Real Estate Tips and Personal and Life Coaching

Now is a great time to buy a house and turn it into a home. There are a lot of houses in transition right now leaving the hands of banking institutions and sellers that need to get out from under their mortgage payment.  The properties are many times very good, just need you to take your critical glasses off and start looking at them from a diamond in the rough aspect.  There are a few things to be aware of, namely deferred maintenance that may not have been done because the owner was putting everything they could toward the payment versus the normal upkeep and home maintenance that needs to be done routinely.  Even furnace filters, loose decking boards, etc. may have been ignored.

Take a few moments to open your heart to the seller and what they are going through in losing their home.  It is a very personal thing.  The seller may be in this situation for a number of reasons.  They could have lost a loved one in a death, divorce or illness could have struck the familiy.  In that case, you are dealing with sometimes unforeseen circumstances that have emotionally affected the household as well as the home itself.  There are deep emotions torn wide open when the household goes through a loss that severe.  As a buyer of a home that has been through that, you may sense that feeling when you enter across the threshold, you may say something doesn't 'feel' right when you enter the house.  Be in tune with your own feelings and see if you can move those emotions out of the house and let the universe, the world or whatever your belief system is,  heal those deep wounds.  Now given that, those feelings and those things can be cleared and you will have a lovely home that you and your loved ones can build a future together within. 

If the family lost the home due to financial difficulties from a loss of a job, you also have some rampid feelings running around.  I met a woman a few days ago that had a long time employment experience with a good employer in the area.  She had excellent and stellar employee reviews and was continually promoted and praised for her work.  Corporate came in a few months after her last review and she was terminated due to downsizing and salary cuts across the board. The office will eventually close, which may have been some consolation to her ego and her emotions, but will not lessen her feelings.  Here are some of the things she felt.  "I felt cheated, like I gave 125% all for naught. They didn't appreciate me and I felt like they took advantage of me. I also felt like they knew this was coming and because I was a performer they didn't want me to know about it."  Okay, so here are some energies that she felt that will be in her house when she sells.  There will be energy around cheating, lack of appreciation and secrecy.  Those three energies are pretty powerful, so you may sense those as well as you go on your journey with a professional real estate agent to find your new home. 

Hire me.  I can help you with the journey and help you widdle down your list of houses and point out their diamonds in the rough.  Even a diamond gem which carries and attracts energy can be cleared, and so can your new house that you are turning into your home.

I look forward to meeting you and working with you in this most exciting time in your lives.  Donna:)

At the age of 54, I find myself in a position of selling and liquidating property assets.  Those assets involve a house that I use to call 'home' after 26 years of ownership and raising my family there.   I know, I ask my clients to do this every day when I interview for their listing agent position so it should be easy, right?  Wrong, at least not for me. I am on the journey of releasing my real estate and disconnecting from it.  Energetically, I am ready to move onto a new more free time in my mid life.   I don't think I am the exception but the norm in letting go of former buildings that we went home to every single day and night of the week for 26 years.  In that 26 year period, I was a mother of three children, a wife for 17 years, a single person for 11, a new business owner for 12, a mother witnessing her oldest son slowly die for 13 months from a childhood brain cancer, a cancer survivor for 7, a daughter helping her dying mother for 3, a sister watching her other older sisters fight cancer for 2, a concerned citizen of the United States watching our country deteriorate because of greed and ego minded decisions for at least 5 years.  Now, that was the negative side of the 26 year period. 

Isn't it interesting that I chose to look at it that way, versus what the house/home really gave me.  What you will see when you read on, is that it is not the building alone, but the inner home I build within myself. The negativity is now changing to a positive outlook on the sale and release of those 26 years. 

