" LITTLE WICHITA" IN The Ozarks As a transplant to Shell Knob from Indiana, I am fascinated by all the migrations we are blessed to observe in southwest Missouri - two legged, two winged, etc. Living on Table Rock Lake, spitting distance from Arkansas, we're on the cusp of the south - a dividing line.  Much as it was in the civil war, Missouri mixes both sides of the country.Twice a year, spring and fall, in Shell Knob, we entertain birds coming and going - hummingbirds, ducks, geese, seagulls, vultures, and eagles - to name just a few (there are more than 40 species of birds here).  In the winter, we have huge flocks of robins enjoying the cedar trees.  The Monarch Butterfly migration was a joy to behold in September and do the box turtles hibernate or migrate?  Not sure.  They comman... 01/04/2010

DOG LOVERS LOVE THE OZARKS Is there an increase in people owning pets, or is it  a sign of our times to bring  pets when house hunting in Shell Knob, Missouri? Most clients who bring their dogs when previewing Shell Knob's lake  homes & cabins  are traveling more than 100 miles to househunt.  Their pets are family members and they feel guilty about putting them in a kennel while they are gone.    Considerate about bringing dogs into our office, they usually relax when they see our Official Shell Knob Greeter -" Precious" - a Shih tzu.  After all - as one dog lover to another, how can you not bond?    Buyers soon understand they are in among friends, as all of our agents in the Shell Knob office of Tri-Lakes REALTORS are dog owners. We don't advertise this bonus to our house hunting serv... 01/03/2010

Home Prices Dropping in Shell Knob, MO Sales volume and home prices took a big hit in Shell Knob on Table Rock Lake in 2009.  Not strongly affected by foreclosures and short sales, as many metropolitan areas have been, trickle-down economics is now in play.   Shell Knob, MO is a very stable area with a large retiree population, but if prospective buyers cannot sell their current residence, they may not be  financially set to purchase their retirement Lake Home.The number of houses sold in this Table Rock  lake community went down by 25.76% this past year.  The average sales price also dropped by 24% from $167,000 to $145,483.  The highest home sold in Shell Knob in 2008 was closed at $650,00.  This last year - 2009 - the high sale was $335,000, a 48% drop.   CALL JOAN FOR ALL YOUR REAL ... 01/01/2010

Corps Policy Selling lake homes in Shell Knob, on Table Rock Lake, means a REALTOR needs to keep up to date on all things 'Lake'.  It is admittedly difficult to know everything, so I give my clients information on how to reach the source.  For Shell Knob and communities in the SW 'Quiet Side' of Table Rock Lake, I send them to the Army Corps of Engineers web site.   This site will guide them through the myriad rules and regulations for home building on the water front, dock or boat slip use, fishing, etc.  It is:  http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/tablerock/shoreline.htm Currently, the Corps is installing signs at marina docks to begin enforcing the commercial zone policy at district marinas.  The signs should all be completed by March 1, 2010. This 2007 Corps policy, in the interest ... 12/25/2009

What is there to do in Shell Knob, Mo? As a REALTOR in Shell Knob, I am frequently asked what the Shell Knob community has to offer new residents.  This is not a frivolous question,  the Ozarks are  unique and might not suit everyone.  Shell Knob IS unique.   I know - everyone says that about their town, but you see, Shell Knob IS different - it isn't really a town or city.  We have no legal standing, other than our Post Office and Chamber of Commerce.  We are actually an area on the western portion of Table Rock Lake.  There is no Town Hall.  We have no Mayor or other Shell Knob government.  Most of the Shell Knob area sits in Barry County, but there is also a portion of Stone County.  Each county has County Commissioners, but I digress.  Most people move here for the lake activities, ... 12/24/2009

What are your thoughts when you think of 'Transition Ownership'? I heard this phrase recently and  thought it was rather strange- after all, aren't all properties that are for sale hoping to be in 'Transition Ownership'?  Wanting to be sold and going from a current owner to a new owner or buyer?  They sure are here in Shell Knob, Missouri. On the other hand, when I checked Webster's, some of the synonyms gave me pause.  They included: Transport; Transplant; and Shifting - indiscernible. There does seem to have been alot of 'Shifting - Indiscernible'  taking place in Shell Knob.  Looking back on 2009, it has been a record year for Offers To Purchase transitioning into the waste basket.  2009 seems to have had a high amount of 'Shifting - Indiscernible' for sellers.  Houses have had innum... 12/24/2009

    Bold leadership seems to be  rare these days, but I am grateful to work for a broker with a positive outlook on life and business. So we're in a recession - right?  Real Estate Sales are down - right?  Commissions have shrunk - right?  Some agents are finding supplemental income - right?  So what Broker in their right mind would choose to move into beautiful new, larger offices and expand their agency? Tri-Lakes,REALTORS!    Shell Knob Bridgeway Plaza Office                                                                                      Reception Area                                                             Tri-Lakes, REALTORS relocated  the Shell Knob, MO office this past week.  Tri-Lakes has four offices surrounding Table Rock Lake and plays a strong role in market share ... 11/14/2009

