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.
Grab your tote bag and get ready for the Brookside Farmers’ Market’s Opening Day on Saturday, April 10, 2021!
The market has been available the past few months on a smaller scale; Saturday marks the season’s opener, featuring more booths and goods ready for purchase. Vendors focus on local and sustainably grown produce, meats, home made baked goods and crafts. Same location: HJ’s Community Center at 6425 Wornall Rd from 8-1pm. The atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming–often you’ll hear some live music as you stroll among the booths.
Please remember to bring a bag to carry your goodies and a mask!
Armour Hills is blooming! Along with the rest of the city. Springtime brings out the buyers for our neighborhood, so expect more home sales in the warm months ahead. Even the cold weather though didn’t slow down the market–sales are up compared to last year at this time. Let’s look at the stats:
February 2021
February 2020
Median list price:$335,000
$339,900
Median sales price: $358,775
$332,000
No. of homes sold: 5
3
Days on market: 2
49
Buyers paid about 7% over list price and home values are up 8% over February 2020. Below are the year-to-date numbers:
Jan-Feb 2021
Jan-Feb 2020
Median list price: $347,000
$339,925
Median sales price: $361,888
$338,000
No. of homes sold: 8
4
Days on market: 2
46
Twice as many homes closed this year compared to last; and you can see how quickly new listings are going under contract: two days instead of a few weeks! Home prices are running about 7% over last year.Currently there is just one listing for sale in Armour Hills, priced at $425,000 and four days on market.
If I can provide you with more detailed information on Brookside or Waldo home sales, contact me!
(all stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
I remember when it was fairly easy to buy a house in Waldo for under $200K. Those days are gone! Housing prices keep rising in Waldo, and compared to last year–values are up in the double digits. I’m checking single family home sales in Waldo, using the boundaries of Gregory to 85th and State Line to Holmes.
February 2021
February 2020
Median list price: $289,475
$209,000
Median sales price:$298,750
$212,500
No. of homes sold:24
15
Days on market: 15
22
The lowest closed price in Feb 2021 was $112,520 and the highest was $439,900. Here are the year-to-date numbers:
Jan-Feb 2021
Jan-Feb 2020
Median list price:$265,000
$205,000
Median sales price:$265,000
$206,225
No. of homes sold: 47
32
Days on market:13
24
Look at the difference between the two sales prices: values are up 28% YTD. That is incredible. More homes are selling, and in a shorter period of time.And as of this writing, there are just four homes listed in Waldo, with a median asking price of $180,000 and 4 days on market.
Contact me if you would like more details information on housing sales near you!
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Home values in Brookside are rising up like Spring daffodils! The demand for homes in our neighborhood shows no sign of slowing down. In addition, listings are way behind what they would normally be for this time of year. Multiple offers are the norm for just about any homes priced under $500,000. Here are the numbers for single family home sales, using the main Brookside zip code of 64113:
February 2021
February 2020
Median list price:$380,000
$359,975
Median sales price:$392,350
$354,500
No. of homes sold: 16
16
Days on market: 2
35
Looking at those numbers, we see the same number of houses closed; listed homes went under contract in about 48 hours. Buyers were paying an average of 3.25% over the list price, and sold prices up over 10% compared to last February. Here are the YTD numbers:
Jan-Feb 2021
Jan-Feb 2020
Median list price: $395,000
$369,900
Median sales price:$397,200
$370,000
No. of homes sold: 29
23
Days on market: 3
44
So far this year, values are running 7% over 2020. More homes have sold; and properties are going under contract in just a couple of days. It’s going to be a long ride for homebuyers this year….don’t give up! As for sellers, this is the time to get top dollar for your home if it’s priced competatively!
Currently there are just 8 active listings in Brookside, with a median list price of over $1,000,000. That’s because half of the listings are over the million dollar mark, including two homes, one priced just under $5.5 million and another $7.2 million. Days on market is 74, as those high dollar properties tend to sit on the market longer.
Have any questions about home prices in your area? Contact me for details!
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Ladies…have you been thinking of sprucing up your look for the warm months ahead…when, hopefully, masks won’t be as necessary and others can see your entire face?!? And for the gents..do you have a special someone that could use some pampering? Check out one of Brookside’s newest businesses, Brow Bar, offering “beauty treatments with a spa attitude”.
Brow Bar, 328 W 63rd St
I stopped by Brow Bar recently and talked with owner Tammy Sciara about this new shop that opened in December. Brow Bar offers all kinds of skincare and beauty services, including cosmetic injectables, microblading, eyelash and brow enhancements, facials, waxing and make up consultations. The store has a welcoming, calm vibe with a very friendly staff that really cater to their clients. Tammy says “I want my customers to feel fully transported when they come here; I want the shop to feel like a private retreat”. She even created a special relaxing room in the middle of the space for just that purpose; customers can sit and relax before and after their appointments.
Brow Bar’s Relaxing Area
In addition to the special beauty services, BrowBar offers several lines of unique, clean products for the face and body: Leahlani, organic products from Maui; MerSea, a line of candles and diffusers based in Lenexa; Lover cosmetics (founder Ashley Rodden lives in KC and keeps regular hours at Brow Bar for make up consultations), Soap Cherie, botanica based body products, and Savor/Beauty, a small batch, certified organic line of Korean beauty inspired products from New York.. Any woman would enjoy indulging in these clean, fresh make up and body products!
