2016 Holiday Events in St. Charles County, Missouri

It’s Christmas season in St. Charles County, Missouri! The Boehmer Team loves the sights and sounds of the season. We have put together a handy list of events in St. Charles County for you and your family to enjoy over the 2016 holidays.

9th Annual Treasure Chest Holiday Expo at the St. Charles Convention Center November 18, 19 and 20

A Holiday Shopping Extravaganza with over 200 booths filled with one-of-a- kind Arts/Crafts, unique Gift items, Gourmet Goodies, Home Decor and everyone’s favorite Product vendors. Find just the right gift for everyone on your list this year. Free admission, free parking, raffles and door prizes through-out the weekend.

More information at http://www.treasurechestshows.com

Christmas Traditions Festival  November 25 – December 24

This annual month long festival celebrates the best of the holiday season. From the boisterous cheer of our legendary Christmas figures and joyful singing of our harmonious carolers, to the unique shopping and dining opportunities found along the festival decorated brick lined streets, of historic St. Charles, Missouri. Christmas Traditions offers something special for everyone.

OPENING CEREMONY
 November 25th - 11:00 AM
Kister Park Gazebo - 400 block of South Main Street

More information at http://www.historicstcharles.com/things-to-do/christmas-traditions/

34th Annual Augusta Candlelight Christmas Walk  December 2 & December 9

Start your holiday traditions in beautiful Augusta, Missouri on Friday, December 2nd & 9th from 5 to 10 p.m. at the 34th Annual Candlelight Christmas Walks.

Experience an old-fashioned “Norman Rockwell-feeling Christmas”

Over a thousand luminaries light the way as visitors wander through the historic town visiting shops and galleries showcasing unique and distinctive gift ideas including hand-blown glass, local artisans, paintings and jewelry. Food vendors, restaurants, wineries & brewery pull out all the stops to entice the culinary pallet with traditional holiday fare.

More information at http://www.augusta-chamber.org/events/event/31st-annual-christmas-walk/

           

O'Fallon Celebration of Lights

NOVEMBER 25 – DECEMBER 30, 2016

Celebration of Lights is a holiday light display held at Fort Zumwalt Park. Each scene is designed and funded by local organizations, churches and businesses. Started in 1991, the event attracts more than 10,000 vehicles each year and more than 10,000 individuals during the Old-Fashioned Holiday Stroll.

Drive-through, no reservations needed

More information at http://www.ofallon.mo.us/celebration-of-lights

LSU's 3rd Annual Christmas Carol Sing: "The King is Coming!" Sunday, November 27 2016, 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM

LSU would like to welcome you to its third annual Christmas Carol Sing! This year we will feature an aural journey through the history of music, starting with the Gregorian Chant of the Middle Ages and moving through the Classical Period and into Jazz, Liturgical, and Contemporary settings. This chronological journey through music will be paralleled with Scripture readings and poetry reflecting on the gift of our Savior. This event is part of Lindenwood's Christmas Walk festivities, so please join us on Sunday, November 27, at 5:00 p.m. in Sibley Chapel for this time of musical celebration of the birth of Christ! 

More information at https://lindenwood.collegiatelink.net/organization/LSU/calendar/details/805777

Foundry Art Centre – The Polar Express November 30

Bring your family & friends to enjoy films throughout fall and winter at the Foundry Art Centre. Enjoy delicious, hand-crafted, made-from-scratch sweets from local St. Charles vendor SugarBot Sweet Shop at each of our film series events. 

More information at http://www.foundryartcentre.org/film-series/

Mayor Tree Lighting Ceremony at the Meadows of Lake Saint Louis December 2

Celebrate the holidays with a tree lighting ceremony, cookies, hot chocolate, horse and carriage rides and a special visit from Santa.

Major Kathy Schweikert will light the holiday tree at The Meadows of Lake Saint Louis, and live music will be provided by the Green Tree Elementary Choir. Free. 6 to 8 p.m.

More information at  http://www.themeadowsatlsl.com/events/

Christmas Candlelight Tour December 2, 3, 9, & 10

Thousands of candles illuminate a world on the edge of the frontier. Step back into the early 1800s to experience Christmas as it was celebrated in the past with stories, music and hot cider. Limited tickets are available. Reservations are highly recommended.

