Kansas City 2007 Home Values Kansas City 2007 Home Values The Kansas City Star did an article a couple weeks ago about the 2007 Homes Values and on their website they have a great interactive map here that let's you click on a zip code and it will display the Average Sales Price of Existing Homes for 2003-2007. It's a really great tool because it demonstrates that in some zip codes, the housing market is still very active. For example, the results for area code 66062: 2003 - $174,342 2004 - $186,321 2005 - $217,705 2006 - $231,987 2007 - $249,611 Percentage change from 2006-2007: 7.6% Percentage change from 2003-2007: 43.2%     Brad Papa RE/MAX Stateline 913-526-4985 bradleypapa@remax.net www.PapasInTheHouse.com Come to Papa For All Your Real Estate Needs! 02/26/2008

New Page 1 New Page 1 Free Boulevard Brewery Tours The Boulevard Brewery located at 2501 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO known for making great beer, but many people might not now that they offer free tours of the facility, which begins with a movie about the history of the brewery and ends in the tasting room for free beer samples! This is a great activity for a leisurely Saturday or for entertaining out-of-town guests! Free public tours are available at these times: Thursdays at 3 p.m. Fridays at 1 p.m and 3 p.m. Saturdays at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The catch is, reservations are REQUIRED and they book up very fast. You used to have to call for reservations, but not there is a handy online form here that you can make your reservations. You need to book early as tours... 02/26/2008

Real Estate Investing Class at UMKCOnce again I will be teaching at UMKC on March 1 and the topic will be The Basics of Real Estate Investing.  If you are a neophyte trying to decide to whom you should listen to I would encourage you to come on out. You'll need to put in your reservation with UMKC's Communiversity.  Just follow the link or give them a call at 816.235.1448. As always I try to make it at least a little bit of fun.  We'll see you there! 02/20/2008

In his Feb. 14th, 2008 commentary, Dr. Lawrence Yun commented on the reality of the current state of the nationwide housing market. He states, that although the national media churns out article after article about how bad the housing market is, there are many markets which are not only seeing appreciation, but are red hot! He notes that while the big laterday boom markets such as Las Vegas, some coastal states where subprime loans predominated, Florida, Detroit and Sacramento are suffering serious value declines, other markets such as upstate New York, most of Texas, and Utah are increasing in value. His ultimate analysis draws a picture of economic prosperity where housing markets can't be contained in a bubble of fear forever.         "Many markets have solid fundamentals of very aff... 02/20/2008

Here is the January activity report in the Kansas City Real Estate market according to the Heartland MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Kansas City area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Kansas City Real Estate visit http://www.scottsellskc.com/Newly Listed Homes - 197Sold - 73Average Sold Price - $229,000Cheers,Scott Finley 02/19/2008

Here is the January activity report in the Kansas City Real Estate market according to the Heartland MLS.This information is provided directly from our local MLS. Please feel free to check back often for the most accurate and updated information available in the Kansas City area for local real estate reports and statistics.For more free reports and Kansas City Real Estate visit http://www.scottsellskc.com/Newly Listed Homes - 197Sold - 73Average Sold Price - $229,000Cheers,Scott Finley  02/19/2008

Yesterdays KC Star described the 2007 real estate market as ugly. They spewed off a bunch of sales that showed some sellers taking a real beating on the sale of their home. The question I want to ask is this truly what is happening in our market? or is it more isolated? Perhaps there is a side of this story that you are not seeing or haven't thought about.By reading yesterdays article you would think that 50% of the homes in the area are in foreclosure and the other 50% have lost over 10% of their value. Let the truth be known that homes are selling and selling everyday and not everyone is losing money. The sellers who are losing money have generally bought in the last 2 years. If you don't believe that look at the 4 year percentage change listed in the Stars article 80 of the 96 zip co... 02/19/2008

