Dale Weir's Blog

Veterans have extra help if they can't meet their mortgages

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:50:43 -0700

The Veterans Administration had provided some extra help for Veterans and military members who may be having problems with their mortgages. The first thing a veteran or military member should do is contact the VA at 877-827-3702 or http://www.homeloans.va.gov/ and talk with a counselor. Their options include:

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act - to qualify for this program, the military member has to have gotten the mortgage prior to the current period of active duty service. The program can provide a lower interest rate for up to ONE year and can provide forbearance, or prevent foreclosure or eviction up to 9 months from the period of military service

If the military member or Veteran has a VA Loan, it is VERY important to remember that the VA guarantees the loan. If the member defaults, they will lose their VA loan eligibility up to the amount that the bank loses and the VA covers, but the bank CAN NOT go back against them if they accept the VA payout!! The VA WILL work with the veteran or military member and the bank to explore all options first, before the home is foreclosed on - Call 877-827-3702 for help.

If the military member or Veteran has a NON-VA loan, (ie a conventional or sub-prime loan) the VA can offer guidance and advice, but they cannot legally intercede on the veteran's behalf. The Veteran or military member CAN however, refinance their loan to a VA loan as a result of the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 which was signed into law on Oct 10, 2008. Veterans can refinance up to 100% of the value of the property now (previously they could only refinance up to 90%).

The HOPE NOW alliance is also available to help veterans if the VA cannot help them. They can be reached at 888-995-4673 or www.hopenow.com

Spot vs Boundary Surveys WHY the difference and WHy are they Important

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 11:21:27 -0700

Spot surveys have been the norm in the St Louis area for many years. They were cheaper. The title coverage was not quite as great, but it wasn't significantly different, so why bother paying for a boundary survey which would be at least a $100 more? A few months ago the primary title companies in the area started insisting on boundary surveys before providing survey coverage to the buyers. Yesterday I got the results back on a villa in a very nice area. We had 6 encroachments that the seller is now going to have to pay to have fixed. That's $30 a pop for each of the six encroachments just to record the paperwork with the county. That's time and trouble to go to each of the neighbors AND the villa's trustees and management company to get them to sign off and approve easements for the encroachments AND if the people who are being encroached upon don't agree, then a lot of money is going to have to be paid to move the entire perimeter fence for the villa. That's the potential of having to pay the title company $150 (approximately) to draft an easement deed for each encroachment - luckily the title company we are dealing with no longer charges that fee, but many still do. Why are we making the seller do the work now? I represent the buyer - the rules and regs for the complex clearly state that the owner can be fined if their fence is on someone else's property AND when the property next door is sold, the new buyers can make the fence be moved at that time, which would then be at my buyer's expense. I'm not protecting my buyer if I take the attitude that everyone is OK with the situation now, since we then run the risk that the full cost would be against my buyer at a later time. The cost to the seller now - FAR more than the cost of a boundary survey originally when he could have had the person he bought from fix the problems and pay the costs that he will now pay. - A penny saved - a pound foolish. Always make sure that the survey's are checked - it's a good idea also to take the survey and go back to the home and look at the lot with the survey in hand. I have one now where the surveyor put in writing that there were no visible encroachments but I can stand in the street, look at the stakes and pins and see what sppears to be an encroachment, so I've got a call into that surveyor to ask why that isn't an encroachment.

2010 Farmers Markets in the Great St Louis Area

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:39:56 -0700

It's that season again - time to get the freshest produce available at the wonderful farmers' markets in our area. This year we have some new ones opening up and there are more that are in the planning stages as I write this so keep checking as I'll add to the list as I find out about them.

Sundays - Defiance, Kirkwood and Pevely

Monday - Kirkwood

Tuesday - Jerseyville, Kirkwood

Weds - Columbia IL, Farmington, Kirkwood, Maplewood, Potosi, Soulard, Washington MO

Thursday - Carlyle, Downtown St Louis, Ellisville, Highland, Kirkwood, Soulard, U City, Wash U, Webster Groves, Wood River

Friday - Kirkwood, Soulard, U City

Saturdays - Alton, Belleville, Clayton, DeSoto, Edwardsville, Farmington, Ferguson, Foristell, Kirkwood, Mascoutah, O'Fallon MO, Overland, Pevely, Potosi, St Charles, Silex, Soulard, Tower Grove, Troy, U City, Washington MO, Waterloo IL, Wentzville, Wildwood

The county extension departments are working to open up other farmers markets as well -

Jilly's restaurant in High Ridge (a great place to eat by the way) is also planning one in their parking lot

Have you looked at your home's wrinkles recently??

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:18:20 -0700

We live with our children every day and as a result, we don’t see the small daily changes that a grandmother who only sees them a few times a year sees when she visits. Homes are like that – we live in them every day and as they age and start to creak and have issues we often don’t see them because we’ve watched the gradual transformation. We only notice it when something stops working or when someone comes in from outside and with a “new eye” calls our attention to it. I just closed on a very pretty home, BUT. The sellers had been in the home for almost 30 years. During that time they had upgraded the kitchen and one bathroom. They had done things to the home to make it work for their family, but they had ignored things that didn’t “bother them”. As a result the building inspection and the municipal inspection came as real shocks to them.

The husband had switched out some electrical outlets and light switches over the years. The home has aluminum wiring. He apparently went to the hardware store and picked up switches and outlets without making sure that they were CO/ALR and could be used with aluminum wiring - $8000 bid just to check every outlet and switch in the home to see which ones were done correctly and which ones were done incorrectly BEFORE the electrician fixed the ones that were done incorrectly, not to mention the fire hazard they has been living with all these years.

The children are grown and gone so they seldom went to the basement – as a result they hadn’t noticed that the plumbing stack had reached the point where it was leaking.

The gas furnace had 3 leaks and the flu liner was so corroded that it was leaking – the gas leaks you couldn’t see, but the flu liner corrosion could be seen. Add the gas leaks in the house to the electrical problem caused by the wrong switches and outlets and you have a much larger problem.

Codes change over the years, and the codes that the home met when they bought it, aren’t the codes that the home needed to meet now – from GFCI’s that had to be installed to shut-off valves on gas appliances. The list just kept growing, the seller just kept getting angrier and blaming the buyer for being picky about wanting things taken care of that hadn’t been a problem until the buyer came along.

The buyers, who had taken care of their home and had fixed it up before selling it, kept their cool, and were exceptionally good at recognizing what were important items and what were annoyances. But it should never have happened. The sellers had been living in an unsafe environment for some time without realizing it. If they hadn’t put their home on the market, which generated home inspections, they could have had disastrous consequences from several of the problems that were found.

It’s HARD, to look at your home with an inspector’s eye. But periodically you need to.

1) If you live in a community that has a municipal inspection (from your city or county or both), you can get a copy of the inspection checklist and go through it on your own or with a handyman to find out the areas where your home might have issues (I don’t recommend asking the municipal inspector to come, because if your home has issues they can force you to move out while the issues are being fixed and most people don’t want to do that). Then fix them.

2) Some heating and cooling companies will come check your system out for you for a minor charge at the beginning of each season, but you need to ask if they will check your gas lines and your flues when they do the inspection, not just the furnace and air conditioner. They are the people who repair them, so they can check them, but they won’t automatically do it in their seasonal inspections unless you ask for it.

