Getting some snow has allowed me to stop for a moment and touch base! Tomorrow I close my fifth deal of the year, been doing some great deals for my clients! As a buyers agent, my last two negotiations have been well below the banks appraisal. An example would be my clients buying a house for $200,000 and then a 3rd party appraisal says the market value is $220,000, this type of thing is not an accident. The disclaimer is, MOST of the time an appraisal will come in very near to sales price.

I recently passed my brokers license exam and am now officially a Broker Salesperson at Carol Jones Realtors, what does this new title do? Well it would allow me to be a manager at a real estate firm someday and it allows me the ability to open my own brokerage someday, neither of which is currently in the works. I try to focus on qualifications to help clients and quickly earn trust. When clients choose to ride with me they are riding with a driver that carries a Class A Commercial Drivers License and I have a CCW endorsement, the main reason I mention this is that to have a CDL and a CCW means that I have met all the qualifications, test requirements and background checks associated with these endorsements. As a lineman for the Empire District I was certified in CPR and I carried a number of qualifications as a manager and store planner for Sam’s Clubs. My education is a BA in Business Administration and a minor in Global Studies from Drury University.

You will rarely find me in a suit and tie, why? Well a suit and tie and a fancy import car provide no service to my clients, my truck will get us anywhere we want to go and is comfortable, it has tools in it, measuring tape, and lights. I often visit the crawlspace of the homes we look at, a 3rd party inspection is important, but it would be nice to not have to pay for an inspection if there is standing water in the crawlspace or major foundation issues.

I am trying to drive home some reasons why I am a good choice as your Realtor, the choice between a top-notch agent and the alternative could be a foreclosure, a short-sale, a bankruptcy, a significant financial event and even an issue effecting your health. My goal is to eliminate as many variables as possible and empower my clients to make good home buying and selling decisions. Have a great day! -J.R.

Here it comes ladies and gentlemen, 2015. February 10, 2014 I got the call that my lifelong best friend and little brother had a large tumor on his pituitary gland. 4 days later Ryan had basically lifesaving surgery, he is doing well and is still trying to get meds balanced out. In 2014, my sister Lauren, gave birth by a necessary C-section to my beautiful niece Evelyn, our Evie is doing wonderful, she has been the bright spot in our year. Contrary to beautiful Evie, Emily and I lost our 4th pregnancy this year, it was devastating, so hopeful that 2015 might bring us a healthy baby. We will be great parents someday…Emily’s family is also fighting heart disease and cancer right now, so prayerful for them, I love my “in-laws.” It may sound cliche, but I got a lot of inspiration this year from the movie Lone Survivor, the general theme to me is to fight until you can’t fight anymore, fight until your dead. I’m a scrapper! Being a rough year, my business has suffered (still did very well for the average bear, but average is for sissies), so frustrating that I am a better agent than I was a year ago, but not posting the same sales volume. 2015 is going to have some low spots, but I am so committed to avenge 2014 that I am certain it will be a better year. I have a fantastic group of current clients and have two deals pending and will be writing an offer and showing a number of properties tomorrow. Give me a call or text if I can help you get to where you want to go in 2015, I’m going to get A LOT done this year! I support our first responders and military, it would be my honor to be your Realtor! Be careful my friends and get out and make a difference. Happy New Year! J.R.

After 15 months with Coldwell Banker I made a strategic move back to Carol Jones Realtors.  Many exciting things have taken place for me to end up back “home.”  In our sales meeting this morning a number of agents made the comment “if you would have told me 6 months ago I would be at Carol Jones, I would not believe it.”

Things change, opportunities present themselves and I think that is what sets me apart as a Realtor.  Time is of the essence, it is in our real estate contracts, todays opportunity could be tomorrow’s missed opportunity.  Excited for my family and my clients moving forward!  Best Regards, J.R.

Our local board of Realtors has gone to a new listing service named “Flex.”  In short, it is a huge upgrade from the previous system that our clients are going to benefit from.  So good for our clients, good for us.  The catch is that there is a learning curve of sorts and since this website is family owned and operated there will be some lag in regards to our “current listings” section.  Brother Ryan and I need to sit down and work on our listings populating from the new software.  Pretty cool though that your Realtors can work on and understand every aspect of their business.  We can swing a hammer, we can stage a home, market a home and give advice on every aspect of home ownership while providing a referral network of lenders, contractors, inspectors and insurance providers.  When I was a linemen for the power company it took 4 years to become a journeyman lineman, in that trade I remained an apprentice, after 4 years of going strong in real estate I feel comfortable calling my self a journeymen Realtor and strive to get better every day!  Hope all are well!  Best Regards, J.R.

Be Better
I just returned from the Missouri Realtors® January business meeting and Capitol conference. The new president of the association selected “Be Better” as his theme for the year. That is a great thought to start 2014. No drama, no major upheaval, no significant change just look within yourself and pledge to be better. The dramas, upheaval and change will usually happen because of and in spite of our best efforts. If we focus on just being better we can position ourselves to make the most of whatever comes our way.

Communicating with clients after the sale is one of my personal “Be Betters”. I don’t want to fill your inbox with junk, so the first question I need to know is what information would be useful? Since the primary question I am asked is “How’s the market?” I will pass along some of information I use to track the market locally.

The closing numbers for residential sales in Greene County for 2013 were 3888 units. How does compare to the prior years?
Year Residential units sold in Greene County
2000 3792
2001 4109
2002 4377
2003 5079
2004 4914
2005 5408
2006 5045
2007 4338
2008 3548
2009 3483
2010 3349
2011 3101
2012 3478
2013 3888

Compared to 2011 it was a great year, compared to 2005 it was a terrible year. It does feel good that we finally made it back to the sales level of 2000. That makes me think that maybe the new normal has been established.

At any time if you have specific questions, email or call either J. R. or me.

We love helping people buy and sell their homes and we appreciate your referrals.

Looking forward,
Vicki

The ph0ne has started to ring in 2014!  Just have one closing scheduled for January 2014, yet we are anxious to role up our sleeves and get to work, Vicki and I both held open houses today and are starting to see some signs of the market coming out of its usual winter hibernation…2013 we closed well over 6 Million…2014? Who knows?

So excited that here we are two weeks before Christmas and we are helping 3 special clients close homes before Santa makes his rounds.  In addition one of our listings is closing the 17th.  We currently have a shortage of listings, would love the opportunity to bring your home to market in 2014!!  Under promise, over perform.

It has been a very long time since my last post, I am very optimistic about this holiday season and what 2014 has to offer.  Vicki aka Mom and I are wrapping up another record year together in residential real estate sales.  Having moved our license to Coldwell Banker Vanguard is proving to be a wise decision for our business, we have surpassed 4 million in sales, while adding another 2 + million in sales at our former broker earlier this year.  A very big thank you to all of our clients, friends and family.

2014 we see a number of challenges ahead and we will continue to be just a phone call away for advice or guidance when it comes to local real estate.  The potential for rising interest rates, healthcare and political uncertainty will prove to be some key players in the next 12 months.  Interest rates continue to remain historically low, inventory is increasing, I see the potential for some “deals” again in the near future!  Best Regards and Happy upcoming Holidays!!  J.R.