Tammy Sciara
How did BrowBar get started? Tammy explained that after having her second baby, she was busy “chasing around the little ones, more worried about if they ate their breakfast and brushed their teeth than if I looked in the mirror before leaving the house”. As part of a post baby makeover, she had microblading done. “The thought of never having to spend time coloring in my brows was heaven!” but the experience of having it done was not what she expected. “It wasn’t relaxing or service oriented at all. It was actually a bit terrifying! It got me thinking about all of the beauty services I had done through the years. I knew I could do it in a different way”. After several months of research, Tammy and her good friend (and co-owner) Nicole Baldwin started Brow Bar. (Nicole is a semi-permanent make up artist). “I wanted to open a studio that was upscale, modern, relaxing and private at the same time”. Her first location was in a building on the Plaza and, being a long time Brookside resident herself, decided to switch locations to 63rd St when this spot opened up. “We have so much more space, as well as the opportunity to sell our unique beauty and skincare products that Brookside needs!”
Stop in Brow Bar the next time you are strolling along 63rd St for a look! A gift certificate to Brow Bar would be a welcome Mother’s Day gift. The address is 328 W. 63rd St, just west of Stuff.
Armour Hills is one of the most desireable neighborhoods in Brookside and the rising prices confirm it-the -median price of a home was unusually high in January 2021. However, just three homes closed, all in a higher than usual price for Armour Hills. Here are the numbers:
January 2021
January 2020
Median list price:$500,000
$433,000
Median sales price:$490,000
$433,000
No. of homes sold: 3
1
Days on market: 3
44
Home values up 13% compared to last January but again, $490,000 is an unusually high median sales price for Armour Hills. The three homes that closed were on the upper end of the price spectrum. Currently there are NO active listings in Armour Hills. That could change tomorrow!
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
The cold weather and snow did not slow down home sales in Waldo last month… houses are still selling quickly! Here are the stats for January 2021, and a comparison to January 2020. The Waldo boundaries I’m using are State Line-Holmes and Gregory to 85th St.
January 2021
January 2020
Median list price: $237,500
$199,750
Median sales price: $237,000
$196,250
No. of homes sold: 24
18
Days on market: 3
18
Home values are up almost 21% compared to a year ago! Still a lot of demand and not much inventory. The lowest closed price last month was $129,000 and the highest was $410,000. Currently there are just five listings in Waldo, with an average list price of $322,450 and five days on market.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
A new year brings a new batch of Brookside homes for sale! Although there are many buyers ready to buy today, we don’t have the inventory to match demand. January was a busy month for closings; let’s take a look at the numbers. I’m using the main Brookside zip code of 64113 for this report:
January 2021
January 2020
Median list price:$399,000
$415,000
Median sales price:$432,000
$400,000
No. of homes sold:13
7
Days on market:6
44
Home values are up over 8% compared to last January, and again, most homes that are going under contract sell at or over the list price.
Here’s a fun fact..as I write this blog, there are just six homes for sale in Brookside, with a median price of $2,645,000! Every home is priced well over $1,000,000! As we know, most buyers do not have the budget for a multi-million dollar home. This is the time when sellers are starting to prep their homes for sale, so we will have more inventory as the weeks go on and the weather warms up.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
It’s time for the annual Waldo Week celebration, now in it’s sixth year! Starting tomorrow, Feb. 19 and running through Thurs Feb 25, there are all sorts of special deals and discounts to take advantage of in Waldo. This is a perfect time to support your usual favorite shops and restaurants, and an even better time to check out some places you may not have visited before!
Here’s a partial list of participating businesses:
Check www.waldokc.org for the complete list. There will also be an online auction this year to benefit Cornerstones of Care. Remember, you must mention Waldo Week to get the discount or special deal.
Thank you for supporting our locally owned Waldo businesses!
Ah yes, I’m a few days late posting this information but still relevant! Waldo has been one of the hottest neighborhoods for buyers these past few years and 2020 was no exception! The stats below reflect the Waldo area in the boundaries of State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th St. First, we’ll look at the December numbers:
December 2020
December 2019
Median list price: $210,000
$220,000
Median sales price: $217,000
$214,000
No. of homes sold: 31
31
Days on market: 2
19
The median sales price crept up a bit over last year, the same number of homes closed, the big difference is in days on market: most homes went under contract within 2 days of listing. The lowest sales price in December 2020 was $125K and the highest was $405K.
Now let’s look at a five year comparison:
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
$219,000
$220,000
$199,900
$175,000
$163,500
$226,000
$215,250
$200,000
$176,000
$163,950
375
358
381
400
387
4
10
19
12
21
Wonderful Waldo is hot!!!! Home values up just under 5% in one year, and 37.8% since 2016. Real estate…can be an excellent investment! I wish there was more inventory to meet the demand because multiple offers are still quite common, pushing prices way up. Currently there are just two single family homes for sale in Waldo, with a median price of $203,700 and 31 days on market.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 