Kevin & Stephanie Cottrell

The latest Podcast is now available online: St. Louis Market Overview Real Estate Podcast

"Kevin Cottrell's understanding of the real estate market in St. Louis is second to none. Any party interested in finding out what's really going on would be well suited to listen to his analysis and advice." - Greg Abel, Broker/Owner - Avenue Real Estate Group

During this weeks session- Greg Abel, Kevin Cottrell and Russ Miller dive into deep analysis of the stimulus bill passed last week by Congress as well as a recap post-Obama's presentation of the housing and mortgage/foreclosure plan in Mesa, AZ today. Discussion centers around the report's accuracy and applicability to the St. Louis MO metro.

Again, the Podcast can be accessed via the following website address. CRG Avenue Podcast or CRG Team Blog

Kevin Cottrell / Cottrell Realty Group / St. Louis MO

Quick wrap up of key MLS and Market statistics for the real estate market in the Saint Louis MO area. Real Estate Market report follows below:

St. Louis – we have a Stimulus Bill – expected to be signed by Obama on Monday! As we noted in our previous post, there are some significant positive trends in the St. Louis real estate market – and US economy as a whole – that have occurred since the Wall Street Melt Down in the fall of 2008. This is not meant to pain the picture as completely rosy in the market place.

As we mentioned last week, the St. Louis MO market has contracted significantly:

View the entire post here at the Cottrell Realty Group's Saint Louis Real Estate Today blog.

Kevin Cottrell / Cottrell Realty Group / St. Louis MO

http://www.cottrellrealty.com

The following is our analysis and review of the Stimulis Bill and Treasury announcements made this week – This is the number one topic on every home buyer and seller in the St. Louis MO market at present.

The Stimulis package AND the Treasury's package related to stabilizing the markets must be reviewed holistically as in our view, as the plans compliment each other. This is certainly how the Obama administration and team are looking at it. Most real estate economists, NAR (National Association of Realtors) and we believe that 4 key tenets are needed to actually see real stimulus in the marketplace:

Here they are:

1) Raise loan limits for high cost areas,

2) make the $7,500 tax credit a true tax credit and NOT a loan,

3) find ways to push interest rates down (which are higher than they should be due to systemic risk in the markets currently) – our view is the premium in the market was about 200 basis points (or 2% as of last fall), and lastly

4) help provide proactive foreclosure/short sale solutions. Now here’s the positive perspective of where the economy is at present:

View the entire post by clicking here to view it on the Cottrell Realty Group Team Blog

During this weeks session- Greg Abel, Kevin Cottrell and Russ Miller cover the key topic on everyone in St. Louis' mind - the stimulus package and its potential effect on the residential real estate market.

Kevin also discusses key market statistics including St. Louis MO January 09 recap for new listings and pendings and implications for the market Again, the Podcast can be accessed via the following website address.

CRG Avenue Podcast

When selling a home, staging the house in a manner which it appeals to a broad range of buyers is a very critical. Unfortunately, many sellers - and most agents - often overlook this very important aspect of preparation. Aside from pricing a property correctly and utilizing the right agent who has a very aggressive marketing plan - staging is the next most important thing you can do to ensure your home sells in the St. Louis, Missouri market.

Based on our years of experience and having previewed and met with 1000s of sellers, here are the next few of the most common mistakes that sellers make when preparing their home for sale.

5. Furniture. When it comes to most homes we visit and the tenure of the homeowner is more than a few years, this is a big one.

To view additional information click here