A Kansas City Real Estate Blog by Realtor, Sarah Snodgrass

This weekend is the 12th annual Remodeled Homes Tour in Kansas City. With tickets, you will be allowed into 22 remodeled homes and condos stretching from downtown to Lenexa (view map). There is a list of the homes on tour with a description, the remodeling company who performed the work, and photos on the event website. Mostly these are upper-end kitchen and bath remodels, so for me this is not real research for my house – it is just fun to see and it helps me in my field. Hopefully when I grow up, I can have a fancy kitchen with my St. Charles cabinets and white tin ceiling – but for now I am happy with my little retro kitchen with its hexagonal tiles and chrome fixtures.

Photo is from #14 on the Remodeled Homes Tour - thanks NARI.

If you are looking for a loft or condo in the city, I really recommend looking at Wallstreet Towers. Yes, this is the building where I have a new listing for sale, but I swear it is my absolute favorite condo development downtown and here is why:

1. The Architecture of the building – this is a modern glass, steel and concrete building that makes for very contemporary living spaces with walls of windows, outstanding views and high ceilings.
2. The Rooftop Pool & Deck – the rooftop pool opened this year, and it is reason enough to buy a condo here. It is located on the sunny roof of the adjacent parking garage which is an 11 story garage. It is like swimming in the sky. The pool itself is very large and modern with two sections – one being an infinity style pool. Also, there are plenty of lounge chairs and deck area surrounding for laying out in the sun. You can also find Grills for BBQing and an awesome putting green for the golf lovers.
3. Location – You are on the best street downtown. Walnut Street has less traffic than other streets such as Grand, Main or Broadway, and it has plenty of street and garage parking. Also, Walnut is the street that runs straight down into The City Market, so you can walk down there year round for the weekly Farmer’s Market. Walnut also runs through the Power and Light District so you can walk to the bars, restaurants, or the Sprint Center.
4. Pet Policy – I have a boxer dog named Chester who is the love of my life, so the fact that this is a very pet friendly building is a huge benefit. There is a convenient city park next door where people take their puppies to potty. The condo is spacious enough that I think Chester would be very comfortable living here. Also, it is a short walk to the Riverfront Heritage Trail which my very active puppy would love.
5. Party Spaces – There are FOUR places in the building where you can host a party. First, your condo. The one I have listed has huge open spaces which the sellers claim have been great for parties. You have an open living/dining/kitchen area, with a guest half-bath nearby. Second, the Party Room on the 4th Floor of the building. Here you will find a big party room with a pool table, an outdoor deck (great for smokers) and a kitchen to make catering or food prep easy. Third, the rooftop pool and patio. You could host a legendary poolside rooftop party for all your friends, and even BBQ for them. Fourth, the theater room. Have all your pals over to watch a KU Basketball game!

These homes are decor-challenged, but demonstrate what I mean when I say a home has great bones. One is a Drummond built ranch in Prairie Village, in an area with all mid-century modern ranches. (Drummond is a builder who built these modern ranches in the 50s-60s- they are in high demand). It has great spaces, incredible modern lines, vaulted ceilings, skylights, but the real show stopper is how well this home integrates with the outside and its surroundings. It has fabulous decks everywhere, plus it just looks cool. I remember someone once told me that Drummond homes have great “sex appeal”, and it is true. I know it sounds weird, but they do feel cool and sexy. He had purchased one when he was a single young man, and that is what attracted him to it. I think men really like this modern style… The other “pick” is a Cape Cod style home in Roeland Park, located just off Johnson Drive by the site of the old Mission mall/new Gateway development. It feels like grandma’s house – lots of carpet and wallpaper, but seems very well maintained with hardwoods under the carpet and a great floorplan. Big bedrooms, great yard, good closet space, big kitchen, attached garage. With a little modernizing of the decor, paint, maybe some updated kitchens and baths, these homes could both be very very cool. Also, the prices are just right.

(Disclosure: These homes are both listed in MLS. 7815 Chadwick is listed with Reece and Nichols, 4904 w. 58th is listed with Prudential Kansas City Realty)

Okay, so I said it would be a weekly series, and it is becoming more like a monthly series. Oh well!

This month’s featured “where would they live” celeb is the successful and talented coach of the Kansas men’s basketball team, the reigning national champions, Bill Self. Rock Chalk! Hmmm… I think he would have a big house in a pretty and safe neighborhood in the award winning Blue Valley School District. I would put him in Kansas, instead of Missouri, for obvious reasons. And I’d put him out in the burbs so he could have a big, safe private lot. Also, this house is going to be expensive because we all know he just got a mega million dollar raise from KU. I think something like this would be his KC area home:

So I thought of a hilarious new weekly series for my blog: If you were famous and had to move to Kansas City, where would you live and what house would you buy? Take an easy one for example – like Garth Brooks. He would probably buy a bunch of land out south in Kansas, build a house and have a giant sign made that says GB Ranch – and then he’d probably get some horses so he could feel more like a cowboy.

So, now for the real “where would they live”. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day today, I thought it appropriate to choose an Irish celebrity for our first profile. Wow, there really aren’t many interesting AND famous Irish folk – especially ones that anyone would care where they would live. The closest I could get is a well known Irish-American actor named George Clooney. I decided that he would live near the city because he wouldn’t think it was “cool” enough to live in the suburbs. He’s got an image to protect. Also, he would need a house with lots of space for all his cars, pools, and expensive things. And he would want the area to be fancy and somewhat exclusive and really expensive. With this in mind, I think he would be most suited for Mission Hills, Kansas, in the older part nearest the Kansas City Country Club and the Country Club Plaza. Also, he seems like a more traditional kind of guy – not a modernist, so I think he would like something built with traditional materials like brick, with lots of rich wordwork inside… maybe this brick tudor listed at just over $5 mil.