The City of Grandview has decided to close the popular dance club Skateland located off of highway 71 and 136th St. This decision came after the Board of Alderman heard testimony from both sides of the case during a six hour hearing on Tuesday August 5th.     Skateland, once a quiet children’s skating rink has in recent years become the backdrop to numerous public disturbances. For more than a year, shootings, group fights, crowd control, and noise problems related to night-club style events at Skateland have disturbed Grandview residents.     The final straw seemed to occur on July 14th, when Skateland's Sunday dance night crowd of roughly 75 people reportedly dispersed en-masse to IHOP restaurant in Truman Corners. The group loitered in the restaurant's parking lot, and as Grandvi... 08/20/2008

    First let me give you a little background. This property was completely rehabbed back in February. Infact you can watch the video rehab on my youtube channel.  Days after the rehab was competed we were approached for a purchase by a very exited and unrepresented couple. They claimed to be pre-qualified for 130k which was perfect since the list price was also 130k. However they had never been issued a pre-qualification letter and the lender was anything but organized. I called her almost daily to get a pre-qualification letter. The few times I could get her on the phone she told me the deal was a slam dunk and that everything would be ready to go in a few days. After a few days I felt that the lender was dragging their feet and suggested to the buyer that they use someone else. As it... 08/18/2008

     I thought I understood Google’s Page Rank System. Until I tried to increase the rank of my own website. Is it just me or does this have to be the most complicated system of deciding website credibility? I’m sure it’s complicated for a reason and honestly, most of the time I agree with Google’s system. That is until they give my website a page rank of one and then give one of my least viewed YouTube videos a page rank of three.         Irregularities such as these make curious. I often find myself crawling thru other real estate websites for hours. Eagerly waiting for my page rank tool bar to fill up with green, revealing how Google ranks this page. Even here on AR I have seen multiple blogs and profile pages with a page rank of three or more. How do they do it? I’m starting to thin... 08/15/2008

Where do you find cheap rent in Kansas City? Play this video! Turn-Key Properties LLC 816-313-8876 08/14/2008

  I find it funny that the week after the US government signs a housing bill to bail out Fannie and Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac comes out this week and says "hey we lost way more money than anyone could have expected." I think this is a little frustrating on multiple levels. Why can’t we just let these companies fail? Oh that’s right they are too big to fail. If that’s the case then why don't we just nationalize both companies? That way if they do badly it’s on our back but if they do well we (the American people) will reap the benefits just like the large shareholders of these companies.  What do you guys think?  Is nationalizing Fannie and Freddie a better way to do things or am I wrong? You can view the whole article here. 08/07/2008

Whew! What a brutal day... It's definately not a dry heat. Not a good day for much of anything that didn't involve a swimming pool or a river outside today. I went out to feed the horses and the poor things looked like they had been taking a shower. I felt bad so I decided to go pray for them... That didn't work out so well either. 08/03/2008

For several years we have been rehabbing homes in the KC Metro area. Almost daily I would look online for video of other rehabbers properties. Yet week after week I found nothing. Finally after much debate and little video editing experience under my belt I uploaded a video. You can view all of our videos on youtube . This is the second edition of what I hope will soon be a staple in the rehabber’s/investors blogosphere. We used a darker flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms what do you think?   08/03/2008

I continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep my clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends.  Below you will find real estate statistics for the South Platte County area for the month of JuneNew homes on the market: 203Total homes Active on the market: 646Average Listing Price: $273,380 Number of homes sold: 122Average Sales Price: $229,748Number of homes taken off the market: 91 Analysis - The market continues to slowly recover, however the total number of homes on the market has decreased as the buyers have finally decided that now is a good time to buy. The bottome line is - IF YOU HAVEN'T BOUGHT YET, BECAUSE YOU THINK THE MARKET         H ASN'T HIT BOTTOM YET, YOU'RE GOING TO MISS THE BEST DEALS IF YOU DON'T BUY SOON! To find the value of your home with a fre... 07/06/2008

