My New Blog

More Treasures!

Kyle, my husband, was inspired by the warmer than usual weather this weekend and did his own hike in the woods.  He came home with a handful of nuts and a detailed description of the trees that they came from.  After about a half an hour of research and verification we discovered that he had found Hickory trees and their nuts.

We knew that the wood from the Hickory tree is very useful and I love to smoke meat with it, but we weren't quite sure if the nuts would be edible.  Low and behold...they are.  I cracked one open and tasted it.  Although the nuts had been on the ground since last fall, they were still tasty.  They reminded me of a pecan, but not quite as sweet.

At Thanksgiving, I like to make pecan pies.  I went to the store this year to buy the pecans and about had a heart attack when I looked at the price.  Next Thanksgiving, I will be giving the Hickory nuts a try.  I'm quite sure they will work very well and won't cost me anything but a little time to shell them.

On the garden front...

A week ago, Sunday, I had started some seeds in starter pots, watered them and placed them under my kitchen sink.  As of last Saturday, two have sprouted and are now enjoying a prime spot in front of my brightest window!

Kyle and I are both excited by the new life and can't wait to get things moving forward on the garden front.  He has drawn out detailed plans for both the hydroponic and vertical gardens.  We have chosen the spot for the garden and he is anxious to get the materials and begin the process.

The warm weather is very motivating, but we both know that it will turn cold again...so our efforts are focused on not getting ahead of ourselves.  I would like for him to build the cold frames so we can set the seedlings as early as is reasonably possible.

In The Mean Time...

I am a mother of 3 adult children...2 boys, both in the Marine Corps and a daughter.  Both my daughter and my son, Ben's wife are pregnant and are due on the same day in March.  My daughter is growing rounder by the day and her body has begun practicing to deliver my new grandson.

This weekend was quite eventful.  I received a call from my son-in-law....all in a panic.  Hannah was having contractions 7 minutes apart and was very uncomfortable (I laughed as the last trimester of pregnancy is uncomfortable by nature).  We came home immediately and sure enough her little belly was as hard as a rock.  Of course, it is really too soon for her to be in labor, but she was having practice contractions.

They stopped and the grandbaby kicked like a soccer player and all is well.  The next day my son called...all in a panic...same thing going on with his wife.  It's so awesome to feel the weather warming, the new seedlings sprouting and my grandbabies coming!

Very soon, there will be new life all around!

Let's face it...most of us are fairly inteligent people.  We know what we know and are good at something.  However, we can't be experts at everything.

Living in the information age, one would think we could learn just about anything.  All we have to do is sit down at our computers and google any subject under the sun and find pages and pages of information.  However, I think many of us suffer from information overload....and the next dreaded step in that process is called paralysis by analysis.

Deciding whether or not to purchase a particular stock, or how to best handle our retirement savings, or if it's a good time to buy or sell a home.  Often we find so many conflicting opinions on every subject and we do our best to sort through it all that we end up doing nothing.....and then....we miss the boat.

We have great 20/20 hind sight and often regret our inaction.

We can't be experts at everything.

When it comes to making decisions about buying or selling a home, I would recommend getting together with a local expert...local being the key word.

Although the internet and television media are wonderful resources, the information can be very broad and let's face it...the motivation is to get you to visit their website, or tune in to their channel.  So, you will often see and hear about some rare and extreme situations which may or may not reflect what is really going on in your area.

The best thing you could do for yourself is to do your research.  Keep a notebook with you and write down any questions that come to mind.  Then locate a reputable expert in your local area.  Give them a call and set up a time to meet.

Housing prices are great right now and interest rates are at un-heard-of lows.  There are financial wizards out there who wouldn't venture a guess as to how long this will last, so don't wait.  Take a look at what your current situation is and determine if you could do better now.  If you try to guess whether or not the opportunity will be better in 3 months, 6 months, a year...you may find that you've missed the boat.

