Scott Hickinbotham's (scotthickinbotham) Blog

It's true; the real estate market isn't at its peak right now. But you may still be asking yourself, should we sell our St. Clair house? I've put together a few ideas that may give you a better idea of the answer to that age-old question.1. Call your local agent. We have all the statistics for yo...

Yes, it's true. The Scott Hickinbotham Team is moving into the high-tech age by adding QR Codes to our real estate lawn signs. You should begin to see them in the St. Clair area around February 24th. But how do they work and what can they do for you? A QR code (QR stands for Quick Response) is a ...

Getting ready to move into your new St. Clair home? You'll want to do everything you can to make the move easier, so here are ten tips for a smooth move to St. Clair.1. Before you pack your lamps, remove the bulbs. 2. So you don't have to spend your first night in your new home in the dark, arran...

An escrow account is a pre-funded account to pay off bills on your St. Clair home, such as homeowners insurance and property taxes, that will come due later in the life of your mortgage. When you obtain a mortgage to buy your new home, you will probably be required by your lender to open an escro...

If your old water heater is about ready to die of old age or hard usage, it may be time to consider getting a tankless water heater to replace it in your St. Clair home. What is a Tankless Water Heater?A tankless water heater, also sometimes called an "instantaneous water heater" or "demand water...

Right now there are a lot of foreclosed homes on the market. If you're thinking of buying one in the St. Clair area, here are a few tips you might want to consider to make sure it's not going to be a "money pit" in the future. Get a Home Inspection This is great advice even if the home you're pla...

  After being without an Executive Director since the November 2011 resignation of Bob Swank, the St. Clair Area Chamber of Commerce has hired 37-year-old Angela Crawford, who took over her duties as the new Executive Director on January 4. The new Director is from Cuba, MO and has much needed ex...

  What is the value of a remodel, update or upgrade to a home that you're planning to sell? In today's real estate market, it's often hard to recoup the money you spend on a remodel. Here are a few things to consider if you're selling your St. Clair home and think maybe some changes will make the...

We see a lot of "For Sale by Owner" (FSBO) signs out there these days. There are several reasons for this, the main one probably being the idea of saving the commission that a Realtor® will earn by selling your Franklin county home. Keep your eyes on these FSBO signs and you'll soon come to reali...

When Santa was just a little guy, most St. Clair homes that put up Christmas lights used the incandescent type. The lights were very pretty, of course, but they put off a lot of heat which can cause a fire, plus they used quite a bit of electricity. Santa's now a bit older and lighting has grown ...