A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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There’s another new magazine on the horizon for KC, this one with a green tint. Named Greenability Magazine, this magazine is all about employing a green lifestyle in KC. There’s sure to be lots of tips about things you can do around your home to help make your environmental footprint a bit smaller. Looks like you can get the first issue for free on their website.

Had the opportunity to cruise up to Parkville this week to check out a big home in Riss Lake. It was pretty predictable - large, newer, pretty, vaulted ceilings, finished basement with tons of room for kids and parties, big kitchen, big master, the works… As of today, there are 51 homes for sale in Riss Lake with prices ranging from $269,000-$1,290,000. Pretty big range there! It’s such a pretty subdivision - with rolling hills, lots of trees, and a lake (Riss Lake). If you haven’t made the drive to Parkville, it’s super close to downtown KC. Just over the river and to the northwest just a little bit. There’s a great little downtown commerce area with shops and restaurants, and even a brewery. The Missouri River runs along the downtown area, and there is a great park with walking trails and place for farmer’s market and festivals. Seems like a good community to buy into, plus values and development are increasing in the northland.

The Kansas City Explorers are our local professional tennis team, part of the World Tennis Team (WTT) league. Me, I’ve never been too much into tennis or seen a professional match before, but last weekend I had the opportunity to attend an Explorers match versus the Houston Wranglers. The venue is incredible. It’s smack in the middle of our downtown in Barney Allis Plaza with great views all around. I highly recommend the setting - it was so cool and it makes for a great local experience. Plus, they do a great job with announcing and music to get the crowd involved. There’s a MAX bus-stop across the street, or easily accessible paid parking.

This afternoon, I went on an adventure to Front Street just north of downtown. There are two retail gems tucked away down there- the Sears Appliance Outlet and Habitat ReStore. The Sears Appliance Outlet has mostly scratch and dent items that are discounted, and sometimes you can hardly even find the flaws! They had many items that were high-end - you can find stoves, washer, dryers, lawnmowers, refrigerators, television sets, dishwashers and the like. The Habitat ReStore is part of the Habitat for Humanity organization, and it’s a place to find quality used and surplus building materials. You can find doors, windows, sinks, toilets, paint, tile, electric and plumbing stuff… everything! We were assured that inventory changed on a daily and pretty much hourly basis, so keep checking if you are looking for something special. Proceeds benefit local Habitat for Humanity projects. I think all the items have been donated, and the prices are great.

Also known as bungalow, cottage, craftsman cottage, craftsman bungalow. Many of the bungalows that are seen in the Kansas City area are American Craftsman Bungalows. There are many different types of bungalows across the country and even in Kansas City, but this type is most prevalent. Here are some general characteristics according to American Bungalow Magazine Website:

• Street-Facing gables with composition or shingled roofs
• Painted or stained brown or dark green (to merge with nature)
• Wide overhanging eaves
• The sleeping porch
• Front Door opens directly into the living room
• Dark wood paneling
• Plastered ceiling (sometimes crossed geometrically with wooden beams)
• Always a fireplace
• Casement windows
• Arched opening flanked with bookcases separates living room/dining room
• Bedrooms with woodwork painted a light color
• Kitchen built-ins

The American Craftsman Style of architecture occurred from about 1900-1930.

Here’s an example of a home for sale that is an American Craftsman Style Bungalow. You’ll notice the overhanging eaves, the street facing gables, the built-ins on either side of the fireplace, the prominent fireplace in the living room, the dark trim.

This house in Prairie Village is one version of my dream house. It’s a great contemporary ranch layout, and the inside has been totally remodeled with great materials, colors and use of space. It’s on a very pretty lot in a lovely neighborhood. Someone please buy it for me!

I went to visit three of the new condo projects on the Country Club Plaza today. Each were very different architecturally, and the prices span from $99,000 to over $1.5 mil. The three visited were: 4646 Broadway, the Ellington, and Wornall Park.

First stop was 4646 Broadway and boy did this knock my socks off. It was my personal favorite from the day because of the design aesthetic. It’s a new 12 story modern glass and concrete building on the north side of the Plaza with prices ranging from $599,500-$1,974,500. This building is very stylish and luxurious, and includes a covered private parking garage, concierge services, rooftop deck, storage space, and great views. The units are very spacious and bright with high ceilings and and open layout, each with its own private balcony.

The second project visited was the art deco inspired Ellington Condos. These are remodeled post-WWII apartment buildings also on the north side of the Plaza. Since these were originally built in the first half of the 20th century, the layout and sizes are smaller than today’s standards, but they are still nice and would be great for a first-time buyer, or single people. There are studios, one and two bedroom. Some of them have balconies. Prices range from $99,000-$184,900

The third project, and most interesting, was Wornall Park. The architectural inspiration came from the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and it is designed in the prairie architecture style. All the wood work in this building is real wood - no particle board here! The cabinets were custom handmade by the Amish. The attention to detail in this project is phenomenal. Each unit has a huge balcony. The prices for these condos start in the $600’s and go to the upper 1 millions. I really liked this project - personally I prefer a more modern touch, but this is a fantastic project and worth the money.