Scott Finley | Remax | 816-885-6901 8415 Kenwood Ave, Kansas City, MO This ranch home is already updated with new systems and kitchen. Beautiful lot on a dead-end street, very quiet, stable environment! 3BR/1.5BA Single Family House offered at $120,000 Year Built 1955 Sq Footage 1,061 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 1 full, 1 partial Floors 1 Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 8,712 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month DESCRIPTION This ranch home is already updated with new systems and kitchen. Beautiful lot on a dead-end street, very quiet, stable environment! This home is absolutely MOVE IN READY! There is nothing to do but BUY! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat Fireplace Hardwood floor Family room Bonus/Rec room Dining room Breakfast nook Dishwasher Stove/Oven Microwave ... 07/06/2008

 This weekend we were supposed to travel to the Lake of the Ozarks, but a last-minute illness prevented that from happening. So were were left without any plans! I did a little research to see if there were any lakes within driving distance that offered marinas to rent boats or jetskis and I was pleasantly surprised that there were three in the area! When I called I realized that last-minute rentals are impossible to come by, but it's good information to have on had for future weekends. I would recommend making reservations two-three weeks in advance if you actually want to have a rental! SMITHVILLE LAKE Located northeast of Smithville, Missouri on U.S. 169 and Hwy. 92. Two full-service marinas offering boat rentals, equipment and dining facilities are listed on the website, but I could... 06/16/2008

I continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep my clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends.  Below you will find real estate statistics for the South Platte County area for the month of MayNew homes on the market: 175Total homes Active on the market: 759Average Listing Price: $266,995 Number of homes sold: 123Average Sales Price: $233,365Number of homes taken off the market: 97To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home eval, please visit: http://www.scottsellskc.com If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Kansas City, or would like to be the first to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then call or email:Scott Finley  - ScottSellsKC@gmail.com - 816-885-6901 06/07/2008

I continuously monitor local real estate statistics to keep my clients informed and ahead of the real estate trends.  Below you will find real estate statistics for the Platte County area for the month of April 2008New homes on the market: 236Average Listing Price: $225,303 Number of homes sold: 93Average Sales Price: $227,431Number of homes taken off the market:  73To find the value of your home with a free, over-the-net home eval, please visit: http://www.scottsellskc.com If you would like a free list of homes for sale in this area/neighborhood, would like more information about Kansas City, or would like to be the first to know about hot new listings before other buyers do, then call or email:Scott Finley  - ScottSellsKC@gmail.com - 816-885-6901 06/07/2008

Credit cards are one of the most pervasive forms of your financial picture. On a daily basis, they provide the flexibility and freedom to reserve a hotel room, travel without carrying cash, and purchase just about anything at anytime. As such, your credit cards can have a major impact on your financial wellbeing and even your credit score. But did you know that your credit score can also impact your credit cards...specifically your interest rates? Although some companies have abandoned the practice, many won't hesitate to raise your interest rate if your credit score declines--even if you are paying them on time! By following these tips, you can help avoid inflated interest rates on your credit cards: Understand the terms. The best way to protect... 06/07/2008

 The Kansas City Star has launched a gambling blog called Lucky Numbers that offers a ton of local gambling information. One of the cool things is that the site ranks the Missouri Scratchers tickets and the loosest slots in Kansas City. You might want to check it out and see where your best odds of winning are. Examples Odds of Missouri Scratchers4 Million Dollar Cars -1 in 3.08Lifetime Riches - 1 in 3.33Example Casino OddsArgosy 1 cent - 88.77% 5 cent - 91.82% 25 cent - 93.62% $1 - 95.23% Visit the website to check out all the odds and read a lot of great gambling articles : http://luckynumbers.kansascity.com/ Brad Papa is a licensed real estate agent in Kansas and Missouri and can be reached at bradleypapa@remax.net , 913-526-4985 or www.papasinthehouse.com 06/03/2008