Register here - https://apm.activecommunities.com/stcharlescountyparkrec/Activity_Search

Las Posadas December 03, 2016

Join us for the re-enactment of the Spanish Tradition of "Las Posadas".  The procession begins at Boone's Lick and South Main and proceeds to Frontier Park.  Participants carry candles while following Mary and Joseph as they seek shelter prior to arriving at Bethlehem.  Our journey ends at a live nativity scene on the riverfront.  A celebration follows with Christmas carols around the Yule Log bonfire. 

More information at http://www.historicstcharles.com/includes/events/Las-Posadas/878/

Santa at the Old Town Log Cabin – St. Peters December 3, 1-3pm

Get your kids' wish list together, and visit Santa for FREE at the Old Town Log Cabin in Old Town St. Peters. Enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, hot chocolate and cookies. It's all FREE! Bring your own camera, and dress appropriately -- this is an outdoor event. The Log Cabin is located at 141 Gatty Drive across from Old Town Park. 

More information at http://www.stpetersmo.net/calendar-details.aspx?eid=1401&m=12&d=3&y=2016

Santa's North Pole Dash and Children's Snowman Shuffle – St. Charles, Mo December 3

This fun fundraiser for the Greater St. Charles County Chamber is in its sixth year! Come join the fun in historic downtown St. Charles. Race participants can receive special deals with many main street merchants by wearing their race shirt into the shops after the race.
More information at: http://www.gstccc.com/santa-dash

 
Winter Wonderland on Ice Show – St. Peters December 9, 10

Celebrate the holidays as the Rec-Plex North ice rink comes to life and turns into an enchanted Winter Wonderland on Ice. The best Rec-Plex solo skaters and synchronized skating teams will dazzle audiences with the beauty and skill of their original programs. Beloved holiday characters join in the festivities to make this a delightful event for the whole family.

More information at  http://www.stpetersmo.net/calendar-details.aspx?eid=1469&m=12&d=9&y=2016

The Gateway Ringers Holiday Concert – O'Fallon, MO December 9, 7:30 pm

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 8945 Veterans Memorial Parkway, O'Fallon, MO 63366

More information at  http://www.gatewayringers.org/

St Charles Big Band – Holiday Concert @ Lindenwood Scheidegger Center for the Arts December 13

The Concert Band will open the program at 7 PM with classic and contemporary Holiday Music, with a visit from Santa Claus expected. After a brief intermission, the Big  Band will  perform pop Holiday Favorites with a featured vocalist. 

More information at  http://www.stcharlesband.com/event/holiday-concert-lindenwood-scheidegger-center-for-the-arts/

Do you know of a holiday event in St. Charles County, Missouri that we are missing? Contact us and let us know by emailing Linda@TheBoehmerTeam.com or Kelly@TheBoehmerTeam.coom and we'll add it to the list. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from The Boehmer Team!

5 Reasons to List Over The Holidays

No matter the season, homebuyers need to purchase homes.  Think that if you list your home for sale during the holiday season that it won’t sell?  Then check out these reasons to list your St. Louis or St. Charles County area home over the holidays.

1. Buyers are motivated.

Buyers looking to purchase a home over the holidays are serious buyers. They may be trying to purchase before the end of the year for tax reasons.  Interest rates are predicted to go up next year and homebuyers will be looking to take advantage of still-low rates. Also, January is a big season for job transfers and homebuyers may be preparing for a job at a new location in the new year.

2. There is less competition.

Fewer homes on the market means fewer homes for sale for your home to compete against. This year there have been more buyers than homes coming onto the market and some buyers have simply been waiting all year for the right home to come onto the market. And that home could be yours.

3. Homes show better.

Go ahead and decorate for the holidays. Holiday décor give buyers a nostalgic feeling can illicit positive emotions for your home. The holidays in general are a more emotional time of year and buyers are often motivated by emotion. Just be careful not to overdo the festive decorations, as you don’t want to clutter the space and make it feel smaller.

4. People are looking at homes over the holidays.

Despite the season, the Internet isalways available for online shoppers to discover your home online. In fact, COO of Zillow Group, Amy Bohutinsky, said their data shows an “influx of buyers between Christmas and January are online.”  In addition, buyers have designated time off work over the holidays to search for their next home.

Did you know TheBoehmerTeam.com gets better listing data than Zillow?

