loft: Today in St Louis - April 11, 2007
- 04/11/07 03:18 AM
I earned my GRI Designation in August 2000. This is another designation I recommend other Realtors work toward earning. Following is information on the GRI Designation (compiled from the NAR website).
The GRI symbol is the mark of a real estate professional who has made the commitment to provide a high level of professional services by securing a strong educational foundation. REALTORS® with the GRI designation are highly trained in many areas of real estate to better serve and protect their clients.
Developed for members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and offered through State REALTOR® Associations, the GRI program includes 90 hours of coursework on topics from … (1 comments)
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loft: Kodak EasyShare V705 Camera
- 04/10/07 10:13 AM
It was high time to get a new digital camera, but I didn't know where to begin. I was using an old Sony digital camera that used a floppy disk. For outside, the pics were alright, but for inside and low light situations, it was not cutting the mustard. I checked out the Photography Group on Active Rain and read Jeff Turner's post about the Kodak EasyShare V705. After doing some checking around (at department and camera stores) to see what was available for the price, I decided to purchase the V705 from Amazon. Total with shipping was $209.90, and I … (11 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 10, 2007
- 04/10/07 04:04 AM
I was fortunate to earn my ABR designation in 2001, and it is one I highly suggest to newer Realtors, and experienced Realtors, too. Following is information (gathered from the REBAC website) on the Accredited Buyer Representative designation and REBAC, The Real Estate Buyers Agent Council. Hopefully, this information will be helpful to others considering furthering their education... The Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR®) designation is the benchmark of excellence in buyer representation. This coveted designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate BUYER'S AGENT Council (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS® who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.
The Real Estate … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 6, 2007
- 04/06/07 02:45 AM
I updated my CRS website this morning, and I added the link from my CRS page to the links at the right on this page.
I feel the general public does not understand what these designations mean. Following is a description of the CRS designation, from the CRS website:
What's a CRS?
The Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) is the highest Designation awarded to sales associates in the residential sales field. The CRS Designation recognizes professional accomplishments in both experience and education. Only 5% of Realtors nationwide earn this designation.
Since 1977 the Council of Residential Specialists has been conferring the CRS Designation on agents … (1 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 5, 2007
- 04/05/07 03:24 PM
Dennis, Kim & I went to a seminar this evening. It was a seminar on the foreclosure market. Following are some notes from the discussion. We have signed up to take the three-day class - $199 for two people did not sound bad at all. We shall see... If we just learn a couple of things, it will be well worth it.
98% of millionaires are made from dealing in real estate.
250,000 homes nationwide went into foreclosure in 2006.
3.5 trillion dollars are going to be readjusted in 2007.
One million homeowners will see their payments double this year.
There are three times to buy:
1. Before - … (2 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 3, 2007
- 04/03/07 07:23 AM
Stormy day today, and the temps are dropping. Supposed to have near freezing temps for the next several nights. What a change...
I wanted to share some information about a situation that occured on the Tholozan property last week. It's a two-family, with one side rented. The listing agent several times told me that everything was going fine with the occupancy permits. As closing day loomed and I wasn't getting copies of the permits, I called the City of St Louis Housing Conservation District. They informed me that there was an active permit on the vacant side, but the certificate had expired … (1 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 2, 2007
- 04/02/07 09:01 AM
Another beautiful day in St Louis. My thermometer reads 82 degrees. We're told it's not going to last, though, with a rapid cool-down towards the end of the week.
The Cardinals lost 6-1 to the Mets last night on their opening night start. This makes the third lost home opener in the past 11 years. St Louis had won its past two season openers. For more information, visit http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=stl
This past week's market report for St Louis City (areas 1,2,3). Stats are gathered from the local Multiple Listing Service:
There were 154 Active listings - Prices ranged from $14,900 to $689,500.
There were 46 Contingent/Option … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - April 1, 2007
- 04/01/07 02:33 AM
April Fool's Day - And Cardinals' Opening Day at Busch Stadium. The 2006 World Series Champions will take the field against the Mets this evening. This Opening Day is a much anticipated holiday for many in the St Louis area.
After the storms yesterday, the weather should be pleasant for the pre-game festivities and the game.
The Opening Day Pep Rally starts at 3:00 pm to 5:30 at Kiener Plaza. Other rallies will also take place during the afternoon.
In the ballpark, the gates will open at 4:00 pm. The Budweiser Clydesdales will open the pre-game ceremonies at 6;00 pm, and then the … (1 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 29, 2007
- 03/29/07 01:35 PM
Closed my last two properties for the month today. The Pinetree Lane deal closed first and then the Tholozan property closed at 11:30 am. The earlier closing went very smoothly; the Tholozan closing had last minute glitches. It was an FHA deal, and this one just required so much more documentation and hoops to jump through. We did get it closed and funded, though...
I wanted to share some points from this past Tuesday's office meeting. I know I'm a few days behind...
We watched the last part of "The Art of Selling." This presentation covered "making the close." Some main points were:
- Closing should … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 28, 2007
- 03/28/07 02:05 PM
Closed on the McDonald house today. It was a smooth closing. Had the walk-through at 9:00 am and the closing at 10:00. I was happy for the buyer and the seller on this one. I had this home listed last year for 6 months. I really loved the seller, an elderly lady in her 80's. She was such a nice woman. She had three children who were handling everything for her, and they couldn't seem to agree on anything. We listed too high for conditon. The house has great bones, but I call it my "Grandma's" house. It was immaculate, but … (2 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 27, 2007
- 03/27/07 01:18 PM
Busy day today. Office meeting this morning. Errands after that. This afternoon, I applied the second coat of varnish on four doors of the Miami properties. Two coats will have to be enough. They will be protected by storm doors, so the finish should last longer. Dennis has been painting door trim, thresholds, and the porch floor. It's coming together. Then I applied the third coat of poly/varnish on the porch bench at our house. I am going to apply one more coat. It was really in bad shape - alot of water damage. Hopefully, this will protect it for a … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 26, 2007
- 03/26/07 01:36 PM
I've been reading the book titled, " The Dream Cycle," by Steve Moore. I wanted to share some exerpts that I am finding helpful. This is pretty powerful stuff, I believe....
"Every one of us is on a journey toward who we want to be, who we were meant to be, and what we will achieve with our lives. Making progress on that dream-inspire journey will require us to grow."
"In order to realize your dreams, you must grow. And growth demands change. Therefore the Dream Cycle will never be complete in your life until you experience personal change. I cannot stress this point … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 24, 2007
- 03/24/07 02:36 PM
Weekly statistics for residential properties in the city of St Louis. Figures were gathered from the local multiple listing service.
New Listings - 159; list prices between $22,500 to $1,775,000.
Contingent/Option Listings - 43 - priced between $49,900 and $299,900.
Pending Listings - 62 - priced between $16,900 and $795,000.
Sold Listings - 58 - priced between $25,000 and $335,000.
Expired Listings - 46 - priced between $35,000 and $464,900.
Withdrawn Listings - 16 - priced between $85,000 and $294,000.
Weather was fantastic today. We actually pulled the bicycles out of the garage and biked around Tower Grove Park. Kim and Gary, our best friends, purchased bikes this … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 22, 2007
- 03/22/07 01:55 PM
Closed on both the Chippewa property and Bancroft properties today. Everything went very smooth, as I had hoped. I do try very hard to stay on top of things during the deals, so the closings usually are very smooth. There sometimes are some last minute glitches, but they're minor, and can be worked out.
For those who love Basketball, this is the weekend to be in St Louis! St Louis is hosting the 2007 NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Championship Midwest Regional, March 23 - March 25 at the Edward Jones Dome.
Two regional semifinal games will be on March 23, the … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 22, 2007
- 03/21/07 03:50 PM
Spring is here. The daffodils are blooming. It was in the 70's today! I love it!
Got through my last inspection notice resolution for the month today. Had a walk-through this evening with my buyers on the Chippewa property. It went fine. The buyer also had his walk-through on my Bancroft listing at the same time. Haven't heard from that agent, so I guess all is well...
I facilitated a class today at the office. It was the Camp 4:4:3 class, Power Session 17: Making, Receiving, and Negotiating Offers. It's a great class, and I do enjoy presenting it. I don't feel I'm … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 20, 2007
- 03/20/07 04:13 AM
I have been blessed to work with some great realtors this month. I'm closing five deals this month, more than I have ever closed in a month, and on each deal, so far, the agents have been terrific. They have been friendly, helpful, and it's really been a pleasure working with them. I realize we are all representing our clients and trying to get the best for them, but these agents seem to understand about one of Keller Williams' main points of our belief system: "win - win, or no deal." Actually, it could be a mantra for any company. If … (0 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 19, 2007
- 03/19/07 03:37 PM
I've been reading the book by Robert Kiyosaki, titled: Retire Young, Retire Rich. I've read his other books: Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Cash Flow Quadrant, Rich Dad Poor Dad. I do love his books, and find them very eduational and motivational. Here's a passage that I have found applies to me. I've printed it and posted it above my desk, where I see it all the time. I think it's pretty powerful. It applies, I feel, not just to work, but everything in life...
"The biggest challenge you have is to challenge your own self-doubt and your laziness. It is your self-doubt … (1 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 18, 2007
- 03/18/07 03:02 PM
Resolved another Inspection Notice today. Have one more to resolve this week. Pretty sure we'll get all parties to come together on that one, too.
We had a great time yesterday at the St Patrick's Day Parade in Dogtown. It was chilly, and it snowed the entire time, but that didn't hinder the crowd. The parade lasted at least two hours, and we counted at least 105 entrants. It seemed like every Irish name in the city had an entrant. Beads were flying... Enclosed are some pics.
Last night, we attended the 10th Anniversary Concert of BandTogether. It was held at the Desmond Lee Concert … (7 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 16, 2007
- 03/16/07 05:08 AM
This weeks market report for St Louis City homes (Areas 1, 2, 3). Statistics gathered from the local multiple listing service.
There have been 159 new listings; prices range from $39,900 - $549,000.
There have been 26 that have gone under contract (contingent/option); prices range from $83,250 - $498,000.
There have been 68 homes that have gone pending; prices range from $4,452 - $339,900.
There have been 44 homes that have sold; sold prices range from $21,000 - $1,300,000 (wow!).
56 homes have expired; prices range from $44,900 - $1,320,000.
28 homes have been withdrawn from the market; prices range from $54,900 - $439,900.
Wanted to wish everyone a Happy … (2 comments)
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loft: Today in St Louis - March 15, 2007
- 03/15/07 02:59 PM
Looking forward to this Saturday - St. Patrick's Day! I've missed the parades the past couple of years, but if the weather is willing, I will be out wearing my Green to the parade.
St Louis has two St. Patrick's day parades. Usually, they are on different days, but this year they both fall on the same Saturday.
The big one is the Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown St. Louis. It starts at Noon at 18th and Market Streets & travels east on Market Street to Broadway. An estimated 200,000 spectators will watch as 5,000 or so participants and 120 entries … (0 comments)
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I earned my GRI Designation in August 2000. This is another designation I recommend other Realtors work toward earning. Following is information on the GRI Designation (compiled from the NAR website). 
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