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.)
My 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…
Caroline 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.
Since I wrote earlier this week about my visit to the Brookside Farmers Market last Saturday, I thought it was fair to visit the 
A few items available here that I didn’t see at the Brookside market: 
This Thursday through Sunday, July 7-10, 2016 is the annual Brookside Side Walk Sale. Stop by and check out the bargains at your favorite stores…and browse some new shops as well! Many merchants are open until 8pm on Thursday evenings. Make a day of it and enjoy a meal or snack while you are picking up some sale stuff.
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 