Lina Robertson's Blog

1312 Gretna Road, Springfield, MO



Offered at $129,900

So much home for the money!  Perfectly located, this home offers 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, formal living room, hearth room, split bedroom floorplan, gorgeous inground pool, fenced yard and storage shed.  Plenty of room for the whole family!

Features:
4 Bedrooms/3 Baths
2,062 sf
3 Car Garage
Built in 1964
Inground Pool

Schools:
Cowden Elementary
Pershing Middle School
Parkview High School

Click Here for More Information on This Home

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Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

Back in March, I had the pleasure of working with a really great couple who had relocated to our area for the husband's company.  His wife, Joan, had found a job working for a local municipality.  I showed a few homes to them, not many, and they quickly decided on a home that needed a LOT of TLC and rehab that had been languishing on the market for several months. 

I'd told Joan that I knew she and her husband were looking for a "fixer upper," but this one was going to be "a real hum dinger."  As she and I walked through the home, I pointed out all of the major issues with the home, like the mold ALL throughout the home, the HVAC that wasn't working, numerous roof and plumbing leaks, the downright scary inground pool with creatures in it that I didn't even realize lived in Southwest Missouri, etc.  There wasn't one inch of the home that they would not need to repair/replace.  Joan didn't talk alot, she always smiled and responded with, "That's not a big deal.  I can fix that."

On Monday, I received a call from the human resources director with a large corporation in Springfield, MO.  She was calling me for a reference on Joan.  I was a little surprised to hear that Joan was leaving her current job.

HR Director:  How do you know Joan?

Me:  I sold her and her husband a home in March when they relocated here.

HR Director:  That's odd.  She's never worked for you?  I've never had someone use their REALTOR® for a reference.

Me:  Hmmm.  I've never been used as a reference for a client before, but now that I think about it, why not?  I'm probably the best person you could have called.  In my business, I tend to see people at their worst.  I could tell you about the true personality of a lot of people, and how they handle themselves under stress.  I can tell you who breaks down, who deals dirty, and who loses their temper, and who handles stress the best.

HR Director:  I guess I hadn't thought of it that way.  So tell me, how was Joan?

Me:  Based on my experience, she is always in a good mood, she is able to look past the ugly and see the good in everything, she isn't afraid of hard work, she tackles challenges with optimism, nothing ever ruffles or stresses her, she never complains, and she believes in being fair to everyone.  She's grateful for help, appreciative of someone's time, and works hard to meet deadlines.  She's an absolute pleasure to work with.

HR Director:  Maybe I should be asking more job applicants for the name of their REALTOR®.  Ha!

After this call, I started thinking.....we really do see the true personality of people.  When we spend days, weeks, months and sometimes years dealing with people, we get to know them very, very well.  Looking back at my past clients, I can tell you instantly what their strengths and weaknesses are, and if they have a pleasant temperament, and how easily they adapt in situations.

I'd never actually put much thought into this perspective of our business before, but after this call I realize we are probably the BEST people in the world to be calling for a job reference.  Well.....only if they're nice.

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

I had to give a presentation to a group of local business owners this past week and discuss my business.  The one question I am ALWAYS asked is, "How's the market?"  So....I decided rather than talk about it, I'd show them.  I prepared a few graphics for the presentation to really show how the Springfield MO real estate market is faring.

This first graph shows the number of single family home sales in Greene and Christian counties each year since 2000.  It's obvious from this that our market peaked in 2005. 

This next graph shows the number of single family homes sold in Greene and Christian counties from January 1, 2010, through present.  The number of homes sold in February of 2011 is somewhat inaccurate in that my data was pulled on 3/1/11, when many companies had not yet reported their end of the month sales to the MLS yet.  What you CAN see here is how much stronger the market was in January of 2011 compared to January of 2010.  You can also clearly see the effect the first-time homebuyers tax credit had on the market.

This next graph shows the average sales price of single family homes sold in Greene and Christian counties since 2000.  This average is very relative considering many of the home sales in 2006 and 2007 were in the higher price ranges, which will have an effect on the overall average sales price.  Considering the incredible crash in values experienced in other parts of the country, Southwest Missouri has done very well.

This last graph is my favorite.  We have many buyers who come to our area from out of state.  When I tell them that we are still selling (on average) within 95% of list price, they look at me like I'm from outer space.  Their typical response is, "So you didn't experience the market crash like everyone else?"  The answer is....yes, we did.  However, in our area, it is not common to negotiate much more than 5% from list price.  The key here is that if the home is priced right, it will sell.  If a home is overpriced....it won't.  Once a home is priced competitively, ALL buyers can recognize the value.  This graph is representative of the average list-to-sales price ratio, broken down by the number of days on the market.

