Kansas City Real Estate Home

Kitchens – hidding everything

Cindy — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:10:14 +0000

Have you thought about remodeling the kitchen? For years the home remodeler’s have been treating the high end stainless steel appliances like trophies. The appliances have been the focal point of the kitchens. Now that is changing. Many of the high end kitchens now are hiding those appliances. Putting those appliances now behind wood panels . This gives the kitchen a more of a sleek and clean look! Refrigerators have always been the bulletin board for the family. Now that is changing! People are trying to make the kitchen as a focal point and more functional & simplistic. If you are looking for a new home with a cool kitchen, find your dream home in Overland Park here!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

No Train Whisle

Cindy — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:26:13 +0000

Woo hoo! The quiet zone is about to take place in Olathe. There are on some days over 100 trains that come thru the tracks on the south & west side from Dennis to Woodland in Olathe each day. The whisle blowing can be heard from a far day or night! So now – Olathe has granted the the Quiet Zone! Making it No Music to many’s ears! So now many will also be able to get a good night sleep within an ear shot of the tracks! Which I’m sure it will be an awesome peace and quiet1

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Deciding where to retire…

Cindy — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 21:13:30 +0000

Baby boomers are more likely to retire somewhere else. They have surprised everyone as usual. Many of the baby boomers have dreams and hope to live somewhere else to enjoy those retirement years. Many are considering moving to a different state. Have you had those same thoughts? Considering for a warmer climate, lower cost of living, always dreamed of living by the beach, golf course or the mountains. Well according to the Wall Street Journal, the most popular states are South Carolina, North Carolina & Florida are ranked the highest probability for retirement. Then Tennessee, Arizona, Virginia & California are next inline. When you begin that dream of moving to a new area, we can help you find an agent who can get you all the facts of the area. Plus you can request for a market snapshot of your neighborhood. So that you have an idea of the current home value in Overland Park.

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Kansas City Newest attraction coming!

Cindy — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 02:56:32 +0000

Kansas City is getting another attraction a 2 story 30,000+ square foot aquarium!! Sea Life aquarium will have 30 displays of salt water and fresh water species and is expected t open in spring of 2012! One of our hometown engineering firms – Burns & McDonnell has been awarded the contract to design the building/work! Great news for jobs & things to do for the residents of Kansas Citians!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Big 12 in Kansas City this week!

Cindy — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:41:02 +0000

This will be an exciting week in Kansas City! The Big 12 shows up! Plus 2 smaller tournaments! The Power and Light district will be extra busy with fans from the area and across the country! The girls basketball tournament starts at the Municipal Auditorium on Monday and the Big 12 starts on Wed! Looks like there will be 4 games on Wed, 4 on Thurs, and 2 on Friday with the championship on Sat!!! Make sure if you are traveling down to enjoy the festivities watch out for “all” the road closures.

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Overland Park has more road construction to come…

Cindy — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:58:31 +0000

69 Highway is getting widen as everyone knows who drives the area regularly. But now KDOT will be closing the 95 St southbound ramps until Nov 2011. They are finishing the widening of 95 Street bridge along with the reconstruction of the southbound ramps. The infamous tunnel to nowhere will become a part of the finishing project! YEAH!! The tunnel will be the off ramp from northbound I-35 to 75th street. And one more tunnel will be built, which will go underneath US-69 and that will connect to the tunnel to nowhere! The new designated exit lanes for 75th Street will help move traffic off of I-35 sooner and will utilize the tunnel. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in the fall 2011. So those who live and work in the area should at least take heed knowing that this project is going to help their commute in the long run! We hope to see light at the end of the tunnel! For other information on the Overland Park area -we’ve put together much information on the area!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

FHA changes Mortgage Insurance Premiums

Cindy — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:54:58 +0000

FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums (MIP) will be increasing after April 18,2011. FHA has decided to increase it’s annual MIP across the board by .25%. This cost will increase the avg FHA loan of $150,000 by approx $30-35 per month. This will be on all loan which include the 30 yrs and 15 yr loans. The goal is intended to help replenish the agency’s capital reserves, which have been depleted due to losses on bad loans in recent years. FHA is also putting a new system for obtaining case numbers orders.

Beginning April 18, 2011, FHA Systems will require to certify at the time of requesting a case number that they have an active loan application for the borrower and property. Plus provide the buyer’s name and social security number for all new construction (i.e. proposed construction and existing construction less than one year old)

So if you are considering buying a home, save yourself some money now. Find that perfect home for sale in Overland Park or wherever and be under contract by April 18th! Check our our video on the interview of the upcoming changes! Call us to discuss how these changes can affect you in either buying a home in Johnson County or selling your home. We can give you some potential insight of what the real estate market may/can do?

Check out all the homes for sale in Kansas City metro here!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Tax too low for Shawnee Mission Schools?

Cindy — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:56:07 +0000

A couple of families have made headlines in the Wall Street Journal. These families that live in the Shawnee Mission schools are complaining that the school tax is too low on their homes. They are willing to pay extra for their students. They have filed a law suit trying to change Kansas law for the cap on schools can tax residential properties. It’s a state requirement that schools are funded the same in all the districts state wide – so that it reduces disparities among school districts. In today’s economy, everyone knows that the schools are doing everything they can to cut expenses and keep within their budgets. Many of the schools have made so many cuts that now volunteers are doing some of the work that was completed by staff members. So do you think we should be increasing taxes on homeowners in the current state of the economy? Will people continue to move into the homes in Overland Park and others cities within the Shawnee Mission school districts if taxes get too high?

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Where are the snow plows in Overland Park…

Cindy — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 04:29:26 +0000

Overland Park has just launched their new website for tracking those welcomed snow plows! How many times are you wondering are the snow plows out in Overland Park? Well, now you can see if the plows are out & where they are located. The trucks are equipped with GPS sensors. You’ll able to see if they are actually plowing and if they are treating the streets. The website is color coded of the progress of the clearing of the streets. Also you can check out the traffic cameras for the condition of the roads. Especially since Kansas City has more snow in the last 2 years than we’ve had in many years!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home

Kansas City winter can wreck havoc on homeowners

Cindy — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:28:14 +0000

This is the second year that Kansas City has experienced this much winter weather in many years! Unfortunately there are many hazards to the season. Most homeowners aren’t even aware of the hazards of the season! Icicles, ice dams, snow dams, falling ice, etc are a few of the hazards. This year we-re seeing this ice dams form from all the snow we have had. If the ice dam gets too large, then it can prevent water from running off the roof and potential leaks. It’s so important that you notice how much snow is around the gutters and prevent one from forming. Call a professional to help you if you suspect concerns or problem. An ounce of prevention is worth everyting!

Post from: Kansas City Real Estate Home