Real Estate Calculators to help You Decide!!! Ask Mary!

* Note: These calculators are provided to give you a general idea only. We cannot guarantee the
accuracy or the applicability to your situation. Please consult a qualified professional.
Special Thanks: To Hugh Chou who has granted us permission to use his calculators.

Jefferson County's
REALTOR® of the Year 2003

*** This website is intended to assist readers by providing information on real estate matters. We have made strong efforts to supply accurate information; however, we cannot guarantee the timeliness, accuracy or completeness of this information, or information found on other websites we link to. If you find that the external links we have provided have changed and now go to the wrong or any inappropriate websites, Please let us know immediately ! Please verify all information enclosed as it pertains to your specific real estate situation with a Licensed Realtor, since conclusions you could make based on the information presented may vary depending on your location, situation and/or needs. The information presented in this website represents Mary's professional opinion. Buyers and sellers are encouraged to seek independent council relating to all issues of purchasing and selling of real property. This website is in no way meant to substitute for independent council.

If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers. We are happy to work with them and cooperate fully. RE/MAX Beat Choice is a registered trademark. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each RE/MAX Office is independently Owned and Operated.

Copyright © 2005 - 2008 Mary Carter, USA, All Rights Reserved.
Mary reserves the right to deny any request for any form of additional information at her sole discretion
and the right to implement a monetary charge with notification at the time requests are initiated to cover
costs incurred. This information is only available in the continental United States & is solely intended
to be available to clients or prospective clients in the geographical areas that Mary covers.

Mary's site was designed by & is maintained by Gary Carter - garylcarter@charter.net

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COVERING ST.LOUIS, JEFFERSON, ST. GENEVIEVE AND ST. FRANCOIS COUNTIES SPECIALIZING IN RESIDENTIAL SALES, NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, RELOCATION, FARMS & ACREAGE JEFFERSON County communities of FESTUS, BARNHART, HILLSBORO, ST. LOUIS, DESOTO, ARNOLD, HIGHRIDGE, and HERCULANEUM Please bookmark my site for your future use & I hope your visit today will be Helpful and Enjoyable! Mary Carter, GRI, ABR Certified
My History & Experiences
	I was born in Festus, Missouri on a cold January 1st morning at 12:03 am - so, yes I am a New Years Baby, which ended up costing me many presents over the years, since my parents almost always combined my Christmas & Birthday gifts into one ! I graduated from Festus High School in 1966 & was married to a 1965 Herculaneum graduate, Gary Carter the same year & amazingly (against all odds!) we are still married 39 years later ! At the time we were married, Gary was in the Air Force, so our first few years were spent between Air Force bases in Texas & Arkansas. After that we came back to the local area for awhile. Gary was in the Computer / Electronics industry which at that time seemed to like to relocate people a lot!!! So, over the 39 years of our marriage we have lived in 7 different states and have personally bought & sold many homes. That alone gave me a lot of real estate experience. My actual real estate experience began in 1983 while living in New Hampshire. There I worked as an Administrative Assistant to the owner of a local real estate company. Then while living in Atlanta, Georgia I again worked in the administrative end of a local real estate company. In 1992 we moved back to the local area and now live in Herculaneum. From 1997 to 1999 I worked as an office manager	for a local real estate company - So as you can now imagine I knew A LOT about the industry !!! I went to school and received my real estate license in 1999 & joined the new & first office that Gundaker Realty opened in Festus....since then they were bought out by Coldwell Banker and became Coldwell Banker Gundaker & I am happy to say that I still work out of their Festus office ! I have listed below the positions I have held along with the awards I have been given and the designations I have earned through advanced education in all areas of real estate: ................ REALTOR® of the Year 2003 for Jefferson County, Multi-Million Dollar Sales Producer, Sterling Club Member, Graduate of the advanced Realty Institute - GRI Certified, Accredited Buyer Representative - ABR, 2005 President elect Jefferson County Chapter of Women’s Council of Realtors® (WCR), Cendant Mobility Relocation Specialist, Residential Real Estate Specialist (RRES) 2002 Winner of the prestigious Henry Aydt ETHICS Scholarship Award, Years of experience in real estate Administration & Office Management before obtaining License, Served as Parliamentarian, Vice President, and currently State Director for the Jefferson County Board of REALTORS®

Selecting your agent..........It's really an Important Decision !
Some things to look for & think about!
	Selecting a Real Estate Agent to work with is more a personal choice. What I mean is that there are many Agents with the licenses to sell you a home ..... but once you know they meet those minimum qualifications .... what's very important is that you can work well with the Agent you select and feel comfortable that they have your best interest at heart ! (because any licensed Agent can show you any Real Estate Companies listings - not just their own !)You may want to talk to a few Agents before deciding. Once you have chosen an Agent (and I hope it's Me!) the next step is to understand how Missouri Agents are required to work under Missouri Law. The Agent may ask that you agree to and sign a "Buyer's Agency Agreement", it is not required, but without it, by law, the Agent is required to work on the 'Sellers' behalf. Next, your Agent of Choice will need to know as much as you can tell them about what you are looking for in your 'IDEAL' Home (see the 'Tell me what you want in a Home' section for help in doing this), and the price range you want to look at (see the 'Selecting a Mortgage Rep.' section for help)
	So, why should I select Mary as my agent? If you want the answer to why, Please go to All About Mary to find out about my experience, background & history, along with the earned credentials & designations I have received by devoting many hours to additional training. Oh Yes, I do have the GRI designation TOO!!!

Back to top of page Why should you choose a REALTOR® With a GRI designation? ( Graduate REALTOR® Institute )
	Here are just a few of the reasons! Buying property is a complex and stressful task. In fact, it's often the biggest single investment you will make in your lifetime. At the same time, real estate transactions have become increasingly complicated. New technology, laws, procedures and the increasing sophistication of buyers and sellers require real estate practitioners to perform at an ever-increasing level of professionalism. So it's more important than ever that you work with an agent who has a keen understanding of the real estate business. The GRI program has helped the best and the brightest in the industry achieve that level of understanding. GRIs are: * Nationally recognized as top performers in the real estate industry * Professionally trained * Knowledgeable * Dedicated to bringing you quality service	A GRI can make a difference ! When you see the letters "GRI" after an agent's name, you can count on receiving the knowledge and guidance you need to make your transaction go smoothly. In short, you can count on getting the best service available from a real estate professional. Don't you deserve the best? How do Agents get the GRI designation? They must attend the GRI Designation Program! It was developed for members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and offered through State REALTOR® Associations, the GRI program includes 90 hours of coursework on various topics such as marketing and servicing listed properties to real estate law. I have my GRI and you will see the following GRI logo prominently displayed for Agents that have it! This is what a GRI logo looks like! You will see this logo or the GRI designation letters on all of Mary's materials !
COVERING ST.LOUIS, JEFFERSON, ST. GENEVIEVE AND ST. FRANCOIS COUNTIES SPECIALIZING IN RESIDENTIAL SALES, NEW HOME CONSTRUCTION, RELOCATION, FARMS & ACREAGE JEFFERSON County communities of FESTUS, BARNHART, HILLSBORO, ST. LOUIS, DESOTO, ARNOLD, HIGHRIDGE, and HERCULANEUM Back to top of page

Back to top of page Ask these Questions before Selecting Your Agent !
	What are your company's resources, support staff and network affiliation ? What is your company's history & track record in helping Buyers ? (example: How many customers did your company serve last year?) (See Why Coldwell Banker Gundaker?) What systems does the agent have to help you ? (example: checklists, informational website, etc.) Does your agent appear trustworthy, caring & committed to helping you ? What are your agents credentials ? (examples: have they furthered their real estate education, which designations such as Graduate Realty Institute or GRI, are do they have the certified Approved Buyers Representative or ABR designation )?