Congratulations to Courtney and to all the local graduates of Althoff, Belleville East, Belleville West, and O’Fallon high schools.  We wish you all much success as you pursue your secondary degree!

The Realtors Association of Southern Illinois recently offered a class to our members to obtain their BPOR designations.  What is BPOR you ask?  Broker Price Opinion Resource — this was an excellent class that will help improve my overall review of the market in determining an accurate sale price when helping my sellers list their home or buyers purchase a property.

So for all your real estate needs in the O’Fallon, Swansea, Shiloh, Belleville, Fairview Heights — or any of the Scott AFB area –  be sure to contact me.  Let me put my class to the test for you!

Over the next few weeks, we will have three judges review the applicants and their essays to determine this year’s winner.  We will be announcing the winner on May 11 so be sure to visit our site again to see who the winner is!

Good luck to everyone who submitted an application for this year’s Your Home Team Real Estate Scholarship!

As a sign of appreciation to our past clients and customers as well as a Thank You to the communities of O’Fallon, Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh and Swansea, we host this bi-annual FREE shredding event.  We hire a professional shredding company out of Columbia, IL to come in from 9:00 a.m. till 12:00 noon on that date.

For your privacy, you must be here — absolutely no drop offs with a limit of five copier boxes maximum per household.  We also request a donation of 2 can goods to help benefit the local food pantry.

To ensure you are served, you must Email us to confirm your participation — roxann@yourhometeam.org or call 618-624-1985.

Again, the shredding event is Saturday, May 5, 2011 between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 Noon, at Your Home Team’s offices located at 813 w. Hyw. 50 in O’Fallon, IL.

See you then!

The trouble signs are easy to spot, provided you know what to look for.  What’s more, contractors aren’t as busy now, so they’re likely to be more flexible on price.  Here are some of the biggest red flags of home maintenance.

1) Roofs and Siding – roofs are the most vulnerable to water infiltration, given their exposure to the elements and the laws of gravity.  Keep a look out for cracks, curled or missing shingles which are signs that a roof may be near the end of its life.  Also be sure to check flashing around the chimney, skylights and roof valleys as well as rubber boots around vents for cracks.

Siding is also susceptible to leaks, especially where it meets windows and doors.  A $5 tube of caulk might save you thousands of dollars in structural repair.

2) Pest Infestations — Termites and carpenter ants gravitate to moist soil and rotting wood.  Be sure to keep your gutters in good shape and soil around your foundation graded properly away from the house.  Be sure to keep mulch, firewood and dense shrubbery away from your foundation.  Once termite infiltrate a home, they can bore through the structure in a few short years.  Be sure to have a yearly inspection.

Also be sue to remove debris and disorder from the property such as leaf piles.  Plug holes in the siding and foundation walls with expandable foam.  Don’t forget to look up for signs of birds, bees or squirrels in soffits and attic vents.

3) Mold and Mildew — Hot outdoor temperatures can drive even small amounts of water trapped in the structure to condense on colder interior surfaces, leading to mold.   Musty odors, dank air and family members with chronic runny noses are warning signs.  Check under carpets and around windows for visible mold or mildew.

Some mold in small amounts can be treated yourself by scrubbing with a mixture of detergent (bleach) and water and then drying completely.  Professional remediation is required for larger outbreaks.

4) Foundation Cracks — Some cracks are harmless but others can mean trouble!  Hairline cracks are probably the result of concrete curing or minor settling.  Also be on the lookout for horizontal cracks or bulging or buckling. Along with expanding cracks, those conditions require attention of a structural engineer.

More red flags are cracks at upper corners of windows and doors, mushrooms or fungus growing out of siding, soft boards or loose rails on outdoor decks, soggy ground and lush vegetation around septic tanks, missing or torn insulation in attic and scratches or algae on siding.

The longer you wait to correct problems, the more costly it will probably be!  Be sure to perform monthly maintenance checks for your property to ensure these and other repairs don’t become a resale issue!

For more information or additional real estate needs, be sure to contact me — Roxann — at 618-624-1985!

The good news?  It’s never too early to start planning your garden.  In fact, I hear Seipp Lawncare of O’Fallon, IL outside my window this morning giving us our lawn its first haircut for the Spring!

When planning to plant, you first want to establish what “zone” you live in.  Knowing your zone will tell you when to plant what.  You can find out your zone by visiting garden.org.  If the risk of freezing is over in your zone, you might be able to start getting your hands dirty!

Draw out plans and pick out colors.  Many flower buffs prefer to group like colors together.  I have found over the years, some beautiful gardens in our surrounds towns such as Belleville, Fairview Heights, Shiloh, Swansea and O’Fallon, IL.   They will have a pink annual garden one year and a yellow the next!

Other gardeners focus attention on larger projects, such as decks, pathways, and patios.  If this is your intent this year, start your research now.  Garden books and magazines are full of inspiration and how-to books can even lead you down the do-it-yourself path.  You can also get pricing estimates from local home improvement stores and lumber yards.

