospective buyers at a moment's notice. The seller, a contractor who built the showpiece at the height of the housing market boom only to see it languish vacant during the downturn, is betting that a furnished and occupied property will be more inviting to potential buyers.