St. Louis Real Estate – Market Snapshot – Affton MO

Filed under: Affton, Neighborhood Reviews, St. Louis Market Reports

Successfully pricing homes in the Affton Missouri Real Estate market. by Doug Aegerter, Keller Williams Realty Southwest.

The St. Louis Home For Sale Team is resuming neighborhood snapshot reports and this is the forth in the current series, featuring Affton, MO.

The Affton Market Snapshot reviews the Affton Missouri Real Estate market during the past six months and touches upon the complete spectrum of property that was listed and sold.

If you want to drill down deeper into an area, maybe a subdivision or your street. . .fill out a CMA request and we will be happy to accommodate you. This service is absolutely free and without obligation.

To learn more about Affton visit the official chamber of commerce web site  and be sure to check out the calendar of events.

“Affton is a suburban neighborhood with a strong identity in southern St. Louis County, Missouri located just outside the St. Louis city limits. With a population of approximately 50,000 (2000 census), Affton has a hometown feel with the convenience of the city close by (approximately 10 miles to downtown St. Louis). Affton is directly accessible from Interstate 55 exits #199 (Reavis Barracks Road) and #201A (Bayless Road). Map of Affton “

Affton is:
*15 minutes away from downtown St. Louis
*15 minutes away from Clayton (location of most St. Louis County government offices)
*10 minutes away from Crestwood Mall
*10 minutes away from South County Mall
*10 minutes away from Gravois Bluffs Shopping Center (Fenton)

Doug Aegerter can be reached at doug@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Don’t want to miss a Neighborhood Snapshot? . . . subscribe here!

Tags: St.+Louis+Real+EState, Affton+MO, Market+Snapshot, Neighborhood+Report

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   07.02.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Market Snapshot – Webster Groves MO

Filed under: St. Louis Market Reports, Webster Groves

Successfully pricing homes in the Webster Groves Missouri Real Estate market. by Doug Aegerter, Keller Williams Realty Southwest.

The St. Louis Home For Sale Team is resuming neighborhood snapshot reports and this is the third in the current series, featuring Webster Groves, MO.

The Webster Groves Market Snapshot reviews the Webster Groves Missouri Real Estate market during the past six months and touches upon the complete spectrum of property that was listed and sold.

If you want to drill down deeper into an area, maybe a subdivision or your street. . .fill out a CMA request and we will be happy to accommodate you. This service is absolutely free and without obligation.To learn more about Webster Groves visit the official web site and be sure to check out the calendar of events.

Tags: St.+Louis+Real+Estate, Webster+Groves+MO, Market+Reports, Neighborhood+Snapshot

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   07.01.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Market Snapshot – Kirkwood MO

Filed under: Kirkwood, Neighborhood Reviews

Successfully pricing homes in the Kirkwood Missouri Real Estate market. by Doug Aegerter, Keller Williams Realty Southwest.

The St. Louis Home For Sale Team is resuming neighborhood snapshot reports and here is the second in the current series, featuring Kirkwood, MO.

The Kirkwood Market Snapshot reviews the Kirkwood Missouri Real Estate market during the past six months and touches upon the complete spectrum of property that was listed and sold.

If you want to drill down deeper into an area, maybe a subdivision or your street. . .fill out a CMA request and we will be happy to accommodate you. This service is absolutely free and without obligation.

If you want to find out more about Kirkwood happenings check out the Kirkwood Calendar tab, and as always you can find a complete list of services at the Kirkwood web site. If you’re in the area be sure to check out the Kirkwood Farmers Market.

Farmer’s Market (Taylor & Argonne):

Official hours are Thursday & Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 Doug Aegerter can be contacted at doug@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

 Don’t want to miss a Market Snapshot . . . be sure to subscribe.

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.30.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Market Snapshot – Fenton MO

Filed under: Fenton, Neighborhood Reviews

Successfully pricing homes in the Fenton Missouri Real Estate market. by Doug Aegerter, Keller Williams Realty Southwest.

While Art is off drowning worms somewhere and the Weekly Market Report is MIA, I’m filling in with a Market Snapshot for the Fenton, MO residential home market.

