St. Charles County Hiking and Outdoor Fun

Spring in St. Charles County is the perfect time of year to spend some time outdoors. Since most of us are usually in a car, home or office, when the weather turns springy, it’s hard to resist getting out in it. So we looked for all the best hiking and outdoor spots in St. Charles County to grab a few minutes or hours on your own or with some friends while the weather is at its springtime best. 

Bangert Island

Bangert Island

1704 S. River Road, St. Charles, MO 63303

That’s right, we have an island. Bangert Island is along the Missouri River just south of the Blanchette Bridge. This 160-acre park includes 4 miles of natural surface trail for hiking or mountain biking, guests may encounter white-tailed deer, turkey, raccoons, opossums, and a variety of songbirds. It is a typical wooded Missouri River island, featuring cottonwood, sycamore, box elder, silver maple, and black willow trees. State fishing regulations apply and hunting is prohibited.

Broemmelsiek Park

Broemmelsiek Park

1795 Highway DD, Defiance, MO 63341

Named in honor of the family of Jack Broemmelsiek, this park is rich in St. Charles County history. Find 494 acres of natural beauty and several large lakes at Broemmelsiek Park. Enjoy more than 7 miles of multiuse trails for hiking, biking, and equestrian use. It also has a 4.7-acre off-leash dog area with large pond that was voted "Best Dog Park" in the region. Join the Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri (ASEM) at dusk on Fridays at the park’s Astronomy Viewing Area (weather permitting). 

College Meadows Park

College Meadows Park

4601 Mid Rivers Mall Dr., Cottleville, MO 63376

College Meadows Park is designed to accommodate citizens of all ages and abilities. This 80-acre park can be found near the west entrance of the St. Charles Community College campus at 4601 Mid Rivers Mall Drive in Cottleville. The park features a ¾ mile fitness trail with 10 exercise stations and a fitness machine that’s accessible for wheelchairs. Disc golfers can enjoy a nine-hole disc golf course with concrete tee pads and professional Mach V Disc Golf Baskets that weave through park’s scenic meadows.

Indian Camp Creek Park

Indian Camp Creek Park

2679 Dietrich Road, Foristell, MO 63348
The largest of St. Charles County’s parks is the 603-acre Indian Camp Creek Park. This park has it all. Hikers, bikers and equestrians can enjoy more than 10 miles of multi-use trails. Climb to the top of the restored silo, which serves as an observation tower, and discover beautiful prairies, vast acres of wooded hills, and protected habitat. The park also features a unique eco playground, an exclusive group camping area that is open year around, and an 18-hole state-of-the-art disc golf course. Visit the historical Cannon family cemetery, preserved to honor the region's history. (Some headstones date back to the early 19th Century.) And your fishing buddies probably already know about the large stocked lake in the park situated at the confluence of Big Creek and Indian Camp Creek.

Klondike Park

Klondike Park

4600 Highway 94 S., Augusta, MO 63332
With 250 acres of scenic property, Klondike Park has more than 4 miles of natural and paved trails for hiking and biking. Once the site of a silica sand quarry, the area has been turned into beautiful parkland. Find the lookout bluff to see picturesque views of the Missouri River Valley and Katy Trail. This park, nestled in Missouri's wine country, also includes camping with tons of amenities and a modern meeting facility. Fishermen will enjoy the fully stocked large fishing lake and free boat ramps to access the Missouri River. Watch birds, have a picnic and/or let you children enjoy the playgrounds at Klondike Park.

Matson Hill Park

Matson Hill Park

670 Matson Hill Road, Defiance, MO 63341
Enjoy 475 acres of rugged heavily forested parkland at Matson Hill Park. This park has become the area's Number One hiking and biking destination. This historical property is situated in the "Daniel Boone Region" and is perfect for any outdoor getaway or retreat featuring over 6 miles of natural surface trails. Designed with limited outside development, the park reflects the natural surroundings found in the area during the time of Boone's life.

The Park at New Melle Lakes

The Park at New Melle Lakes

400 Foristell Rd., New Melle, MO 63365

One of St. Charles County’s newest parks is The Park at New Melle Lakes. It is a former golf course property connecting to other adjacent properties owned by the County forming a 400-acre park. Hikers and cyclists will enjoy almost four miles of paved trails. Meanwhile the adjacent property (off Highway Z) has 1 mile of natural surface trails. A premier 18-hole “champion” disc golf course is available for both beginner and expert disc golfers. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed at a 25-acre lake and multiple smaller lakes and ponds. Or, enjoy a picnic at one of the picnic tables located throughout the park. 

