What's MY Style???

I get to see loads and loads of houses. Living in Glendale myself and being so involved with older homes in established neighborhoods, my personal preferences clearly rest there.

This home in Clayton just came on the market this morning and the style really struck me (even before I saw the price and interior!). I love the charm of Tudor, particularly when the gables and trim are gray or light colors. I also like the steep pitches, narrow window openings and central chimney. When I think of "Curb Appeal", this is what comes to mind.

While my Webster Groves, Kirkwood, and Glendale friends may argue, you just can't beat Clayton. Scenic, central, great schools, and vibrant.

Our Move

As many of you know, my team (Colleen, Susan and myself) recently moved to a new office. Our new company is RE/MAX Results, the fourth largest real estate brokerage in St. Louis. Fourth may not seem all that flashy, but this place is a pocket dynamo. Our 100 agents outsell companies way more than twice its size. In the first week I've been here, it's been a great fit and I am very happy to be here.

Thanks to Susan and Colleen, the actual move wasn't so bad for me. I spent the previous day tending to some "baby stuff" and came to the new office on Friday to find things pretty well under control. In fact, by the time I got to the office at 1pm, my computer was up and running and our "down time" was exactly zero minutes. We had two contracts come in on Saturday and have sold three houses in the five days we've been here.

It's been interesting to notice some things that come with moving, though. I now pull out the driveway and head north instead of south. New adjustments for drive time to the dry cleaners and pharmacy will need a little more time to complete. We have to find some new favorite lunch spots, one of the things I'll miss most about being right in downtown Kirkwood. And the boxes!!! Just like all of you, we're pulling things out of boxes everyday as we need them. And it's surprising to see how much stuff in those boxes we don't need.

Thank you all for your continued support of our company, which is stronger and more efficient than ever before. Everything we do is geared towards improving our process and making the "work of moving" smoother for our clients. It's a new year and a new beginning for this team and we are more excited than ever to help you get moving, too!

The Cobbler's Shoes

I woke up this morning with the strangest thought. Well, my first thought was that the Cardinals better dust off their golf clubs for an early off season. My second thought was the ironic one.

Nearly everyday, someone calls me and says, "Would you please come over and tell me what to do to get my house ready to sell?". I am always happy to do this. Sometimes, they are thinking long-term and want to know that the projects they are planning will have a decent return. Other times, the focus is on getting the rooms arranged properly, a fresh coat of paint on the walls and new mulch in the plant beds in order to sell it right away. Either way, after seeing thousands of houses for sale over the last 12 years, I admit that I know what will appeal to buyers when I see it. It's a fun (for me), although occasionally painful process of renewal that homeowners undertake when getting their house ready for market.

So the irony that hit me this morning came as I walked through my dining room and noticed that my dear wife had taken matters into her own hands and finally repaired the broken cabinet door that's been off the hinges for about a week. Our "chubby" three year old managed to split the door by hanging on it. Katie had glued the door back together and "clamped" it with the belt from one of the kids' terry cloth robe. I guess it gets the job done, right?

Then I reached under the kitchen sink to replace the trash bag and found a little puddle- apparently we have developed a slow leak from the hot water supply. I looked around the family room and saw that there was a broken door latch, scuffs and/or finger paint on the walls around our art table, and stains on the carpet from who-knows-what. I went outside and noticed paint chipping around the windows, a broken storm window from a misguided baseball, a stone retaining wall that's 70 years old and showing its age. My favorite was the white sump pump pvc pipe that my three sons have removed from it's proper location. They have converted it into a "fireman's pole" and tied to the tree they like to climb. All this and about 12 other things, which I routinely spend my days telling others to "take care of", were right there under my nose.

At first, I felt like a hypocrite for all of this. How could I, in good conscience, tell everybody else how to present their homes, when my own is so "lived in" by the Jackson 8? But then I realized, mine is not for sale. Additionally, how others perceive the imperfections of my home has no bearing on me...financially, anyway.

If we suddenly decided to sell our house, we would have to follow my own advice.

• Clean, clean, clean. That goes for inside and out.
• Get rid of extra stuff - like, all of it!
• Fresh paint and clean (better yet, new) carpet go a very long way
• The more "finished" the house looks, the better - especially in this market, where buyers have become very, very picky.

I moan when it's time to get the house ready for a party or company coming over. I shutter at the reality that, when on the market, it should be like that for every single showing.

Guess that's why the Jackson 8 aren't going anywhere anytime soon!

So What's New??? A Lot, It Seems

So much has happened in This Real Estate Life since my last blog post, I'm almost afraid to start posting again.

Here are 10 ways to know it's been too long:

10. It's almost time for the "Santa is coming to Kirkwood" post again

9. All 19 of my listings are new since the last post

8. You've sold 50 houses

7. Your kids have moved up a grade

6. Facebook has overtaken Google as the #1 website on the planet

5. The public had time to think the recession is over only to realize... maybe not

6. The Cincinnati Reds got good again

5. The tax credit has come and gone...and been extended

4. There's a new Justice on Supreme Court

3. I'm a new uncle to one and almost a new uncle again! (That will make 23, if you're keeping track.)

2. Interest Rates have gone to UNDER 4.5% - that really is incredible!!!

1. I have an extra kid

It was a great summer and I'm looking forward to getting going with the blog again. If there is anything you'd like to see or hear more about, just let me know and I'll get on it!

This Is It! I think I found it!

I love this picture. It's a friend of mine in Calgary, who is also a real estate agent. It evokes so many thoughts and feelings for me and reminds me of why we keep doing all the things we do.

For the big kid, dad is a hammock. For the little guy, dad is a pillow, a tower of stability and the only thing keeping him from a hard fall. And dad?? Who knows what he's thinking?

My guess is that life is just as hard for him as for any of the rest of us. I don't know anyone that gets a free pass. Business can be a grind (and rewarding). Marriage can be tough (and fulfilling). Kids can drive you crazy (and melt your heart). Our days are a full range of experiences and our lives really are a wonderful adventure.

But in this photo, it looks like all three people are totally content to be spending this moment in just exactly this way. I love that.

This is it! This is the "why".

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.

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."