A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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The annual 2007 Fall Homes Tour sponsored by the Historic Kansas City Foundation is this Saturday, September 29, 2007, from 10am-5pm. Tour-goers are invited to “discover the eclectic mid-century charm of Old Briarcliff”. This should be a very interesting tour - a bit further out - both in terms of area and idea. This is only my second year as a volunteer, but I can imagine that most of the tours have taken place south of the river in more obvious places such as Hyde Park, Roanoke, Northeast, etc…

I’ve had the opportunity to travel through this neighborhood in my hunt for the perfect house for a buyer-client, and it is really a gem. Trees, hills, windy streets. As a Realtor, I also like it for its affordable housing and diverse architectural styles.

If you enjoy seeing interesting homes, and believe in supporting an organization who works to preserve the historic integrity of Kansas City, then please visit the tour this Saturday. Tickets are $10-12 each.

This week’s pick is Briarcliff, the beautiful neighborhood just north of downtown on 169. This is a place where you can find homes with the charm of Brookside, the modern comforts of Prairie Village, or the luxury of Leawood. All this, plus a pretty setting with hills and trees.

Find new homes, old homes, condos, and an upscale shopping center - just minutes from downtown.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of viewing a very unique home for sale in Kansas City, KS. It is a converted firehouse/ jailhouse/ bank/ city building. Walking through, we saw many remnants of its past usage, including the firetruck garage, a fire hose used as the railing on the stairs, lots of old photos, and two closets that used to be a jail cell and a bank vault. I think I’d be a little nervous to be in that walk-in closet with the steel-bar jail door still intact - I guess you’d really have to trust your roommate! This place is huge - the entire upper level was used as their home; it felt extremely spacious, and I loved the high ceilings and large windows. The scale of the rooms was incredible.

Evidently the sellers are antique dealers, and they have made good use of the first floor for their business. It’s an excellent space for someone who runs a similar business or perhaps an artist, because the old firetruck garage would make an excellent studio or warehouse space.

Contact me for a showing!

Tony sure calls it like he sees it. I enjoyed reading this post from one of our most prolific KC bloggers.

The Parade of Homes started yesterday September 16, and will continue until Sunday, September 30. See the latest in new home construction, new condo construction, and visit the new home communities. There are homes to tour all over the metro area, with a whopping 644 homes on the tour!

I’m not too sad about this. I don’t live in the neighborhood, so it didn’t matter to me how high it was or anything like that. It’s just that there are so many condos for sale right now from the river market to brookside, that it was just one more project in a flooded market. I think they are wise to hold off until things level off a bit.

My favorite local KC food blog, Noodletown, gives love to one of our historic downtown neighborhoods, Columbus Park. There are a few listings for sale there right now… here are a some to browse! There are a couple details to be aware of about the neighborhood though… there is some a subsidized housing development, Guinotte Manor, nearby on the east side of the neighborhood which could affect values. Also, the mysterious construction planned for widening the lanes over the nearby Paseo Bridge could potentially swallow up some land in Columbus Park, or not. I wouldn’t be buying on the southeast side though, just in case.

I’m giving away two free tickets to one of my favorite annual events - the Historic Kansas City Foundation’s Fall Homes Tour. This year’s tour highlights the mid-century charm of Old Briarcliff. This neighborhood is architecturally diverse with historically-based designs as well as modern styles. More details about the tour can be found on the foundation’s website.

In addition to the tour tickets, the winner will also receive a gift certificate good for $30 at a Briarcliff shop. To enter the drawing, simply fill out this entry form. Deadline for entries is 11pm Monday, September 25th. Good Luck!

This week’s pick is the cutest, most adorable little house in the westside neighbhorhood (the neighborhood just west of downtown where the Bluebird Cafe is located). It’s a two story, wood Victorian that has been restored with great attention to detail. It has a great little side yard, and pergola patio in back, which can be a rarity in this area where some homes are just arms length from each other.
With the increasing trend toward downtown living, Westside continues to grow and values are increasing here steadily. And with the announcement of the new Cresta Bella project, property values should continue their climb. Even with all the new developments, the neighborhood has been able to retain it’s individual, funky bohemian personality. Let’s hope it’s here to stay!

Contact me for more information or for a private showing of this listing.

There are three Kansas City fashion related events that have recently caught my eye. I missed my opportunity to view the documentary, Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time when it was playing at the Screenland earlier this year, so I’ll probably go out on Friday night to catch it. Also, Sunday’s lecture on the Garment District sounds fascinating. As a transplant from Kentucky, I love to learn more about the history of my adopted city, plus it makes me feel knowledgeable when I take out clients who are new to the city. Anyhow, here are the events:

Tuesday, September 11, 7:00 p.m. Join Terrace O’Malley, the writer/director of Nelly Don: a Stitch in Time, for a free presentation regarding Kansas City dress manufacturer and entrepreneur Nell Donnelly Reed. This event is hosted by the YWCA of greater Kansas City and is held at the YWCA Auditorium in the main branch of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library.

Friday, September 14, 5:30. Be at the 6th Street Art Gallery for the opening reception of Uber Chic, and catch a glimpse of Kansas City’s cutting edge fashion designs. Local designers and photographers from the annual West 18th Street Fashion Show will be on hand to discuss the current fashion scene in Kansas City. A free screening of Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time will follow the art opening at 7pm.

Sunday, September 16, at 2pm. Ann Brownfield leads an illustrated talk about Kansas City’s historic Garment District. This presentation includes photographs of sewing and cutting rooms as well as a display of vintage clothes manufactured in Kansas City.

Lots going on in KC this fine weekend. Here’s some stuff to choose from:

• Royals vs. Yankees
• First Fridays
• WaterFire
• Crossroads Music Fest
• Urban Mining
• Sunday Open Houses

My favorite loan officer, Nathan Steele with Pulaski, sent me an email yesterday to let me know that rates had fallen to a very low 6.250% with NO POINTS- 30yr Fixed Rate Mortgage with 10% or More Down. $417,000 Max Loan Amount. Wow, if you are on the fence about buying - this should help your decision. I just bought something in July and the rate then was about 6.725%. That’s a big drop. So, buy, buy, buy!