A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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Not only is it the Friday, but it is Leap Day, and the Year of the Rat. Aren’t we lucky to have an extra day this year? I hope you are making the best of it…

Anyway, I just wanted to leave you a an event for the weekend… I am holding an open house in Prairie Village this Sunday from 1-3pm. The house is a $235,000, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 car garage Cape Cod home. It has elegant decor, many updates and it is very clean and comfortable. Plus, it has the perfect sized fenced yard with a nice newer deck and an inviting screened in porch. If you haven’t heard - screened-in porches are THE thing to have. I have a screened porch at my house that we call Club Snodgrass… It’s the happening spot on my block from late March-November. It closes for the Winter though. More on Club Snodgrass later.
Here are some photos of the open house:

This house just came on the market in Kansas City, MO, in the Ward Parkway/State Line corridor. It is for sale for $399,000. It has such a nice, bright livable feeling to it. They have added on to the original structure in the most impressive way. There is this gorgeous hearth-room off the kitchen area which really opens everything up and is so comfy and pretty. Also, there is a great master suite upstairs which must also be part of the addition. It just flows into the house flawlessly and adds such great modern conveniences such as the open kitchen/dining/living area (but still has formal dining and formal living rooms), and upstairs they added washer/dryer, large master bath and closet. Fantastic home.

Below: kitchen, hearth room

There was an article in the Star last weekend about 2007 area home sale prices measured by zip code. Check out this cool map which accompanies it. The article paints a very bleak picture of our real estate activity. But, looking closer, you can see that while some areas are very hard-hit, there are areas are actually doing very well. The area where I live and work - Brookside and Plaza’s prices are up, and actually the whole State Line corridor faired well - most prices were up. Glancing at the map, it looks to me like the areas that had large declines were eastern and southern Kansas City, Independence, areas of Wyandotte County, and areas up north. Resale did better than new home construction which is badly suffering in all areas. While real estate is receiving bad press nationally and locally, it remains a good long-term investment. Just make sure you buy smart, and  know what kind of loan you are getting yourself into. Overall it might be another slow year for KC as a whole - but you really have to narrow it down to specific areas and neighborhoods to really get the best information.

This home for sale is the pick of the week for a couple of reasons. First, the location is fabulous. I love the area right in there behind the Kansas City Art Institute, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. This home is just a nice short stroll to all three. Or, for a short time- you can also walk to the Wild Oats Market at 43rd and Main (rumored to be relocating and expanding within the next three years - I hear talk of 51st and Main and/or Downtown). And you really aren’t too far to walk to the Plaza either, though many probably wouldn’t unless it is a gorgeous day and you were wearing your favorite trainers.  My second reason for choosing to highlight this home is the historical details and charm of this house. Sure, it doesn’t have a brand new granite kitchen, and there is some serious painting to do - but this house has so much to offer in the details. It has a large amount of living space, beautiful woodwork, stately architecture and a pretty lot. Plus, the bathrooms are probably the coolest vintage baths I have seen - all white/grey marble on the walls and floor, very cool vintage pedestal sinks, and the baths have these intricate old  shower heads that are huge - very reminiscent of the rain shower fixtures we see on the shelves today - and I think they might have been made of copper as they have a slight patina but that’s just a guess. One other detail that excited me were the unusual doorknobs. Typically in older homes I see the ones that look like cut crystal or carved metal - but these were like little crystal balls. They are really special.

For more information about this house - feel free to contact me!

The Kansas City Star reported recently in an article titled 21 Buildings on Quality Hill are Sold that we will soon be seeing yet another condo development in downtown KC. A developer has purchased 21 buildings that make up the Quality Hill apartments which stretches from about Broadway to Jefferson - 9th to 12th Streets, and it planning to renovate them and convert to condos in several phases. While the condo market is a bit over-saturated, I do think these might have success because they are different from all the warehouse/loft type condos. It is something unique, and the area feels more residential on that side of Broadway which I think has a certain appeal to us Midwesterners.

I saw a beautiful, historic home for sale in Brookside today. It was built in 1910, so it must have been one of the first in the area. It is a gorgeous stone and stucco two-story with a big front porch, a tremendous stone fireplace, and pristine wood trim and beamed ceilings. It is near green space, shops, and the Trolley Track Trail. Feel free to contact me for more info.

I’m holding an open house this Sunday, Feb 10, from 1-3pm, at 4525 w. 74th Place, Prairie Village, Kansas (map). Please stop in for a visit. It is a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house in a fantastic Prairie Village location close to the shops and very centrally located. I really think this is one of the best in that price range - it is well taken care of, updated and stylish, and it has a great finished basement. Plus, it is on a pretty street with a nice size yard. VIEW LISTING DETAILS. See you there!

There is an incredible home FOR SALE located at 4425 Terrace Street in the Westport/West Plaza area (photo above). It was built in 1938, designed by the notable Kansas City architect Philip T. Drotts, and is a great example of an International Style home in Kansas City. It was commissioned by a local cement contractor Emil Rohrer, which may explain why it was all built using concrete block construction. More common for the times and the neighborhood was more of a shirtwaist or craftsman style home - this stucco and concrete home really stands out with its flat roof, balconies and glass block among homes with wood siding, gables, and pitched roofs.

According to Wikipedia, the International Style of Architecture was a major style of the 1920s and 1930s. The general characteristics of the International Style were that of “a radical simplification of form, a rejection of ornament, and adoption of glass, steel and concrete as preferred materials”. This movement also took place in Western Europe and is associated to the Dutch de Stijl movement and the German Bauhaus movement. I found a Flickr Group called International Style Architecture which has some great photos - check it out.

This is an adorable bungalow just a stones throw from the shops at Brookside. It’s far enough away that it isn’t noisy, but close enough so you could walk over to the grocery, bars or out to dinner in just a quick minute’s walk. It is also very close to the Trolley Track Trail if you like walking, jogging or biking (dog friendly). It has a big 800 square foot garage (workshop space with garage) - so it is perfect for a hobbyist. I know my husband would love to have that kind of space to trash with his tools and man-stuff. Or, it would also make a great place for a band to practice. Anyway, it is a bungalow so it isn’t huge, but it is very cozy and charming. It has a remodeled/expanded kitchen, and a very cozy living room with a nice fireplace. Feel free to contact me for more info!

Powell Gardens is hosting a Garden Symposium at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art on February 22, 23. I received a brochure for it, and as someone who enjoys gardening, it looks very interesting. There are a couple of sessions on Friday the 22nd, but the bulk of the sessions are on the 23rd and they actually look more interesting because they seem a bit more practical - things I can actually learn ideas and tips from which I might be able to use someday (like tips on plant combinations and about hardy plants), though I am very intrigued by Friday’s class on forming and shaping trees into a living chair sculpture which sounds very cool.

Contact Powell Gardens for registration information and more details.

I want to live in this house. It looks so open and spacious - with clean lines and it has so much sunlight. Plus, the location is very pretty and it isn’t too far from the city at about 110th and Mission Road. This home is for sale for $500,000. Feel free to contact me for more information or for a showing. Here are some photos: