The National Association of Realtors surveyed 1st time home buyers to find out about their buying habits, and Doorsteps.com turned it into an infographic that helps spell out what is important to the 1st time home buyer.

With 39% of people purchasing homes first time buyers, sellers need to understand what is important to these buyers.

When I am talking with a potential seller, they sometimes have a hard time understanding how buyers will compare their home to the competition. If sellers want to sell, they need to price their home properly…and that means understanding what is important to buyers and what buyers will compromise on.

What is Most Important to 1st Time Buyers?

There are two major areas that buyers evaluate when they are looking for a home. Location and the actual property.

Some things are more important to 1st time buyers than others.

Buyers willing to compromise…

Neighborhood:

• Distance from job – 16%
• Quality of neighborhood – 14%
• Distance from family/friends – 7%
• Quality of schools – 4%
• Distance from school – 2%

Home:

• Size of home – 20%
• Price of home – 19%
• Condition of home – 16%
• Style of home – 14%
• Lot size – 7%

What does this mean?

While buyers care about all of these things, if they have can’t afford to get everything, schools are more important than work commute and how nice the neighborhood is. Buyers will also compromise more on how big the house is and even the price in order to get the lot size and home style they want.

Click on the image above to see a larger version with more information about 1st time home buyers.

The post What is Most Important to Home Buyers? appeared first on Arch City Homes.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch recently published a map showing the murders in the St. Louis area since the beginning of 2013.

The map excludes police officer-involved shootings and justifiable homicides. Click on a marker for more details and links to the Post-Dispatch’s coverage of the incident.

View 2013 ST. LOUIS-AREA MURDER MAP in a larger map

Crime maps like this one really help home buyers and area residents understand if they will feel safe in a particular part of St. Louis.

I’m thrilled the Post Dispatch put this map together. It would be even better if they would add other violent crimes to the map such as rape, burglary and shootings. By using different colored pins on the map, it would be very easy to identify the type of violent crime and which parts of town residents want to avoid.

St. Louis gets a bad rap in national news on crime rate rankings due to the city – county split.

Most of the national crime rankings sites admit that they only use the data from St. Louis City since our area has 91 municipalities plus unincorporated areas in St. Louis County, plus the region includes several other Missouri counties or portions of southwestern Illinois. The result is that the national crime ranking sites look at just the urban core of the city for St. Louis, while the other cities it is compared to include the urban areas and the suburbs.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch murder map is a start in demonstrating that violent crime is focused in a few parts of town, and rarely occurs in the rest of the St. Louis region.

The post St. Louis Area Murder Map appeared first on Arch City Homes.

I’m excited to announce that yesterday I moved my business from Keller Williams Realty to Circa Properties.

I’ve got nothing bad to say about Keller Williams. This isn’t about leaving someplace with problems…it’s about going someplace that offers new opportunities.

I’ve known Circa’s owner, Christopher Thiemet, for years. I’ve always been impressed with the company that he built. In the last few years, Christopher expanded Circa’s core business from serving primarily St. Louis City to the entire St. Louis metro region. They opened  a new office, known as Circa Central, in order to grow the company and offer better services to agents and clients.

I love everything about this company. From the people to the culture to the physical space.

This move will be better for me, and better for my clients.

My clients will continue to get all of the custom designed services that I’ve offered over the years. Sellers will get custom housing market reports, professional photography and a community focused marketing approach.  Buyers will get connected with the best possible agent to help them find the home of their dreams. Every buyer will work with an agent who will advocate for their needs and give them the same advice the agent would give their closest friends.

Moving forward, my clients will also get all of the wonderful perks Circa Properties provides to every client. You’ll be learning more about these services in the coming weeks…but for now…I’ll share that listing clients will now be getting custom floor plans included in their marketing and will also have a staging coordinator at their service.

Circa Properties is definitely on the cutting edge of technology too. Like me, they understand the importance of video in today’s world. Take a look at this video to see more of why I am excited about this company.

Bigger isn’t always better. By joining Circa Properties, I’m joining an office that only hires experienced, full-time agents who put their clients first.

If you hire me, or any Circa agent, you can be confident that you are getting the best in St. Louis.

The post Arch City Homes moves to Circa Properties appeared first on Arch City Homes.

8905 Moritz Ave, Brentwood, MO 63144

Sale Price: $279,900 Price Reduced!!!

