Tim Tanz, St Louis Real Estate

About Me:

I am a realtor serving the St Louis Metropolitan area, and I have been a full-time realtor since 1997.

I am a CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), ABR (Accredited Buyer's Representative), and GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute). I have been with Keller Williams since 2002. Before that, I was with RE/MAX.

I enjoy working with a wide range of clientele, from the first-time home buyer to the retiree, and I work heavily in the gay/lesbian community. I am a member of the St. Louis Association of Realtors (SLAR), Missouri Association of Realtors (MAR), National Association of Realtors (NAR), Member Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (REBAC), Member Council of Residential Specialists (CRS).

My focus is in residential real estate sales - single family homes, investment properties, multi-family homes, condos, lofts, townhomes, etc.

I work with both buyers and sellers.

If you know of anyone thinking of buying or selling a home, please tell them about me. I really do appreciate your referrals.

Areas of Expertise

I provide clients with choices for avoiding foreclosure and giving them a fresh start, through the Short Sale process. A Short Sale occurs when the lender is willing to discount what you owe them in exchange for a total payoff - or in other words, it's the sale of a house in which the proceeds of the sale fall short of what you still owe on your mortgage. Many lenders will agree to accept the proceeds of a short sale and forgive the rest of what is owed on the mortgage when you cannot make the mortgage payments. Selling the property with a traditional "Listing" is no longer possible, because by the time closing costs and Realtor fees are added, the listing has out-priced the market, and overpriced homes are not selling. By accepting a short sale, the lender can avoid a lengthy and costly foreclosure process, and the homeowner is able to pay off the loan for less than what is owed. This will prevent a foreclosure from being on the homeowner's credit report. I work directly with the mortgage companies to avoid the foreclosure process, and can often get a pending foreclosure postponed while the lender reviews the offer.

I work with homeowners who are behind on payments or about to be behind on payments, have a foreclosure sale date pending, can no longer afford their home, cannot afford to pay a traditional real estate agent commission, have been unable to sell their home through a traditional listing, own a property that needs repairs or updating, owe more on their mortgage than their property is worth, and need a no-hassle, friendly solution to stopping further damage to their credit.

Time is of the essence in a foreclosure situation. Missouri has one of the shortest foreclosure time lines of any state. Lenders and their attorneys only have to publish public notice that the house will be sold for 21 days before the sale. That gives homeowners very little time to explore their options.

Benefits of a Short Sale:

1. The mortgage company will not come after you for a deficiency.

2. You will not have a foreclosure on your credit history.

3. The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 has been extended until 2012. Normally, debt forgiveness results in taxable income. Borrowers whose debt is reduced or eliminated receive a year-end statement (Form 1099-C) from their lender. This act allows homeowners to exclude this deb forgiven on their principal residence if the balance of their loan is less than $2 million. In most cases, eligible homeowners only need to fill out a few lines of Form 982.

St. Louis City and St. Louis County Residential Real Estate, Homes, Condos, Lofts & Townhomes. St. Louis City Neighborhoods: Benton Park, Benton Park West, Bevo Mill, Botanical Heights, St. Vincent Park, Carondelet, Central West End, Clifton Heights, Columbus Square, Compton Heights, Downtown, Dutchtown, Forest Park Southeast, Fox Park, The Gate District, Gravois Park, The Hill, Holly Hills, Lafayette Park, Lasalle, Lindenwood Park, Northampton, Shaw, Skinker/DeBaliviere, Soulard, Southwest Garden, St. Louis Hills, Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, South City, Wyndown/Skinker. St. Louis County Communities: Affton, Shrewsbury, Webster Groves, Maplewood, Richmond Heights, Brentwood, Clayton, University City, Bayless, Hancock Place, Lindbergh, Mehlville, Kirkwood, Ladue, Ritenour, Parkway North, Parkway Central, Parkway West, Parkway South, Valley Park, Rockwood Summit, Marquette, Eureka, Lafayette, Crestwood, Sunset Hills, Fenton, Des Peres, Town & Country, Manchester, Ballwin, Ellisville, Chesterfield, Wildwood, Creve Couer, Olivette, Maryland Heights.

Testimonials

Tom W.

"I appreciate all you did as my realtor. You were awesome. You were extremely thorough in many aspects (even outside the realtor's duties). I appreciated your support and your time commitment while I found the right house for the money. I also appreciated your input on houses and things and was happy you always let me make the choice instead of you pushing your opinions on me. This experience with you as my realtor was great. I would certainly use you again ad also send others your way."

James F.

"THANK YOU!!! I don't know what we would have done without you! It is scary to think of how close we came to being in a really bad situation. You did an amazing job...of marketing the house...keeping us calm...and gettin' 'er done! You are a great agent and friend!"