New Page 1   I run as part of my regular workout, and I've been known to participate in a few 5K's around town, but my wife has set a goal for 2008 is to run in 6 races! She has chosen the annual St. Patrick's Day Run in Westport to be one of them. This is a very festive run with many individuals and groups dressed in green attire such as hats, wigs, scarf's and those wacky green shamrock sunglasses. And don't worry, it not on St. Patrick's Day, it's the Saturday before!   I have participated in this race before and it's actually a 4 mile run, not the regular 5K, so participants might need some extra training. Around 3,000 people participate and the course winds through Westport and in spots it can be a little hilly. You actually finish by running up the main street in Westport, so sav... 02/19/2008

There’s no hiding Kansas City’s historic Hyde Park Neighborhood, nor should there be, though occupants of the original namesake subdivision might think someone did just that! Having moved to the east of the earliest version, the present day Hyde Park community is bordered to the west by both Hyde and Gilliam Parks, stretching from 31st St. to 47th St., and from Troost Avenue to Gilliam Road. Built in an area that was once a stop for wagon trains along the Santa Fe Trail, the first homes were built there over a century ago in the 1890s. The community grew in desirability and prestige through World War II as the number and variety of the homes increased. Hyde Park features a diversity of architectural styles including Bungalows, Kansas City Shirtwaists, Victorians, Colonial Revivals, and ... 02/18/2008

New Zip Code Appreciation (Depreciation) Map for Kansas City Real Estate Last year I linked to the the Kansas City's Star's report on housing appreciation in the Kansas City metro area.  By in large there was modest appreciation and some depreciation...but not enough to worry about in most places. This year's interactive map shows a different story.  Read the entire story here.  (NOTE:If the Kansas City Star holds true they will not have this map up indefinitely.  So it's possible the link will lead you to nowhere after a couple weeks.  If they do you can purchase a zip code map for Kansas City by clicking Zip Code Map.)  Now let's put the numbers under the microscope and see what we see.  Especially for those out-of-staters that read this Kansas City real estate investing blog.  You ne... 02/17/2008

Many First-Time-Homebuyers don't really understand what they can afford and also don't understand how their credit situation truly affects their ability to buy.  I deal with quite a few lower income clients and they ALL want MORE than they can afford.  They usually don't have much money saved up if any at all and they think they can buy with no money down.  Some can, using special 1st Time Homebuyer incentive programs provided by the government and certain lenders.I like to offer the idea of Lease with Option to Purchase as a method for them to own a home.  If they are on the border of qualification for conventional bank financing, but not quite there, we can try to negotiate a small down payment and affordable monthly rent payments with some portion of the rent being applied to future ... 02/17/2008

Kansas City offers various types of sports leagues and pick-up games, and the latest additions are some entertaining games from our youth such as dodgeball and kickball. Kickball has become quite popular in the last couple years and there are multiple leagues for those who would like to participate. Here are a few links for those interested in playing kickball in the Kansas City area: Midwestern Unconventional Sports Association: http://www.musakickball.com/ World Adult Kickball Association: http://www.kickball.com/waka_divisions.php American Sports and Social Club: http://www.kansascitysportandsocialclub.com/kcssc/   02/15/2008

An article in the Kansas City Star stated that Kansas City ranked number 40 in foreclosures in a study of the 100 largest metropolitan areas. Foreclosures were up in our metropolitan area almost 84% from 2006 and estimated that almost 1.2% of all area households were in foreclosure. While that number is up from previous years, 1.18% is a far cry from the nation's leaders: Detroit at 4.9% and Stockton, California at 4.8% of homes in foreclosure. Remember to, that although this number was a large increase over 2007, only 1.18% homes are in foreclosure, which means that 98.82% of Kansas City homes are NOT! Click here for full story   02/15/2008

According to Gene Hanson of the Sun Tribune, all the planning that went on in 2007 will come to fruition in 2008. 3 new commercial venues will open their doors during 2008, one at Vivion and N. Oak, two new office buildings in Briarcliff, and the brand new Hunt-Midwest mixed-use development on the northwest corner of MO-152 and I-29. The outlook for future development going forward is a bit bleaker as Hanson states there is "tight money" in the banking sector after the sub-prime lending fallout. Therefore, American Corporations are looking abroad for money, which will naturally lead to the develpment arena growing in fits and starts in the coming year. From Bear Stearns Co. to Chrysler Corp. American companies are seeking foreign backing to infuse into their budgets in order to help the... 02/14/2008