3) Look at your plumbing stacks – in a newer home they will be PVC plastic pipes and you don’t have to worry about them, but in an older home they are cast iron and they will rust through from the inside out. Look for brown stains – look for “growths” – they are called carbuncles. They are actually boils where the cast iron is rotting from the inside out and when it rots enough, the sewerage will leak out through the hole. Do not cut off the rust and paint over it, it will come back with a vengeance. At that point, your stack has to be replaced – call a plumber. Make sure you look at the section of the stack that is at the top of the floor joist/at the basement ceiling (ie look up) not just the section of the stack that is the straight pole in your basement.

4) Check your electrical panel box. Go to a website called “Is My Panel Safe?” if your panel is listed here, consider getting a new one.

If you have any questions, please consider contacting a local realtor to get the name of a reputable building inspector to help you (in the State of Missouri, building inspectors are not licensed and ANYONE, can be a building inspector without any training or experience. As a result, your local Realtor will have a list of inspectors that they know are experienced, do a good job, and will provide you with the information that you can use to help you to have a safe home for your family.

As always, if you would like more information, please go to my website at www.YourSTLHome.com , Dale

Layering the Tax Credits Spring 2010

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:39:33 -0800

Have you paid any attention to how many tax credits are out there right now? It is amazing to me how many are there that no one seems to know about.

Everyone has heard about the First Time Home Buyer tax credit - if you have not owned a home for the past 3 years and you buy a home the government will give you a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of the home up to $8000 if you meet certain income levels (and the majority of us will meet those income levels). You must have an accepted contract by 30 April and you must close on the home by 30 June. With this tax credit, you can file against your 2009 or 2010 income tax. If you have already filed your 2009 taxes, you can file an amended tax return. This is a credit, if you owe money, they will subtract what you owe and send you the rest, if you don't owe money, they will send you a check. I had someone who closed and refiled his taxes the next day and a week later got his money.

For the Repeat Home Buyer - If you have owned a home AND lived in it for 5 out of the last 8 years (now this means that you can have already moved out of the home, you may have sold the home or be renting it, or have it on the market), you meet the income guidelines, and you have an accepted contract on a new home by 30 April and you close by 30 June, the government will give you a tax credit of 10% of the purchase price of the new home up to $6500. With this tax credit, you can file against your 2009 or 2010 income tax. If you have already filed your 2009 taxes, you can file an amended tax return. This is a credit, if you owe money, they will subtract what you owe and send you the rest, if you don't owe money, they will send you a check.

Now comes the interesting part. What other tax credits are out there that you may qualify for? Check with your State.

In Missouri, we have the HOPE credit. If you buy a home in the State of Missouri in 2010, the STATE, will give you the value of the home's 2009 property tax with a cap of $1250 (you do have to meet income levels here also, but many buyers will meet those levels), AND if you are buying new construction and the home has any energy conservation features that value can be increased by $500. if you are buying an existing home and you add any energy conservation features within the first 60 days, you get an additional $500. In the St Louis area, refrigerators don't come with the homes. If you buy an energy efficient refrigerator, a washer or dryer, you have now added an energy efficient feature to the home - it doesn't have to be windows, siding, insulation, a water heater, furnace, etc. This program will run until they run out of the $15 million dollars they have to fund it with.

Now comes the next set of credits that apply to ALL home owners not just new ones.

The Federal Government Energy Tax Credits run until Dec 31st 2010. If you improve the energy efficiency of your home you can qualify for the energy tax credits. You will get 30% of the purchase price up to $1500, and for a few items, like a geo-thermal system, there is no top cap. You can find out more at :

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index

Now on top of the federal government program, there are rebates and state programs available. For example, in Missouri, in April. We will have one week when from 19-25 April if you buy energy star appliances, you won't be charged sales tax:

http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm?Incentive_Code=MO81F&re=1&ee=1

But, it doesn't stop there. The state also has a rebate program. I can find information out about that at:

http://dnr.mo.gov/transform/energizemissourirebate.htm

So I can get a $1500 federal tax credit, a state rebate and not pay sales tax AND if I'm a home buyer, get an additional $500 through the HOPE credit and the home buyer tax credit. What's not to like? Your state may have slightly different tax credits, but it's worth taking the time to find out. Talk to your Realtor and Mortage lender and ask them what you may qualify for.

Falling Leaves

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:02:31 -0800

It's time for a few fall musings as I look out over the falling leaves, just a week ago they were such glorious color filling the sky - one of the loveliest falls I can remember. Now they lay trodden on the ground. Tomorrow to be sucked up by the municipal vaucumns or in compost piles or picked up by the trashmen. Our lives move on, just as the leaves do, and we prepare for the winter to come. here are a few reminders of things to take care of as we move into the winter months. Best to do when the weather is still this wonderful mild temperature and the days once more are dry.

Picking up leaves? Many of the municipalities will pick them up if you rake them to the curb, in others you will need to bag them for the trash pickup. My husband and I prefer to put ours in a compost pile, turn them in a year and then put them on the garden beds. Don't forget to check the gutters and clear them and get any leaves that you can off the roofs and out of the areas where they will rot and cause issues with people slipping.

With all the rain, don't forget to pick up the fallen brush in the yard. During the winter it can be used as tinder for your fireplace, but a brush pile makes a wonderful shelter for birds and small woodland creatures, then in the spring when the municipal brush pickups are scheduled set it out for pickup rather than now.

It's time to check your furnace and make sure it's ready for the winter months, if you haven't done so already. Change the filter, check the humidifier, reset the thermostat from cool to heat, change the batteries in the smoke detectors, make sure that the furnace has space around it to pull air from.

Don't forget to disconnect your hoses once you have finished cleaning up everything for the winter. Stretch them out & leave them in the sun to get the kinks out, then roll them up and put them away. If you have "extensions" on your faucets take them off as well. Then turn off the outside faucets from inside your home to help prevent freezing problems when winter really sets in.

Your gas furnace & water heater may not be getting enough air. You can add air to the room by putting in a louvered door, or by adding vents in the wall between that room & the rooms next to it. Typically it only takes 2 large return air duct size vents to be cut in the wall then having a return air duct cover put on them to vent the room into the next room& provide adequate oxygen to the gas equipment.

Clean your bird feeders, bird baths and bird houses. Don't have any? I made a very simple bird bath out of the tray that went under one of my plants, put a few large rocks in it for the birds to sit on and set it out. In the winter I put a small warmer in it to keep the water from freezing. I use the WildBird Store at Manchester and Baxter in the Lafayette Center for all my birding needs. Doyle and Rebecca have a wonderful supply and are always there to answer my questions about the birds. Make sure to keep your seed in a dry place that is safe from marauding squirrels and other creatures (I have raccoons) - I use a metal garbage can with bricks on the lid.

Now while the ground is wet it is easier to pull the last of those weeds that you don't want to come back in the fall. These need to really go away, not go in the compost pile if you don't want them back.

If you want to feed the birds over the winter, you may chose to leave the seed heads on your spent flowers as I do, other wise, now is the time to clean up your garden for the winter.

If you have a fireplace and like to burn wood in the winter, make sure to have the fireplace checked and the chimney cleaned every few years to help ensure that you don't have a fire. The firebox needs to be checked periodically as well to ensure that there are no cracks in it that would allow flames to escape into the wall behind the firebox and cause a fire in the wall of your home. Welsch Chimney Services does my home.

Now is the time to plant your spring bulbs! If you have squirrels and chipmunks that like to feast on the bulbs, try cutting pieces of chicken wire to place on top of the bulbs when you plant them. Note that daffodils are toxic so they won't eat those, but they do love the tulips.

