Should I List My House While My Tenants Are Still Living There
I have some clients who are getting ready to sell a property that they have been leasing for the past two years. Their tenants’ lease is up this May but they weren’t sure if they...
The Benefits of Living as an Owner Occupant in an Investment Property
My first purchase was a two-family home where I lived with my roommate on the first floor and rented the second floor. The loan required little down payment since I intended the purchase as my...
Get Organized! Make the Most of Your Closets
My clients go to great lengths to get their homes ready for sale. Some spend several weekends packing, de-cluttering and organizing. And it seems as soon as the home is photo-ready, the owner says “I...
Ten Things I Learned in 2012
Disclosure is a SELLER’S best friend. A St. Charles County family was awarded $472,000 after suing the former owners of their home for failure to disclose a brown recluse infestation. SELLER’S remorse does exist and it is...
Moving to St. Louis with Children
I just read this great article in Parents Magazine: Smooth Move: Make Moving Easier on You and Your Kids. Here is the gist: Get Them Ready…Don’t just tell them what will be different. Tell them...
Improving Indoor Air Quality for Better Smelling Houses
Not long ago, I showed a house to a set of clients. They loved it in an irrational way. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great house. I really liked to it too. But...
Goodbye PMI…How to Avoid Mortgage Insurance with Just 5% Down
Guest Post by Sean Zalmanoff with USA Mortgage Single Premium Mortgage Insurance allows you to buy a home with just 5% down and get rid of paying dreaded Mortgage Insurance forever. Let’s look at...
New York Times: What You Get For….Featured My Listing at 2941 Russell Blvd.
New York Times What Get For… featured one of my listings this week. 2942 Russell Blvd priced at $279,900 was listed with two other homes (one from Savannah GA and another from Seattle WA). Russell...
Financing Fixer-Uppers
Lately I have encountered more houses that NEED work and more people who WANT to do work. On that note, I asked loan officer Mark Anderson of Paramount Bank to write a post regarding some...
GIS and St Louis City Corner Lot Gas Stations
Whew! One more semester completed and ONLY one more to go. This Spring (2011) will be by my final semester at SLU in the Urban Planning and Real Estate Development Master’s Program. All that remains...
Getting A House Ready for Market
Getting your house ready for market is perhaps one of the toughest parts of the process. It takes a lot of effort to get a house show-ready. It begins with packing and cleaning. But can...
First Steps in Pricing Your Home To Sell
When I am getting ready to put a new listing on the market, determining the right listing price is one of the most important tasks. In order to properly price a home for sale, REALTORS®...