The home gave me safety, a place to call home after a long day at a wonderful job that I adored when I worked in the banking industry for 25 plus years.  The home gave me a place to watch my kids throw balls, and learn how to sleigh ride down our hill into the grass pasture area of the neighbor's acreage.  The home gave me a place to be loud with my 44 loving family members when they came over for Christmas and Thanksgiving a lot of years that we played hostess.  The home gave me a place to recuperate from my bout of cancer which scared the begeebles out of me and my kids I might add.  The home gave me a place to reconnect with my oldest son Christopher as he journeyed for 13 months in a fight against brain cancer.  He eventually moved onto his own new home in heaven where he consistently looks out for Mom and his now adult brother and sister.  The home provided a place to relax, read my self help and personal growth books as I learned to become a personal and life coach. The home provided my first real estate office as I made the transition from a steady Eddie paycheck to a self employment opportunity of owning my own real estate company.  The home provided a place for me to weed the garden and think of the farm where I was raised outside of Hermann, Missouri.  The home provided a view of the whole neighborhood, one of the highest points in Franklin County so I could appreciate down home living and friendly existence in nature.  The home provided a place with its acreage for wildlife, deer, turkey, dove and rabbits to roam and enjoy the great outdoors.  The home provided a place for my sons Christopher and Timothy to practice their bow and arrow shooting skills.  The home provided a place for Danielle to learn how to cut grass and weedeat.  The home provided a place for Danielle and her friends to come over and have makeup parties and learn how to be a little lady after they played a rousing game of basketball.  The home provided a place to slumber after too many dances on the dance floor when my feet hurt from all the fun I had with my girlfriends.  The home provided a place to have 'after winery' parties where we would grill burgers and hot dogs after too much fun, if there is such a thing, enjoying the fruits of the vine at our local wineries.  The home provided a place for our mail to be delivered so that I knew I belonged to the community of home ownership in Washington, Missouri. 

This home is for sale.  I invite you to buy it, build your own memory log there and in 26 years we can talk again about what you did to change it from a house to a home.

Home ownership is an amazing thing.  Home ownership is a transition from wandering to rooting.  When you root yourself into Mother Earth, you are grounding your nervous system and making a decision to stand up for yourself and be accountable, be responsible and be valuable to the neighborhood. 

I am home within myself, a feeling of freedom that many seek to enjoy.  I would love to help you and yours find a home both within yourself as well as the physical structure.

Office Furniture Solutions made easy with Donna Joerling, Office Furniture Consultant.  This is a well rounded full office environment inventory. Located in the St. Louis market this product can be shipped nationwide very easily. The office setup includes a great combination of great, like new, Knoll Morrison workstations in various sizes, 8x8, 6x8, 12x6 and more in inventory consisting of glass stackers as well as fabric stackers, with two doors to build private offices within the workstations. The stations are a combination of 48” and 64” panels that can be staggered and configured to create a very nice office environment. The stackers are 16” tall so you can add height throughout as well. There are approximately 13 units of the newer fabric workstations.

The workstations are done in a very nice neutral tone with golden warm trim pieces and soft fabric that cleans well. Most stations contain two pedestals box/box/file and file/file, some with two drawer laterals as well. We are pricing this inventory based on your floor plan, so let us help you build your new office and we can configure it with you as well as review panel count and component usage. There are two Knoll Morrison inventories in this entire project. One is approximately 5 years old and the other one, in very good condition as well, same color tone, just a different fabric. There are approximately 36 of the other neutral Knoll Morrison workstations with like components in 6x8 size.

Along with this office setup comes an abundance of filing and storage cabinetry. There are two drawer, three drawer, four and five drawer laterals in either Warm Brown One or Value Tan colors. These units, either color, go very well with either workstation inventory and are in such a neutral color, can be blended very easily. The Four Drawer lateral filing cabinets have a cherry veneer ‘topper’ that really pops with the other furniture in the area with the cherry highlights.

TWO DOOR CABINETS in neutral tones: Yes, this inventory has several 60” tall and 72” tall 2 door cabinets in Warm Beige One or light beige colors.

