A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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The book, Kansas City Then & Now, is a fascinating collection of historical photographs of Kansas City dating back to the 1860s. The book sets these historical images next to that of the same scene in the year 2000. According to the author, “this book aims to evoke the world of the past and set it in today’s context.”

I have this book myself, and I seem to never tire of it. Every time I pick it up I seem to see something different, even if I have viewed the photo before. I love to look at the photos of downtown Kansas City and try to figure out where it is and what direction it’s facing. Also, there is a striking image of a Brookside intersection that looks so barren - like freshly cleared farmland! It’s hard to imagine my neighborhood before these homes were built.

This is a great coffee table book - it has an attractive cover, and one can sit and flip through the photographs without having to read too much text. It’s an excellent conversation starter.

You can learn more about this book or buy it HERE.

This is a gorgeous restored home in Hyde Park. Every single room awed me. I admit, some had to do with their decorating and furniture, but the wood, the colors, the fixtures are simply fantastic. The bathroom fixtures were so cute - so true to the age, but new and very creative. There’s a little sitting porch upstairs too - and lots of space in the third floor for storage or maybe a studio. This is a perfect restoration with a very modern feel. VIEW LISTING HERE.

Some helpful hints and suggestions for increasing your home’s value. Some are super easy and cheap, like painting your kitchen cabinets to freshen them up, others are somewhat pricey, but good advice overall. READ IT HERE.

Realtor.org has a great guide on their site for learning about all the different architectural styles for residential homes. It’s got great illustrations and if you click on a style, it takes you to a photo of a great example of the style which I found very cool. The photo below is of a Queen Anne style home. CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE

Found this article on CNN.com regarding what home design trends will turn buyers on & off. No real big surprises, but those of you with those bowl sinks might want to rethink it… Here’s the ARTICLE.

I’m going to come clean. This is my listing so I am biased and I want it to sell. It’s a cute, cute, cute house in Brookside that is in excellent condition. It’s a 3 bedroom cape cod with a great little fenced yard, a sunroom, a patio, an attached garage with entry into the house (some older homes don’t have this). It’s got a great living and dining room, tons of storage with lots of closets and a big/dry basement. PLUS, if you buy it, you’ll have me as a neighbor because I live on the same street! The kitchen is big and it has updated appliances, but you might want to update or paint the cabinets if you’re picky. The bedrooms are all good sized, especially the large master.

I’ll stop there. If you want to see this house, email me. If you want to view the photos and details online, CLICK HERE.

This week a couple of our local government leaders were indicted by the Feds for mortgage fraud. This is illegal. It’s not a good thing to do, so don’t do it. Read about the cases here.