St. Louis Real Estate Podcast with Barbara Balossi

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*Today, I want to share a few key questions that you need to ask when hiring a real estate agent** to help you buy or sell a home. These questions will help you pick the best agent for your transaction. “
You don't want a secret agent; you need an agent who will keep you informed.
”1. How many years of experience do you have? In addition to finding out how long they have been in the real estate business, make sure that being a real estate agent is their full time position. Be wary of hiring someone who sells real estate on the side and not as a full-time career.

What is your average days on market? How many days do their listings stay on the market before they get a contract? How does that number compare with homes for sale in your neighborhood? This number is crucial.
What is your list-to-sales price ratio? You want to know that they can price properties properly. This information can be particularly revealing.
How will you communicate throughout the process? You don’t want a secret agent. You want to know what’s happening with your listing or what’s going on with your home search, so it’s important to ask about their communication plan to keep you informed.

I have a list of additional questions that you can ask when interviewing agents. If you’re interested, just give me a call or send me an email. My team and I look forward to hearing from you!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319* for a FREE home buying or selling consultationHey everyone, today we’re going to talk about an important budget item to consider when you’re buying a new home or maintaining your current one. This concept will help you prepare for the market whenever you’re ready to sell, even if it’s 5 or 10 years down the road. “
This is an important part of your budget.
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We often work with sellers and when we are getting their home ready for sale, we go from room to room coming up with a list of things to do in order to maximize your equity when it’s time to sell. Sometimes, this list can add up to a significant investment in the home in order to get the maximum return on market value for your home.

If you’re searching for a home or are a current homeowner, I suggest you to consider putting aside 1-2% of the value of your home away for general home maintenance. When you own a home, maintenance issues always come up, whether you need a new roof, porch maintenance, or a fresh coat of paint. These items are so important for maintaining both your appreciation and your home value.

Keeping a reserve account with 1-2% of your home’s value in it will help you keep up with yearly maintenance much easier. If you have any questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*Today, we'll discuss important strategies for preparing for the home inspection. If you are a buyer and you have a contract on a home, typically you will have a ten-day inspection period.
First of all, be sure that you are available to attend the inspection. During the inspection, you will walk around the property with your inspector and ask questions. Use this time as an educational experience, and give the inspector a chance to explain their findings.Next, be sure to hire a professional. This is not the time for a general contractor, friend, or parent to stop by and look at the home. We recommend hiring a certified building inspector to go over the home from top to bottom.Also, use the inspection period to coordinate a home maintenance plan for future reference. There are some repairs that you may ask the seller to take on, but other repairs will be your responsibility. Come up with a plan to manage these repairs and maintain the home.If you are a seller, you can best prepare for the inspection by presenting the home exactly as you would for an open house. Make sure the home is clean, bright, and ready to show. Be away from the home during the inspection time. You need to give the buyer and the inspector their space. You don't want your presence to pressure the buyer.**
If you have any questions on today's video, or about real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email. We'd be happy to guide you through this process.

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*We are always looking for ways to educate you on the home buying and selling process. Today we are going to talk about the latest real estate statistics here in St. Louis so you can understand how to interpret our market data.**Here are some of the key numbers.

Available inventory in St. Louis is down about 8%. When inventory is down and there are fewer choices for buyers, it pushes prices up a little bit. In addition to that decrease in inventory, the number of homes under contract is up 22%. At the same time, the median sales price is up only 1.2% and expired listings are up 52%.

What does this all mean? Well, people understand that supply is down and demand is up, but they are overpricing properties, causing those homes to sit and stay on the market. If you have been thinking of buying or selling, you need an agent who is informed about the market. One that can counsel you on pricing, and make sure you are not overpaying for your home, which could cause it not to sell.