The 2007 foreclosure rates were announced yesterday by the tracking firm Realtytrac. While some areas of the country have been hit really hard, Kansas City is just slightly above the National average. There was some cause for concern though as the rate of foreclosure did rise almost 85%. from 2006. There were several areas of the country that were hit extemely hard including Detroit, parts of California and Las Vegas. National Average        1.03%Detroit                           4.92%Stockton, CA               4.87%Las Vegas                    4.23%Kansas City                 1.18% So just a little bit above 1 out of every 100 households. The thing to remember is that not all of these homes get foreclosed, many homeowners are able to bring their mortgage up to date, refinance or sell t... 02/14/2008

Mailing a letter with the United States Post Office will soon cost a penny more. The cost of a first-class stamp will rise to 42 cents starting May 12, according to the United States Postal Service.The price of the Forever stamp will go up at the same time, meaning those stamps can still be purchased for 41 cents but will remain good for first-class postage after the rate increase takes effect.  As per the US Postal Serivce.Scott Finleywww.scottsellskc.com 02/12/2008

New Page 1 Valentine's Day In Kansas City Valentine's Day is one of those holiday's that is enjoyed by those with significant others and virtually ignored by all the single men and women around town! Although I am happily married now, I spent many, many Valentine's Days as a single guy and I was always looking for something... anything to do on that evening! Luckily, many area Kansas City hangouts are throwing Anti-Valentine's Parties! So while the couples will be waiting hours in line at local restaurants, singles have plenty of opportunities to dance the night away! McFadden's Owner of a Lonely Heart 80's Ball Howl At The Moon Anti Valentine's Party : Free admission with a mutilated picture of your ex America's Pub: Bitter Ball (2/13) and Cupid's Ball 2 (2/14) Blonde's Anti-Valentine... 02/11/2008

Although the restaurant/bar One 80 has been open in Westport for a while, I only recently discovered what a gem it is! We arrived about 7:00 on a Saturday night and there was immediate seating. It was busy, but not overly crowded. The atmosphere is great, a dimly lit restaurant with soft red lighting and large booths. We ordered two martini's off their extensive drink menu and both were great! We got a great surprise when the waitress brought us small glasses with extra drinks in them. She said the bartender accidentally made to much and wanted us to have them! Now that's service!For dinner we ordered the Parmesan-Encrusted Chicken and the spicy Baked Penne Rossa. Both of our dinners were excellent and the portion sizes were perfect, ample size without being too large. The presentation ... 02/11/2008

For more information:                                                                                              Dan or Nancy Reedy                                                                                                (816) 767-1188  Focus on people, not profitshas Missouri Real Estate Exchange thriving GRANDVIEW -  Most real estate businesses focus strictly on the bottom line. Missouri Real Estate Exchange, however, believes in solving problems for buyers and sellers.            "We treat people right and talk to them on their level," co-owner Dan Reedy said. "We have a lot of empathy for the situation they are in and try to help. There is no pressure - if we are not the best option, we will put them in touch with someone who is."            That personal touch is why busine... 02/07/2008

Per a response to my previous blog about the Kansas City Investing Market, here is a list of major employers in the Kansas City area.A great source of information regarding Kansas City is on wikipedia.com. Click here for a direct link.The economy of Kansas City Metropolitan Area is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri, which is the largest city in Missouri and 40th largest city in the United States. The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is the 27th largest in the United States based on the United States Census Bureau's 2004 population estimates. The Kansas City area is a large, influential, and important economy in its region. Historically, Kansas City, Missouri has been the third largest beef capital in the United States (behind Chicago and Cincinnati) and home to the second largest rail netw... 02/05/2008