Custom built one-owner home. Like new, a must see in Prestigious Stoney Creek. Solid wood six panel door and trim. Transom windows, arched top windows, 97% brick, large lot. Walkout basement (like new) with storm shelter, 2 gas log fireplaces, John Deere room, large wet bar, custom window treatments, check out the laundry room! 3 car garage with windows, water softener, large storage area, great landscaping, park like backyard. A generator all set up ready to go. Great neighborhood and lots of privacy, all in the new high school district. Home also has 428 sqft. of unfinished basement that is currently being used for tons of storage space! John Deere room could easily be converted into a spacious 5th bedroom, office or play area.

Beautiful walkout basement home located in Cassidy Addition in Fremont Hills. This home has custom cabinets with built-in bookshelves, custom style Kitchen-Aid appliances, double ovens, temperature controlled wine cellar, wine tasting room, with numerous additional upgrades that make this a premier home in Fremont Hills.

This custom home is situated on 5 beautiful wooded acres in the gated community of The Bluffs at Riverside. Nearly 2 acres are extensively landscaped, complete with landscape lighting, natural boulders, sod and in-ground sprinkler system. The home was built in 2007 with attention paid to every detail. From the gourmet kitchen to the outdoor living areas, this home is a showcase! With the open kitchen and family room this is the perfect place for large family gatherings and entertaining. In addition, the downstairs living area steps out into an incredible paver patio with outdoor fireplace. You will love the views from every direction! This home and all of its amenities will be your own personal retreat. The location makes you feel as if you can get away from the hustle and bustle while still being only minutes from Springfield and Ozark. Call for your private showing today!

Seller will also sell in 5 acre lots if needed, at a price of $67,500.

This seller has been watching HGTV! Located in a quiet subdivision near schools, shopping and major streets, this home has it all and is in pristine condition! Many features found in custom homes can be found here...wide crown molding trim, tres ceilings, decorative trim in the dining room, and custom closet shelving just to name a few. The kitchen is complete with beautiful cabinets and tile floors with a designer's eating area. The peaceful backyard offers a garden area and a privacy fence. This seller has left no stone unturned in preparing it for you to buy! If you want luxury and character in a great location, come take a look.

As Simple As 1-2-3

LogoTournament is one of the coolest online services I’ve seen in a long while.  It essentially allows you to create a contest for money (minimum prize is $250) to see who can create the logo that best fits the design, look and feel you want to capture.  And it couldn’t be easier as there are only three steps:

1. Fill out a logo questionnaire and set the prize amount – this is where you briefly describe your company and the style of logo you want by moving 12 different style sliders to help you describe precisely the look and feel of your company or service branding;
2. Designers submit their logo ideas – almost immediately, talented designers from around the world will start submitting finished logo ideas.  You can also provide additional feedback to further tweak the ones you feel are the closest to what you are looking for;
3. Select a winner and download your logo file – payment is made via Paypal or credit card.

LogoTournament is a form of “crowdsourcing” at its highest level.  As I’ve said for over 15 years, there is an incredible (and growing) pool of talent available to all of us for very reasonable prices and the Internet is our gateway to those resources.

Sweet! 3BR ranch home loaded with extras! Granite countertops (even in the baths!). Rich hardwood floors in halls, living & dining - gorgeous! Maple cabinets in kitchen w/stainless appliances! Ceiling treatments everywhere, super nice master suite, high-efficiency furnace + 13 seer AC. Extra deep 3rd car garage w/darling yard & covered deck!

Awesome low maintenance home in country subdivision with wooded 5.3 acre lot! Only 4 miles west of Nixa on all paved roads. Feels like a private retreat! Basement exercise room was previously used a home office. 20x12 outbuilding has electric. Hot tub & kid's tree house stay!

Quiet, clean neighborhood in Republic. This home is a must see! Immaculately clean! 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage. Privacy fenced backyard, wonderfully landscaped area, with flowers & vegetable garden.