The St. Louis Home For Sale Team is resuming our neighborhood reports and we’re kicking it off with Fenton, MO. The Fenton Market Snapshot reviews the Fenton Missouri Real Estate market during the past 6 months and touches upon the complete spectrum of property that was listed and sold. This report excludes the part of Fenton that is in Jefferson County.

If you want us to drill down deeper into an area, maybe a subdivision or your street. . .fill out a CMA request and we will be happy to accommodate. This service is absolutely free and without obligation.

If you want to find out more about Fenton happenings check out the Fenton Newsletter, and as always you can find a complete list of services at the City of Fenton web site.

 Doug Aegerter can be contacted at doug@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

 Don’t want to miss a Market Snapshot . . . be sure to subscribe.

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.28.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Mortgage News – FHA takes the gloves off

Filed under: First Time Home Buyer, For Buyers, For Sellers

FHA Lifts 90 Waiting Period by Chris Scheer, Cornerstone Mortgage, O’Fallon, MO

In a move to help get foreclosures off the books of lenders quicker and help avoid deterioration of properties that have been foreclosed upon the Department of Housing and Urban Development has lifted their ban on writing a contract if the title has changed in the past 90 days. 

See the following article: FHA Lifts Waiting Period, Extends Insurance Coverage

For further clarification you can visit HUD’s website.

For questions or comments please contact Chris Scheer at chrisscheer@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.18.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Mortgage News – Foreclosure

Filed under: First Time Home Buyer, For Buyers, Mortgage News

Summer is almost here! by Chris Scheer, Cornerstone Mortgage, O’Fallon, MO

After spending 5 of the last 7 days on the golf course, I realized (not for the first time) that my future is not in professional golf.  Thus I am resigned to continuing to help people achieve the American Dream of home ownership.  So what is going on in the real estate world you ask? 

Well we finally have the long awaited change in FHA mortgage insurance premiums coming into play. Therefore after July 14, 2008 it will be more expensive for borrowers with less than stellar credit to purchase a home.  The effect in most cases will be less than $20 per month, but when you are living paycheck to paycheck, $20 a month can be a lot of money! 

Foreclosures continue to rise!  That is to be expected, but what it has done is that over the past 10 years an appraiser could ignore a comparable sale if it was a foreclosure.  Now with the amount of foreclosures, they have to be treated as part of the marketplace.  Thus property values are declining in areas of numerous foreclosures.  The positive aspect of this is that those property owners who have been complaining about their rising real estate taxes will see a freeze on the rise and in some cases may see there property taxes come down in 2009!

For questions or comments on this post, please contact Chris Scheer at chrisscheer@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Tags: St.+Louis+Real+Estate, Mortgage+News, First+Time+Home+Buyers, Home+Buyers, FHA, mortgage+insurance+premiums

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.16.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Building Inspection – The Report

Filed under: Building Inspection News, First Time Home Buyer, For Buyers

UNDERSTANDING THE REPORT by Harry Morrell, Allied Building Inspection, ASHI Certified Inspector

Home inspection reports have made dramatic changes from its earliest beginnings of 25-30 years ago to now. Although there still are old time inspectors providing hand written check lists type reports, most of today’s inspectors provide comprehensive computer generated reports that include color digital pictures. Even though these newer upgraded reports look spectacular compared with the obsolete hand written check lists, a new set of problems and concerns has raised its ugly head.

There are a wide variety of home inspection computer software programs on the market that today’s home inspector’s use. Inspector’s usually purchase the shell of the program and are able to boiler plate whole paragraphs that describe certain mechanical and structural components. Additional paragraphs can be built to describe the defects or conditions for any mechanical or structural component as well. These boiler plate paragraphs can be entered into the report by a click of the mouse. This allows the inspector to provide a 25-30 page report with photos in about 30 minutes. There are also inspectors that are capable of providing on site computer generated reports similar in length, but usually formatted by a check list. The downside of this is that the boiler plate paragraph may not apply to your particular house.