Spring is also a time to prepare your soil.  This means checking the pH to see if it needs balancing, as well as prepping the soil with compost to ensure it is full of nutrients.  Compost works especially well when you add it prior to planting, and it’s a natural organic way to make your garden just that much better.

You can also take this time to prune bushes and hedges, clean dirty bird feeders, and service your lawn equipment.  If you hire a landscaping company to handle the heavy work for you each year, then now would be a great time to interview potential companies and decide upon a service plan.  We have some great companies and garden shops in the O’Fallon, Swansea, Shiloh, Fairview Heights, Belleville and surrounding Scott AFB towns.

Above all else, be sure to enjoy the process of planning and caring for your garden.  It really is a rewarding hobby that keeps on giving for years to come!  And if you are considering resale of your home, it is also great for curb appeal!

Enjoy — Spring is just around the corner!

Some borrowers are running into qualification issues for the first time in their lives. They are discovering they do not have enough income to refinance the home they have occupied for the past several years — even though the new loan comes with a lower interest rate than their current loan.

Loan representatives are reporting that their biggest challenge in the past 15 months has been explaining to existing customers that they “can’t even qualify for a mortgage under 5 percent.”

Others are upset because they are facing prepayment penalties on existing mortgages even though they have a flawless payment history and a terrific credit score.

A different wrinkle surfaced recently when a reader brought up an issue that we have not explored for years. She had purchased a home with the proceeds from her previous home plus a small balance that was financed by the owner.

She had planned to pay the small balance off within three years and save some interest money but was shocked to discover the loan structure — “the rule of 78s” — did not allow any savings.

1. Hang mirrors on Walls Opposite Windows — the larger the mirro, the more light you’ll let in!
2. Frame Familiar Faces — reframe some of your old photos and/or add new photos of family and friends
3. Use Candle Sconces — this is an inexpensive but dramatic way to add warmth and elegance.  And if safety is a concern for you, there are some very attractive battery-operated “candles” now available
4. Embrace White — A fresh coat of white paint on trim and moldings, a beautiful vase of white flowers or a white bowl filled with shiny green apples can make a room feel brighter and fresher!
5. Install Brighter Bulbs — Consider switching your light bulbs to halogen bulbs which emit a pure, white light that mimics natural daylight.
6. Toss in Some Pillows and Throws — Combat the cold and dreary weather by adding pillows and throws to your living, family and bedrooms with bright colors and patterns

The above suggestions are a great way to get through the rest of the winter months after all of the festivities of the holidays!  Make your home a terrific place year round.

Be sure to come back and visit for additional real estate tips !

When preparing your home for the market, below are some tips to help you stage your property:

1. Define the Space — Confusion in a room confuses the buyer, so make the purpose of each room clear.  Get rid of toys in the den.  Roll the exercise bike out of the kitchen.
2. Unblock the Sight Lines — Buyers need a clear path to maneuver.  Make it easy to walk from the door to a window in the master suite or from the hallway to a living-room sofa.
3. Highlight the Focal Points — Reds and yellows are “advancing” colors; blues and greens are “receding” ones.  Remember that and you will be able to control the buyer’s gaze.  Elegant granite countertop? Place a bowl of red peppers on top.  Beautiful fireplace?  Hang a yellow painting above it.  Dreary corner?  Put a plant there.
4. Light to Flatter — Soft, southern light makes rooms look warmer and cheerier.  Harsh, northern light makes people think dreary and cold.  so replace stark daylight bulbs with warmer ones, especially near mirrors.
5. Quiet the Set — Don’t distract your buyers with creaky doors or floors.  A noisy room makes people question the integrity of what they are seeing.

So if the New Year is the time for you, be sure to contact me for all of your real estate needs.  I serve all of the surrounding Scott AFB area, including O’Fallon, Shiloh, Swansea, Fairview Heights, Mascoutah, Belleville and Troy.  Happy New Year!

Here is just one item you don’t want to ignore!  If there are 10 things that can go wrong with a house, 15 of them have to do with water!  Gutters, downspouts, and leader pipes collect rainwater and channel it away from the house.

• Leaders should extend at least 5 feet from the house.
• Check the entire gutter system seasonally for proper pitch and for clogs, corrosion, broken fasteners, and separation between connections and where gutters meet the fascia board.
• When inspecting gutters, extend straight ladders 3 feet beyond the roof at a 75-degree angle to the ground.
• The soil around the foundation should slope away from the house at least 1 inch per foot for 6 feet or more.
• If you have planting beds along the foundation, make sure the grading of the bed, its edging, or the edge of the lawn isn’t keeping water from draining away from the house.
• With all of those Fall leaves, be sure to clean out those gutters before water from melting winter snow and ice hit create a problem.

Be sure to stay tuned for additional repairs you definitely do not want to ignore.   Visit our website often for tips and advice on real estate — buying and selling!