Edwardsville and Glen Carbon Real Estate Chat

Great advice for buyers just in time for Halloween. Thanks to fellow RE/MAX Realtor Tracy Lee Parker for the list.

Here at Goshen Realty Group, we love our four-legged mascots.  We've got the bases covered when it comes to pets of both the feline and canine variety.  (Our resident dachshund, Missy, is pictured below.)  In fact, our brokerage RE/MAX Preferred Partners does a lot of work on behalf of ARRF in Southern Illinois.  Check out their website for more info.

There is an old saying in the real estate business that goes "If you can smell it, you can't sell it."  Now this doesn't just mean pet odors - but odors of any kind.  Everything from smoke to air fresheners, mildew, must, scented candles and even food smells (pleeeaase don't cook fish or garlic the day before a showing) can turn off a buyer.  Believe it or not, smells are a reason for a buyer to offer you a lower price for your home.

The problem is, not everyone that is looking to buy a house loves our pets as much as we do.  Many buyers that don't have pets of their own notice the slightest "eau de dog" odor the minute they walk in the door, and for some it's a turn-off.

But don't fret!  Your dog or cat can co-exist with the for sale sign in your front yard.  Just follow a few of these simple tips...

• Don't use too much air freshener.  Please don't use a plug-in scent in every room in your house.  If you feel the need to use a plug-in type air freshener try a scent like clean linen.  Stay away from cinnamon or other scents that are too flowery.  To be perfectly honest, you're not fooling anyone - in fact, most buyers wonder what bad smell you're really hiding.

• Febreze is your friend.  Offensive odors live on soft surfaces, and odds are you can't smell it.  Before your home is shown, take a bottle of Febreze and spray everything down.  Make sure to spray carpets, couches, chairs, bedding, curtains - anything that is fabric. Unlike air fresheners, Febreze has a clean laundry type of smell to it, and it's pleasing.  It makes your home smell fresh and crisp.

• If you take Fido or Frisky with you for showings, take all of their stuff too.  I had a buyer really digging on a house one time only to spot a litter box in the corner of the dining room.  Suddenly the whole house smelled like a cat to her.  Take toys, litter boxes, food dishes, beds and crates with you when you leave.  I know it's a pain, but your house will sell faster because of it.

• Have your carpets, area rugs and window treatments professionally cleaned.  Ask your service provider if they can use a solution specifically designed to eliminate odors.

• Do the doo-doo.  Take some time to go outside and pick up after your pooch.  No one likes to step in a landmine while checking out your backyard.

• Ask your REALTOR.  Don't be afraid to ask your agent if they think there is an odor in your home that might turn off buyers.  Constructive criticism of any type can help you sell your home.

If you follow a few of these tips, you're sure to eliminate any unpleasant odor a buyer might object to.  It's a lot of work for each and every showing, but once you and your best friend are enjoying your new home it will have been worth it.  (Plus, you can take some of that extra money you made and buy your pet a sparkly new collar.)

Here is a quick look at the market stats for Edwardsville from January '09 until today (October 28)

Price by Bedrooms

                                               -2                  3                       4+                  Total

Sell Price Volume            $5,236,951      $22,948,347       $24,104,378    $52,289,676

List Price Volume            $5,497,500      $24,045,337       $25,151,925    $54,694,762

AVG List Price                    $119,511          $180,792            $285,817         $204,849

AVG Sell Price                    $113,847          $172,544            $273,913         $195,841

List/Sell Ratio                            95%                 95%                  96%                96%

Median List/Sell Ratio                 94%                 97%                  96%                97%

Median List Price                 $119,900          $169,900            $264,450        $185,000

Median Sell Price                 $113,250          $165,000            $254,000        $180,000

Thinking of selling and curious to see how your home fits into the equation?  Give me a call or send me an e-mail so we can discuss your specific needs.

Fellow agent Chantal gives buyers a great reminder, while adding a dash of humor.

If you're buying a home in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Collinsville, Troy or the Metro-East area give us a shout.  We'll be happy to help you find your new home.

We'll get to the house selling thing I mentioned in the headline in a minute, but here's something that's just for fun. I took a Facebook quiz the other day titled, "How Edwardsville are you?"

The result came back as, "Mayor Neibur." It judged me with this statement: "You are Mayor Niebur. You are a lifelong resident of Edwardsville and have served 5 terms as mayor and have done a great deal of good for the city. Unfortunately, you are not as Edwardsville as Preach..."