Quail Ridge Park

Quail Ridge Park

560 Interstate Drive, Wentzville, MO 63385

Quail Ridge Park includes 250 acres of pastures, wooded hillsides, and rich bottom land near Peruque Creek. Take advantage of the more than 7 miles of natural surface and paved trails that wind throughout the park. Dog lovers will enjoy the 2.5-acre off-leash dog area. The park is also the home of National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame and an 18-hole disc golf course. Bring your friends to the large group picnic area or fish in the stocked 3-acre lake and small fishing pond.

Towne Park

Towne Park

100 Towne Park Drive, Foristell, MO 63348
Donated by the late Mrs. Betty Towne, Towne Park is rich in St. Charles County history. The 109-acre park features paved and natural surface trails, a large fishing pond, picnic areas, a forest-themed playground and a series of interlinked scenic rain gardens to enjoy. Check out the reconstructed 1800s historical homestead. Experience history, nature and education all coming together at the only Certified Nature Explore classroom in St. Charles County.  

Partial Map of Veterans Tribute Park

Veterans Tribute Park

1031 Kisker Rd., St. Charles, MO 63304
Veterans Tribute Park is a newer park in St. Charles County. The park is an oasis surrounded by residential development in a suburban setting. The park’s walking and biking trail system wraps around and through the park for 1.6 miles. For beautiful views of the lakes through a canopy of trees, take the raised boardwalk extending from the historic 1916 silo past the playground. The playground is divided into zones for children of all abilities including those needing social/emotional, physical, sensory, cognitive, and communication development. Bring you dog to the 3-acre off-leash dog park. Enjoy catch-and-release fishing at the two stocked lakes. Or take advantage of the three open-play fields that make perfect locations for pick-up games and activities.

The question is? Where are you going to go first?

Did you think of a great hiking spot in St. Charles County that we missed? Let us know. Leave a comment below.

The Boehmer Team pride ourselves in knowing the St. Charles County area. If you are thinking of making a move in St. Charles County or have a question about a particular neighborhood or community, contact us.

Prepare a Home for Sale with KonMarie Method

In January, 2019, Netflix released Tidying Up with Marie Kondo staring Japanese organizer and author Marie Kondo. In the series Kondo visits various cluttered American homes and helps families get organized with the help of her KonMarie Method. The method consists of grouping all of your items together by category and keeping only the items that “spark joy”, then finding a “home” or specific place in your household for the items.

While this may sound unexciting, the show has been a viral success inspiring people of all ages to organize their spaces. The popularity of Marie Kondo’s KonMarie Method has been proven at resale stores that are reporting big increases of charitable donations this year. Meanwhile we’ve discovered that the KonMarie Method can be very helpful for preparing a St. Louis or St. Charles County home for sale.

Organizing and decluttering the interior and exterior of a home are of upmost importance to make it look good to potential buyers. However this task can be daunting if you have lived in a home for a long time and accumulated a lot of stuff. Getting rid of stuff can be tough for some people but we’ve found that Kondo’s view to focus only on the things you really love helps make it easier to say goodbye to the other stuff.

"I was obsessed with what I could throw away… And I realized my mistake: I was only looking for things to throw out. What I should be doing is finding the things I want to keep. Identifying the things that make you happy: that is the work of tidying." – Marie Kondo

Using KonMarie Method on a Home Exterior

Consider all of the items on the exterior of your home by category, for example patio furniture. Do you have extra chairs that are just “there”? Get rid of them. Do you have an old BBQ grill that doesn’t work correctly sitting next to a new one you love? Focus on the one you love and let go of the other one. What about lawn ornaments? Do you have more than one? Choose your favorite and donate the rest. Continue to do this by category until you are really happy with the exterior of your home.

Using KonMarie Method in a Garage

Garages are a great place for extra stuff to accumulate. Go through the garage by category. Do you have doubles of any tools, lawn maintenance equipment, or car maintenance equipment? Is anything broken or no longer needed or that no longer spark joy? Sell or donate the items. No longer playing a particular sport because you’ve fallen out of love with it? No need to keep that equipment any more. Someone else would love to have it. Finally, create spaces within the garage to rehome the items you are keeping in an organized manner.

Using KonMarie Method on a Home Interior

To best implement the KonMarie Method on your home’s interior, it helps to make a list of all the categories of items in your home. This way you can mark off the completed categories as you go. Categories might include: clothes, shoes, jewelry, towels, bedding, dishes, placemats, holiday decorations, chairs, couches, tables, porcelain collectibles, candles, books, keep-sakes, etc. Or, print the Ultimate KonMarie Checklist for a premade list of categories to use while organizing.

