As a listing agent I often get to give my 2-cents opinion on what to 'DO' with the over flow from cleaning a property to sell or from a re-model project.  I have a great place to share with my customers/clients. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Springfield, MO, accepts donations of new and used home improvement supplies, furniture and appliances. Great thing is that your donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE!  and.... Proceeds from the ReStore help build Habitat for Humanity homes locally. I don't want to sound like an add but when you find a group that is doing so much to help the community it is hard not to call a little attention to them. Open to the Public:  Mon-Sat  8:30am--5:00pm  2410 S. Scenic Ave, Springfield MO Give them a call @ 417-829-4001 to schedule a FREE Pick-Up on donations ... 12/01/2009

As REALTORS® in Springfield Missouri, we've seen and smelled just about everything. Lets face it. When you are trying to sell your home, people don't want to walk in the door and get hit in the face with unusual smells. At best it's distracting but at it's worst it will absolutely prevent anyone from seriously considering buying your home. Here are some common odors that can kill the deal. Pet smells. You may be used to the aroma from Kitty's litter box, but your buyers aren't. Make sure it's kept clean. Ammonia is not a pleasant smell. Smoke. If your home smells like an ashtray, people will label your home the "smoker's home" and probably won't come back. Mold. Mold is serious business. If people see or smell it, the party's over. Gas. No, not that kind of gas, propane or natural gas. ... 12/01/2009

Casa Grande Drive - North Valley Estates Open House - Springfield Mo Real Estate Here's a sneak preview of eight homes we will be marketing this week in North Valley Estates.  North Valley Estates is a newer subdivision on the northwest side of Springfield.  Prices will start from $105,000 - $115,000.  Open house will be in a few weeks, giving us time to spruce up these foreclosures.                        There will be a few 3 bedrooms, but the majority of them are 4 bedrooms.  Seven of the eight homes are ranch style homes.  One has a finished walkout basement. If you are planning to purchase a home in Springfield, take a look at these great homes.  Call and we will be happy to help you with your real estate needs. 11/29/2009

Have you ever wondered how safe your Springfield MO neighborhood is?  Are you moving to Springfield, MO, and wondering how safe a particular neighborhood is? The City of Springfield has a wonderful website where you can view crime reports for burglary, vandalism, rape, domestic violence, automobile accidents, etc.  You can access it at Crime Seen. Here is an example of the burglaries in a portion of South Springfield.  Simply zoom in on the map to the area of interest and check which crimes you'd like to search for. Search for Springfield MO Homes For Sale 11/29/2009

According to the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, bankruptcy filings are up 34% over last fiscal year.  To find out how your state ranks in bankruptcy filings, see the chart below provided by The Calculated Risk Blog. I was talking with a family member on Thanksgiving Day about how professions that you wouldn't think would be affected by the current economy are suffering.  It seems that nobody is safe anymore.  My response was, "The only occupations that are truly safe in a poor economy is funeral director and bankruptcy attorney." 11/28/2009

This is the fifth installment in a series to guide you through buying a home in the Springfield, MO, area.  If you missed the first four installments, I'm including the links here: Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part 1 - Getting PreApproved for a Loan Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part II - Selecting a Realtor Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part III - Choosing Your Area/Community Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part IV - Search For a Home Now...you're preapproved for a loan, you've selected your Realtor, you've chosen your area/community, and you've looked at homes...what's next?  Researching your home of interest. This is where working with the right Realtor is invaluable.  Your Realtor should be able to research your home of interest and... 11/28/2009

This is the fourth installment in a series to guide you through buying a home in the Springfield, MO, area.  If you missed the first three installments, I'm including the links here: Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part 1 - Getting PreApproved for a Loan Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part II - Selecting a Realtor Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part III - Choosing Your Area/Community Now...you're preapproved for a loan, you've selected your Realtor, and you've chosen your area/community...what's next?  LOOKING FOR HOMES! This is the fun part!  When searching for a home, it is important to tell your Realtor what your needs and wants are.  Many people these days prefer to search online themselves.  There are many excellent online resources for you.  My w... 11/28/2009