That made me laugh and made me think about my own list of things that make you truly an Edwardsvillian. It's really a lot more than being born here...or moving here as a toddler...or coming here for college and never leaving as I did. Note that some of the items on this just-for-fun list will only make sense if you're an Edwardsville person "of a certain age." The rest of you are forgiven for being too young.

NANCY'S LIST OF THINGS THAT MAKE YOU AN EDWARDSVILLE PERSON

• You know how to let pedestrians proceed into a crosswalk without running them down (thanks to on-campus training at SIUE)
• You understand that trick-or-treating takes place on the night before Halloween so you can go to the Halloween parade on October 31
• You adore Preach and worry if you don't see him around for a while.
  
• You took your first legal drink at The Granery -- at age 19, I might add. (I'll allow Vanzo's as a substitute.)
  
• You remember when the LeClaire water tower was actually the Jimi Hendrix water tower. 
• You know that LeClaire was a company town before it was just a neighborhood
  
• You're still longing for the long-gone lunch counter at Schwartz Drugs.
• You met your future spouse by literally stepping on him at the MRF (okay, maybe that was just me)
• You remember that the Historic Col. Benjamin Stephenson House was previously the TKE frat house
• You "attended class" at Stagger Inn (or maybe that was just the Mass Comm majors. My husband tells me that the math/comp sci folks hung out at Vanzo's)
  
• You're guilty of buying dented, label-less cans for cheap at the old National grocery store during college, thus ensuring that dinner would be a yummy surprise. Sometimes it was ravioli. Sometimes it was dog food, so you had to look for a stray dog
  
• You still grab a kid and run to Miner Park when it snows to sled down the amazing hill
• You held kiddie birthday parties at Cottonwood Bowl, Montclaire Bowl, Pantera's, Cottonwood Cinema or Skate Corral
• You shopped at the Bargain Barn
• You and Chimega were on a first name basis
• You drive through the Bank of Edwardsville on Christmas Eve just to get the huge apples.
• You remember Peter Station and Whistle Stop
• You inadvertently stampeded cows in a relative's Edwardsville pasture (again, maybe that was just me)
  

Feel free to add to the list with your comments. I'm sure there are a lot of things I'm forgetting.

Now back to the important house-selling stuff. If you're looking for a Realtor who really knows the Edwardsville area (and the rest of Madison County, for that matter)...send me a message. It will be fun to recall the good old days together while I fill you in on what's happening in the local real estate market. Or, if you're newer to E'ville or SIUE, I can tell you about some of the history and quirks you may be finding here while we talk about your real estate needs.

Can you smell the luscious cloud of sweet buttercream blanketing Edwardsville, IL?  It's likely coming from the newest specialty shop in town -- The Cupcakery. 

Located at 1057 Century Drive off 157 near Quiznos, the newly opened gourmet cupcake bakery is offering sinful selections today, including Confetti (Vanilla Buttercream on French Vanilla cake); Tuxedo (Vanilla Buttercream on Dark Chocolate cake); Peanut Butter Cup (Peanut Butter Buttercream on Dark Chocolate cake); and Red Velvet (Cream Cheese Icing on Red Velvet cake).

During my lunchtime visit I chose a Tuxedo and a Red Velvet for myself and my husband and complemented the two with a Pumpkin -- one of the bakery's changing seasonal offerings.

The taste? Magnificent -- deep and rich. Everything the beautifully decorated little cakes promise to the eye, they deliver to the mouth.

(However, in the spirit of full disclosure, a car pulled out in front of me as I was leaving the parking lot. My accident-avoidance maneuver knocked the Cupcakery box on the car's floor, merging the three flavors into something I am going to have to call "Con-Tux-Velvet" or "Red-Tux-Fetti." Delicious nontheless.)

You can mitigate a cupcake disaster like mine by eating your treat inside the lovely lounge area of the bakery. It's decorated with calming colors, hip modern fabrics and clean-lined furnishings. There's also a Party Room for larger groups. It would be a perfect dessert stop for the LWL (Ladies Who Lunch) crowd.

The Cupcakery in Edwardsville also serves a few additional sweet treats such as Frosted Sugar Cookies, a Cakewich filled with buttercream, and a Double Decker which is two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies filled with buttercream. Are you getting the "buttercream" theme?

