Around St. Charles County

June 2009 Calendar of Events

Thursday, June 4-Thursday, August 27
St. Charles Municipal Band Concerts
8 p.m.
Jaycee Stage, Frontier Park, downtown St. Charles
Free

Monday, June 8
I Need a Job!-Surviving a Job Loss presented by the Missouri Career Center
6:30-8 p.m.
Linnemann Branch, St. Charles City-County Library District
Free

Wednesday, June 10
First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site, 200-216 S. Main St.
4-6 p.m.
History Series-Extreme Fire Starting-learn to start a fire for scratch.
Adults
Free

Friday, June 12- Friday, July 24, 2009
Foundry Art Centre
New Exhibitions
Reception Friday, June 12, 6-9 p.m.
Gallery I and II-Photography Unlimited 4
Gallery III-Group 4 Award-Paperworks 3
Ameristar Gallery-Emerging Artist Xiaobing Liu and her daughter Snow Yunxue Fu
Free

Thursday, June 18
Savor The Flavor Sponsored by the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce
St. Peters City Hall
5:30-8:30 p.m
Wine and food tasting of local restaurant cuisine, live music and dancing
$20

Wednesday, June 24
St. Jean Baptiste Day Celebration
5-10 p.m. with live music from 6-8 p.m.
1800 Block of North Second St., Frenchtown
Food, music, games bonfire celebrating the summer solstice and St. Jean Baptist Day
Free

Friday, June 26
Friday Night Flicks In Frenchtown
Charlotte’s Web
8 a.m.
Bring a chair or blanket for movies under the stars
Free


Friday, June 19-Sunday, June 28
Shakespeare In The Park
6-10 p.m. except Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m.
The Tempest-Set in the golden age if piracy, The Tempest provides suspense, fantasy, comedy and romance for audiences of all ages.
Entertainment precedes performance. Bring a chair or blanket and picnic. Food and craft vendors at site.
South End of Frontier Park
Free

9 Easy Room Makeovers That Wow Buyers

View before and after photos of readers' room transformations to get ideas for your listings.

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey

A home has only one chance to make a first impression on potential buyers, and a poorly designed room can be a quick turnoff. REALTOR® magazine asked readers to send in stories of how they took action against their listings’ trouble spots.

Visit SchneiderSells.com for remodeling returns in the St. Louis area

Less-Than-Desirable Living Room

Name: Cheryl Oliveri-Daly

Company: Camden Real Estate Company, Camden, Maine

Problem: "The furniture was misplaced in the area, there was a cluttered bookcase, insufficient lighting, plants were too scattered, and the window seat, built-in bookcases, and the view were not being highlighted."

Solution: "I re-arranged the furniture, bringing in furniture and lamps from other rooms in the house—such as a coffee table, stacked suitcases, and baskets. I re-hung the artwork; grouped plants in one area; and de-cluttered the bookcase, arranging items in groups, such as by same color accessories, fewer books, random baskets, etc. I also added colorful decorative pillows to highlight the window seat and to make the couch 'pop,' with an added a touch of red to bring the room together."

Cost: $50—the only purchase for this room was a few decorative pillows

Result: The number of Web hits on the listing and showings increased after it was staged and an offer quickly came but ultimately fell through. The price of the home is $329,000.

A Bathroom With Too Much Design

Name: Julie Kern

Company: F.C. Tucker, Carmel, Ind.

Problem: "It was dated and there was too much personality."

Solution: "I replaced the striped blue walls with warm, sandy-tone walls that highlighted the white trim and fixtures. I then changed out the busy toile shower curtain to a textured, clean white curtain. With the addition of calming spa accessories, the bathroom now serves as a clean, modern bath retreat and all for a very low-budget makeover."

Cost: Less than $200 for the paint, shower curtain, vanity accessories, and towel.

Result: The property updates put the home in a better competitive position against the other listings in the condo development. The condo is listed at $99,900.

Bringing Warmth to an Empty Bedroom

Name: Stephanie Myers of Whisenhunt Stevens Properties, Bellaire, Tex., and Karen Brown of Trendsetter Realty

Problem: "It was empty, so potential buyers were being fooled by how they perceived the size of the space. In this particular room, the space seemed small."

