St. Charles County Fall Events 2019

Fall in St. Charles County is filled with festivals, exhibitions, historical events and haunted fun. There are plenty of establishments, groups and businesses with fall events to choose from in the towns that make up St. Charles County including: Augusta, Cottleville, Dardenne Prairie, Flint Hill, Foristell, Lake St. Louis, New Melle, O'Fallon, Portage Des Sioux, St. Charles, St. Paul, St. Peters, Weldon Spring, Wentzville, and West Alton. The Boehmer Team members work, live and play in the St. Charles County area. With so many fun things to do, we've put together a list of fall events for St Charles County, Missouri.

SEPTEMBER EVENTS

Centennial Farms Apple and Pumpkin Picking

Seven Days a Week, Now through October

199 Jackson Street, Augusta, MO 63332

This is the 49th year of selling fruit and veggies on this farm that has been in operation for 197 years.  Pick your own apples or pumpkins and enjoy a “taste of history” along with seasonal fruit and good things made in the farm kitchen. Visit the market in the 160-year old timber framed barn, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

St. Louis Renaissance Festival (Held in St. Charles County)

Open Weekends September 14 – October 14, 2019 from 10am-6pm Rain or Shine

2577 W Meyer Rd, Foristell, MO 63348   636-639-5173

Recurring weekly on Saturday, Sunday until October 14, 2019

The St. Louis Renaissance Festival is a long-standing event that brings you the adventure, excitement, and spirit of the Renaissance! Travel back in time and enjoy live jousting, areal acts, jester's juggling school, Giant Royal Puppet Troup, Mermaid Cove, bloody mary bar, Game of Thrones Tavern, turkey legs and much more. Free parking.

Augusta Harvest Festival

September 20 & 21, 2019

5577 Walnut St., Augusta, Mo

Augusta: A Great Heritage – Explore a day in the life of a German Immigrant The Augusta Harvest Festival is held the third week in September and captures the rich heritage of past festivals held including gourmet picnic, parades, homemade pie walk, pony rides, pumpkin launch contest, square dancing, wine-makers dinner and much more to enjoy.

St. Charles Oktoberfest

September 27 - 29, 2019

Frontier Park, Saint Charles, MO

This year the Saint Charles Oktoberfest is located at the beautiful Lewis and Clark Boathouse Parking Lot off 1050 S. Riverside Drive, between the Missouri River and the Historic Downtown District. Just some of the fun events you'll find this year are a 5k and 10k and 1 mile fun runs, raise the stein event, antique car show, brat eating contest, wiener dog race and more. Don't miss the fun.

MICRO MACRO Art Exhibit

Through September 28, 2019
Foundry Art Centre: 520 N Main Center, St Charles, MO 63301

At this free exhibition, size matters.  This show will display two opposites: one half focusing on small works (micro) and the other half focusing on works larger than 48 inches (macro). 

 

GOING COASTAL Art Exhibit

Through October 14, 2019
St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre, 1 St. Peters Centre Blvd., St. Peters, MO
This beautiful gallery space for local and national artists is hosting a free land and see themed art exhibition. Tuesday - Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm, Wednesdays: 10 am - 9 pm, Sunday: 12 pm - 4 pm

Celebrate St. Peters Annual Community Festival

September 20 - September 21, 2019
370 Lakeside Park, Lakeside Park Drive off MO-370, St. Peters, MO

This free two-day festival event features live music and entertainment on three different stages. Enjoy a carnival, vendors, kids’ activities, fireworks and more! Saturday is Sawyer Brown and opener Alyssa Lynn Little. Friday is Plastic Kings opening for Head East plus fireworks at 9pm.

OCTOBER EVENTS

Daniels Farm and Greenhouse October Harvest

October 1 – 31

352 Jungermann Rd., Saint Peters, MO 63376

$6 will grant admission to Daniels Farm October Harvest going on throughout October. Admission includes: giant straw maze, petting zoo, unique fort maze, tube slides, pony swings, giant tire swings, corn boxes, picnic area, antique farm equipment and more.

