My Blog

In Memoriam

With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started.

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I ran in the Silver Dollar City Run to the Lights 5k.  We've run that since she's been 4 years old and in her third year she shaved 4 minutes off her time.  The run benefited the Caring People in the Branson, MO area.  Unfortunately we had too many people come in for the holidays for the Turkey Trot 5k, but we will be out for the Snowflake Run in December. 

If you are into running, to go to Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners.  Who knows, you may see us out there as well.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

When in town, check out the best of the local cuisine.  This is the top 5 restaurants in 2008 according to 417 Magazine.

1. Ocean Zen
It was already extremely popular, but when the Tan family’s Asian/fusion place moved from cramped Glenstone Avenue quarters to a revamped former Tony Roma’s on Sunshine Street last year, it suddenly became the It Restaurant of All 417-land. Audible oohs and aahs can be heard near its glass-and-metal wine cave near the restaurant’s entrance. As food goes, the Asian/ Western mix is consistently wonderful and inventive.

2. Flame Steakhouse & Wine Bar
This year, the Jalili family’s steakhouse has outclassed its original Springfield restaurant, Bijan’s, in readers’ rankings. Finely done beef is paired with an extensive wine list—also showcased in glass and metal—and ancillary dishes such as the Garbage Salad or the Boursin-topped appetizer cheeseburgers add fun fillips to classic steakhouse fare.

3. Bijan’s Sea & Grille
If you’re a newcomer to town wondering if this restaurant is somehow connected to the Bijan’s Bistro in Chicago, the answer is no: Our Bijan’s, which signaled a new era in Springfield when it opened in 1997—is both indie and serves higher-end cuisine than its Windy City sound-alike. Owned by the Jalili family, Bijan’s embodies the notion of “whimsical gourmet bistro” in Springfield’s imagination.

4. Haruno
Young Jun’s Japanese restaurant stands out for the quality of its fish, which is flown in from the West Coast on a six-hour turnaround. The restaurant expanded in 2003, adding a slick bar/dining area that prefigured the atmospherics of Kai, its new downtown outpost.

5. Metropolitan Grill
Could you eat flash-fried spinach all day long? For certain members of our editorial department, the answer is yes, please. When chef-owner Pat Duran took over the reins from former owner Fred Coco in 2005, Metro Grill began a journey toward updating itself with new dishes like pumpkin manicotti. This year, it became the social restaurant for the Millwood–Highland Springs set.

Well, all that research and looking has paid off.  You've negotiated the best your could, and now the clock is ticking down to the closing date.  You may wonder what steps are left--well there are quite a few.

For the buyer:  1.  I will deliver a copy of the signed contract to your lender, if you need one, and will check to make sure the title company has a copy as well.  2. A formal written application for loan must be completed within 7 days of contract acceptance (if a loan is required).  3. From the date the contract was signed, you have 10 days to have a home inspection completed and any repair requests sent over to the seller.    4.  If an appraisal will be done, that needs to be completed by time of closing as well, earlier if a loan is requiring it.  5.  Contact your insurance to set up a policy for your new home.  6.  Contact utility companies no later than 1 week from closing to set up utilities to be active on date of closing.  7.  Finally, pack, pack, pack, and set up moving arraignments.  That's  the hard part of the entire deal, but the most rewarding since you are getting a new home.

For the seller:  1.  I will deliver a copy of the signed contract to the title company to begin title work on the property.  2.  The buyers will probably have a home inspection and that will occur during the first 10 days after the contract was signed.  3.  During the first 2-3 weeks, the buyers may have an appraiser visit the home as well to take measurements and pictures.  4.  After any repair requests addendum has been negotiated, the remaining work to be done occurs with the title company clearing the title and preparing closing documents.  This is a good time to notify your utility companies of your last day, normally the date of closing, so they can take a final reading on that day for your final bill.  5.  Get your loan information over to the title company for your loan payoff no later than 1 week of closing so the correct payoff amounts will be printed.  6.  Notify your insurance company of the sale of the property and have your policy terminate on the day you release possession of the property. This is important since you will be getting a refund of the unused part of your policy.  7. Pack, pack, pack, and clean.  The reason I say clean is that no one wants to move into a dirty house and the curtesy of cleaning up after moving out for the new owners leaves the transaction on good terms. 

The important part as well is to use a good lender, a good insurance company, and a good real estate agent to make all of this a smooth as possible.  When this all goes smoothly, buying or selling a home can be a fun experience.

Shannon Todd

With the warmer weather, my thoughts are to spend what little free time I have out of the office and on the fairways.  Now my game isn't the best, so on the fairways is sometimes not the most attainable goal--but at least I have fun.  For those of you, like me, who want to hit the links, there are plenty of courses around the Springfield area.  I have listed the following courses for you to check out and with any luck, maybe you will see me on one of them in the future.

Millwood Golf and Racquet Club www.millwoodgolf.com

Fremont Hills Country club www.fremonthillsgolf.com

Hickory Hills Country Club www.hickoryhillscountryclub.com

Highland Springs Country Club www.highlandsprings.com

Twin Oaks Country Club www.twinoakscountryclub.com/home.html

Deer Lake Golf Course www.deerlakegolf.com

Springfield Park Board Courses www.parkboard.org/information/golf/.  This gives the entire list of public courses maintained by the Springfield Park Board.

Have fun and I'll see you out on the greens!

Shannon Todd

Many people think as agents that we just drive people around until they buy a home.  There are thousands of houses on the market right now, if we did that, you'd never find a home and would probably never remember past the tenth house what any of them looked like.  You have a life, and I have a life too and time is a precious thing.  To help that, we can all thank the good ol' USA for the ancient beginnings of the internet and use it to save time.  I'm sure you'd rather be going to a Springfield Cardinals game or hitting a movie at the Springfield 8 or Campbell 16, or trying a new dish downtown than riding around in a car with me all day long.  Don't get me wrong, I am a fun guy and people like me.  (Sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit doesn't it?) 

I like looking at houses too.  However, after the twentieth house, even I can't remember if the yellow house had the green shag carpeting in the blue room, or if the blue house had the black shiny tile in the yellow room.  The fact is, home buying shouldn't be a task that we endure, it should be fun and exciting.  I have hopefully incorporated an information source on this web site that is 1. helpful, 2. informative, and 3. enlightening.  The Home Buyers Scouting Report is, by far, helpful.  The other pages and links to colleagues I work with regularly are informative.  With luck, and plenty of coffee for me in the morning, this part will be enlightening.

Time will tell.