The sellers of this home are regular readers of my blog, but I am, sadly, not their agent. These folks already had a strong relationship with their agent which is a wonderful thing, but that is not always the case. If you are reading this and you need a realtor, call me. I love working with people that share similar interests and passions, and I do want to hear from you.
I will be holding this house open on Sunday from 1-4. It is located on a great street in the Brookside area within walking distance to schools, shops, grocery, and the Trolley Track Trail (exercise trail winding through scenic Brookside). It has authentic Craftsman style architecture which is evident in the low-pitched roof lines, overhanging eaves, the stucco, the decorative timbers at the top just below the eaves, and the porch with the strong vertical (lime)stone support columns. I toured this home on Tuesday, and my favorite feature is a toss-up between the porch probably because I am longing for porch weather, and the foyer. It has a great welcoming feeling as you step inside and into this stylish home.
Readers, let’s hear it in the comments: What do you think of the paint on the living room and dining room ceilings? It is an unusual choice, and I like that they took a chance and did something different. I think it looks cool and bold. I am not sure what the current trend is with ceiling paint, but I know designers usually go with a lighter shade than the walls to give it an illusion of height and openness. What are your thoughts?
There was a new phrase coined this year: Mid-Century Modest. The writer of one of my favorite blogs, Pam Kueber with Retro Renovation, wrote a mid-century modest manifesto giving credit and recognition to those modest, more affordable and mass produced mid-century homes, and she is featured in the video below discussing this new term.
I think she is really onto something here. Mid-century modern has become a very hot trend, and many homes are haphazardly lumped into this category when they are not, in fact, very sleek or modern. Also, many details are called mid-century modern such as metal cabinets, pink bathrooms, stacked stone fireplaces, horizontal windows – when they may be found in a more traditional or modest home. Many ranches and split level homes from the mid Twentieth century share some similar construction and design details, but are much more accessible properties. For example, here are a couple homes on the market. The first is a stylish and authentic mid-century modern home designed and built by local mid-century modern hero, Drummond (the second interior shot is from a different Drummond for sale in Mission Hills). The other is a much more traditional ranch, but inside shares the modern characteristics such as aquamarine countertops, stacked stone fireplace with strong horizontal planes, and a completely retro-licious and perfectly preserved aquamarine bathroo
Did you guys see this exciting story in the Kansas City Star over the weekend? If Rosedale Development Corporation is involved and the TIF district is already set up, I would think this is pretty much a done deal on the County’s part anyway. Let’s just hope Lane4 can come up with their funding. Any new development on the Wyandotte County side of the state line is only going to increase property values and help Wyandotte County properties compete with those across 47th into Johnson County, and across State Line into Jackson County. Right now, there is an obvious disparity between these values, and it would be great if they were more competitive.
Take Mission Cliffs for example. Mission Cliffs is a brand new housing neighborhood just west of Rainbow off of 39th Street. It has beautiful homes, reasonable prices, and some of the only new home construction close to the metro area. My clients just moved into a gorgeous new home there on the cliff with an amazing western view. It has Craftsman style architecture, three bedrooms, two baths, a large yard, and an attached garage. This home would go for much more if were across the state line into Johnson County. It’s great that we have this affordable option, but it just seems like such a secret and I hope that people keep buying there and that property values appreciate at a normal level over time. I think this new development will really be a benefit to residents of the Rosedale area if it happens.
The winter edition of my quarterly newsletter was just mailed out to my clients, friends and neighbors. My newsletter provides the latest on local market news, select events, finance, special features from the blog, and other timely news and stories. If you would like to receive this quarterly newsletter, you may complete this sign-up form and begin receiving future editions in the spring*. You may also view the current edition online (pdf).
*Note: I will only use your address to send the quarterly newsletter, I will not send junk-mail or share your address with anyone.
If you are buying a home in Missouri in 2010, listen up. You could be eligible to receive up to $1750 as a home buying incentive. The Home Ownership Purchase Enhancement, or HOPE program, is being offered by the Missouri Housing Development Commission for a limited time (until the 15 million allocated runs out). Here are the details according to their website:
MHDC is allocating $15 million towards the HOPE program. Qualified Missouri families that purchase a home in 2010 are eligible for a HOPE incentive equaling the amount of the 2009 real estate tax bill associated with the property they purchased, up to a maximum of $1,250. Additionally, homebuyers who are approved for the real estate property tax HOPE incentive may also be eligible to receive an additional amount if they bought a qualified, newly-constructed, energy-efficient home or bought an existing home and remodeled or purchased items such as Energy Star® appliances to make the home more energy efficient. The maximum combined total of the HOPE property tax incentive and the HOPE energy-efficiency incentive is $1,750.
