Greater Des Moines Real Estate and Living Journal

I'm not a big fan of chain restaurants in general. So several years back when Cici's Pizza came to town it was no big deal for me. There were lots of ads announcing the opening and many mailers with coupons which I ignored. They were in town for about a year and a half before we tried it for the...

The sales figures for the first month of 2011 are in for Altoona, Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines, Indianola, Johnston, Pleasant Hill, Urbandale, Waukee, West Des Moines and surrounding areas and they give cause for optimism. Unit sales were ahead of last year which is no small feat considering last Ja...

This is the third in a series exploring the ins and outs of purchasing properties at a Sheriff's Sale or as they are sometimes called Forfeiture Auctions. Here are the first two: Central Iowa Sheriff Sale or Forfeiture Auction procedures and locations Should I buy a property at the County Sheriff...

Home warranties protect a property owner against repair and replacement costs for appliances and other home systems that may break down or need maintenance. Home warranties are insurance products and are regulated in Iowa by the Iowa Insurance Commission. By state law real estate agents are prohi...

You've placed an offer on a property, a very good offer, perhaps at full price or even over. You are confident that your agent will soon give you a congratulatory phone call happily telling you that you will be the next owner of said property. You agent does call back, only it is not the call you...

Sure is fun to be the early bird at Vail. February 12th. 7:55 am. A few others show up...8:00 am. By 8:15 am the secret is out, Vail is a blast in the morning! Time to grab a cup of hot coffee...... And hit the slopes!

Many are surprised at the answer to this question because the answer is "no."  Having gone through this several times, the most recent being this month, I am well aware how confusing this can be to the public. This issue seems to come up most often with foreclosed property that is listed under ma...

A question I'm often asked is whether or not a buyer interested in a property that is being foreclosed on should buy it at a Sheriff's sale or wait until it becomes an REO (Real Estate Owned by a bank or lender.)? There are some definite caveats to purchasing a property at a Sheriff's sale which ...

Iowa is a judicial foreclosure state and properties that are foreclosed on by banks and lien holders all go through a process whereby if the occupant does not relinquish their rights voluntarily through a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, the property will be sold at what's know as a Sheriff's sale or...

There are many benefits to working in our brokerage both tangible and intangible. We like to have fun and there are a lot of events to attend all year long. One regularly scheduled event that never fails to inspire, inform and entertain is the monthly breakfast meeting we have the second Tuesday ...