A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

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I read this article in the Kansas City Star about the opening of Mission Farms in Leawood. In case you haven’t heard, Mission Farms is a lifestyle center at 106th and Mission Road (just north of I-435) with retail, restaurants, office space, condos and villas. Mission Farms has tried to create a sense of place by encouraging only unique and local businesses. Many of the restaurants will be second locations for some of our more popular local food stops such as Blue Koi and Room 39. I’m very excited about this trend for lifestyle centers - places with a business center and a sense of community. It’s an old concept - to have neighborhood businesses within walking distance of homes, but I’m so glad it’s making a comeback… Hopefully this trend continues.

Downtown Council is again sponsoring the annual Urban Tour. The tour will include some of downtown’s finest loft, townhomes, flats and apartments. Evidently there will be about 30 properties on the tour. Either hop on one of the (free) rotating shuttle buses , or take the tour on your own two feet (or wheels). The best part… it’s free! It’s a great way to see all the new exciting  development happening so rapidly in our urban core.

This house in Brookside is perfection. Everything is in clean and shiny, in excellent condition and updated. The improvements they have made are all top-quality. The kitchen is remodeled and looks great plus looks like it is very workable for a cook, the master bedroom with the rafters is stunning. The landscaping looks great. Everything has been done tastefully. It’s refreshing to see a home that has been designed to reflect individual tastes, not just that generic look that most kitchens have these days. This one is a 10!

To learn more, VIEW LISTING HERE. Or call me for a showing!

Walk to bluebird cafe, munch on the absolute best bread available in Kansas City at Fervere, bike or walk over to the Crossroads, walk to catch a flick at Screenland, bike downtown or the river market for some fun. This is what life must be like for those lucky folks who can either afford the prices of westside now, or got in before values soared. I love this neighborhood. Every time I drive through, I ache to live that urban lifestyle that the Westside offers. So, here’s a house that someone bought and rehabbed. It can be yours for only $289,900. It looks pretty cool on the interior, and the location is tops.

VIEW LISTING HERE.

Big article this morning in the Kansas City Star outlining plans for new apartment development in the River Market area. They are comparing it to the size and upscale quality of Quality Hill apartment development downtown. They say they’ll follow the architecture that exists in the area to make them fit in well and blend with the existing historic rehabbed structures. Should be a great addition to the city - look for them in 2009…

Saw this article on BlogKC.com today. The ought to sell pretty well - there’s kind of a condo whole in between the Plaza and the Crossroads. Call me if you want learn more about the project.

I love this house. Check it out…

Each time my husband and I need to head out for an evening of revelry, we take the most stylish form of transportation that KC has to offer. It’s comfortable, fast, sometimes entertaining, efficient, environmentally friendly, and extremely affordable. We generally prefer the route and the speed of the MAX city bus, which stops in Waldo, Brookside, Plaza, Museums, Crown Center, Crossroads, Downtown, and the River Market. The MAX buses are great - they’re new and clean, and the bus has the capability to control traffic lights so you’ll hardly ever be stuck at the red light, and it doesn’t make those slow local stops. You can find routes and time schedules online at www.kcata.org. Happy Riding!

There’s been some buzz recently about the announcement of a new charter school opening in our revitalized downtown KC. The downtown council endorsed the plan which they hope will encourage our young professionals to stay downtown as they start families, instead of escaping to the burbs. I’m all for it - I hope it’s a huge success.

Recently i have had the pleasure of seeing 2 very cool downtown properties. I liked them both so much, that I decided to write about them both instead of just one like usual. They are townhomes which means they have their own off-street entrance, as well as garages. I love these properties, and I think they are very practical and I love the way they offer more privacy - more like a house rather than an apartment.
My favorite townhome is in Columbus Park - in the River Market area. I love this area and if I weren’t already a homeowner in Brookside, I would want it. I love the River Market area - my favorite place to shop, the River Market Antique Mall, is there, plus you can buy your produce at the City Market, I could walk to my favorite honky tonk Harry’s Country Club, buy my cupcakes, visit a flower shop, drink coffee, and eat breakfast at Succotash every day… all within walking distance! Plus, you can hop on the riverfront trail for biking or jogging to work off the Babycakes and beer. And I can’t fail to mention my favorite form of transportation has a stop - the MAX bus. It’s just a very neighborly and fun area.
The other is a great townhome at Gillham Row. I love this area too - Dutch Hill, Martini Corner, Union Hill - very convenient. This is an “end unit” so it has outstanding views of downtown and lots of windows and natural light.

Came across this little story on CNN.com about how long certain parts of a home will last. It is very helpful to know the lifespan of appliances and home features, especially when you are a prospective buyer. You’ll really need to know if you are going to have to spend $5,000 on a new roof in two years, if it’s at the end of it’s life. Or you might want to buy a home warranty if you know that the dishwasher, furnace, a/c and stove are on their last legs..

An “open house” is when a Realtor will go to a house that is for sale and let the general public view the home without an appointment. In our city, these generally happen from 1-4 on Sundays. Many of my clients have asked for advice on how these work and what they should or should not do when visiting an open house. So here are some tips for open houses i wanted to share:

• Anyone can visit an open house - you don’t have to feel like you have to be ready to buy.
• Always sign in for the agent if there is a sign-in sheet.
• Feel free to talk openly with the agent. Most agents are just there to help and would be very excited if you decided to work with them when you decide to purchase or sell your home.
• If you want to visit more open houses, many times the agents will know of other homes in the area being held open. Feel free to ask them!
• Always let the agent know if you are already working with a Realtor.
• Be sure not to disrupt items in the home, and if it is inclement weather, always ask if you should remove your shoes.

View Prudential Open Houses here