Have a GREAT FALL!! If you need any other contractors to help with minor repairs, let me know and I'll be happy to help.

Dale

Dale's Checklist for Taking Care of Vacant Homes

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:57:18 -0700

Both as a friend and as a Realtor, I end up taking care of vacant homes for people. Often I get asked for my “checklist” of what to look for and how to take care of a home. When someone is asked to care for a home, it’s often a simple, “will you watch over my home for me” with no real guidance or instructions, and while that works for a short vacation trip, it doesn’t work when the homeowner is gone for a much longer time period. As a result, I’ve written out these instructions to give to the many people who ask me how to take care of a home.

One thing I would suggest is up front, determine how the person taking care of the home is going to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses. There will be some things that regardless of how much “stuff” the homeowner leaves behind, he won’t have left enough or the right things and the person caring for the home will have to go buy – whether it’s light bulbs or insect spray or leaf bags. Does the homeowner leave $100 with the person taking care of the home and then send more money as needed? Does the person caring for the home keep receipts and then settle up at a set time? It’s up to you, but it needs to be decided in advance.

When it comes to caring for a vacant home, there are differences based on location - the issues you will face in a southern climate are different then those you will face in a northern climate, but there are some very basic starting points. First is to define why you are taking care of it. Watching a home for someone who is away on vacation or deployed in the military for an extended time period and is coming back to their own home and you want to make sure that they aren’t ticketed by the local municipality, has damage that no one catches until it’s a big problem or their home is marked as “empty” by thieves is totally different than keeping a home in a show-ready state when it’s on the market to be sold. As you go through my list, please keep that in mind.

Take care of the exterior – make sure the yard is watered and mowed and weeds trimmed (and that included not just flower beds but the cracks between the sidewalks and driveways). Keep vines under control as they can grow up and force their way into a home through windows and cracks. In the fall, rake the leaves. In the winter, at the minimum if the home is not being shown, open the garage door and drive a car through the snow from the street to the garage and out to make it look like the home is being used and shovel the walk. If the home is for sale, then shovel the drive and the walks (this helps to prevent a buyer from slipping and falling on the snow as well). If you have an exterior storm drain close to a door (in St Louis, we have a tendency to have them close to a basement door on the outside), keep them clear of leaves and debris – if they get covered and can’t keep the rain water going down the drain, it will go back into the home. Keep downed branches and brush picked up and take out any dead bushes.

Pick up the free newspapers, phonebooks and marketing materials that are left on the doorstep and on the door handles and in the mailbox. Even when the mail is stopped, you will periodically have a temporary mailperson assigned to the route who will deliver the junk mail without paying attention to the fact that it is an empty house, so check the mailbox periodically.

When the seasons change and it gets cold, make sure that hoses are disconnected and taken inside, and that outside faucets are turned off from inside the home if at all possible. If there is a sprinkler system, disconnect it and take off the multi-hose connections at the faucets. Sometimes I invest a little bit of money (a couple of dollars) in putting the Styrofoam covers over outside faucets if I can’t find the inside faucet shutoffs. Make sure that all water is allowed to run out of sprinkler hoses and the end caps are taken off as well. If you are in an area where children may turn on the faucets to play with the water or neighbors may help themselves to watering the yard or washing the car with your water, you may want to disconnect the outside faucets (just put a note in your files so you remember that they are shut off or put a note at the shut off valves inside the home) If a home is really vacant and no one is going to be there, then the utilities may be turned off and the water shut off and antifreeze put in the system (toilets and water heater will be drained then) but a sign goes up warning people or someone WILL use the toilet and then it is a mess (in which case you carry bottles of water to the home and manually flush it)

After any large storm, someone should walk around the outside of the home and check it for damage and walk around the inside of the home and check for broken windows, damaged roof, leaks, water coming UP drains, etc. Any damages should be taken care of right away. If a hurricane is coming, put up the shutters and boards.

Bugs are a way of life, but spiders will take over a vacant home in a heart beat. Spray the interior and the exterior periodically, especially around exterior lights, exterior doors and windows – inside and outside. Take a stick and knock down the cobwebs even if it is close to Halloween, you don’t want spider eggs hatching and the more webs you have the more neglected the home looks. In some areas, you may want to put out mouse traps, bug glue traps (both those that go on the floor and those that hang down from the ceiling) and cockroach motels.

Water - Run water down the sinks and tubs/showers periodically to prevent the pipes from getting dry enough that sewer gases come back up (I do it at least once a month). Flush the toilets periodically – water will evaporate from the toilets leaving nasty rings – MAKE SURE when you flush that you stay around long enough to make sure that they stop flushing since the seals can dry up, chains can get hooked up, etc and the water can continue to run indefinitely with no one in the house to catch it (again at least once a month). Gaskets dry out. Both laundry and dishwashers need to be run every few months to ensure that the gaskets and hoses don't dry out too much or they will leak when they are run. Also the garbage disposal should be cleaned before the home owner leaves or accumulated soap, food particles, etc can essentially gum it up to the point that it will freeze and become inoperable.

My parents once had the ice maker and it’s water supply line for their refrigerator ice maker go haywire while they were out of town on a long trip and they came back to find their entire house flooded. After that they turned the water off to their home whenever they left town for more than a day or two and they would have to turn it back on when they got home again before they could get a glass of water, for many that would be overkill, but after having the water flood their kitchen, and then be absorbed by the carpet in the dining room, family room and living room and then seep into the basement and flood the basement and have to deal with the mold and mildew for years (and the collateral damage of not only the floors and walls that were ruined but cleaning and reupholstering the furniture, paintings were ruined , boxes of things stored in the basement were ruined, etc) they took no chances.

Electricity - If the utilities are on, the home owner may want to invest in motion detector lights or lights on timers that will come on periodically to give an illusion that the home is occupied. You may want to unplug the garage door opener. And turn off all the big appliances at the breaker box (just put a note that they are turned off). If there are outside electrical outlets, and the home is in an area where someone might "help themselves" by using the home's electricity, shut them off at the circuit breaker box. Likewise, if possible shut off any outside phone jacks so no one runs up a phone bill.

Periodically check the thermostat – if it’s newer and has a battery, make sure the battery doesn’t go out, in which case the thermostat won’t work. When the seasons change, someone has to reset from one season to the next – turn off the a/c and turn on the furnace, turn on and off humidifiers, etc. In a hot, humid climate, the a/c may be left on just to keep the moisture down in the house to keep the mold and mildew from growing Water heaters can be turned to vacation settings to keep utility bills lower. Any refrigerators left in the home can be turned to their lowest setting (freezer and refrig)

Light bulbs and toilet paper and some hand soap (and if you’re really nice some paper towels or a small hand towel) should be in the homes as people looking at the homes (and those taking care of the home) do need to use the facilities). (I have small garbage cans under the bathroom sinks and kitchen sink (or plastic garbage sacks) that I periodically take home and empty (empty homes don’t have trash pickup).

If a home is being shown for sale, someone needs to check on the “nice cleaning”. Sometimes it’s a matter of dusting as well, or cleaning the windows (inside may stay clean but outside won’t). Periodically the floors need to be swept if people have tracked in leaves etc (you can ask the agent for shoe covers if the floors are carpeted to keep the carpets clean).

If there is a pool or hot tub, it may need to have the chemical balance checked periodically, so instructions and chemicals may need to be left by the homeowner.

Check the refrigerator, they do go out while they are running. If you stop using the refrig, make sure to unplug it and block the door open so you get enough air circulation inside so it does not develop mold and mildew inside.