RECEPTIONIST DESK WORKSTATION: There is a very nice receptionist desk composed of the same Knoll Morrison workstation material with a unique wood front (very rich and elegant looking) along with a transaction counter made of a stone look/feel material. Your clients and vendors will be impressed.

Now for the best part of this inventory, let’s talk about the conference furniture and matching accessory pieces. We have the following board room furniture.

BOARD ROOM 1:

1. 24’ cherry conference table with a custom made padded top that has been on it (per the seller) most of the lifetime of the table. The grain is incredible and it looks just like new. There are 20 leather tufted chairs that match this table.
2. 42” Round table that matches the above conference table that seats 4.
3. Credenza for the boardroom where you can display your trophies and bragging rights to corporate success. This credenza is 8’ by 2’ and has several drawers as well as cabinet space.
4. Cherry podium in like new condition

BOARD ROOM 2:

1. 8 foot cherry conference room table with glass top, like new condition.
2. Cherry wood white board that matches this table, in excellent condition

BOARD ROOM 3:

1. SOLD Modular wood conference table. There are four pieces, two long ones in the middle that form the center and two matching end pieces that slide up to the edge of these that when separated can create four separate break out groups within one conference room. Great for a large group meeting of 16 or more, and then dividing into designated work groups to discuss secondary information. The table is a little over 16’ long and over 60” in the center. It is board shaped cherry color and most of the time the previous owner used writing pads to protect the surface.
2. Come try out the 8 beautiful leather beige/white chairs that go with this table. They are comfortable and very soft to the touch. You will impress the neighborhood!
3. This unit also had a matching built in credenza in cherry that has three drawers and three cabinets below for additional office/entertainment storage usage.

BOARD ROOM 4:

1. 8’ laminate cherry table with slab legs that is 44” wide, rectangular shaped.

Executive Suites: HON laminate series private office suites available as well. Call us at 314.808.1712 and let’s talk business to business. At Facility Services Group, we work for you, with you and alongside of you to create and install your new office setting!

To the Missouri Family: Words from our leadership team at Missouri Association of Realtors who just met for our quarterly business meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. 

We are a family of real estate agents working to make our world a better place to live, one home, one yard at a time. 

"It has come to my attention that there is an immediate need, once again, in Joplin. I was informed over the weekend that an urgent call for assistance has been issued by Joplin area relief agencies. With evening temperatures beginning to drop, they are in desperate need of warm clothes for the Fall and upcoming Winter season.  They are asking for help in collecting child and adult-sized sweat shirts, light fall jackets, warm winter jackets, gloves and mittens of all sizes, children’s winter boots, and warm blankets. These items, specifically, are being snatched off relief shelves as fast as they are put out. I am asking each of you to act as quickly as possible and to do whatever you can to assist the relief agencies in and around Joplin. We thank everyone who has contributed to the relief efforts so far. Our REALTOR® family has truly stepped up to the plate and made a difference for those affected by the tornado and I am confident that together we can once again make a difference for those in need!" Joyce Thomas our MAR President.

Donations may again be sent to the Ozark Gateway Real Estate Association office or directly to the Salvation Army. Please contact me if you have questions Donna Joerling 314.808.1712 Donna@JoerlingGroup.com

Tips for Buying New Construction

Buying a brand new a shiny, un-lived in home has a certain amount of appeal. There is no previous homeowner who has affected the home or who has emotional ties to the home that will factor into the negotiation process. New homes are usually built with floor plans that reflect the latest, most popular design trends.

In many ways, buying new construction is an entirely different animal than buying an existing home. While you still need to determine your budget, decide which home features are must-have and secure financing; the process of buying new construction involves a number of different steps.

Representation

 Always have independent agent representation when considering new construction. The builder will have sales agents of their own, but they are paid to represent the builder's interests, not yours. Many will use pressure tactics to encourage you to sign the contract.

A buyer's agent will act as your fiduciary and provide unbiased information on the pros and cons of any potential transaction. If you find developments that you are interested in learning more about, channel everything through your own independent representation. Protecting your own welfare is paramount.

