April 30, 2008 at 4:01 pm
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The tradition continues. Its not as glamorous as Mardi Gras or St. Patrick’s Day, but Cinco de Mayo holds its own. If you’re looking for an “authentic” Cinco de Mayo celebration instead of hitting up your local Chevy’s, you might want ot head down to Cherokee Street in the South St. Louis neighborhood of Benton Park West this weekend (May 3, 2008). Seeing as the celebration actually takes place on the 3rd of May, its not really a true Cinco de Mayo party, but its the spirit of the event that counts. Read more
April 29, 2008 at 2:22 pm
This project has been under development for a while now, but it’s good to see that the condos on the southeast corner of Sidney & Nebraska are coming along. Located in a former Phillips 66 auto repair shop at 2600 Nebraska in the Tower Grove East neighborhood of South St. Louis, these condos will be a welcome addition to the landscape. I don’t know much about the project at this point other than that the condos are said to be “loft” style. Read more
April 26, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I’ve been a little irregular on posting this week because we finally closed on our rehab project on Connecticut Wednesday. It’s been nothing but work since and I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a part-time project for me and I don’t plan on keeping up this feverish pace for the entire project, but there are so many things to do. As with any project, my inital goals have been security and demo work. Although I’m not 100% satisfied with either, I’m getting close. Read more
April 23, 2008 at 11:22 pm
If you are in the area of the City defined by Manchester on the North, I-44 on the South, Hampton on the East, and City Limits on the West, you’re paying a visit to neighborhood known as Ellendale. I’ve always considered it to be one of the “forgotten” South City neighborhoods. Or would that be considered Central City? Some might even confuse part of the neighborhood as being in the City of Maplewood due to the similarities in housing styles. Whatever the reason, I have always thought it has been relatively under appreciated. Read more
April 21, 2008 at 10:41 pm
If you read the St. Louis Post Dispatch, you likely saw the two disturbing stories in the newspaper this weekend about some problems with Downtown developments. The respective stories included an article about Pyramid Development bailing out of the Mercantile Exchange project and a general Downtown article, which implied that the SkyHouse project on Washington Avenue was dead. Read more
April 21, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I’m always astounded at how many investors don’t keep detailed records on their properties. Especially since most of this data is submitted to the IRS at tax time. For some reason or another, after the data has served it’s initial us, the information often gets tossed aside. If your records look like this picture or if they end up in the trash can, I encourage you to think twice about what you do. You are losing out on valuable information, which is crucial to any landlord’s business. Read more
April 19, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Only four more days until we close on the single-family on Connecticut. I have arranged for the utilities to be switched over or turned on; the roof work, window replacement and hardwood refinishing have been setup; and I find myself growing impatient. I always look forward to closing deals (who doesn’t look forward to a paycheck), but this time things are different. My work is usually done when the deal is closed. In this case, at close, my work will only just be starting. Read more
April 17, 2008 at 11:46 am
If you want to see a movie at the Hi-Pointe, you better go tonight. The bar of the same name closed in 2006 and it looks like the theater is about to meet the same fate. When the screen goes dark after the 9:15pm showing of Run Fatboy Run, Landmark Theatres will be closing up shop on the historic theater. Read more
April 16, 2008 at 2:46 pm
If you often drive I-44 in St. Louis City, you’ve probably been wondering what’s going on at the southeast corner of Lafayette and Jefferson. This development project has been hard to miss as it has rapidly progressed from foundation towards completion. Being developed by local developer, Gilded Age, this project has been named and modeled after the Union Club in honor of the building that stood at the site until a tornado destroyed it in 1896. Read more
April 16, 2008 at 11:57 am
I went to my first Cardinals game of 2008 last night. It was a little chilly for baseball, but it was great to see the team pull out a victory and move to 10-4 (who’s laughing now ESPN?). Though the sports fan in me kept most of my attention on the game, I couldn’t help but occasionally take my eyes off the action to look at the crater known as “Pujol’s Pond” beyond center field. Read more
April 15, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Some days of the year are cherished. These holidays allow us to relax and enjoy ourselves. Then there are days like April 15th: Tax Day. For those of you getting money back, this might be considered among those cherished days. For others it is as bad as it gets. Read more
April 11, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Despite the gloom and doom touted by the media, right now is a great time to be a landlord or real estate investor. You’re going to have a tough time if you’re trying to sell, but the current buyers market is opening up some real deals. But this fact is by no means a secret. What seems to be less recognized is how much our local rental market is improving in response to these current market changes. Read more
April 11, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Things are progressing nicely with my upcoming project. A few roof issues came up early in the week, but the seller took care of things to our satisfaction. The title work is complete, we have loan commitment and our line of credit for construction funds is in place. Other than meeting a few contractors at the property, its pretty much a “sit back and wait” kind of deal until the 23rd. Read more
April 10, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Driving through the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood (aka. The Grove) earlier this week, I stumbled across three mixed-use development projects, which I had been unaware of. I guess the warm weather has brought the construction crews out of doors, shining some light on their efforts. I’ve been a big fan of what’s been going on in the neighborhood over the past couple of years Read more
April 10, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Don’t let this man’s phony smile fool you. He could be a thief. If someone comes knocking at your door, claiming to be a contractor, be careful of what you do. I just received this forward from a Circuit Attorney in the City of St. Louis. If you live or own any properties in the City you should really take this one to heart. Read more
April 9, 2008 at 2:36 pm
It took a little long than expected, but I finally got my hands on original copies of the pictures and proposals for the South Grand Great Streets Initiative proposal. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check last week’s post regarding the planned streetscape improvements for this prominent South St. Louis commercial corridor. You can download the proposals by clicking on the appropriate links below: Read more
April 9, 2008 at 1:27 pm
The “big three” health hazards of the rehab and rental world are lead paint, asbestos and mold. Of the three, mold seems to get the least amount of attention. But the thing about lead paint and asbestos is you either have these problems in your building or you don’t. There is no need to protect yourself against them if you they aren’t on the premises at the time of purchase. Read more
April 8, 2008 at 5:22 pm
I’ve represented others in their rehab projects, done construction work for others, and handed out countless bits of rehab advice in the past few years. Always working for others, but never for myself. Until now that is. I’d like to introduce my little pet project for the next few months. Read more
April 4, 2008 at 4:32 pm
This past Monday (March 31, 2008) I attended a public meeting showcasing the proposed designs for streetscape improvements along South Grand between Arsenal and McDonald. Being touted as an “example project” of East-West Gateway’s new “St. Louis Great Streets Initiative”, the project would take significant steps to beautify the area, slow down traffic and make it more pedestrian friendly overall. Read more
April 4, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Since I was in the middle of transferring my blog last week when the big story broke that Centene was backing out of the Ballpark Village project in Downtown St. Louis, I figured I’d post a few thoughts on the situation. Everyone seems to have their own spin on what this means for the project, but it is pretty clear that it is going to have a pretty significant affect on the overall development. Read more
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