Thought I was seeing things recently when I pulled up to a local stop in Shell Knob, MO and the actual "STOP" sign looked smaller! We know the recession and subsequent belt-tightening has affected all aspects of spending,  including state and county road departments, with tax dollars getting scarce. The transportation department, Mo-Dot in Missouri, I found  has the authority to decide what size sign a corner warrants. On lesser driven roads, which we have many of in the Ozarks, they can place a "low volumn" road sign!  The signs may be 24", 30" or 36" wide. Remember when you were a teen and it was cool to 'liberate' a road sign to decorate the wall of your bedroom?  The current trend  here in the Ozarks  is to use roadsigns for target practice - both  shotgun and paintball .  The MODOT... 11/02/2009

  How do you counsel sellers in today's stagnant market?  They've done everything HGTV suggests to make their home appealing to the drive-bys.  They have cleaned or replaced worn carpeting, painted purple walls  shades, put cookies in the oven, turned on the lights and disappeared for showings.  Yet still no offers in Shell Knob, MO. Worse yet, after 6 or 7 months on the market, and all the big ads in Homes Magazines, personal web pages, etc ..ZERO SHOWINGS!..........ZERO SHOWINGS! In our SW Missouri area our MLS has 1,712 single family homes for sale.  Of that number, there are 457 properties priced over $300,000. I have shown a few homes this Fall over $300,000, but my buyers stayed under that number when they purchased. What do you say to the $598,000 seller?  Cut the price in half t... 11/01/2009

  The Housing Market continues to inch along in our portion of the Ozarks -  Shell Knob, MO -  leaving many real estate agents looking for supplemental income. Here in Shell Knob, MO, we repeated our previous month's sales, for a total of 3 homes sold each month.  The average sales price was down to $75,633 in October.  There were also 6 pieces of land sold for an average sale price of $23,500.Shell Knob is a recreational or lake oriented community, attracting many second home clients and retirement or families looking to retire. It is known as the quiet end of the lake.  This is our normal start of 'Off' Season, but not normally 34% off.My broker, Tri-Lakes Realtors, has four offices surrounding Table Rock Lake, and we continue to hold our position of Number One company in our MLS Boa... 11/01/2009

This week I came across a term that was new to me -'Women Centric' - this was in an article about New Homes, and New Home construction. Had to wonder just what this was about. It had been my experience selling properties in Shell Knob, MO, and statistics confirm, that more than 90% of home sales decisions were made by women. Wouldn't that make it a woman centered sale?   When showing a property in Shell Knob, don't I always point out the benefits of a great kitchen, convenient utility room, sunny breakfast nook? Aren't these areas women centered?   Turns out I was only partially right.    About 10 years ago a woman in Hartland, WI, Terri Goetz, tried to buy a house. She found only model homes that had been designed by men and were cookie cutters None met her requirements. After surveyin... 10/02/2009

We turned another page over on the calendar.  It's time to check our sales numbers for September 2009. September was  down to minus 62% from this same time last year.  There were 3 sales closed this year in Shell Knob, versus the 8 sales closed in September 2008. Average sale price for those 3 sales was $174,000.  It took  about 245 days on the market to sell those homes. But.... the evening news reported an increase in housing sales nationally. Year- to- date, we have 37 properties closed.  2008 for the first 9 months reported 56 sales.  That makes Shell Knob down by -33.93%. These continued low numbers do not reflect  reports being given on the major communication outlets, because we are a retirement and second home market.  We rarely get the First Time Home Buyers, where incentives a... 10/01/2009

Tell Me About Your Dream Lake Home.Visiting Shell Knob this summer has led to thoughts of having a summer/retirement house on Table Rock Lake.You liked the clean, clear waters of Table Rock, plus the gently rolling hills along the shoreline.  The lake didn't feel too busy or overly crowded.  There are definite possibilities here. The first thing to determine is what kind of lakefront do you want?   There are actually three kinds of lots that qualify as 'Waterfront'.  The first would be what many think of as 'Waterfront'.  You walk-down to the water on an almost flat surface, or gentle to the water walk.   The second type of 'Waterfront' in Shell Knob, would be a steeper incline, but one that can  get you down to the water.  Walking back up is often a good cardio workout.                ... 09/29/2009