Believe it or not, things that aren’t being used break. I walk through a home and look for “odd” things – is there a leak that has developed somewhere, is there a doorknob that is loose, is there a window that isn’t closed properly or that has cracked from a tree branch hitting it in a storm, a door that isn’t locking easily – I look for security issues as well as preventative maintenance as well as things that make a home look nice. I also try to keep air fresheners in the home and if the home has ceiling fans I’ll keep them on low so the air continues to circulate regardless of temp, to keep the house from smelling stale. Herbal tea bags can help keep drawers and cabinets smelling nice.

I sincerely hope that this helps you as you care for a vacant home. If I've missed anything, please let me know. I'm always looking to improve this list.

Who's Minding All the Empty Houses?

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:55:50 -0700

Who's minding all the empty houses?

All over the US there are empty houses at the moment. Some are foreclosure and pre-foreclosure homes, some are empty because the homeowners relocated for a new job and haven't been able to sell. Who's taking care of them? Some things you can just turn off and leave, but other things need to be maintained and checked periodically. I went to preview one home the other day where the grass and weeds were taller than I am (I'm 5'1" tall). I've gone into homes where the basements were so full of spider webs that I walked out feeling like I needed to go spray myself with insecticide and hope my hair wasn't full of spiders. I've seen some where the bathroom pipes had burst and 2 rooms were flooded. One had broken glass throughout the home. Another had a tree branch sticking through the garage wall and the garage roof was covered with huge tree limbs from a storm. I've gone into homes that have doors left unlocked by a previous showing agent and have sat that way no one knows how long. The list goes on and on. All lovely homes, all on the market, but being neglected. The listing agents hadn't been by to check them out in a very long time and the home owners weren't in the local area.

Grass needs to be mowed, weeds & vines pulled in flower beds, light bulbs need to be replaced, batteries in thermostats and smoke detectors need to be changed, furnace filters need to be changed. When the temperature changes, someone has to reset the thermostat and change it from heat to cool or cool to heat or you can destroy the system. If water isn't run through the drains periodically, sewer gasses can build up and back into the house. The water in the toilet bowls will evaporate leaving nasty rings unless someone periodically flushes the toilet. Gaskets will dry out on the dishwasher if it's not run once in awhile. The spiders and other insects will take over quickly if no one is there to spray and maintain control. Checking for backed up floor drains, water seeping into basements, ceiling leaks, storm damage - who's doing it? In winter, who is checking for burst pipes? Did a mouse get in? Or a bigger creature? Has anyone broken into the home or left it unsecured? The list goes on and on.

If the homeowner is lucky, a good neighbor, friend or relative is stopping in and checking on the home, but if the home is empty for long, that gets old and the neighbor, friend or relative gets busy with their own life and slowly doesn't come around as often. After a storm, the empty house doesn't have the priority of their own home. There's no checklist for them to work off of, so it's kind of hit and miss what they think to do or not do. They don't carry things in their car with them when they come over, so they try to remember the next time they come over what it was that they meant to bring, but often it gets forgotten. The person who ends up taking care of it, is often the Realtor. They don't get paid for checking on the home, property management is not in most of their job descriptions, it's the home owner's responsibility to have someone take care of the home. But in most areas, there is no "company" to hire to stop in and check on a home, and where there are, they are expensive enough that they are only used for very expensive homes or for rentals. The Realtors have enough to do without adding that to their job description, but they know that if they want to get the home sold, they need to make sure that the vacant homes get checked periodically and if something is wrong they let the owner know and arrange to have someone come fix it, because if not taken care of the small problem may become a big problem before it's dealt with and at that point it will cost the home owner most money and could end up costing a sale. Sometimes the Realtors will discuss with the owners in advance having a handyman on call for minor repairs that come up, or having $XX on hand to buy furnace filters, lightbulbs, etc with, but often the Realtors just take care of it. Some bill their clients at the end, some just eat the cost, some call their clients and get permission first and have their clients reimburse them right away, but it's still their time, their energy and their effort that keeps it going even if the light bulb got paid for.

But as Realtors we have a responsibility also, to let the listing agent know if there is something wrong when we visit a property. I checked on one of mine recently and the doorknob to the basement was off. Since there had only been a couple showings since I had last been to the house, it was fairly easy to find out who was responsible, but it was irritating to have the other agent tell me the door knob had been "loose" when I know if wasn't. Someone had tried to force the door open using the doorknob without unlocking the upper lock on the door first - it's the only way it could have happened. How much simpler it would have been to have called me right away and told me, and let me know so I could have had the neighbor come over and fix it that day rather than my finding it a few days later and then having to call the owner and ask if he knew anything about and track down the neighbor and ask him then track down the Realtors who had shown to talk to them. All it took to fix it was a screwdriver.

Defining the St Louis Metro Area - St Louis A GREAT Place to Call Home

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:42:01 -0700

Welcome to St Louis! While we're noted for being a metropolitan area, with all the amenities and tourist attractions of a major metropolitan area, St Louis is noted for it's friendly, welcoming smile.

Many years ago, the City of St Louis decided that the County growing up around it was going to be a drain on it's financial resources. As a result, the City literally divorced itself from the county. The City of St Louis lost when it did that because the City then became land and river locked and couldn't grow. The County proceeded to grow and expand, gradually pulling the wealthier sections of the population with it. Today we have St Louis City which is it's own county, and St Louis County as 2 seperate entities, tied together through their mutual need for each other.

The City has 79 Distinct neighborhoods, while the County has over 90 different municipalities, ranging from some that are literally a city block big (but have their own government!) and those with over 100,000 people living in them. Driving down some of our streets in the winter can be a challenge when different municipalities have different snow removal priorities and equipment!

As the metropolitan area has continued to expand, the Counties of Jefferson, St Charles, and Franklin on the Missouri side are considered part of the "metro" St Louis area. On the Illinois side, the metro area encompasses a large area as well.

St Louis boasts a Major League Baseball Team (the Cardinals), a ProFootball Team (the Rams) and a ProHockey Team (the Blues). We have the National Bowling Museum and National Transportation Museum, along with our St Louis Art Museum, Zoo, The Missouri History Museum, and much much more. Tune in later to learn more about St Louis.

A Tongue in Cheek Look at Driving in St Louis

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:37:34 -0700

Here's a tongue in cheek look at driving in St Louis. When you're ready to start looking at homes, give me a call, I know my way around and will be there to help you find the right home in the right area!

A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO DRIVING IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI:

The morning rush hour is from 6:00 to 10:00 am. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00 PM. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning.

Gravois Road can only be pronounced by a native. Ditto for Spoede and Chouteau.

Construction on Highways 40, 64, 70, 255, 270, 44, 55 and I-170 is a way of life, and a permanent form of entertainment. The current construction will end in time for us to start renovating the next highway on our list however.

Most St Louisans know enough short cuts through the metro area that they can get anywhere they want without getting on a highway and they can often get there faster.

The Page Avenue extension and Airport expansion projects took over 20 years to get approved and St Louisan's lost track of how many political figures claimed them as their own ideas.

A St. Louisan from South County has never been to North County and visa versa.

West County has everything delivered. If you live in St Charles County you will only come to St Louis County for school field trips, the zoo, ballgames (baseball and/or football) or an occasional concert unless you have out of town guests.

St Louisan's were aghast when the federal government required them to redo the highway signs to indicate that the federal highway went to cities in other states instead of local municipalities.