If you have any questions for us, or want to dig deeper into the local numbers for your neighborhood, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to working with you!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*Today, we're excited to share some tips and tricks for buying or selling a home when you have small children.
As a seller, if you have infants and toddlers at home, you probably have all sorts of gear to help you on a daily basis. You have swings, changing tables, toys, bouncy seats, jumpers -- there's so much stuff that you might feel overwhelmed. How can you possibly pull a house together with all of that stuff lying around?Here's what I tell my clients: Keep one key piece of equipment, and store the rest. I've heard time and time again what a relief it is. In fact, most of the things you may think are essential may not be necessary (but of course, welcomed back once the home is sold). Storing some of these items really helps when it comes time to stage your home.
If you're out looking for homes, you might be wondering how you can possibly tote the children along while you and your partner assess different properties. How are you supposed to focus on this life-changing decision when you have to keep track of the kids?
We recommend hiring a sitter. Have a standing appointment with the sitter once a week for about a month so that you have time to look at homes. Buying a new home should be an enjoyable experience.** Hiring a sitter or asking a family member to watch the children gives you time to be the decision maker you need to be in order to find your dream home.

If you have any questions about today's video, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*
We all love to put out holiday decorations in the fall and winter, and for good reason. It’s nice to add a cheery feel to your home through special additions to your home’s decor. When** selling a home during the holidays (a fantastic and opportune time to sell, by the way!), keep the decorations simple.

Today we are going to give you some tips on how to prepare your home for the holidays, while also preparing it for a sale.
One critical aspect to bringing buyers into your home is the online presentation for the home. When capturing photos for use in the online presentation we recommend not having any holiday decorations up. It’s important that the photos reflect a timeless view of your home. We like take pictures of your home in a neutral presentation, and then the decorations can come out and be present for showing appointments. Adding a little holiday flair to open houses and showings is a nice way to give buyers a warm welcome, it’s just not a good idea to have those decorations up after the holiday, or before you take pictures of your home.
We hope you found this information helpful. Questions? Call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*
When we buy or sell homes for our clients, we always refer them to great area lenders. One of our most trusted is Jerry Mayo from USA Mortgage. He's been with USA Mortgage for seventeen years, because it is a great mortgage company. Listen to my interview to learn why we refer many of our clients to Jerry and USA Mortgage!
Barbara: Hello there, it's Barbara Balossi, the lead agent of the Balossi Team. We represent buyers and sellers of premiere homes in St. Louis. If you're thinking about buying or sell a home in St. Louis, please don't hesitate to contact myself or my team.I'm so excited to introduce you to Jerry Mayo, our special guest. He works with USA Mortgage, and he's worked with my team for many years. We always recommend him to our clients because he does a wonderful job and his team is highly responsive to their needs. Would you tell me a bit about your history as a lender and what it's been like working with USA Mortgage?
Jerry: Thanks for having me on your show! I've been with USA Mortgage for seventeen years** and it's been quite the ride.

Barbara: Yes, we always recommend that our clients use USA Mortgage if they're buying a home with us. Working with you is always a dream, so it makes sense to me that you've been with them for so long. One of the things that we love about working with you is that your team has been so responsive and you really care about communicating with your clients throughout the transaction. Could you tell us what our clients should be looking for when they want to hire a specific lender?

Jerry: That's a great question. I think first and foremost, you need to find a good loan officer that you can communicate with and also one that matches your personality. You're going to have multiple conversations with this person, so you need to ensure you can communicate comfortably. When choosing an institution to work with, you need to make sure that they have the full gamut of loan options. You want someone who's willing to customize loans to fit your needs. You'll also want to find out how the lender operates on a daily basis. You want to make sure that the lender has full control of the process, including underwriting the file in-house and closing it in-house. If something does pop up, they can correct it and change course quickly.
Barbara: So is there a difference between working with bank rather than you?
Jerry: Sure. Big banks are interesting because they have hubs for underwriting. Those individual loan agents are not client-specific, so when you talk to a loan officer you're kind of just a number without a face. When you call us, you speak to me directly or someone from my team, and you'll speak with us from start to finish.
Barbara: That's awesome. We've definitely observed that and we always recommend our clients go to you. Can you tell us two or three things about our clients that might surprise our clients? Like what are your passions or hobbies? Or what do you love about life in St. Louis?
Jerry: I was born and raised in St. Louis and I've lived here my entire life. I graduated from St. Louis University and spent a year in the Virgin Islands, but when I came back is when I started my business.

One of my greatest passions right now is an organization called Hearts and Hope for Uganda. This January will be my fourth trip there and the organization is great. They funnel educational resources to children in Uganda. They've built three schools in Uganda and the fourth one is on the way.

