Springtime is here and it's time once again for Bass Pro Shops to hold it's annual Spring Fishing Classic.  This two day event will be chocked full of fun for the whole family. Springfield is the home of Bass Pro Shops.  There's still time to attend. The Ozark's is filled with great lakes for fishing.  Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals and Tablerock Lake are within 30 minutes of Springfield.     Fishing isn't the only recreation around the lakes.  Wonderful winding roads for motorcycle riding, biking trails, water skiing,  trail riding and more.                Since the weather here is rather dreary today, stop by Bass Pro Shops and enjoy your weekend. Springfield MLS Search 03/20/2010

Sprngfield MO Foreclosure Properties - Sign Up To Receive Automatic Email Updates Click the picture above to sign up to receive email alerts of foreclosure properties in Springfield MO, Ozark, and Nixa! We can set you up to automatically receive new listings as soon as they hit the market. You can choose from price range, location, bedrooms, and any other features you want. This is a great way to find a bargain on a home. Please include as much information as you can so we can help! 03/17/2010

Springfield Missouri Short Sale FAQs What is a Short Sale?   A Short Sale is when a lender accepts a discount on a mortgage to pay off a loan to avoid a possible foreclosure auction or bankruptcy. While the property is still being purchased, the Lender's approval of the contract and terms becomes necessary as they must approve the discounted pay off. For example: A homeowner, who is facing foreclosure, has an existing first mortgage of $250,000. The Buyer writes an offer for $200,000, which is accepted as full payment for the loan. This is a SHORT SALE. It is best to do a short sale when the property is in the pre-foreclosure stage because the banks do not like excess inventory and bad loans on their books. What Happens to the Seller's Credit Rating when they Allow an Investor to Short... 03/15/2010

  Don't Believe The Myth Of Go For The Low Hanging Fruit! Admit it. You paid good money to listen to some business guru give you tips on increasing your business. Among other things he told you to "go for the low hanging fruit" which implies making changes that have the lowest implementation cost and the greatest impact. In other words pick the easy obvious tasks first. This sounds good on paper, but does it really work? The danger is we can spend everyday doing tasks that are easy or urgent and never get around to doing what really matters. Maybe the low hanging fruit is rotten and about to fall off the tree or maybe it isn't ripe yet and we need to reach higher! Striving for excellence is very important. We need to aim high, not aim low. Olympians may be thrilled to win a bronze meda... 03/14/2010

Things To Do In Springfield Missouri - Sac River Bike Trail This 300-acre Springfield City Park offers over 8 miles of interconnecting single-track that winds through the woods in northwest Springfield. Designed and built by volunteers in June 1996, this trail is very popular with mountain bikers ranging from beginner to advanced skill levels. Parking is available at the trail head located off Highway 13, three miles north of I-44. Watch for the brown highway sign marking the westbound turn-off. The trail head is located just around the bend on the north side of this unnamed road. This is also a great place to hike and enjoy the scenery! 03/13/2010

Springfield Missouri, Its Shrine Circus Time! Don't miss the Clowns, Elephants, Lions, Tigers, and Acrobats and more! This will be fun for all ages! Dates and Times: Friday, March 12 @ 4:30 PM, 7:30 PMSaturday, March 13 @ 11:00 AM, 3:30 PM, 7:30 PMSunday, March 14 @ 11:30 AM, 3:00 PM, 6:30 PMFriday, March 19 @ 4:30 PM, 7:30 PMSaturday, March 20 @ 11:00 AM, 3:30 PM, 7:30 PMSunday, March 21 @ 11:30 AM, 3:00 PM For more information go to The Shrine Mosque 03/12/2010

Don't miss this Springfield Missouri Community Event - Horsefest At The Ozark Empire Fairgrounds! March 12, 13, & 14 is Horsefest 2010.  Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m each day of the event. Events include:•Youth Horse Judging Clinic Friday morning with NE Oklahoma A&M Equine Judging Coach Shannon Cunningham.•Cowboy Mounted Shooting on Saturday and Sunday.•Ultimate Horsemen's Challenge, competitive obstacle course clinic on Friday and competition on Saturday.•Live horse displays every day of Horsefest in the livestock barns.•Trade show featuring over 300 booths focused on the horse and horse owner, every day.•Cowboy church service with cowboy Christian music for anyone who wants to attend Sunday morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Exhibit halls will open following the church service at 10 a.m... 03/10/2010