The Springfield MO real estate market is still alive.  We may have taken a blow, but it did not knock us down.  The key to selling your home in the Springfield, MO, area is easy.  You have two battles to win before you can win the war.  In this case, the war is not the "sale," the war is the "offer."  What are the two battles you must win?  The Beauty Pageant, and the Price War.  Win those two, and you will win the offer.

Call or email me if you are buying a home or selling a home in the Springfield, MO, area, and would like more information.

Click Here to Search Springfield MO Homes For Sale

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

I have found the most amazing company to help me and my sellers spruce up their homes in Springfield, MO, prior to listing them on the market.  I had no idea how just the smallest detail could make the home pop.  I also didn't realize that there are companies such as Gatekeeper Property Services that offered so many different services, such as:

1.  Cleaning your roof.

2.  Power washing vinyl siding.

3.  Power washing decks, fences, sidewalks and driveways.

If you'd like to give your commercial building, business, office or home a facelift, I highly recommend calling Eric and Gatekeeper Property Services.

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

Below is the Springfield MO Real Estate Market Report for July 2010.  What is significant about this month's report has that the inventory is decreased slightly, but the number of homes going under contract has remained relatively unchanged.  Fewer homes actually closed in the month of July.  I suspect many homes going under contract are having a hard time getting to the closing table.  My guess would be this is a reflection on the ability to obtain financing.

Homes for Sale in Springfield, MO:

• Total Active Listings: 1669 homes
• Under Contract:  193 pending sales
• Total Sold Listings for June:  173 sales

Springfield MO Sales Price Information

• Average Sales Price: $136,471
• Sale Price to List Price Ratio: 97.16%

Days on Market (for Sold homes)

Average Days on Market: 83 days

Search Springfield MO Homes For Sale

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

I've been working on a short sale since February of this year.  The first lienholder is owed $145,000.  The second (21st Mortgage) is owed $25,000.  After 3 months on the market at $119,900, I finally received an offer on the home.  I was able to get approval from the first lienholder within 30 days. 

The first allowed $3,000 towards 21st Mortgage.  Keep in mind that 21st Mortgage primarily deals in mobile home financing.  However, 21st Mortgage as a "very strict company policy" to not accept anything less than the same percentage loss as the first.  (I know you're all laughing at this).  Since when does ANY second get that much?  Come on....you're the second in line.  You knew that going into it.

After two months of negotiating with 21st Mortgage, and retaining an attorney to help us in the negotiations.....nothing.  They won't budge.  Not an inch.  The attorney has thrown her hands up, and finally told me to give it a try.

I called the supervisor today.  Here's how the conversation went:

Me:  Hi.  I was hoping we could get SOMETHING resolved here.  The first is allowing you $3,000, I have thrown in $1,000, and the buyers are throwing in an additional $9,000.  That's a total offer to you of $13,000.  I only have a small window of time.  The first has canceled their approval because we're past the deadline, but have agreed to a one-time extension if we can close in 30 days.  The buyers are ready to walk.  The first has already started the foreclosure proceedings.  This is the absolute MOST we can come up with.

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  How much is the first getting?  74%?  Your offer only allows us 52%.  Our company policy is that we will only accept the same percentage loss as the first.

Me:  This is the most we can come up with.

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  Don't you have more commission?  We have agents that throw in their total commission all the time.

Me:  Really?  I've already thrown in $1,000.  How about this....let's make a deal.  I'll match you dollar for dollar.  You throw in some of your personal paycheck, and I'll match it.  That's fair.

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  (Laughing)  Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Me:  I didn't think so.  Seriously, this is it.  We're out of time, foreclosure proceedings have started, and the buyers are walking.  If you can't agree to this, then this contract is done, and even me and the seller are walking away.

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  See, what you REALTORS® (drawled out and spoken with heavy sarcasm) don't get is that we don't have FHA backed loans here, we didn't accept any TARP funds, we are a privately held corporation and this is a real money loss to us.  We're doing your client a FAVOR.  We're allowing her to short sale her property for less than the amount of her note.

Me:  See, what you don't get, is that you accepted that risk when you signed on to be the second in line.  What you also don't get is that we know that at $13,000 you're making money on this loan.  You bought this note on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar.  At $13,000 you're making a profit.  I get the fact that that is how capitalism in America works.  I don't begrudge your company for making a buck.  What I do begrudge is when capitalism crosses the line into pure greed at the expense of others less fortunate.  So don't sell me on this whole "we're doing your client a favor."  She's YOUR client, too, and you just shoved her into foreclosure because a 110% profit margin wasn't enough for you. 

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  How do you know that?

Me:  Simple.  I researched it.  I looked it up.

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  It doesn't matter.  That's still our company policy.

Me:  So, you're willing to allow the foreclosure to continue knowing when this home sells on the courthouse steps you will get $0?  Do you realize that most second lienholders don't even come CLOSE to getting this percentage?  Do you realize how rare it is to find a buyer in this market with additional cash in their pocket to be able to pay this to you? 

