The 15th Annual Turkey Trot will attract thousands of runners in Springfield Missouri on Thanksgiving Day! Its the largest race in Southwest Missouri and the largest Thanksgiving Day race in MO. The annual event benefits the Developmental Center of the Ozarks (DCO) and the Springfield-Greene County Park Board Scholarship Fund. Again this year runners are asked to bring three canned food items for Ozarks Food Harvest. Last year's race included over 5,000 runners from across the US.  Regal Beloit, Empire Bank, and O'Reilly Auto Parts are presenting sponsors of this year's Trot. Official timing for each registered runner will be provided through UltraMax.  RACE DETAILS: Time/Date:  8 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 26 Registration is now open at  www.parkboard.org  $20 - Registrations before Friday, ... 10/23/2009

I'm losing a short sale listing to foreclosure.  I have listed a nice home for sale in Springfield, MO as a short sale and have done everything I can to get it sold prior to the foreclosure date.  I have had a wonderful seller to work with who has been cooperative and helpful.  We have not received an offer on this home and so it is going to be foreclosed on TOMORROW.  I have had success with short sales in the Springfield MO area in the past and this is the first one I am losing to foreclosure -Disappointing!  The hardest part about seeing this home go to foreclosure is that when you work with a seller on a short sale, you really get to know them well, in a very difficult situation.  In my past life, I was a social worker and my job was to assist in solving problems for my clients.  I... 10/22/2009

The City of Springfield Missouri is taking bids now through November 5, 2009 for 34 of 64 surplus parcels of land. This might be your opportunity to find a good deal on a property in Springfield. Before making a bid on any properties, make sure to do your due diligence and research the requirements and special conditions related to the property. For interested buyers, you can check out the City of Springfield website for more information and complete bid document. The site also includes an interactive map and list of the properties. 10/22/2009

Congress is considering proposals to greatly expand the soon-to-expire $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers - potentially applying it to almost all home buyers. Supporters say doing so would further boost home sales, stabilize housing prices and generate jobs. The credit now can be claimed by anyone buying a home who has not owned one for three years and who closes the deal by Nov. 30. Beyond extending that deadline, some lawmakers want to make the credit available to all homebuyers who meet income eligibility requirements. And some want to increase the amount of the credit from $8,000 to $15,000. Currently the first-time home buyer credit is available in full to those buying their primary residence who make $75,000 or less ($150,000 for joint filers). A partial credit is avail... 10/21/2009

Here are ten great reasons to move to Springfield Missouri! 10. Recreation.  There are many beautiful lakes, rivers, and trails  within a few minutes drive. If you're an outdoors type of person you'll really enjoy the area.  9. You get more home for your money.  If you're used to a postage stamp size lot and an expensive home, you're in for a treat. A $200,000 home here would sell for much more in most other parts of the country. 8. Great schools. We have a good ratio of student to teacher and strong acedimic programs. There are many fine universities in the area. 7.  Friendly people.  Folks are friendly in the Ozarks and always willing to help out a neighbor. 6. Diverse job opportunities. There are a lot of job opportunities in the area in tourism, manufacturing, medical, sales, and s... 10/19/2009

Sarah Palin will speak on patriotism, citizenship and civic engagement at College of the Ozarks December 2, at 7 p.m. at the Keeter Gymnasium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Call (417) 690-2240 for tickets. Tickets are limited, and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. We saw her speak during the election and she is an awesome speaker. Nothing like the character the media paints. 10/19/2009

Here is a look at Springfield MO homes sales over the past 4 years.  I wanted to see how much the Springfield, Missouri, real estate market has truly declined since the last boom year of 2005.  This chart is reflective only of the total number of home sales, regardless of price, since 2005.   Overall, you can see that our market is down an average of 45% as it relates to the number of homes sold.  I wanted to see how the average sales price has fared over the past 4 years.  I was surprised to see there has been very little fluctuation in the average sales price.   While at the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors office the other day, I was speaking with the member coordinator.  I mentioned that when I obtained my real estate license in 2000, there were approximately 1,800 members of t... 10/18/2009

I had a lot of work to do but I made time to attend the Get Motivated Seminar yesterday at the JQH Arena in Springfield Missouri.  The parking was crazy and nudging my way through the crowd of more than 8,000 people was challenging but I finally found a seat and I was there!  I was amazed to see how many people needed to be motivated!  I was also amazed at how excited people were to be at a Zig Ziglar seminar!  He is a great motivational speaker and has many years of knowledge and experiences that makes him one of the most sought after speakers in the country.  Gen. Colin Powell was rather comical in his speech regarding Take Charge Leadership.  He discussed his age and the challenges he faces with facebook, twitter and texting.  This was a side of him I hadn’t seen before.  He spoke s... 10/16/2009

The Rutledge-Wilson Farm, 3825 W. Farm Road 146 Springfield Missouri, kicks-off the fall season with unique events and activities, including a 10-acre corn maze shaped into a scarecrow.             This is the Farm’s second year for a corn maze, which also will open the same weekend and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31. The 10-acre corn maze was designed into the shape of a scarecrow and offers two levels of difficulty, youth/adult and toddler/parent, both with separate non-connecting entrances and exits.         After Harvest Fest weekend, the corn maze will then be open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through October. Hours are: Fridays, 5 – 10 p.m.; Saturdays & Sundays, Noon – 10 p.m. (last entrances at 9 p.m. each night). Admission to the maze is $5, 12 years and older; $3.50, 5 – ... 10/15/2009

