A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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Thinking of selling your home and upgrading into something new, but too scared to attempt selling in the current market? I hear this sentiment more and more these days, but listen up scaredy-cats because I have a theory. My theory is that you are going to even out. In most areas it is a buyers market. A buyers market is identified when there are 6 months or more of inventory on the market, or, in other words, a market with more sellers than buyers. As a seller you may have to concede more than you hoped, but you should get a great deal when you purchase a new house. So, you lose a little on the selling side, but gain a little on the buying side. Even-steven and you’ve accomplished your goal to move to that better school district, or downsize from that big, empty house, or to ditch the house in the suburbs with the long commute for a Vespa and a condo downtown.

Chipmunks are those small adorable versions of little squirrels. I want to love them and dwell with them in harmony - but I recently found out that they can be a home owner’s worst nightmare. I hear that they can tunnel beneath your concrete and create havoc with your patios, walkways and foundation as well as dig holes, and eat your plants. And for those of you out there who think “big deal”, well be advised that concrete work ain’t cheap. They tunnel beneath it, and the result is a big crack or caving-in of your patio. And patching up concrete generally doesn’t last very long - it deteriorates much more rapidly than normal. And that isn’t all. Last year, some pesky critter was stealing all of my tomatoes just before they were ripe to pick. I was so mad! At first I thought it was an opossum, but when I bought a garden net to ward off univited guests - the next day I found a chipmunk tangled in the net. Unfortunately for the chippie, it was actually my boxer dog, Chester, who found him first… but that’s another story.

Anyway, now I have been seeing more and more chipmunks in my yard and I need to address this before my veggies get any bigger - I refuse to share my tomatoes another year! A colleague offered me a trap and she said she uses Cheerios as bait (she claims this is their favorite snack), but I always feel guilty trapping wild animals so I don’t know what I’ll do, but I did find a very entertaining forum about dealing with chipmunks if you need some advice.

I am currently in the midst of a bathroom renovation. It has been an ongoing project for about 6 months now, but we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I can actually start to imagine a day when I don’t have to shower in the basement. Ahhh! Anyway, the last step we took was to have the bathtub refinished. Our bathroom is small enough that there was nothing we could really do with regards to layout, so since the tub was going to stay in the same place and remain about the same size, I decided to look into the prospect of refinishing. Basically, the argument for refinishing is to save money, keep a perfectly good old tub out of a landfill, as well as prevent yourself from having to tear out a tub and haul it out of your house. Tubs are big and heavy so it could not only be a big job, but if you have to hire someone - it certainly isn’t going to be free.

I made some calls and did some research, and it seems like the going rate in KC is about $350 for tub refinishing. They basically just spray on a new coating that is guaranteed for 5 years, but can last up to 15+ years. Perhaps you are thinking of a big old clawfoot cast iron tub, but they can refinish any other kind of tub or sink too. The photo at left is of my bathtub newly refinished, and it is just an old ceramic tub (i think). According to Nulook Custom Finishes, they can perform the refinishing process on just about any surface, even countertops.

I’ll let you know how I like it once I actually start showering in my bathroom, or if we ever run into any problems, but I’m pretty sure it going to be great. Also, for those sellers out there with a dingy old tub or sink, I would urge you to look into this process - it can really make things look like new and we all know that is what the buyers want!

Recently a couple of my clients have tried to buy or sell a home with termites. Almost every buyer out there conducts termite inspections, and if you don’t - you should! Per our standard contracts, if active termites or past untreated infestation is found, then the seller is contractually obligated to have a pest control company treat. I don’t know what kind of chemicals they use, but I guess that works very well to eradicate them.

You can pretty much see in advance if a home is at risk for having termites - and most of the time they can be prevented. For example, if you go to the garden store and buy a truckload of mulch and pile it up next to your house, you are just inviting the termites. They love wood, and they love mulch. Also, if the mulch is touching your siding - they are just going to start eating your siding too. Also, don’t lean anything up against your house - they will just use it as a ladder to get from the ground to your delicious house.

Treatments range in price from the “value” treatment which makes me nervous for about $400 up to $1000, but I’m pretty sure you can get a good treatment for about $700-800, with a reputable company that you will feel comfortable with.

Don’t be freaked out if they find termites - it is a part of nature. Half the houses I see have been treated for termites at some point - even mine. However, if they are found, you do need to evaluate the extent of the damage. Did the just eat on the outside siding, or have they gotten into your house? The walls? The framing? I have never seen anything that bad, but I hear horror stories now and then.

The city of KCMO and Johnson County, Kansas, both have great online mapping software. I use them often to measure lot sizes, and see a visual representation of the shape of a lot. Plus, it tells you who owns the property. These mapping sites can do much more than that, like show you school districts, parks, trails, and utilities. I keep these web addressed bookmarked for when I need them because I can never seem to find them easily.