Beautiful 3 bedroom, possible 4 (no window), 3 bath home, with office, upstairs bonus room and large finished basement. 2 full kitchens, Alternate Pellet stove system ducted throughout the home. Beautiful setting with easy access and secluded feel.

Beautiful 5 bedroom walkout bsmt in The Villages at Wicklow that has all oversized bedrooms and closets. Hardwood floors through entry halls and living room. Glazed walls, knotty alder cabinets, granite counters, newly redone master closet and 2 decks wtih one being covered. Open bsmt. great room with large wet bar and island. Lots of storage and closets are all walk-in. Yard has landscape lighting, sprinkler system, security and fence. Shows like new!

View this 7 minute video which explains the connection between interest rates & mortgage backed securities. For those who monitor interest rates - this video highlights why one cannot rely on the media! It also describes how the Federal Reserve works - and what they are doing to keep interest rates low.

Ultimately anyone "interest rate shopping" or looking for home financing must work with a Mortgage Professional who understands the importance of not just watching mortgage backed securities, but gives great guidance.

Solid Second Half Sends Bears to 73-63 Win at Saint Louis

The win gave Missouri State a 10-0 record for the first time since 1996-97 and just the second time in its Division I era.

Mallett's point output was a career best as the Bears improved their overall lead in the series against SLU to 16-7.

After holding a narrow 31-28 lead at the half, the Bears stormed out of the locker room with a 10-2 run to start the second half and quickly gain an 11-point advantage less than four minutes into the second period.

The Bears improved their lead to 13 with 10:12 to play on a three-pointer by Adam Leonard, his second of the game, to pull ahead 51-38. However, the Billikens (7-4) used a flurry of three-pointers that began at the 9:47 mark to pull within 53-49 at the 7:09 mark on Christian Salecich's second three of the half.

The Bears retaliated with a pair of jumpers by Adam Leonard and one by Caleb Patterson and regained a double-figure lead, 59-49 with 5:44 to play. Clutch free throw shooting down the stretch secured the win, Missouri State's ninth by a double-figure margin.

Cuonzo Martin's team made 26-of-30 (.867) free throws in the game and fired at a 52.2-percent clip in the second half to finish 22-for-50 (.440).

Weems added 11 for the Bears to extend his double-figure scoring streak to 11 straight games, while Will Creekmore scored 10, including 4-of-4 from the line.

Saint Louis was led by Willie Reed's 19 points, while Salecich and Justin Jordan contributed 15 apiece. The Billikens were 20-for-51 (.392) from the field and 18-of-23 (.783) at the line.

Missouri State closes out its non-conference schedule Tuesday at Arkansas (6-5) for a 7:05 p.m. start.

In the first half, the Bears were able to convert 9-of-11 free throws to help overcome a poor shooting performance, making just 10-of-27 (.370) from the field and just 2-of-11 (.182) from three-point range.

The Bears fought off a brief Billikens' 12-11 lead at the 12:12 mark with a 12-4 run that included buckets by Weems, Mallett and Leonard and eventually led 31-28 at the break.

Missouri State's best-ever season starts:

• 1948-49 - 21-0
• 1957-58 - 19-0
• 1950-51 - 13-0
• 1947-48 - 12-0
• 1958-59 - 12-0
• 1949-50 - 10-0
• 1996-97 - 10-0

Now that we’re closing in on the end of 2009 — and most people will be glad to bid good riddance to an economically brutal year — many experts are making their predictions for 2010.

Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, recently released his predictions for next year’s real estate market. Of course, many consumers roll their collective eyes at this, since he's an expert on the payroll of an organization that has a vested interest in keeping information upbeat. And Yun is often broiled in comments from real estate bears.

Yun, however, is a respected economist, and while one may want to take his predictions in context, he’s had a pretty decent track record. One problem with economics is that the average person thinks it’s an exact science because it appears to be all about numbers. You add, you subtract, you divide, you multiply…how hard can it be?

