We are delighted to recognize Barbara Wulfing as our February Agent of the Month.

It has been written, “To profile Barbara Wulfing, you must first understand the scale and magnitude of her sales achievements. In a business dominated by hyperbole, Barbara's performance is both verifiable and remarkable. Since beginning her real estate career in 1973, Barbara has sold over $550,000,000. Accolades for her consistent performance include The St. Louis Business Journal, who has recognized Barbara as one of the elite Realtors in the Saint Louis community every year for the past decade.  For the past five years, Barbara has also been honored with the prestigious FIVE STAR Customer Satisfaction award sponsored by St. Louis Magazine.”

During her ten year tenure with Janet McAfee Real Estate, Barbara sold in excess of $267,000,000 with an average price in excess of $865,000. She is consistently a top producing Agent. Yet, you will never hear Barbara mention numbers, she is Client focused.  Perhaps Ted Thornhill, President of Janet McAfee, summarized it best when he observed, “The numbers and recognition simply do not convey the entire picture of Barbara's performance. Her success, while significant, is simply the end result of the personal investment Barbara has made in every Client she represents. She truly understands her Client’s needs and works the hours necessary to make their visions and objectives a reality.”

The majority of Barbara's business consists of referrals and repeat transactions. Her Client base keeps her focused on the luxury home market and its many segments. In addition to the resale market, Barbara also represents custom home builders and developers of high end luxury properties including town homes, garden condominiums and high-rise developments.

On the rare occasions when Barbara is not working, she and her husband, Charles, like to spend time with their children and grandchildren.  Barbara’s hobbies include golf, tennis and skiing.  She also enjoys the St. Louis Symphony, Repertory Theatre and Opera Theatre.

To learn more about Barbara and to see all of her fine listings, go to www.janetmcafee.com/barbarawulfing

2012 was a postive year for local housing and Janet McAfee Real Estate.  It's all in our Winter 2013 Market Report, located on www.janetmcafee.com.  The report provides a comprehensive analysis of residential housing activity including price levels for the Saint Louis Central Corridor and is segmented by property type and school district.

Four consecutive quarters of positive gains has brightened our outlook for 2013 and the report details how our firm is well-positioned to serve our clients in the coming year.  

Since joining the firm seven short years ago, Julie Lane has been a consistent Top Agent, Ambassador for St. Louis on HGTV’s series My First House, a perennial FIVE STAR Customer service winner and on the short list of the Central Corridor’s Top Agents.

Lucky, you ask?  Those of us who know her also recognize her “instant success” is due to good, old-fashioned hard work.

Julie previously worked as a pharmaceutical representative for eight years before joining Janet McAfee Real Estate.  She states, “A manager at my former company taught her how to stay focused.  He advised me to always have a plan in mind and focus on outperforming the competition.”  Lane continued, “The advice has served me well in real estate too.  One of the challenges of this job is getting out there and building your own business.”  In the St. Louis market, it’s no longer enough to just have connections.  Agents have to really know this market and go the extra mile.”

With a husband and two daughters, Julie admits real estate can be demanding but at the end of the day, “ I can go home, hang my realtor costume in the closet, throw on some sweats and snuggle with the kids on the couch.  To them I am just Mom.”

Ted Thornhill, President of Janet McAfee quickly points out, “Julie represents the next generation of real estate professionals at our firm.  She works hard, has superb skills and has risen through the ranks to become our Top Agent in 2012.  It’s a tribute to her drive, intelligence and advocacy for her distinguished clients."

To learn more about Julie and her listed properties, go to www.janetmcafee.com/julielane

We are particularly encouraged by the luxury housing segment, where large inventories and inflated pricing had previously stifled a more timely recovery.   Because early stimulus  programs were geared toward first time home buyers and conventional  borrowers, the luxury segment did not recover as quickly as lower price segments.  2012 saw good stock market performance, moderate job creation and good business health - all contributing to positive housing results.  2012 sales of single family and condominiums  over $1 million are up 19% over 2011 in St. Louis County's central corridor and inventory has gradually but steadily declined during the year.

