Debbie DiFonzo - Lebanon, Marshfield, Buffalo Missouri Real Estate

Back in May of this year, the Laclede County R-1 (Conway, MO) boys baseball team did something no other team in school history had done before: A Final 4 appearance.

On May 29, 2008 our boys played in the Class 2 MSHSAA game for 3rd place. Going into the game the Conway Bears were 20 and 8, with Senior pitcher Kelby Rader 5 and 0. The boys easily won over Hallsville, 7 to 3.

I must admit, I didn't know all the particulars of the win until a few weeks ago after walking into a PACKED school board meeting. Let me say, school board meetings in Conway MO are usually a quiet affair with only a handful of the public attending. Not the October meeting - students and parents alike packed the library meeting room.

You could feel the excitement in the room - even after having time to let the thrill of victory settle in, the boys were excited and we were excited for them.

The boys were presented with their banners and it was a moment these guys will always remember - and so will I. Every day is a great day to be a Conway Bear, but this was an awesome day to be a Bear - to feel the SPIRIT of the Team, to see the PRIDE on their faces, to get a sense of real ACCOMPLISHMENT. They had a goal and they were up to the challenge! Settling was not an option.

In addition to the 3rd place win:

Kelby Rader, Honorable Mention Pitcher; Jessie Marks, Honorable Mention Infielder and Bubba McGaughy, 1st Team DH/Utility (2008 Class 2 MHSBCA All State Baseball Team)

Bubba McGaughy, 1st Team DH/Utility (2008 Sportswriters All State Team)

The weather was almost perfect today - blue skies, very little wind, low 70's.

I spent the day showing a nice lady from Las Vagas homes. She has a budget and is looking at foreclosures. Coming to Missouri with cash, she feels she can get more home for her money buying a foreclosure (or two.) She is probably right - cash and a quick close are often motivators for those holding the title on foreclosures.

We looked at some incredible homes today - and by the end, my client and I were both exhausted and I have to say, more than a little disgusted.

I have my own thoughts of how the country arrived at the mortgage mess we are in - but now I have to wonder why we all have to pick up the pieces of greed and disrespect of the former homeowners.

I'd like to sit face to face with a few of the former homeowners whose homes we viewed today:


Mr. and Mrs. Foreclosure: Why did you lock 22 cats in your home as you pulled the door shut for the very last time and headed down the road? Did you not have any compassion for the animals you left starving in your former home? Did you not have any thought to the real estate agent that would first visit your home to let these cats out? Did you not give any thought to the agents and the potential buyers that would come later, to see the home? To smell the home from the driveway before we even walked up the porch steps?

Your one year home that would have sold for $150,000 will now sell for approx. $30K - the value of the land. Did you give any thought to who will pick up the tab for the difference?

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Foreclosure: May I ask why you had chickens in your home? My buyer and I noticed chicken droppings in the dining room. The neighbor across the street walked over to let us know you were raising chickens in your home, selling the eggs and selling the fresh meat. While we can appreciate your creativeness, we can't understand why you choose the dining room for your home based business. Was the garage not good enough for the animals?

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Foreclosure: Your cedar sided home was lovely, sitting upon the hill over looking the country side. I noticed when it was previously listed, you offered 16 acres with the property. Now, the REO company is only selling six with the property... oh, I see... you sold off the front ten acres to a business man. That man is now putting up a commercial building in front of your former home. A new buyer will have to enter via the easement, passing the building and passing the equipment of the new land owner. Were you able to buy a new home with the proceeds off the ten acres in the front? Who do you think should pick up the difference between the defaulted loan amount and the amount this home will now sell for?


No wonder foreclosed homes are selling for pennies on the dollar.

The building supply business should be booming - it will cost millions to put some of these homes back together again.

100,000

100,000 points

Wow!

I knew it was coming, knew it was right around the corner.

Yet I missed it!

I have Don Rogers to thank for pointing it out to me - I had turned the corner on 100,000 points. I made it!

So... what to say in my celebratory post?

I have no idea.

