Has your home sat on the market for months and months when trying to sell in the past? Too often this is a reality too many homeowners find themselves dealing with. Working with an Agent or trying to sell on your own, here is a list of the top four key reasons why your home did not sell as fast you may have liked to!

1.  Ineffective marketing plan. When we list your home our reputations are on the line. Hard work and the power of today’s technology are proven methods of getting a property SOLD. We don’t just put a sign in the yard and wave as we drive off!
2. Poor communication. Teamwork between the seller and their agent is key and cannot be overstated. Are you a team of one? Does your agent take time to communicate as often and effectively with you as you would expect?
3. Condition of your Home. Have you made your house someone else’s dream? Do cash allowances work in a sale or is there a better way? We will advise you as to the best approach.
4. Your home was not accurately priced. We will research and conduct a Comparative Market Analysis for you. The facts in our report will pinpoint the fair market value of what your home should sell for.

If you are considering re-listing with the same agent ask yourself, “What will they do different this time?” Our past analysis indicates that the odds are pretty much against you.

So, if time has run out on your current home listing… Call us right now!

There’s a common misconception out there about Real Estate offices, and you’ve probably fallen for it without a second thought. The first thing you learn about a local Real Estate office is where it’s located. How else would you know where to drive?

Many people like to believe that the location of an office determines what area they serve. Surely they only know about that neighborhood or area of a town if they work from there, right? Wrong. But let’s back up; Real Estate Agents are essentially their own boss. They can work at any office of their choosing in any town. Just so long as  they can pop in and write up a contract, print off a list of homes to show you, or fill up their balloons for an Open House, they will be happy with their office’s location. Being a Real Estate Agent is a hands-on, gone-all-day, field work kind of job.

Our Agents serve all over Columbia and it’s surrounding areas. We have three locations to stop by and visit, but we also have Agents spanning the sate from KC to STL. And yes, they all filter back to our main office location at the well known intersection of I70 and 63  because here, we make it feel like home. We want our clients to know that there is truly an Agent out there for everyone. Call us your soul-Agent. We ‘get what you mean’ when you describe to us what it will take for a house to be your dream home. Location is something you can’t change about a house. We know by heart all of those  little bits of history throughout each corner of Columbia. We’ve attended these high schools, we’ve aged into Alumni at the University, we bought our first homes in your neighborhoods, and now we strive help others, find their next homes in those same places. And with as many Agents as we have now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of them wasyour neighbor!

Regardless of the office, don’t limit your home buying or selling experience to ‘the place up the street’. We want you to feel confident that your Agent knows the area you’re looking in, but finding a knowledgeable Agent that makes you comfortable can be more rewarding in the long run than settling for the nearest office.

Columbia, MO offers a wide variety of housing options. One of the most invalueable, being our Senior Living and retirement retreats.  Browse some of the most popular establishments that Columbia, MO has to offer below. Click the image to view more about these facilities and all that they have to offer!

Lenoir Woods: At Lenoir Woods, you’re invited to embrace active, enriching retirement living, free from the hassles that come with maintaining a household.

Choose between our distinctive patio homes and senior apartments to find an option that best suits your lifestyle. However you choose, life at Lenoir Woods puts you right in the thick of it — on-site dining, stellar services and amenities, a wide assortment of recreation activities, and a community of good friends to share them with, all in the heart of Columbia, MO. So come join us where value and peace of mind are part of everyday living. Call us today: 573.876.5800

The Terrace: Curl up by the fire with a good book, play bridge with friends or head out to the mall. Be as active or relaxed as you like, because it’s all about you and your preferences, at the Terrace Retirement Community.

This isn’t just any senior living community.  There’s always something happening from talent shows and card tournaments, to computer classes and trips to area performances. And the food is amazing, you can feast on anything from salads and sandwiches to steaks and seafood, daily features and a seemingly endless list of breakfast options. You’ll never have to cook again, unless you want to; and no more mowing the lawn or shoveling snow again! We offer seniors respect, friendship and the freedom to make their own decisions. Our beautiful private apartments in Columbia, MO are available with no buy-in investment. You may choose from a comfy studio, roomy one bedroom or a spacious two bedroom/two bathroom apartment. Each features a well designed kitchen, individual temperature control, carpeting and a bay window. Call us Today: 573.875.2538

The Bluffs: The Bluffs is a 132-bed not-for-profit skilled nursing facility operated by a seven member board of directors through the Boone County Senior Citizen Services Corporation. Our mission is to provide high quality, compassionate health care to aging adults and to ensure that our family of residents experience moments of joy each day.

