Author Archives: Mary Hutchison

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About Mary Hutchison

Every day I'm driving around my cherished neighborhood of Brookside (and Waldo)...observing what's going on, watching new businesses move in and out, and touring homes (I'm a Realtor with Weichert Realtors). Starting this blog about Brookside/Waldo is a way I thought I could promote the area and spark some discussion about what's happening here...and what's going to happen. Your comments are welcome.

Rockhill Gardens in Brookside–A Favorite Neighborhood

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When prospective customers ask me about living in Brookside, I often give them a short verbal tour of the area:  average prices for certain areas, where you can get the most bang for your buck.  Rockhill Gardens is one of those subdivisions I love to talk about.  

Most of the RG homes are bordered between Gregory and 75th, Oak to Holmes.  There are some RG homes east of Holmes Rd, those are generally lower priced than the homes to the west. Napoleon W Dible (1872-1960) was the man who started this subdivision in 1929.  He wanted ‘affordable, well-built homes’ and sold thousands of homes in the area at a low profit.  Inspired by Tudor mansions in England, Dible added many of those characteristics to his homes in RG:  arched doorways, gabled roofts, detailed moldings, brick, stucco and stone exteriors.  He was one of the first speculator builders–that is, he built homes first before he had buyers.

Dible knew that although it was the man (and only the man!) who signed the sales contract, it was the woman who made the final decision on the house.  He added special touches that appealed to women, such as built-in ironing boards, colored tiles in the baths, and curved walkways in front.  Most of the homes had a side or back porch and were about 1500 square feet.  Most of the kitchens were small, and some still are unless there’s been a major renovation.  That’s always puzzled me, how kitchens in the 20s and 30s were so small, yet maids and wives spent so much time in the kitchen cooking from scratch! Ah, but times were different then, with the larger formal dining rooms for leisurely dinners … that seems like an indulgence now.

The reason I like to show off Rockhill Gardens to prospective buyers is this:  you generally get more space for your money here than in other Brookside neighborhoods.  Often the garages are attached, which isn’t common for Brookside, and bedrooms are larger.  Many RG homes have finished basements.  And it has an active homes association, with organized events and get togethers for the residents. A typical, updated 3 bedroom, 2 bath Rockhill Gardens home should be priced under $250,000.  The location is great, close to the Brookside shops but also walking distance to the Trolley Track Trail, the Waldo Library, locally owned restaurants and shops, insurance agents, Academie Lafayette school, florist, bike shop–just about every convenience a homeowner would want.

If you plan to shop for  a Brookside home, be sure to check out what’s available in Rockhill Gardens.  Compare pricing with some of the other area subdivisions and see that you will get the desirable Old World charm in a well-built home for a reasonable price!

Touring Lincoln Prep High School

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Living in Brookside…and living with the Kansas City MO school district.  It amazes me how Brookside homes  have retained their value, how many people want to move into this neighborhood, despite the reputation of the KCMO school district.

As a real estate agent, the subject of schools often comes up with buyers.  So  many newly married couples move to Brookside and then once the kids get close to school age, the For Sale sign goes up and they pack up  for Johnson County.  Some of this is probably due to the houses itself:  parents want more room to accommodate all the kid stuff, their playmates, they want a large yard and/or a finished basement. But over the past several years, there are alternatives to the local public school — the charter schools of University Academy and Academie Lafayette. When it comes time for high school..that’s a more difficult question.

Lincoln Prep has an excellent reputation so I recently toured the school to see for myself.  The building is older, built in the 1930s.  It’s located closer to the central city  (2111 Woodlawn) than the Brookside area, but the grounds are neat and the building itself is attractive from the outside. Walking in the front door, you do have to pass through a metal detector.

Our tour guides were two students–very friendly and knowledgeable about the school.  As we toured the building, we observed several classes, visited the cafeteria, the gym, the auditorium.  The halls were quiet, students listening attentively in the classrooms.  The student body is very diverse–many nations represented, some artsy kids with dyed hair and dreadlocks.  No uniforms–even the vice principal said he wished they had a uniform policy–but there is a dress code.  The kids don’t have a homeroom or study periods.  It’s straight classes from 7:25am-2:40pm.