Google, help me!

If you Google "100,000" all sorts of pages come up, with all sorts of articles and posts. Not all of them good. I quickly skipped over those.

But one entry did catch my attention -

The United States of America printed a one hundred thousand dollar bill!

High denomination bills were printed in the US starting in 1929. The $100,000 bill featured Woodrow Wilson and was the only high denomination bill not printed in green.

High denomination bills were last printed in 1945 and officially discontinued on July 14, 1969, by the Federal Reserve System.

These bills were commonly used by banks and the Federal Government for large financial transactions. They were not commonly used as every day legal tender. (Mmm... wonder why!)

Finally in 1969, circulation of high-denomination bills was halted by an executive order from President RichardNixon, in an effort to combat organized crime.

So... what does this have to do with my milestone?

My last post, the one that had Don Rogers offering me his congratulations, was a collection of inspirational quotes by President Richard Nixon.

I thought about coming full circle - about connecting the dots - about the road from here to there.

For 100,000 points, I have been connecting the dots, going down the road from here to there. I have made a lot of friends, I have gained business and I have gained more knowledge than I ever could have dreamed.

I have connected the last dot, to form my picture. Now, it's time to fill in the outline, to build upon what I have so far created in Active Rain.

To color my picture green. Or perhaps even orange.

I wasn't planning on writing a post tonight. However, I just finished reading Sheila Moran's post, Need some inspiration? Let me help. If you haven't read the post, go ahead and do so now. This can wait...

Great you're back...

Sheila quoted a great man, Theodore Roosevelt. Teddy has brought inspiration to Sheila and I do believe the words she shared will uplift all who read them.

But, my inspiration doesn't come from Teddy, but Richard.

You see, I am a huge fan of Richard Nixon - which is another post all by itself. I have collected Nixon memorabilia for over twenty years.

I do believe we can find inspiration from Nixon in these troubling times. If you go back in history, Nixon struggled, more than most, his entire life.

Here are a few of my favorites. I hope they inspire, sooth and maybe even provoke a new thought or two.

Enjoy!

"Defeat doesn't finish a man, quit does. A man is not finished when he's defeated. He's finished when he quits."

"If you take no risks, you will suffer no defeats. But if you take no risks, you win no victories."

"Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines."

"Never say no when a client asks for something, even if it is the moon. You can always try."

(Nixon's Washington DC home as VP)

And... my all time favorite... the quote I have posted for my inspiration:

"Only if you have been in the deepest valley,
can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."

Richard Nixon (1913 - 1994)

The Laclede County MO real estate market report for September 2008 includes: Lebanon MO, Phillipsburg MO, Conway MO, Stoutland MO and Sleeper MO.

Laclede County MO Real Estate Market Report - September 2008

Residential Property:

• 23 Residential properties sold in Laclede County MO in September 2008
• Average List Price: $163,201
• Average Sold Price: $155,054
• Average Days on the Market: 113
• Least Expensive Property Sold: $45,000
• Most Expensive Property Sold: $900,000
• 8 pieces of property sold with 2 acres or more
  

Vacant Land:

• There were ZERO vacant land parcels sold in Laclede County MO in September 2008 (per the Lebanon MLS)

Commercial Property:

• 1 Commercial property sold in Laclede County MO in September 2008
• Days on the Market: 67
• Sales Price: $59,500

Residential property continues to sell well in the Laclede County (MO) area. Days on the market were less for September than they were in July 2008. (July 2008 DOM = 143)

I have to admit, I am a little shocked by the lack of movement in the Land sector. Land has retained it's value and remains a solid investment in this ever changing world. As the saying goes, "They aren't making any more of it!"

*** Based on information from the Lebaon Board of REALTORS multi list system for the period of September 1st, 2008 through September 31, 2008. The LBOR does not guarantee this information nor does the LBOR claim responsibility for the accuracy of said information.

*** Please remember, this information is from the MLS and may not reflect all the sales recorded for the said time period. There may have been other real estate activity handled outside of the LBOR multi list system.