In fact, economics is a very divisive field because it can be much more subjective than objective. When it comes to economics, numbers are a matter of interpretation.

So, before looking at Yun’s predictions for 2010, let’s see how he did in 2009. In his forecast released in October 2008, Yun wasn’t perfect, but it would be difficult to find an economist who was.

For 2009, Yun predicted existing home sales would rise and hit 5.4 million and new homes sales would fall under 500,000. On these counts, Yun was on target. In September, existing home sales were at an annual rate of 5.54 million. That spiked to an annual rate of 6.10 million in October, which Yun is crediting to the first-time home buyer tax credit. New home sales were on an annual pace of 430,000 units in October.

On the downside, Yun saw unemployment peaking at 6.7 percent mid-year and “steadily heading down” after that. Of course, we now know that unemployment peaked at 10.2 percent in October.

A look ahead

Now on to 2010 a synopsis of what Yun predicts:

• He sees the extended home buyers tax credit creating more demand and predicts a 20 percent increase in sales over the first half of the year as compared to the first half of 2009.

• Yun says this will result in a drop in inventory of homes for sale and that we will see an increase in home values by mid-year. He predicts that the median sales price will increase 2 to 4 percent for the year and that pent-up demand for new homes will lead to a 50 percent spike in sales from historically low levels.

• As any good economist would, Yun is hedging his bets on a couple of key factors. He says sales and price increases are contingent on interest rates staying between 5 and 5.5 percent. Currently, rates are under 5 percent. He also says that the Gross Domestic Product must climb 3 percent for the year for enough jobs to be added to the economy. He says we should see positive job growth in the spring.

Overall, Yun’s predictions are for a year any would take after coming through the dark tunnel that was 2009. Whether he proves correct…well, we’ll have to wait a year to find that out.

Do You Qualify?

You may qualify for a tax credit if:

• You make an eligible energy upgrade in 2009.
• The project meets IRS energy-efficiency standards.
• Your credits won't exceed your total tax liability.

Uncle Sam is offering taxpayers generous incentives to make their residences more energy efficient. Many of the eligible home improvements, such as adding insulation, can earn a tax credit of up to $1,500. More ambitious upgrades, such as installing solar panels, can net a credit worth 30% of the total cost of the project.

Improvements must meet IRS energy-efficiency standards to qualify. Don’t assume an Energy Star label is enough. Sometimes it isn’t. Save receipts and manufacturers’ statements certifying the tax credit-worthiness of the products. The IRS could ask for them. Consult a tax adviser.

Tax credit capped at $1,500

Replace aging windows, HVAC systems, and non-solar water heaters, install efficient biomass stoves, add insulation, or fix a worn roof, and you might collect a tidy credit come tax time. To encourage greater energy efficiency, homeowners can recoup 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, for making any of these qualifying upgrades during 2009 or 2010. Claim the credit for the year in which you complete the project.

The improvements must be made to your existing primary residence to be eligible. You can include the labor costs for HVAC, stove, and water heater installations; only the cost of materials counts for insulation, roofs, and windows (as well as exterior doors and skylights). Ask your contractor for a receipt that itemizes materials and labor. The IRS refers to the tax relief you can get for these projects collectively as the Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit.

Keep in mind that the $1,500 cap applies to all of the projects combined for both years. You can’t claim a $1,500 credit for new windows in 2009 and a separate $1,500 credit for a new furnace in 2010. A $5,000 project would max out the credit.

Uncapped energy tax credit

There’s no cap on tax credits for a handful of residential projects that involve alternative energy sources including solar, geothermal, and wind. That’s good news considering costs can run into five figures for photovoltaic systems (for electricity), solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, and small wind turbines. Fuel cells qualify too, though they’re subject to slightly different criteria.

This tax incentive is called the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit by the IRS. Homeowners can earn it anytime between 2009 and 2016 for the tax year that one of these systems is placed into service. The tax credit, equal to 30% of the project cost, applies to second homes as well as primary residences. New homes are eligible too. A rental property generally is excluded unless it’s a second home that’s only rented out part of the year.

