Blog > Blog > 2008 > September

September 30, 2008 at 9:19 pm

This isn’t exactly breaking news, but I thought I should share some info about a St. Louis City Bill (Board Bill 174) that could have a direct affect on City investors. This bill was introduced in July to the Board of Alderman by Alderwoman Triplett and Alderman Kennedy. Here is the summary of the bill as it was presented in July: Read more

September 29, 2008 at 11:00 am

What a difference a year can make. Thats about how long it has been since Wachovia bought St. Louis-based A.G. Edwards. According to this article, it looks like Wachovia just sold off its banking operations to Citigroup. Apparently the brokerage is not part of the deal, but one has to wonder what kind of affect this could have on St. Louis and the 4,800 jobs currently employed through joint Wachovia/A.G. Edwards operations.

One thing I don’t get is how all these huge companies seem tobe so blindsided by the current status of the economy. If they had their eyes open, knowing what they knoe, they had to expect this. Perhaps that is why Wachovia bought A.G. Edwards in the first place. Maybe they saw the way the wind was blowing and decided to shift gears. What we have is either a brilliant strategy or stupidity. Care to take a pick?

September 25, 2008 at 1:39 pm

If you have ever done any rehab work in a historic building, you know how hard it is to find wood that matches the existing trim work in your project. Even if you are starting from scratch with all new trim, if you want to go with anything other than modern bare-bones stuff, you’re not going to be happy with the selection or pricing at the big-box stores. I know I never have been. That’s where a custom miller like Burkart’s can come in handy. Read more

September 24, 2008 at 1:10 pm

It’s been about six months since I last took a look at this project, so I figured I needed to post an update. From appearances, the future home of the studio for Shock City Music Works appears to be nearly complete. Read more

September 22, 2008 at 9:40 am

You might have noticed that I haven’t been posting about my rehab project much lately. Well its been a long (way longer than I hoped) road, but the completion of the project is looming. Less than a week away in fact. And boy will I be happy to be finished. Read more

September 22, 2008 at 8:42 am

With all the sweeping changes hitting our country’s economy right now, I don’t know if many people truely grasp how sweeping these changes could be. Looks like we just got some more fuel to feed the fire. With Bear Stearns gone and Lehman Brothers gone as we know it, the fate of the last two big investment banks seems to be sealed: they really aren’t going to be investment banks anymore. Both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs will become traditional commercial banks. The times they are a changing. Check this out for more.

September 12, 2008 at 3:12 pm

Check out this surprising spot-on article about the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac bailout from David Nicklaus of the St. Louis Post Dispatch. I’m still afraid the cure could be worse than the disease here. Hopefully that’s just the cynical, pessimist in me.

September 12, 2008 at 2:43 pm

 

Whether you utilize a professional inspector when buying properties or simply rely on your own walkthrough, you can’t possibly know everything about the building at first glance. Unless you are from the Planet Krypton, you can’t discern the condition of the sewer lateral without taking additional steps. Read more

September 12, 2008 at 11:24 am

I’ve been following this one all summer and it looks like it finally opened up last week. The old location of Ron’s Mighty Pub along Morganford has been remade into the Amsterdam Tavern. I assume they went ahead with the soccer theme that was originally being discussed. Its great to see another companion for the Tin Can and Three Monkees, but whats up with the blue facade? I’m all for something different, but it just doesn’t work at all. Am I the only one who feels that way?

I haven’t been inside yet so I don’t have much to say along those lines. I’ve heard mixed things up tot his point. Anyone had a chance to pay a visit yet? Regardless of how it turns out, its always good to see increased investment in Tower Grove South.

The bar has a website, but its bare bones at the moment. Might be worth checking out in the future.

September 11, 2008 at 2:40 pm

It sounds like the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac shakeup won’t be too big an issue for local banks in Missouri and Illinois after all. So this article in the Post Distpatch claims anyway.

September 10, 2008 at 2:12 pm

If you read this blog often you know how much of a concern I consider copper theft. These guys rob investors blind and the world seems to be unable to stop them. Most of the time. Every now and then these crooks get caught. Read more

September 10, 2008 at 9:46 am

The Post Dispatch is reporting that local Pulaski Bank just sold it’s shares in Fannie Mae in the wake of the government bailout for an after-tax loss of $5.2 million. Not the kind of news you want to hear when you are hoping to see some of the local boys loosen up the lending reins. Check out the story for more.

September 8, 2008 at 2:29 pm

If you’re a police scanner junkie you mgiht want to pay attention to this one. There is a website where you can listen to all the police scanner activity in St. Louis City and County. I think it covers the whole area, but from listenign to it, I know if covers the City of St. Louis for sure.

While this is kind of neat in it’s own right, the really interesting part is that they have an archive of all the scanner activity over the last month. So if you are want to hear the police banter involved in a specific incident you can check back through the archives. Check it out: Scan America

September 8, 2008 at 1:35 pm

I was out in the Central West End last night for a friend’s birthday and decided to take the back route home instead of taking the interstate. I guess that was a good decision. I never expected my little detour down Washington Boulevard to take me across this awesome sight. Read more

September 8, 2008 at 10:42 am

The boat has been sinking, but a bailout is coming. If you haven’t already heard the news, it appears that the United States government will be bailing out federally backed lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to the the tune of $100 billion each. You can see more details on that here. There seems to be a universal sigh of relief at the moment. Stocks are shooting up and optimism is in fashion. Read more

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