Home buyers should be aware of and question any technical type verbiage that appears too vague or confusing in nature. Reports should be simple and easy to read as well as being comprehensive. For example if an inspector merely states that the roof needs further review by a qualified roofing contractor, he may be cutting the client short. This leaves an opening for the roofer to recommend a new roof when the roof may still have several years of service left. It leaves the question of what exactly is the general condition of the roof unanswered. If the inspector states that 45% of the roofing has significant deterioration, and missing and damaged shingles, then goes on to recommend a new roof, there is no need have a roofer further evaluate the roof, just replace it.

This type of reporting can apply to any structural or mechanical component as well. If you are reading a report describing the electric service panel as appears to be OK, but better have a qualified electrician further evaluate it just in case. The buyer may be getting short changed. If the inspector noted rust and corrosion within the interior of the panel, burn marks on the conductors and connections, and conductors running across the bus bar, the inspector probably did a pretty good job inspecting the service.

A good inspection report should include a summary of defects and conditions on each and every structural and mechanical component, as well as a comprehensive narrative with photos expounding on the summary. All this should not include repetitive and ambiguous statements. A verbal summary, with a photo slide show by the inspector after the inspector should give the buyer a pretty good idea of the level of competence of the inspection and of the finished report. All buyers should thoroughly read their report and then read it again. If there is anything that the buyer does not understand or feels the inspector missed, there is always only one thing to do, CALL BEFORE CLOSING!

Harry O. Morrell
ASHI Certified Inspector  

Harry can be reached at harrymorrell@stlouisrealestatevoice.com

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.06.2008

St. Louis Real Estate – Home Staging – Eye of the Tiger

Filed under: For Sellers, Home Staging

The Buyer’s Eye by Sue Rector, ASP Stager, HomeStaging Innovations, LLC

The Buyer’s Eye…that is what every home seller wants to attract! Home Staging is all about attracting the Buyer’s Eye.

In all types of real estate markets, but especially in a market as we have currently, home sellers must do as much as possible to make their house stand out from the large competition pool of houses in their neighborhood.  Staging your home, whether occupied or vacant, presents the house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance for internet marketing pictures and most importantly, for the personal showings…that is for the Buyer’s Eye.

ASP Stagers are trained to look at each room and each space within a house as a potential buyer would.  Did you ever realize an area or a room within a house may have a different showing appearance depending on how a potential buyer enters and/or walks around that area or room?

I have found that most home sellers are not able to look at their houses for sale, through a buyer’s eye.  That is not in anyway meant to be disrespectful or condescending to a home seller. In an occupied house, home sellers are emotionally connected to their décor and have looked at their special features for so long that they may not realize what may need to be staged in order minimize clutter and/or to draw attention to the special features.   Home Staging is about selling the house’s spaces and special features and not the décor inside.

When I am invited to conduct a Staging Consultation for home sellers who are attempting to sell an occupied home, I always look at the house through a Potential Buyer’s Eye.  I focus in on the house’s positive attributes such as large rooms, bay windows, a great fireplace, a great view, etc. Once focused into the special features, I make staging recommendations to enhance them and I make sure the home seller understands why I have made these staging recommendations.  I also walk into an area or room within a house from as many different ways that I think a potential buyer would do when touring the house, making recommendations to make the room or area show its best. 

In vacant houses for sale, home sellers typically know that the house would present itself better in terms of space, special features, and function of rooms, if they have at least the key areas of the home staged.  It just comes down to the important decision to make the investment in staging. Placing furniture and accessories within a vacant home, using the same guidelines of looking at the rooms through a Buyer’s Eye, presents the house in the Best Possible Showing Appearance. “A buyer only knows what they see, not what is meant to be”…Barb Schwarz, Creator of the Staging Concept

Generally speaking, the investment in staging a vacant home for 8-12 weeks, which includes inventory usage, staging, de-staging, and delivery/pickup, will be less than the price reduction of the house, if it does not sell. 

Consider using an ASP Stager, a trained professional, who will look at your house for sale, through the Potential Buyer’s Eye. That will give you yet another edge over your competition!

For more information about Home Staging Services, contact us at homestaging@stlouisrealestatevoice.com or visit our website at www.stlstaging.com

Sue Rector, ASP Stager
HomeStaging Innovations, LLC
 

Posted by Doug Aegerter   |   Read More   |   Your Comments Are Welcome!   |   06.06.2008