5. The process is quicker and smoother than any other time of year.

With the market being a bit slower during the holidays and winter months, the processors of your home sale have more time to dedicate to you and make sure that things go quickly and smoothly. Mortgage loan officers can process your loan quicker. Appraisers and inspectors will show up faster. Title companies will have more time to research. All this means a fast, smoother closing for you.

The Boehmer Team knows you have needs but also concerns. Afraid of dealing with home selling while you are out of town visiting relatives? The Boehmer Team takes care of that.  In fact, there are many things The Boehmer Team does to make sure your St. Louis or St. Charles County area home sale is as painless as possible. Contact The Boehmer Team to find out how they deliver great experiences for their home sellers and help them get the most from their home sale.

How Do I Know If I’m Buying A Haunted House?

In today’s competitive home buying market, buyers are often waiting for the right house to come on the market and then making an offer as soon as they see it. But how do you know if the house you’ve just put an offer on is haunted? The answer, you don’t. However there are some things you can do to find out for yourself.

In Missouri Sellers Do Not Have to Disclose If A House Is Haunted

In Missouri sellers do not have to disclose if a house is psychologically stigmatized, as only physical defects have to be disclosed. Stigmatized properties include properties that are not defective in any physical manner, but may have psychological or emotional factors due to a murder, suicide or paranormal activity at the property. So a haunted property would be considered a stigmatized property.

 
Even though sellers don’t have to disclose if a house is stigmatized, it may be a prudent course of action to disclose the home’s history. If a seller doesn’t disclose, and a buyer finds out about the stigmatization after putting an offer on the property, the buyer may have grounds to pull out of the transaction. All this of course, would further stigmatize the property.

Disclosing a stigma about a property may actually draw the perfect buyer. There may be a buyer who is a paranormal expert, a murder-mystery fan or someone who just doesn’t care about the stigmatization and is happy that the sellers are honest about the property.  So being honest and forthcoming about a property’s stigmatization is usually the best course of action.

How To Find Out If A House For Sale Is Haunted 

If sellers don’t disclose that a house is haunted or has some other stigmatizing history, how does a buyer find out about it? Google the address to find any news stories that are related to the home. Also, you can talk to the neighbors. Talking to the neighbors will offer a good opportunity to introduce yourself and learn more about the property and the neighborhood. Chances are the neighbors will tell you everything they know and will be happy to get someone new into the home to give it a fresh feel and help put the stigma in the past.

Did you know that St. Louis is considered one of the most haunted cities in North America? Whether you home is haunted or not, there is probably a buyer out there who would consider purchasing it. If you need help selling your stigmatized property, contact TheBoehmer Team. We help people sell all types of properties all over the St. Louis and St. Charles County areas in Missouri.

The Benefits of Selling Your Home in the Fall

Did you know that fall is a great time to list your home for sale in the St. Louis real estate market? Our region has four distinct seasons and the weather is a huge help for getting folks out of their homes and in front of yours. But the weather isn’t the only reason.

In the fall families have returned from their summer vacations. The kids are back in school and on a normal routine again. This creates windows of opportunity for parents to search for homes.

Demand is still strong for homes in the current St. Louis and St. Charles County real estate market. There are more buyers looking for a home to buy than homes on the market. This also makes the fall market in St. Louis a sellers market.

There is less competition in the fall real estate marketplace. While many are sitting around waiting for spring to come again to list their home for sale, a wonderful opportunity exists now. With fewer homes for sale, there is less competition, and more eyes on your listing.

Serious buyers come out in the non-summer months. Homebuyers looking in the fall and winter months aren’t messing around. These buyers need a home, no matter the season and are ready to purchase. This means that you’ll have less people who are “just looking” and more that are interested in buying.

Interest rates are still very low. According to Freddie Mac, average mortgage rates for a 30-year mortgage are only 3.5 percent.  With the knowledge that they could go up in the near future, those thinking of buying a home have an urgency to buy before the hike.

Also there are some homeowners who are just getting back above water on their current mortgage. Since home values have risen, the amount of equity held by homeowners has risen. This means that these homeowners now have the opportunity to sell and buy a bigger or smaller home that meets their needs.   

Do you require more information on the real estate market in the St. Louis and St. Charles County areas of Missouri? Contact The Boehmer Team. We specialize in helping sellers, buyers and people who are relocating to our area. We offer staging and other advice to help you get the most money out of your home sale. 

