For Rent: Location, Location, Location!→

Excellent Location! 3339 Indiana Avenue is just footsteps from Cherokee Street.

Cherokee Street is lined with art galleries, cafes & restaurants, florists, salons, and shops selling books & records, clothing, & oddities. This property is also close to Anheuser-Busch, bars, restaurants, and stone's throw from Soulard &

minutes from downtown.

Easy highway access.

NOW AVAILABLE: Private, first floor 1 bedroom apartment in a 2-Family with garage-like covered parking space. This head-to-toe renovation features 10' ceilings; lots of natural lighting & wood throughout; exposed brick; and a modern kitchen with all stainless-steel appliances, dishwasher, stackable washer and dryer; trendy shelving, shades, and doors. Energy efficient with Central A/C & new thermal windows.

Tenant pays for utilities. No smoking on property. Sorry, pets are not accepted at this property. Monthly income needs to be at least three times rent. $50.00 non- refundable application fee which includes credit and background check.

*Square Footage is based on tax records and should be independently verified.

For Sale: Pricing a Home

“For Sale”

Are you considering placing your home up for sale?  Many homeowners want to arrive at the sale price of their home based off of what they bought the home for, the mortgage balance, or by profit.  These are not the factors buyers consider.  Buyers determine the price offered based on fair market value.  They arrive at that value by pulling a comparative market analysis, also known as a “CMA” or “comp.” 

A comparative market analysis is fact based.  It includes approximate square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, age of the home, property taxes, and amenities of that home.  The CMA/comp will include prices of current listings that are similar in size and location, list prices, sold prices, days on the market, etc.  It is a report that includes similar homes on the seller’s street or block, which sold within the last six months.  I have seen a radius of a quarter of a mile or more and dates going back over a year; it just depends on the location. 

To reach a list price for the home, you want an Agent you can trust to pull a CMA/Comp for you.  Consider the homes that are similar to yours first.  It is also very important to consider the most recent sales first, and then work backwards.  Cache Real Estate also includes homes that have been taken off the market in the last six months in their CMA reports.  You will be able to view how many days the homes were on the market at assorted price points.  It is vital to point out list prices verses sales prices of the homes that sold.  All these factors go into pricing your home correctly.

Pricing your home correctly from the start is crucial. It may be tempting to list at a high price just to see what you can get.  That is not a wise idea.  Research has proven that overpricing your home will most likely result in the Seller dropping the price several times.  This usually results to selling at a much lower price because the longer a home stays on the market, the deeper the discount off the original price. There may be factors that would allow you to price your house for more than comp prices. That is why an in depth discussion is vital to have with a homeowner and an experienced Agent would be able to spot certain factors and conditions on why a house should be priced higher than other nearby properties.

Don’t leave money on the table. Discuss your situation with a local, professional Missouri Realtor today. For a free market analysis go to:  http://www.cacherealestatemo.com/sellers or call 314-327-3346.

St. Louis City, County and surrounding areas (St. Charles County Real Estate)

Should I Hire A Property Manager?

Many owners never imagined that they would become landlords.  Without prior experience or training, many attempt to manage a rental property themselves.  They soon discover that there is much more to property management than an ever imagined.

Let’s cover the “To Do” list:

Leasing  - Setting the rent, how and where to advertise, screening applicant’s background & credit, showing the property, and setting the lease policy in a contract.

Maintenance – Finding and over-seeing the right professionals for all those minor and major repairs to ensure that they are done effectively and affordably.

Legal - Liability, tenant-landlord laws, knowledge of fair housing laws, tenant-landlord laws, owner and landlord liability, eviction laws, handling property damage correctly.

Administrative – Record keeping, accounting and tax knowledge, insurance, answering emails, rental collections, and phone calls.

Tenant Management – 24/7 availability, non-emergency calls and complaints, lease violations, lease retention, inspections.

The list goes on and on.  Sometimes a tenant just wants to chat. In the Real Estate and People Business, expect the unexpected.  It may be tempting to go in alone and do it yourself, but I recommend hiring a professional to handle property management for you.  In the state of Missouri, a Property Manager is trained and work under a Broker’s license.  If you have questions about your investment property or if you are trying to decide if you should hire a Property Manager, call 314) 327-3346 for a quote.

Take Me To “Easy Street”

The Forest at Walden Pond, a newer home development in O’Fallon, MO, is where I got my start in Real Estate.  In 2001, I worked for a custom homebuilder.  All the floor plans were named after famous writers.  When I questioned why, they explained that renowned author, Henry David Thoreau, once toke residence at a place called “Walden Pond.” 

Floor plan names are long forgotten after many years, but a street name is not.  It is the most recognizable location identifier.  Due to my experience at Walden Pond, I have always placed great significance on names, especially street names. 

Think about it.  A street name is your constant reminder of where you are at in life.  Hopefully it's not on Divorce Ct.  My personal favorite would be Saint Marie.  Maybe it’s just silly superstition, but wouldn’t you prefer to live on “Easy Street” rather than “Blewit Ave?”

(Satire)

Cache Real Estate
223 Salt Lick Rd Ste 134
St. Peters, MO 63376
314-327-3346

“Let us help you find your way home."