Last night, John McCain was in St. Louis for a fundraiser.  He reportedly raised $1.6 million.  Later in the evening, he stopped off at a St. Louis favorite hot spot - Ted Drewes' Custard.  Ted Drewes is famous for its custard concretes. Of all the many different flavors to choose from, which flavor did John McCain choose....?   Chocolate.  Yes, you heard right....    Chocolate.     I would've recommended the double chocolate brownie banana fudge...but that's just me...  :) 07/16/2008

I was listening to the news this morning.  Someone brought up the question:  "Are the Rams for sale?"  According to Rams' president John Shaw the answer is "no".  They are not actively looking to sell the Rams or move them.  Someone presented an offer to purchase the team, but they were turned down. The Rams have been in St. Louis for 13 seasons.  I, for one, like them here.  I think many St. Louisans feel the same way... To listen to the report I heard, go to: http://www.kmox.com/pages/podcast/228.rss    07/15/2008

Well, it's official.  InBev bought Anheuser-Busch for 52 billion dollars.  This is an increase from the earlier offer of 50 billion dollars and translates into $70 per share.  The new name is "Anheuser-Busch InBev". Of course, St. Louisans are anxious to see how this will affect their jobs.  InBev is known for drastically cutting costs... The long saga is finally over.  The outcome is what most expected - It's all about the money...    07/14/2008

Well, it looks like InBev raised its offer by $5 a share to purchase Anheuser-Busch.  That would make the offer $70 a share - or 50 billion dollars.  Word has it that Anheuser-Busch will accept the deal sometime this weekend.  This would be a "friendly" deal as opposed to the "hostile takeover" mentioned earlier in this saga. What about the new name for the company?  It hasn't been decided yet... 07/11/2008

I heard on the news that Anheuser-Busch is suing InBev for an illegal takeover bid.  InBev was asking shareholders to vote on removing the Anheuser-Busch board of directors. Anheuser-Busch didn't like that idea, so they are suing.  They are calling it an "illegal plan and scheme," which "through a course of deceptive conduct" seeks to acquire control of Anheuser-Busch at a "bargain price". I think InBev is finding this takeover to be a little harder than they thought... 07/08/2008

I hope everyone had a great July 4th holiday weekend.  Dennis and I spent the day at a campground in Illinois (the Pit) with our friends Gary Toler and David McCabe.  Of all things, I had my keys (car, house, office) in my pants pocket; I should have left them in Gary's vehicle, but I forgot to take them out.  Anyway, they fell out of my pocket, and I didn't notice until we got home later that evening.  We had to break out the basement window to get into the house.  A positive note - the house alarm went off immediately.  I can now sleep well knowing that if someone breaks into the house through the basement door, we will immediately know about it.  One of the campers, who lives just south of us, brought them back with them and I was able to pick them up tonight.  Whew.  I did not want... 07/07/2008

InBev's CEO Carlos Brito asks shareholders to override the Anheuser-Busch board.  He wants them to approve the buyout. He thinks that Anheuser-Busch's present plan is too risky.  He asks shareholders to look at InBev's previous track record of international expansion and profitablilty even during bad economic times. I'm not sure if that's going to convince them, especially since it their track record usually involves cutting jobs.   07/01/2008

It looks like the Chrysler Plant is going to cut costs.  They will be laying off a total of 2400 workers. 1500 of the layed-off workers will be from the St. Louis South plant (Fenton).  This plant is to actually be closed indefinitely.  900 will be from the St. Louis North plant.  This plant will reduce its shifts from 2 to 1. Not news St. Louisans wanted to hear... 06/30/2008

Due to the flooding of the Mississippi and the high waters around the St. Louis Arch, I didn't think St. Louis was celebrating the 4th of July this year.  However, it has just been moved. This year, Fair St. Louis will be held in the Soldier's Memorial area of downtown St. Louis. So, if you were planning on coming to celebrate the 4th of July with us, and then decided not to because of the flooding, come anyway because the celebration continues...!  :) 06/28/2008

Have you been wondering how the flood of '93 compares to this year's flooding?  I have, so I did a little research. In 1993, hundreds of levees failed along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  So far, 31 levees have been breached between southern Iowa and St. Louis and more are threatened. In 1993, more than 50 people were killed.  This year, the death toll is up to at least 24.   This year, flood waters on the Mississippi are not expected to rise over 40 feet in St. Louis.  That's almost 10 feet lower than in 1993. 1993's flood was from May through September.  We have yet to see how long this one will last... 06/25/2008

Following is my market report for single family residential homes in the city of St Louis (Areas 1,2,3).  These statistics were gathered from the local Multiple Listing Service and are provided as a service to the public: There are 1803 total Active listings on the market. 274 listings Sold in the last 30 days. Average sales price was $159,812. 102 was the average days on market (DOM). There were 83 new Active listings this past week, with List prices ranging from $22,900 to $435,000. 25 listings went Under Contract (Contingent/Option), with list prices ranging from $45,900 to $725,000. 81 listings moved closer to closing (Pending), with List prices ranging from $$9,900 to $825,000. 75 listings Sold, with Sold prices ranging from $5,000 to $339,000.  44 listings Expired from the market,... 06/20/2008

Renting a Property - Some Key Advantages: Staying Flexible: The most important advantage of rented property is its flexibility.  Most leases are for six or 12 months.  At the end of this period you can walk away without any further cost or obligation.  If your future plans are uncertain, you may find that renting a property is a much better choice. Moving Fast: It is usually possible to move into a rented property within a few days of seeing it.  Buying a property usually takes 30-45 days.  If you are in a hurry to move, a rented property might be your best choice. Convenience: Repairs and maintenance are usually the responsibility of the landlord.  This could be very important if you work very long hours or don't have the inclination to  undertake or supervise repairs.  It also makes i... 06/19/2008

