Check out this smooth soft contemporary home in Crestwood. It was built in 1991, it has a fabulous layout, and it was recently remodeled with very tasteful choices. I love the lot, the walkout basement, and of course the Crestwood location is just as charming as can be. It is so unusual to find a newer home in the Brookside area, but what a welcome addition. It is refreshing to see well-built new construction that isn’t your average cookie cutter suburban house. This home blends right in to the historic area with its wood lap siding and craftsman details, while the interiors are unique and inviting. What a great buy.
Listed by Tom Thornhill, Prudential Kansas City Realty.
Many of you probably experienced some level of water intrusion in your basement a few weeks ago during the heavy rains. When this level of heavy rain occurs over long periods of time, even the driest of basements can take on water. Most of the time this is just an inconvenience, but sometimes it can lead to serious damage and expense. If this is the case, contact your insurance agent – if you are not covered, perhaps you can add coverage for future occurrences. There are some things you can do to avoid water in your basement – here are a few:
- Keep your gutters clean and clear.
- Install larger gutters, or have your gutter system evaluated to be sure it is adequate.
- Make sure the yard is sloping away from your foundation.
- Install downspout extensions.
- Install a sump pump.
- Install French drains.
If you experienced a sewer backup in your basement – YUCK – you are also not alone. This can occur when our old, overworked sewer system becomes overwhelmed with the high volume. There are other contributing factors you can research. One way to prepare yourself for this terrible issue is to add special coverage into your home owners policy that covers you for sewer or drain backup. This can be a very nasty, costly issue causing great damage to your basement, and you may be surprised to learn that you are not covered. I would say the minimal cost of this insurance coverage is worthwhile if you live in an older part of town. Below are some common practices that can help to prevent a sewer drain backup:
- Disconnect your downspouts from the sewer line (connect a rain barrel instead!)
- Do not put fats, oils, grease down your drain.
- Be sure your sewer line is free of roots and debris.
- Have your plumber install a backflow prevention device.
- Learn more on the city’s Wet Weather Solutions Program website.
Wow, just look at these pretty eggs. I read that the kind that lay blue eggs are called Araucanas. Aren’t they pretty? Since I had these delicious, farm-fresh eggs, I decided to make an egg salad for lunch today with fresh basil and flat-leaf parsley from the garden. The eggs had a big, rich flavor and the fresh herbs were a nice compliment. Pretty eggs are so much more fun to eat, don’t you think?
Posted in Local Flavor
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Tagged garden
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Today I have local real estate showing statistics to share with you. Below is a chart which displays current trends in scheduled showings. A showing is an appointment for a potential buyer to look at a home that is for sale. The number of showings directly relates to how many homes are being sold, because the more showings there are, the more buyers there are and the more homes that are sold.
You will see that showings dropped sharply with the end of April and have been relatively flat since the beginning of May (read graph right to left). It is no coincidence that showings dropped off on that date; the decrease in showings is attributed to the end of the federal first-time home buyer tax credit which ended in April. Activity has dropped by about half since the tax credit ended, as have recorded sales. I will share May sales statistics with you soon – the picture is very similar to what you see here.
Posted in News
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Tagged Statistics
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- fresh broccoli from my urban garden
You’ve probably heard about the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s proposed urban farming ordinance. The new ordinance would permit residents to sell home-grown produce at their homes – something that’s not currently allowed. The city council is set to vote on the ordinance Thursday, June 10th. You can review some of the details of the ordinance in this Kansas City Star article from June 2nd.
While there seems to be healthy support for the ordinance, much of it organized by a group called Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture, there has been some organized opposition as well – particularly from local real estate brokers and agents. They fear that urban farmers who sell produce from their homes will adversely affect the property values of their non-farming neighbors. A recent email from one agent included a flyer that contained the following assertion:
“It decreases property values because of the High traffic (auto & people) on & off the block, strangers constantly in neighborhoods increases crime risk & exposure, safety issues for children, workers & customers parking on the street coming & going.”
I respect other real estate industry professionals and their right to opinion, but I would like to clarify that I am a realtor who supports Kansas City’s proposed urban farming ordinance (although I disagree with the ordinance’s prohibition of front yard “row crops”). I believe that the presence of active, urban farmers is a good thing for our neighborhoods. The idea that the presence of enterprising gardeners and farmers will somehow ruin a neighborhood’s property values is unfounded.
Let’s keep in mind that property values are determined by what people value. The growing wave of interest and appreciation for urban agriculture and locally produced food is undeniable, and I believe that community gardens and active urban farmers add value to our neighborhoods. In addition to increasing the availability of healthy food, urban farming operations can help contribute a real sense of place and community to a neighborhood. These are values that healthy, sustainable neighborhoods have always found beneficial.
