Edwardsville IL Homes for Sale and Real Estate

Today I helped some first time buyers explore a historic home that has fallen on hard times. You might call it a damsel in distress seeking a knight in shining armor.

These buyers had been thinking about this property for a long time and they had big stars in their eyes.  And who could blame them when each room offered so much potential, from the classic double parlors, pocket doors and original hardwood floors to craftsman-embellished fireplaces, clawfoot tubs and grand staircases.

I hate to be the buzz killer in these situations, but this type of house, in this kind of condition, is not for someone who is struggling to come up with 3.5 percent for an FHA downpayment, let alone a conventional buyer.

And the chance of a house in this condition qualifying for FHA is located somewhere in the neighborhood of slim and none.

You'll be dealing with replacement of the electrical system (goodbye knob and tube wiring); adding HVAC (that charming boiler will have to go); repairing the animal-attacked roof;shivering through winter with single-pane windows; refinishing floors; stripping wallpaper; adding an entire kitchen to that large room where you found an original farmhouse sink but nothing else; installing plumbing to code; repairing crumbling plaster and so much more.

Who should buy an historic home in disrepair?  Someone with a lot of money, a lot of time and a lot of patience. (Refer to the underrated Tom Hanks move, "The Money Pit" for an excellent example.)

Much like the Lorelei whose beautiful siren song caused sailors to wreck their ships on the ancient shoals, homes like this one call out to nice people and cause them to make decisions that are not always in their best interest."Fix me. Make me beautiful again," she winks. "I know you can do it. It won't take much. Really. Would I lie?" 

The moral?  If you're determined to rescue an historic home, and you have plenty of funds to sink into the project, call me. We can find a good candidate that will give you a lot of satisfaction and a possible return on your investment.  If you have very little money, let's talk instead about finding a nice house that will require less rehab, less ongoing maintenance and will help you stay within your realistic budget.

After all, the goal is for you to own a house -- not for a house to own you.

I started working with another new buyer this weekend.

Like many of my buyers, this one found me on the Internet and asked a question about properties in an area within my territory here in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs.

I answered the questions right away and we had a good back and forth dialogue via email, followed by a phone conversation to clarify their real estate goals and their needs in a new home. 

At the end of the discussion, this buyer said, "You know why we"re hiring you?"

(No, but I'm glad you are, I thought.)

"Because every time we've called or emailed a real estate agent on the weekend -- when we're off work and have time to look for a house -- they don't return our calls and don't answer our emails. We really appreciate your help and can't wait to work with you."

That's why I work when you don't, Mr. Buyer. If you're working 8 to 5, Monday through Friday, then we're going to look at houses after 5 and on Saturdays and Sundays. You stick with me and I'll stick with you until we find the right place for you to call home.

My blogging colleague Maria Morton has put together a very comprehensive look at the costs associated with being a real estate agent.

As independent contractors, each with our own businesses, the fees, supplies, dues, etc. can be steep.

Why do we do this job? It has to be because we love it!

Glen Carbon Illinois Scarecrow Contest 2011

The crows may be scared, but most residents of Glen Carbon, Illinois are just charmed by the whimsical scarecrows that have started popping up throughout the village this fall.

The second-annual Scarecrow Contest is underway and you still have time to enter your own straw creation.

Voting will be held at Village Hall on Saturday, October 1 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. (Glen Carbon residents are encouraged to drop by and vote for their favorites that day.)

If you'd like to enter a scarecrow in the individual/family/group or business categories, you can get the details here:

The G.L.E.N Committee runs the contest and encourages scarecrows that are "whimsical, humorous, lovable, and fun" for this family friendly contest. (They will disqualify entries that are too scary or are deemed inappropriate.) There is no entry fee for the contest.

The lovely lady scarecrow to the right is perched outside the Glen Carbon Centennial Library.

Scarecrows entered in the contest will be displayed in the lawn in front of Village Hall from 3 to 7 p.m. on Friday, September 30 where they will stay on view until Saturday, October 8, 2011.

This straw fellow is holding court in front of Village Hall:

And this one is located in front of Miner Square at Glen Carbon Road and Glen Crossing:

Edwardsville Illinois Real Estate Market Report YTD Through August 2011

Year-to-date through August 2011, 202 homes have been sold in Edwardsville, Illinois. That's down 13.3 percent from the 233 homes sold by the end of August in 2010.

Right now, 186 listings are currently under contract, down five percent from pending sales on the books year-to-date in 2010.

The average selling price in Edwardsville through August 2011 is $217,140, just 2.8 percent lower than 2010.

Average days on the market have risen to 170, up 16.5 percent from 2010 when the average house in Edwardsville stayed on the market 146 days.

What does this mean? Fewer homes have sold during the first half of the year in Edwardsville, but pending sales have risen to within five percent of the prior year, a good sign. The average selling price is holding its own with less than a three percent dip from last year. And homes are taking longer to sell with the average number of days on the market experiencing a fairly significant increase.

So, if you're selling your home, make sure it stands out against the competition in price and condition so you can help it sell efficiently. If you're a buyer, now is the time to make a decision and place an offer before prices, which are stabilizing, rise and you've missed your best opportunities.

Some people want a three-car garage in their new home.

Others want four bedrooms.

Or maybe a big kitchen with granite countertops.

But did you ever think about what your fur kids might want?

I bet they'd like you to get a house with a fenced back yard. Here's a good place to start the search for a dog-friendly home. If you see something you'd like to look at in person, give me a call at 618-791-8007.