How Reliable is Zillow Really?

Maybe you’ve seen the commercials or done a quick Google search for real estate and found Zillow. They spend a lot of money on advertising and search engine optimization to be sure that you find them. But what you may not know is that beyond the hype, you can’t always trust buying or selling a St. Louis area home with help from Zillow.  

Home Sellers Using Zillow Should Look Closer 

Zillow offers a Zestimate, a free tool that gives you the approximate price your home is worth. However in testing the algorithm used to create these Zestimates nationally, even Zillow knows that they are not accurate. Zillow even points out that the Zestimate “is a starting point in determining a home’s value and is not an official appraisal.”

“Nationally, the Zestimate has a median error rate of 5.4%,” according to Zillow.com. On a national scale that’s equal to an error of about $14,000 per home nationally.

According to Zillow, nationwide, Zestimates are currently within 5% of the final sale price 47.3% of the time. (Meaning 56.3% of the time they are off by more than 5% of a home’s’ actual value.)

In the U.S. as a whole, Zestimates are currently within 10% of the final sale price 69.6% of the time. (Meaning 30.4% of the time they are more than 10% off on a home’s value.)

Nationally, Zestimates are currently within 20% of the final sale price 86.4% of the time. (Meaning 13.6% of the time they are off by more than a whopping 20% on a home’s value.)

- Info not in italics is from Zillow.com

Zillow even recommends, “Getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent. Getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser. Visiting the house (whenever possible).” In fact, Zillow’s own CEO recently sold his own home at price that was 40% off from the Zestimate it was given on Zillow.

The Rise of The Home Valuation Tool

Since Zillow’s rise in the marketplace many others have created and implemented online home valuation models. These use publicly submitted data from local tax records. However tax records often do not reflect updates to homes or special features that might make one home worth more than the next.

These tools cannot see that you’ve completely remodeled your bathrooms while your neighbor’s house with the same floor plan hasn’t been updated in thirty years. They may not take into account that you have a finished basement and a new roof, while the neighbor’s house doesn’t. Though some like Zillow offer features for homeowners to add some of these updates to adjust their home’s valuation, Zillow still recommends “homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research.”

Even TheBoehmerTeam.com offers a tool to estimate a home’s value. Our tool immediately notifies us when a home valuation is created so that we can follow up with the homeowner to professionally assist them in refining the valuation to be the most accurate home valuation possible, beyond just a computer algorithm.  So whatever online home valuation tool you use, follow up with an expert Realtor. 

Home Buyers Using Zillow Often Miss Out

“I’d like to see these three homes I found on Zillow,” said a recent homebuyer. 

We had to tell the buyer, “this one is sold, this one is already pending the sale and this one just had an offer so we have two hours to see the home, decide if you like it and put in a competing offer.”

How could that be the case? Zillow is not very accurate. They have so much national data to handle that their data updates are often slow. Meaning that the data on the homes you see on Zillow is often old. In the current competitive sellers market, this means that by the time you find a home you want to see on Zillow, there is a good chance it will already be under contract or sold.

What is the Alternative to Zillow?

When listing your home for sale, skip the Zestimate and talk to an experienced Realtor, like any of us on The Boehmer Team. We offer expert, local advice to home sellers in addition to home staging tips and other items that will help your home sell faster and for the most money. We look into recent sales and all the unique features of your home to price it accurately.

When searching for a home to buy, use a local home search website that gets multiple daily updates of housing data, like www.TheBoehmerTeam.com. Our website contains all the homes listed publicly for sale that are on the St. Louis area multiple listing service, not just our company’s listings. Also our website gets multiple daily data updates, so the data is more accurate than the national data on Zillow.

We’ve Made THE LIST Again, Thanks To Our Clients

How do you know when you’ve become one of the top real estate teams in St. Louis? When the St. Louis Business Journal tells you that you’ve made “THE LIST” for the Highest-Selling St. Louis Real Estate Teams. How does it get even more exciting? When it is your fifth year in a row on THE LIST, and your second year as number one.