If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect, or has been on for the last 17 miles.

There are 2 exits on Highway 40 for Clayton Road and 2 for Big Bend.

All old ladies with blue hair in Cadillacs (driving on Olive west of 270) have the right of way.

Laclede Station Road mysteriously changes names as you cross intersections. As do McCausland, Lindbergh, Watson, Reavis Barracks, Fee Fee, McKnight, Airport Road, Midland, Olive and Clarkson.

Drivers are starting to cut their OWN plates rather than go through the Mo. Vehicle Dept. to get new tags. You can purchase tags from dealers behind QuiK Shops in the city. They are cheaper, the clerks are nicer, and the service is faster.

You can go all four directions on Highway 270: North and South in West County, East and West in South County, and East and West in North County. Confused? So are the St. Louis drivers.

There are 54 school districts on the Missouri side alone - each of which has their own school bus system and scheduled times to block traffic.

There are 75 "official neighborhoods" in the City of St Louis. St. Louisans commonly give directions (especially for restaurants) to strangers based on these neighborhoods which aren't marked on any maps that are handed out by the tourist board, the AAA or Mapquest.

There are 91 official municipalities in St Louis County. Each municipality has it's own rules, regulations, and often their own police departments. More importantly, most have their own snow removal contracts so it's not uncommon to drive down a road in winter and have one block plowed, the next salted, the next piled with snow and the last partially cleared by residents wanting to get out of their driveways.

No native St. Louisan knows that Lindbergh runs from South County to North County. And, if you tell them, they will not believe you.

Lindbergh belongs to every neighborhood except Kirkwood, who had the nerve to creatively change the name to "Kirkwood Road".

Highway 270 is our daily version of the NASCAR circuit.

YIELD signs are for decoration only. No native St. Louisan will ever grasp the concept.

Lambert Field and St Louis International Airport really are the same place. The East Terminal however is a different place.

Never ever try to cross a bridge in St Louis during rush hour unless you have a port-a-potty in the car.

The outer belt is Highway 270 which turns into Highway 255 in South County. The inner belt is Highway 170 and if it's a 3XX number it's an outer outer belt.

Highway 40 is the same as Interstate 64 through the middle of St Louis.

If you need directions to O'Fallon, make sure to specify Illinois or Missouri.

The City of Ballwin actually proposed that drivers use connecting strip mall parking lots to get from place to place rather than drive on Manchester Road to cut the traffic on Manchester.

St Louisans are very proud of our city and our highways and byways. We proudly show off the flowers along the side of our highways in the spring, our bridges (those that have traffic on them and those we walk across and hold concerts on) and we will point out to you that the US highway system started here in St Louis and as far as we are concerned we "Own" route 66. (as we direct you to Ted Drewes for some Frozen Yogurt)

Remember, if you need help finding your way around when you first get to St Louis and start house hunting, give me a call. I'll demystify our road system for you! 314-660-4803 or Dale@YourSTLHome.com!

The Butterfly House in Chesterfield Missouri

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:18:39 -0700

I had a GREAT time recently at the Butterfly House at Faust Park. They held a reception for people who had donated a paving stone in front of the building. The butterfly house is always a wonderful place to go. This time there seemed to be even more butterflies flittering around then the last time I was there. One particular butterfly was hitching a ride on a gentleman's head. The man had walked all the way through the butterfly house - the butterfly would periodically flit off only to come back right away. The gentleman kept saying that his student's wouldn't believe him when he told them about it on Monday, so I whipped out my camera phone and took several pictures then emailed them to him. That got me started, by the time I was done, I had a camera full of butterfly pictures. When I get a chance I'm going to upload them to my website at www. YourSTLHome.com (it will probably be a week or two before I get that far though).

If you go to the Butterfly House, make sure to wear layered clothing - it's hot and humid in the house, so unless you go on a hot summer day, you will typically need to "shed" some clothes as you walk around.

The butterfly house is located in Faust Park in Chesterfield. The park also holds the home of the 2nd governor of the State of Missouri (Gov Faust for whom the park is named), a historical village where re-enactments take place on Summer weekends, a working antique carousel, concerts in the park in the summer and much more! It's a grand place to visit.

130 Year Old Treasure - St Louis's Own Forest Park!

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:12:21 -0700

Guess what's 130 years old? St Louis's own Forest Park! While most people think Forest Park was created for the 1904 World's Fair (officially the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), the Park actually existed long before that.

The original plan for the park was rejected by the voters in St Louis in 1864, but 10 years later, in 1874 legislation was passed to create 3 parks in St Louis - O'Fallon Park, Carondelet Park and Forest Park. It took 2 more years before Forest Park was completed and opened to the public. It hasn't closed since! With lots of water from the River DesPeres, lakes, and streams (both man-made and natural) the park has been a haven for wildlife and plant life along with the citizens of St Louis. The original plans for the park gave it's size as 1,371.75 acres. The park contains a golf course, the St Louis Art Museum (in one of the buildings left from the 1904 World's Fair), sports fields, the Planetarium, the Zoo, the Jewel Box, the Municipal Opera (which has live outside performances during the summer), The History Museum, bandstands, picnic stands, and much much more. The Science Museum (a fabulous hands on, fun place to go) is located outside the park, but is connected via an overpass bridge to the Planetarium inside the park. You'll find our Omnimax theater inside the Science Museum.

Most of the attractions located in the park are free or have a nominal admission charge. This is because the residents of both St Louis City and St Louis County tax themselves to support the Park, along with many volunteer organizations that raise money for it.

Some of the "fun" things about Forest Park include watching for the Planetarium to be wrapped with a huge bow for the winter holidays. Originally done as a college prank, it was such a hit with the citizens that it's been wrapped for the holiday's since. Sledding on the hills inside the park when it snows. The annual hot air balloon races. The outside shakespeare theater in the summer. Boating, golfing, watching the local sports groups. Family reunions abound. Taking the children through the ZOO and riding the railroad train through the ZOO, such fun!

A St Louis tradition is going to Forest Park to watch the submarine races. You didn't know about those?? Well, let me explain. First you need to ask your favorite person out on a date, then you need a nice blanket and a picnic basket full of treats. Next you go to Art Hill and find a great spot overlooking the Grand Basin Lake with the Art Museum behind you, and the Lake in front of you to settle down to watch the races. But wait, when submarines race, they do it under the water so it's a bit difficult to watch! ... What to do?? Hmmm, guess we'll have to find something to do on this wonderful afternoon picnicing in the park with our sweetie while we wait to see who wins the races. I'll let you take it from there.

Seriously, Forest Park is one of the City's greatest treasures. Come visit and plan to spend some time enjoying this great park!