Welcome To Springfield Missouri - A Tour Down Memory Lane - Visiting Springfield Mo Real Estate My daughter and her family were here for Thanksgiving this week, so today we took a tour through Springfield to show her the many changes that have taken place since she moved away over 10 years ago.       We started at Springfield Lake capturing the beauty of the calm lake and the new subdivisions that surround it now.  Lexington Square was one of the many new subdivisions that have developed in the past few years.       We traveled up National Avenue, where we stopped to view Missouri State University and the new stadium.  My grandson is turning 16 soon and is beginning to look for a college he will be attending.  Near the university, we passed the John Q Hammons arena. Home of the Bears an... 11/28/2009

This is the third installment in a series to guide you through buying a home in the Springfield, MO, area.  If you missed the first two installments, I'm including the links here: Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part 1 - Getting PreApproved for a Loan Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part II - Selecting a Realtor Now, you're preapproved for a loan, and you've selected your Realtor...what's next?  Choosing Your Area/Community.  If you're new to the Springfield, MO, area, you're probably unfamiliar with the various communities and areas. I always recommend spending at least one day with your Realtor driving through the different areas.  Get a feel for the different communities in your chosen area.  Ask yourself some of the following questions: What is the housing mark... 11/28/2009

I met a REALTOR® recently at a home closing and really had to do a double take! Is this the right person? I've seen their picture on their business cards, Internet,  and advertising and I was really surprised how different they looked than their picture! It was almost like the pictures you see on late night infomercials.  Results not typical!   Don't these people realize that their clients notice this and have a chuckle behind their back? Face it, we all get older and get different hairstyles or maybe a little bald so it's important to update your picture every couple of years so people know who you are! You wouldn't want to be accused of false advertising! Are you looking for a REALTOR® in Springfield Missouri? We promise you will recognize us from our picture! 11/28/2009

If you want to buy Christmas cards and support a good cause at the same time, consider buying CASA Christmas Cards. CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates of SW Missouri is a non-profit orginazation that helps abused and neglected children in Springfield Missouri and the Ozarks. All the card designs are drawn by the children! Buy your cards here. 11/27/2009

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! John and I have so many things to be thankful this year. Here are just a few things that come to mind: We are thankful for God's blessings and our faith. Without this nothing else matters. We are thankful for our country, liberty, and our freedom. Even though our country is going through dark times right now, we have hope that we will return to our roots and the Constitution. We are thankful for our children, Andrew and Jacob and our extended family. We are thankful for our rambunctious dog, Bandit/ We are thankful for our marriage of 30 years! It seems like yesterday when we got married. We are thankful to be able to live here in the Ozarks, its such a wonderful place to call home. We are thankful for our colleagues in real estate, our clients, and friends... 11/26/2009

This is the second installment in a series to guide you through buying a home in the Springfield, MO, area.  I'm including a link to the first installment, Buying a Home in the Springfield MO Area - Part 1 - Getting PreApproved for a Loan.  In this post, we'll focus on selecting a Realtor.  I have been a Realtor helping families buy and sell homes in the Springfield, MO, area for 10 years now.  For the most part, Realtors in our area are very knowledgeable, hard-working, and ethical.  Like any profession, there are bad ones, but I personally feel that the majority of Realtors in our area are honest, hardworking agents who work well with each other, regardless of their company affiliation. Here are some tips for choosing the right Realtor for you: Is the Realtor full-time or part-time?  ... 11/25/2009