Valley Farms Fall Festival

Weekends in October: Saturdays 9am-2pm, Sundays 10am-5pm

1125 Dietrich Rd, Foristell, MO. 63348

Valley Farms fall events in October include the Craft Beer & BBQ Event, Rock & Roll Bingo Farm Style and of course lots of pumpkins, gourds, mums, straw, concessions, and crafts.  Come enjoy the hawk ridge hay ride, barrel train ride, Farm Land bounce house, pumpkin bowling, panning for gold and more. See the website for events by date details.

Cottleville Firefighter's Haunted Trail

October 12th and 19th from 8:00-11:40pm

In Legacy Park in Cottleville MO

Cottleville Firefighters Outreach is a nonprofit with a mission to raise our community's educational and awareness levels of safety and health issues in hopes of preventing misfortune. They setup a haunted trail that ends near the former residence of Mollie Crenshaw, a well-known witch that lived in Cottleville over 100 years ago. CWS Rotary Club will have beer and other adult beverages for purchase for those 21 and over and there will be a movie and bonfires. Wear shoes good for a gravel path and bring your lawn chairs and friends to enjoy a good time. 

Food Trucks In The Park

Tuesday, October 15, 2019, 5-8pm

Blanchette Park, 1900 Randolph, Saint Charles, MO
Rev up your taste buds and enjoy tasting delectable foods from multiple food trucks. Enjoy live entertainment as you indulge in a variety of delicious food options.  The event is free other than the cost of food. It is recommended that you bring your own lawn chair or blanket.

Legends & Lanterns Annual Special Event

Saturday, October 12, 13, 19, 20, 25, 26 & 27

230 South Main Street, Saint Charles, MO

Legends & Lanterns, a "spirited" journey through Halloween History is an annual event that finds its inspiration from the past. From the vintage charm of Halloween in the 1910s-1930s, to the historical rituals and customs brought to the holiday by the Druids and Victorians, to the ethereal atmosphere depicted in American ghost stories and Brothers Grimm fairy tales; this event will offer treats and tricks for guests of all ages. A little bit silly. A little bit macabre. But all in fun.
 

10th Annual Fort Zumwalt East High School Grad Night Craft Fair

Saturday, October 26, 2019
Fort Zumwalt East High School, 600 First Executive Avenue, St. Peters, MO

Get a jump on your holiday shopping with over 50 vendor and crafters. Awesome gift and craft items include: candles, quilts, jewelry, music boxes, pet items, purses, beauty & bath items, fashions, custom bears, holiday craft items and more. There will also be concession stands, vendor demonstrations, a bake sale, and raffles. This event benefits the Fort Zumwalt East High School Grad Night event for seniors.

Don’t forget to share with your St. Charles County neighbors. From all of us at The Boehmer Team, we hope you have a wonderful fall. If moving is on your mind, please contact The Boehmer Team.

MORE https://apm.activecommunities.com/stcharlescountyparkrec/Activity_Search

10 Reasons Why Your Home Isn’t Selling

St. Louis and St. Charles County homeowners listing a home for sale have a common goal – getting their home sold as fast as possible, for the most amount of money. But  what if you have a home for sale in a neighborhood that has historically attracted buyers and it isn’t selling? This frustrating situation can come up for several reasons. We’ve listed ten possible reasons your home isn’t selling along with the remedies below.

1. Overvaluing the Property 
Overprice homes simply do not garner the attention or offers that competitively priced homes receive. Look at recent sales of other homes that are similar to yours in your area to get a better idea of its true value. Experienced Realtors will provide you with a competitive market analysis to help you determine an accurate price for your home. Another mistake is tacking on the cost of any renovations made to the home. Not all renovations translate to added value.

2. Poor Listing Marketing 
One of the top reasons homeowners give for hiring a Realtor is for their home marketing expertise. It is important that your listing description is well written and includes multiple high quality images of the home. Buyers will often skip over listings with poor descriptions and few to no images. Work with your Realtor to create a listing that attracts the attention of buyers and highlights the unique features of your home. Be sure to include multiple high quality photos of both the interior and exterior of your home.
 

