Today in St Louis - March 9, 2007

Market Report for the week of March 9 in the city of St Louis (Areas 1, 2, 3) - Figures from the St Louis Multiple Listing Service:

Active listings - 171 - Range in price from 12,900 - 625,000.

Contingents listings - 39 - Range in price from 48,000 - 1,275,000.

Pending listings - 69 - Range in price from 17,900 - 274,900.

Sold listings - 49 - Range in price from 20,000-342,500.

Expired listings - 47 - Range in price from 8,500-499,900.

Things are beginning to move again.

Had building inspecion this morning on the ranch in Webster Groves.  It did not go as well as I had hoped.  It passed Laclede Gas Inspection yesterday.  The listing agent faxed the paperwork yesterday.  I think the Laclede Gas inspection was a joke.  A fitting on the gas line to the furnace has an active gas leak.  I smelled it myself.  The cover for the pilot light on the water heater is missing.  The vent that the water heater and furnace enter is rusted and you can see where water is running down the pipe.  Yet, it passed with flying colors.  I called the listing agent and told him about the gas leak, just for safety reasons.  If I was the seller, I would probably say: "it just passed inspection; there's nothing wrong with it."  The other two things we can live with, but I don't want the house to blow up.

I hate Laclede Gas anyway.  They are either idiots, or they run the other extreme - overly rediculous with their demands.  They have raised the price for house sale inspections from 100 to 150.  They also charge at least $79 to do a reinspection.  Service usually sucks (sorry, but it's true...).  That's what they can get by with when they are the monopoly in the area.  If I could afford to switch everything out in our buildings, I would go completely electric, and not have to deal with them.