Posts by : Laura Macdonald

Father's Day is this Sunday! It's amazing how quickly time goes by. It feels like Mother's Day was just yesterday. For Mother's Day, I put together some ideas to help you with last minute gift ideas for the moms out there. I figured it would be a good idea to help you out with Father's Day gift ideas as well!

It would be best, of course, to take into account what your dad is like. Does he enjoy the outdoors, electronic gadgets, sports, etc...I've put together a few different ideas depending on what your dad would enjoy.

#1 A Tree Hammock (check out Ozark Adventures)

For the dad's out there that love camping, this is such a great idea. Camping is all about relaxing and taking in the c...

It's the season for vacation fun and traveling. You may have found yourself on sites such as Air BnB or VRBO, which have become popular alternative options to staying in a hotel during your travels. These have picked up in popularity across the country. Travelers are searching for a unique experience, and staying somewhere other than a traditional hotel room adds to that experience.

With the hype of these short-term rentals, you may have found yourself curious about investing in one to host yourself. It is a way to earn some extra income on the side if that is what you are looking for. Springfield MO recognized the demand for these short term rentals and recently passed a bill covering...

It's official, the kids are out of school. I've been seeing some parents post on different social media outlets seeking ideas for some Summer fun for their kids. I thought I would put together a few ideas to help you keep them entertained this Summer. Springfield MO is a really exciting and fun place to be a kid. Not only are these places I am about to share with you fun and entertaining, but they can also be very educational!

The Discovery Center 

438 E St Louis St, Springfield, MO 65806

This is an interactive-hands on museum that will allow you and your kids to explore science and the world that we live in. I have personally been a few times and I had just as much fun as the kids...

Here is your monthly collection of events that will be taking place this June in the 417 area. Schools are out, pools will be opening this weekend and it's beginning to feel a lot like Summer. For location and more details on any of the events listed below, simply click the title.

C-Street Pupcrawl and Mutt Mile

June 6th at 4:30 pm

Wine and Floral Design Class

June 12th at 6 pm

Parties in the Park

June 20th at 5 pm

Summer Solstice Party

June 22nd at 12 pm

Night of Champions Trivia

June 27th at 6 pm

Three Dog Night

June 29th at 8 pm

For even more events taking place in the month of June, visit 417mag

If you are in the Springfield MO area, you may have noticed that homes are selling! It's been a great season so far. If you have been considering selling, it's not too late to join in on the action, which is why I wanted to provide you this FREE tool. Knowing what your home is valued at can give you an idea if now is the right time for you to sell and make your move. Simply complete the fields below and you will receive your market analysis for 2019 completely free.

Even if you are not ready to sell now, it is always a good idea to know what your home is valued at. Selling your home is a big decision, one you should be completely informed about. By knowing your homes value, you will ha...

Mother's Day is this Sunday. Who else out there has waited until the last minute to pick up a gift for mom? Me too! As I have been figuring out how I want to show my mom how much I appreciate her, I learned about some fun Mother's Day events happening in Springfield. One event that I think is such a good idea is the brunch buffet being held at Tea Bar and Bites!

If you haven't been before, this is an adorable little cafe with a Spanish style patio area, fountain included! Not only is the environment wonderful and adorable, the food is absolutely incredible!

Their Mother's Day Brunch will take place from 10am - 2pm. Reservations are not required, but seating is limited, so making one...

When it comes time to sell, some homeowners choose to go "For Sale by Owner," rather than working with a Real Estate Agent. Although I feel it is best to work with a professional, I understand that some want to try and tackle selling their home on their own. For those individuals, I have compiled these very important steps to successfully marketing your home. It is important to develop your plan, make sure you are complying with the legalities of advertising and promoting your home and working with buyers in the most effective way to start getting those offers.

For your FREE, complete and detailed guide covering all topics related to selling your own home, please feel free to call, tex...

This past week, it seemed like my lawn all of a sudden decided it was time to really grow! I mean really grow! So, of course that means it is time to fire up the lawn mower. If you find yourself in a home that requires you to care for the lawn, there are some things about mowing that you may have not realized. Even those who have been mowing for years, read below to realize some common misconceptions that come with taking care of your yard this year.

Bagging your grass clippings after mowing is a pretty common practice. It can make the yard seem more "finished" once everything is cleaned up, but here is the part you may not have realized. It is actually better for your yard to leave yo...

Have you heard? Getting rid of clutter is trending! People are starting to focus on minimizing their clutter by only holding on to items that bring significant amounts of joy. You may have heard someone call themselves a Minimalist or that they are practicing the KonMari declutter method. I can't think of a better time to practice this when we are all thinking of Spring cleaning. If getting rid of clutter is something you are wanting to try out, here are some APPS that will not only help you get started, but possibly earn you some money while you do it.

ThredUp

This is an incredible resource to sell your used clothes. You send them directly to ThredUp and they will send you money fo...

When the weather starts to warm up, it seems that a lot more starts happening in the community, most likely due to feeling cooped up during the cold months. If you are looking for some fun things to do or how to get more involved, I have included a calendar of events for April. The best part about these events....they are all FREE!

