Joan's Blog: May 2009

I was car shopping recently and realized there was a coorelation with home shoppers and car buyers.    No - no .....not that realtors are like Used Car Salesmen, although there have been times I think people look on us that way.

Let me explain, I started out looking for a late model Ford Van with the usual wish-list  for low mileage, good care, etc.  I was very precise with my needs at each car lot where I found nothing matching them.  I knew what I wanted, by darn,  and was sticking to my guns.

That is..... I stuck to my guns until I spotted a sharp looking PT Cruiser sitting at the front of the lot, and you know - as Paul Harvey would say - the Rest of The Story!  I sat in the Cruiser and immediately got a big grin on my face!  I LOVED IT!

I walked away from it tho, telling myself that it wouldn't seat six; my buyers wouldn't want to get into a small car; etc, etc, etc.  It took two days for me to finally say YES! 

And I love it.  Funny thing is, everyone who comes into our Shell Knob office comments on it and smiles.

So how is this like buying a house?  How many times have you had a buyer with very specific things they did or did not want in their house?  So you find several homes to meet their needs, but they always find something wrong with the property?  They go home unsold, and a few weeks later you find that they bought a house directly opposite from the home they SAID  they wanted - and from someone else?

This might be called the "Buyers Are Liars" post.  It's like we all have these two critters sitting on our shoulders - you've seen the cartoons.  One is an angel telling us to do what is right and the other is a little devil whispering to our other needs.

It's this unknown factor that really sharp agents can read in their prospective clients and set about to find the house that wows them the moment they walk in.  It meets some of their 'Got-to's' and mixes in some Wow factors for a perfect match. 

Call Joan for all your real estate needs.   417-846-7128

Tri-Lake Realtors   417-858-3344                                                                       

Paddlefish Season Ends

Paddlefish season is looked forward to each year on Table Rock Lake. It runs for six weeks normally, from mid - March to the end of April.

A total of two fish per day is the allowed catch for these unusual creatures that are said to provide a "poor-man's" cavier.

 The harvest of paddlefish is strictly regulated by the Missouri Conservation Department to ensure the fish population remains healthy and to give a high quality angling experience for everyone to enjoy.

That quota was totally ignored by some poachers caught by Conservation Agents butchering 61 paddlefish on April 22.

As a result, the Agents issued a total of 12 citations to the poachers, and as one agent said "it was a shame that other sportsment won't get a chance at these fish."

Call Joan For All your Real Estate Needs   417-846-7128

Tri-Lakes REALTORS   417-858-3344

Sales trickled in slowly in Shell Knob in April 2009.  There were 4 or 5 properties closed, depending on where you look for the statistics, with a grand total of 12 closed for the year. That amounts to 3 sales per month!

If you were one of the lucky sellers, your property was sold for under $229,000 (which was the highest sale). The average sale price for the 4 sales was $128,125.

Prices and number of homes selling are still dropping here in the Ozarks. April of 2008 had 11 sales for an average price of $147,673. The average number of days on the market for current sales was 202. Last year at the same time, homes sold in an average of 104 days.

Have we hit bottom on this downward slide? We hope so. The phones are starting to ring again in REALTORS' offices. People are walking in and asking about lake property. The month of May typically is a busy one in Shell Knob real estate. It would be a good time to consider getting your lake house on the market.

Call Joan to sell your lake home in Shell Knob.  417-846-7128

Tri-Lakes Realtors  417-858-3344