A new website is available for Kansas City area folks who are at risk for foreclosure called www.KCForeclosureHelp.org. This site is geared towards helping people find the counseling and resources they can turn to if they are in need of guidance. One very interesting thing I found here is a map of KC area foreclosures. It is really wild to see it mapped out like that, and really it makes total sense when you consider the appreciation rates and economic status of the different areas. No big surprises here, unfortunately.

Hopefully my readership is not at risk, but if you are please call for help. You may find that there is a way to keep your home and modify the details of your loan so that you can keep up with your payments.

Converting your garage or lovely screened-in porch into a dumpy looking family room is generally a bad idea. The only way I would approve it is if you are building a big detached garage and really take the time, money and energy and make the conversion a really good one that fits into the style of your house seamlessly. Also, if you decide to convert your garage into more living space and build a garage in your yard - don’t go to all the trouble unless you build at least a 2-car garage. It’s what everybody wants and you are going to be spending lots of money anyway.

To be fair, I have seen a few nice conversions, but the vast majority of them aren’t so great. I know I sound bossy, but I see so many older homes with strange, uncomfortable rooms that stick out from the rest of the house and no garage and they are very hard for sellers to sell. I’m just looking out for you! You won’t get as much money out of your house, and it might take longer to sell. Same goes for screened in porches that have been finished off. Why do this? Generally you aren’t gaining much by doing this - the room will generally remain cold in the winter and hot in the summer because of insulation and because they are usually built on a separate slab foundation. Each time I view a house with one of these situations, the buyers always say - “why would they do this” or “gosh, I sure wish they wouldn’t have done this” or “we really wanted a porch” or “we need a garage”. If you really need the extra space, then move to a different house; don’t turn your house into something it is not - you aren’t fooling the buyers out there.

Something crazy happened to me today. I went to check out a home that is being sold by a bank - it is a foreclosure which means that the original owners couldn’t pay their mortgage and the home went back to the bank. It is a very complicated subject which varies state to state, so I won’t get into all of it (if you want to learn more, this wikipedia entry is a good resource).

When I set up the appointment to see this vacant home, I was informed that all of the utilities were turned off. This is fairly typical for a foreclosure, but generally they will leave the heat on or the electricity. Not this house. It was freezing. That wasn’t the worst part though. As I walk in, I see a weird outline of a figure in the window hiding behind the shade - it’s a squirrel inside the house! I freak out and run for the door, but then I pause and think how strange it is that the squirrel hasn’t moved an inch. I look at its poor little face and realize it is a dead squirrel. So, even though I’m totally freaked out, I decide to get a quick peek at the kitchen before I leave. As I walk toward the kitchen, I see another dead squirrel on the floor of the kitchen. That’s when I turn and run for the door. This place is full of squirrels, and I’m afraid that there might also be some live ones in there!

I have discussed the perils of buying foreclosures before in a previous post “Thoughts on Foreclosures” and how difficult these banks make the process, and I just had to share this story to illustrate my point. Banks just don’t make the best sellers.

So, you want to live on a lake in the Kansas City area. Can you build a dock? Can have a boat on it? What kind of boat? Are motor boats allowed? If so, are there speed restrictions? Boat size restrictions? Recreation regulations? There is alot to learn about what lake might be best for your needs if you want to live on a lake in the metro area. I recently had a client contact me that wants to have a house with a dock, and they want to water-ski. Their boat is 22 feet long. This ruled out all local lakes except for 2 - Prairie Lee Lake, and Country Lake. Country Lake is a small, private ski lake, and Prairie Lee is a public lake, but neither have anything for sale currently. They actually could build a home with a dock on Prairie Lee Lake, but I don’t think they want to go that route. Anyway, this request for lake front property led me on a voyage of discovery and I thought it smart to chronicle my discoveries. This is just a general reference, and deemed reliable as of Jan.08, but not guaranteed. Of course there are more lakes, but I thought I’d try to keep it condensed to mainly only lakes that have homes on them.