APRIL 18TH

Mixed Media Social Hour for Springfield Creatives

5:30-8:00

Hotel Vandivort

APRIL 19TH

Full Moon Hike at Springfield Botanical Gardens

8 pm

Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathaniel Greene

APRIL 22ND

Earth Day Clean Up

12:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Lake Springfield Southwood Access

APRIL 27TH

Community Wide Play Day

For families with k...

We love our food here in Springfield MO! With so many locally owned places to eat, it's hard not to. This post is to help yourself find the best burger in town! Get ready for some mouthwatering details. Here we go!

This photo of Black Sheep Burgers &Shakes is courtesy of TripAdvisor

#1 Black Sheep

Specifically: The Ugly Cheeseburger

When family comes in to town for a visit, Black Sheep is a go to pick when I am introducing them to a great burger! You will taste the incredibly melted cheese on two hamburger patties, topped with Black Sheep's customized sauce. It's a messy burger to eat, but don't worry, plenty of napkins are provided!

#2 Grad School

Specifically: The Full Rid...

We've been fortunate enough to feel some warmer weather over the past couple of weeks. Today is actually the first day of Spring! With the weather warming up, this is a great season to take care of some home projects that we avoid due to the cold temperatures. Here are a few that you may have forgotten about:

Clean the Inside and Outside of Windows

This is a great time of year to get outside and clean those windows. Remove the screens and wash them with a mild detergent and let air dry before putting them back on the window. You can also tackle two projects by checking for moisture in your windows. If you find some, it may need new weather stripping to prevent the warm Summer air f...

You have your house on the market and have had showing after showing. This is great news, but it is getting hard to keep up with home presentation, especially with kids in the house. While your house is listed for sale, you may find yourself needing to pick up more than you normally would to make sure the home is presenting as good as possible to potential buyers. Here are a few tips to help you maintain a tidy home without running around before each showing.

1) Donation Time

Now is a really great time to start getting rid of things that are no longer valuable to you or your kids. Once the house sells, there isn't a reason to take toys and items you no longer want into your new home. Go...

Carpet, Ceramic Tile, Laminate, Linoleum, Hardwoods, Planks...and on and on. Options for flooring seem endless. We have more traditional choices like I just mentioned, or you can get into even more creative flooring choices like cork. There is one type of flooring that has remained timeless and has been proven to help a home sell faster. Not only that, but it is low maintenance and stands the tests of time. Any guesses?

HARDWOOD FLOORS!

Hardwood floors have remained a consistent and good choice for flooring. Not only are they low maintenance to care for, but the original hardwood floors can last for 100 years if properly cared for. You can have them professionally refinished occasionall...

We are well into 2019 and things have started to change a bit in the Real Estate Market. In 2018, it was important to get your offer in on a house as soon as possible. As a REALTOR®, I made sure to prepare my clients that were ready to buy, for the market that was out there. In 2019, I am suggesting a different approach to finding the home you have been looking for. With Spring right around the corner, and the competition increasing, now is the time to start implementing this new strategy for 2019.

When house hunting, I would say most start looking at the houses themselves first, later evaluating the area that it is located in. This year, I would like to challenge buyers to research ne...

When it comes time to start searching for a Real Estate Agent to work with, there are several things that you may take into consideration. For some, it may be difficult to know or recognize what really sets an agent apart from the others.
 

I have a tip for you....
Look for the Shield!
 

When you see the shield in the image above, it means the agent you are looking into is a Certified Residential Specialist. This is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents. Not only is it the highest credential awarded, but in order to remain a CRS, you have continued education that must be completed every year. What does this mean for you? This means that your agent remains informed ...

Here in Missouri, we are somewhat known for our drastic weather changes. As you may know, we can experience sunny weather at 75 degrees one day, and below 30 degrees and snowing the next. Although we like to exaggerate our inconsistent seasons, for the most part, we know what to expect and that is...to be ready for all four seasons. We have the dry and high temperatures in the Summer, a rainy Spring, a cool Fall and a very cold and windy Winter. So when house hunting in this area, it only seems logical to find a house ready for all 4 seasons.

SUMMER
Does the home have a yard to enjoy the sunny days and wonderful windows for natural lighting inside?

SPRING
Have your REALTOR® research a...

That's right. Brass is predicted to make a comeback this year when it comes to home trends. Housing trends are starting to lean in the direction of going against what is expected. Steele is now so commonly used for home finishings that homeowners are ready to change things up. Brass is now being seen as a subtle, warm alternative to the Steele we usually expect.

We can also expect to see many more bold wall colors. Think in the direction of jewel tones. With these darker, bold colors, the brass elements help to lighten things up and keep the room exciting.

If you are considering some home projects for this new year, Brass may be the way to go.

Happy 2019 Everyone!

Check out more h...

When house shopping, we catch ourselves getting absorbed into the details of the home. "I love these beautifully finished hardwood floors." "The lighting in this house is wonderful." "I can put the couch here, this will be our room..." and so on. We look at those details because they are important to us. They are especially important to us when we know this is going to be one of the biggest purchases of our life.

The inside of the house had everything on your checklist and then you walk out to the backyard...

It's so important to remember that we can spend just as much time in our yard as we do inside our home. What does the outside have to offer you? Do you value privacy? Do you like...