Emerging from its long history as the “Boone County Retirement Center,” the Bluffs opened its doors as a completely new entity, with a new building in a new location in July 2002. The facility was specially designed to evoke a sense of community among our residents as well as to accommodate people based on their individual needs. Five separate subdivisions designated as “neighborhoods” are set up to accommodate varying levels of care, from rehabilitation to skilled services to Alzheimer’s care. Call us today: 573.442.6060

Tiger Place: Tiger Place, independent living by Americare & the Sinclair School of Nursing, at the University of Missouri – Columbia is an active retirement community developed by Americare in affiliation with the MU Sinclair School of Nursing. Our intimate community, just minutes from campus, offers both one-and two-bedroom apartments complete with kitchens, baths, screened porches and optional garages. A 1.2 mile walking path as well as our convenient one-story design with outdoor access for every apartment.

As a resident of TigerPlace, you’re connected to the dynamic University culture and offered an array of on and off-site activities. You’ll also be invited to participate in student and faculty research projects that are focused on maintaining and improving the quality of life for all of us. At TigerPlace our focus remains on healthy living. The entire University community will treasure what it can learn through your wealth of life experiences. Visit TigerPlace today and experience the Americare difference. Call us today: 573.355.9615

The Arbors at Bluff Creek Terrace: TheArbors at Bluff Creek Terrace, memory care assisted living by Americare is located right here in Columbia, Missouri. Specialized memory care was once only found in large, metropolitan cities or skilled nursing centers. Now Americare has brought this vital level of care home to Columbia.

The size of The Arbors at Bluff Creek Terrace promotes an intimate, calming environment. With no more than 20 rooms, the Arbors co-exists with a sister residential care community, yet remains separate. Care is provided in a building specifically designed with the comfort of the Alzheimer’s resident in mind. At The Arbors at Bluff Creek Terrace, living with Alzheimer’s becomes less of a challenge for you and your loved one. We combine the intimacy of assisted living with specialized care for the memory impaired. Come experience The Arbors at Bluff Creek Terrace difference. Call us today: 573.355.9614

When the decision is made to buy a home or piece of property, one of the initial steps to take in the right direction is to use an experienced real estate broker to help in the search for the right buy. For the buyer, a realtor is absolutely the way to go, especially since they buyer pays nothing to the realtor. The seller pays a realtor a percentage of the sale of the property. It is undeniably in the buyer’s favor to use the resources of a real estate broker and gain maximum exposure to the homes for sale in the multiple listing service (MLS), which can be as fast as the snap of a finger.

One of the pitfalls many buyers fall into when deciding to buy is to immediately assume that they should try a “for sale by owner” (FSBO property because they feel that dealing with realtors can be a hassle and cause the price of the home to be marked up. This is not the case and homes are rarely sold accurately in this regard. A FSBO seller can spin any story they want with absolutely no proof to the buyer that the stats are true and the price is right. A professional realtor can accurately weigh the balances of the market and current trends in pricing.

One of the best things about working with a realtor is your option to stop working with one and choosing another. The realtor/buyer relationship is important and the two must work together comfortably. A good realty broker will only show houses to the buyer that they want to see rather than pushing properties that aren’t a good match for whatever business reasons they may have. A good realtor listens carefully to your wants and needs and gains your trust. This is a person you will likely spend a lot of time with going over pictures, listings, and ultimately viewing houses with. You will discuss other aspects of buying, such as the price you are willing to pay, the area you want to live, and so on.

In the end, you’ll hopefully find the house you’ve been looking for and be ready to make an offer. The realty agent will provide you with a standard form that covers specifics like price, amenities and conditions. Although it might seem like the realty agent is working for you, essentially they are working for the seller, as it is the seller who is paying the fees. But a professional agent will always act courteously and help in the negotiating process. They will be able to provide helpful suggestions and tips to help make the deal a workable one. In the end, the decision is yours, so make it a good one!

From the time you make an offer to buy a house to closing the deal, there are multiple forms and legal contracts that need to be signed. This process, or series of processes, can be overwhelming, but with the right counsel and legal representation, both parties will be assured that their interests are being looked out for. Making an agreement to a contract is a very serious matter and must be followed closely. The first form that is usually filled out is the offer form, a standard form entailing the offer price and what comes with the offer.

The next step after a seller has accepted your offer is to negotiate the sales contract or sales agreement (sometimes called a purchase and sales agreement). This contract is legally binding, defining the terms and conditions of the purchase. It will cover the price of the deposit, rights to inspections and other issues. This is a detailed and defined version of the original offer form and is final when agreed upon. Usually, after providing the original offer contract, you likely paid a small security deposit. Now, after the actual sales contract is drawn up, a larger deposit is required, which is sometimes 10% of the sales price and may be collected at the close of the sale. Any breach of contract will result in the seller keeping this down payment.

