Time to Move? Call Me!

I send out regular real estate topic updates thru this forum.  It may not always be evident why I continue to do this, and what I get out of it.  Here it is — I WANT YOUR BUSINESS!

I represent sellers and buyers of homes in the St Louis metro area on the Missouri side.  Single family homes, condos and villas, and investment properties.  My prices range from over a million to $100,000.  I concentrate in the West County area, and heavily in Manchester, but also the County’s central corridor, St Charles, South County and the city.  For those outside my main areas, or in commercial, whether in STL region or across the country, I can set you up with an experienced agent who is prominent there, and keep a watchful eye over the proceedings so you have superior results.

I work on straight commission, meaning if I represent you in a purchase or sale, I do not get paid a thing unless we go to closing and you receive your proceeds check when selling or your keys when buying.  I have many happy clients who have written very satisfied narratives, some of which are attached to my personal website www.GaryH.com under Testimonials; and on my Zillow profile https://www.zillow.com/profile/sghoefe5/ under Reviews, plus mapping 266 (of my 365) past sales.

 

I work with many accountants, doctors and small business owners, among other professions and backgrounds.  I have been a Realtor for 27 years full time, 5 in branch management and the rest in sales.  It is my goal on every transaction for my clients to be thoroughly satisfied with the results, to choose me again, refer me to others, and reduce their risk and liability to the lowest rate possible.

I know the value of not only prepping your home for sale, but how much to spend and where to target.  My experience can be worth thousands of dollars in higher sale price by knowing what appeals to potential buyers, which varies even within our metro by area and price range; by having a knack for pricing homes right from the beginning; by having trusted contractors at a good price on my speed dial; by having a solid reputation and maintaining good relationships with many of the area’s top agents; by having St Louis’ best stager doing business with me; and by working with many competing offer situations and knowing how best to market debut a home to receive the most activity and interest.

Whether you are considering a move in the next few weeks or years, contacting me now will pay dividends for you when it is time to sell.

Happy Moving – Call Me!

Pre-Listing Inspections – Should You?

Years ago I spoke to home sellers about considering a general inspection of their home prior to marketing, to afford more time to make needed repairs, avoid potentially derailing the sale, and to present a more purchase-ready home. This idea had limited success, as I had to add that overwhelmingly, buyers would still have their own inspections which would uncover more problems or call into question items that were deemed acceptable the first time around. Unfortunately, we have not reached the point where most buyers simply accept results of a previous inspection, partly because the seller paid for it, and did the inspector perform a “full” inspection. Additionally, buyer’s agents may feel a bit of negligence if they recommend to their client to accept the existing inspection and something wrong is uncovered after they move in. Also know that once you are made aware of defects in your home, you are obligated to repair or disclose them to potential buyers.

Is it time to bring this option back to the forefront? As long as homes are selling briskly, as they have been the last few years, it is doubtful. There is not much need to add incentives to sell homes right now. However, once the market turns soft, and the buyer demand has weakened, it may be time to not only revisit this issue, but a host of others that can appeal to many buyers and set your home out in front of the competition.

Consider all of the processes a buyer and their agent completes in 4-6 weeks today to close on a home purchase: (1) Prepare and turn over earnest money; (2) Order, pay for and attend multiple inspections – which now typically include a full building, a termite, a gas, a sewer, a city code, and a radon – even more can be added; (3) Battle with the seller over inspection items and what they will fix; (4) Wait up to 2 weeks to receive and review condo or subdivision rules and regs; (5) Haggle over home protection plan details, order and get to closer for payment; (6) Apply for the mortgage and survive the processing/underwriting ordeal; (7) Deal with a potential low appraisal and renegotiating the sale price or possibly losing the sale; (8) Complete a successful title search and survey and work thru any problems; (9) Confirm no roadblocks obtaining homeowners insurance; (10) Verify repairs on inspection items have been completed satisfactorily; (11) Confirm home is not in a flood plain; (12) Request and review irrigation backflow certification from seller; (13) Confirm nothing more went wrong with house before closing on final walk-thru (14) Hope you don’t lose your job or hurt your credit between loan commitment and closing, which can place you into default; (15) Cross your fingers that mortgage rates do not increase before you lock in, or closing is extended past the lock expiration; (16) Review all closing documents prior to signing, verifying loan details and closing charges are correct; (17) Arranging for utilities to begin in your name; (18) Collecting keys, codes and garage door openers. There are many other steps that happen in the midst of these main ones, but for sake of space I omitted.

If the seller were agreeable to having as many of these items as possible completed prior to going on the market, it could shrink the waiting time to move into the house tremendously! That equals less stress for both parties and less time for things to go awry. The loan process is the most difficult for the seller to control, but we can find lenders who emphasize quick and easy processing, and if a cash transaction, eliminates this headache entirely and truly opens the door to a very quick and easy closing. The seller must be willing and able to move out quickly, or ideally have it vacated.

Happy inspecting!

 

Downtown Buzz

With Downtown STL being in the news for crime stats recently, I have had several clients ask me about the impact on real estate and overall appeal.  I have no doubt the crime factor deters many people from visiting more often or staying longer when they do, but it does not appear to be having a significant impact.  Loft sale prices are slowly rising again, and rental rates are moving up faster.  Downtown residency continues to grow, and even though the loft-purchase market is still down from its peak, distress sales are mostly in the past and the rental market has been adding steadily – above the metro average.

I visit the city’s downtown and mid-town areas regularly for business, special events, and the arts.  I see a new energy recently all week long (even with no baseball game!) with more foot traffic, businesses opening, new construction and renovations that show a more vibrant scene at our metro core.  I notice how blocks that have been quiet in recent years now are budding with new activity.  The core area (river to 18th st) contains about 9000 residents and the greater area (out to 26th st, broader north to south) contains 18,000.  Vacancy is around 6%, a low number and right in line with the suburbs.  More businesses are catering to these people living downtown, and hopefully they will help drive the crime rate down too.

Granted, there are many blocks that are not experiencing this renaissance yet, but please take some time this fall and see for yourself the renovations and excitement on the new Arch grounds (VP Fair is returning there in 2018) and Kiener Plaza; the Old Post Office Plaza at Olive and 9th north of Ballpark Village; the National Blues Museum at Washington and 6th by the convention center; the growing theater district on Grand near the Fox; the innovative Cortex district around Ikea; and many neighborhoods north and south that are taking on new life, including north of Downtown West where the new NGA Western HQ is going in.  St Louis University, Washington University, BJC and other institutions large and small are building long-range plans for our central corridor from the river to Clayton, and investing billions of dollars.  This only adds to our highly rated cultural attractions that have been around for decades.

What a fun time to be in St Louis and be a part of this re-growth!  Make sure you participate in one of the many festivals this weekend that are happening around town in this beautiful weather.

Happy outings!