When I asked Joh Richard, Vice Principal, why he thought Lincoln Prep students did so much better than other KCMO high school kids he said it’s because the kids have to test to get into the school, and they have to maintain a certain grade point average.  So these kids are more focused, more serious about their studies, and feel the competition and drive from their peers.  Another interesting remark he made was that the teachers must assign homework at least three days a week–just a few years ago, homework was optional. Curiculum includes four years of math, english and science, plus at least one hundred service hours are required for graduation.  Sports are offered, along with band, debate, ROTC and drama.  There are currently four or five Teach for America teachers at the school, all replaced retiring faculty.

Overall, I was impressed with the school.  Their reputation seems well deserved.  It’s a tragedy of sorts that Southwest High in Brookside was on such a great path to be a college prep school before it was combined with Westport High–police report they are still called to the school on a regular basis.  Not true at Lincoln. Why is it that the KCMO school district can only offer one academically excellent school? Residents want good public schools in their neighborhoods–they don’t want to have to drive 20 minutes to get to a ‘good’ public high school.

There is a good public high school option for Brookside residents…if you want diversity and a longer drive.

 

 

Armour Hills Homes Association–Sept Board Meeting Recap

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Our monthly Armour Hills board meeting was on Tuesday night…here’s a brief recap of what was discussed:

*The Ice Cream Social was a big success!  Even though it was delayed one day because of rain, we had a great turn out on Sunday. Next year we may look into getting bids from caterers–it’s a lot of work for one person to organize.

*We have several businesses interested in advertising in The Clarion.  The next issue will be out in October with the first ads.

*Mistie brought a sample of our Welcome bag for new neighbors.  Area businesses have been very generous with coupons, gift cards, freebies and other items for the bag.  These should start being delivered to new residents sometime this fall.

*We looked at new landscaping plans for the island at W 65 Terrace and Linden, nothing has been chosen just yet.

*Despite lots of calls, we can’t find anyone who will suck up leaves if they are left in the curbs (without bagging them).  We are investigating paying for an extra leaf and brush pick up for all residents.

*Two KCMO police officers reported that there are a couple of homeless people hanging around Armour Hills.  They advise DO NOT hire anyone who is looking for work, saying something along the lines of ‘I’ll get rid of your trash for $5’.  Be sure to keep all cars locked and don’t have any valuables visible in the vehicle.  Police officers are still being called regularly to Southwest High School as the new school year begins.

*Gunnar reported on the new striping for several crosswalks and the speed bumps on Main.  We are trying to get the metal plates removed that are located at 68th and Main.  The work has not been completed, the water department will not return calls or answer questions about this project.

Note that this is not everything that was discussed–I took notes on most of the items. Our next meeting is October 18 at 7pm, Country Club Congregational Church.  All residents are welcome!

The House Across The Street

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The elderly lady across the street from me finally moved in with her daughter.  There’s a huge estate sale this week, and the house is for sale (for sale by owner–the kids are giving that a try!).  As I walked through the house, I thought it was almost a shrine to another era of Brookside living:  the linen tablecloths, the china, the gloves and cloth napkins..the heavy furniture and lace curtains, tiny floral wallpaper and a toast rack.  I think most newlyweds don’t even register for fine china and when I wear gloves–it’s to keep  my hands warm, not to accessorize an outfit.

The house itself doesn’t look like it’s been updated since it was built-in the 1920s.  Brookside homes are known for their charming architectural details but this house…not even a dishwasher in the kitchen!  The crown molding along the ceilings… the glass doorknobs and original corner cabinets in the breakfast nook..cove ceilings…the unpainted wood trim..arched doorways and curving fireplace…. and  oh the art deco bath!  Those black and yellow tiles still seem as shiny as the day they were installed decades ago!  Near the back door you find the ice door for the ice block, and in the basement, the pine wood paneling and bar for the ‘rec room’.  If the walls could talk…

What will probably happen is this:  a rehabber will snatch up the house, update the interior and strip it of all the fine detailing. Granite counters, beige tile, white-painted woodwork, knocked out  walls, more beige tile and poof!  it looks like the inside of every other newly built home in Suburbia USA.   I don’t fault buyers for wanting an updated, move in ready home–that’s what most of my buyers want.  But there is a way to freshen up while still retaining some of the original character of a home.  To rip out that deco tile bath seems like such a waste!  At least the Tudor exterior will remain.