21st Mortgage Supervisor:  Ma'am, that's our company policy, and the more you talk, the more you're wasting my time and your breath.

So...there you have it.  Pure stupidity blinded by greed.  The shocking part of this....they are owned by Berkshire Hathaway.  I read today that Berkshire Hathaway's profits are down 40% right now. 

The buyer's agent is preparing a Mutual Release.  Once signed, I intend to email it to the supervisor at 21st Mortgage.  When the foreclosure notice is printed in the newspaper, I'll be forwarding that to him as well.  And when the home sells on the courthouse steps, he'll get another nice little email from me...one with hundred little laughing smileys jumping all over.

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

This happens so often.  Truth be known, the buyers don't want the sellers to be home when they look.  It makes the buyers uncomfortable, they tend to spend less time, and they are too distracted by the presence of the seller to really absorb the home.  Buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home, not feel as if they are trespassing on someone else's property.

And then there's the information the sellers ALWAYS inadvertently give.  Most sellers don't realize how damaging even the most innocent comment can be.  In their haste to sell the property, they will often "offer up" things in the home, without even knowing what the buyer's offer might be.  I've been in situations where the seller offers to leave the riding lawn mower or refrigerator, and when they see the initial offer, they take it back.  It causes hard feelings from the very beginning.

It is always best to leave the negotiations and sharing of information to the REALTORS®.

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.

 

 

I have found the most AMAZING store in Ozark, Missouri!  National Home Products!  I'd heard about them before, and knew they specialized in mirrors, cabinet hardware, shower doors and closet organization systems, but I had no idea the extent of it.

I stopped by their store and met the owners, Andy and Monica Jenisch.  They have been in business since 1985, and have been in their current location since 1997.  Their showroom is located just to the south and east of Lambert's in Ozark.  They were  so nice and took me on a tour of their showroom.  The selection just blew me away!  They also educated me on a few things that I didn't know could be done. 

You know the single, solid plate glass mirror many bathrooms have GLUED to the wall over the vanity?  I have that in my master bath, and I've always hated it, but dragged my feet in doing something about it because it required not just replacing the mirror, but repairing the drywall once the mirror came down.  At National Home Products, they can custom frame my bathroom mirror....IN PLACE....on the wall....for less than the cost of a new mirror.  Guess what?  They're scheduled to come to my home next week to take care of this for me. 

Or the walk-in showers that are dated with the brass around the edges?  They can replace JUST the metal on the shower unit.  For the standard tub/shower sliding doors, they said it was probably cheaper to just replace those, but in the larger stand-up units, they can replace just the brass for around $300.  Well worth the cost when you consider that while negotiating the sale of the home, the buyer will most likely discount your price more than that.

But the biggest surprise to me was the pricing.  I guess I'd always assumed that because they were a specialty store, their prices would be higher, when actually they are cheaper than Lowe's or Home Depot.  As a matter of fact, their biggest clients are Morelock-Ross Builders, Ramsey Building, Millstone Custom Homes, Stenger Homes, and my favorite, Fahrlander Custom Homes (builder of the 2010 St. Jude Dream Home).

Here are some examples of their pricing:

Bath hardware:  $10-40 for individual pieces; $30-150 for sets

Cabinet hardware:  $1.50 to $30.00

Door hardware:  $10-80

Handle set for front door:  $150-600

Closet organization systems:  $800 for basic closet organization (not wire rack)

Plate mirrors:  $50-300.  ($300 for one big plate mirrors)

Framed mirrors:  $80-400

Frame an existing mirror on a wall:  $200-500

Shower doors:  $300-2,000

Garage organization systems:  $50-4,000

So....if you're building or remodeling a home, or just wanting to update your own, you MUST check out National Home Products before you buy from anywhere else.  There isn't a hardware store or home improvement store in the entire greater Springfield, Missouri, area with a better selection, or better pricing.

Lina Robertson Jones Owner/Agent RE/MAX Solutions 1715 James River Road Ozark, MO, 65721	Mobile: (417) 844-7265 linarobertson@remax.net http://www.ozarks-realestate.com
RE/MAX - Outstanding Agents, Outstanding Results!

About the author:  I am full-time REALTOR® with RE/MAX Solutions in Springfield, MO, and a member of the Greater Springfield Board of REALTORS®.  I have helped hundreds of families in the Springfield, Nixa, Republic and Ozark real estate markets, whether buying a home, or selling a home.  Visit my website at www.ozarks-realestate.com to search for All Springfield MO Area MLS listings.  Want to know what our market is like?  My website is also an excellent resource for current Springfield MO Area Real Estate Market Reports, as well as current market reports for Ozark, Nixa, Republic, and Rogersville.