Basically, if you aren’t in love with something in a particular category enough to use it every year or display it all the time, it isn’t worth keeping as clutter that hides the things that truly bring joy to your home and life. When done removing the items that don’t spark joy, be sure to find specific places to display or store the items you are keeping.

Notice the special items displayed at right in an organized way so the homeowners can enjoy them.

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Check out our more detailed list of items to be sure to address when listing your home in our article: Prepare a Home to Sell. Or contact The Boehmer Team for a professional consultation on what you need to do to ready your home for sale. We’ve helped hundreds of folks determine the changes needed to bring in the most value from their home sale.

Here's a summary of KonMarie Method for reference. Enjoy!

Do Open Houses Have Value?

Home sellers listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County home for sale are often most interested in how to best market the home. This is an area where Realtors can offer their experience, connections and marketing systems to get the home the attention it needs to sell in a busy marketplace. An important part of good home marketing plan is holding an open house so that potential buyers can physically tour the inside of the home. Open Houses also allow a non-pressuring opportunity to view a home at your own pace. 

Of course there are ways to see the inside of a home without holding an open house. We take great listing photos and create video tours. New technology even offers 3-D models of homes. But even after implementing all of these strategies, homebuyers ultimately want to tour a property for themselves to take in the details that pictures don’t impart. For example, photos can be very forgiving as lenses and lighting can conceal dirt, defects, broken window seals and smells. Often times, a home has an entirely different feel from the photos used to market the home. 

It’s true that individual showing appointments allow buyers to tour a home for sale with their buyer’s agent. But this means that at any time, your home will need to be available and ready to be toured by buyers. Holding an open house creates a specific time that homeowners can prepare for where multiple potential buyers can tour the property.

Holding an open house also creates more marketing opportunities. In addition to marketing your home for sale, your Realtor can market the open house via special signage, print marketing, Realtor network marketing, email marketing, open house listings, and open house searches on hundreds of websites.

Visitors attending an open house are required to sign-in with their name and contact information. This enables your Realtor to follow up with potential buyers that attended the open house. They can answer any additional questions open house attendees may have as well as alert them to any changes to the status of the listing whether it is upgrades, price changes or other items.

So the answer to, “do open houses have value?” is, “yes!”  If you interview an agent that is not interested in holding open houses, more than likely they do not want to hold open houses.  At The Boehmer Team, we find open houses to be extremely beneficial and often result in a sale.  Check out the great tips we’ve put together to assist you including: preparing a home to sell and seller etiquette for open houses. Also, you can search our blog for even more helpful information to help you sell a home for the most profit.

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If you are considering listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County area home for sale, contact The Boehmer Team. We expertly implement open houses as part of our maximum exposure home marketing plan. You can rely on our 55+ years of real estate experience to deliver a successful home sale. Contact us to set up a time to interview us about how we can help you sell your home for the most value.

Fans of Fandom

With the Super Bowl almost upon us we couldn’t help but discuss the joy of the fans. You see, we are BIG fans of football. Watching athletes who have trained to fight down that beautiful green field and score in the face of others trying to take them down is thrilling. The way you can feel the sound in your chest when the crowd roars after a touchdown is exhilarating. When you are enjoying football with friends, any of the day’s prior disagreements no longer matter, just the joy of the game.

We love the uniquely American game of football and the camaraderie we enjoy with other football fans – yes, even the ones from other teams. In fact, The Boehmer Team’s leaders, Linda and Kelly, each have different favorite football teams. Ultimately, we are just fans of the sport. Football fans share a common language of game rules, television habits and stories of events we’ve watched unfold together.

Fans are fans because they want to share their passion for something. They don’t care if it isn’t cool, or if they’ll look stupid doing it. They are fans because they can’t help not to be. Something about the experience is so good that they want to celebrate it, even if it means shouting it from the rooftops, while wearing face paint, in an oversized jersey, in front of people they work with.

While working in real estate, we’ve become fans of many people that help us provide the best client experiences.  We’d like to give a shout out to some of those people: Jeff Greige of Paramount Mortgage , homebuilders Bridgewater Communities, Fischer & Frichtel, Genesis Development, Renaissance Living, Wool Custom Homes, the home stagers at InHance It!, our brokers/owners Deb Colburn, Maryanne Vitale, Rick Colburn, and of course all our amazing team members. We’re big fans of these folks and want to say thank you for making us into fans.

After we assist our clients in real estate we ask for a review of our services to ensure we are providing the best experience. The feedback shows that we have made some fans of our own. We’d like to thank those who take the time to write us a testimonial.

See more testimonials.