More and more employees, freelancers and business owners are skipping the congested St. Louis morning commute and working remotely from home. Are you one of the 13.4 million Americans who are currently plugging into the office from home?  Make sure that you continue the productivity you achieved in the workplace by giving yourself a dedicate work space at home. Janet McAfee Real Estate has some helpful pointers to keep the work flowing in your home office.

·         Define a workplace – You don’t necessarily need a separated room with a door to constitute as an office, but you shouldn’t set up shop in front of the television – or anything else that will distract you from your work.
·         Stay organized – A cluttered desk leads to a cluttered mind! Although you are working from home, it is important to maintain the same orderliness as you would in the office. Here are some desk accessories to keep your office stylish and tidy.
·         Make it comfortable – Working from home has obvious benefits: no commute, you get to set your own hours, privacy, etc. Don’t forget that you can also personalize your workspace to best reflect your style. It’s a lot easier to sit down in an office that you enjoy to be in rather than staring at four blank walls. Need a little office inspiration? Check out these tips to help put the home in home office.

If your company is seeing continued growth, don’t be surprised if you are given the opportunity to work from your home in the future – prepare your workstation now! Do you have a dedicated home office space? Visit Janet McAfee Real Estate’s Facebook and Twitter to share your pictures! For more St. Louis real estate tips, remember to regularly check back for additional blog posts!

Decorating around the holidays is a lot like packing for a trip – we take extra precautions when packing each item into our bags, but when it is time to head home, we blindly shove everything into our luggage, crossing our fingers it all fits. It is all too easy to treat packing up your holiday décor in a similar fashion. So much time is spent getting each and every decoration perfectly positioned – Janet McAfee Real Estate wants to make sure you are spending a little extra time to safely pack up your holiday trimmings.

• Lights – Getting your home in tip-top shape for the holidays can be tricky – especially if you are scaling the roof to add Christmas lights.  Ladder safety is something we often overlook as we pack away the lights as you remove them. Be sure you have a “spotter” that can keep an eye and collect the lights you remove.
• Tree removal – Nothing says Christmas quite like a real tree. Unfortunately, these saplings are also a big fire safety hazard. When disposing of your tree, make sure it is away from the street – trees also become a big traffic liability during the holiday season.
• Broken decorations – If you can make it through a holiday season without having a broken ornament, light, etc., we commend you. For everyone else, it is important to properly dispose of broken items. This time next year, it is likely we won’t remember an item is damaged. If we save it, we risk injury the next time we unpack our decorations.

Whether you are packing up your holiday décor the day after Christmas or a month after, make sure you are doing so safely. Make sure to check back with Janet McAfee Real Estate for more tips on home decoration and other St. Louis real estate topics!

We are busy wrapping up 2012, evaluating our business results and market conditions.  Overall, we feel very good about residential real estate in St. Louis.  In virtually every price segment, we have experienced increased activity, stable pricing and declining inventory.   Importantly, house sales did not "fizzle out" after the summer selling season, as we experienced in 2011.  Whether it was the favorable stock market, a case of pent-up demand or perhaps it was just unseasonably warm weather, but whatever the reason, we continued to experience good sales through the Fall. 

Here are a couple of our observations.  The most positive news is that the number home sales is up 18% through November in St. Louis Central Corridor.  Second, we have experienced modest price gains in the 2-4% range.   Third, we are so pleased to see that inventory levels have come down from 9 months of inventory in the beginning of the year to around 5 months at the end of the year.

We are grateful for the support of our loyal clients, our hard working agents and the cooperation of lenders, surveyors, inspectors and all the professionals with whom we work to close each and every transaction.   

Thank you for a memorable year!