Address: 8905 Moritz Ave, Brentwood, MO 63144 (see map)

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 2

Property Type: Single Family Home

Floor plan style: 1.5 Story

Age:  72 years old

Subdivision: Moritz Place

School District: Brentwood School District (more school info)

Parking: 1 car garage

Bonus Feature: Swimming pool

Featured Pictures:

See Full MLS Listing

Community Amenities Map

Printable Color Brochure coming soon…

Find Your Commute Time:

The Full Scoop:

It’s almost impossible to find a historic home in Brentwood with a swimming pool…this house will definitely sell fast!

Extensive drain tile system installed all around the house makes this one of the few homes on the street without drainage issues and a dry basement!

The house is also one of a kind.

The living room ceiling was removed so you get a vaulted living room with log style beams and a 2nd story loft which is perfect for an office, playroom or even guest bedroom.

So much charm, you’ll want to spend all winter with a fire going in the living room.

Plus there is plenty of space to spread out – bonus family room added which adjoins the dining room plus a finished lower level.

The kitchen was gutted down to the studs, removing walls and opening it up to the dining area to give you the open floor plan rarely found in historic homes.

Even a 2nd full bathroom was added!

Plus you get a hot tub and top-rated Brentwood Schools! Home Protection Warranty/pool coverage included!

Schedule a Showing:

Contact us by email or call us at 314-265-8073.

The post Home for Sale: 8905 Moritz Ave (Brentwood) appeared first on Arch City Homes.

The St. Louis Arch is probably the most photographed spot in St. Louis.

Last April, I was in the area and decided to stop and take some pictures. I’m glad I did. It was a beautiful day and captured what I see and feel when I’m on the Arch grounds. My favorite shot is the one above. It helps you understand how huge the Arch is if you pay attention to the tiny people at the top of the steps. Look up and you see the viewing windows in the visitor room at the top of the Arch.

I’m also glad I captured these pictures since big improvements will be coming to the Arch grounds soon. The work will start this summer and is scheduled to be completed in 2015. You can see pictures of the planned improvements just posted at the St. Louis Business Journal.

Here are the rest of my pictures.

These pictures are copyrighted…you do not have permission to save or repost them anywhere. You CAN pin this post to Pinterest or share the LINK with automatically generated thumbnail on social media or via email. 

The post St. Louis Arch Pictures ~ Upgrades Coming Soon appeared first on Arch City Homes.

In 2008, I tried to find a complete list of the free summer concerts in St. Louis, and realized that nothing I found had ALL of the free concerts in the St. Louis area. So, I put together my own list.

Over the last 5 years, this outdoor summer concert post has become the most popular feature on this website (other than searching for St. Louis homes) so bookmark this page and you can come back year after year.

I’ll get it updated each spring.

One more thing…I am NOT an organizer of any of the concert series and don’t book concerts. If you have a band and want to get on the schedule, or you want more information about a concert series, you need to click through the links and contact the concert organizers directly. I really can’t help.

Summer 2013 – Outdoor Free Concerts:

Take a look through the list below and explore St. Louis’ summer live music scene. Bring a blanket, lawn chair and a picnic dinner. Then sit back, relax and enjoy one of the best things our city has to offer.

NOTE: Please click on the links to confirm location, time & date before heading out for an evening.

You can also check the list from our Facebook page here.…

Many of the 2013 schedules have not been announced yet. Concerts series that were held in 2012 but dates are not yet out for 2012 are noted in grey. These concert series include a link to the site that published the schedule last year, plus the months that the concerts were held last year.  As dates get announced, these concert series will be updated or removed if they will not be occurring in 2013. 

ST LOUIS CITY 2013:

Mondays:

• Bellerive Park (South St. Louis): TBA (July)
• South St. Louis Square Park (South St. Louis):  TBA (June)
• Tower Grove Park (South St. Louis): TBA (July-August)

Tuesdays:

• Fanetti Park (South St. Louis): TBA (June-August)
• History Museum (Forest Park): TBA (May-June)

Wednesdays:

• Missouri Botanical Gardens (South St. Louis): June 5 – August 7 (7:30- 9 pm)
  

Thursdays:

• St. Louis Place Park (North St. Louis): TBA (June-July)
• Union Station (Downtown): TBA (April – September)

Weekends:

• St. Louis Zoo (Forest Park): Fridays May 24 – August 30, no concert June 21 (5-8 pm)
• Fair St. Louis (Downtown): Thursday July 4, Friday July 5 & Saturday July 6 (8 pm)
• Soldier’s Memorial (Downtown): Fridays & Saturdays July 12-13 & July 19-20
• Benton Park (South St. Louis): Sunday May 19, Saturday July 6, Sunday August 11
• Lafayette Park (Lafayette Square): TBA (June-September)
• Soulard Farmer’s Market (Soulard): Saturdays June 8, July 20, August 17 & Sept 14 (6-9 pm)
• Tower Grove Farmer’s Market Concerts (South St. Louis): TBA (May – July)
• Carondelet Park (South St. Louis): TBA (June-August)
  