Solution: "As tricks of the trade, stagers sometimes use air mattresses to complete a master bedroom look. We also added inexpensive side tables and lamps, a side chair and simple jute boxes from Ikea. We also added inexpensive draperies from Wal-Mart and attached them with nails and hooks—no drapery hardware was needed. We already had the bedding and furnishings from previous staging. This look showed potential home buyers how much space this room really had."

Cost: Almost $200, including approximately $60 in an air mattress, $80 in bedside tables and lamps, and the rest in inventory.

Result: After the rehab, this property originally was going to be listed at $220,000. After the staging, it was listed at $244,900, and the house sold in two weeks with a sales price of $243,000.

A Ruffled Master Bedroom

Name: Marilyn Gibson

Company: The Best Seller GMAC, St. Peters, Mo.

Problem: "This master bedroom's main problems were the strong colors, the floral pattern of the ruffled curtains and bedskirt, and the unnecessary furniture and TV."

Solution: "I simply removed the busy curtains to show off the room's bay window. I also removed the wall pictures because they were too small. Overall, these small changes drastically improved the room and made it much more current."

Cost: $0

Result: The property was listed for $164,900 for four months with no offers in its "unstaged" condition. Once it was staged and again listed for the same price, the property had an accepted contract within nine days. It closed in a total of 24 days from listing to closing date.

Orange Alert in the Family Room

Name: John Badalamenti

Company: Prudential Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, Wayne, Pa.

Problem: "The room was painted in an Adobe, orange color motif, which many buyers found too loud for their tastes. It was hurting the sale of the home."

Solution: "The seller originally gave me resistance about changing the color, but after reading the feedback I was sending him from buyers, he finally realized the room needed to be re-painted. I suggested an off-white, neutral color. The paint job made a world of difference. Up until that point, I was having nightmares about this room!"

Cost: The cost in supplies and paint was under $200. The seller did the painting.

Result: The work was completed the first week of October 2008 and the property went under contract on Dec. 30, 2008, selling for $335,000 on Feb. 2, 2009.

A Clutterfest Comes Clean in the Living Room

Name: Celeste Boglioli

Company: Prudential Holmes & Kennedy Real Estate, Somers, N.Y.

Problem: "About 30 years of collecting 'stuff' finally caught up with the home owners in this room. There was too much furniture, the built-ins were filled to the max and camouflaged. There was not a blank space on the walls, and the beautiful hardwood flooring was not even visible."

Solution: "I removed excess furniture pieces, rearranged furniture to optimize space, removed clutter from the built-ins and arranged themes (such as a music theme with the guitar behind the piano), while still leaving a good amount of space. I removed wall hangings and pictures, and I removed the area rug to expose the gorgeous hardwood floors, which also gave the room a more spacious feel. "

Cost: Free—Boglioli did all the work herself and used furniture and accessories the owner already had in other areas of the home.

Result: An accepted offer was received on the home within a week after the staging for 90 percent of the list price.

Worn-In Living Room

Name: Valerie M. Blake, associate broker

Company: Prudential Carruthers REALTORS®, Washington, D.C.

Problem: "The couple's two-year-old daughter and large Labrador had taken over the space. What was meant to be a place for adults to entertain and relax had turned into a play room filled with toys. Poor lighting and clutter compounded the problem. The sofa was oversized and worn. The wall art was out of scale and the room lacked style."

Solution: "First, I moved the child's items to her room and had the owners remove and store the leather sofa and gold carpet. I rearranged the remaining furniture and art, using a smaller love seat, a rug, and a club chair to establish a cozy conversational grouping and highlight the oak floors. Borrowing furniture from other rooms in the house, I added end tables, lamps, and a writing table and chair to direct the eye toward the beautiful bay window. Finally, I enlisted the aid of my favorite staging company to provide a coffee table and plants, which brought attention to the room's high ceilings, crown molding, and period chandelier."

Cost: About $350; the costs mostly stemmed from using small items from the staging company and getting the house professionally cleaned.

Result: The house received three offers in two weeks and sold on March 24, 2009, for $583,000.

