Reading some of the new groups here in Active Rain, I've come across several new ones that I joined over the weekend - one is: Positive Attitude For The Weary Soul.Negative attitudes breed negative results.  My Dad said this over and over to me while I was growing up.  I love my job.  Selling real estate is not always the most fun thing I can do, especially when contracts are falling thru, inspection reports come back with bad repairs, financing contingencies aren't met on time - - the list goes on and on.  The most satisfying part of our job is sitting down at the closing table, everyone happily signing paperwork and talking afterwords trading information on the home information.I closed a home today, with the buyer relying on a life long friend to help her purchase a home while she w... 06/25/2007

 One of my first jobs was working at a bank.  The best position I held was working in the loan department.  There I gained a great background to start off my career in real estate.  Interest rates for conventional loans in the Springfield Mo area right now averages between 6% and 6.5%.  I remember interest rates as high as 18%.Refinancing a home was a common occurance.  Homeowners always questioned current interest rates and the best time to refinance their current home.Some of the best times to refinance was when interest rates fell more than 2 percent below their current interest rate.  Also the length of time you plan to stay in your home.  Staying in your home for more than four or more years, refinancing would be worthwhile.Also, eliminating the private mortgage insurance that is a... 06/15/2007

 We all seem to have the same problem - we have buyers that are waiting for the market to drop more before they buy their dream home.Read an article in Realty Times that the market has hit bottom.  I'm sure that home sellers are hoping this is true.  Pricing a home today has become more inportant than ever.  Many sellers are waiting to purchase a new home when their current home sells.For buyers, this could not be a better time to buy a home.  Lower prices, low interest rates, seller incentives are only a few of the benefits buyers are taking advantage of.If you are a money conscious consumer, hesitation may cost more than you know.  Read more.....Kay Van Kampen 06/15/2007

Tonight the James River is running out of its banks and taking valuable crop ground and vegetation with it.  I always get a little sad watching the ugly brown waters carrying all the trash and logs downstream to obstruct the next curve in ther river and block the way of recreational canoeists after the water recedes.  Vision 20/20 was a gift to the Greater Springfield area in uniting area leaders around the idea of green spaces and corridors of conservation for our community to respect and enjoy for generations to come.  We as realtors must help continue to promote that concept with good land usage planning and development.  Let us vow to work for the preservation of more green space in our beautiful county, and promote conservation districts, and conservation zoning wherever possible. ... 06/12/2007

Bob Nelson, with the City of Springfield, MO, heads up the campaign for getting Springfield, MO selected as the Springfield who gets to host the World Premiere of the new Simpson's Movie.  There will be a 10 day window of voting towards the end of this month, June, 07, at www.usatoday.com. This will not make Springfield, MO the official home of the Simpson's; that secret is said to be kept.  But that does not mean you cannot make Springfield, MO your home.  To find out what homes are available in the Springfield, MO area you can call 417-988-0726 or visit www.williamsclassichomes.com. 06/12/2007

Thinking back on the past 20 years, selling Springfield Mo real estate and Springfield Mo homes has made some major changes.  Researching homes in MLS books that were already obsolete when they finally arrived.  Touring homes to see what came on the market in the past week.  Disclosures were introduced, agents started working as buyer's agents, cell phones replaced the pagers.  Contracts were presented by both agents.Today's technology allows a home to be marketed, seen by thousands of realtors, even sold within hours after it is marketed.  The internet allows the consumer to be alerted the moment a new listing appears, along with photos and virtual tours.Consumers value the expertise realtors offer more today than ever before.  Realtors provide a broader range of services for the consu... 06/11/2007

Real estate in the Springfield Missouri and surrounding areas shows a steady market.  With a total of 701 Units Sold, days on the market statistics are:1-30 Days: 300    31-60 Days:  73    61-90 Days: 73   91=120 Days: 48   121=180 Days: 82   181+Days: 66Average time on the market:  71 Days              Average sold price:  $139,423 Included in the Springfield Multiple Listing system are a number of counties, including Greene, Christian, Taney, Webster, Cedar, Dade, Hickory, Dallas, LaClede, Polk, St Clair, Douglas, Barry, Lawrence and Wright.New listings for April 2006 was 1371.  New listings for April 2007 was 1766.       Reviewing the information for the past year, the month of April shows a small decrease in sales with the average sold price increasing, higher list prices and the me... 06/09/2007