Springfield MO Home Sellers, Check Out These Home Listing Tips Before Listing Your Home!  First impressions Are Critical. Sales have been blown by unkempt lawns, cluttered closets, unpainted front doors, hard-to-work locks, blown light bulbs, bad colors, stains, unlit areas and foul smells. Spend time on the little things. Double up on your garden­ing. Keep things cleaner than usual. Take serious control of your pets during this time period.  Make The Right Kind Of Repairs. Before making improvements prior to listing, consult a real estate professional. Some upgrades will not yield any real increase in value, while others may increase property value substantially. Ask for low cost solutions to minor repairs that will yield the best profits. Make Your Property Accessible to Buyers. Lock... 03/09/2010

Springfield Missouri Homeowners Are You Considering a Short Sale?  If you are concerned about keeping up the payments on your home and are afraid of foreclosure, a short sale may be a better option. Here is a overview of the process. By definition, if you sell real estate for less than is owed, (upside down on the loan) this is considered a short sale. This calculation includes loans against the property, closing costs, interest, and fee to sell the property. A qualified REALTOR® can verify the value of your property for you. Contact your lender(s) and explain to them your situation. They may require a hardship letter and copies of your bills/income showing you can not keep up on your payments.  Talk to a supervisor or manager if possible; this person will have more authority. Ask the ... 03/08/2010

Springfield Missouri Real Estate Market Statistics Feb 2010 Absorption rates give a good idea of the supply and demand of homes by price range and neighborhood. The best selling price range for February was $50,000 to $99,000. This is also the price range with the most current listings. Real estate absorption rates in Springfield continue to vary widely by price range. Values above 26 weeks supply indicate a buyers market while below 26 weeks indicate a sellers market. If you would like to know what the rate is in your neighborhood or specific price range give us a call today! Springfield Missouri Real Estate     03/02/2010

Are you looking for short sale properties in Springfield MO? Maybe you think now is a great time to find a bargain? Before you make an offer, it pays to know a little about the seller's situation. By definition If a home is being sold for below what the current seller owes on the property—and the seller does not have other funds to make up the difference at closing—the sale is considered a short sale. Many more home owners are finding themselves in this situation due to a number of factors, including job losses, aggressive borrowing against their home in the days of easy credit, and declining home values in a slower real estate market.  A short sale is different from a foreclosure, which is when the seller's lender has taken title of the home and is selling it directly. Homeowners ofte... 03/01/2010

TeamKnowles From Springfield Missouri, Our Keller Williams Family Reunion Experience Part 2! Who says REALTORS don't know how to have fun? Keller Williams Red Bash was a first class event during the Keller Williams Family Reunion in New Orleans! There was talent from agents from across the country plus great professionals. Gary Keller got out his guitar and gave us a treat as well! Here is a video of the Red Bash from Sunday night. Not your ordinary real estate convention!  Stay tuned for much, much more to follow about our team from Springfield's visit to New Orleans.   02/27/2010

J.T. Thomas | American Horizon Real Estate | 417.619.5638 W. Hovey St., Springfield, MO This cute home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, there is a 1 car attached garage. Great, affordable home for a family. This home qualifies for FHA fina 3BR/2BA Single Family House offered at $42,000 Year Built 1994 Sq Footage 1,059 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 0 partial Floors 1 Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 0.161 acres HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This cute home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, there is a 1 car attached garage. Great, affordable home for a family. This home qualifies for FHA financing. This property is being sold as/is, where/is, with all faults. Neither the seller, nor the sellers agents make any representation to the accuracy of this information. Buyers and buyers agents do o... 02/26/2010