3. Being Present at Showings 
While you want to protect your home during the sale process, being present at the home showings can make the sale more difficult. Depend on your Realtor to handle home showings. Know that there are systems in place to track all who enter your home. But mainly, buyers don't want to have the seller lurking over their shoulder during showings or at an open house. They want to be able to discuss the home freely with their agent without unwanted pressure that could make them uncomfortable or chase them away.

4. Being too Attached 
When an offer does come in, if you find yourself unwilling to negotiate even a penny off the sales price, it’s likely you've become too attached to your home. Remember, while you are trying to get the most money for your home, the buyer is trying to spend the least money on the purchase. If you’re not willing to negotiate, you are going to have a lot of difficulties coming to an agreement with a potential buyer. Proper pricing (#1) also minimizes the need for extensive negotiating.

5. It’s too Cluttered/Not Professionally Cleaned 
A cluttered, dirty house will leave a bad impression on potential homebuyers. Even if your home is clean, clutter can make it appear dirty. Consider renting storage or at least boxing up extra items and putting them away to ensure a tidy and clean-looking home. Also consider hiring professional cleaners for windows, carpets and other areas. Check out our cleaning and home prep tips here. 

6. It’s Not Staged
If you've already moved out of your home the empty rooms make it difficult for buyers to imagine living in them. Stage your house with furniture and decor that gives buyers a better idea of how big every room is and how it can be used. This way you make buyers feel more at home when they are taking a tour. Get tips on staging a home here.

7. Too Many Personal Items 
Homebuyers touring your home like to imagine what it would be like if they lived there. It’s hard to this if you have all of your family portraits up. Go ahead and pack up personal décor so that potential buyers have an easier time imagining themselves living there.

8. Overly Custom Home Improvements 
While you may have fallen in love with wallpaper, it doesn’t mean that potential homebuyers will. Same with the brightly colored feature wall and ceiling mural. Though you may find these customizations dreamy, buyers may be calculating the costs of removing these customizations as they look at your home. So if you have a lot of customizations, consider making the home more neutral and inviting to all tastes. This way you won’t scare off buyers who don't want to pay for customizations or features they don't want.

9. Maintenance is Needed
The more repairs that are needed for a home, the less likely a buyer will make an offer on your house. In a busy world most buyers simply don't want to deal with the cost or effort of home maintenance and repairs. So be sure that any repair work is completed, even if it's just tightening a handrail or replacing a broken tile. Well-maintained homes bring more offers. 

- Learn about selling a home that needs repair. -

10. You Chose the Wrong Realtor
Choosing the right Realtor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when selling your home. Not sure how to find a good Realtor? We’ve put together some great interview questions that will help. After all, a good Realtor can make all the difference in selling your home in a reasonable time frame.

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If you’ve listed a home with one of these things, now you know how to rectify it. The Boehmer Team assists St. Louis and St. Charles County home sellers in achieving their home selling goals. We do so by ensuring the items on this list are attended to. Want expert assistance to sell a home. Contact The Boehmer Team for a no-obligation interview. 

 

St. Charles County Late Summer Events 2019

August isn’t just about back to school. After all, it’s still summer! In fact, summer doesn’t officially end until September 22nd. So let’s get out there and take advantage of what’s left of summer. Here’s a list of summer events in the St. Charles County area through the official end of summer.

Summer Events in St. Charles County

New Town Concert Series - El Scorcho (rock)
August 3rd at 7pm

3312 Rue Royale, Saint Charles, MO 63301

Please come and enjoy El Scorcho playing your favorite old school rock hits on Saturday, August 3rd, 2019 - from 7:00 - 10:00 PM at the New Town Amphitheater. Free event.

