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.

Waldo Fall Festival Sat Sept 17 2016

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Waldo Fall Festival Sept 17, 2016

Waldo Fall Festival Sept 17 2016

 

Fall is probably the most popular time for festivals in Kansas City…and this Saturday you can celebrate all things Waldo at the Waldo Fall Festival, now in it’s 24th year!

Location is in the CVS parking lot at the very busy intersection of 75th and Wornall; time is 10am-5pm Sept 17, 2016.  A few other details:

 

*Free admission

*Games, rides, face painting for the kids

*Live music and local vendor booths

*Food trucks!

*Brought to you by the Waldo Business Association

There’s easy access to the festival via walking or biking on the Trolley Track Trail–parking is very tight in this area so if you must drive, please park a few blocks away and walk to the festivities.  Enjoy your weekend in Waldo!

 

 

Brookside Home Sales Report- Aug 2016

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Time to check home sales stats in Brookside for August 2016.  Numbers show a drop in value compared to one year ago…but if you are a Brookside homeowner, you’ll like the year-to-date comparisons!

Here is the single family home sales report for Brookside (zip code 64113) for August 2016, and comparisons to last year:

August  2016

Median list price:               $328,900

Median sales price:           $322,000

Average days on market:     13

Number of homes sold:        30

(Lowest sales price was $225,000; highest sales price was $$835,000.)

The lower priced homes ($400K and less) sell faster and are in high demand.  See the low days on market figure (13)?  That means last month a home was under contract within two weeks of list date.  Higher priced homes, especially over $700K–tend to sit on the market longer.

August  2015

Median list price:                $382,000

Median sales price:            $363,750

Average days on  market:      27

Number of homes sold:          30

Higher median price one year ago…means more higher priced homes sold last August.

Now let’s check year to date figures:

2016, January to August

Median list price:         $359,500

Median sales price:     $353,000

221 homes sold; average 34 days on market.

2015, January to August

Median list price:         $325,000

Median sales price:     $325,000

246 homes sold; average 38 days on market

Brookside home values are up 8.6% YTD compared to 2015!

Currently there are 49 active single family listings in the Brookside zip code of 64113; about one half of those (23) are priced over $500,000.  The median list price is $489,950.

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

Farm Dog Studios Now in Brookside East

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Farm Dog Studios artwork

Farm Dog Studios artwork

I’ve seen these decor signs in several homes I’ve shown to buyers and in a few restaurants in the area..I always wondered, where do you buy them?  Last week I was in 5B&Co Candlemakers in Brookside and…there they were, neatly displayed on a wall.  I tracked down the artist and found out all the details about yet another home grown Brookside business, Farm Dog Studios. 

Amy January in her Farm Dog Studios space

Amy January in her Farm Dog Studios space

Farm Dog Studios is Amy January.  She grew up in Fairway, and earned a BFA at Miami of Ohio. After several years working in art licensing and graphic design, she left the corporate world to raise her three children while living in Brookside.  One day, inspired by a subway sign, she wondered aloud why Brookside doesn’t have similar landmark signage.  In her studio, Amy and a (former) partner came up with the artwork  emphasizing major streets in our neighborhood.  She sold one sign at a Visitation auction and had requests for more.  A company was born.

Each sign is handmade in her Brookside East studio.  The process is a stencil and mask system, going through several steps from start to finish.  Besides the subway-style signs, Amy creates wall decor for children’s rooms, sororities and fraternities, local sports teams and universities.  There are also tee shirts, pillows and tea towels with her unique designs–those are made elsewhere.  She describes her art as “modern yet broadly appealing maker aesthetic”.  She added: “This is so fun for me because everything I’ve ever done is here. I like all the quirks from hand painting to licensing. I love coming up with the designs involving painting and typography”.

Of course I had to ask her how she came up with the name for her business.  It’s a story every  mom will appreciate:  Amy’s husband grew up on a farm in rural Kansas.  She explained every farm has a ‘scrappy dog’ that works challenging, long hours despite some obstacle–perhaps he’s blind in one eye or uses only three legs.   Amy was determined to get the company going while raising her school aged kids and all the running around and organizing that requires.  Hence, Farm Dog Studios.

Stuff for sale from Farm Dog Studios

Cool Brookside stuff from Farm Dog Studios!

You can stop by Farm Dog Studios to browse and purchase the artwork–she’s at 633 E 63rd St in Brookside East, next to Golden and Pine.  Current hours are Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays from 10am-3pm.  You’ll also find her creations at 5B& Company, Stick Sisters, Made in KC stores and J’Adore.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arbor Villa Park in Brookside Features New Playground Equipment

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ah one

 

Thanks to the hard work and persistence of Tiffany Moore, the Armour Hills HOA President, Brookside kids now have brand new playground equipment at Arbor Villa Park!