• Francis Park (South St. Louis): TBA (July-August)
• Ivory Perry Park (North of Central West End): TBA (June-August)
  

ST LOUIS COUNTY 2013:

Mondays:

• Heman Park (University City): TBA (June-August)

Tuesdays:

• Faust Park (Chesterfield): June 4 – August 13, no concert July 2 (7-9 pm)
• Market in the Loop (University City): June 11 – July 23, no concert July 2 (7-8 pm)

Wednesdays:

• Downtown Clayton Parties in the Park (Clayton): 2nd Wednesdays May 8 – September 11 (5-8:30 pm)
• New Ballwin Park (Ballwin): Wednesdays June 12 & 26, July 17 (7-9 pm)
• Ryan Hummert Park (Maplewood): 4th Wednesdays May 22 – September 25 (6 – 8 pm)
• Schlafly Bottleworks Market (Maplewood): April 3 – September 30 (4-7 pm)

Thursdays:

• Bluebird Park (Ellisville): June 6 – July 25 (7-9 pm)
• Station Plaza (Kirkwood): TBA (July-September)
• Westport Plaza (Maryland Heights): 3rd Thursdays April 18 – September 19 (5-8 pm)
• World Bird Sanctuary (Valley Park): August 1 – 29 (7-8:30 pm)

Weekends:

• Brentwood Park (Brentwood): 1st Fridays June 7 – August 2 (7-9 pm)
• Creve Coeur Lake (Maryland Heights): TBA (June-August)
  
• Des Peres Park (Des Peres): Fridays June 14, July 12 & August 9 (7-9:30 pm)
• Gazebo Park (Webster Groves): TBA June-July
• Plaza at 501 (Ferguson): Selected Fridays April 26 – Oct 26 (7-9 pm)
• Shroeder Park ( Manchester): Friday June 7, Thursday July 4, Friday August 2 & Friday October 4 (October concert is 21+ only, all concerts 7-10 pm except July 4 6-9 pm followed by fireworks)
• Town Center Plaza (Wildwood): Fridays May 17, June 21, July 19, Sept 13, Oct 11 (6:45-9 pm)
• Westport Plaza (Maryland Heights): Fridays May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27 (6-8 pm)
• Central Park Amphitheater (Chesterfield): Saturdays May 11, June 22, July 20, August 3 & 24, Sept 7 & 21 (8-10 pm)
• Harry S. Truman Park (Hazelwood): TBA (May-September)
• Kirkwood Farmer’s Market (Kirkwood): Selected Saturdays May 25-September 21 (10 am)
• Kirkwood Park (Kirkwood): TBA (June)
• St. Ferdinand Park (Florissant): TBA (July-August)
  
• Twin Oaks Park (Twin Oaks): Saturday June 8 & Wednesday July 3 (7 pm)
• Oak Knoll Park (Clayton): 4th Sundays June – Sept (5-7 pm)
• Gentry Park Band Shell (Bridgeton): TBA (June-August)
• Washington University Brookings Quadrangle (University City): Sundays July 7-28 (7:30 pm)

ST. CHARLES COUNTY 2013:

Tuesdays:

• O’Fallon Civic Park (O’Fallon): June 4 – August 20, no concert July 2 (6:30-9 pm)

Wednesdays:

• North Main Street (St. Charles): 3rd Wednesdays May 15 – September 18 (5-7:30 pm)

Thursdays:

• City Centre Park (St. Peters): May 16, June 13, July 18 (7 pm)
• Frontier Park (St. Charles): June 13 – August 29, no concert July 4 (8 pm)

Weekends:

• Windjammer Point (Lake St. Louis): Fridays & Saturdays May 10, June 28, August 17, Sept 14 (7-10 pm)
• Boulevard Park (Lake St. Louis): Saturdays June 15 (7-9 pm), July 20 (7-10 pm)
• Frontier Park (St. Charles): Sundays June 9, July 14, August 11 & Sept 1 (7:30 pm)
• North Main Street (St. Charles): Sundays April 21, May 19, June 9, Sept 8, Oct 6 (4:30-6 pm)

JEFFERSON COUNTY:

Do you know of any concert series that are FREE and OUTDOOR in JeffCo?