The Boehmer Team: Nancy, Pat, Linda, Jacob, Kelly, Joan & Sharon

Over the past five years The Boehmer Team has been fortunate to become a truly successful working partnership of team members at the same time that the housing market made a positive turn. But being a successful real estate team in the St. Louis and St. Charles County areas isn’t just about good timing. It is about making a commitment to excellent customer service, a commitment to state of the art marketing, a commitment to gaining client referrals and surrounding ourselves with an excellent support staff that allows us to stay in contact with our valued clients.

Abby Eich Photography

While the St. Louis Business Journal focuses on team founders like Linda and Kelly Boehmer, the entire team contributes to the team’s success.   Nancy Hitt, Joan DeSplinter, Jacob Gould, Sharon Henthorn and Pat Bastunas round out this top notch real estate team.  Their commitment and professionalism mirror those of their leadership team and allows the team to achieve monumental accomplishments.

The team has over 50 years experience in new home construction as well as experience in relocation, project management, remodeling, land acquisition, title company management and more.

Abby Eich Photography

As we reflect on the hard work and dedication it takes to be on the St. Louis Business Journal’s list of the Highest-Selling St. Louis Real Estate Teams for the fifth year in a row, we realize that it took a team to get here.  Most importantly, it is the dedication of our friends, family, business partners and clients that have trusted us with their business as well as referred us to their friends that we owe thanks to.

From the entire Boehmer Team, we are grateful for your business, your referrals and your continued support of our business.  We will never take your business for granted and will always remember that it is indeed the client that is number one. 

5 Things To Avoid When Buying a Home

In order to make your home sale go smoother, there are several things you should avoid when you buy a St. Louis or St. Charles area home. Most of the hurdles to clear regard mortgage financing. Even though you may be pre-approved for a mortgage loan, it does not mean the lender has legally committed to funding the loan. Buyers who don’t know any better can inadvertently add obstacles to their mortgage funding between writing a contract and closing day. Here are five things to avoid during the home buying process.

Don’t Run Up Your Credit

Don’t max out your credit cards buying furniture for your new home. Wait until you close. This also goes for any other large purchases like a car, boat or vacation. Don’t open up new credit accounts. If you absolutely need to obtain new credit or accrue debt before closing, talk with your loan officer as soon as possible. New payments will affect your monthly debt-to-income ratio in a negative way. Here are ways to improve your credit.

Don’t Switch Up Your Banking

Don’t switch financial institutions right before or during the home buying process or make a lot of unusual deposits or withdrawals. Your mortgage lender will be double checking your finances and require clear documentation and a recognizable paper trail of your finances. Money that will be your down payment should be sitting in your account for at least two months - what lenders call "seasoning" - so that the funds don't just appear out of thin air. Also, don’t co-sign anyone else’s loans during this time.

Don’t Get Behind

Make sure you continue to pay your bills on time and don’t get behind. Payment history comprises about a third of your credit score. A single 30-day late payment can chop 60 to 110 points from your credit score. Many lenders require at least 12 consecutive months of on-time payments in order to qualify for a home loan.

“It is very important that the borrowers communicate with their loan officer if anything changes financially from the time they start the house hunting process to the time of closing.  Most times the loan officer will find out if something does change and if that happens at the last minute, your closing could be delayed.  In most cases if something does change and you alert your loan officer to help fix the issue, closing will go on as planned.” - Jeff Griege, VP, Paramount Mortgage

Don’t Change Employment

Obviously lenders want you to have steady employment in order to grant you a mortgage loan.  So don’t change jobs before applying for a home loan. It’s also not the right time to become self-employed or quit your job. If there are any changes in your employment, notify your lender. You don’t want to spend money on the home buying process if you won’t get the loan in the end.

Don’t Spend Your Savings

Part of the price of financing a mortgage loan is the closing costs and you’ll likely have some responsibility for paying them. Make sure you have enough for your share of the obligation. Get an idea of  the price of your closing costs in advance by talking to your lender.

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The Boehmer Team Knows How To Close

The Boehmer Team understands many of the hurdles homebuyers face in procuring the St. Louis or St. Charles, Missouri home of their dreams. We face any obstacles with our clients and do our best create a clearer path to home ownership. If you have questions about the home buying process contact The Boehmer Team.

References:

http://blog.credit.com/2014/01/the-worst-things-you-can-do-before-buying-a-home-74570/

http://www.realtor.com/advice/buy/eight-things-avoid-buy-home/

http://www.angeloakhomeloans.com/pages/dos-and-donts

www.paramountmortgage.com