I read an article recently in the Kansas City Star about a new concept in urban living. Single family, detached homes are currently being built in the River Market. They are unlike any house I have seen, and truly have an urban look. They are being marketed to people who want urban living, but don't want to share walls with their neighbors in the traditional condos or town homes. The homes range from $425,000 - $505,000 and are 2 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms and an attached 2 car garage. While you do get at 25-year property tax abatement of 100% for 10 years and 50% for the remaining 15 years, the properties are actually classified as condominiums, so there is also a 12 cent per square foot association fee. Brad Papa is a licensed real estate agent in Kansas and Missouri and can be reached at... 05/29/2008

Free movies are back for the summer! Films will be shown at the Crown Center Square on an outdoor movie screen. Admission is free and the movies begin at approximately 9:00 pm. Make sure and bring plenty of chairs, pillow and blankets! C 2008 Schedule: June 29th: The Goonies'July 4th:No Movie due to Holiday July 11th:Monty Python and the Holy GrailJuly 18th:My Big Fat Greek WeddingJuly 25th: My Fair Lady More information: http://www.crowncenter.com/Entertainment/Event.asp Brad Papa is a licensed real estate agent in Kansas and Missouri and can be reached at bradleypapa@remax.net , 913-526-4985 or www.papasinthehouse.com 05/27/2008

  Did you know that real estate agent's license information is public record? It's always in your best interest to double check that your real estate agent has a current license to work in your state. Kansas Real Estate Commission: https://www.accesskansas.org/ssrv-krec-verification/index.do Missouri Real Estate Commission: https://www.accesskansas.org/ssrv-krec-verification/index.do All Other States : http://www.homes-and-real-estate.com/stateinfo.htm Brad Papa is a licensed real estate agent in Kansas and Missouri and can be reached at bradleypapa@remax.net , 913-526-4985 or www.papasinthehouse.com 05/27/2008

Traveling is just getting more and more expensive! Last month many airlines announced they would charge passengers $25 for second checked bags, and now according to a Kansas City Star article, American Airlines is taking it a step further and will charge $15 for the FIRST domestic checked bag. This could cause all kinds of problems and slower travel as more people will likely opt for carry-on luggage and there is only limited space in the overhead compartments! So pack lighter and carry on! American Airlines also announced that they will cut flights and possibly lay-off workers, but now word whether that will affect the 14 daily flights at the Kansas City International Airport and the nearly 1,000 employees in the area. Click here for the full article. Brad Papa is a licensed real esta... 05/22/2008

According to the 2nd Annual Visitor's Survey by the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association, these are the top tourist spots: Favorite BBQ : Fiorella's Jack Stack Favorite Restaurant: Stroud's Best of Kansas City: Country Club Plaza Favorite Nightflife: Kelly's Westport Inn Favorite Shop: Hall's Favorite Hotel: Hyatt Regency Crown Center Favorite Casino: Ameristar Kansas City Casino and Hotel Favorite Museum: National World War 1 Museum at Liberty Memorial For more information and to see the 2007 favorites, visit http://www.visitkc.com/ Brad Papa is a licensed real estate agent in Kansas and Missouri and can be reached at bradleypapa@remax.net 913-526-4985 or www.papasinthehouse.com 05/21/2008

Looking for a great, and fun way to raise money for local charities? Then look no further than the Kansas City Crawl 4 Cancer! The Spring edition was this past weekend and it happened to be one of the most beautiful days of the year. The pub crawls are held annually in May and October, but make sure to register early since they have sold out the past few years! Here is some basic information: Teams of 10 people will travel to 5 Westport bars, where each team will finish 4 pitchers of beer before moving onto the next bar. The after-party is held at the Beaumont Teams should have 10 people, but can have 12 Each team member gets a great t-shirt The crawl lasts from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 pm. Those are just some of the basic rules, but this pub crawl is so much fun and benefits some great local ... 05/19/2008