All Brick Ranch - A great piece of Nixa Mo real estate.

With all the ranch stye homes in the area, all brick homes are one of the best selling homes in the Springfield Mo real estate market.

When it comes to home improvement, investing in cost-effective upgrades can actually save you a bundle in the long-run। Painting is one of the most popular home improvement projects you can undertake, but it can be more difficult than you might think। Along with new carpeting, the seller has painted every room of this home. Now the home shows great and the seller should expect a good offer.

P.S. ......This home has sold.....call for a list of others in this neighborhood.

Kay Van Kampen is a local Realtor serving Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic and surrounding areas in Missouri. She is ready and available to help you with all your Springfield Mo real estate needs. To contact her go to www.kayvankampen.com.

If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic, Willard and surrounding areas or would like to be the first to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then give me a call at: 417.839.4534.

Real estate is a lot like farming. Some years, the crops are great. Mother Nature cooperates, the farmer plants at the right time and reaps the rewards. Other years, no matter what the farmer does right, Mother Nature decides to destroy everything the farmer plants. The farmer has to plan for these years, keeping reserves back to make it thru the bad years.

Real estate agents must work under the same conditions. They work throughout the year, farming their crops and planning for next year’s success or failure. Staying in touch with past clients, working referrals and staying up with new technology are some of the ways agents successfully handle their business today.

My daughter, Rhonda, and I work the websites daily. We know that over 95% of the buyers are now searching the web before they start looking with a realtor. By the time they are ready to buy, they know us quite well we know what they are searching for.

Many clients use the website for months before they decide to call us. We recently had a client that has been looking for over a year for property. Waiting for their home to sell in Tennessee, they continued to search Springfield Mo real estate, educating themselves on the market in the Springfield area. Rhonda stayed in touch with them and during the year, they made a trip over a weekend and spent time making sure they would be able to find a home quickly, once their home sold.

Last month they received an offer on their home and closed quickly. Within a few days after meeting with them, we had a home under contract and closed on their new home this week. They were able to move right in, keeping their personal belonging from going into storage.

If I hadn’t quit a career in banking twenty years ago to go into real estate, learning to farm, overcoming failures and striving to succeed, we would not still be helping others today.

Rhonda joined the team 5 years ago (having a background as a paralegal). Joining us in 2005 is Brian Peak, our bank foreclosure specialist. We know Springfield community, the different neighborhoods, and our endless enthusiasm to help others find their new home makes us a strong real estate team.

Kay Van Kampen is a local Realtor serving Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic and surrounding areas in Missouri. She is ready and available to be your Springfield Missouri relocation specialist.

If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic, Willard and surrounding areas or would like to be the first to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then give me a call at: 417.839.4534.

Bank Foreclosures and Short Sales


I recently wrote an article about closing another short sale. Knowing that most buyers and sellers don’t understand the steps it takes to close a short sale, I felt the need to explain more about the procedure and what to expect.

Specializing in Springfield Missouri short sales and bank foreclosures was just another way to improve my business. I didn’t know it would be so difficult to help sellers communicate with lenders to sell their property to potential buyers.

Many sellers in the Springfield Mo real estate market are slowly getting behind in their payments and facing the fact that they will lose their home and destroy their once good credit. This is a stressful time, which sometimes ends with the family having to rent, relocate to other parts of the country or even divorce.

Purchasing a home in the past few years, with no money down and adding the closing costs to the purchase price of the home, allowed buyers to fulfill their dreams of owning their own home, however, they were unable to budget for any unforeseen problems. Once the cycle begins, it quickly accelerates to the point of no return. Most sellers do not know how to get help when they first realize they are spending more than they can make.

Trying to sell their home quickly in today’s market, the home must then be sold for less than they owe, including past due payments, late charges and penalties. Contacting the lender before the foreclosure process starts, will allow the lender to send a “short sale package” to negotiate and work with the seller for a short sale. Among the information required is:

Hardship Letter
Two years of financial statements
Current bank statements for all open and closed accounts for at least 2 years
Any documentation that the lender will require – including a letter to the lender giving permission for the realtor to help in negotiating the short sale.
Tax Returns

The procedure to find the right “negotiator” to give the approval to agree on the final sales price takes time. The seller and buyer must know the transaction can not happen over night. In the case of my last short sale, keeping the buyer from withdrawing their offer and the realtor pursuing the lender was stressful for all parties. We were able to finalize the transaction after 2 months.

If the unpaid balance in not “forgiven” or negotiated before closing, the seller must know that the bank can come back and collect any portion of the unpaid balance, late fees, attorney fees, or any other fee due.

If you are facing the possibility that you will not be able to make up your payments, contact your loan company as soon as possible. Negotiating to sell your home for a lower price than other homes of comparable value will actually save the bank more than they may lose if they end up foreclosing. Contact a Springfield Realtor that is familiar with bank foreclosures and short sales.