Barbara: That's amazing. We've loved watching your journey with the organization. Please tell us how people can get in touch with you for more information about your services or about Hearts and Hope.
Jerry: There's about a hundred ways to contact me, but you can call me direct at 314-628-2008. You can also go to www.JerryMayo.com.

Barbara: Awesome, and thank you so much for adding value to our show today. We really appreciate your time and we look forward to working with you very soon!

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I have a theory that this question actually means, “I like you a lot. What do you have in common? Do we have any mutual friends?” It’s a question intended to be friendly. That person wants to find common ground.If you didn’t go to a premier high school in St. Louis, whatever that means to you, you might explain you went to a larger sized school or mention what you enjoyed most about it. Ask it back to them! Build a friendship. If you’re from out of state, feel free to chuckle and explain you didn’t go to a local school. Rest assured someone is only curious in learning more about you.

If you have any questions, please reach out via email or phone!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*Many clients ask ways to improve their home and make it more attractive to prospective buyers. We've compiled a list to share with you!
If you had work done on your home or paid a contractor for their services, keep a copy of the paid invoice. Buyers will want to see those invoices if they want to make an offer. Also, keep a copy of the unconditional lien waiver.Most St. Louis municipalities require an occupancy or home inspection within the selling process. Although most sellers wait until the home is under contract for an inspection, you should complete this step ahead of time. An early inspection addresses any necessary repairs and eases up the negotiation process.**

Finally, prepare a copy of your boundary survey ready for prospective buyers to review. Any related questions can be cleared up in advance.

If you have any questions about today's video or anything else real estate related, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultationHappy Holidays, everyone! I’d like to start off by thanking you for your continual support and endless referrals this year.
We finished up the year with 90 homes sold! That's about $25.5 million in sales volume. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to work in the St. Louis community.We have big goals for 2016!* I’ll report back in January to share those with you. Have a Happy Holiday Season and Happy New Year.

If I can help you with your goals next year, please reach out to me, whether it’s real estate related or not. Maybe you have a small business. Maybe you have personal or family goals. I'd be happy to help you anyway I can!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*
I'm excited about the goals that I have set out to achieve this year. If you're like me, you probably set goals on a regular basis, but there's something special about the start of a new year.
What are your goals? Send me a quick reply and let me know what's on your radar. Is one of your goals to purchase a house in 2016 or 2017? Send me a reply back so that I'm poised and ready to help you.**One of my goals for 2016 is to be more vocal about the services my team offers and the proprietary systems we employ to make sure all of our clients have a great experience and get results. You'll also hear me talk a lot about Keller Williams and what's unique about positioning our real estate business with this wonderful, international company.

In the meantime, I'm interested to hear about your goals. Let me know what you're up to and how I can help. Always know that I'm here and ready to assist you however and whenever I can.

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"Barbara was very attentive to detail and always followed up. Whenever we had questions she got back to us within a reasonable amount of time. She was great to work with and even helped us with our mortgage!"
-Malcom Grundy, Home Buyer

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"It was great. They were patient and took a lot of time in helping us mold what we wanted out of a home. It was a very pleasant experience. I mean really it was just the time, the total time put in. Every time we went into to a see home there wasn't a hesitation notice, they immediately worked to get that set up, and helped us get into as many homes as we could and the total effort. We were on their books for probably over a year looking for the correct home. They were patient and always had us lined up to look at another home until we found what we needed."
-Chris Pyle, Home Buyer

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"I was very pleased with the results. Barbara is very professional and even got my home above list price! It was a very quick sale. On the day we were negotiating between three different parties, which resulted in a bidding war, Barbara handled everything really well. I was in a remote location so she had to call me and wait to hear back many times. She did a great job organizing what was happening and keeping everyone connected!" - Geta Jackoway, Home Seller

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"They helped purchase our new home, and Barbara helped us sell our previous home a few months later. Both were very positive experiences, and we never felt pressured in any way. We we very supported by them, and pleased with the financial outcomes as well. We were going to list our home in October, but I had a feeling it was not a good time to sell our home for my family. A day before the house was going to go on the market I let Barbara know that I had changed my mind and wanted to wait. She was very pleasant about it and said she completely understood. After we moved into our new home, we had an air conditioner go out that was supposed to be covered under home warranty. The home warranty company said they were not going to cover the costs. However, once Barbara's team got involved the company changed their minds and said they would cover it, which was huge!" - Kate Hellmann, Home Seller and Buyer

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We Put Safety First When it Comes to Allowing Buyers Into Your St. Louis Home

When we sell your home, it's important to us that all the necessary security measures are taken. Today we're talking about one key security measure that we take, so that our seller listings stay secure during the listing and showing period.We use the Supra lockbox for every one of our listings. This box hangs on the front door or somewhere near the front of the home. This special lockbox uses infrared technology, which means when an agent wants to show a home, they must use their special key to access the box. This way we have a record of anybody who accesses this box to get a key to show a home.