Hot drinks on the menu give the bakery a coffee house feel with espresso, cappuccino, mocha, chai latte and hot cocoa available along with regular coffee, latte and hot tea.  Cold drinks designed to complement a tasty cupcake include milk, organic chocolate milk, iced chai latte and, of course, juice, soda, tea and water.

If you'd like to place a large order, just give them 48 hours notice. The bakers can create up to 24 cupcakes in a same-day order if necessary. Individual cupcakes are $2,75 each, but well worth it when you compare the taste to the usual made-from-a-cardboard-box version found at my house.

The Cupcakery is open Monday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.; and it is closed on Sundays.

You can learn more on The Cupcakery's web site at www.CraveTheCup.com.  The phone number is 618-656-2287.

Stop by and welcome The Cupcakery to Edwardsville. And don't forget to tell them that the Goshen Gourmet sent you.

Hey, Buyers, Pull up a chair and let's have a heart-to-heart chat for just a couple of minutes.

Face it. Sometimes buying a house is hard. Especially if you're out there on your own.

But that's why your professional Realtor -- your buyer's agent -- is here. If you listen to your Realtor, you can get into a new home with the least amount of hassle possible at the best price possible.

All you need to do is follow a few simple rules and you'll be getting those house keys before you know it.

1.) Choose Your Realtor -- As a buyer, you deserve to have an agent who is looking out for your interests in a home purchase transaction. Did you know that the person whose name is on the sign outside of that cute house you just drove by is working for the seller -- trying to get the best deal for the seller? Think about that. If the seller has an agent, shouldn't you? This is a professional relationship built on mutual respect and loyalty between the buyer and the agent. You owe each other honesty and integrity to form a great team with one goal -- to get you into a new home.

2.) Get Pre-Approved -- There is no point in looking at homes before you know how much you can afford and in many areas you can't even submit an offer without an attached pre-approval. Go to your lender. They will ask you a variety of questions and -- if you're qualified -- will issue a pre-approval letter. Get a copy for yourself and a copy for your Realtor. Don't know a lender? Ask your Realtor to give you two or three names of lenders who have successfully closed buyers for her this year. Your agent also can tell you if there are city and county grant programs that can help with your purchase. Don't expect your Realtor to show you homes until the pre-approval letter is in hand.

3.) Make a List and Check it Twice -- Decide in what part of the region you'd like to live, how many bedrooms you need and what other "must-haves" are on your list for the home you'd like to find. Make sure you understand the difference between "needs" and "wants." You might "need" three bedrooms, but you might "want" four. Do you "need" a two-car garage, or do you "want" one. Do you want a large yard or a small one? It's easiest to develop this list in a consultation with your Realtor.

4.) Now Look at Houses -- I like to play "Bracketology" with my buyers. We'll look at four or five possibilities and the buyer will choose the one that best fits his needs. When we go out again, he'll choose the best from that lot. Then we'll pit the two top candidates from each outing against each other to get a "winner." We'll repeat if necessary, continuing to compare and contrast the top houses from each round.

5.) Make an Offer -- Your Realtor will research the home you've chosen to see what recent comparable sales tell you about its listing price. Is it overpriced based on recent sales? Is it already underpriced to elicit a quick sale? She also will check the seller's disclosures to make sure there are no red flags about the property's condition. She'll prepare the offer to purchase and will contact the seller's agent to begin negotiations.

6.) Get to Closing -- Inspections, appraisal, loan commitments, contract timelines and deadlines are just a few of the many pitfalls that must be navigated between getting an accepted offer and achieving a successful closing. Your Realtor will understand what needs to be done to protect your interests and help you hold the deal together along the way.

It can be done, my friends. Just follow the steps in order and enjoy your new home. Questions? Call, text or e-mail me.

One of the great things about living in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs is the proximity to the world-class attractions our region has to offer. For this Goshen Getaway post, we'll check out the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Getting to the Missouri Botanical Garden from most points in Madison County is a quick and easy 30-minute trip.

The 79-acre Garden has been celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Founded by an English immigrant named Henry Shaw, the attraction is recognized as one of the top three gardens in the world.

Shaw came to St. Louis on the edge of the frontier to sell his family's knives and other hardware. He quickly built a thriving business trading with the explorers, pioneers, mountain men and settlers who were passing through the the city on their way to open the American west.