October 22-31 • 6:30-9 p.m. visit the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield Missouri for the Spooktacular! This annual event is great for kids of all ages. Hundreds of jack-o-lanterns, hand-carved by Springfield-area school children, will light part of the path of the 26th annual event. Children age 12 and younger can trick or treat at 10 treat stations throughout the zoo. They can find their way through "The Maze," enjoy the carnival game tent, inflatable bounce, bone dig and carnival ride. After dark train rides are also available. 10/14/2009

The 3rd Annual Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fitness Festival in Springfield Missouri is Oct 17th through Nov 1.  This three weekend event includes competitive and fun running/walking events, trail runs, canoe/kayak races, fitness and health fair, a corporate wellness conference, youth and kid’s activities, outdoor education classes, and celebrity appearances. See you there! 10/14/2009

  SPRINGFIELD MO REAL ESTATE MARKET REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2009 Three Year Comparison of Home Sales in Springfield MO   Three Month Comparison of Home Sales in Springfield MO     Inventory Report for Homes in Springfield MO     Homes for Sale in Springfield, MO: Total Active Listings: 1,685 homes Under Contract:  410 pending sales Total Sold Listings for September: 241 sales Springfield MO Sales Price Information Average Sales Price: $123,866 Sale Price to List Price Ratio: 98.48% Days on Market (for Sold homes) Average Days on Market: 68 days   Springfield MO Market Report for August 2009 Springfield MO Market Report for July 2009 10/11/2009

  THIS IS FOR THE ENTIRE GREATER SPRINGFIELD BOARD OF REALTORS           Homes for Sale in Springfield, MO: Total Active Listings: 4,732 homes Under Contract:  949 pending sales Total Sold Listings for September: 551 sales Springfield MO Sales Price Information Average Sales Price: $125,060 Sale Price to List Price Ratio: 98.67% Days on Market (for Sold homes) Average Days on Market: 76 days 10/05/2009

Its that time of year again; time for young and old alike to pick up the black walnuts in Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, and surrounding areas of the Ozarks. I remember growing up on a farm and my brothers and sisters would spend hours picking up the walnuts and selling them for cash to spend on Christmas presents. Our hands would be stained for weeks but it was hard honest work. If you want to sell your walnuts, Hammons Products Company will pay you $9 per 100 pounds (after hulling!) Watch out for those squirrels! 10/03/2009

I turned 40 today.  Yep - the "BIG 4-0."  It really doesn't bother me.  I subscribe to the theory that 40 is the new 30.  My boyfriend took me shopping for new clothes for my birthday.  As we walked into Macy's I was struck by a "deja vu" moment.  I can remember standing in that EXACT spot, staring at the EXACT clothes, EXACTLY 20 years ago.  Of course, back then it was Famous Barr, now it's Macy's.  I had a flashback to my senior picture where I was wearing stirrup pants and a large sweater that swallowed me.  Staring at the clothes racks now....same thing.  Only now we call them leggings, but the same oversized sweaters are still there.    Something else struck me.  EXACTLY 20 years ago, we were going through the S&L crisis.  In 1989, I didn't pay much attention to the S&L crisis.  I ... 10/01/2009

The ADP Employment report was released today showing that private employers shed 254,000 jobs in September, worse than the -200,000 that was expected. The decline was the smallest since July of 2008, but still a troublesome number.There are 150 million people in the workforce, and that number grows by about 1.5 million people per year - due to population growth. To keep pace with that, the US needs to create about 125,000 jobs a month. So, a loss of 200,000 jobs is actually means we are falling 325,000 jobs behind for just one month...which is enormous.Now consider that nearly 10% of the work force is unemployed - that's 15 million people - a huge number of folks who are without jobs. If you haven't looked for work in four weeks, you are removed from the ranks of "officially unemployed"... 10/01/2009

The Federal Reserve Board has spoken by issuing a statement after their most recent meeting. From a market perspective, they said nothing. Rates will stay the same. The economy is improving from the severe downturn, but consumer consumption is restrained. This will make the recovery weak. We knew all of this going into the meeting. So, the question is, what does this mean to the markets? In reality, the markets hate surprises, so when the Fed does not give us any surprises, this is a good thing. This is true even when the news is bad. In this case the news was neutral.If we look a bit deeper, we see that the Fed is moving into a balancing act stage. They must start to remove the stimulus from the equation before things get out of hand. But the economy and psyche of the markets is not st... 09/30/2009

Springfield MO Real Estate For Sale Why are there so many homes for sale in Springfield, MO?  I get asked that question a lot.  My first thought is always, "Do we have a higher percentage of homes for sale than other areas?"  Personally, I don't think so.  The Springfield real estate market is somewhat insulated from the extremes other parts of the country experience.  Property values did not decline as much as California, Las Vegas or Florida.  Springfield also did not feel the housing market crash as quickly as parts of the country.  Much of our market was supported by families who relocated from the East and West Coasts.  When those families began having difficulty selling their homes, our market began to feel the decline in the market. The flip side of this is Springfield may be slo... 09/28/2009

This week a wonderful thing happened at our Keller Williams Realty office in Springfield Missouri. I’m sure by now you have heard stories about the culture of Keller Williams and how each agent works to a higher standard. Each KW agent works hard to make sure each transaction is a win-win. Here is a incredible example of what Keller Williams agents do when faced with a challenge.     This past week we had the privilege to witness this awesome culture in action at our office.   Two of our agents closed a deal together.  The closing went smoothly and everything was great until the seller became very ill.  With the seller being very ill, moving trucks loaded, and the sale completed they didn’t know what they were going to do.  The Seller turned to her agent and asked “Do you think we coul... 09/27/2009

09/27/2009