Tiffany has been submitting requests for PIAC funding since 2012 for this project.  The money was committed last year, and construction started this Spring.

 

 

ah twoFeatures include a new arch swing, climber, spring rider, swings, and play structure on top of mounded rubberized ‘hills’ .

 

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All children are welcome to play in the park, located at Edgevale and Main St in the center of Armour Hills.  Now that school has begun, the kiddie pool adjacent to the play equipment is open on weekends through Labor Day.

Special thanks to the PIAC (Public Improvements Advisory Committee)  board and the City of Kansas City MO for completing this project for neighborhood children!

 

Waldo Home Sales Report – July 2016

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Wonderful Waldo continues to be a sought after location for homebuyers…so many bars and  restaurants to explore, along with personal services, coffee shops, grocery, Trolley Track Trail and convenient bus service.  Here are the July 2016 stats for single family home sales in Waldo, using the boundaries of State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th:

July 2016

Number of homes sold:    41

Median list price:              $165,000

Median sales price:          $164,000

Average days on market:    22

The lowest sales price was $91,000 and the highest was $340,000.

July 2015

Number of homes sold:      46

Median list price:              $157,000

Median sales price:          $155,750

Average days on market:   43

As you can see from just 22 days on market, new listings are going under contract quickly, and final sales price is very close to list price.

Now let’s compare year-to-date figures:

                                                          2016 / 2015                                                                              

Number of homes sold:                224 / 218                                  

Median list price:                 $165,000 / $160,000                         

Median sales price:             $164,500 / $156,250

Average days on market:              15 / 35

Year to date, more homes have sold in 2016, at higher prices…and homes are selling in half the time as last year. Year to date, prices are up over 5%!

                                  

Currently in Waldo, there are 34 single family homes for sale at a median list price of $114,950.

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

Armour Hills July 2016 Home Sales Stats

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Home buyers continue to see Armour Hills as a desireable place to purchase a home…the trend continues of buyers paying more than the asking price to purchase in this Brookside neighborhood. Here are the home sales stats for June 2016:  

July  2016                                                                   July  2015  

Median list price:      $254,500                            Median list price:        $274,900

Median sales price:  $256,000                            Median sales price:    $270,025

Number of homes sold:  8                                   Number of homes sold: 12

Days on market:             5                                    Days on market:           42

Of the eight homes that closed last month, five sold at or above list price. One home sold for $25,000 over the asking price!

Checking year to date figures:

2016, Jan-July                                                            2015, Jan-July

Median list price:      $275,000                              Median list price:      $265,000                      

Median sales price:  $274,500                              Median sales price:  $265,000

Number of homes sold:  47                                   Number of homes sold: 57

Days on market:             16                                   Days on market:            33

Although the median price is lower than July 2015, pay attention to the year-to-date figure:  prices are running 3.8% higher in 2016 and spending fewer days on market. Less homes for purchase means prices go up.

Currently there are just 4 homes for sale in Armour Hills, with a median list price of $225,000   and 12 days on market.

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

Brookside Home Prices Rise Over 12% This Year

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Home prices in Brookside….up, up UP!  When will it stop?  It is still a sellers’ market, as it has been all year.  Take a look at these numbers, my friends, and the comparison to last year. You will understand why you keep hearing stories of bidding wars for homes in our neighborhood.

Here are the single family home sales stats for Brookside (zip code 64113) for July 2016, and comparisons to last year:

July  2016

Median list price:               $339,950

Median sales price:           $345,000

Average days on market:     28

Number of homes sold:        26

(Lowest sales price was $178,000; highest sales price was $3.246 million, the highest so far this year.)

Note that the sales price was higher than the asking price.  Out of the 26 homes that closed, 14 sold at or over list price. Also, note that the number of homes is way down compared to July 2015 (usually it runs around 50 or so) — lack of inventory pushes prices up.

July  2015:

Median list price:                $325,000

Median sales price:            $319,750

Average days on  market:    36

Number of homes sold:        42

Now let’s check year to date figures:

2016, January to July    

Median list price:         $367,900

Median sales price:     $361,000

191 homes sold; average 39 days on market

2015, January to July

Median list price:         $325,000

Median sales price:     $320,000

216 homes sold; average 39 days on market      

Brookside home prices are up 6.31% compared to July 2015 and up 12.8% year to date.

