At Home in Brookside, Kansas City

Mobile Apps Allow you to Search for Homes Easier

Sarah — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:10:37 +0000

If you have been a home buyer in the last year or so, chances are you have utilized a mobile real estate app. These apps allow you to see homes in your general vicinity by pinpointing your exact geographic location and showing you all homes that are for sale within a certain radius around you. They are really handy for those times when you are out driving around looking at homes, and the more powerful ones can even show you open houses. Now that companies have ceased to print their open houses in the Sunday newspaper, this open house feature seems like a very useful tool.

My company, Prudential Kansas City Realty, has created an excellent mobile app and I highly recommend it. It is just as powerful as apps such as Zillow and Trulia, but without the advertisements. The information is more accurate, and you won’t see those tricky realtor ads and mistake them for the listing agent.

Top Reasons Why My Home Mobile is Kansas City’s Best App for Home Buyers:

My Home Mobile eliminates the hassle of searching for ‘open house’ and ‘for sale’ signs by showing you exactly where to find homes.
You can see the price, # of beds, baths, details and inside photos of homes for sale around you.
Want more information about a home or to arrange a showing? You have the option to contact me directly from the app.
My Home Mobile is designed to work on smartphones and tablet computers with touchscreen interfaces.

GET THE APP NOW (You can do this from your computer or phone)

Surveying the Downtown Kansas City Condo Market

Sarah — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:30:37 +0000

I just realized that after many months barely even hearing the word condo, I am starting to hear about increasing activity in the condo market.

Agents in my network are selling and listing them, and we all seem to have a condo buyer right now – even me. It really is a change from the last few dismal years. Condo lending is still tight for those with limited down payments, but there are a few properties with strong owner-occupant ratios and hefty reserves that lenders approve. Below is a chart of condo sales by month for the last two years in Kansas City, MO from downtown to Brookside (click to enlarge). According to this chart, March 2012 is reporting the highest number of condo sales in last 11 months. It is a modest increase, but an increase nevertheless. I will plan to post an update to this in three months so we can see how the late Spring and early Summer condo markets fared.

Research Your House – 1940 US Census Records Now Available

Sarah — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:17:41 +0000

The US Census records from 1940 were made public this month. Evidently, each time we fill out a census report, it is kept confidential for 72 years (the average person’s life span) which is comforting due to the personal nature of this information. In just a few minutes searching, I have discovered who lived in my house, what they did for a living, how many children, their full names, their place of birth, their race, how much the property was worth, and if they own or rent the home. Fun fact – my home was worth $7500 in 1940. If my math is correct, that is a 2,000% increase in value over 72 years. Pretty cool, huh?

As a realtor, I find this information helpful in researching properties and neighborhoods. Mister Snodgrass and I learned about the 1940 Census data through local blogger, Tellner Tells It, who discovered that his house was split into apartments at the time of the 1940 census. That kind of information might be valuable in researching and marketing real estate, or even for city permits and zoning. Others might find this a good tool for researching ancestors and genealogy.
Image source: U.S. Census Bureau

Implosion of Troost Office Building – at Rockhill Greens & Research Brookside Campus

Sarah — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 20:59:58 +0000

A former medical office building located at 6700 Troost was imploded this morning to make way for Rockhill Greens, an affordable senior housing development. I have embedded a video of the implosion below, courtesy of Rockhill Greens. As a neighbor in extremely close proximity who was not informed of the scheduled implosion, you can imagine it was quite an alarming series of loud blasts. Mister Snodgrass and I rushed outside, and upon seeing the dust cloud, it was obvious what had happened. I only wish I could have seen it in person!

I hope this means that construction will begin soon. Rockhill Greens will be a great addition to Brookside, creating jobs, eliminating blighted office buildings, and bringing residents to the area.

Pick of the Week – Victorian Home circa 1890 in Historic Downtown Parkville

Sarah — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:56:54 +0000

I saw this elegant Victorian house posted for sale in MLS a couple days ago and I think I might be obsessed. Everyone admires historic downtown Parkville, Missouri with its quaint shops and restaurants, riverfront park, farmers market, historic buildings, and walkable lifestyle. It would be so fun to live in one of the older homes within walking distance of the shops, especially one as pretty as this. My favorite features of this home are the wraparound porch, high ceilings, original wood details, and the 1.45-acre lot size. I think this might be my new dream house; it is the perfect springtime house.
VIEW LISTING listed by Barb Snyder with RE/Max Results; image source MLS

Pick of the Week – Historic Landmark Home in Brookside

Sarah — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:16:51 +0000

This home for sale, listed by Karen Holcomb with Prudential, is designate as a Historic Kansas City Landmark. According to the listing, it was the second home well-known Kansas City developer, J.C. Nichols, built for his family. It sits high atop a hill with beautiful views of Brookside Boulevard below. I love the indoor and outdoor patio spaces placed strategically on the east side to take in the views, and don’t you think that the spacious foyer and living room would make a nice impression on guests? According to the listing description, “the Midwest style home is built of Native limestone. The exterior walls are 24 inch thick with 18 inch deep windowsills. Wilder & Wight were the architects who also designed the Nelson Atkins Museum.” This house has quite an impressive pedigree; I anticipate a quick sale.

Cool Retro Home Decorating Trend Returns – The Hanging Staghorn Fern

Sarah — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:03:53 +0000

I have always admired Staghorn Ferns, and since they share a likeness to antlers and can grow in the air, people have begun mounting them to boards and hanging them on the wall. It is a sort of faux-tedermy trend which first became popular in the 1970′s. Plants always make a great addition to any room, and this quirky, modern presentation will surely please the creative home designer in all of us. (Image Source: one, two, three)

Home Sales are Rising in Kansas City

Sarah — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:03:35 +0000

Year to date, local residential real estate sales are up 15% as compared with last year, and prices are also up by 2.5%. This is a big sign of improvement, and perhaps the beginning of a balanced, healthier market. For the past few years, it has been a clear buyers’ market. By weighing these numbers against the amount of inventory currently on the market, it is clear to see that the market is more balanced than it has been in a long time. It is good to finally have some positive news to share in our local real estate community.

March is the Month for New Real Estate Listings – The Spring Market in Kansas City

Sarah — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:41:34 +0000

Sales data over the last five years indicates that March is the month with the most new listings coming on the market. April is a close second. This is good news as there is considerable pent up demand for quality homes for sale. Buyers are waiting and watching the market, and, in my office alone, we had six new listings last week that received multiple offers. We haven’t seen an uptick in multiple offer situations in years, and it illustrates the need and desire for good real estate product.

The chart below shows the number of new listings in 2011, sorted by month. You will see that March had the highest number of new listings. Let’s hope 2012 is no different – my clients need good homes!

Marvelous Prairie Style Home in Kansas City

Sarah — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:19:34 +0000

While researching the history of my new listing located on Washington Street in Kansas City, Missouri, I found this photograph of a home on a different Washington Street in Kansas City, Kansas and just about jumped out of my seat. I adore the incredible Prairie Style architecture, the use of native limestone, and the sprawling ranch style layout. According to the KC Library Missouri Valley Special Collections website, this was the home of Jesse Hoel, built in 1916, and it is located at 2108 Washington, Kansas City, KS. You can bet I will be taking a driving tour of this neighborhood (Westheight Manor) soon to see this incredible home in person.

image source