I couldn’t find any but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Let me know the details in the comments below and I’ll get the Jefferson County concert series added to this annual list too.

Did I leave something out?

Local free outdoor live music continues to gain popularity. Each year there seems to be a few new concerts series started.

Please help me make this a comprehensive list of EVERY St. Louis area free summer concert series held outside.

If you know of any other outdoor free concert series, leave me a comment and I’ll add them to the list.

The post St. Louis Free Summer Concert Schedule 2013 appeared first on Arch City Homes.

5716 Potomac St, St. Louis, MO 63139

Sale Price: $175,000 Under Contract!!!

Address: 5716 Potomac St, St. Louis, MO 63139 (see map)

Bedrooms: 2

Bathrooms: 1.5

Property Type: Single Family Home

Floor plan style: Ranch

Age:  66 years old

Neighborhood: North Hampton

School District: St. Louis City Public Schools (more school info)

Parking: 1 car garage

Bonus Feature: Unfinished attic with stairs for storage or expansion

Featured Pictures:

See Full MLS Listing

Printable Color Brochure

Community Amenities Map

Find Your Commute Time:

The Full Scoop:

AMAZING OPPORTUNITY just 1 block to Tilles Park!

Tilles Park has 3 playgrounds, tennis courts, basketball court, hockey rink, racquetball courts, exercise stations, soccer fields, baseball fields and numerous walking/biking paths. The park also hosts a summer movie event and Taste of Tilles event.

Located one block away on a quiet, one way street, you’ll get all of the advantages of living at the park without the noise and traffic!

That said, the house is so nice that you may never want to leave.

It has stylish decor and updates in every room.

Approximately 1700 square feet of living space PLUS a walk-up attic waiting for you to finish it! This attic could easily be converted into 2 additional bedrooms and a bathroom or a huge master suite. Finish the attic and gain instant equity!

Hard-to-find popular floor plan with dining room to the left of the entry rather than as cut-thru room for the rest of the house. This layout is ideal for both family time and entertaining.

The kitchen has been totally redone – custom cabinets, granite counters, porcelain tile, stainless appliances, under cabinet lighting, built-in cabinet pantry, even a ceiling fan!

Downstairs you’ll find the family room, half bath and an additional room with 7×5 walk-in closet that would make a great sleeping area, office or workout room.

Don’t feel like converting the attic? Leave it alone and use it for storage.

Plus you get a glassed-in porch that is ideal as a playroom or den after you add some carpeting and put in new windows, or remove the windows completely to turn it into a screened porch.

EXTRAS: marble windowsills, water lines recently updated to copper, vinyl flooring in laundry area, workbench, oversized garage, flat/fenced yard, landscaped front yard, brick exterior, quiet friendly street.

Home Protection Warranty and refrigerator included.

Schedule a Showing:

Contact us by email or call us at 314-265-8073.

The post Home for Sale: 5716 Potomac St (South City) appeared first on Arch City Homes.

The world has certainly changed in the last 10 years.

Years ago, when we thought about choosing professional to help us…be it a doctor, accountant or real estate agent…we asked our family and friends who they use.

Today, we go online and look for reviews.

However, written reviews can mislead you.

If a particular product or professional has a large number of reviews, we tend to trust them. We know that some people are just never happy, so we expect a few negative reviews. We look for a consensus and information that will help us make a decision.

However, reviews for professionals haven’t caught on as quickly. There are many websites that have tried to become the Angie’s List for real estate agents, but none have succeeded. The result is that most real estate agents have no reviews or just a few reviews, and these reviews are scattered across a number of websites.

The agents who do have a lot of reviews are clearly asking their clients to write reviews. I see no problem with encouraging clients to post a review. I even do it myself on my reviews page, providing links to my profile on Zillow, LinkedIn and Yelp.

Here’s the problem. There are also unethical agents out there who will ask people they know who weren’t clients to write fake reviews. Even if all of the reviews are real, you have no way of judging what these people are like. Are they mature sellers who have sold many homes in the past? Are they first time buyers who needed someone to hold their hand through the entire process? Are knowledgable enough about real estate to evaluate if their agent is a newbie or really understand the market?

There isn’t any good way to find out about the people who post written reviews of real estate agents to help you decide if you should trust their opinion.

Enter video. 

Video Reviews on Arch City Homes:

I believe that most of us have gotten good at deciding we should believe someone when we watch them on TV. Even if it’s just a short sound bite. Watching someone on video lets you get a feel for if they are sophisticated, down to earth or educated. Some people remind you of yourself…others couldn’t sell you anything.

