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.

Update on the Apartment Project Planned Near 75th and Wornall

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At a recent Waldo Area Business Association meeting, Jeremy Tinkler with EPC Real Estate Group gave us an update on the apartment complex planned for the intersection of 74th St and Broadway, where The Well once stood. The construction of the building will coincide with the planned street improvements in the 75th and Waldo area, so this intersection is going to be messy for the next two years!

There have been some changes from the initial plans. The Well will still be on the ground floor of the building, but now there will not be a “rooftop” connected with the restaurant. Instead, some of the apartments on the second floor will have “terraces” that overlook the street. Also planned for the first level are three other retail spaces, which could be services (like a spa or nail salon) or a coffee shop/small cafe, plus outdoor tables in front of The Well. The working title for the building, 74 Broadway, hasn’t been chosen as the official name but you can see this project referenced as such at the EPC website.

Since there will not be a rooftop area, a few more units were added; now there will be 283 studio, one and two bedroom apartments. Fifty seven of these will be at “affordable” prices. A five story parking garage for 374 vehicles will be attached with validation available for the building’s retail and restaurant. Tinkler says residents will have access to “top of the line” amenities: an outdoor pool, cabanas, a whiskey lounge, clubhouse and a golf simulator. Construction should take at least two years, and demolition of the former Well building is planned for March 4 if all the paperwork is completed. 

74 Broadway is working with KCMO so that the construction of this project is happening at the same time as all of the street improvements and sidewalk/parking lot reconstruction happening now along Wornall. The Waldo Area Business Association has created a website to keep you updated on what’s happening here; note it is a work in progress! Please continue to support Waldo merchants and services in the 75th and Wornall area despite the construction disruption and traffic rerouting–they are here for you!

75th and Wornall Street Improvements Have Begun

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Starting off with two declarations: 1) You’ll be avoiding the intersection of 75th and Wornall by car for the next several months and 2) PLEASE continue to support the merchants in that area, even if it’s less convenient!!

This project has been in the works for several years and it’s finally happening. The “75th and Wornall Improvements-Engineering Division”, as it’s listed on the KCMO website, has more intricate details on what is planned for the area. I went to the Waldo Area Business Assn monthly luncheon a couple of weeks ago for a presentation–and took notes for reference which I have summarized here. Special note: the new apartment project going up on The Well corner will also be happening at the same time. I’ll post more details about that in the next blog.

I took this graphic from the KCMO website and added a couple of landmarks for reference. The initial part of this project will remove the north parking lot (the one in front of The Well), and involves excavating the site, digging 12 feet below ground to replace some infrastructure and rebuilding the parking lot. The next step will be the south parking lot (in front of Waldo Pizza) undergoing a similar process; however the street (Broadway) along these storefronts will be eliminated. Plans are for these two lots to be finished by June. Reconstructing Wornall Road from 75th to 79th, plus some of the additional streets around this area, are planned for 2025. 

Although this project will take years, bringing detours and major inconveniences to residents, traffic and the much used vendors in the area–it should be worth it! Plans include:

*replacing the water main line on Wornall and installing new storm sewers.

*New sidewalks, curbs, streetlights; and added flower beds and benches.

*The Trolley Track Trail will have a dedicated surface along Wornall from 74th-75th.

*Adding more parking spaces in the two lots; note there will not be an entry to the south lot from 75th St, effectively eliminating the curbside food pick up from Waldo Pizza.

The Waldo Area Business Association does have a website (a work in progress) to keep you posted on developments — just know it’s going to be a large, slow moving construction project that will have an immediate and long term effect on the local small businesses in the area. Please make an effort to continue to support these restaurants and services throughout the construction–-they are here to serve you!!

Waldo-Dec Home Sales Report and 5 Year Trend

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Buyers are continuing to find Waldo a desirable place to live, even with the interest rate hikes of last year. The number of homes changing owners was about the same as December 2022–but the values are way up. Let’s look at the stats:

december 2023december 2022
Median list price:$264,000$240,000
Median sales price:$262,500$235,000
No. of homes sold: 16  18
Days on market:  2  25

Last month buyers paid within 1% of the list price–that’s good to hear, we don’t need constant frivolous bidding wars, especially for first time buyers. Prices rose almost 12% compared to December 2022. The lowest closed price was $122,500 and the highest was $480,000. Below is a graph for the five year trend of Waldo single family home sales:

20232022202120202019
Median list price:$289,950$265,000$249,975$222,500$222,450
Median sales price:$296,000$275,000$260,000$229,900$217,475
No. of homes sold: 267  301  410 375  358
Days on market:  3  3  3 4  10

Waldo home prices rose 7.6% 2022-2023 and values are up 36% since 2019. You can see in this chart how inventory has fallen–25% fewer homes are selling because there are not enough homes to satisfy demand. With interest rates sliding down (however don’t expect 3 or 4% this year!), more buyers will try this spring to purchase, resigned to the higher rates compared to a couple of years ago. These trends show, Waldo homes are a very good investment for homebuyers! Contact me if you are interested in buying or selling in Waldo!