Kay Van Kampen is a local Realtor serving Springfield, Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic and surrounding areas in Missouri. She is ready and available to help you with all your Springfield Mo real estate needs. To contact her go to http://www.kayvankampen.com/.

You Can't Take It Back! True Story!

Have you ever said something you can't take back. Here's a true story that recently happened in my office.

A salesperson came in the office selling children's books to hand out to the local kindergarten schools in our area. She had a great product and as much as I wanted, I declined to buy the books. (I'm trying to stay within my budget this year).

A few days later, she returned. Really trying to sell these great books, she now offered to furnish books for Ozark Schools and Nixa Schools for the same price. I really like these books and I know it would be beneficial for our children, but I continued to decline. Before she left, I told her if she didn't have any success selling to another agent to come back.

A week later she returned. I heard her talking to the Receptionist, so I went to greet her. Frustrated and flustered, she stated: I'm sorry, I haven't had any seex .............................stopped, looked at both the receptionist and me. (Meaning to say "success".) You could see the terror and embarrasment on her face.

Laughing and wiping the tears from our eyes, I finally told her we couldn't help her with her problem.........but we would buy her books!

Springfield Missouri Homes

What You Can Expect Of Me At Our First Meeting

What you can expect of me at our first meeting when searching for Springfield Mo Houses, including Nixa, Ozark, Republic, and Rogersville?

Making a good impression is very important to me when first meeting new clients.

I try to get as much information as I can before I agree to meet potential buyers at a home. If the property does not fit their criteria, I will describe it to them and agree to meet them at the office, before we preview.

Sometimes that doesn't work and (against my better judgment), I'll agree to go ahead and show the home they called on. Past experience tells me if the buyer will meet at the office, they are motivated to buy. I can also pre-qualify them to make sure they are ready, willing and able buyers. It also determines if we will be able to work together, with no conflicts of personality.

I also provide a folder filled with useful information for buyers, that include:

1) Missouri Agency Disclosure. I want to give them to opportunity to decide if they want buyer representation. They usually do. This is also a requirement in the State of Missouri.
2) Copy of the disclosures of the homes they want to preview.
3) Current map of the area. (Very useful for out-of-state buyers).
4) My personal brochure.
5) Several business cards. I hand out several because "I'm never too busy for your referrals."
6) Buyer's brochure. In preparing the brochure, I've included information on inspections, definitions of Latent Material Defects, separate pages for writing information as we tour each home, and my office information.
7) Chamber of Commerce packet. Information on local businesses and the area helps buyers become more comfortable, familiar with the area and hopefully reaffirms that I am a professional realtor.

First impressions are lasting impressions. After the first showing, I offer to set up a repeat meeting. I want buyers to feel comfortable with me and know that my main objective is find their future "dream home."

Kay Van Kampen

LuxuryHomesofSpringfield, SpringfieldMoHouses, LuxuryHomesOfOzark, OzarkMoHomes

Contact Kay Van Kampen, ABR, CRS, GRI Broker/Owner, and Licensed in Missouri. Interested in looking at property in Christian, Greene, Webster, Stone or Taney Counties. Individual cities include Springfield, Rogersville, Ozark, Highlandville, Spokane, Sparta, Nixa, Battlefield, Republic, Billings, Clever, Willard, Strafford, and Marshfield. Contact us today!

First Time Home Buyers - Missouri Bond Money Is Being Issued Soon




At a time when the lending companies have tightened up loan requirements, first time home buyers can still purchase a home. The State of Missouri will soon be issuing bond money.

Helping first time home buyers on the buying process and seeing the look in their eyes when they are handed the keys to their new home is priceless.

New home buyers are still able to buy with no down payment. With so many homes available and low interest rates, buyers now have the advantage of buying with lower payments and are able to find homes that have more square footage and better quality.

Missouri First Time Home Buyers Bond Money Program is available to home buyers who have not owned a home in the last three years and have at least a A- credit score. There is a limit to the amount of bond money that the government issues. Income guidelines also play a role. Home buyers need to start shopping now before the funds are used up. One of the best benefits is a Payment Protection Program (at not additional charge) that is available in the event you lose your job or become disabled. (Certain Limitations Apply).

Interest rates are usually lower than conventional rates, with no down payment required. Qualifying first time home buyers is not my job. However, I have a LOAN OFFICER that is available to help with the process.

Interested in purchasing your first home? Give me a call and I'll be happy to sit down and discuss the First Time Home Buyers Bond Money Program. Already own a home and ready to sell or buy another? ...... Call me and lets go over the current interest rates and new lending programs with you.




Kay Van Kampen






(courtesy of Kay Van Kampen Blog in Active Rain)