DeSales Community Housing Corp. will hold a free training entitled
“Legal Issues for Landlords” on Tuesday August 11, 2008 from 7:00 to
8:00 pm at the Five Star Senior Center (2832 Arsenal at Oregon).
Attorney Brian Millikan of the law firm Millikan Wright, LLC
(www.millikanwright.com <http://www.millikanwright.com/> ) will speak
about some of the legal issues that affect today’s landlords including
leases and evictions.

This is the first in a series of trainings made possible through funding
from the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration and the
Department of Housing and Urban Development. Subsequent trainings will
be held on the 2nd Tuesdays of September, October, and November and will
each deal with different topics related to owning and managing rental
property in the City of St. Louis.

Please RSVP by phone (314-776-5444) or email (paul@desaleshousing.com).

Looking for your first multi-family building or thinking about adding to your existing portfolio? Check out some of the listings below.

2007 Alfred: $155,000. 4 Family: one bedroom units just across the street from Missouri Botanical Garden

3147 Cherokee: $160,000 for this mixed use building with a 3 bedroom apartment above a restaurant.

4952 Loughborough: $164,900, 2 Family, one bedroom units rent for $600 each

Below is a list of 38 multi-family buildings in the South City area. This list includes only properties in the 63110,63104,63116,63118, 63139 and 63109 zip codes that are priced between $150-175,000. There are many many more investment properties available in the area in all price ranges. If you are looking for something specific, I can help you find it.

All of these Circa Listings are open this Sunday from 1-3PM.

2910 Victor in Fox Park Park $199,000 3 beds 2. 5 baths 2 car garage

6906 Columbia University City $324,900 4 beds 2.5 baths

4429 Gibson 3 beds 2 baths $189,900 double lot

6007 Columbia Clifton Heights $500,000 4 beds/ 3.5 baths 2 car garage

Finally, it’s finished! The renovation at 4159 Wyoming took us longer than we expected and of course we went over budget, but it is FINALLY ready.

All systems are new(er) as of this Spring: wiring, plumbing, HVAC (including ductwork) and water heater. Most of the walls were taken down to the studs and replaced with drywall. It’s a small house, just over 1000 square feet, but we wanted it to feel luxurious.The kitchens has custom cabinets, stainless appliances, under cabinet lighting and bead board backsplash. There’s subway tile in the bathroom along with an over-sized soaking tub. Crown molding finishes off every room and all the new(er) windows have 2″ plantation blinds.

As we show houses to clients we notice the details. A rehab is a rehab is a rehab, but occasionally we walk into a place that pops. We wanted our place to “POP.” Working on this project we spent a lot time agonizing over the details. I am pretty sure we spent a a good hour discussing the proper depth of the kitchen sink (not kidding) and then another two selecting the right fixture to finish the package. One of the major details that I am particularly proud of is the Murphy Bed. This allows the second bedroom to serve a couple different purposes: bedroom/office.

Not everything is new, although it would be easier to list what isn’t than what is. The original charm is intact. The pine floors, original moldings and solid wood doors set this home apart from a complete “home depot” gut.

The facade was the biggest challenge. At some point in this home’s history the cornice was torn off and replaced with a lovely piece of vinyl. The vinyl is gone and in its place is a replicated cornice from Edon. The front porch was rebuilt and a new overhang was added.

This home has not been listed yet, but should be live in the MLS by the end of the week. If you’d like to see it sooner just give me a call/email.

Lafayette Square is one of the most sought after city locations. It’s close to downtown and there’s easy access to both 40 and 44. Lafayette Park is gorgeous and there are tons of restaurants and pubs to walk to (Baileys Chocolate Bar is one of my favorites). But here’s one added bonus: FREE Movies!!!!! Tomorrow night Lafayette Square is partnering with Basket of Hope for their 2nd free movie event of the year.

Movie: The Sandlot

Date: Saturday, July 11, 2009

Location: Lafayette Park (near the Pavilion)

Times:
7:00 PM - Activities
8:30 PM - Movie: The Sandlot

Activities:
Special Guest: Andy Benes (former STL Cardinal Pitcher) free photos with
Andy, question and answer session and
Autograph baseballs fundraiser)
Muny Kids Performance
Juggling Jeff
St. Louis Zoo Activity Booth
Baseball Exhibit
Arts, Crafts, games, raffle and prizes
Food vendors, including Vino Vitae and Tropical Moose Snow Cones

More information visit http://moviesinthepark.org/sites/mitp

If you want to live in Lafayette Square check out these listings:

1208 Missouri, 1088 square feet, 2 beds/1.5baths for $169,900

1834 Lafayette, 2050 square feet, 2 beds/1.5 baths for $220,000

1722 Nicholson, 2116 square feet, 3 beds/ 2.5 baths for $280,000

2318 Whittemore Place, 2670 square feet, 4 beds/ 3.5 baths for $369,900

1915 Lafayette Ave, #L3, 2088 square feet, 2 beds/ 2.5 baths for $399,00

1828 Chouteau Ave, 2350 square feet, 3 beds/ 2.5 baths for $419,000

Yesterday the new Citygarden was featured in the New York Times. Awesome, right? Great exposure for our beloved mid-sized, mid-western metropolis (forgive the alliteration). But emails were aflurry as some were disappointed that STL came off like a “cowtown” in the introduction.

ONE telling measure of this city’s past glories and present challenges is this: The United States Census of 1950 reported roughly 850,000 people living in St. Louis; today the number is around 350,000. Or there’s this: In 1988, when Jonathan Franzen published “The Twenty-Seventh City,” a novel about real and fictional tribulations afflicting St. Louis, his title referred to the city’s plunge in rank to 27th largest in America from 4th in less than a century. If he wrote the book now, just two decades later, he would have to call it “The Fifty-Second City.”

Signs of the depleted population are everywhere, from the boarded-up houses that dot the city’s north side to the stubbornly vacant office buildings downtown.

So, here’s my two cents not just a city Realtor but as a city resident: Saint Louis is an amazing place to live. I haven’t always lived here. I have lived in small towns, college towns, cities ranked among the top 10 most well designed , cities of 11 million and I am sincere when I say there is no better place to LIVE than Saint Louis City (I will admit there are much cooler places to vacation). Quality of life here is phenomenal: houses are affordable, cost of living is moderate, museums are FREE and our green space is unheard of. (In fact I think our parks are often overlooked because of their ubiquity and expansiveness). We have miles and miles of bike paths and minimal traffic. We have urban farms and local markets, Fortune 500 companies and thriving immigrant enclaves. But one of the best things about St. Louis is that our neighborhoods are made of neighbors. Check out any neighborhood listserv and you will see that people know each other’s names, watch out for each other’s property and have a genuine interest in being part of the local community as well as the overall city.

It is true that the population of St. Louis is MUCH smaller than it was in 1950, but pull the data for the last five years and I think you will see the trend has changed. Journalism is still about storytelling and focusing on the numbers was one way to frame it. What better way to position St. Louis as a come back city, than to cite its once dwindling population. However, as most people know, there’s much more to this city than its numbers.