Brookside Dec Home Sales Stats and 5 Year Trends

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Happy 2023! This feels like a typical January–very cold weather and hoping Chiefs keep winning in the playoffs! Time to take a look at the December 2023 home sales figures, and the end of year/5 year trend recap as well. And the trend is… higher prices, less inventory. Typical! I’m tracking single family home sales in the main Brookside zip code of 64113:

december 2023december 2022
Median list price:$575,000$490,000
Median sales price:$575,000$501,000
No. of homes sold:  15  22
Days on market:  18  15

Sales prices were up 14% compared to December 2022; fewer homes changed owners and the days on market was about the same. The lowest closed price was $405,000 and the highest was just over $2.8 million. Below I’ve charted the five year trends:

20232022202120202019
Median list price:$550,000$492,450$459,950$419,000$389,950
Median sales price:$572,000$500,000$475,000$416,000$380,000
No. of homes sold:  246  294  338  326  301
Days on market:  3  3  3  8  23

These numbers tell us a few things:

*Home values up 14% from 2022-2023, up 50% since 2019.

*Homes are selling faster, and inventory continues to decline.

*For the past three years, most buyers pay list price or above.

Unless more homeowners are willing (or must) give up the lower interest rates for a move, prices will continue to rise due to a lack of inventory. As interest rates drop, more buyers will want to buy to take advantage of a lower payment. One thing is always consistent: the best time to buy a home is when you are financially able and ready for home ownership!

Kansas City Restaurant Week Begins Friday!

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It’s that time of year…after all the holiday hoopla, it’s time to reset and get ready for Restaurant Week here in Kansas City, January 12 through the 21st.  Everyone I know dreads the daily question “what should we have for dinner?” or “let’s go out for dinner, where??”. With some advance planning, you can try some new spots in the area and support your neighborhood favorites as well. While browsing through the long list of almost 200 participants, I noticed several places I’d like to try! Here’s the catch–best to make reservations now because the popular spots fill up fast. Invite some friends…and make it a fun social evening in the middle of a normally dull and dreary month.

Because this blog is focused on Brookside and Waldo, as of this writing, these are the local restaurants participating. Note I am not linking to the individual websites; easier to go to the KC Restaurant Week website and look up the place you want in order to see the special menus they are offering.

Aixois                   Red Door Woodfired Grill

Lew’s Grill and Bar             South of Summit Taqueria

Michael Forbes Bar and Grill        Summit Grill

Pizza Tascio                Waldo Pizza

Charlie Hooper’s              Plate

Boru                    Smitty’s Garage

Lunch offerings run around $15-$20, and the three course dinner menus vary in pricing depending on the restaurant; usually between $35-$55, tipping not included. Some places offer the specials for carryout/delivery.

Kansas City Restaurant Week not only promotes so many of our locally owned restaurants but also has an annual charitable partner. This year it is Kanbe’s Markets, which works to eliminate food waste, and provide fresh fruits and vegetables to area small markets and convenience stores. A portion of the money collected is donated to this organization.

To close things out, I’ll mention a few interesting places that are new to KC Restaurant Week this year: Noka, Nine Zero One, Voo Lounge, The Spot, and Society KC if you need some inspiration!

Get out and enjoy a great meal or two during KC Restaurant week and…thank you for supporting local business!