Active Rain Booth Rocks At Keller Williams Family Reunion! We just got home to the Ozarks from the terrific Keller Williams Family Reunion. I got to meet Bob Stewart in person and pick his brain to get some good AR advice! Thanks Bob! I even snagged a great Active Rain shirt! They also put on a very nice presentation about Google SEO. There was standing room only and a lot of great information. Here's a picture of their booth. You can't tell it from a distance, but if you walk up close the whole wall is covered with little pictures of AR members. Its used to make the AR logo and the whole wall. Too cool! 02/25/2010

TeamKnowles From Springfield Missouri, Our Keller Williams Family Reunion Experience Part 1!  We just finished the Keller Williams Family Reunion in New Orleans! It was my first time to attend and Betty's third time. What an awesome event! Family Reunion is a convention of over 8,500 agents for state of the art training, vision, and inspiration. That's a good percentage of the 77,000 agents in KW. Its called family reunion because of the close-knit family of agents and the culture. I had heard of it but hadn't had the opportunity to be there first hand before. Its really amazing. We plan to share with you some of what we learned and about the Keller Williams Culture over the next several days. It may take several days because it was such a huge happening! Here is a video of the opening... 02/24/2010

Do You Want To Sell A Home In Springfield Missouri?  Your home will have a LOT of competition out there. In order to compete you have to win on all fronts. Your home has to stand out on price and condition. 1. Condition. Make any necessary repairs before listing. Replace that broken doorknob and that burned out light bulb. Fresh paint and carpet can work wonders. Repaint those purple, pink, or other colored walls with neutral colors. Re-grout tile in the bath and caulk windows if needed. You get the idea. 2. Clean. Not just your normal cleaning routine; a deep down top to bottom cleaning. Have the carpets professionally cleaned. Clean everything you can think of! 3. De-Clutter. Clear off the kitchen countertops. Take those magnets off the refrigerator. If you aren’t using it, put it awa... 02/21/2010

Join with thousands of other Missouri residents and sign our pledge today to help mobilize friends and colleagues in support of a ballot initiative in 2010 to protect your property from a real estate transfer tax. With big state and local government deficits caused by wasteful spending, politicians are looking for new revenue sources. Enough is enough when it comes to taxes. We already pay sales taxes, income taxes, personal property taxes, and many other taxes and fees. We need to keep Missouri free from additional tax burdens, especially those that unfairly target homeowners. Real estate transfer taxes are happening in other states, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Arkansas. We need to make sure they do not happen in Missouri.Transfer or sales taxes on real estate in other states... 02/15/2010

Springfield Missouri Home Buyers Use These Tips To Improve Your Credit ScoreYour credit score and your total income and debt are big contributing factors in determining whether you’ll qualify for a mortgage and what your loan terms will be. You can help boost your credit score by following these tips:First get a free copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com and check for errors. If you find any mistakes, get them corrected. Pay down your credit card balances. Start with the cards with the highest interest rates. If possible, pay off the entire card balance every month. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.Don't buy new furniture or big ticket items for your new home before your home closes. It can change your credit score. Its also best not to open any new cr... 02/15/2010

Sell Low and Buy Low! A Great Strategy to Get A Good Deal On Springfield MO Real Estate! We talk to people everyday who ask "how's the real estate market?" They want to sell but are fearful of the market. However, when we explain the opportunities out there the light bulb goes off! Now is the perfect time to get a great deal on Springfield real estate by selling low and buying low! Yes you read that right, sell low! Okay I know nobody wants to sell for less than they paid. It doesn't make sense. Or does it? Think about it. Because all property values are down, the loss on the property a home owner sells is really only a paper loss because the next property he buys will also be a bargain. If you buy smartly, when prices come back up in a few years, you'll be in better shape. In the mean... 02/14/2010

Happy Valentines Day from TeamKnowles REALTORS® Springfield Missouri! Make sure to spend time with your sweetie today. Diamonds are a girl's best friend but flowers and candy are always nice too!  If you are really feeling romantic a weekend get-a-way to a bed and breakfast or cabin at the lake is fun too!   02/13/2010