A Not-So-Great Room

Name: Jim Hinton and Mike Scott

Company: Cutler Real Estate, Akron, Ohio

Problem: "The carpet was old, worn, and stained. The walls were stained by cigarette smoke. The light fixtures were very dated, with a dingy brass finish. There was no drama in the room—it was empty, uninviting, and cold. What's worse is that it was the first room that buyers saw when walking in the house, giving them little desire to continue with the showing."

Solution: "We removed the carpet to expose the hardwood floor, which was in pretty good condition. The walls were repainted in a neutral light sand tone, but we used a darker tan color on the largest wall to highlight the cathedral ceiling and architectural beams. We added furniture, anchored by a black rug, to create a warm, homey feel in the living room area. Two tall, thin portraits were placed on the focal wall, adding a variety of colors that played off the other accessories. We defined the dining room space with the table and chairs and spray-painted the fixtures black. Finally, we added a mirror to reflect the sunlight from the large windows."

Cost: $480 for labor and materials

Result: Six showings in eight days, with two offers. The home sold in February 2009.

Old-Fashioned Kitchen

Name: Tim Franks

Company: Coldwell Banker, Pinnacle Properties, Florence, Ala.

Problem: "The kitchen was very outdated with wood paneling, old countertops, and worn, vinyl flooring."

Solution: "I added new cabinet door fronts and hardware, painted, and installed new tan laminated countertops. I also added stainless steel appliances and new vinyl tile flooring to give the kitchen a more modern look."

Cost: $4,000, with nearly half of the expense going toward to new appliances.

Result: Renovations were just recently completed, but buyer traffic to the listing had dramatically increased, Franks reports.

RECORD LOW INTEREST RATES, TIME TO BUY!

Rates Below 5% for Ninth Week Straight Freddie Mac reports a slight rise this week in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to 4.86 percent from 4.84 percent in the previous week.Rates have been below 5 percent for nine weeks in a row. Last year at this time, the average 30-year rate was 6.01 percent.The 15-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 4.52 percent from 4.51 percent. Meanwhile, the five-year adjustable mortgage rate slipped to 4.82 percent from 4.9 percent; and the one-year ARM fell to 4.71 percent from 4.78 percent. Freddie Mac collects mortgage rates on Monday through Wednesday of each week from lenders around the country.Source: Freddie Mac

Do you know your credit scores?

Banks, mortgage lenders, auto finance and consumer credit companies have always looked at credit scores as one of the factors when evaluating if and how much credit they give to someone. These companies and now insurance companies are utilizing credit scores as a much bigger factor than they were before.

For example; a year ago in the mortgage industry a person with a 650 credit score would have received the same interest rate as someone with a 750 or even 850 credit score. But with the credit tightening that has gone on for the last several months…all of that has changed.
You can still get a mortgage loan today with a 620 credit score, but it will not be the same loan or interest rate as someone with a 720 credit score.

With that in mind, it’s that much more important that you understand how credit scores are determined. Credit scores are based on five main categories, which are as follows:

1. Payment History (Approximately 35% of your score is based on this category)
1. Have you paid your past credit accounts on time?
2. Are there any collection accounts, bankruptcies, foreclosures, lawsuits?
3. How delinquent were the accounts? (60 days late, 90 days late, how many)
   
2. Amounts Owed (Approximately 30% of your score is based on this category)
1. What type of accounts do you owe on (credit cards, installment accounts, etc.)?
2. How many accounts have balances?
3. How much of the total credit line is being used?
4. How much is owed compared to the original balance on installment accounts?
3. Length of Credit History (Approximately 15% of your score is based on this category)
1. How long have your credit accounts been established?
4. New Credit (Approximately 10% of your score is based on this category)
1. How many new accounts do you have?
2. How long has it been since you opened a new account?
3. How many recent credit inquiries have been made on your credit report?
5. Types of Credit in Use (Approximately 10% of your score is based on this category)
1. What kind of credit accounts do you have and how many of each?
   

As you can see there are a lot of factors that go into determining a credit score, so it’s not only important to know your credit scores but to also know your credit report. There are many sources of information out there to help you; so reach out to a professional if you need the help.

