An "Almost New" Classic

I like a lot about this house. For starters, if you like "all things Kirkwood", it's about two or three blocks from your entire world. I hear from buyer after buyer how great it would be to be able to walk to school, little shops and restaurants.

Kirkwood Park is a genuine treasure. Isn't there something very cool about the kids being able to wander up to the community center, ice rink, pool, tennis courts? It's just not something you can do everywhere.

It's also clean, fresh and only 4 years old. The rooms are super comfortable and everything is right where you'd hope it would be. These owners have maintained it impeccably. Take a look for yourself in this video tour.

This one is set to come on the market right after the weekend. Here are the details:

342 W. Washington Ave, 63122

4+bedrooms, 4.5 baths
3,802 sq. ft
Finished 3rd floor
9ft Basement Pour
$675,000

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!

Santa Claus is Coming to Kirkwood (and it's FREE!!!)

I hope everyone can swing through Kirkwood Thursday night between 5-7 to take advantage of this cool (and free) family event at the Kirkwood Train Station. How great to see Santa at a real, working train station!

There might even be snow on the ground! Click the link for more information.

I love fun free family stuff! If you do too, let me know when you come across it and I'll publish it on the blog. You can comment here or mail me anytime at johnjackson@remax.net .

Turkey Day is Coming!!! Start Running...Right Now!!

Come out on Thanksgiving morning and run with your friends, neighbors and entire community. It's an ideal time to run - right before consuming several thousand calories!

3 miles sounds tough, but my 11 year old ran almost 2 miles in her first attempt ever! I'm sure with the added push from the crowd you can run/walk for 30-40 minutes.

Katie and I are going to make a date out of it, complete with coffee and a quiet breakfast. It will be a great way to start the holidays. Can't wait!!

Click on this blog post title for the registration form.

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.

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.

The "Best Quality" New Construction, $500,000-1 Million

So I've been reviewing what's out there in WKG for buyers wanting a new house in an old neighborhood. For the sake of this discussion, a few points to mention.

1. I'm looking at the house itself, not so much lot, location or overall value of the property. Those things are worth talking about, but I get a lot of questions about what new construction is well-built and what isn't.



2. Builders tend to "Design, Sell, Build, Repeat". They generally use the same sub-contractors over and over, so quality, as it relates to builders, is what it is...consistent.



3. I'm considering "New Construction" to be less than 2 years old. Around WKG, that's "new enough" for most buyers.

Here's my short list of good stuff:

136 Reavis Place in Webster Groves. Classic interior finishes and everything (except the basement) is finished. True craftsmanship and I LOVE screened in porches! My wife would kill for this 3rd floor.

107 Morningside in Kirkwood. I know, I know, it's 2 doors from Lindbergh Blvd., but this is about the house, remember? Hayden Homes built this one in 2007 and it's a very stylish home. Lots of cool features, unless you're morally opposed to the exterior color!

802 Oakway Place in Glendale. Our office has this one listed and this builder, Scharf Custom Homes, has completed many infill projects around town. It's the "not-so little" stuff that sets this one apart from the boxey, sea of "siding-carpet-drywall" homes that our buyers consistently reject.

This photo shows at least 5 high quality features: wood treads on the steps, wainscoating up the staircase, arched openings fully trimmed, crown in the foyer, etc.