The purchase agreement will usually require the buyer to acquire financing, often to more than one lender. This can be a tricky time, especially when some contracts give application deadlines. All of this ensures to the seller that the money has come together before the closing date. Also, multiple lenders get the buyer the best possible percentage rate. Other aspects of the purchase agreement require the home to be inspected, agreed on, and a title search of the property. If that comes back with information that the seller owes back taxes on the property, the government may have attached a lien against the title, thus eliminating any chance for a sale.

The purchase and sales agreement also allows you a final walkthrough of the property on the actual day of the closing. This ensures that no new major problems have been introduced since the original inspection. If anything has come up, you can legally terminate the agreement at that point. You can check things like the land survey, the radon inspection, lead paint disclosure and the smoke detectors. All of this is tied into the contract and once agreed upon, the close is finalized. If you fulfill all the bank’s requirements and meet all deadlines, the process should be a smooth transition into your new home.

Buying a house is one of the largest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime. Understanding the market and the process involved is highly important and must be approached with caution. One of the first steps to take is to come up with a price that you can afford to pay for a new home. Everything from payments to a list of assets has to be considered when thinking about how much your income lets you pay for a property. On top of that, how much will your bank be willing to lend you? They will do their own evaluation of your assets and income verses payments. But don’t forget to get quotes from several lenders, not just one or two. By doing this, you ensure that you will receive the best interest rate possible. Every fraction of the rate lower means thousands of dollars saved in the long run.

A real estate agent is a wise choice when deciding to go house shopping. An agent can help quickly find the right home for you as a buyer and at the very least point you in the right direction. After viewing homes and deciding on one that suits your needs and wants, it is time to make an offer. Doing this requires a standard legal form that entails aspects of the deal such as price, what does or does not come with the house, and contingencies (house inspection and loan). Most sellers require a deposit to secure the offer, which shows seriousness on your part. This is a point of negotiations where the price may be adjusted as well as other amenities. Only be careful as to not upset the seller in the process-if they have other offers that are very competitive to yours, they’ll be easy to let the deal slip away from you.

Assuming the seller accepts the offer, a sales contract called a Purchase Agreement or Purchase and Sales Agreement is drawn up. A real estate attorney is beneficial in this case to handle the legal issues and make sure both buyer and seller are playing fair. But there is still much to accomplish before the home is yours and everything is settled. The next big step, and invariably one of the most important, is hiring a professional inspector to come in and look at the home and property. This is also required by the lender to ensure the property they are loaning the money for is worth the price. It is only on a rare occasion when the inspector finds something that is monumentally devastating to the sale of the house.

Once the home inspection is finished, the loan commitment follows from the lender. Other steps that will be followed will include a title search, pest inspections, safety tests, etc. Once the loan is secured, a date is set for closing. Before this date, you must have your home insurance secured and ready to prove before that date. When that notorious day comes to finally close, every loose end is tied and the sale is complete. You will sign many documents and bring a certified check to cover closing costs and down payment. The house is yours!

When you’ve found a house that suits you and it comes time to make that infamous “offer”, there are a few things to consider before proceeding. The offer will be written down on a standard legal form and includes very specific terms and conditions of the offer for the seller. Some of these specifics include: price proposal, security deposit, terms (such as amenities which could include appliances or other items), and contingencies such as inspection, financing and title.

Providing the deposit required by the seller is a small price to convey that you as a potential buyer are serious about the offer and intend to proceed should the seller accept the deal. It is usually a very small percent, often times a thousand dollars. Failing to follow through with the offer results in forfeiture of the deposit (which the realtor usually keeps). Negotiating an offer is a standard and expected practice in the dealing process. It is common for a potential buyer to offer less than the asking price, which is often countered by the seller until either an agreeable price is reached or one of the parties declines completely. Even before a price is accepted or declined, the initial offer give the buyer the opportunity to have a professional home inspector come in and check the place out.

The home inspection will provide the buyer with accurate information on the property and inform of any potential hazards or hidden issues that need to be resolved. At this point, if a price has been agreed upon, the buyer will ask the seller to repair the problems the inspector brought to light. After these are worked out and the inspector gives his thumbs up, you’re off to the next step (assuming you don’t decide to back out of the deal because the seller didn’t live up to the requirements). The second contingency of the original offer means that you as buyer must obtain financing, proving in the end that you can pay for the house as part of the deal. After financing, the last contingency will be to do a title search on the property to prove that the seller really does own the house and that it is clear. At times, this search can produce results that the seller has unpaid taxes in the past and the such.

