The Most Expensive Sale of the Week - $700,000

Surprise, surprise!! For the third consecutive week, the most expensive home sale of the week is new construction in Kirkwood. 807 Lockett Rd. started at $799,900 back in March and ended up at $700,000 this past week.

Our office represented the buyer, who paid $165/sq. ft. compared to the average new construction avg. price of $193/sq. ft. This looks like a great deal on a very nice 4,200+ square foot home.

Real Estate and The Marathon

In the last two years, Katie and I have both developed a love of running. For Katie, the thrill is in the quiet time away from the demands of our home life - 5 (perpetually hungry) kids, a small mountain of laundry, occasionally forgetful husband, etc. She always comes home from a run feeling better than when she left and thinking about when she can get out for another 5 miles. Last year, she ran her first marathon... no small feat for a mother of five!


For me, running is a little different. I really enjoy the numbers, the competition, and the improvement. I don't mind the solitude, but those of you that know me can understand that I'd be very happy to chat all the way along.


Two weeks ago, I ran the Chicago Marathon. 18 weeks of training, lots of worry about injury and certainly some sacrifice in family time. All those hours by myself gave me time to think about my life, my career and my family. It turns out that running and real estate actually have a lot in common!


Out on the road, the good days are really good. I often felt light, fast and unstoppable- like I could run forever! Other days out there were a real slog - rainy, cold wet ones when it seems like I'd have done just as well to call it a day without ever getting out the door.


Over time and with experience, you realize you have to have both kinds of days. The common thread is clear. Perseverance is an essential quality and one that no marathoner or successful real estate agent can do without.

Horrible MLS Photo of the Day

This one just seems so creepy, I thought it was worth sharing!! Guess I'm just not a huge fan of showering in a zip lock. Thoughts???

The Most Expensive Sale of the Week - $850,000 in Des Peres

For the second week in a row, a newly built home tops the list of most expensive home sales in Webster, Kirkwood and Glendale. 11838 Claychester in Des Peres is a 4,000 sq. ft. story-and-a-half on a stunning half acre lot.

This property's journey ended in what I would call a "Win-Win" for both the buyer and home builder. Ginger Fawcett of my RE/MAX Suburban office, who specializes in working with builders and new homes, brokered the deal in a relatively short time frame (144 days), given the current market conditions.

I really think the price of $850,000 ($212/sq. ft.) was a fair one for all the amenities. The original list price was $999,000.

I'm never surprised when our company's listings sell, despite a constant supply of new listings around them. Full time agents have a real advantage when it comes to keeping up with market conditions, pricing, etc.

Horrible MLS Photo of the Day #2

Even in Kirkwood... Sad but true

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Would you believe this house sold for full price? First day on the market? It's true, even in this condition, houses priced aggressively do sell. At a certain price, there is a buyer for EVERYTHING!!

How I Got Into This Job In The First Place

This past August marked the end of my 10th year in the business of real estate. I never thought I'd have ANY job for 10 years, let alone one I wasn't dying to have in the first place. In 1998, I was 22, 100% flat broke...with a baby on the way.

I had interviewed at a couple financial companies for various entry level positions. Needless to say, the job prospects for a French Major with "Busboy" and "Business Suit Sales" on his resume were hardly inspiring (not to mention no one offered me the jobs!)

My parents owned a real estate company, RE/MAX Suburban, in Chesterfield. I was otherwise unemployed, having just graduated from St. Louis University, had a real estate license and helped out answering phones on the weekend. Sounds foolproof, right?

My dad called me into his office and said that someone had called in search of a property to rent. They had been commuting DAILY from Jefferson City to Boeing in North St. Louis, roughly 90 minutes each way. He said no one else in the office wanted this one because rental property didn't pay much. At most, I'd make around $200.

Well, after showing Mr. and Mrs. H about 15 horrific rental properties, I got a call from her saying that Boeing was going to give them a $3,000 bonus for relocating to St. Louis. That, I told her, was about exactly how much she'd need for a down payment on a house. Next trip out, they bought a very charming, 3 bedroom ranch in Lake St. Louis, MO.

She was trilled! No more leaving for work at 4 a.m. for Mr. H., her kids had a finished basement to enjoy, and I made $2,700 bucks! Maybe not quite that much after the company split, gas costs to see all those houses, etc., but you get the point. I was hooked! Just needed another customer!?!?

Anyway, after another few sales, I made about another 10 grand the rest of that year, and along with my wife's earnings as a waitress (5 nights/week while pregnant!!), we made it work. I've since learned that any new business is a real challenge, no matter what you're doing. 1998 was a really rough year for us, but I started to figure out how to actually make a living...

And that maybe the old saying was true.

"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

Webster Hills UMC Pumpkin Patch

This is a really fun, simple "Pumpkin Patch" that the very friendly folks at Webster Hills do every October. The Patch is set up at the corner of Berry Rd. and Lockwood, right across from the golf course at Westborough C.C. It's an easy walk for many!!

They have family activities set up for each Saturday from Oct. 10-24, including Bounce Houses, games, storytelling, facepainting and a great BBQ. The hours are 10am-8pm, daily Oct. 4-31.

The Most Expensive Sale of the Week - $1,675,000

Well, after last week, where the most expensive home sale in WKG was a pedestrian $343,000, I was prepared for anything this week. I'm happy to report that this week saw 4 sales higher than last weeks best, with the high dollar climbing well over the $1 million mark.

520 N. Taylor Ave. in Kirkwood closed yesterday with a purchase price of $1,675,000. It took well over a year (and over 3 since the builder purchased the home site) to complete and re-sell the 5,811 sq. ft. Georgian colonial.

This sale is great news for WKG high end sellers, who were starting to wonder if there were any million + buyers out there at all. Several recent attempts at sales over that price have fallen well short.