Following are listings of free concerts throughout the season in the city of St Louis.  Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy: Mondays: Bellerive Park - 7-9 pm - July 7 through 28. St Louis Square Park - 7-9 pm - June  23 & 30. St Louis Public Library (1301 Olive) - 1st Monday, July 7. Wednesdays: Missouri Botanical Garden - Whitakeer Music Festival - 7:30 pm - June 18 through August 13. Thursdays: Union Station - 3rd Thursday - 5 - 8:30 pm - June 19 through September. Weekends: St Louis Zoo - Jungle Boogie - Fridays, 5-8 pm, June 27 through August 29 (no concert June 20 or July 4) St Louis Riverfront - Live on the Levee - Fridays and Saturdays, 6 pm - July 4 through August 2 (also 1 pm performance on July 4). Lafayette Park - Every other Saturday, 6-8 pm -  June 21 through September 13. St ... 06/18/2008

A recent survey and a rate increase could mean more competition for homes Recent indication is that first time home buyers are getting tired of sitting on the sidelines. According to a recent online poll taken by the National Apartment Association, 17 percent of renters plan to make the jump to home ownership in the next year; 41 percent of the 2,041 respondents planned to be home owners within two years. Only 31 percent planned to still be paying rent five years from now. Another factor that could very soon contribute to an increase in home buying could be rising mortgage costs. Fixed-rate mortgage rates rose to 6.32 percent, the highest it has been since October. After months of aggressively dropping interest rates, many lenders are worried that the Fed will be forced to raise rates b... 06/18/2008

Following is my market report for single family residential homes in the city of St Louis (Areas 1,2,3).  These statistics were gathered from the local Multiple Listing Service and are provided as a service to the public: There are 1838 total Active listings on the market. 264 listings Sold in the last 30 days. Average sales price was $176,598. 103 was the average days on market (DOM). There were 101 new Active listings this past week, with List prices ranging from $12,900 to $2,899,000. 37 listings went Under Contract (Contingent/Option), with list prices ranging from $45,900 to $725,000. 65 listings moved closer to closing (Pending), with List prices ranging from $$9,900 to $$800,000. 63 listings Sold, with Sold prices ranging from $10,000 to $1,350,000.  WOW!  A sale for that much!  ... 06/14/2008

We have an apartment ready to rent in South St Louis City.  This is a two-bedroom upstairs unit in a two-family flat in a convenient South City location. Completely updated, this apartment boasts a newer kitchen with cabinets, ceramic tile floor, stove, fridge and dishwasher. Ceramic tile walls and floor in bathroom. Updated windows for comfort and energy efficiency. Neutral carpet and freshly painted. Each unit has its own personal washer and dryer for tenant use. Street parking. Rent is $500 per month with a deposit of $500. Non-refundable application fee of $30 for each person over the age of 18. For more information, or to schedule a viewing, please call 314-974-4887 or email stlpridehomes@yahoo.com. This apartment is modern, clean, freshly painted, and the carpets have been profess... 06/12/2008

We at Keller Williams Realty are proud that five such associates. Paige Anderson, North Mississippi; Tony Brodie, Dallas Preston Road; Ben Kinney, Bellingham (Wash.); Adam Watkins, Hattiesburg (Miss.); and Jessica Ye, Cambridge/Summerville  (Mass.) were selected as winners of REALTOR® Magazine's annual Top 30 Under 30.  They were chosen from more than 400 applicants nationwide, and Keller Williams had the highest number of agents in the top 30 - REMAX was 2nd with three agents in the top 30.  Congratulations to everyone who made it onto the list.  To succeed at any age in the Real Estate field is no small task; to do so well at such a young age is fantastic! http://www.timtanzhomes.com       06/03/2008

Wow!  What a weekend!  I closed my listing at 3881 McDonald Ave on Friday afternoon, and the sellers left town; then came home and packed for our holiday weekend camping trip.  Right before leaving, we received an offer for another one of my listings - it never fails - you plan to leave town for a few days, and then business picks up.  I'm not complaining, mind you; I was grateful.  It also helped that the owners of the listing were going camping with us, so they were readily available to negotiate.  We went back and forth verbally over the weekend with the buyers and got the offer accepted this evening.  Everyone was excited. We camped at the Perryville KOA.  Some friends were having a party at their lake house at Port Perry on Sunday, but didn't have room for everyone at the house.  S... 05/27/2008

Every year, RISMedia and REAL Trends release two of the real estate's most comprehensive surveys: the RISMedia Power Broker Report and the REAL Trends 500. Both surveys rank the largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on both transaction sides and sales-dollar volume, and these reports are frequently used as referral tools and are referenced by thousands. This year, Keller Williams stormed onto the lists with a very strong showing. KW offices dominated the Power Broker Report - with more offices listed in their top 700 list than any other franchise brand.  The survey also named Keller Williams Realty as the industry leader in terms of number of agent teams.  And, 102 KW offices were listed in the Companies to Watch section - making up 55% of the total list! As for t... 05/21/2008

I had a little time between appointments this afternoon, so we worked in the yard.  I wanted to get both fountains going and the bird bath set up.  The large fountain had been covered in plastic since last fall, and we kept the smaller fountain in the basement over the winter.  The bird bath was stored in the garage.  After we got the large fountain filled, we plugged in the pump.  The water just poured out the top of the fountain.  It looked nice and sounded great, but water was splashing out the sides of the fountain, and within minutes the water level had dropped significantly - there was just too much pressure.  We discovered we had used one of the pond pumps instead of the fountain pump.  So we switched them out and the fountain is now running as it should.    The smaller fountain ... 05/20/2008