Springfield Missouri Area Events SeasonOne of the things I love about living in the Ozarks is the area's richness of events.  This week alone has been action packed.  While I was busy at the Springfield Junior League's Horse Show Charity with our horses and riders, there was the Boyd Coddington's annual car auction on the same property.  Yesterday, along with the car auction and horse show, PFI Western wear was having a concert in their parking lot featuring Joe Nichols, and there was an indoor, APFL, football game at Jordan Valley Ice Park with the Springfield Wolf Pack.   To add to it, earlier this week I so fortunate to be able to take my girlfriend to see The Taffetas at the Springfield Little Theatre, thanks to my grandfather.  And just last weekend was the National Street Rod Asso... 06/03/2007

 In addition to having a real estate business (www.williamsclassichomes.com), we are in the horse business as well.  We currently board close to 60 horses, mostly Saddlebreds.  There will be close to 10 horses and 6 riders from our farm (Sassafras Equestrian Center, Rogersville, MO) at this year's Charity Horse Show.  I figured this would fall under area events, and it adds to the many reasons why living in the Springfield MO area is so great.  The information below was copied from http://www.jlspringfield.org/jls_horse_show.asp.  Visit www.williamsclassichomes.com or call 417-988-0726 to find out what else makes the Springfield, MO greater area a great place to live.  At www.williamsclassichomes.com along with a home's listing information you will find community information: demographi... 05/24/2007

 Downstown Springfield is once again very alive each evening.  Feeling like time had turned back about 30 years, my husband and I attended a concert with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils at the Gillioz Theatre in Springfield.This talented group of musicians started recording back in 1973.  They play a variety of country/rock music that sets everyone's toes to tapping and hands a clapping.  You can't help but join in with the crowd to keep from missing every beat.  For you that have never heard of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, you have missed a wonderful local band that has more talent than any group around. (My Opinion). One of my favorites: " If You Want To Get To Heaven, You Got To Raise A Little Hell" really brought the house down.       To enhance the evening, we were seated in the ne... 05/12/2007

Springfield Missouri Real Estate Market Update - February 2007 February has been a very busy month for our team.  Temperatures are starting to get warmer and buyers are beginning to purchase homes once more.    Among the counties included in the Springfield Multiple Listing System are Greene, Christian, Taney, Stone, Webster and several others.  Here are the statistics for the month of February for residential homes for these counties.Residential Homes for Sale - 3244Expired - 193New Listing for January - 898Under Contract - 413Sold - 392An additional breakdown for single family residential homes sold by price range:$0 - $100,000 - 104$100,001 - $200,000 - 210$200,001 - $300,000 - 47$300,001 - $400,000 - 25$400,001 - $500,00 - 6$500,000 & Up - 6Interest rates are still low for single fa... 03/06/2007

In July of 2005, my soon to be husband was offered the opportunity to take a job in Springfield, Missouri with Tracker Marine (a sister company to Bass Pro Shop).  We were living in Austin, Texas at the time and really liked it there but decided to take a plunge and see what the great state of Missouri was all about.  We packed our bags and headed North, excited about our new adventure.  My husband was a little apprehensive…he hadn’t lived outside of Texas since infancy and wasn’t sure how he would be received in the rest of the world.  As you know, Texans are a different breed.  As it turns out, we blend in quite well here.  If you are considering calling Springfield, Missouri home, here’s what to expect:Springfield has Jobs for EveryoneIndustry in Springfield is diverse.  Because of ... 02/07/2007

We lost our power last Saturday at 3am after a branch from a tree in our yard fell on a power line.  The ice storm has left our yard looking like a war zone.  We got our power back last Tuesday and are now housing my girlfriend's parents and grandparents, which who are both still without power.  This week has kept me busy with our house guests and restoring our 40 acre horse farm that we live on.  I am anxious to get back to my real estate business on Monday.I am curious to see how the ice storm will affect the Springfield, MO housing market.  I know they were making people get homes re-inspected after the ice storm.  Also, several closing dates have had to be rescheduled due to title companies not having power.And it is snowing right now and we are supposed to get 3"-6"; oh boy! 01/20/2007

Please visit my blog at www.dizmangproperties.blogspot.com.  I keep up with this blog daily and would appreciate any feedback you may have.  Thanks! 10/10/2006

The real estate market in Springfield, MO and the surrounding towns is continuing to be very good. Inventory is good and prices seem to have stabilized. 08/16/2006