Real Estate Reality

White sandals It was cool and rainy as I readied for Easter services at church, but I put on a sleeveless dress (complete with bolero jacket) and my white sandals in spite of a so-far reluctant Spring. Every year, I wish that I had the style and the courage to wear an Easter hat. Maybe I will go ...

Four houses to look at... We last looked at property two days ago. The buyers wanted to see a few more houses before making their decision, so we made plans to continue the search today. Of the four houses the couple wanted to see today, two have now gone under contract, as has the one they were ...

What stays and what goes? (part 2) A sort of rule of thumb is that “if it can be unplugged, unhooked, or moved without tools, it may be personal property.” (NOTE: personal property does not have to be part of the sale). One of the goals of any contract is clarity. Sellers and buyers approach that...

What stays and what goes? (part 1) A sort of rule of thumb is that “if it can be unplugged, unhooked, or moved without tools, it is probably personal property.” Personal property goes in the packing boxes; it does NOT stay with the house when it is sold. If the item is, however, "affixed," it is ...

What is meant by "5 % premium applies" if a house is in an auction?  It means that five percent of the bid price will be added to the bid. In other words, if the buyer's bid is $100,000, the final bid amount is actually $105,000. The "premium" is added to the bid automatically, and it is non-nego...

What if the house has a serious flaw?  The new owner of one house with a dramatically cracked foundation worried, "I'm the talk of the town and not in a GOOD way. Am I getting off on the wrong foot in my new town?" Her fears were probably well-founded, because nearly everyone in the small, rural ...

 Don't be fooled by that little bit of snow we had today, Cape Girardeau. Spring is here, even if the weather is not acting the part consistently.The spring house hunt season has started. Open houses are attracting an increasing number of shoppers. The phones in real estate offices have started t...

"May I talk to your supervisor, please?" has an ominous sound to it, doesn't it? This weekend, my son made that request of the support specialist at my web hosting service. When the supervisor came on line, my son first asked if she knew to whom she was speaking. "Uh, yes, sir." "Will you be able...

Congratulations, April Creech, on passing the Missouri Real Estate Salesperson License test! April will be joining Riverbend Realty as soon as we get all of her paperwork completed and back from the state. April was licensed several years ago. She let her license expire when she took a position a...

April is Fair Housing Month. Now is the time to start planning educational activities. NAR has suggestions on how local boards and governmental entities can celebrate the month and provide public education on fair housing. NAR suggestions can be found HERE. Fair housing resources for associations...