You can use the uncapped tax credit even if you’re using the capped tax credit. In fact, you can claim separate uncapped credits for a wind turbine, a geothermal heat pump, and a solar water heater. Use IRS Form 5695, which has separate pages for capped and uncapped tax credits.

How tax credits work

A tax credit is usually more valuable than a tax deduction because the credit lowers your tax bill—or increases your refund—dollar for dollar. Think of it this way: A $1,500 deduction will save $363 on taxes owed for a married couple filing jointly with an adjusted gross income of $100,000. That same couple would save the full $1,500 with a $1,500 tax credit. Married filing separately taxpayers may be able to take separate $1,500 tax credits.

Residential energy tax credits do have limits. The IRS considers the credits “non-refundable,” which means you can’t claim more in credits than you paid out in federal income taxes. You may be able to carry forward some of your surplus uncapped tax credits to future years.

While Form 5695 shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to complete, it’s a good idea to consult a tax adviser. Credits are gold, so you don’t want to risk missing one. H&R Block’s average fee to prepare a tax return is $187, but cost varies considerably depending on complexity.

This article provides general information about tax laws and consequences, but is not intended to be relied upon by readers as tax or legal advice applicable to particular transactions or circumstances. Readers should consult a tax professional for such advice, and are reminded that tax laws may vary by jurisdiction.

Jermanine Mallet's Thunderous Dunk (watch here)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Adam Leonard's 14 points paced Missouri State to a 73-62 home win over Auburn here Monday night in the season opener for the Bears. The junior transfer from Eastern Kentucky was 4-for-7 from three-point range and also added five rebounds and five assists.

After leading 36-31 at the half, the Bears stormed out of the gate in the second period with a 12-5 run.  A dunk by Caleb Patterson at the 13:41 mark gave the Bears a 48-36 advantage and electrified the home crowd of 7,213 at JQH Arena.

Lucas Hargrove, who had a game-high 24 points, kept the Tigers in the game in the second half. His three-pointer with 10:29 to play cut his team's deficit to 51-43, before a free throw by Ty Armstrong a few seconds later made it a seven-point game.

However, the Bears stormed back behind Isaiah Rhine's second dunk of the night and a key three-pointer by Leonard at the 8:41 mark that extended MSU's lead to double-figures again, 56-44. Auburn would get no closer than 10 the rest of the way, and Leonard would add a pair of three-pointers in the final six minutes to seal the win.

Jermaine Mallet, whose highlight-reel dunk tied the game in the first four minutes, scored 12 points and had game-highs with eight rebounds and six assists. Kyle Weems added 13 for the Bears to go with seven rebounds.

Auburn (1-1) was helped by DeWayne Reed's 12 points. The Tigers shot 40.7-percent from the field (22-for-54) and were just 7-for-16 at the free throw line in the second half. AU also committed 25 turnovers.

Missouri State snapped a three-game losing streak that dated back to last season and won their home opener for the 27th time in 28 years as a Division I program.

In the first half, Missouri State has overcome an 18-11 deficit to lead Auburn, 36-31, at the intermission. Hargrove's three with 9:12 to play in the opening stanza gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the contest. 

However, Missouri State stormed back with a 21-6 run over the next five minutes to turn the tides. Reserves Rhine, Cardell McFarland and Ryan Jehle led the charge to pull MSU within six, 22-16, at the 7:17 mark. Then a three-pointer by Leonard and a dunk by Rhine started a 10-0 run for the Bears that included a trey by Kyle Weems at the 5:30 mark to give MSU a 26-22 advantage.

Missouri State continues a five-game home stand Friday with an 8:05 p.m. game against Maryland-Eastern Shore in the opening round of the Hispanic College Fund Challenge. The Bears will also entertain The Citadel on Saturday at 8:05 p.m. and Eastern Michigan on Sunday (8:05 p.m.) in the four-team event.