The St Louis Zoo - Summer Concerts Make It A Hippo Hoppin Place to Be

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:54:34 -0700

The St Louis Zoo - What a GREAT place for the whole family. It doesn't matter what age you are, the zoo is fun. When I was a young girl, I remember taking a class at the zoo with my mother one summer. I don't even remember what the class was really about (I think it was on birds, but I'm not sure now) but I remember going to the zoo every day for a week with my mother to go to "our" special class. A few days ago, I went with a group of adult friends - we petted and fed the stingrays, visited the penguins and bears and had fun. We also joked about the zoo having the neatest fun socks in town (if you haven't checked them out, do). Some "must do's at the Zoo include - riding the train - can't say no to that. And of course you must stop by and see Phil the Gorilla, and the Sea Lion Show and the World's Fair Bird House, but then everything is special and a must see and do at the St Louis Zoo. Admission to the St Louis Zoo is free - only a few attractions and exhibits such as the children's zoo, the train and the special exhibits have a small charge and if you are going to be there all day and do everything, I'd suggest that you buy a Safari Pass for the day and if you plan to come a lot, consider joining the Zoo

While the Zoo is open year round (it only closes on New Years Day and on Christmas), in the summer, the zoo stays open later and has some really special events that beckon the adults to linger and have some more adult fun. That is especially true with their concert series which they call Jungle Boogie Nights. Where the Hippos Hop and the Lions Roar and The Bears Dance - Held on Friday nights from 5pm-8pm May 22- Sept 4^th, the concerts are free and a wonderful way to spend a Friday evening. This year's concerts are:

•· May 22
Ralph Butler Band (Motown/Pop)

•· May 29
Boogie Chyld (Funk)

•· June 5
Gumbohead (Zydeco)

•· June 12
John Henry & Rob Boyle of Spur (Country/Pop)

•· June 26
J Rob (Jazz/Blues)

•· July 3
Kim Massie (Blues)

•· July 10
Ticket to the Beatles (Beatles)

•· July 17
Charles Glenn (Jazz/R&B)

•· July 24
Mighty Big Band (Blues/Jam)

•· July 31
Bob Case (Rhythm & Blues)

•· August 7
Hudson and the HooDoo Cats (Blues)

•· August 14
Usual Suspects (Rock)

•· August 21
Indecisive Band (Rock)

•· August 28
Tiny Cows (Rock)

•· September 4
Arvell & Co. (Motown/R&B)

For more info on the wonderful things to see and do at the zoo, check out http://www.stlzoo.org/

Summer Concert Fun in Chesterfield, Missouri for 2009

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:06:57 -0700

Want to have some great fun??

St Louis is famous for its free outdoor summer concerts!! This summer Chesterfield's line up includes:

June 23: Billy Peek

June 30: Spectrum

July 7: The X-Jazz and Swing Band

July 14: Hudson and the Hoodoo Cats

July 21: Trilogy

July 28: The Ralph Butler Band

August 4: Yessir

The Chesterfield concerts are held at the wonderful Faust Park (15185 Olive Blvd). The concerts start at 7 pm, but you can arrive as early as 5 pm to grab your spot on the grass (bring your own blanket or chair). The Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce will be happy to sell you a variety of drinks and food items from their refreshment stand or you can bring your cooler with you. Before the concerts there is entertainment for the children. Bring your toe tapping shoes with you since dancing is encouraged at many of the concerts!! (If you don't want to dance yourself, watch for Rosalie and Wally to do their thing since they are fabulous dancers!) -- One more thing, keep your fingers crossed for a dry evening since the concerts don't get rescheduled if they get rained out.

What's All The Buzz About Chesterfield Missouri?

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:50:48 -0700

OK, so you are searching for a home and you are looking in the greater St Louis area and trying to make sense of where the different communities are located and what they are like and your friends keep saying, "Check out Chesterfield." "You've got to see Chesterfield." So what is the buzz about Chesterfield really about?

I can give you basic data facts: Chesterfield is located in West County, officially 22 miles from downtown St Louis. It was incorported in 1988 and covers about 32 square miles. The population of Chesterfield is just under 50,000 people. The median household income is $83,802.00 and the median home value is $238,300 (this is based on the 2000 US Census Data report and the numbers have increased since then). The school district's servicing Chesterfield are Parkway and Rockwood, both of which typically receive very high ratings from the Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Over 80% of the adult population has some college education and 61% has at least a bachelor's degree.

I can tell you how easy it is to get to anywhere in St Louis from Chesterfield and tell you that many people have a tendency to call most of West County "Chesterfield". The area was largely rural until the 1960's when both housing and commercial development started to expand into the area from St Louis. It was when Highway 270 (the outer belt around St Louis) was built and more families started having cars instead of being tied to public transportation that the area really started to grow. US Highway 40/Interstate Highway 64, runs through the middle of Chesterfield, allowing commuters quick and easy access to get to any where in the greater St Louis area.

I can tell you the history of Chesterfield and tell you that it was one of the earliest settled areas in West County, though the city was originally started as 6 different towns or communities, each with it's own post office (you weren't anybody unless you had a post office). The area originally known as Hilltown dates to 1837. It became Bellemonte (French for "Beautiful Mountain" in 1851, then Bellefontaine (French for Beautiful Spring) in 1869. This area is essentially at the intersection of Olive and Chesterfield Parkway now. To give you an idea of the age of the area, the Antioch Baptist Church was founded in 1841.

In 1850 the area known as "Hog Hollow" was initially started with a Post Office being established in the community in 1871. In 1872, the name was officially changed to "Lake", however the locals continued to refer to it as "Hog Hollow". This area can be found today at the intersection of Hog Hollow Road and Olive. (In the late 60's, early 70's this was a favorite area for local teenagers to hang out and drag race as it was fairly rural at that time and Hog Hollow Road led down to the farm fields and water treatment plants, so it wasn't highly traveled (especially by parents or other adults).)

I can tell you that part of Chesterfield was originally known as Gumbo and today is more noted for the old jail facility, then for the original Road House that was at the 25 mile marker from St Louis. The area got its name because when there were heavy rains the very rich soil would have a thick consistency, similar to a Louisiana Gumbo stew. During the 1904 World's Fair, the walkways and streets at the fair were made from a gravel that came from the Gumbo area. This area still has many farms, and the Spirit of St Louis Airport but most locals recognize the Chesterfield Valley area at the intersection of Chesterfield Airport Road and Long Road, right off of US Highway 40/Interstate Highway 64 as an area full of high density box stores and restaurants (every time I drive that way there are more stores and restaurants to explore and spend my money at). But if someone asks you about "Gumbo" they are most likely referring to the old Jail.

Areas that no longer exist include the area known as Atherton which was settled along the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Rail Road Lines in the 1870's. Later the name was changed to Eatherton, then to Monach. This area is at Eatherton and Centaur Roads. The area known as Bonhomme (French for "Good Man") was a small community at the Western end of Olive, close to the Howell's Ferry Landing, which was washed away in a flood in the late 1800's. The name Bonhomme is frequently used in St Louis, but nothing remains of the original community.

I can tell you that Chesterfield was started in 1797 by 3 families who had settled on land they received in Spanish Land Grants. In 1815 a Col Justus Post came to the area from Vermont and in 1817 bought 400 acres from the original families for $1.25 an acre and named the community Chesterfield. Eventually, he acquired 21,204 acres of land in the area. He laid out the original community of Chesterfield which straddled Wild Horse Creek Road between Baxter and Wilson Roads and the initial roads in the area. The town plat that he built was recorded in 1838. Burkhardt's Subdivision was started in 1877 (after the railroad opened up the area), where Olive crossed the railroad lines. The City of Chesterfield later officially relocated to this area, in order to be closer to the Railroad Depot.

But that probably isn't what you really want to know. What you want to know is that Chesterfield is considered "upscale" and a prime location to live in. This makes the land in Chesterfield among the most valuable in the St Louis area, resulting in higher prices, but also greater amenities. Typical single home prices start in the $300,000 range and go up over a million, condo's start slightly lower, but go just as high (that's not to say that there aren't less expensive homes, but the typical home is over $300,000). The area has excellent public and private schools. Chesterfield has not seen the same level of foreclosures and short sales that we have seen in other parts of the St Louis community. Chesterfield is a very sound area and is an excellent area to live in.