It sounds like such an ominous thing. BLACK FRIDAY;  it almost sounds like the latest scary movie or something. "Tommy Lee Jones in Black Friday, The Day Black Cats Attack!"  Actually it got its name because its the day that a lot of retail businesses make enough sales to "get in the black" for the whole year. Are you going to brave the crowds in Springfield this year? Is it worth it to get up at the wee hours of the morning, slurp down some coffee, fight for a parking spot, and go elbow to elbow with hundreds of other shoppers to find a bargain? Absolutely! You have to attack this with a plan. Get a newspaper, scope the ads, make a list, plan your route; its like a strategic mission! When you get to the store, parking can be a challenge. Grab the first place you see! Once inside, don'... 11/25/2009

The Greater Springfield Board of Realtors has lost over 1,000 members in the past three years.  When I became a member in the year 2000, there were just over 1,800 members of the Board of Realtors.  At the height of the market in 2005, the membership topped 3,000.    The Springfield Realtor Magazine came out online today and I noticed we now have 2,006 members.  Because revenue from membership dues has decreased, the Board of Realtors was forced to downsize in staff and increase dues in order to maintain a balanced budget. Our yearly dues are expected in January.  As with the past couple of years, I expect to see another major fallout in membership by February and March of 2010.  I think it's highly possible our membership will be down to the level of the year 2000. I have asked our Mem... 11/23/2009

Thinking of buying a home in the Springfield, MO, area?  There are many things to consider, and many steps to follow to ensure a smooth purchase. This is the first in a series of posts that will help guide you through the homebuying process. The first step in the process is to get preapproved for a loan. You need to know how much money you will be approved to spend on your new purchase, and what monthly payments you will be comfortable with.  Because the lending requirements and guidelines are changing on pretty much a daily basis recently, it is necessary to have a "fresh" preapproval.  Just because you were prequalified six months ago, doesn't mean you will qualify for the same loan today.   Here are a few tips to follow when searching for your loan: Know how much money you can spend:... 11/23/2009

A few weeks ago I came across a new way to invest and borrow money that I find absolutely fascinating. No, it's not Madoff's newest ponzi scheme or some guaranteed results program. It's called peer to peer lending, and after much litigation it was only very recently made legal under SEC laws, however, currently only residents of certain states can participate (see below). Social lending is not a new idea, can be traced back to 1750 BC by the ancient Babylonian King Hammurabi.  Since recording data to stone tablets is a bit outdated, now we use the power of the Internet to enable people like you and me to lend and borrow money at our own discretion.  The notion is simple, yet powerful -- both large and small banks should take notice. You down with O.P.M. (other people's money?) Currently... 11/22/2009

          Each year our Keller Williams Springfield Missouri Market Center has the privilege of finding creative and fun ways to help raise funds to support KW Cares!  This organization helps support people in local communities that are undergoing difficulties or are faced with a natural disaster.  This week we had our annual chili cook off/silent auction to benefit KW Cares and it was a great success! With the chili pots heated and desserts all lined up it was time for the competition to begin!  We had eight pots of chili and one pot of hot fudge chilly to choose from.  Each taste was supposed to cost a dollar and give you a vote.  However as in many elections, I think there was some voter funny business going on!  In the end we raised $1421.76 for KW Cares!  This year we also include... 11/21/2009

1. Check your credit report for accuracy. You can get one free credit report per year from each of the three credit bureaus- TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. After you received your report, check it for accuracy. Make sure your name and social security number are correct. Incorrect information happens all too often. Make sure your account hasn't been merged with someone with a similar name or social security number. You can get your free copy at  www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp  2. If you find errors, get them corrected.  If you do find something on your credit report that is incorrect, you need dispute the mistake by contacting the credit bureaus directly. The credit bureaus will have their dispute procedures on their website and they are also required by law to investigate... 11/17/2009

Going Green, Recycle Congress in 2010! 2010 are the mid-term elections. Are you happy with the job congress is doing? Do you want someone in office who represents you and actually reads the bills before voting on them? Its time to vote them all out of office, both sides of the aisle. Our country needs to return to smaller government and actually follow the constitution. 11/16/2009