Contact Sharon Sigman RE/MAX with any questions or comments.913-488-8300 is best number. Let me know about any special events coming up soon.

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They were created by a generation of modern architects, many who fled the rise of Nazi Germany,  One of them was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who headed the department of architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and who later started the Second School of Chicago.

With World War II came experimental technology and materials like steel and plywood, which were implemented for construction after the war. John Entenza, began The Case Study House Program in 1945 and created prototypes for postwar homes that become iconic.

The birth of mid century modern followed the war according to Sian Winship, president of the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. “The homes had open floor plans and large sliding-glass doors which encouraged people to be more “outdoorsy” and healthier. In a traditional home, the window height is 4 to 5 ft, and most children cannot see outside. With these walls of glass children became more engaged and their senses more stimulated.

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who helped train mid century modern architects such as Richard Neutra and Rudolph Schindler, was a huge influence. Kansas City has its share.
Mid century modernism is being more appreciated today than in decades. Many buyers are looking for homes that were either built mid modern or have been rehabbed to look mid century modern.

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The New Year is a great time to make some positive changes in your financial life. While Americans are good at creating resolutions, we often find them difficult to keep. We resolve to lose weight, save money or end bad habits, but few of us stick with those plans for long.

If your goal is to be financially independent, and it should be, you need to make some changes in 2014 that you’ll stick with for the rest of your life. Here are a few suggestions for small resolutions that can have a significant impact on your financial future:

*Spend less than you earn. If you take home $1,000 per week, you cannot spend more than $1,000 per week. That seems simple, but a survey released by Bankrate.com in 2013 found 76 percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Resolve to live on a budget that’s below your means. You will never be able to out-earn your capacity to spend, so get your spending under control this year.

*Credit cards are a last resort. Spending less than you earn will cause your savings to grow. The savings account will be there when the car breaks down or the washing machine goes out, so you don’t have to turn to credit to handle the emergency. Most Americans are not prepared financially for any type of unexpected financial burden. Your goal should be to have three to six months of living expenses set aside in a liquid account for emergencies.

*Invest for financial independence. This is not the same as saving for retirement. The goal here is to get to the point financially where you no longer have to work to support yourself. Set aside some of the money you’ve worked for today. Allow it to accumulate and grow so one day that money will be working for you. Start by controlling spending so you have money to save and invest. Continue the process until the return on your investments exceeds what you earn by working. Financial independence gives you the freedom to choose to continue working, change jobs, work part-time or not at all. It is the ultimate financial goal.

*Pay less in taxes. Anyone looking for a place to cut expenses might start with their own tax return. Too many Americans pay more taxes than they should. Take advantage of tax retirement accounts through work and health savings accounts, if they’re offered. There are tax credits available for children, higher education, dependent care and retirement savings. Many of these credits go unclaimed each year. Resolve to minimize your income taxes this year and put the savings into your new financial plan.

*Make a plan. Baseball great Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you wind up someplace else.” This is especially true if you want to be financially independent. You need a short-term financial plan for controlling spending — a budget. You also need a long-term plan that establishes the level of savings you maintain, a plan to get out of debt and an investment plan that will take you to financial independence. The plan becomes your road map. There will be detours along the way; your goals and plan will need adjusting as you progress in life. Keep working at it. Don’t be distracted by outside influences you can’t control. You don’t want to get to the end of your working career only to find you haven’t saved enough to maintain your lifestyle and you still have a mortgage on your home.

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, said “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” Financial independence may seem like a thousand miles now, but start the journey in 2014 is taking the first step.

Resolve to save something from every paycheck this year. Keep increasing it until you are saving at least 10 percent of your pay.

Take the first step in 2014.

Written by Rick Rodgers
http://www3.realtytimes.com/c/sharonsigman

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Many homeowners are confused about which projects will provide the most return on investment as they prepare their homes for the market.

The 2014 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, co-sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Remodeling magazine, outlines the costs and resale returns on the most popular home improvement projects.

Realtors know which home features are important to buyers in their area. Projects such as a new entry door, siding and window replacements can recoup homeowners more than 78 percent of costs upon resale.

So why remodel anything if it’s not going to give you back 100%? It’s because the first impression a homebuyer gets is priceless. You want the buyer to choose your home, and quit looking for something better.

If the buyer doesn’t like what he sees, you won’t get another chance to make any kind of impression.

So which home improvement projects will net the most return?

Eight of the top 10 most cost-effective projects are exterior projects.

Replacing your front door with a steel entry will cost $1,100 on average, but you’ll get nearly 97% of what you spent back in your pocket.

The second most popular improvement is a wood deck addition, which will return over 87 percent of costs, similar to the return on fiber-cement siding. Vinyl siding returns a little over 78 percent of costs.