Still a young man, Shaw was able to travel the world and then retire to the countryside (now south St. Louis) to indulge in his passion for horticulture. You can take a virtual tour of his Victorian home, Tower Grove House, or explore the house in person during your next visit to the Garden.

Today the place the locals still call Shaw's Garden is known around the world not just for its beauty, but for its scientists' work to catalog plants in the world's rainforests. As their slogan says, the Missouri Botanical Garden has been green for 150 years.

While the season changes, you'll find that fall is the perfect time to head out from Edwardsville, Glen Carbon or Collinsville for a visit to the Garden.

Be sure to see the whimsical Walla Walla "Onions" (pictured left) which dot the ponds near the Climatron greenhouse. They are a reminder of the popular Dale Chihuly glass exhibit that graced the Garden a few years ago.

If it's chilly outside, dip into the Climatron to warm up. Inside the geodesic greenhouse is a re-created rainforest populated with plants that may look oddly familiar. Many of them are considered houseplants here in the St. Louis region, but in the rainforest they grow to enormous sizes and reach to the top of the dome.

If you have little ones, note that the children's garden -- called A Missouri Adventure -- will be closing for the season on November 1.  The working Floral Clock, opened for the 150th anniversary, will operate through October 31. Have a favorite plant? The Kemper Center for Home Gardening offers an updated list of plants in bloom.

The Missouri Botanical Garden -- located at 4344 Shaw Ave. -- is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. seven days a week. Wednesdays and Saturdays the grounds are open for walkers from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. It is closed only on Christmas Day. Admission for adults is $8 and parking is free.

Here's a map to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Happy travels!

I really enjoyed my cousin's wedding last Friday night.  The bride was beautiful, the groom couldn't be happier, there was fabulous food and great music.  There was also a lot of new people to meet.

While taking a break from the festivities on the outdoor patio, I overheard the following conversation take place...

New Home Owner turns to his buddy and says, "Yeah, we just got a heck of a deal on our new house.  I looked around with an agent for awhile, but then I got this great idea.  We passed a house with a For Sale By Owner sign in the yard and it dawned on me... they aren't paying a commission!"

New Home Owner's buddy, "That's a great idea.  Dude, I bet you got a good deal."

New Home Owner replies, "Did I ever.  Get this... since I knew they weren't paying an agent I figured that was at least $25,000 of the asking price right there.  When I called, the chick gave me waaay too much information.  Turns out that her husband was in the middle of a job transfer.  He was already all the way out in Oregon and she couldn't wait to get out there to be with him.  She told me they had already bought a house out there and they were making two house payments. She acted like the fact that they were the original owners was a selling point, but that told me they had wiggle room.  They were asking $365,000 and most houses in that neighborhood listed with agents were closer to $385,000."

New Home Owner's Buddy, "No way.  She didn't keep her mouth shut?"

New Home Owner, "Nope.  I bet her husband was ticked.  Now I knew I had a live one on the other end.  We went to look at the house, and even though it was a ranch and we wanted a two-story we bought it anyway.  They had no idea how to negotiate, so I got them down to $318,500.  Can you believe that?  I told them I knew they weren't paying a commission, so they should have lots of wiggle room."

New Home Owner's Buddy, "You got them down like $45,000??"

New Home Owner laughs and says, "Then I asked for the sun moon and stars when the inspection had issues.  They gave me more money off the price of the house instead of making repairs.  All in all I bought it for $315,500!"

I stopped listening at this point.  It was almost too painful.  To hear someone sit there and brag to his friend about ripping someone off made my stomach churn.  The thing that really made me sick was that this whole thing could have been avoided.  I'd like to take a second to point out some things that sellers with a For Sale By Owner sign in their yard need to remember...

1.  NEVER, and I mean NEVER tell ANYONE your motivation for selling.  You are guaranteed to lose your shirt on the deal.

2. NEVER let someone come look at your house if you are there alone.  Don't tell anyone that your husband is thousands of miles away.  These buyers are not working with agents, and it could be a ruse to come in and commit a crime.

3.  Buyers are very savvy in today's market.  Educate yourself on how to become a good negotiator.  You have to emotionally detach, and that's very hard to do with your own home.

The moral of the story is this:

You're going to pay the commission one way or the other, so why not hire a professional?  Between the listing price being too low, revealing their motivation and not being an expert negotiator this buyer just walked off with $69,500 of this owner's money.  That's almost three times more than any agent I've ever known charges in commission.