Janet

There is no greater time of year than the holidays – seeing friends and family, upholding tradition and of course, all of these beautiful decorations are just a few of the reasons this is the most wonderful time of the year. If you are expecting visitors over the next few weeks, you will probably be decking out your home in preparation. Make the season of giving a little less stressful by applying a few of those helpful holiday decorating tips Janet McAfee Real Estate has put together for you. 

1. Holiday wreaths – Nothing is more welcoming than knocking on a door adorned with a stunning wreath. You can purchase a premade wreath from any local retailer, or turn this into a DIY project. We suggest visiting your local craft store for some inspiration.
2. Christmas garland — Whether you opt for a popcorn garland project with the kids or you go all-out with an evergreen variety, holiday garland is a staple in any home. Hang it from your mantle or on your staircase!  Take a look at Martha Stewart’s website for great ideas.
3. Christmas lights – Decking out your home in lights is not just for you – it is for all of the families that drive around in December admiring the holiday cheer. Lights are not just meant to decorate the roof anymore. Consider thinking outside the box with glowing gift boxes, lighted trees and fences, hanging ornaments and a lighted driveway as alternatives.

Will you be looking to buy or sell a home in St. Louis this holiday season?  Let the experienced agents at Janet McAfee Real Estate help. Contact us for more information in getting started on your journey to a new home. 

A turbulent housing market makes it increasingly difficult to gain an advantage when it comes to selling your home. The housing market is currently flooded with home listings, but the demand doesn’t meet the supply. So how do you place your home listing more prominently in your area? Having access to an experienced Janet McAfee realtor may lend the upper hand you have been looking for.

Create a more straightforward home selling process with the new My McAfee Activity tool. This new tool from Janet McAfee Real Estate gives you and your agent the ability to monitor and evaluate interest in your home and view the comparable homes for sale in your area. Once the report is activated, they are automatically emailed to the agent and seller.

My McAfee Activity Report (Listing Activity) is the report both agents and sellers will receive that breaks down the overall activity of your property. We evaluate and report on four different areas over a period of seven days, 30 days, and eight weeks:

• Property Results Report – Displays the number of times your property appeared in a search result on the website.
• Property Detail Report – Displays the number of times your property details page has been viewed on the website.
• Property Map Detail Report – Displays the number of times your property was requested on a map on the website.
• Agent Listings Report – Displays the number of times your property has been viewed from the agent profile page.
  
  My McAfee Activity Report (Competitive Listing) is a great way to evaluate exactly where your property stands in the local housing market. This is an excellent resource for sellers and agents to form realistic goals and prices when listing a home. A seller’s property is compared to similar homes for sale in the area based on following criteria:
• Price changes
• Most recent listings
• Closest properties
  
  
  
  
  

If you are looking for a quick face-lift throughout your home, consider giving your walls a new coat of paint.  Whether you prefer rich, bold colors or warm neutral tones, fresh paint can bring any average space to life.  Janet McAfee Real Estate has a few tips to think about before going wild with the paint brush.

Coordinate – Do you have a large, upholstered chair, an Oriental rug, or an ornate duvet cover in the space you would like to update?  Pull your color scheme inspiration from these pieces.

Personal Style – People often say that you should consider your own style when decorating your home.  Can’t decide if that fire engine red is a good choice?  Is it a color you would actually wear?  If not, it may be more appropriate for an accent color.

Design Vertically – Traditionally, you can make your space look larger by decorating with lighter colors near the ceiling and darker colors on the floor.  Be sure to choose a lighter colored valance and crown molding while opting for darker floors and rugs.

Use the Color Wheel – Colors nearest each other in the color wheel are the most complementary.  If it is color you are seeking, keep things light in the kitchen with yellows and oranges and cool and calming in the bedroom with blues, greens, and purples.

Remember that when it comes to decorating your home, your personal preferences trump any interior design “rule.” However, if you are selling your home, it may need additional preparation for open houses.  Contact the real estate professionals at Janet McAfee for more information about getting your property in the best condition possible for sale.