A midrange garage door replacement returns nearly 84 percent while an upscale garage door replacement offers 82.9 percent of costs recouped. Wood window replacements recoup over 79% of costs and vinyl windows return nearly as much.

Rounding the top 10 projects are an attic bedroom and minor kitchen remodel. These are important too, but you’ve got to pique buyers’ interest first.

The good news is that the return for all projects is higher in the last two years. To find out what the best return on home improvements is in your area, talk with your REALTOR.

Written by Blanche Evans
http://www3.realtytimes.com/c/sharonsigman

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It’s official—you really are selling your home and moving away!

As anybody who has ever sold a home knows quite well, it takes a lot more than sticking a For Sale sign in the front yard and hoping that potential buyers will love it as much as you did. In order to get the best price for your home and pique the interest (and bidding power) of buyers, you need to take some time to stage your home so that it looks and smells—yes, smells—terrific, inviting, and worth every dollar of your asking price.

The following four tips can help home sellers effectively and attractively stage their home:

* Consider new window treatments

Take a look at the various window coverings in your home and ask yourself if they look new, clean, and in excellent condition. If the answer to any of these questions is an honest “no,” then consider getting some new window treatments. Home window treatments are available in a variety of textures and colors, and can make a huge difference in the quality of light that enters a room.

* Upgrade your tile with paint

As HGTV notes, bathrooms have been known to help sell a home, but old and shabby tile will definitely steer potential buyers away faster than you can say “avocado and almond tile.” Because replacing tile can be on the costly side, sellers can repaint them. After coating the tiles with a primer (be sure you purchase one that is marked “high adhesion”), paint the tiles with a ceramic epoxy coating. This relatively easy and low-cost job can really help update the look of the bathroom without having to spend a ton of money on new tile.

* Tone down an old fireplace

Sure, that brick fireplace in the living or family room looks great during the holidays when it’s festooned with stockings and the various trimmings of the season, but the rest of the year it really doesn’t do much for the look of the room. To lessen its visual impact, try adding a thin coat of paint to the bricks. In order to avoid the mortar, you do have to paint one brick at a time, which can be time-consuming. But the pay-off of painting your fireplace is well worth your patience when you have a new neutral focal point in your room. One additional tip: to make sure the fireplace blends in as much as possible, choose a color that closely matches the surrounding walls.

* Simmer some apples

Nothing will turn off home buyers faster than a musty, moldy, smoky, and/or any other type of undesirable smell. Even the cleanest home can often benefit from the addition of a nice aroma. Shortly before your open house, place some sliced apples and cinnamon sticks in a sauce pan on the stove, and let them simmer. The delicious smell will be sure to tempt potential buyers to spend even more time—and hopefully money—on your home.

Written by Realty Times Staff

http://www3.realtytimes.com/

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You could make all these drastic changes – go “cold turkey” eco – or you could make these nine small changes that make a big eco-friendly difference.

* Being eco – friendly will not only lower your carbon footprint and allow you to do your part for the environment, but it can also pay you back financially, said Better Homes and Gardens in their “10 no- or low – cost ways to lessen your impact on the planet, create a healthier house and garden, and even fatten your wallet.”

Start with your light bulbs. “Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy — and money,” said BHG. “Unlike incandescents, CFLs convert most of the energy they use into light rather than heat.”

That translates to less cost over the life of the bulb – a savings Better Homes and Gardens says can be $83 for one 75-watt incandescent bulb swapped out for a 25-watt CFL. That’s big when you consider that Energy.gov says energy for lighting accounts for about 10% of the average family’s electric bill.

* That gorgeous French door refrigerator you’ve had your eye on? Here’s another great reason to buy it: It could actually save you money! Older appliances can be energy suckers. Check EnergyStar.gov and take their test to see how much energy you could be saving by upgrading your fridge.

According to Energy Star, “a household with Energy Star products uses about 30% less energy than the average household — an annual savings of about $570.”

* Do a home audit. A home audit can give you a close-up look at your home’s energy usage and identify areas that could be more efficient. But Fox Business estimates an audit would cost between $300 and $500. If you’re just trying to shave a few bucks off your electric bill in the summertime, it might make sense to go another route, like a self-audit of the most likely suspects. (Energy.gov recommends starting by making “a list of obvious air leaks (drafts),” because the “potential energy savings from reducing drafts in a home may range from 5% to 30% per year.”)

But if you’re about to spend $15,000 on new windows, a few hundred bucks of before-hand checks won’t hurt.

* Talk about simple. Improving your eco-friendliness and removing toxic substances from your house is as easy as buying a spray bottle and a bottle of vinegar. If you really want to get crazy, get a couple of lemons and some olive oil, too.