Dan M.

"Thank you for all your help on the sale of my home. You are amazing and I totally appreciate your extraordinary effort...I sold real estate for five years in the past and you are an excellent agent. I look forward to doing business with you in the future."

Beverly B., PhD.

"I would highly recommend Tim as a seller's agent. I found that he was professional and courteous, yet maintained the ability to be personable and genuine. It is difficult to find a person in the real estate field that is consistently genuine; yet Tim is. He is knowledgeable in his field and will give you fair and honest feedback about your house and real estate issues. I found that he went above and beyond what was 'expected' of a real estate agent, and it wasn't 'just for the commission.' I honestly can't think of anything that he left out or fell short of my expectations during the process of selling my house. He maintained constant contact with me during the process, and even some after the sale was completed to ensure that all potential loose ends were completed. Once again, I was extremely pleased with Tim's services and would highly recommend him to anyone considering placing their house on the market."

Mrs. Anglia W.

"Tim always gave me sound advice as if my home were his own. He also told me what all of my options were, and what the outcome of each decision yielded. With Tim, I feel that I made excellent decisions that worked well with my family. He negotiated in my best interests and kept communication open with the buyer's realtor and myself. I was secure in knowing what was going on at all times...Tim made sure I was taken care of. I did not have the worries and fears that I hear most people have when they are trying to sell their home. He made every transition as smooth as possible and was immediately there if something new had to be accomplished. I hope that everyone could be as fortunate as I was to find such a caring and trustworthy realtor as Tim Tanz. Not only is he my realtor, now, he is my good friend."

Ms. Pat F.

"I was very satisfied with the service I received from you. When I first listed my home, I talked with three different realty companies. The first realtor was very pushy. The second realtor did not make any impression on me. I was impressed with the way you presented yourself, the paperwork you prepared for me and I also liked the picture of my house that would be used on the flyer. You walked through my home and made some suggestions to me which might make my home sell faster. After I signed with you, we were both in agreement not to go with an FHA loan because of the age of my home. You recommended what you thought should be the asking price, and I did not think I would get that much, but my children were in agreement with you. When we did close, there was a slight mixup and you make two trips to my work so that I could sign some papers and not have to leave my work. I would definitely recommend you to anyone who needs a realtor. Thanks again for all your help."

Martha E.

"I got lucky when I found Tim Tanz. Tim was offering a house I saw in the newspaper, and I called to get more information. He was on the case immediately, setting up a time to view the house on short notice and lining up similar properties to view based on my criteria. His knowledge of the area helped me narrow down potential neighborhoods. Within 24 hours, I was receiving email notification of houses for sale in the MLS. As I lived two hours from St. Louis, Tim made sure each trip to the city was worth my time. He made himself available on weekends and evenings and lined up numerous homes for me to view on each visit. He was highly organized, providing me with printouts of the specs for each home and mapping out the most efficient route to view them. Tim's familiarity with his industry is invaluable. He guided this new homebuyer every step of the way, from my search through my closing. He offered good recommendations for inspectors, an insurance agent, and service professionals. He set up my inspections - each of which he attended - and took care of the paperwork required by the city. Through the entire process, Tim returned calls and emails promptly and patiently answered all my questions. I never felt rushed or pressured. Most importantly, Tim is honest. Shortly after I met him, I felt I could trust him to represent me in the largest purchase I will make in my lifetime. I highly recommend Tim Tanz in every way."

Bennett H. & Elizabeth M.

"We recently purchased our first home, and are writing this letter to convey the exceptional experience we had in working with Tim Tanz.

We had a good feeling from the first time we met Tim Tanz. To start with, he didn't pressure us to sign an exclusive agreement with him. In fact, he never asked us to do that. After being pressured by a number of other realtors, we took this small decision on his part as a good sign. Trust is not about whether or not we sign a document. We immediately trusted Tim.

As we visited houses on our list, we came to trust Tim in another way. We could always depend on him to give us enough room to make our own decisions, and to weigh in with thoughtful insights when necessary. Tim never pressured us to make a decision, or tried to steer us too hard in one direction. He did help guide our decision making with constructive comments and insights.

Tim was always available for us. In fact, we were actively searching for our home between Christmas and New Year's, and Tim was extremely generous and flexible with his time. In fact, we signed our offer letter at Tim's home office on the day before New Year's Eve - a Saturday.

In the negotiation process, Tim was always a step ahead. When it was all said and done, we had no regrets about our negotiations, and that was largely the result of Tim's skill.

When we saw some possibility that our offer would fall through, Tim made it clear that we could always start over, and was more than willing to do that - although probably no more excited than we were at the prospect of starting over. I have absolutely no doubt that he would have put the time in for us.