Hiring a Buyers Agent

The Cort Schneider Team is growing and I’m looking to hire a “Buyers Agent”. I’d really appreciate if you’d keep your eyes and ears open to anyone you think might be a good fit for this opportunity-

Details on the position:
Immediate opening for a Buyers Agent to assist a Top St. Charles Realtor. You should be a fast learner, a positive person, a great communicator, and have strong computer skills. Must have a Missouri Real Estate License or be willing to get licensed and have flexibility to work some evenings and weekends. You'll work in a fast-paced real estate office in St. Charles, MO. We offer an exciting atmosphere in a people-oriented business. This is not an entry level position. Your first step is to send your resume to brenda@cpay.biz. Compensation is commission/ performance based.

HBA Job Description:
The HBA will oversee the Home Buying sector of the Cort Schneider Team. HBA will work directly with families to locate, negotiate and close on the purchase of real estate utilizing the Cort Schneider Team's systems. The HBA must commit to "Team Growth" and be willing to adapt to the systems and training currently in place for the Cort Schneider Team.

Duties:
Secure Appointments
Get Buyer Agreements
Show and Sell Homes
Daily Prospecting
Write and Negotiate offers

Team Benefits:
Leads
One on one training from Top Agent
Plug and Play prospecting systems
Transaction Coordinator
Plug into Team offering established relationships with Vendors etc.
Unlimited income potential with accelerated Commission Program
Be in business for yourself but not by yourself

Thanks for your consideration!

Are You On The Fence? Now’s The Time to Jump Off

Intrepid first-time homebuyers jumped off the fence and made an important impact on the housing market this week. Pending home sales rose 3.2 percent in March, according to the National Association of Realtors Pending Home Sales Index. Closer to home the news is even better–pending home sales in St. Charles County rose 26 percent in March, says Karen Vennard, president of the St. Charles County Association of Realtors.

Investors liked the news too. Infused with a sense of optimism about the economy, the stock market responded with the Dow Jones Industrial gaining 214 points and the Nasdaq 44 points in one day.

First-timers evaluated the housing situation and decided that now is the time to buy. Interest rates are at an all time low, there is plenty of housing available, prices are affordable, and then there’s the 8 percent tax credit incentive for first-time buyers.

That tax credit expires December 1, 2009. The credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to $8,000. This has really moved people into the market instead of waiting to see what might happen down the line.

Because of the time limit on the tax credit, if you are a first-time buyer even remotely considering a home purchase this year, now is the time to get organized. This is excellent advice even if you don’t qualify for the tax credit.

Potential buyers should:

• Keep saving! Cash is king and the bigger the down payment, the better mortgage terms you’ll get.
• Investigate financing now and get pre-qualified for a loan.
• Be very honest with yourself and determine how much house you can really afford. Do research on how much your monthly payment would be and consider expenses like utilities and taxes.
• Check your credit report. You don’t want any surprises there.
• Work with a SCHNEIDER Real Estate Realtor who knows the neighborhoods, schools, social amenities and has your interest as a buyer as first priority.
  

Sellers should:

• Communicate with your Realtor. Pass along improvements you’ve made that would make a good selling point. Open communication is absolutely necessary for your Realtor to bring you the best qualified buyers and avoid misunderstandings.
• Speaking of communication, make sure everyone knows your home is for sale. Word-of-mouth is one of the best marketing tools. Welcome neighbors at your open house. They in turn may very well bring your buyer to you Realtor and clinch the sale.
• Keep your property neat, clean and inviting. Mow the grass, trim the shrubs, water those annuals and perennials. Nothing says you’re not welcome like dead flowers and overgrown grass. Potential buyers will find your listing on the Internet or in the newspaper and drive by to preview the property. You have about 45 seconds of curb appeal to convince a buyer that your home is well cared for and the right purchase.
• Green, green, green is the way to go. The current movement toward energy savings and sustainable resources is not a fad. Buyers are looking for ecological solutions in their purchases and sellers need to incorporate these features into the home’s selling points.
  

While things are looking up right now, we still don’t know if the market has bottomed out and is on the way up to more robust times. Both buyers and sellers must make their own personal decisions about the housing market. Returning to a growing economy and housing market won’t be easy. But if we all get off the fence and show some confidence, we’ll get there sooner rather than later.