Chesterfield is a WONDERFUL, family oriented environment. It has great parks, family events and more. One highlight in the area is Faust Park with it's 200 acres. This St Louis County Park features the historic home of one of Missouri's first governors. It also has a historic village located in the park, where the community has gradually moved log cabins and other historic homes and businesses. During the summer re-enactments are held on the weekends where you can walk through as see a blacksmith at work, or talk to someone going about the daily life of a century ago. The Park also features a working historic carousel that you can ride and the Butterfly House. During the summer the Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce sponsors concerts in the park on Tuesday nights. Families come out and sit on blankets on the grass (or bring their lawn chairs), children run and play, wonderful music is played and for those who are willing, a dance floor is set up.

The area also has lots of shopping opportunities at Chesterfield Mall (located at 270 and the Clarkson/Olive exchange) and at numerous strip malls and mega strip malls throughout the city. Fine Dining to fast food is readily available in the area. The local standard is that you can drive down Olive Blvd and find whatever services you need without ever leaving the Chesterfield area (including my office which is located at 141 and Olive).

If you need medical care, St Luke's Hospital is located within the city's boundaries, but you are only a few miles away from other major hospitals in the metro area.

Chesterfield is home to the Spirit of St Louis Airport, which is located in the Chesterfield Valley area. This small, personable airport is used by private planes, small transportation companies and company jets, relieving the burden on the main St Louis International/Lambert Field Airport. The Spirit of St Louis Airport is the host to an annual St Louis County Air Show and Fair on the Labor Day weekend every year. This event serves as the "county fair" for the area. The proceeds from the fair benefit Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and St. Louis Children's Hospital.

My office is in Chesterfield, at 141 and Olive, just minutes from 40/64 and 141 and from 40/64 and Olive or from 270 and Olive, so if you are out and about in Chesterfield, stop in and say "Hi" now that you know what all the buzz about Chesterfield is all about.

St Louis Veterans Home

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:30:53 -0800

Home and Garden Television is hosting a competition on its Web site for a helping hand for a community veterans home in a major city. They will decide which one of 8 veterans homes they will help on March 15 based on the votes they receive on line from people like us. We can vote once a day, every day from Jan 1 through March 2. One of the houses vying for the prize is identified as a community veterans home in St Louis. I'm not sure exactly where it's at, but it's obviously one of ours and from the picture on the website, it needs a LOT of help, so please follow the link below and vote!

You can vote once a day until March 2 at http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/home/text/0,,HGTV_32656_82769,00.html

Please pass this message along to anyone else who might be interested and able to vote.

Some days its harder to be productive than others

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 23:02:18 -0800

We all know what we need to be doing. We all know what it takes to succeed in a business where we don't have a boss telling us what to do each day. But there are still days where it's hard to get our act in gear and get motivated.

Today, I was going to get organized and caught up. I was going to clean my office and throw out old papers that I saved because they were on subjects that I wanted to research further but they have been OBE'd (over come by events) and now need to be pitched. I need to go through the files that I have been carrying around with me and take care of some of the little stuff that has been building up so I would stop carrying around the reminder notes. I need to just plain pitch and file and pitch some more. THEN, I need to follow up with some clients I haven't heard from in awhile and determine if they are still in the market or have pulled out due to the current economic situation and if so put them on autoprospect (or whatever is appropriate) and stop carrying their files around. That was what I was going to do. But once more, I didn't get that far.

Last night I shoveled snow when I got home so I would get the bottom coat of snow and ice off the driveway (my camry HATES snow and ice with a passion and if I don't clear the driveway I can't get up or down it safely). Then this morning, I got up early and I shoveled more snow. Then I drove in snowy rush hour traffic to the company Rally to hear David Knox give our opening motivational talk for the year. Then I ran a couple errands (had to stop by the post office and mail a package - work related) then a quick stop by home (enroute or I wouldn't have gone home) for a bowl of soup then off to see a client and show property in the snow and go through the "lets make a decision on your motivation - you want to decide now, your husband wants to wait till March - the homes you're looking at now probably won't be here in March since you like the best of the best and they just lowered their prices" talk with them, then a quick stop for gas then groceries then home to shovel more snow, with cleaning ice and snow off my car each time I got in it.

When I finally stopped shoveling snow, I was tired enough that I didn't want to do anything. This evening I have watched as the snow has continued to come down, knowing that in the morning, I am going to have to shovel again, but hoping that since I've already knocked the first three layers out, that it won't be quite as difficult, time consuming or as heavy and tiresome to shovel the next batch. But at least tomorrow, until a client calls with something different, my first appointment isn't till 6:30 pm, so I should be able to work from home and work on getting things done. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

What did you do for someone today?

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:38:22 -0800

Did you do something for someone today? Other than tell that wonderful elderly person that their home just isn't going to get as much money as they need to move into the retirement community that they want to move to? Or tell the young man who is desperate to buy a home for his family that with his credit he just can't afford to buy a home right now?

What did you do FOR someone? Did you help a little old lady across the street? Did you brighten someone's day with a kind word? Did you volunteer at your place of worship, the local school, nursing home or community center? What did you do? Did you feed the birds or take things to a recycle location? Did you mentor someone? Did you just brighten the day of someone who was down and depressed?

With the snowstorms passing through much of the country, did you help shovel the driveway or sidewalk for an elderly neighbor or someone with health issues? What did you do today?

If at the end of every day we have to account for just one thing that we have done to make life better for just one person other than ourselves, can we? If not, maybe we should reevaluate what we are doing. The world is a large and wonderful place and it really doesn't take much to brighten one person's day - sometimes we can do it simply by letting them ease into traffic at a congested corner. Sometimes it's by a simple compliment or making them feel wanted rather than an outsider. Sometimes it's by helping someone to carry a heavy item or get a chore done faster by helping out. Look around for opportunities to help others and surprise yourself at how much your own life will improve in the process.

Today It's Christmas - a Realtor's Juggling Act or a typical day

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:25:48 -0800

My son is coming home today (he's almost 30) and we are going to celebrate Christmas with him. He got to come at Thanksgiving, but he was on call at Christmas and couldn't come so sometime today he'll roll into town and we'll get about 24 hours with him before he has to get back to work. I've made sure his gifts are wrapped (other than I still have to find a big bow to put on the tires for his motorcycle) and they are sitting on the floor in the living room - the decorations are all down (in fact one of the chores he gets to help with while he's here will be putting the decorations back up in the attic), but it will be great to have him home for a few hours and to celebrate with him.

Now, if life acts like normal, the day will be quiet and no one will call me until he gets home, then I will get multiple calls from clients and potential clients, each thinking that they have a situation that has to be dealt with right then. Each will want my undivided attention. Then I will have to calm them over the phone and by email and assure them that everything will be OK and I will get it taken care of (just not right now). In the process, I may lose a potential client who insists that today is the only day that I can take care of them (in which case they really need a newbie agent who has no other clients since an experienced agent will almost always have other clients that they are dealing with at the same time).

