Single Tree Team Brokered by EXP Realty

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Single Tree Team Brokered by EXP Realty 🏡 Helping IL & MO buyers & sellers find home sweet home.
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Craig Ziegel is a trusted real estate professional serving the Greater St. Louis metro area, and Metro East, Illinois. With 14 years of experience, Craig has built a reputation for consistency, leadership, and results. His dedication to excellence has earned him multiple industry honors, including Realtor of the Year in 2015 and recognition as an eXp Icon Agent in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025. Clients and peers alike value his deep market knowledge, strategic guidance, and straightforward approach. Craig brings a unique perspective shaped by real-life experience. He has personally navigated every stage of homeownership, from first-time buyer to move-up buyer and downsizer, giving him a genuine understanding of the transitions his clients face. That experience allows him to guide families with clarity and empathy while helping them make decisions that align with both their lifestyle and long-term goals. His approach is consultative rather than transactional, focused on building trust and lasting relationships. Community involvement is an important part of Craig’s business and personal life. For the past eight years, he and his team have organized an annual Thanksgiving food drive with past clients and business partners, providing meals to 12 to 14 families in need each year. He also supports local animal shelters, reinforcing his belief that success is most meaningful when it creates a positive impact beyond the closing table. Outside of real estate, Craig is a self-described cigar and bourbon enthusiast who enjoys attending tastings and bringing people together around shared interests. He is currently helping launch the Oak & Ember Society, a local networking group centered on ci**rs, bourbon, and meaningful connections. At home, Craig is surrounded by a lively family that includes seven children, fifteen grandchildren, three dogs, and a bearded dragon. That full house keeps him grounded and reminds him every day that real estate is ultimately about people, family, and the places they call home.

Grandkids costumes are all ready for the evening. We walk a friend's neighborhood for trick and treating and then settle...
10/31/2026

Grandkids costumes are all ready for the evening. We walk a friend's neighborhood for trick and treating and then settle in for too much candy and smores.

Settle something for me. Which street or neighborhood in the Metro East or St. Louis does Halloween best? The decorations, the crowds, the full-size candy bars. Name it in the comments.

Be safe out there tonight, and slow down on the side streets.

Happy Halloween from all of us at Single Tree Team.

10/30/2026

A couple of weeks ago we closed two deals for the same client: the house they sold and the house they bought.

The question that started it, months ago, is the one almost every move-up seller asks. Do we sell first, or buy first?

Sell first, and you know exactly what you have to spend and you never carry two mortgages. But you might need somewhere to stay in between.

Buy first, and you move once, on your schedule. But you may need to qualify for two loans, and an offer that depends on your house selling is a weaker offer.

There are tools in the middle: a home sale contingency, a rent-back that lets you stay after you sell, a bridge loan or HELOC to use your equity early. For this client, it was a home sale contingency.

There's no one right answer. There's the right answer for your money and your timeline, and it's worth working out before the sign goes in the yard.

The pros and cons of each are on our blog. Link is in the first comment.

If you've done both at once, which did you do first, and would you do it that way again?

A St. Louis buyer once told us they chose an agent based on a wall of five-star reviews, only to discover the comments s...
10/30/2026

A St. Louis buyer once told us they chose an agent based on a wall of five-star reviews, only to discover the comments said very little about the actual experience. The most helpful reviews explain how an agent communicates, handles pressure, solves problems, and supports clients through negotiation. When comparing buyer agents, look for specific stories and consistent patterns, not just a high rating. Those details can reveal whether an agent will truly be there when the process gets complicated.

https://singletreeteam.net/buyer-agent-reviews-what-they-tell-you/

What you say while your house is for sale can cost you.New on the blog, the short version:- Keep your bottom line and yo...
10/29/2026

What you say while your house is for sale can cost you.

New on the blog, the short version:
- Keep your bottom line and your deadline to yourself
- At showings, the best thing to say is nothing (and turn off the audio on your cameras)
- Don't lie on the disclosure report, or dodge it
- Describe the house, not the neighbors
- Tell your own listing agent everything

Full post: link in the comments (or in our bio on Instagram).

10/29/2026

A seller asked me once if he could listen to what buyers said on his front porch. His doorbell camera recorded everything, audio included.

I told him to turn the audio off.

In Illinois, recording a private conversation without consent can be a Class 4 felony. And even where it's legal, what a seller hears on a recording almost always changes how they negotiate, and rarely for the better.

That's one item on the list of what not to say, or hear, while your house is for sale. Keep your bottom line and your deadline to yourself. At showings, say nothing. Tell the truth on the disclosure report. Describe the house, not the neighbors; fair housing law protects seven federal classes, and a comment about who lives nearby can cross that line fast.

And tell your own listing agent everything. That's the one conversation where more is better.

The full list is on our blog. Link is in the first comment.

Sellers, do you have a camera at your front door? Did you know about the audio?

10/28/2026

Before I ever suggest a price reduction, I look at three things first.

How many people looked at the listing online. How many of them booked a showing. And what the people who walked through actually said.

If lots of people look online and nobody books, the problem is usually the photos or the price on the screen. If plenty of people book and nobody writes an offer, it's usually something about the house itself, or what buyers are comparing it to on the drive home. Those are different fixes, and only one of them is a price cut.

A price drop is the most expensive tool a seller has. I'd rather use it last, and only when the numbers say so.

Sellers, if your agent ever suggested a price drop, did they show you why?

A seller recently had to choose between a cash offer and a higher financed offer, and the decision came down to more tha...
10/28/2026

A seller recently had to choose between a cash offer and a higher financed offer, and the decision came down to more than the price. We compared the closing timeline, contingencies, financing strength, and overall certainty to understand which offer truly fit the seller’s goals. Cash can be appealing, but it is not automatically the strongest choice. The right offer is the one that delivers the best balance of value, confidence, and a smooth path to closing.

https://singletreeteam.net/cash-offer-versus-financed-offer/

10/27/2026

In 2021, a buyer told me they were going to wait for prices to come down.

I understood it. Prices had just jumped, and waiting felt like the safe move.

Here's what waiting has cost in St. Clair County since then. The typical home went from about $130,000 to over $210,000. Mortgage rates went from a record low of 2.65% to about 6.48% by June of this year.

I'm not telling anyone to rush. The right time to buy is when your job, your savings, and your plans line up. But "wait until it gets cheaper" is a bet, and the last five years didn't pay it off.

I laid out the numbers for Belleville, O'Fallon, and Mascoutah on our blog. Link is in the first comment.

If you've been waiting to buy, what's the number you're waiting for?

10/26/2026

14 of 16. That's where our Thanksgiving Meal Box Drive stands with three weeks to go.

Every box is a full dinner for a family having a hard year: turkey, sides, gravy, pie. They go to Law and Grace Ministries in Belleville, Helping Hands in Staunton, and Crisis Aid in St. Louis.

$60 covers a whole box. If 2 people give $60, we hit our goal.

Venmo -Ziegel-1, or text me at 618.719.4543 and we'll pick up food or a gift card.

To everyone who's already given: thank you. You're the reason we're past halfway.

Address

Belleville, IL
62223

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