If you'd like to know what the market is like in the St. Louis Metro East area, I would be happy to sit down with you and take a look at your particular situation.  Let's get together and formulate a plan that will help get you into the situation that you are looking for in regards to your real estate needs.

Things are Rockin'!

Interest rates are low, housing prices are low, sellers are helping with closing costs and in the mood to negotiate.

Builders are throwing in "extras".

Investors are buying those foreclosures and adding new kitchens and floors and paint.....creating beautiful homes that need occupants.

What are we waiting for?  Trying to guess when the market will hit bottom?

Trying to guess when interest rates will hit bottom?

Don't wait too long, or you will find that "Elvis has left the building."

Call your local realtor and take advantage of the situation.  Call your lender and see what kind of rate you qualify for and how much home you can afford.  It's time to move!

We live in the internet age and it is easier than ever before to locate your next home on-line.  Sometimes, this can cause us to think that we don't need the help of an agent.  But, this line of thinking could cost you time and money.

What is it that a real estate agent does and why do you need one when you begin the search for your new home?

Some people think that an agent just searches for houses and then lets you in to see them, however a great agent does sooooo much more.

Were you aware that your agent actually represents your best interest during the home buying or selling process?  A great agent will spend time with you prior to your home search to find out exactly what your needs are.  A great agent will ask about your financial situation and develop a strategy to make sure you get the home you want in the price range that you need.  Most agents are backed by a group of other experts that help you navigate through title work, financing and closings...not to mention offers and counter-offers.  Your agent may spend a couple of hours driving you to different homes, helping you see the value of each property, but the work is not done when he/she drops you off afterwards.

How will you know if the seller is asking too much or too little for the property?

Did you know that market values can vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood?

How will you know what type of home loan fits for your current financial situation and for the types of properties that you are interested in?

It can be costly when you decide not to choose an agent to represent your interests in buying a home.  There are many steps in the process and a good agent will be an invaluable tool for helping you save both money and time, as well as avoid pitfalls when purchasing your new home.

If you have been searching the internet alone for your next home, please consider giving your local real estate agent a call.  Make your home buying experience as easy and uncomplicated as possible.  Call your local agent and schedule an appointment today!

When a home is sold there is an entire network that goes into action behind the scenes.  There is obviously a realtor that takes the listing and puts a sign in the yard, but there are many other players involved to get to the closing table.

Once the sales agent leaves the home after planting the sign and taking pictures...your home is placed in the MLS and on a website.  If you have an agressive agent, your home then goes out to multiple sites on the internet and other area agents are notified of your listing.  This means that an administrative and technical team goes into action to flood the market with pictures and information about your home.

Some sales agents also employ a plethera of other market techniques such as hotlines and postlets and blogs to get the news out about your home.

Once a buyer has decided that your home is the one....then a whole new team of experts is called into action.  It starts with the agent representing the buyer.  Contracts are written and lenders and their teams step into the picture.  A title company is brought onto the team as well as inspectors, appraisers and others to get the transaction to closing as smoothly as possible.

This entire village of experts comes together on both the sellers behalf as well as the buyers.

Often times, many of us believe it is in our best interest to try and sell our homes ourselves...thinking that all it takes is a sign, however in the end you will save time, money and frustration by surrounding yourself with sound team of experts.

After all, even the president of the most powerful nation on earth surrounds himself with experts to guide him through the process of governing.

It truly does take a village to sell a home.  Give me a call and let's talk about the team that I have in place to get the job done!

A couple of years ago, my daughter, who was at that time living with me, called with a request.  She and her fiance were at the animal shelter and they had found a german sheppard named Schultz.  She wanted to know if they could bring him home.

We already had a wonderful dog named Teddy.  He was 12 years old at the time and I was concerned that they might not get along.  Also, I didn't necessarily want another pet.

Here's a picture of my Teddy.

I told my daughter she had to talk to my husband, her step dad. (I wanted him to be the bad guy...I just knew that he would say no.)  Well....lo and behold....I came home that evening to be introduced to Schultz.