Waldo Home Sales Report-November 2023

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Here we go…into two weeks of holiday hoopla, multiple trips to the grocery store, airport runs, packing and unpacking, enjoying those special home cooked recipes and seeing the innocent joy of the season on every kid’s face. Is this too sentimental?? OK let’s get on with the show…below are single family home sales for Waldo last month; I use the street boundaries of State Line-Holmes and Gregory to 85th for the report:

november 2023november 2022
Median list price:  $315,000 $242,500
Median sales price:  $315,000  $257,000
Days on market:   3   4
No. of homes sold:   29   20

There are some interesting stats here; compared to Brookside, the number of homes sold increased compared to a year ago, and prices rose by 22%!! I suspect some buyers finally got used to the fact that interest rates are not going down to 3%, or even 5% anytime soon so they finally made a purchase. The lowest closed price was $70,000 and the highest was $525,000. Here are the year-to-date stats:

jan-nov 2023jan-nov 2022
Median list price: $295,000  $265,000
Median sales price:  $300,000  $278,000
Days on market:   3   3
No. of homes sold:  272  303

The trend for the year has been buyers paying a bit over the list price and prices increasing from last year. Still a lot of demand as you can see–most houses go under contract very quickly, within a few days. The number of homes closed decreased by 11%, due to interest rate hikes causing some buyers leaving the market.

Currently there are just 8 homes listed in Waldo, with a median price of $314,750 and 22 days on market.

(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)

Brookside Home Sales Stats-November 2023

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Such a busy time of year and I haven’t been posting as much as usual…there are a few new local businesses to highlight as well as the monthly home sales stats; however work and social events are crowding the calendar!! Will start with the Brookside home sales stats for last month and post Waldo/Armour Hills next week. Here we go!

november 2023november 2022
Median list price:$515,000$475,000
Median sales price:$485,000$472,500
Days on market: 3 8
No. of homes sold: 19 19

Compared to a year ago, the median sales price rose just over 2.5%; the same number of homes changed hands and it looks like sellers were in a bargaining mood to get properties sold before the holidays as buyers paid less than list price. The lowest closed sale last month was $300K and the highest was $2.399,000. Here are the year to date numbers:

jan-nov 2023jan-nov 2022
Median list price:$550,000$489,900
Median sales price:$570,000$500,000
Days on market: 3 3
No. of homes sold: 231 273

And the year to date trend is consistent…most buyers pay over list price, most homes go under contract quickly and fewer homes have sold (by 15% compared to 2022). Home values are up 14%. Currently there are 19 homes for sale in the 64113 Brookside zip code, with a median price of $550,000 and 74 days on market.

(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)

New Listing in South Waldo! Under $250K!

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This is a good one….new listing today in south Waldo at 8024 Jefferson St. The seller has made significant improvements and it’s move in ready!

Exterior improvements include newer siding, windows, roof, gutters, garage door, driveway and storm doors.

Newer kitchen! Stainless steel appliances, all stay, including the washer dryer that is in the half bath on the first floor.

Also on the first floor, a large living room with wood burning fireplace and a flex rom–perfect for home office or play.

Upstairs, two bedrooms plus a full bath. And don’t miss the spacious screened in porch that overlooks the firepit in the fenced yard!

More pictures online! Or contact me for extra information. Offered at $239,000. Listed by Mary Hutchison, Better Homes and Gardens-Kansas City Homes.

Waldo Home Sales Report-October 2023

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Well this month is certainly slipping away fast…as the last two months of the year usually do!! So I’d better get these Waldo home sales stats out–and here they are–single family home sales for Waldo last month, using the boundaries of State Line to Holmes, Gregory to 85th St:

october 2023october 2022
Median list price:$277,500$294,000
Median sales price:$294,000$290,000
Days on market: 3 13
No. of homes sold: 20 22

Waldo continues to be a strong market for sellers–you can see buyers paid about 6% over the list price last month; median sales price just a bit over 1% compared to October 2022. The lowest closed price was $180,000 and the highest was $405,000.

Here are the year-to-date numbers:

jan-oct 2023jan-oct 2022
Median list price:$280,000$267,000
Median sales price:$290,000$280,000
Days on market: 3 3
No. of homes sold: 221 258

So far this year, Waldo home values are up about 3.5%; and 14% fewer homes have sold. There are currently 12 active listings in Waldo, with a median price of $302,250 and 26 days on market.

(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)

Waldo Small Crawl Happening This Week

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Time to walk off the extra calories you may have indulged in over the weekend!! The annual Waldo Small Crawl is going on now through Friday December 1st.

Many Waldo businesses are participating–when you shop this week in Waldo, check for special discounts and gifts from various shops and restaurants, including Hiles Two, Hemma Hemma, Front Range Cafe and many more.

The best and most personal gifts are found at our locally owned small businesses–and usually they have the best customer service too! Thank you for supporting our neighborhood!