This offers our homeowners peace of mind that only agents with access to a special key can access the lockbox for their home, it's impossible to break or cut through this box. Real estate agents are required to make appointments in advance. In addition to this, we set our lockboxes up so that they cannot be unlocked from 8pm to 8am. This way, everyone can have peace of mind that nobody is going to come use the box or show a home during those hours.
If you have any questions, or are looking to buy or sell a St. Louis home, please give us a call. We would be delighted to help you with your real estate needs.

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There are many great St. Louis area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
Our latest real estate video update comes to you from Austin, Texas. The Balossi Team is on the road at one of Keller Williams' annual events, called Mega Camp. It's a great opportunity for us to meet with some of our top vendors. Today, we talked to Sarah from Zillow, who gave us some great information about how it can be used most effectively.The Zestimate should be viewed as a starting point value of a home. People often make the mistake of confusing it with an appraisal, but by no means does Zillow claim to have the necessary information to give an accurate appraisal. Rather, Zillow gathers information from 3 different sources: public records, tax assessments, and comparable home sales. These data points are then put into Zillow's algorithm, which comes up with a Zestimate. The average median error is +-8% which is why it's not called a 'Zactimate' or a 'Zappraisal.'
The CEO of Zillow has said that one of the goals of the site is to keep the agent as the central point of the real estate transaction. The Zestimate is a tool that should be verified by an agent, because the value is often too high or too low. It's definitely worth having a conversation with an expert before getting to excited or discouraged about your Zestimate.
As you can see, Zillow plays an important role at the beginning of the home search. But once you get serious, you should work with an agent. That's what we're here for! Call or email us today if you are ready to buy or sell a home in St Louis. We'll make your real estate experience one to remember!

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There are many great St. Louis area homes for sale. Click here to perform a full home search, or if you're thinking of selling your home, click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation so you know what buyers will pay for your home in today's market. You may also call me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation to answer any of your real estate questions.
One of the major reasons we're associated with Keller Williams is their dedication to their clients. KW Cares is a 501(c)(3) public charity established 11 years ago to help agents and their families when they are confronted with emergencies that are beyond their control. Most agents contribute with every transaction and the totals add up quickly. The charity allows agents a safety net should something unexpected happen to them or their families. Whether it's cancer, medical emergencies, accidents, or natural disasters, KW Cares is there to contribute to various agents' medical bills when they start to pile up.Essentially, this program provides help when it's most needed. By having a pool of funds to help people in moments of crisis, KW Cares lets agents know their backs are covered.
It's a great program, so we thought we would share a few highlights. If you have any questions about St. Louis real estate, or would like us to address a topic in a future video, please reach out to us. We look forward to hearing from you!

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Emotionally detach yourself from the home
Your home is not an extension of your personality - rather, it is an object that has a value. Begin to look at your home from a business mindset, and understand that you want to do whatever you can to maximize your home's value so you can get more money from the sale.

Hire the right agent
This is probably the most important step. You want to hire an agent with experience, and one who knows what buyers are looking for so as to adopt the best practices. You should take careful thought and consideration into this decision. Interview agents before you hire them, and ask them questions like, "What is your list-to-sale price?" Any good agent should be tracking this number already and eager to share it with you. If they don't have the number or even an idea, it's a sign that maybe they aren't right for your home.

Depersonalize your home
When getting your home ready for sale, you want to make it look as good as possible to the highest number of buyers. It's a good idea to pack up any personal items or photographs and pack them away. We also recommend reducing your closet size by about 50% to make the space seem larger.