• Lake Winnebago: Must be a resident, 20 foot boat size limit (28 for pontoons), can’t exceed 37mph
• Lake Lotawana: Must be a resident, 21 foot boat size limit, docks allowed, water-skiing allowed.
• Prairie Lee Lake: 180 acre ski lake, Public, docks allowed, 30 foot boat size limit, horsepower limit: 190 outboard, 165 inboard, I hear that there are different horsepower limits if you aren’t a resident.
• Lake Jacomo: 970 acre lake for fishing and boating. Can’t find exact info on Jackson county website - but here is what I know… They have horsepower limits. I think it is really only for sailing and fishing and leisurely slow cruises.
• Loch Lloyd Lake: Private, 110 acre lake, speed restrictions, no water-skiing, and I don’t think there are any docks. The idea is to have a very pretty, quiet, pristine lake.
• Lake Quivera: Private, docks allowed, speed restrictions.
• Lake Tapawingo: 22 foot boat size limit, docks allowed
• Raintree Lake: 240 acre lake, docks allowed, fishing, high-speed boating, docks allowed, private, Motor boat: Twenty-one (21) feet, Other boats: Eighteen (18) feet, Pontoon boat: Twenty-eight (28) feet, Sailboat: Twenty-two (22) feet, 35mph speed limit.
• Weatherby Lake: Boats can’t exceed 24ft, 2inches, boat motor can’t exceed 10 horsepower, members only, docks allowed.
• Country Lake: Private ski lake.

Last weekend I hosted a Christmas wreath-making party for my neighbors and friends, and it was so successful that I wanted to share my thoughts on it. I ordered a big batch of fresh mixed evergreen from my favorite florist, and bought the wreath forms and hardware for everyone. I asked them to bring their own items to decorate their wreath, because this is such a personal thing and a fun way for people to get creative with their wreath. It was a great way to get to know my neighbor ladies, and they all had so much fun and had something beautiful and wonderful smelling to take home.

So, one of the first questions buyers always ask me is “how long has it been for sale?”. I think they want to know because they are hoping it will tell them how desperate the seller is becoming. If I say 200 days, are they going to severely low-ball the seller? Probably. In this market, however, it is becoming less and less of a surprise when a home has been on the market for a good, long while. Here are some numbers that might help you to see how “slow” our market actually is. It differs from area to area, so I just chose a few different ones to illustrate this.

Kansas City, Missouri: Currently, there are 4,571 houses for sale (that’s just single family homes, not any of the other types of housing). There have been 7,389 homes sold in the past 12 months. This tells me that at this rate that homes are selling, it would take us 7 months to sell the 4,571 homes that are for sale.

Brookside (64113 Zip Code): Currently, there are 137 houses for sale (that’s just single family homes, not any of the other types of housing). There have been 288 homes sold in the past 12 months. This tells me that at this rate that homes are selling, it would take us about 5 months to sell the 137 homes that are for sale. This is a healthy rate.

Condos in Kansas City, Missouri (from the River south to about 75th St): Currently, there are 834 condos/lofts for sale. There have been 563 condos/lofts sold in the past 12 months. This tells me that at this rate that condos are selling, it would take us 17 months to sell the 834 condo/lofts that are for sale.

This is called Absorption Rate - the rate at which properties are able to be sold in a given area. Always check with your Realtor if you are selling your home and take this very important number into consideration when you are pricing your home for sale.

As if it isn’t hard enough to sell a home in a slower market, you have to work extra hard in the colder months to get interest and keep your home presentable and attractive. Here are some tips.

1. Keep the walkways clear. Whether it is fallen leaves, or snow and ice - you must make sure the walkway is safe and clear. You don’t want the buyers to be annoyed with your house before they even enter! Don’t forget about the back deck too.
2. Keep it warm and toasty inside. If you are like me, you keep the temperature just warm enough to be bearable just to keep the gas bill down. But before a showing on your home, turn up that thermostat! It’s all about creating comfort. This is a place where they could live and be comfortable, right? And you don’t want them to even begin to worry about the condition of your insulation or your furnace. You want them to be busy falling in love with your home!
3. Decorate! But not too much. Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah or whatever you may be celebrating generally has some great decorations associated with it. Don’t go overboard, but use the decorations to dress up a room, or to add some good curb appeal.
4. No Tacky Yard Art. No plastic Santa Clauses on the roof please. Also, it probably isn’t the best idea to put out your glowing nativity scene either.
5. Clean up the leaves. The trees are shedding their leaves all over our lawns and houses this time of year. Make sure to clean them up and keep that yard and landscaping looking tidy. Also, be sure to clean the leaves and debris out your gutters.
6. Don’t take your house off the market for days at a time. Many times sellers will have holiday gatherings at their home and host overnight guests. Generally they will instruct their Realtor to decline showings during this time. I never got this. Plan ahead - your house is for sale so you should have the holiday parties somewhere else. Not only could you miss out on potential buyers during this time - you’ll probably also need a couple days afterwards to clean up after everybody so you’ll have even more time without showings. Some people tend to think that no buyers will be looking at homes on the holidays, but this is not true! Many buyers are looking on the holidays because that is when they can get off of work (especially those relocating).
7. No political signs. This is true year-round actually, but especially for presidential elections. Never put out election or political signs, national or local, because they can definitely offend and turn-off buyers. I know it’s crazy, but it is true.