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Springfield, MO Real Estate News

By Lina Robertson, REALTOR® Serving Springfield, Nixa and Ozark, MO
(AMAX Real Estate)
  THIS IS FOR THE ENTIRE GREATER SPRINGFIELD BOARD OF REALTORS           Homes for Sale in Springfield, MO: Total Active Listings: 4,732 homes Under Contract:  949 pending sales Total Sold Listings for September: 551 sales Springfield MO Sales Price Information Average Sales Price: $125,060 Sale Price to List Price Ratio: 98.67% Days on Market (for Sold homes) Average Days on Market: 76 days
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
Its that time of year again; time for young and old alike to pick up the black walnuts in Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, and surrounding areas of the Ozarks. I remember growing up on a farm and my brothers and sisters would spend hours picking up the walnuts and selling them for cash to spend on Christmas presents. Our hands would be stained for weeks but it was hard honest work. If you want to sell your walnuts, Hammons Products Company will pay you $9 per 100 pounds (after hulling!) Watch out for those squirrels!
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By Lina Robertson, REALTOR® Serving Springfield, Nixa and Ozark, MO
(AMAX Real Estate)
I turned 40 today.  Yep - the "BIG 4-0."  It really doesn't bother me.  I subscribe to the theory that 40 is the new 30.  My boyfriend took me shopping for new clothes for my birthday.  As we walked into Macy's I was struck by a "deja vu" moment.  I can remember standing in that EXACT spot, staring at the EXACT clothes, EXACTLY 20 years ago.  Of course, back then it was Famous Barr, now it's Macy's.  I had a flashback to my senior picture where I was wearing stirrup pants and a large sweater that swallowed me.  Staring at the clothes racks now....same thing.  Only now we call them leggings, but the same oversized sweaters are still there.    Something else struck me.  EXACTLY 20 years ago, we were going through the S&L crisis.  In 1989, I didn't pay much attention to the S&L crisis.  I ...
Comments 83
By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
The ADP Employment report was released today showing that private employers shed 254,000 jobs in September, worse than the -200,000 that was expected. The decline was the smallest since July of 2008, but still a troublesome number.There are 150 million people in the workforce, and that number grows by about 1.5 million people per year - due to population growth. To keep pace with that, the US needs to create about 125,000 jobs a month. So, a loss of 200,000 jobs is actually means we are falling 325,000 jobs behind for just one month...which is enormous.Now consider that nearly 10% of the work force is unemployed - that's 15 million people - a huge number of folks who are without jobs. If you haven't looked for work in four weeks, you are removed from the ranks of "officially unemployed"...
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
The Federal Reserve Board has spoken by issuing a statement after their most recent meeting. From a market perspective, they said nothing. Rates will stay the same. The economy is improving from the severe downturn, but consumer consumption is restrained. This will make the recovery weak. We knew all of this going into the meeting. So, the question is, what does this mean to the markets? In reality, the markets hate surprises, so when the Fed does not give us any surprises, this is a good thing. This is true even when the news is bad. In this case the news was neutral.If we look a bit deeper, we see that the Fed is moving into a balancing act stage. They must start to remove the stimulus from the equation before things get out of hand. But the economy and psyche of the markets is not st...
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By Lina Robertson, REALTOR® Serving Springfield, Nixa and Ozark, MO
(AMAX Real Estate)
Springfield MO Real Estate For Sale Why are there so many homes for sale in Springfield, MO?  I get asked that question a lot.  My first thought is always, "Do we have a higher percentage of homes for sale than other areas?"  Personally, I don't think so.  The Springfield real estate market is somewhat insulated from the extremes other parts of the country experience.  Property values did not decline as much as California, Las Vegas or Florida.  Springfield also did not feel the housing market crash as quickly as parts of the country.  Much of our market was supported by families who relocated from the East and West Coasts.  When those families began having difficulty selling their homes, our market began to feel the decline in the market. The flip side of this is Springfield may be slo...
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
This week a wonderful thing happened at our Keller Williams Realty office in Springfield Missouri. I’m sure by now you have heard stories about the culture of Keller Williams and how each agent works to a higher standard. Each KW agent works hard to make sure each transaction is a win-win. Here is a incredible example of what Keller Williams agents do when faced with a challenge.     This past week we had the privilege to witness this awesome culture in action at our office.   Two of our agents closed a deal together.  The closing went smoothly and everything was great until the seller became very ill.  With the seller being very ill, moving trucks loaded, and the sale completed they didn’t know what they were going to do.  The Seller turned to her agent and asked “Do you think we coul...
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
The Ozark Mountain Barnstormers RC club held their annual Fall picnic and fly-in last weekend. There was a good turn out of people and a variety of planes to watch. The radio control airplane flying club holds various events every year and visitors are welcome. The best time to see someone flying is weekends and evenings. The club is located on Cheyenne Road between Ozark and Nixa. Members are from Ozark, Nixa, Springfield, and surrounding communities.
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates near zero on Wednesday and said the economy is improving. But the Fed also pointed out ongoing job losses could dampen a recovery. As a result, the Fed kept its federal funds rate, an overnight lending rate that guides rates on various consumer and business loans, in a range of 0% to 0.25%. Rates have been at that level since December.The Federal Reserve also said it is slowing the pace of a program to lower mortgage rates and prop up the housing market. It will stretch out its goal of buying $1.45 trillion in mortgage-backed securities and debt issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae until the end of the first quarter of 2010.As you may or may not know, Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) dictate long term home loan interest rates. When the...
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
Who is more likely to default on their home loan, someone with a high credit score or a low credit score? Research has found that homeowners with high scores when they apply for a loan are 50% more likely to "strategically default" -- abruptly and intentionally pull the plug and abandon the mortgage -- compared with lower-scoring borrowers. Check out findings from the report from this article from the Los Angeles Times. High U.S. unemployment keeps pushing up the rate of mortgage delinquencies for both good and marginal credit borrowers alike. Even though the housing market and economy are still tentative, homebuilder Lennar Corp feels the housing market feels materially better than the hopelessness that had existed over the past few years. Many experts point to low interest rates as on...
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
The government is spending tens of billions to incent consumers to spend their money purchasing homes, cars and even energy-efficient improvements to their houses. Certainly we are seeing the results of these programs. Last month the "cash for clunkers" program contributed to a 2.7% gain in retail sales. Existing and new home sales have also been strong for several months now. However, there is a debate as to the long-term efficacy of these programs. There is no doubt that the results are encouraging but will these results help us move out of the recession? The answer we believe is yes. However, these programs will contribute to the "stop and start" recovery we are expecting to occur. When incentives end, there will be a noticeable drop in demand. We must understand the fact that the go...
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
Some days you wake up and it feels like not only did someone move your cheese; they ate it and didn’t leave any crumbs! Did the buyer you’ve worked with for six months and driven all over the place suddenly disappear into thin air? Did your last listing appointment turn into a disaster? Are those newspaper ads and postcards not working anymore? Hmmm, looks like somebody moved your cheese! I just finished re-reading the book Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life.  This is a simple but powerful little book written by Spencer Johnson in the form of a parable or fable. The main characters are two mice called Sniff and Scurry and two "little people" called Hem and Haw. Its a cute story but it makes you think. The book deals with how to handle ...
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By Lina Robertson, REALTOR® Serving Springfield, Nixa and Ozark, MO
(AMAX Real Estate)
Are you wondering how safe Springfield Public Schools and Nixa Public School District schools are?  I have found a great resource!  News-Leader.com has a database that publishes school incidents involving drugs, weapons and assaults.  The database dates back to the 2007-2009 school year.  Because the incidents involve minors, the names are redacted.  The database includes all junior high and high schools in the Springfield Public School District, as well as Nixa Public Schools. Click the link below to access the database: School Incident Reports
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
Do you want to sell your home in Springfield Missouri? Here are some good reasons to choose TeamKnowles to sell your property! Some agents charge you unnecessary upfront fees for advertising, MLS fees, or paperwork. You don't owe us a dime until We Get Results and your home sells! We are a team so you get leverage in your transaction! Spouses Selling Houses! We market like crazy on the internet since that's where the buyers are! We represent you and negotiate on your behalf! Ask our current and previous clients! We specialize in real estate in Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, & surrounding areas of SW Missouri! www.teamknowles.com  
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By Betty Knowles, Ready to sell? Call Betty!
(Southwest Missouri Realty )
Keller Williams Realty Recently Received Distinction as the Highest Ranked in Customer Satisfaction! According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, Keller Williams Realty, Inc., the third largest real estate company in NorthAmerica, received the highest overall satisfaction ratings from home buyers among the largest full service real estate firms for the second year in a row. If you are looking for homes for sale in Springfield Missouri, contact TeamKnowles with Keller Williams Realty today!
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
Housing Starts for August rose better than expected and the highest level since last November - while Building Permits came in a bit shy of expected. All in all, a decent report, suggesting that while we are not out of the woods just yet, the worst in the housing market may have passed. Builders may be reluctant to further increase the supply of homes amid uncertainty over whether the Obama administration's $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers will be extended beyond November, economists have said. Homebuyers continue to have a good opportunity here. Historically low interest rates, the first-time homebuyer credit, and affordable home prices definitely make it an attractive time to buy a home. There's considerable uncertainty beyond the fall because the Federal Reserve at some point ...
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
What do China, tires & chickens have in common? Sounds like the leadup to the hilarious punchline of joke right? Well, in this case it is not close to being funny. And how does any of this relate the mortgage industry? You will have to read on to find out... You may have seen the headlines in past few days regarding President Obama ruling to impose a special tariff on Chinese tires, because many US tire workers have lost their jobs over the past few years due to Chinese tires gaining marketshare in the US. The new tariff is intended to slow the pace of sales of Chinese tires in the US, while shoring up the decline in union jobs. China has since responded by filing a complaint against the US with the World Trade Organization (WTO), citing protectionism. China is also now launching an inv...
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By Aaron Bruenger
(Gorman and Gorman Residential Lending)
Check out the NEWEST and NICEST on-line real estate search engine designed specifically for the Springfield metropolitan area. Available to the public for their private use absolutely FREE. Keep tabs on preferred listing using the Premium Service also FREE. Ammenities include GOOGLE Maps and "Bird's Eye Views" perspective. This website is for anyone interested in looking for home in the Springfield area that doesn't have access to a Realtor's MLS. For questions on how to become a Preferred Agent, feel free to call my contact information anytome.   Click for more info: http://www.marketingsplash1.com/RequestHBSR.asp?ID=KICMHDCCFACF
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