Traditionally, demand slows in the second half of the year.  I’m not seeing that–when listings pop on the market priced between $200-$450K in Brookside, they are usually under contract in a day or two (if updated, well maintained and priced at market value).  It is the buyers that offer more than asking price if there is a bidding war.  Some of these homes are selling for $25,000 over the list price.  This is an interesting market for the appraisers!!

Currently there are 49 active single family listings in the Brookside zip code of 64113; most of those (30) are priced over $500,000.  The median price is $650,000. If you are looking in the $1 million+ price range–there are eleven to choose from!

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

She’s Leaving Home – Bye Bye

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I don’t usually blog about my personal life; however, feeling a little nostalgic these days as my youngest leaves for college in a few days. Skip this post if you don’t want to read my rambling thoughts!

octMy two girls grew up in Brookside. We’ve had three Brookside addresses.  When we moved to our current home in Armour Hills, the kids were 12 and 8.  There was the same mix of families and older folks on the block then as there is now–except my husband and I are now the ‘older’ residents as new families have moved in.  Throughout the last ten years we walked to the park, to the Brookside shops; my girls each got their first jobs at small local Brookside businesses (The New Dime Store and Cosentino’s).  We took them to the Art Annual, the Farmer’s Market, trick or treating; we had block parties and yard sales and their schools were nearby. They rode bikes on the Trolley Track Trail, tee-peed the neighbors and sled down Suicide Hill on snow days. As I write these words  I see the five neighbor boys playing on a tire swing in their front yard across the street. Another generation growing up on the block…

My husband and I will soon be left with two empty bedrooms and a bathroom I won’t have to clean every week.  Will we end up leaving Brookside too?  Too early to tell and honestly, I  can’t imagine that as I grew up, just like my daughters, in a St Louis neighborhood just like Brookside.

Even though the girls aren’t living here anymore, they will still “come home to Brookside”. This community, the experiences, the memories  helped shape their personalities.  I know they will always love Brookside as much as I do.

 

Element Wellness Has Moved to Brookside East

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front

You’ve probably noticed the empty storefront at 6236 Main, the former home of Element. While driving along Main St in the pre-dawn hours, I would often see women practicing yoga through the floor to ceiling windows on the corner lot.   The business moved out at the end of April, and is now located in Brookside East at 601 E 63rd St.  

They are not quite settled in yet…the space is still a bit rough, but they are doing business. No more yoga studio here–“Kansas City’s only holistic and organic medical spa” (that statement from their website) is focusing on massage and waxing services, botox injections,  weight loss  programs and esthetician treatments.

sign

This building has undergone a complete facelift, courtesy of new owner Butch Rigby, who has purchased several buildings along this stretch of 63rd St.  In addition to Element, there is a pet service on the first floor, a recruiting service and  fine arts appraiser.  And it’s oh so easy to park here…under the building or on the surface lot. There is plenty of office space in the building, and rent is much less expensive than west of Oak on 63rd so watch for more businesses moving in.  The new Brookside 63 apartments should start leasing later this year.

Other new businesses along E 63rd include Golden and Pine, Brookside Gardens event space and Unbakery and Juicery.  Thank you, Butch Rigby, for helping to revive this part of Brookside!

Brookside East Welcomes Fox Sports & Activity Center

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Another business has opened in Brookside East..this one focused on the children growing up in our neighborhood. Fox Sports & Activity Center has this goal: to engage and enhance kids’ minds, bodies and spirit through holistic training.

fox caroline

Caroline Fox, owner of Fox Sports & Activity Center

Owner Caroline Fox explains that holistic training is ‘the whole self’ – meaning her classes and camps focus not just on skills training, but also nutrition, health and wellness and the individual child. Here, it’s not about ‘winning’, but about developing the skills needed for the game and building self esteem. She and her staff offer sports – focused classes for kids up to age 11, teaching soccer, lacrosse, badminton, and volleyball. There are also enrichment activities for art, chess, bridge, painting and jewelry making and afternoon summer camps. Classes are  small, with a one to five adult-child ratio; additional classes are scheduled on request.

fox activeCaroline says she’s been an athlete since the age of four, and she played collegiate volleyball and softball. She taught student development classes for 15 years  before moving her family to Waldo to open the business. She is passionate about encouraging children to get involved with sports/fitness at an early age, as it’s been proven that when kids get regular exercise when young, they will continue to be active through their adult years.

Additional plans for the Center include Parents Night Out, Mom’s Day Out and other adult programs. And yes, Fox will host birthday parties with several different options and activities.

Fox Sports & Activity Center is located at 414 E 63rd St, phone is 816 895 8999. Another locally owned and operated business for the Brookside/Waldo area!