“As many as a third of Americans have an adverse reaction to common household chemicals. Safer products can save you money, too,” said Martha Stewart. “While furniture polish will set you back about $4, cleaning with 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar and a few drops of olive oil costs mere cents.

* Switch to showers. A typical bath takes 30 to 70 gallons of water, while the average eight-minute shower uses only 17 gallons, said Stewart. If you just can’t bear to can’t give up your weekly soak, installing low-flow shower heads and toilets will help offset the greater water usage.

* Recycle your water. It’s far easier (and way less disgusting) than it sounds. “For many areas of the United States, rainwater harvesting systems could probably provide at least 50% of our water needs, saving the huge amounts of energy required to process the water and transport it to the home,” said Live Green. All you need is a 50-80 gallon rain barrels that you can connect to your downspout, and rainwater collected can be used for gardening.

* Recycle…your clothes. We all know about recycling paper, plastic, and glass. But what about clothes? Donating your unused clothes has an impact on the environment, and on the individuals who receive your items.”

“By some estimates, for every item of clothing donated, 27 pounds of carbon emissions are reduced based on the fact that you don’t have another item being produced while one is headed to the landfill,” said Real Simple. You can donate to a local charity or list your items on Freecycle.org.

* Hold on to that holey pair of sweats or the t-shirt you never got rid of from your college ex and turn it into a rag to clean with. “13 billion pounds of paper towels are used in the U.S. every year. If all Americans used one less paper towel a day, 571,230,000 pounds of paper would be spared over the course of the year,” said Earth 911.

* Go Meatless on Mondays, says RealSimple.com. Think you can handle a day a week living like a vegetarian? “Raising livestock produces a large amount of greenhouse gases, so cutting back, even one night per week, makes a big difference.

How big a difference? “Adding one meat-free meal per week (for a family of four) has the same impact as driving a hybrid car,” they said.

Written by Jaymi Naciri

http://www3.realtytimes.com/

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2. Lawns that were planted this past fall will require watering during dry periods when the land is not frozen.

3. Unfinished dormant seeding in December can be done in January. First hand scrape or verti-cut areas to be planted.

4. Keeping gathering or cutting down leaves to prevent pile up of leaves. Leaves can smother grass.

5. Keep away from spring rush. Have your lawn mower boosted now.

6. Houseplants valued being watered with warm tap water for this time of the year.

7. Fertilize houseplants every other month in the winter.

8. To boost the humidity around houseplants that require it, place the pot on tray packed with marbles or decorative rock and water. Make sure that the drain holes of the pot don’t touch the water.

9. Check all indoor plants for insects every now and then. Watch the top and underside of the leaves and the soil surface. If insects are observed, Insecticidal Soap sprays manage most insect pests.

10. Houseplant leaves should wash the dust off every month. Situate your plants in the shower and try to wash them off using warm water.

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Looking Back

Kansas City is experiencing renewed market conditions with an average sale price increase of 8.7% increase comparing through third quarter of 2012. Residential total sales level (new and existing homes) represent a 9.5% increase through third quarter of 2012. The monthly supply of homes of 4.7 months represents a buyer’s market for combined new and existing homes. Unemployment rates have declined from 6.8% to 6.6%.

Markets priced below $250000 show decreased average sale price of 1.3% (3rd quarter 2012-$116282 and 3rd quarter 2013-$114247). Real estate markets from $250,000 to $500,000 have increased average sale price of less than 1% (3rd quarter 2012-$334743 and 3rd quarter 2013-$336275) and sales activity has increased by 22% for the same period. The markets above $500,000 had increasing sales activity of 25% along with an increasing sale price of less than 1% (3rd quarter 2012-$732444 and 3rd quarter 2013-$735702). New construction sales activity increased 14% and average sales price increased 8% (3rd quarter 2012-$318458 and 3rd quarter 2013-$345880).

The historically low mortgage rate, have created a favorable buying environment for those with a job and good credit. Consumer confidence and job security are gradually increasing but remain cautious.

STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT Today One year ago Change
Unemployment (KCSMSA) 6.6 6.8 – 0.03%
Months of Supply 4.7 6.4 -27.0%
3rd Quarter Sales Volume 21678 19600 +9.5%
Average Sales Price $182600 $166700 +8.7%
Average Days on Market 143 163 -0.12%
MARKET AT A GLANCE
Economic Climate Average-Improving
New Construction Low-Increasing
REO Activity Average-Improving
Supply Improving
Demand Improving
Market Direction Improving
Market Mood Improving
Looking Forward

It is appears the Kansas City real estate is still a buyer market. The low prices are still attracting more buyers and this includes investors. The key ingredient to this market recovery will be job growth. Metro Kansas City is a diversified economy including trade, transportation, utilities, education, communication, government and health services.

By: Richard Cunningham

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