If you’ve worked with The Boehmer Team and would like to leave a testimonial, click here.  Or if you’d just like to learn more about The Boehmer Team and how we can assist you with St. Louis or St. Charles County real estate click here. We’d love to turn you into a fan.

To all the fans out there… GO TEAM! We hope you have a great Super Bowl Sunday. 

Great Charities For Year-End Donations

Year’s end is a time with a lot of charitable giving. Whether it is the Christmas spirit or making final tax-deductible donations, charities often experience an uptick in donations at the end of the year. The Boehmer Team supports numerous charities and foundations throughout the year, including some right here in St. Charles County. So if you are making plans to give a year-end charitable donation, consider one of these fine organizations.

 

First Capitol Lions Club

https://www.firstcapitollionsclub.org/

First Capitol Lions Club is a local branch of the largest service organization in the world, Lions Club International. Club members identify community needs and organize to offer assistance where help is needed. Club Lions are actively involved in: collecting eyeglasses to recycle, supporting sight-saving surgeries, vision screenings for local people in need, and providing treatment to those at risk of losing their vision. In addition the Lions Affordable Hearing Aid Project (AHAP) enables Lions to provide high-quality low cost hearing aids to individuals who would otherwise not be able to afford them. We support The Lions Club mission and think they are a great consideration for your year-end donations.

Missouri School for the Blind

https://msb.dese.mo.gov

This fine organization offers educational and outreach services for legally blind Missouri children from birth through age 21 and their families free of charge.

Missouri School for the Blind concentrate services on two areas – schools for the blind from kindergarten through grade 12 school in St. Louis, Missouri, and outreach services offered throughout the state. MSB’s school is free of charge and open to all legally blind Missouri children ages five through 21. But they need our support to continue to offer great services to children and families. We’ve been supporters for years and know they make a great option for year-end donations.

Hunt For Justice

http://huntforjustice.net/

Hunt for Justice is a charity based out of St. Charles, Missouri. Their mission is to support police officers throughout the nation that have experienced hardship as a result of accidents while on duty. They rely solely on donations as their directors and volunteers do not accept a salary. We’ve been fortunate to help them assist officers in St. Charles County that are still dealing with traumatic job-related injuries. We think they are a great organization.

Sunshine Kids

https://www.sunshinekids.org

Sunshine Kids is an organization that adds quality of life to children with cancer by providing positive group activities where children can bond with and get support from other kids also fighting cancer. While they are based out of Houston, Texas, Sunshine Kids supports children nationally, including kids right here in the St. Louis area. For each home The Boehmer Team lists, a donation is made to Sunshine Kids.  Our support for this organization has never waivered and we think they are an excellent choice for year-end donations.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

https://www.stjude.org

The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to “advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.” At St. Jude no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family's ability to pay. We’ve been fortunate to get involved in organizing for St. Jude via the yearly St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway event. We’ve worked with the homebuilder to promote this event and have donated prizes, including a trip to Dream Riviera Cancun to help raise funds for the yearly event. If you are thinking of making year-end donations, consider St. Jude.

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The Boehmer Team is grateful to be able to offer time and funds to assist these amazing charities. These organizations contribute to the caring communities we serve every day. Please consider one of the awesome organizations for your year-end charitable giving. And if you are considering buying or selling a home in the St. Louis area, contact The Boehmer Team for assistance.

December Has Best Deals on Homes

Updated December 11, 2020

Homebuyers are always searching for the best deal on their new home. The busy holiday season in December not only delivers great deals on Christmas shopping, it delivers great deals on homes. And after all, a home could even be a Christmas gift. (To learn more about the best way to do that, click here.) 

According to a study by Attom Data Solutions, December is the best month and December 26th is the best day to get the biggest discount on a home.

The study by Attom Data Solutions found that overall, December is the best month for deals if you are buying a home. Homebuyers and investors searching during the holidays will face less competition in the marketplace. Also, they will have more motivated sellers, which could give an upper hand during price negotiations.

The analysis, based on closing date, found that only ten days of the year offer discounts below estimated market value (no months do overall). Seven of the best days to buy are in December, when savings can average as much as $2,500 or more. Also one day in October, November and February each offer extra discounts for homebuyers with saving of $500 to $1,000.

Attom’s study covers the last five years of sales. Previous years have had more days of good deals but a particularly hot seller’s market in the last few years drove the number of days for deals down. As the market cools down the number of days for deals will go up again.

Using the same data from the study one can also see days that homebuyers are least likely to get a good deal. The days where homebuyers can expect to pay up to 9 percent over the estimated home value are May 28th, 29th, and 30th.