Statehood Day Celebration for Missouri
August 10 at 10am

200 S. Main St., Saint Charles, MO 63301

It's Missouri's birthday and you're invited! Come help celebrate the 198th anniversary of Missouri becoming the 24th state, at the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site. Make sure you don't miss the birthday cake and refreshing lemonade. Free event.

Free Summer Concerts - St. Charles Big Band

August 11 at 7:30pm

Frontier Park, 500 South Riverside Drive, Saint Charles, MO

The August 11 Big Band concert will feature music from the 50’s thru the 80’s. From Rock & Roll to Disco to Rhythm & Blues. Free event.

Art Exhibit - Architectonic

July 26 – August 13, Tuesday - Saturday: 10am-5pm, Wednesdays: 10am-9pm, Sunday: 12-4pm

Foundry Art Center, 520 North Main Street, Saint Charles, MO

This all-media exhibition will highlight works that are inspired by architecture or that incorporate architectural elements. Works may depict actual architectural forms, or may approach the theme less literally by incorporating grids or other structural lines. The visual language of drafting, such as plans, elevations, and cross-sections, may also be utilized in the artwork. Free event.

Beale Street Concert Series

August 14 at 6pm

1650 Beale St., Saint Charles, MO 63301

Free Beale Street Concert Series the 2nd Wednesday of each month

May-October! Food and beverages provided by the wonderful

restaurants at Streets of St. Charles! Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the show!

Festival of the Little Hills

August 16

230 S. Main St., Saint Charles, MO 63301

The Festival of the Little Hills is the Midwest’s Premier Arts and Craft Show. Coordinated by the not-for-profit organization of the same name, Fete Des Petite Cotes is named in honor of the settlement (now known as St. Charles) founded by the French-Canadian explorer Louis Blanchette in 1769. Free event.

Music on Main - BMB Band

August 21 at 5pm

Downtown Historic District, 100 & 200 blocks of North Main Street, Saint Charles, MO

Free event. Bring lawn chairs. Food and drinks available for purchase.

Race for the Rivers Festival

August 24 at 11:00am

Frontier Park, 500 South Riverside Drive, Saint Charles, MO

Join us at the finish line in Frontier Park from 11 am to 5 pm for great food, live music and fun activities that highlight easy ways to encourage and enjoy healthy rivers. Free event.

Riverfest

August 30 (5:00PM - 11:00PM), 31 (12:00PM - 11:00PM)

Frontier Park, 222 S. Riverside Dr., Saint Charles, MO

A two day celebration in 2019 includes live music, carnival, food & craft vendors, and fireworks over the river. Free event.

Mosaics Fine Art Festival

September 13 at 7:30pm

Historic Saint Charles Downtown District, Saint Charles, MO

Families, art collectors, and aspiring artists seeking a wonderful weekend of arts and culture come to the Mosaics Fine Art Festival. This year offers an outstanding display of art appreciation featuring nearly 100 juried selected artists, entertainment, children’s art education activities, and enjoyment. Free event.

Music on Main - Jimmy & the Chets

September 18 at 5pm

Downtown Historic District, 100 & 200 blocks of North Main Street, Saint Charles, MO

Free event. Bring lawn chairs. Food and drinks available for purchase.

Do you know of an upcoming event this summer that we missed? Let us know and we’ll add it to this list. We love to get out and enjoy all that St. Charles County has to offer.

If your main summer event is buying or selling a home, contact The Boehmer Team for award winning real estate services. Or check out our other blog articles full of real estate advice to help you make the best informed decisions about real estate.

The Dangers of Overpricing Your Home

Pricing a home for sale is one of the most strategic decisions home sellers must make. Of course you want to get the most possible money for your home. However there are definite dangers to overpricing a home or “testing the market” by starting with a bloated list price.

The best strategy for listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County home, or any property, is getting the price right the first time. We’d like to show you how proper list price saves time, money and creates better outcomes for the sellers. 

Timing 

You know the feeling of finding a brand new product that just hit the market? That feeling occurs in real estate too. Many eyes go to a property when it first comes on the market. If the home has an asking price that is beyond market range it can adversely affect the marketing of a property because marketing time is prolonged and initial marketing momentum is lost.