I’m looking forward to meeting the new neighbors, whenever they come along.  Maybe it will be another family, to replace the one that’s grown and gone.   But one thing is for sure:  the more sophisticated and upscale lifestyle of those original folks is gone for good.  Let’s hope the charm of the craftsmen remains.

Armour Hills Home Sales Statistics Aug 2011

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Interesting home sales statistics from the Armour Hills subdivision in  Brookside last month..I think these stats show
some trends worth noting…my comments below!

In August 2010, six homes sold in Armour Hills. Average days on market: 59.
Average list price: $176,650. Average sales price: $174,475.

In August 2011, nine homes sold in Armour Hills. Average days on market:
101. Average list price: $223,811. Average sales price: $215,372.

The average sales price for August 2010 was very low for Armour Hills. More
of the lower priced homes sold, including some foreclosures, which drag down
sales prices. Note the average days on market was 59–fairly fast for a
‘depressed’ housing market, and indicates buyers will snatch up bargains in
this subdivision.

The average sales price for August 2011 was more along the usual average for
the subdivision. More units were sold this year, which is encouraging, although
the days on market — 101 — was nearly twice as long as the same period for
last year. The higher average sales price and more units sold perhaps reflects
a bit more confidence in the market as well as sellers ‘waiting out’ the down
year of 2010 to try and sell this year instead.

If you would like home sales statistics for your area–email me with your address and I will send them over. Thanks for reading my blog!

 

Labor Day and Self Motivation

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As one gets older…it seems easier to shrug off the self motivation.  The aged body whispers:  ‘just lay on the sofa’ and the brain says ‘look at all that’s left on the to do list’.  But what’s so important on the to do list? Straightening up the basement, sorting out the girls’ summer clothes, stopping by Target and ironing. Blah.

But my seventeen year old daughter is very self motivated towards an admirable goal:  earning enough money to go back to Spain next summer.  She recently got a job at The Dime Store and still babysits as often as she can.  She has bills:  car insurance, gas, phone bill, entertainment cash and she loves to shop.  Last week she told us she is saving to return to Spain next year to see her friend Macarena, who she stayed with during a trip with her spanish class last summer.    Erin fell in love with ‘the European lifestyle’.  What’s so striking is that when I was 19, it was my goal to go to Europe–and I saved my money and went to London and Paris for three weeks. I knew my parents couldn’t afford it, but I had the fever to get out of the midwest, out of my parents’ house and on my own.  So I did. And now my daughter wants to do the same thing. It must be in the genes.

Perhaps my ‘to do’ list should be …. go back to Europe, instead of ‘go to Target’. And I should be saving money to do it before it’s too late.  The responsibilities of everyday life get in the way:  money for retirement, for groceries, for college, for gas, for home maintenance, car repair, the business…and somehow the cash  coming in doesn’t keep up with the ever-increasing expenses.  So the days trickle by, one by one, and I think, ‘maybe some day when the kids are gone and on their own I’ll have time and money for xxxxx’.  Yes I’m self motivated to do it, and working every day for several  decades should also include the promise to finally book those plane tickets.  I’m so glad Erin is making plans to fly again into her dreams…now.

Is Brookside Really More Welcoming than Johnson County?

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OK, I know I could get in trouble with the title of this post. But it happened again today…someone I know moved into a Leawood South home a few weeks ago and no one has come over to say ‘welcome’.

A networking friend recently referred me to someone who was moving to the KC area from Oregon for a job.  This couple, in their 60s, are very nice and friendly.  Although they don’t want to buy a home right now, I did help them with a rental in Leawood (paying it forward and hoping it pays off!).  The newly relocated wife and I had lunch today. I asked her if she had met any of the neighbors.  She replied that a neighbor on one side ‘waved’ when going to his car one evening.  She has encountered the neighbor on the other side a few times but the neighbor has rebuffed any conversation.

