A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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I love this house. Check it out…

Each time my husband and I need to head out for an evening of revelry, we take the most stylish form of transportation that KC has to offer. It’s comfortable, fast, sometimes entertaining, efficient, environmentally friendly, and extremely affordable. We generally prefer the route and the speed of the MAX city bus, which stops in Waldo, Brookside, Plaza, Museums, Crown Center, Crossroads, Downtown, and the River Market. The MAX buses are great - they’re new and clean, and the bus has the capability to control traffic lights so you’ll hardly ever be stuck at the red light, and it doesn’t make those slow local stops. You can find routes and time schedules online at www.kcata.org. Happy Riding!

There’s been some buzz recently about the announcement of a new charter school opening in our revitalized downtown KC. The downtown council endorsed the plan which they hope will encourage our young professionals to stay downtown as they start families, instead of escaping to the burbs. I’m all for it - I hope it’s a huge success.

Recently i have had the pleasure of seeing 2 very cool downtown properties. I liked them both so much, that I decided to write about them both instead of just one like usual. They are townhomes which means they have their own off-street entrance, as well as garages. I love these properties, and I think they are very practical and I love the way they offer more privacy - more like a house rather than an apartment.
My favorite townhome is in Columbus Park - in the River Market area. I love this area and if I weren’t already a homeowner in Brookside, I would want it. I love the River Market area - my favorite place to shop, the River Market Antique Mall, is there, plus you can buy your produce at the City Market, I could walk to my favorite honky tonk Harry’s Country Club, buy my cupcakes, visit a flower shop, drink coffee, and eat breakfast at Succotash every day… all within walking distance! Plus, you can hop on the riverfront trail for biking or jogging to work off the Babycakes and beer. And I can’t fail to mention my favorite form of transportation has a stop - the MAX bus. It’s just a very neighborly and fun area.
The other is a great townhome at Gillham Row. I love this area too - Dutch Hill, Martini Corner, Union Hill - very convenient. This is an “end unit” so it has outstanding views of downtown and lots of windows and natural light.

Came across this little story on CNN.com about how long certain parts of a home will last. It is very helpful to know the lifespan of appliances and home features, especially when you are a prospective buyer. You’ll really need to know if you are going to have to spend $5,000 on a new roof in two years, if it’s at the end of it’s life. Or you might want to buy a home warranty if you know that the dishwasher, furnace, a/c and stove are on their last legs..

An “open house” is when a Realtor will go to a house that is for sale and let the general public view the home without an appointment. In our city, these generally happen from 1-4 on Sundays. Many of my clients have asked for advice on how these work and what they should or should not do when visiting an open house. So here are some tips for open houses i wanted to share:

• Anyone can visit an open house - you don’t have to feel like you have to be ready to buy.
• Always sign in for the agent if there is a sign-in sheet.
• Feel free to talk openly with the agent. Most agents are just there to help and would be very excited if you decided to work with them when you decide to purchase or sell your home.
• If you want to visit more open houses, many times the agents will know of other homes in the area being held open. Feel free to ask them!
• Always let the agent know if you are already working with a Realtor.
• Be sure not to disrupt items in the home, and if it is inclement weather, always ask if you should remove your shoes.

View Prudential Open Houses here

I’ve heard that Urban Mining and Vintiques are both great places to find cool vintage furniture, textiles and accessories. Both of these stores are little known around town because they have an unusual operating system: they are only open on the first Friday and Saturday of every month and they spend the rest of the time gathering their wears. I like the idea of this type of operation, but it drives me crazy because I always forget to go… The next sale will be April 6, 7, and this time I will remember because I’m going to put it on my calendar. Here are the addresses:

• Urban Mining: 3924 Walnut Street, KCMO
• Vintiques: 614 W. 26th Street, KCMO

Are you a first time home buyer? If so, ask your lender about what special loan programs you might qualify for. Most every lender will have a loan product for first time home buyers, or buyers that fall under a certain income level. These income levels are pretty reasonable and worth looking into even if you think you might not qualify - you’d be surprised. One particular program I know about works like this: If you are a family of 1-2 people making less than $57,000, and you are a first time home buyer, you can qualify for a loan that gives you 3% cash assistance to help with your downpayment! They will just give you the cash! Other programs do things like give you low interest rates, and/or don’t require downpayments or only minimal downpayments. So, it’s definitely worth looking into!