Schultz had more paperwork than any newborn child...He was a purebreed.  I asked my daughter how he had ended up at the animal shelter.  Who would give up such a beautiful animal?  It turns out that Schultzie (as I like to call him...amongst many other not so endearing names at times) was purchased by a military person who ended up being shipped overseas.  She had decided it was best to let someone else have him...so off to the shelter he went.  The next owner worked long hours and left Schultz alone quite a bit, which didn't do much for his socialization.

Schultz has a very active mind and body.  When he is not kept occupied, he finds his own fun!!!

Schult proved to be too much for the new owner and back to the shelter he went.

German Sheppards are very loyal animals.  They tend to bond closely with one or two people and don't like change very much.  So, as you can imagine he was lacking in some social graces.  When my daughter found him, he was on his 3rd and final chance.  If he were to come back to the shelter, he would be euthanized and probably not ever be a fit pet.

here's a picture of our Schultzie.

He is a challenge some days.  He is full of energy and very intelligent.  He can open doors, get ice from the fridge and leap 7 ft. kennel fences in a single bound!  Some days, he demands my attention and will do anything to get me off the computer.  He also enjoys scaring strangers that dare to come into his territory....we're still working on that one.

Shortly after we got Schultz...my beloved Teddy passed away.

There's really no moral to the story...no commentary on pet owner responsibilities.  I just thought I'd share our story and its happy ending.  Teddy and Schultzie have definitely enriched our lives and kept it from being anything but boring.

In the last couple of months, I've met with many people who are thinking about selling their homes.  Many of them have recently gotten appraisals on their homes and feel confident as to what the price of their homes should be.  Then I come along and tell them they should list for less.

Some have laughed at me and others have looked at me like I don't have a clue as to what I'm talking about.  Why would they ever list their home for less than what the appraiser told them it was worth?

When an appraisal is done on your home, the appraiser takes a look at what has sold in your area over the last 3 to 6 months.  They look for homes that are as similar as possible to your home.  They add and subtract from the total based on square footage, age, and other features in order to adjust for any differences from your home and the others.  They then come up with the figure that gives you the appraised value.  This is absolutely the best way to determine the value of your home for mortgage and insurance purposes.

However, not for resale purposes.  But why....you ask?

For a real estate agent, this is only the first step of the process for assessing what someone is willing to pay for your home.  What your home appraises out to and what someone is willing to pay for it can often be two different things.

The next step in the process is take a look at how long those homes took to sell and what concessions did the seller have to make to get it sold.

Let's say that your neighbor has a home exactly like yours which sold a month ago at x price.  This home would be used to help assess the value of your home.  Let's say your neighbor also paid $1500 in closing costs for the buyer and the home was on the market for 6 months.

If you were to price your home at the exact same price...then you could expect that your home will also sit on the market 6 months (at least) and you could end up paying closing costs in order to attract a buyer.

So now that we've looked at homes in your neighborhood and what they sold for in the last 3 months...we also need to take a look at your competition.

In other words...what is currently available for sale right now.  These are homes in your area that have not sold yet.  What are they asking for these homes and how long have they been on the market?  What extras are they offering to get them sold?

Let's say you have another neighbor down the street that has a home exactly like yours.  He's asking x for his home and throwing in a home warranty and is offering to pay some of the closing costs for the buyer.  Let's say your neighbor is pricing his home $4,000 under the appraised value.  This means that as the buyer sees it...he's walking in with some equity already in the home.  That could be pretty attractive to buyers right now....especially now where everyone is looking for the most bang for their buck!

So, a good agent will come in...quite often...under the appraised value of your home as a selling price.  I say a good agent because there are also agents who will price your home wherever you would like just to get your contract.  Then you can expect them to start asking you to whittle down the price as time goes by.

There are many components involved in getting a home sold.  The number one component will be the price.  Your home has to be priced more attractively than anything else out there.  There are, of course, other factors involved.  However, the biggest is price and the appraised value is only the first step of the process for determining what your home will sell for.