Learn About the Development(s)

Buying a home in a planned development necessitates careful research of the development and neighborhood itself - more effort than you might otherwise put into learning about an existing neighborhood surrounding a resale.

 
• Drive around the neighborhood to get the lay of the land. Are street grids easy to learn, or confusing. What community amenities are in the development, and how conveniently are they located in relation to available homes?
• Are homes built right on top of each other, or does each lot have breathing space between houses? Are houses laid out such that similar models are not side-by-side, or does each street have an overly "cookie-cutter" feel to it?
• Visit open houses for any home models that fit your budget, size requirements and general home needs. You may need to allot several days to this task to avoid rushing through each open house. Bring a camera to document details of each model - this way you don't have to rely on either your memory or marketing materials provided by the development.
• Inquire with the city or county planner's office to learn about what is in store for the area around the development(s) you are interested in. Is that bucolic country neighborhood destined to besiegement from an array of shopping complexes and office parks? Is a seemingly too-distant neighborhood due to be linked by future mass-transit into core areas?
• Research the bylaws and rules of the homeowners association, if one exits. Some subdivisions have HOA's with strict rules and regulations restricting things such as exterior paint colors, outdoor sheds, landscaping and vegetable gardens. Violating these guidelines can result in expensive penalties, while living by them may be too stifling for some.

Research the Builder(s)

Accurately and fairly reviewing a builder's history is a crucial step if you're considering the purchase of a newly built home. Don't rely on information provided by representatives of the builder or subdivision, as it will be their goal to represent the builder in the best possible light.

Go to the courthouse to see if any liens or lawsuits have been filed against the builder, and verify how they were resolved. Check with the Better Business Bureau for any serious complaints against the builder registered by past homeowners or subcontractors. If at all possible, contact homeowners currently living in homes previously constructed by the same builder to see how they feel about the quality of craftsmanship after having actually lived in the home. Experienced real estate agents should also have a good understanding of which builders have a good reputation locally, and which do not.

Be Cautious with Upgrades and Extras

Upgrades to the home itself are features (such as hardwood flooring or high end appliances) that you pay extra for to improve the home based on your tastes. Builders can make a lot of money on upgrades, because they get the parts and labor at favorable rates and generally tack on a large markup.

Make sure you know the base feature list of the model you are purchasing by heart. When the builder offers upgrades, make sure you understand exactly what is being offered by asking questions and taking notes.

Do your own research to compare the cost of the feature plus installation as offered by the builder with what it would cost to have the work done independently after move in. If the builder's version is far and away more expensive, bidding the work out to independent contractors after you move in is probably the smart move. If the costs are similar, however, it may be less stress to have the work completed by the builder in advance.

Hire an Independent Home Inspector

Many people who purchase new construction fall into the trap of thinking that because the home is newly built, the important step of getting a detailed home inspection is unnecessary. Simply put, new construction does not guarantee sound construction, and skipping a professional inspection can leave you open to future problems that might crop op as a result of building flaws or cut corners. Even homes built by the most scrupulous contractors can have defects that are not obvious to the untrained eye.

Many builders will proved an all-inclusive home warranty as a part of the purchase agreement. This should not dissuade you from getting an impartial inspection: most warranties have a limited lifespan, and many original issues with home construction may not become apparent until many years later.

Shop for Lenders

Builders almost always have a preferred lender (sometimes even an in-house mortgage company), and will typically try to steer you to using this lender to secure the mortgage for your new home. Some builders will even offer deals on the purchase price of the home or free upgraded - contingent upon you using their lender.

Using the builder's lender, especially without first shopping around for mortgages and other sources, is highly problematic. A mortgage provider who has a working relationship with a builder or development is out to make sure they can get you into a loan for the property. What they aren't necessarily doing is making sure you get the best deal. Always shop around for the best possible rate, lowest closing cost and fewest hassles.