Percent of Buyers Who Will View a Property

The price of a property will definitely affect the number of potential buyers who will even view it. Online home search sites make it easy to filter out properties by price range in small increments. Homes priced higher than comparable homes for sale may not even filter into a homebuyer’s online search results.  Fewer buyers will be attracted and fewer offered received.

An overpriced property will likely attract “lookers” and will help competing houses look better by comparison. If the property does sell above true market value, it may not appraise, and the buyers may not be able to secure a loan. Finally, after many price reductions the property may eventually sell below market value.

Your First Offer is Often Your Best Offer

Seriously consider the first offer received. Just because an offer is received quickly doesn’t mean one should wait for a better offer from another buyer. A better buyer rarely appears. New buyers are waiting for the right home to come on the market and will come see your home. Dealers may consider a lower offer after the home has been on the market for a while.  Bottom feeders are attracted after multiple price reductions.

Properties priced correctly within market range generate more showings and offers, and sell in a shorter period of time. So how do you price a home accurately? Have an experienced local Realtor create a competitive market analysis for your home. You can’t depend on a computer-generated algorithm to know all the updates you’ve made to your home and how it compares to similar homes recently sold. Depend on a local Realtor that understands all these details.  If you do use a computer generated home value estimator, keep in mind that the results might not be completely accurate.

Thinking of listing a St. Louis or St. Charles County area home? Contact The Boehmer Team to create a competitive market analysis for your home. A Comparative Market Analysis considers similar properties that a) have sold in the recent past showing us what buyers in the market have actually paid for, b) properties similar to yours currently on the market that will be competing with yours for the attention of available buyers, and c) properties that failed to sell to understand what they did wrong and what can be done differently. An impartial evaluation of market activity is the most effective way to estimate a property’s potential selling price and an excellent opportunity for you to interview Realtors to work with. Contact The Boehmer Team for more information. 

Understanding Real Estate Assessments

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It’s that time again - real estate assessments are here! St. Louis and St. Charles County property owners have recently received their bi-yearly real estate assessment.  The good part? Property values are up. That means homes are worth more and likely have more equity. The not-so-good part? Higher property values means your associated real estate assessments are higher too.

The assessment itself is not a bill. The Assessor doesn’t create value and set tax rates, they measure market values and create assessments. If sales go up in an area, market values and assessments will increase. It’s political subdivisions that determine the tax rate. These tax jurisdictions usually do this by dividing the total value of the properties in their boundaries by their budgetary needs. By the end of October these numbers are sent to the Collector of Revenue to calculate and issue property tax bills. 

Property tax bills are usually figured into and paid with your mortgage payments. Those who have already paid off their home will want to be sure to budget for yearly property taxes. The property tax revenue pays for our towns to have quality roads, schools, and other public services. The real estate assessment process helps ensure the value of your home reflects current economic conditions and that property taxes are distributed fairly.

“There is a lot of information that is used to prepare the assessments,” says St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman. “Starting in July the year prior, we gather data concerning all facets of real estate value. This mass appraisal process includes measurements of all buildings, land descriptions, building permits, market information, and land sales and depreciation studies. Appraisers also conduct exterior reviews of properties to observe any differences not listed in the property data. All this information is entered and managed in our database, and we conduct statistical analysis tests as a final step before market values and assessments are produced.”

Most towns encourage property owners to research and confirm assessment data by either going to the assessor’s office or viewing the assessment data online. (View St. Charles County assessments here.) Fortunately counties like ours are transparent in their process and are available to answer any questions about your assessment.

The Boehmer Team is here to help you understand all things involved with home ownership. Owning a home is a wonderful thing, especially when you understand assessments, property taxes and they way they directly benefit your community.  Need help buying or selling a St. Louis or St. Charles County area home? Contact us to setup a time to interview us to answer any questions and/or begin the process.

 *Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman quote pulled from St. Charles County Connection May 2019 Newsletter.