A couple of years ago I sold a very nice, $300K home in Overland Park.  When I went to visit my customers several weeks later to see how they were doing, I also asked about neighborhood greetings.  She said the same thing:  no one has come over to introduce themselves, and in the driveway, it’s just a wave.  No conversation. Recently I was at a networking event in Brookside, chatting with a lady who moved from Brookside to a nicer subdivision near 119th and Nall.  She says, “I can’t wait to get back to Brookside when my kids are out of school..there just isn’t the friendliness and get togethers that are so common in Brookside.”

All of these couples are older, empty nesters, and perhaps it’s just easier to get to know the neighbors when you have kids running around–always a topic of conversation.  But without fail, every Brookside home I’ve sold has had the neighbors coming by to welcome the new residents with cookies, brownies, contact phone numbers and friendly conversation. They want to know about who’s moved in. Still, these consistant  remarks reinforce the stereotype of the more elite JoCo residents and the always smiling, always walking around Brooksiders.  Although I’m sure there are some not-so-friendly types here as well.

Not everyone wants to know the neighbors.  It’s easy  not to visit with someone when the garage is attached to the house and you never have to step outside to see who’s out there that may want to talk.  And I know all JoCo communities aren’t like my descriptions here.  One exception is a house I sold in Indian Fields–that block had a party for my buyers!  Buyers can always make the first move to knock on the neighbor’s door and introduce themselves.

Yet it’s disheartening to hear stories like this.  A big part of buying a  home is buying into a lifestyle–the pride of ownership, the relationships with the folks nearby, the school system if you have kids.  It’s easier than ever now  to hide behind devices and the door, wrapped up in your own world.  Thankfully that is rarely the case in Brookside.

Crime Reports for Brookside/Waldo

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A neighbor stopped me the other day, asking if I had heard about the home break-ins one block over.  She mentioned two homes  were broken into during the early afternoon hours. I had not heard about these incidents at the time…but a couple of days later, they popped up on my personalized Crime Reports incident report. I don’t remember exactly  how I found out about this site, but it’s well worth a look for current crime stats in the Brookside/Waldo area.

Since August 8, there have been six thefts and two break-ins in my Armour Hills neighborhood.  That’s higher than  normal.  I checked a few other areas nearby, and Oak Meyer Gardens/Armour Hills Gardens and Rockhill Gardens  had two crimes each. These reports come to the site from the Kansas City Police Department.  The site also shows the location and description with photos, of registered sex offenders. Unfortunately, Kansas  police departments do not report to the site as far as I can tell.

One of the neat features about this site is that you can log in and set up a search for your  neighborhood–each week the site will automatically email you a crimes report for the area you designated.  This is a great tool to use to watch crime stats and also notify neighbors of problems, especially if there seems to be a pattern developing.  In Armour Hills, having two break-ins on the same day within a couple of hours of each other should put neighbors on alert for suspicious persons in the area.

As I sit typing this blog, I’m positioned in front of a window facing  the street.  Usually I see joggers, dog walkers, moms with strollers going by…kids walking home from school and contractors working on home improvement projects.  I’ve rarely  seen a suspicious person  lurking about…still, I am even more aware now  to consciously look around as I pull in and out of the driveway or walk to a neighbor’s home.  Being extra alert can deter crime.  If you are a Kansas City MO resident, check out crimereports.com for information on what’s happening in your area.

Thanks for reading my blog…if you are interested in home buying or selling in the Brookside/Waldo area, visit my website. I’m here to help!

My Favorite New Listings in Brookside

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On Realtor  tour today…two new listings caught my eye…read on for details and a few pictures!

In one of my favorite subdivisions, Rockhill Gardens, this new Tudor home is move in ready!  Three bedrooms, two and a half baths, two car attached garage, finished basement with bonus room…a breezy side porch and sunny breakfast room.  New windows!  Large bedrooms! $243,000.

A few blocks north and east, in Armour Hills Gardens, there is a new listing on Cherry.  This one is also updated and ready for new owners:  Three bedrooms, one is on the first floor; two full baths, one car garage, a formal living room with a custom framed fireplace, and a nice sized office on the first floor.  Large patio in the backyard (no real yard) and a  one car garage private drive.  $209,950.

Note that these two homes are not my listings, but I can send you more information if you or someone you know is interested.  With interest rates at historic lows, this is the time to get a deal on a Brookside home you’ll treasure for years!  Contact me at mary.hutchison@prukc.com