I have plenty more tips where these came from. If you would like to talk about getting your home ready for sale, or if you have any questions at all, feel free to reach out and give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*
The Balossi Team is an astonishing group of real estate specialists. The Balossi Team specializes in St. Louis' Central Corridor and receives business from over 50 clients per year based on referrals alone. Before we get into our numbers for 2014, let's introduce you to the team:**

Barbara Balossi is the leader of our team. She also serves as the seller listing specialist. Barbara acts as a fierce guardian for the Balossi Team's clients' home equity, selling the majority of her seller's listings for 99.1% of the original listing price.

Naomi Neal is the lead buyer agent on the team and her fame lies in being an unstoppable home hunter and winning negotiator for the Balossi Team's home buyer clients.

Betsy O'Brien is the executive assistant on the team and is in charge of daily operations. Betsy also works as a stellar buyer specialist.

Finally, we have Lio Balossi, our Chief Marketing Officer (in training). Lio is 9 years old, in the 4th grade, and he has been an avid spokesman and advertising specialist for the team over the last few months. In fact, Lio used his superior knowledge of technology to make the video above. Lio hopes to make more videos like this in the near future.

Each member of the Balossi Team has a BOLD goal for 2015. Let's see what everyone is aiming for:

Barbara: 50 closed sales
Naomi: 60 closed buyer sales
Betsy: Streamline systems to provide 5 star customer service, and close 20 buyer sales

Who do you know that the Balossi Team can help in 2015? If you know somebody, or have any real estate questions for us, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to speaking with you soon!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*
Hey everyone, welcome back to our blog. Today we are going to be talking about dealing with multiple offers from a seller's perspective. We have been seeing a ton of sellers in the St. Louis area receive multiple offers on their home lately, sometimes as many as 7 or 8 on a single property.**

So, how should a seller choose which offer is the best to work with? Although it would be easy to say you are going to accept the one with the highest price, there is some danger with that. An offer that is well above asking price can be a warning sign that that buyer likes to act impulsively, which you don't want when it comes time to close the sale of your home.

You also shouldn't just focus on the price. You've got to look at the terms as well, such as: Does the offer include a pre-approval? Does it include proof of funds? These are very important things to have on any offer you would consider accepting. Take a look at the terms as well, including the length of the inspection period. The shorter the better.

Lastly, did the buyer ask for an extended closing timeline? If they want 4 or 5 months, that's not a strong offer. You want somebody buying your home who is ready to move in the next 60 days.

I hope this info was helpful to you all. If you have any questions for us, just give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to working with you soon!

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Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? *Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationCall me at (314) 302-2319 for a FREE home buying or selling consultation*I've been asked many times recently how to write an offer from a buyer's perspective, so you win in a multiple offer situation. Today I am going to go over a few key things that a buyer can do to win when they are competing against multiple offers.**

First, make sure you have a pre-approval letter if you are buying the home with financing and a proof of funds if you are purchasing with cash. If you are financing the property, make sure your pre-approval is very strong and is verified for both credit and employment.

If you're up against multiple offers, you might also consider removing the part of the contract that asks the sellers to make repairs. This can help the seller feel confident they won't have to negotiate again. It is also worth finding out the ideal closing date for the seller, so you can use their timeline to write your offer. Another thing people have been doing is writing a personal letter to the seller talking about how much they like the home and what they and their family would do with it.

If you have any questions or want some more tips on how to write a competitive offer, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

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How we helped Betty sell her home by following up with potential buyers"Barbara came in and told us exactly what to do in order to prepare our home for sale. We listed it on a Friday at noon, had two contracts Saturday morning, and had the deal signed by Saturday afternoon! She was on top of everything the whole way through. We had a sign up a couple of days before the listing that said, “Coming soon,” so she got calls about the house even before it was listed. She followed up with those people, and I think that’s really what helped sell the house. She was fantastic!"-Betty, Home Seller

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How we helped Mary buy her home in the perfect neighborhood because of our negotiation skills

"Our Realtor was there for us beck and call any day of the week at any time that we needed her with a smile on her face. We felt very comfortable with her by our side and was grateful that she was there to advocate for us especially since it was a multiple offer purchase. We found a wonderful house in the perfect neighborhood because of the Balossi Team!"

-Mary McPike Luzecky, Home Buyer

St. Louis Real Estate Podcast with Barbara Balossi: Recent Episodes

Barbara Balossi