A realtor's day is like a juggler - we have all these balls in the air that we are keeping up - the sellers who are out of the area and need their homes taken care of - the potential sellers who need comps and a listing presentation prepped and presented (a good 8 hours to prepare some of those when we do it right and sometimes they give us 1/2 an hour (and that includes driving time) when they call and say can you come talk to me now, we have everyone together now, and we won't later on - the contract we're negotiating for a client - the building inspection that has to be done at noon - the gas company needs to be let into a home and they won't give you a time so you have to sit and wait for them - a contractor to fix something - working through a municipal predication - helping a buyer to get financing - the other agent needs a form and it's at the office and your at home - can I help you fight your tax assessment, of course I can - you'd like to set a time to look at 12 homes and you're sending me the addresses and you'd like to see them this afternoon (and it's Saturday morning and the offices are closed to schedule part of the homes they'd like to see) - sending feedback for the homes you've shown - getting feedback from the agents who have shown your listings and then sending it on to your sellers - letting your buyers and sellers know what's going on in the market - Sending out marketing materials to your farm areas - chosing marketing materials - better prep for Sunday's Open House - what about those continuing education requirements, better get those done early - what relocation department has a new client for you, coming from Boliva and they need you to call them (on their time zone) and set up emails and have things set for when they arrive in town? - Don't forget you have 8 active listings and 10 buyers that you are handling this week alone and you don't have an assistant, it's just you so when the contract is written and negotiated, it's you doing the paperwork and sending it along to the title company and the main office! We get up in the morning with a phone call, spend our days juggling 2 phones and the keyboard and go to bed at night (actually in the early hours of the morning) having taken care of other people all day long and sometimes never gotten around to taking care of ourselves.

Today It's Christmas - a Realtor's Juggling Act or a typical day

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:08:04 -0800

Taking Care of an Empty Home

Dale Weir (Coldwell Banker Gundaker) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:10:56 -0800

I wrote this for Susan, a woman at church who told me that she was helping to "watch over a home" for her neighbor who had moved out of state. The neighbor's home has been on the market for several months. She seldom sees the listing agent (who lives and works out of an office that's over 45 minutes away) and the weather recently has gotten down to the single digits. Susan asked me if there was anything that she should be checking to help make sure that everything is OK with the house since she was concerned about freezing water pipes, etc due to the weather. She also asked me what types of things I check when I watch over an empty house. Susan said that she really wasn't responsible for the home, but she does have a key and has been changing the lightbulbs and picking up the newspapers in the yard, etc, but she has never met the Realtor and doesn't think the Realtor knows that she has a key and she didn't have his phone number, only the office number on the sign in the yard. After I talked to her, she agreed to go meet the Realtor the next time she saw him at the house and talk to him so that there would be an open line of communication between them in case there was a problem, but until then, here's what I sent her so she could go through the house and check it out.

So to all the Susan's out there, here is my very grateful list of what I check and what I love to have a responsible neighbor keep an eye on.

If you are watching over a vacant home, things to pay attention to include:

Run water down the sinks and tubs/showers periodically to prevent the pipes from getting dry enough that sewer gases come back up (I do it at least once a month)

Flush the toilets periodically- water will evaporate from the toilets leaving nasty rings- MAKE SURE when you flush that you stay around long enough to make sure that they stop flushing since the seals can dry up, chains can get hooked up, etc and the water can continue to run indefinitely with no one in the house to catch it (again at least once a month)

When the seasons change and it gets cold, make sure that hoses are disconnected and taken inside, that outside faucets are turned off from inside the home if at all possible. If there is a sprinkler system, disconnect it and take off the multi-hose connections at the faucets. Sometimes I invest a little bit of money (a couple of dollars) in putting the Styrofoam covers over outside faucets if I can't find the inside faucet shutoffs. Make sure that all water is allowed to run out of sprinkler hoses and the end caps are taken off as well

If a home is really vacant and no one is going to be there, then the utilities may be turned off and the water shut off and antifreeze put in the system (toilets and water heater will be drained then) but a sign goes up warning people or someone WILL use the toilet and then it is a mess (in which case someone has to carry bottles of water to the home and manually flush the toilet!)

Periodically check the thermostat- if it's newer and has a battery, make sure the battery doesn't go out, in which case the thermostat won't work

When the seasons change,someone has to reset from one season to the next- turn off the a/c and turn on the furnace, turn on and off humidifiers, etc

Water heaters can be turned to vacation settings

Any refrigerators left in the home can be turned to their lowest setting (freezer and refrig)

Lightbulbs and toilet paper and some handsoap (and if you're really nice some paper towels or a small handtowel) should be in the homes as people looking at the homes do need to use the facilities. (I have small garbage cans under the bathroom sinks and kitchen sink (or garbage sacks) that I periodically take home and empty (empty homes don't have trash pickup). Sometimes it's a matter of dusting as well, or cleaning the windows (inside may stay clean but outside won't).

Periodically the floors need to be swept if people have tracked in leaves, etc (you can ask the agent for shoe covers if the floors are carpeted to keep the carpets clean) as well as picking up the downed branches in the yard and the free newspapers and any trash in the yard.

When it snows, who shovels the snow from the drive to the front door in case someone wants to see the home? If an agent comes to show it can be a) a sign the home is really vacant and b) a slipping hazard and no one wants a potential buyer to slip and fall on their front walk. Plus from the street a sidewalk that isn't shoveled tells people that the home is vacant and easy to break into.

I also walk through the homes and check to make sure that bugs and mice, etc haven't taken hold- sometimes I go through a can+ of bug spray (spray window frames and doorways especially) or put out cockroach motels and flypaper in inconspicuous places (if you can ask the owners to call a pest control company if it's more than just a little problem)

Believe it or not, things that aren't being used break. I walk through a home and look for"odd" things- is there a leak that has developed somewhere, is there a doorknob that is loose, is there a window that isn't closed properly or that has cracked from a tree branch hitting it in a storm, a door that isn't locking easily- I look for security issues as well as preventative maintenance as well as things that make a home look nice. I also try to keep air fresheners in the home and if the home has ceiling fans I'll keep them on low so the air continues to circulate regardless of temp, to keep the house from smelling stale. Herbal tea bags can help keep drawers and cabinets smelling nice.

I try to get the home owners to have a friend or relative or neighbor to watch over the home since when I have a lot of homes I can't be in 20 places at once and if it's a quick freeze at the start of the winter or after a big storm,I may not be able to get to all of them at once, but some people have no one they can trust to watch over their home, so it's up to me. (My husband complains that I spend more time and energy taking care of my clients' homes then my own.) There are a few companies that will take care of vacant homes, but not many and it's expensive, so most people rely on their neighbors/friends/family and their realtor. The down side is that as good intentioned as they may be when they say yes, the neighbors/friends/family have other priorities and don't always remember to do your home as well as their own when the season changes or after that big storm. Plus if it drags on, they may get tired of taking care of your home as well. So it falls to the Realtors and some are better at doing it than others and we all pray for a wonderful neighbor who will at least call us if there is a problem even if they aren't handling it themselves! (I refuse to mow the grass though!)

Realtors also have to set up with the clients who pays for what- do you give me $100 bucks up front and I pay for things out of that (and keep a ledger and tell you when I need more money, or do I send you a bill periodically, or bill you at closing? (to pay the kid who mows the yard, light bulbs, etc). For big things, it's best to have the owner call the contractor and deal with them directly since the one who sets it up is responsible for the bill and too many realtors have been stuck paying everything from Laclede Gas bills on when the owner said "no, I didn't place the call and I didn't authorize it"- so now we make the owner call and set it up with their credit card or we make them give it to us in writing that they want us to set it up and how to arrange payment.

Hope that helps. If you have specific questions about how to care for something let me know. I handle a lot of territory, so I probably have an answer.

And again, thank you. Watching over someone else's home is a wonderful act of friendship that I'm sure that they greatly appreciate, even if they don't say Thank you often enough