If you agree with me, and support the urban farming in Kansas City, please send an email in support to city_council@kcmo.org and mayor@kcmo.org.
Whether you’re a realtor or a resident (or both), I would like to know how you feel about the proposed ordinance. Are urban farms a good thing for Kansas City’s neighborhoods? What do you see as the risks or the benefits ? Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!
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Posted in News
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Tagged garden
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April 2010 Heartland MLS Statisics
The following statistics compare sales activity in April 2010 with the same time last year. Remember, this is positive news but do not expect this to be a trend. These numbers were greatly influenced by the rush to buy before the federal home-buyer tax credit ended on April 30. Early signs show that May is going to be much different.
Heartland MLS:
- Sales: ▲ +19.5%
- Avg. Home Sale Price ▲ +3.3% to $160,683
Johnson County:
- Sales: ▲ +35.64%
- Avg. Home Sale Price: ▼ -3.1% to $219,928
- New Construction Home Sale Price: ▲ +7.6% to $377,426
- New Listings: ▲ +34.23% to 1,694
Jackson County:
- Sales: ▲ +16.20%
- Avg. Home Sale Price: ▲ +1.36% to $116,906
- New Listings: ▲ +25.00% to 2,005
Clay/Ray Counties:
- Sales: ▲ +27.51%
- Avg. Home Sale Price: ▲+2.98% to $147,250
- New Listings: ▲ +20.88% to 770
Platte County:
- Sales: ▲ 11.88%
- Avg. Home Sale Price: ▼ -9.60% to $174,151
- New Listings: ▲ +25.18 to 348
Article and numbers courtesy of Prukc.com. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Posted in News
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Tagged Statistics
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Mister Snodgrass and I were on a walk in the neighborhood this afternoon, and we noticed that the venerable Meyer West Condominiums (aka the “Blue Goose”) located at 333 West Meyer Boulevard in Brookside could really benefit from a little exterior detail work. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 1950′s architectural style, but the siding itself could really just use some sprucing up. That got us thinking; what would the old girl look like with a new color applied? To get an idea, we snapped a pic and then hastily applied a fresh coat of digital paint to the exterior.
Here it is in white, red, chartreuse, and its current blue. What do you think? Any votes for the chartreuse goose?
Whether it is a tudor, craftsman, colonial, or cape cod, pink bathrooms are seemingly in almost every older home in Brookside. The architecture is not the common element, it is the era. Pink bathrooms were very common in homes built from the 1930′s-1960′s. You will especially find them in Dible Tudors, in all shades of pink, mint, purple – all very feminine colors to appeal to the woman of the house. Below are a few photos I have been snapping lately as I tour through real estate.
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People are asking me how the market is responding to the end of the federal home buyer’s tax credit. This is a tricky question for me. First of all, I know it is not a popular sentiment, but I wish there had not been such a huge tax credit in the first place. I wish the government would have just left it alone to recover instead of creating false demand and a hurried, strange buyer-favored market. It just seems counter intuitive to solve a economic crisis that was created by banks and mortgage companies by creating a false market which leaves a glut of houses and a buyer vacuum in its wake. Factually, buyer showings have declined sharply and there have been half as many homes go under contract this month as compared with the same period last month.
Luckily, life goes on. People have babies, move, get married, change jobs, or whatever other life change must happen for them to decide to move, buy or sell real estate. In addition, many people move in the warmer, summer months (while school is out), so hopefully that will hold true this year. I am not surprised that May has been a terrible month so far because most of the buyers that were out looking made their decision by April 30 to qualify for the credit. There will be a new round of buyers, and things will cycle through and eventually improve. I expect to feel the impact throughout the remainder of this year, but I also believe will we see a steady increase of activity with balance returning next year.
The chart below depicts the number of area showings by week. See how the line falls sharply down on the left? Showings have fallen, and are at depths-of-winter levels. Again, I expect it to rise, but currently this is the big picture…
Wow, this house for sale in Brookside is stunning. Inside and out, the architecture, detail, and setting will just blow you away. I think it may have already sold and I am not surprised one bit. This is one of the best homes I have ever seen in Brookside. Don’t you love the prairie style horizontal lines, overhanging eaves mixed with the craftsman features so common to our area? I love the way this house incorporates the inside with the outside by using natural wood landscaping features, stone inside and out, the outdoor living space, and with the many windows.
Listed with Heather Hanson, Prudential Kansas City Realty.