Tim is a dependable, knowledgeable, first-rate realtor. Two months after purchasing our home, and four months after looking at that first house with Tim, we recommend Tim Tanz without hesitation."

Thomas U. & Chad M.

"Chad and I would both really lik to express our heartfelt appreciation for all you did for us. Your patience, understanding, guidance and advice proved invaluable. When we are in the market for another home, you'll be our first call!"

Michael V. & Brian G.

"It is our pleasure to write this letter on behalf of Tim Tanz. Tim is a wonderful guy and was superb as our agent. We cannot recommend him too highly, and now that the process is over, we're glad to have him as a neighbor as well.

Tim helped us buy our first home, a process we went into with a stereotype of realtors as beng frenetic, superficial, and all about turning deals and making money, even to the point of talking people into something they don't want. We also thought that we weren't likely to find a realtor who would share information with us unless it was profitable to do so.

Tim blew that stereotype apart by being calm, attentive, superbly ethical, and totally accommodating to the pace and level of clarity we needed to not feel overwhelmed. His knowledge of real estate and houses is nothing short of encylopedic, and he shares it regardless of any impact on his ablility to close a deal. Tim is also very passionate about his work and fun to be around. We had many lighthearted moments tooling around the city looking at houses and getting all the dish on neighborhoods and the grittier side of urban rehabbing.

Tim is also one of those enviable people who can juggle multiple appointments and ongoing deals while still leaving you with the feeling that you have his undivided attention. Despite the fact that we were working with him during the most hectic part of the most hectic season in real estate, he always returned our calls and e-mails promptly, even the truly naive ones.

All these qualities come together to make Tim the best realtor anyone could ask for. We're confident you'll be as pleased and well cared for as we were."

Larry V.

"We really appreciate all the good work you did for us. If we can ever recommend you to anyone, we will. I only wish you were able to sell my house down here (Miami) for us when we are ready. Again, Tim, thanks alot for everything and many, many happy closings for you."

Phil S.

"This was the 3rd transaction between us and it will not be the last. I will give your name to all who are inquiring about real estate. Thank you again for all your hard work."

Dr. Dan L.

"Thank you for all the help on the sale of my mom's four family flat. For a month prior to listing with Tim, we tried to sell the flat on our own. We listed it on Zillow and Craigslist. We held open houses for four consecutive Sundays but no one came by. I interviewed others trying to sell without an agent and their stories did not leave me confident. We signed with Tim and his marketing plan was so complete that in less than a week we had an offer. I tell anyone who is selling or buying to give Tim a call."

Marty W.

"As a single mom, this was my first solo house buy and I was pretty nervous abut taking such a big step by myself. Tim put me at ease immediately with his kindness and uplifting attitude. I could tell he cares and that he earns the trust of his clients.

As we toured houses, Tim focused on the quality of the structure and underlying components, maintenance issues and costs, and gave me insights into the level of work it would be to rehab, and what not to worry about. His level of expertise is far beyond what I have experienced with other realtors.

Tim kept in contact with me. He returned my calls promptly and initiated calls to me and to others to keep the process moving. He gave me the convenience of meeting at my apartment to sign documents. Although he had several deals in progress at the time, it seemed to me that all his energy was focused on my transaction.

Tim's recommendations on contracts, the negotiation process, and his choices in personnel saved me thousands of dollars during the first few months of ownership and gave me peace of mind knowing that I am avoiding the financial drain of acute maintenance issues.

With his exceptional level of skill and his heart-centered approach, I highly recommend Tim Tanz for anyone in need of a Realtor."

Shannon & John R.

"We would recommend Tim Tanz with great enthusiasm to potential home sellers in the St. Louis area. We put our St. Louis Hills home on the market during the summer of 2006. On a street with highly similar homes, several were for sale at the same time, making us quite nervous about the process. In the end, our home sold in two weeks at a price that we were very happy with.

Tim was very professional, courteous, and prompt. We heard from him often and he was very accessible when we had our own questions. He was very forthcoming and gave sound advice when it came time to decide on a listing price, make decisions about how to best show the house, and make contract negotiations. However, he was never pushy and always listened to our opinions and desires. Tim's work ethic was impressive; he always made us feel that selling our home was a top priority for him. He met with us quickly and made sure the listing, photos, and video tours were online in a timely manner. He gave us prompt feedback after each showing. He worked hard in using several outlets to market our home. Along with being an effective professional, however, Tim was an enjoyable person to be around and work with. The selling process is a bit less painful when you have someone honest and genuine by your side . (And his good sense of humor didn't hurt either.)

We are very grateful for Tim's services and would definitely call him again if we had to do it over again!"