Learn all about it on their website; I found the FAQ page very informative. Feel free to contact me with questions – and a word to the wise – don’t delay once you close on your home. This money will run out so get your applications in as soon as possible.
My boss made this chart – I’m sorry it reads kinda backwards. As you can see, there was a big dip in showings over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once the new year hit, showings began to creep back up again. I’m sure the storm we are expecting today will slow us down again briefly, but I know there are many people out there who want to buy and sell so I don’t expect it to stay down for long.
As to my 2010 real estate predictions… Of course they mean nothing especially with all the extraneous factors that could affect the world, the city and the economy – but here goes. I think what everyone else probably thinks, which is that sales will be strong from now until the end of summer and then will taper off sharply. With the tax credit for both first time home buyers and repeat buyers in effect until April 30 (June 30 to close), people are anxious to get into the market now but once that ends I expect sales to decline. If only the weather would cooperate so people can get their homes ready to sell and buyers could get out there – I’d hate for folks to miss out on the whole month of January because that April 30 deadline will be here before we know it.
I expect interest rates to gradually raise and end the year higher than where we started. Already we are higher than where we ended 2009, though still very low at about 5.1%.
There is a new website on the scene in Kansas City that you need to take seriously. Many come and go, but this one is for real. Real writers, real photographers, video, photos, relationships with local bloggers, in-depth journalism, local flavor, lifestyle, food, full listings of local spots, and finally a legit events calendar for KC (similar to the exceptional Lawrence.com calendar of events). Also notable is the top-notch design and layout. This site is easy to use and read. KCFreePress.com
Below are two graphs reflecting the number of sales by area, by month, over the last four years. I made them this way because I wanted to see trends which would indicate the best time to list a home. Here are my thoughts:
Peak sales are in about June.
Sales start picking up in March, which means you would want to have your house listed in early February. (it takes 30-60 days to go from contract to closing)
People are ALWAYS buying homes so there is nothing wrong with selling in January. But the more people buying, the more chances you have of selling your home.
2009 seems to be a bit unique from the other years… I attribute this to the first-time home buyer tax credit that was set to expire November 30. I think it gave a boost to the second half of this year. (Congress has just extended and expanded this tax credit through April 2010).
We had some lively discussion on the fate, design, and appreciation of the Meyer West Condominiums in my recent blog entry. Coincidentally, as I was checking the new listings in our local MLS system this week I saw that the retail space on the street level of the Meyer West Condominium building is for sale. I believe it is a 2397 square foot space (per MLS) set up to be a salon and coffee shop/restaurant, currently listed at $280,000. VIEW PROPERTY LISTING (listed by David A. Cox with Century 21 All Pro)
Check out my new Dash & Albert rug from Stuff in Brookside. This is a high quality rug company with interesting designs and colors, and they come with a modest price tag which can be challenging to find with rugs. They come in all shapes, sizes, material (wool$$$ and cotton$), and colors. I was feeling really frustrated shopping for a back-door rug for my newly pink kitchen, but they had the perfect woven cotton rug for me in a pink and aqua striped pattern. Chester models his new rug below…
According to this article, senators have agreed to extend the first-time home buyer tax credit through April 2010. I’m not sure if I believe our debt-ridden government can afford this, but it would sure be hard to turn-down a cool $8,000! On a similar note, prices are down and interest rates are still hovering around a very low 5%, so this is obviously a great time to be a buyer in the local marketplace.
I’m going to have a couple new listings between now and April so let me know if you are looking for something special and can’t seem to find it… One will be a well-maintained starter home in Hyde Park in the low $100’s, and another will be a quintessential Dible-built tudor style home in Brookside/Waldo between $100-200k. Both have respectable owners who really l0ve their homes and take care of them the way they should be. I’m excited about both of them and you will be too!
I found an great blog entry from one of my very favorite blogs, Retro Renovation. Check out these ceramic mosaic floor tiles by Nemo Tile. This style come in 60 shades, and be sure to browse the rest of their ceramic, glass and porcelain tiles which are some of the best collections I have ever seen.
I still see original bathroom flooring that looks very similar all over the older areas of town such as Brookside, Prairie Village, Westwood, Waldo and Midtown, but much of the original is looking pretty shabby after 50-70 years of wear and tear. It can be found in mid-century ranches, cape cods, and many traditional post-war housing. I love the idea of remodeling our older baths to an updated and more modern version of the original. It really looks adorable in our homes, and I think more appropriate than going the old world or Tuscan route which feels incongruous to me.
