What changed...everything!

There is a time and place for everything

I’m sitting at an open house that’s already had more traffic than I expected. I’ll admit—my bar was pretty low going into today.

This condo has been on the market before, and the last attempt was a bit of a disaster. It was priced aggressively, not staged, and largely left to its own devices. And if there’s one thing to know—even in a strong market-a house or condo left to its own devices is terrible for reaching its highest potential. It might sell sure, but often not at the best price and the path to closing can be bumpier than it needs to be(nightmare building inspections anyone? low appraisals!)
It seems like I am talking about properties like they are an unruly teenager or misguided young adult...they kind of are in a way.
This one, in particular had no clear direction-just a goal of turning a profit.
Guess What?
There were at least 25 other units in the same complex with the same 2 bed/1 bath layout with the exact same agenda.
      Side note: 
      There's a whole other story here for a later date!
       End side note 
Why would a buyer go for this unit?
I came in with 2 very simple straight forward suggestions: price realistically( there was way more than enough evidence of what price was not selling!) and stage thoughtfully. 

Today, as buyers walked through, the feedback was completely different.
“It’s cute.”
“Nice updates.”
“Great price for the amount of space.”

The condo no longer feels lost and misguided in an oversaturated sea of similar properties for sale.
It has a purpose now-to give someone a great ownership experience in a easy living, no nonsense kind of way-with a monthly mortgage payment that is comparable to rentals in this area.

There is a time and place for everything. 
I now believe it is truly time for this unit to sell to a new deserving owner.

~Are you or a friend or family member trying to sell a property that is feeling lackluster and rudderless?
I am here to guide in a much more purposeful ease filled direction~

In Love and Light and optimism♥
Dede

Check out this cute setup! 1423 Peacock lane details!

New Year Resolution-A life well lived

It's a brand new year!

Oh man! Can you feel it?!

This year is going to be soooooo different from last year!

I've made the resolutions. I've put in the work. I've told everyone of all of the changes I am implementing.

I can't wait until the end of this year to look back in review at how much awesomeness
I! Made! Happen!!!

And then suddenly…it’s the fourth Tuesday of the year.
And it feels a lot like the fiftieth Tuesday of last year.

Not bad. Not boring. Just…real. 
So how do we keep good days from blurring together? How do we look back on a year and feel like it actually mattered?
 

I don't think resolutions are the answer. In fact, I believe they are a pretty great way to guarantee disappointment-they set us up to measure instead of notice.
I am sure you've heard it over and over, but there is a powerful truth to finding the beauty in the mundane which creates the clarity to look back on a year and realize a life well lived.

What kind of philosophical fluff is all of this?
It's what gets me out of bed every day and allows me to sigh into a (usually) peace filled nights' sleep.

When I look back on 2025 it wasn't one big thing that made it special. It was the whole collection of moments: vacations, all of the water gazing (oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, and ponds), births(of a new Dooley!), trail runs and long bike rides, back deck sunrise yoga with my faithful furry companions, all of the house real estating things (new builds, old finds, estates settled, remodels &renovations), concerts- in town, out of town, in stadiums, arenas, clubs and basements, jeep rides and sunsets with friends,  lovely day trips with my family, meeting new clients who became friends along the way...and so much more!

This list makes me very happy♥
If I looked at this list in a singular way, they are all everyday possibilities. But, together they are so much more-This is and was a year well lived!
I will continue to not look over the small stuff on this Tuesday, starting with a nod of gratitude for a midafternoon walk on this sunny 30° afternoon (were you stuck indoors for the last 3 days as winter storm Fern unleashed that foot of snow and subzero temps?!)
Here's to a 2026 full of tiny every day events that when pieced together equals a life well lived.

In love and light and Tuesday afternoon thoughts
~Dede~

Grace over Gratitude

My inbox is already filling with Thanksgiving platitudes about gratitude—pretty, uplifting, and mostly forgettable. They don’t quite land in a way that lingers.

What did leave an imprint this morning was a simple text from a friend:
“Sorry for the drama yesterday. Today is a new day.”

This wasn’t just any friend. She and her husband closed on their new home yesterday—a moment that should’ve been all celebration. But for them, it was bittersweet. Six months ago, they lost their beloved home in the May 16th tornado. 

Heartbeats and Houses

It was 3 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I found myself turning on all the lights in my house. The St. Louis sky had that ominous summer glow—thick humidity, heavy air. You could feel the pressure building. Something had to give.

Just before the storm rolled in, a message from my cardiologist buzzed on my phone. I took a deep breath and opened it:

“Continue on as normal.”

And just like that, relief washed over me and I felt a little lighter. Because for the past three weeks, things had been anything but normal.

A Lot can change in 5 days…

Five days ago, I wrote a blog post about a house sale that I was planning to publish today.
But I can't do that anymore.

It now feels irrelevant—and honestly, a bit insignificant—given the incomprehensible devastation the city of St. Louis and the surrounding areas are experiencing. On Friday, May 16th, an F3 category tornado tore a 20-mile-long, 1-mile-wide path of destruction. It’s all still so surreal.atever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

A Diamond in the Rough!

Look at this Cutie!

This picture does not lie! This bungalow was a GREAT find!

Mike decided he was ready to buy another investment property. Except the criteria for this property seemed almost unheard of in the current sellers’ market. Read how he was able to close on the perfect property that 100% filled all of his requirements-no negotiation required!

How Can We Control The Weather?!

8 Forest Green Dr

This house looks very different these days!

We had a few days until contracts were due after the open house... and then the storm hit-the biggest hail storm of the year! This house sat in the epicenter that was hit hardest. The 3 year old roof that we had so proudly paraded at the open house was pummeled by softball-sized hail.

A Tale of Two Heirs

It may be my opinion because I am in the house selling business, But, it seems like homes are pretty high on the list of items that are inherited. When Doug asked me to sell his family’s house, I was very confident that it would be a smooth deal as my team & I have had quite a few transactions lately helping other sellers do the exact same thing…until it wasn’t.

The Rule of Numbers Does Not Lie

Brian came to town over 3 times last year, checking out ALL of the options; New construction, historic builds, city bungalows, county ranches, condos- north, south, east, and, west and even further west…we were covering ALL of the bases. See how his effort paid off in a BIG way!

When It is Time to let go of an Investment?

The year was 2005 and the city of St. Louis was experiencing a resurgence-Especially in the hip loft district on Washington Avenue.
We all know the next part of the story…the housing market crashed and the condo/loft market crashed even harder.

Alex and Eugene teamed up with me to navigated this scene.