In most cases, from offer to close, the process usually goes very smoothly. It is a scenario that happens many times a day and these professionals are very good at what they do, so don’t be afraid to take advantage of the expert resources available at your disposal. But it all begins with the offer. This is crucial in the scheme of the whole deal. This is where you will commit to the final price you are willing to pay and what comes with the deal. Don’t be afraid to negotiate!

Home Appraisals:

When you set out to look at houses and acquire the help of a professional and knowledgeable real estate agent, you have to know if the homes you are looking at are worth the prices the sellers are asking. This is a tedious but important part to buying a new home and it could be easy to overpay for a piece of property. A home appraisal is a review of a house that determines a house’s actual market value. Your agent makes their living understanding market values and how to sell houses, so make good use of their expertise in this regard.

A formal home appraisal is a further step where a trained professional comes in and looks at a house to determine a formal valuation of the property. This cannot happen until you have applied for financing with your lender. This all follows the accepting of the offer by the seller and a purchase agreement is signed. The formal appraisal will be ordered by your lender to act as a neutral third party to assess the true value of the home. This protects their interests in case the buyer defaults on the loan in the end.

If a buyer defaults on a mortgage, the lender must take possession of the house and sell it immediately. The formal home appraisal will give them adequate information to help them do this. Their goal is to create a loan that is less than that value, so that in cases of repossession, they can sell the house to make up for the loan and the money it took for expenses of reselling. This is their biggest order to the buyer and once they are reassured of the value of the home, the commitment letter is that much closer to finalization. As always, apply to multiple lenders for a loan to maximize the best possible interest rate, which will save you thousands in the years to come over the period of the mortgage.

Acquiring the services of a home appraiser (or surveyor), whether it is by yourself or your lender (usually both) is key to providing everyone with accurate market information about the value of your potential home. Without this information, the bank has no idea what to loan you and you have no idea if you’re receiving a good deal or being ripped off. This is just one of the many legal checks and balances set in place to make the business of dealing in real estate fun and fair for every party involved.

A clear understanding of mortgage payments and refinancing methods is important to the life of a loan and the lender’s and borrower’s relationship. The basic life of a loan is made up of monthly mortgage payments and each payment can be broken up into four parts, known as PITI: Principal, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance. The monthly payment of principal is applied directly towards repaying the loan itself. The interest pays any accumulated interest against the loan. Taxes, as well as insurance, go into an escrow account. This covers the cost of these items as they become due. All four parts of a monthly mortgage payment are designed to cover all aspects of the loan, simply broken up for simple and easy installments so that no one aspect of the PITI is overlooked or due at one time.

There are exceptions to the PITI, such as the interest-only loan. In this case, only interest is being paid and not principal. The balance of the note is not being paid in this instance. One thing every buyer must consider in regards to making payments is called negative amortization. This begins to happen when the principal balance begins to grow rather than shrink. Negative amortization can begin when interest rates begin to go up on an adjustable rate mortgage and only the minimum monthly payment is being made. Basically, the amount of the mortgage will increase if the payment is not covering the owed interest, which results in the unpaid interest being added directly to the principal balance and thus creating a growing debt. It is in the borrower’s best interest to pay more on each monthly mortgage payment to avoid this disaster from beginning.

When economic times allow, interest rates become favorable and many homeowners take advantage by refinancing their mortgage and saving a large sum of money over time. This is a trend that is hugely popular and offers a source of credit for uses such as rebuilding credit, funding large expenses such as college tuition, debt consolidation, or simply for building leverage. Many homeowners will take advantage of refinancing their mortgage rather than taking out a home equity loan because they can secure a lower interest rate than they might have previously held and end up paying less over the lifetime of the loan. For example, if a homeowner owes $85,000 on the current loan at 4.5%, they might be able to borrow $125,000 on a refinance with a rate of 3.9%. They can use the difference for a major expense and lock in a much lower interest rate in the same deal, saving money over time. As always, when venturing out to find a lender, either for an first mortgage or a refinance, it is always best to seek out rates from up to four lending companies to ensure the best rate possible. If a homeowner with a current mortgage is seeking a possible refinance, they should get quotes from three other lenders before going back to their first lender and seeing if they can beat those rates. The original lender already has the business from the first deal and is less likely to offer a competitive rate unless presented first with offers from others who may essentially “steal away” their current client.