Click here for a list of homes for sale in Edwardsville with fenced yards.

Click here for a list of homes for sale in Glen Carbon with fenced yards.

Click here for a list of homes for sale in Maryville with fenced yards.

Click here for a list of homes for sale in Troy with fenced yards.

Click here for a list of homes for sale in Collinsville with fenced yards.

If you'd like to appeal your Madison County, Illinois home's assessment -- that includes homes in Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Troy, Collinsville, Granite City, etc. -- you only have until September 12, 2011 to get the paperwork and supporting materials to the Madison County Board of Review.

The Madison County Board of Review requires that homeowners who want to file a complaint must fill out a form listing a wide variety of information about the property in question and also submit supporting documents such as comparable sales, or construction cost, or an appraisal or an operating statement for the last two years for income property.

If you've just recently purchased your home, you can include copies of your closing statement showing a value lower than your home's current assessment.

Here's a link to the Madison County, Illinois website from which you can download the Residential Complaint for Assessment Year 2011 form. The form also includes an instruction sheet that will answer many of the questions you might have about the process.

What are grounds for a residential assessment appeal?

According to Madison County, they include: over valuation, unequal treatment in the assessment process, contention of law, property that has been assessed twice in the year or condemnation. There also is a blank for "other" in case your situation is not listed.

If you so desire, you also can tell the county that your assessment is not high enough versus similar properties on the same form. I bet most people aren't rushing to do that.

Good luck with your appeal!

I answered a consumer question from the real estate website Trulia today that has me wondering.

The consumer asked for more details about a property here in Edwardsville, Illinois.

I searched our MLS (multiple listing service) and, finding nothing, searched the public records in Madison County for that address.

That's where I found the property and noted that it had been sold in the last couple of years. I replied that the home was not currently listed for sale in our MLS and told the consumer about the prior sales history. 

Here's where the story gets interesting...

I received a reply from the consumer asking me where I got that information because the property was HIS and it WAS currently for sale. He had been asking questions on Trulia trying to check out web traffic and activity on it.

That's when I put my detective hat on and dug a little deeper...

Turns out he does have his ILLINOIS property listed. But it's listed with a broker in CALIFORNIA! (Last time I checked, California was 2000 miles and two time zones away from Edwardsville, Illinois.)

The California broker has the property listed on Trulia, but not via the local MLS that all brokers in Southwestern Illinois are using -- the Southwestern Illinois Regional MLS.  So it looks to all of us -- and subsequently to all of our buyers -- as if his property is not listed at all.

I sent one last message to him to provide the final answer to his question, suggesting that it would be more appropriate to ask his own agent about why his home is not selling and is not in the local MLS.

I don't know if I will hear back from this seller in the future. Perhaps when his contract with the California broker ends and he wants Illinois representation to sell his Illinois home, he'll get in touch. I hope so. I'd love to help.

The moral to this mystery?  If you want to sell your house in Edwardsville, Illinois, please use a broker who will list your property in the MLS that all of the real estate professionals in the region use to find properties for their buyers.

This post from Belinda Spillman, a great Realtor in Aurora, Colorado -- and the response she received from other Realtors -- really made me think about the value of those old-fashioned "Just Sold" postcards.

I've gradually come to realize that some of the old school real estate marketing techniques have been around for such a long time for one reason -- because they actually work.

"Just Sold" postcards allow you to tell the neighbors and others nearby that you participated -- as a listing agent or selling agent -- in the deal that sold a property in or near their neighborhood.

The cards let them know that you are actively working in their area and that you're familiar with what it takes to price and market a home, find a buyer and hold a deal together to closing.

The cards should show the property involved and your smiling face and should include the street address and subdivision of the home you sold.

On the reverse side of this card, I included my slogan: Helping Good People Buy and Sell Good Homes.

The back of the card also offered all of my contact information -- phone numbers, website and email.

And, I offered homeowners a free comprehensive market analysis of their home's current value. It doesn't matter to me if they're thinking about selling right now or just some time in the future. I am in this business for the long run and certainly don't mind talking real estate with someone who is just in the "thinking" stage and might not list their home for months or even years.

Last, I asked potential sellers to get in touch with me to talk about the three things they must have for a successful home sale in the Edwardsville area. What are those three things? I'll save that for an in-person conversation with a new customer!

Tips From My Cleaning Professional: Get a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Some of my listings need a good cleaning before they go on the market so they can be presented in the best possible condition for potential buyers.

When that happens, I have a wonderful cleaning professional in the Edwardsville, Glen Carbon region. (If you'd like an introduction, let me know.)

The most recent house she sparkled up for me is a terrific three-bedroom, all-brick ranch in the Leclaire neighborhood in Edwardsville, Illinois. It had been a rental and when the renters moved out, the cleaning service moved in at my direction.

I took a look at the house after she was done and WOW, what a difference. It was so clean it squeeked.

"What's your secret?" I asked my cleaner. 

She wouldn't tell me all of her proprietary cleaning knowledge -- but one suggestion she happily shared was this: "Go out and get a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Right now."

So I did. 

Friends, I don't know what the heck this thing is made of, but every surface I have touched with it -- from bathroom shower doors and the microwave to a grungy igloo cooler and scuffed tennis shoes -- comes out cleaner. 

No one has ever accused me of cleaning too much, but this product almost makes it fun to do housework. Almost.

Click here to register for Proctor & Gamble product samples, including the Magic Eraser.