Blog > Blog > 2008 > November

November 25, 2008 at 10:32 am

You’d think that the sky was falling. Here’s the bad news of the day on housing:

Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller national home price index released Tuesday tumbled a record 16.6 percent during the quarter from the same period a year ago. Prices are at levels not seen since the first quarter of 2004.

This doesn’t make me happy, but I still don’t understand why people overreact so much about things like this. People have become so spoiled due to years of steady appreciation that this blip has everyone running for the hills. We need to all get back into focus. If inflation is 4% annually, any appreciation of home values exceeding that amount should be looked at as a bonus. After years of 8% annual appreciation we are finally resetting back to a level of sanity. We need to get used to it. This is probably going to be the way of things for the foreseeable future.

Click here for the full article.

November 24, 2008 at 3:14 pm

The building on the NW corner of Lemp and Withnell at 1901 Withnell has always caught my attention. It is a rather interesting looking building, but the thing that always struck me as odd about the building is that it has looked like it was going to be made into a restaurant for about two years. Read more

November 24, 2008 at 1:35 pm

I was driving along the Morganford Commercial District last week in the TOwer Grove South Neighborhood and I noticed these banners on all the streetlights along the street. I don’t know if they have been up for a while and I just noticed them or if they are new, but they add something to the strip. They aren’t too fancy, but add a bit of cohesive flair to the area. As long as they replace them when the weather starts to wear on the banners, it looks like a nice addition.

November 19, 2008 at 10:56 am

I just wanted to comment on the lack of posts over the last week. I have been out of town quite a bit over the last week and will be leaving again this afternoon for the rest of the week. Things have been a bit hectic, but I apologize for not keeping up with the posts. I will be back to normal on Monday. Expect to see posts on the proposed FPSE hotel project, a before and after on my rehab project which we closed on yesterday, and my a look at lining damaged sewer laterals instead of replacing them. Hopefully they will be worth the wait.

November 14, 2008 at 11:17 am

The Post Dispatch is reporting that the reopening or Phase 1 and the closure of Phase 2 of the Highway 40-61 (I-64) project will be December 15th. Not quite as early as some predicted, but still two weeks early. The folks over at METRO should take notes on that performance. For more on the project check out the story I posted on this topic earlier this week.

November 10, 2008 at 2:06 pm

This past January the St. Louis area was braced for the worst. With the pending shutdown of Highway 40-61 (I-64 if you prefer) from 170 to 270, everyone was changing their driving habits in anticipation of the change. It turns out that the impact was less than expected. So much less that many people have reverted back to their old habits. Unfortunately, the exaggerated impact of the Phase 1 closure has most people ill prepared for what is to come with Phase 2. Read more

November 9, 2008 at 4:49 pm

One half of me hates the fact that a cookie-cutter shopping center was built at the intersection of Loughborough and Highway 55 in Carondelet. It’s certainly not “urban.” But then, the other half you works too much and just wants convenience in a shopping destination really likes it. Regardless of your opinion on the design, it is good to see commercial development in far South City. Read more

November 5, 2008 at 5:32 pm

I was driving through Tower Grove East yesterday when I saw this curious sight. Apparently, when the owner of this building needed to put a handrail up in front of their building, they looked no further than the bedroom. I can’t make up my mind if they are trying to be creative or trying to be thrifty. Either way its certainly an unusal sight.

November 5, 2008 at 5:01 pm

Whether you’re looking for a hard to find used item or are just on a budget, there is a great option out there you may not know about. Habitat For Humanity operates a building material supply store at 3763 Forest Park Avenue, which is a great source. They have a suprising selection of merchandise, which consists of both second hand and donated materials. Read more