The days that are linked to the best deals are related to holidays and down times when it comes to buyers making offers. With many people busy over the holidays, sellers become more motivated to offer deals. Keep in mind that the study is based on closing dates, so the days are related to down times when buyers are making offers.

For example, the deal day in October is the 12th, when buyers can get a $1,000 discount, are from offers that were most likely accepted over the Labor Day weekend holiday. And on February 12th, when buyers can get a $500 discount, offers were probably accepted around the New Year.

Looking at the study overall by month, buyers pay just 0.5 percent over the estimated home value in December. While June shows buyers can pay 7.3 percent above the estimated home value.

Meanwhile region can affect the best month to buy a home too. Cold seasons tend to offer the best discounts. While Hawaii isn’t as affected by seasonal sales, every other state shows the best discounts from October to February.

Something we have experience with that is not mentioned in the study are year-end deals offered by homebuilders. Homebuilders offer some of the best deals of the year at the end of the year. The greatest year-end type savings are often times tied to homes that can close by the year’s end.  Most homebuilders have a preferred lender that is able to close a home very quickly to secure year-end driven promotions. Check out our New & Now and New & Almost Ready For You pages to see new homes available where these deals might apply.

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The Boehmer Team is available for you almost any day of the year. That’s one of the great reasons to work with a team; we have the availability to match your schedule and needs. And you don’t have to go to a national website to find a good deal on St. Louis or St. Charles County area real estate. Our local website gets updated with new listing information multiple times a day while the national sites only get updated every few days. Click on over to TheBoehmerTeam.com or contact The Boehmer Team to assist you in finding a great deal on a new home that is perfect for you.

*See the full Attom Data Solutions report at: https://www.attomdata.com/news/home-prices-and-values/top-10-best-days-of-the-year-to-buy-a-home/

How To Get Started Buying New Construction

Updated 10/27/2019 Due to Popular Demand

Buying a newly constructed home in the St. Louis or St. Charles County areas can be an exciting adventure. New house smell? Check.  Custom to your design and function needs? Check.  The latest in home building technologies? Check.  What about where to begin? Or which home builder to trust? Um…  This is why contacting a Realtor with experience in new construction homes is the first step of the journey to owning a new home. We help new homebuyers understand the process and check off every single box for the project. 

When you contact a Realtor or home builder about buying new construction the conversation will likely begin with a variety of questions about your needs. So before you even make that first call, determine your answers to the following questions.

Buying New Construction? Start By Answering These Questions

What is your budget?
Knowing how much home you can afford will help you choose the best new construction home for you. To help you determine budget, you can use our handy mortgage calculator to calculate approximate monthly payments. Also, you’ll want to reach out to a mortgage professional to give you the best mortgage rates based on your credit score. Keep in mind if you are purchasing a property that includes a monthly fee, that fee must be considered in the amount of home you qualify to buy.

Need a good mortgage professional? Contact The Boehmer Team and we’ll give you some names of trusted local professionals.

Do you have a home to sell in order to help pay for a new home?
Selling a current home can be a big part of paying for a new home. If you have a home to sell, tell your Realtor so that they can create a competitive market analysis for your home to determine its current market value. A qualified Realtor can tell you what to expect on the sale price of your home, how long it has taken to sell comparable homes and what concessions may have been made to sell comparable homes. This will give you an idea of how much you will have toward your new home.

Do you have a time frame for when you must be moved into your new home?
If you have a deadline by which you must be moved into your new home, it is important to tell your Realtor. This will help determine whether you have the time to completely build a home from scratch or if you would be better off looking at other great options for buying new construction like buying a home currently being constructed or buying a builder inventory home.

Where do you want your new home to be located?
Determine the area where you want to live. Some good things to consider are school district and commute time. If you already have property where you want your new home built this may change your options for which builders you can use. Some builders create custom homes at any location, while others work within communities that they are building.

How involved do you want to be in the home design process?
The amount that you customize a home will affect your time frame and price. While builders allow choice of materials for the interior and exterior of a home, some materials cost more than others so these choices will affect your overall price. Design choices may also affect price as well as move-in timelines as it takes time to choose and order materials.

What are your must-have features and amenities?
Know the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and garage spaces you require. Think of the other amenities that you’ve been dreaming of too, like a fireplace, main floor laundry, additional separate office space, deck, mudroom with dog wash or something else.  Make a list and be prepared to give it to your Realtor.

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Do you have your answers? Or do you need help determining the answers to these questions? Contact The Boehmer Team for expert assistance with every detail when buying new construction. Want to learn more about us? Check out our Meet The Team page or some of our client testimonials from clients who have previously worked with The Boehmer Team.