How do you feel about herding cats?If you've ever been a cat owner, you know that herding cats is about impossible.  Unlike our faithful canine companions, even here in Shell Knob, MO, felines do not train well.  They  don't come when called (unless it is chow time).  They don't  sit or stay on command.  They are independent creatures.  I loved that commercial last spring where it showed  cowboys herding hundreds of cats!  Sure they did!   The Herding Cats premise, is about the same as trying to show houses to more than one couple at a time.  I don't recall ever selling a house to a couple when they show up with friends or family,The last time this occurred to me, there were 5 adults.  I had previously worked with one of them, but knew he was scouting   for a lake house that two familie... 09/26/2009

It was  a surprise to see the sign on the newest restaurant in Shell Knob - "On The Bayou". Bayou to me, means Louisanna and Cajun, so how can that possibly be in the 'Ozarks'?  Of course I had to go in and inquire of the new owners, William and Jennifer Robinson.   As I was getting the low- down from Jennifer, a patron paid her bill - rolled her eyes, and announced that the Bayou Bread Pudding with Whiskey sauce was "absolutely sinful"!  That comment went right along with one from a cohort in my office, an expert on all food Cajun - who reported that the Crawfish Po'Boy was more than acceptable for Shell Knob! Jennifer assured me that their offerings of all things Cajun or Creole were not HOT seasoned, but of the traditional, delicate flavor.  The daily specials include Jambalaya, Etou... 09/26/2009

One of  Shell Knob's best kept secrets, due to it's out of the way location, is a favorite spot I enjoy taking clients.  It's called Icy Mae's - don't ask me why - the owners are Mike and Vickie Mertens.  Icy Mae's is located on the third floor of the main building in Timberock Village, and serves some of the best food available in the Ozarks.   Most of Shell Knob is laid back casual..... no dress code - after all, this IS the Ozarks, right?  So this restaurant sits over the dental, attorney and a home health care offices.  Once inside, first time diners  look surprised at the pleasant decor and great views of Table Rock Lake from a wall of windows.Their eyes widen seeing the menu offers much more than burgers and fries, which makes decisions on ordering extremely difficult.Mike opens a... 09/25/2009

Dangerous Hogs It is open season 12 months a year in Missouri on feral hogs.  Hunters are urged to shoot and kill them on sight.   There have always been feral hogs, but they were kept under control by normal hunting until the 1990's when they were sought as sport.  European or Russian boar were introduced and they have mixed with the domestic hogs. It is not unusual to see a 300 or 400 pound boar, with some reaching records of 600 pounds!These hogs do damage agriculturally as they root  for food.  They are not particular about what they eat and consume acorns - which deer and other small animals need.  They are prolific breeders and the population has grown rapidly.  The Ozark hills provide them with a comfortable habitat.Shooting, trapping and baiting are encouraged by the conservatio... 09/24/2009

Not too long after becoming a Shell Knob/Table Rock Lake resident, I smelled something different in the air.   It was neither a pleasant or unpleasant smell - just  'different'.  I mentioned it to my husband, and he gave me the usual rolling of his eyes.  I then had to ask a neighbor about that strange smell in the air, and was told it was just Table Rock Lake turning over???   The lake turning over?  Like sure - that makes alot of sense.  The same as turning over in bed?  Come on.... wouldn't I have heard something if this huge body of water had actually turned over?  Don't they send out alerts or something?  Sounds dangerous.  I've lived on lakes before, but had never heard of one 'Turning Over'.Google didn't exist and there wasn't much of what we now call internet, when I first exper... 09/19/2009

Most of the hummingbirds have done their Fall migration, so it must be time for Table Rock Lakes' Fall Bass tournaments to start in Shell Knob.   A Shell Knob Fall tradition is the Annual Homer Sloan Buddy Bass Tournament.  It will be held on Table Rock Lake on Saturday October 4th.The Buddy Bass Tournament can be entered any time up to the take-off time of 7:30 a.m. on 10/4.  Campbell Point and Kings River Marinas are both take-off points.  Weigh-in is at Campbell point only at 4 p.m.Six bass is the total allowed for weigh-in by a two person boat.  Cash prizes for the heaviest total weights and the largest individual bass will be given.A full dinner will be served to entrants, following the weigh-in, at the Shell Knob CCC Camp.Check out the shellknob.com/events.htm web site for rules a... 09/19/2009

August sales for Shell Knob, Missouri crept up from the previous month.  They went from 5 sales to a whopping 8 homes closing! Forgive my light approach here, but after the two years of this challenging housing market, you've got to either laugh or cry. We have  year to date total sales of 34.  Yes - 34 homes sold in the first 8 months of 2009! SURVIVE - THRIVEHow can 15 agents ( by my loose count) survive economically? Granted, we've sold  some  properties out of Shell Knob's area, and most likely some  out-of-the-area agents have sold residences in Shell Knob.  48 houses had been sold in the first 8 months of 2008. August was down only -29% from the same period last Month.  And I say only because the statistic was -41% last month. SELLER'S BLINDERS You bring out charts and comparable... 09/02/2009