For the last few years, I have been asking clients to let me record a short video review at closing so my future clients could trust the reviews they find online.

I want people who are trying to decide if they want to hire me to trust that my reviews are from real people. People who are single and married. People who are young and mature. People who speak from their heart and can tell you what they really think.

I don’t tell my clients what to say and don’t give them any warning I will be asking to make a video. I believe that the spontaneous, unscripted result helps you decide for yourself if you should value their opinion.

I don’t ask every client to do a video review, and it has nothing to do with only asking the clients who I think will give me a good review.

I get to know my clients well and I know that some of them would be uncomfortable with me asking. Others I know would be too self-conscious on video.

But the truth is that I usually don’t ask because I’m focused on getting the deals closed and forget to bring my camera with me to the closing. In the last few years, I was also working with a partner and often she was the one attending the closing instead of me. I would never ask someone to do a review before a deal was closed and I don’t want to inconvenience them by arranging to meet after the closing.

To date, I’ve only had one couple who declined to do a review. They took a big loss on their home and it was still hard for them to accept. They knew that they couldn’t have gotten more for the house. In fact, they hired me after another agent tried to sell the house for almost a year. I improved the marketing and sold the house in 3 days…at the same price as the former agent. I know that they weren’t unhappy with me and they offered to do an online review. They just didn’t want to go on video. Having to bring money to the closing table had turned it into a bittersweet day.

If you are a former client and would be willing to record a video review, I can either come to you or you can record it yourself and then send it to me. The more reviews the better. Your review really would make a difference.

New Video Reviews:

In the last week, I’ve recorded 2 new reviews. Both are former clients and I helped them sell a property.

See all of Karen Goodman’s video reviews…

The post St. Louis Real Estate ~ Agent Video Reviews appeared first on Arch City Homes.

9846 Tiffany Square Parkway, St. Louis, MO 63123

Sale Price: $280,000 SOLD in 1 Day!!!

Address: 9846 Tiffany Square Parkway, St. Louis, MO 63123 (see map)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2.5

Property Type: Single Family Home

Floor plan style: 2 story

Age:  20 years old

Subdivision: Tiffany Square Estates

School District: Mehlville School District (more school info)

Parking: 2 car garage

Bonus Feature: Fenced backyard backing to common ground and Grant’s Trail

Featured Pictures:

Find Your Commute Time:

The Full Scoop:

This 2 story home has everything buyers want today and will sell fast!

Impeccable condition with upgrades in every room. Totally move-in ready so you can start enjoying spring rather than fixing up a house.

Upgrades include crown molding in every room, built-in bookcases & family room bay window.

One of a kind yard – flat, fully fenced with oversized patio, several garden areas and goldfish pond. Directly behind the house is common ground perfect for a game of catch, and Grant’s Trail…the best place around to walk, run or bike. You can even take Grant’s Trail to the connector path into Clydesdale Park without ever having to step onto a street.

St. Louis County unincorporated area means no city taxes…keeping more money in your pockets.

Original owners have already replaced the roof, A/C, garbage disposal, stove, microwave and porch railings…which means you don’t need to budget for these items! Refrigerator and one year home protection warranty included.

Let’s Get Your House Sold:

Contact us by email or call us at 314-265-8073.

The post SOLD: 9846 Tiffany Square Parkway (South County) appeared first on Arch City Homes.

Eight years ago, St. Louis Magazine started working with Crescendo Business Services to survey St. Louis home buyers, lenders and title company professionals.

The goal of the award is to identify the best agents in the St. Louis region from the people who really count – the clients and the professionals who have to work with agents closely to get deals closed!

7 Year Award Winner:

I recently found out that for the 7th year, I am included in the select group of agents named as a FIVE STAR Real Estate Agent.

Each year, less than 7% of the region’s agents are given the award, and less than 1% of 2013 winners are 7 year winners.

This year, I’m one of only 53 agents out of 17,000 in the St. Louis metro area (including neighboring MO & IL counties) who is a 7 YEAR WINNER of the Five Star Award. 

I am very proud to be in such an elite group of agents to win this prestigious award year after year, and humbled that my clients continue to take time from their busy schedules each year to fill out the surveys and nominate me for this award.

If you took the time to fill out one of those surveys, THANK YOU!

Karen Goodman
Arch City Homes Founder
7 Year FIVE STAR Award Winner

The post Karen Goodman Awarded 2013 St. Louis Real Estate FIVE STAR Award appeared first on Arch City Homes.