Modern New Apartments Open on Gregory

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New apartments with modern amenities–difficult to find in our Brookside/Waldo neighborhood.  Waldo’s 222 Flats just east of 75th and Wornall opened in 2021; now a few blocks north we have The Romanelli Reserve at 200 West Gregory, developed by longtime Kansas City resident Marshal Blount. 

Driving along Gregory you probably noticed this project took quite a while to finish–but it’s worth the wait.  The 9 unit building has several special features that show the extra thought and care Blount put into the apartments:  high density insulation for energy efficiency and sound absorption; exterior stone accents and Hardie siding;  high ceilings, dimmer lights, quartz counters, upgraded appliances and balconies for each unit. Blount even got KCMO to sign off on a new outdoor material called aluma board; this product looks like wood but is actually a powder coated aluminum that resists water and other weather elements.  The result is a sleek, modern building with open floor plan apartments in an older, walkable neighborhood. 

Units rent for $2195 per month, plus a $100 monthly fee to cover water and trash service.  The all electric apartments also  feature walk-in pantries, in unit washer and dryer, double closets in bedrooms,  tiled baths and surface parking behind the building.  Each unit is approximately 1100 square feet, with two bedrooms and two baths;   Pets are allowed.

Marshal Blount

Marshal has lived in the Brookside area since he was 7 years old, attending Visitation grade school and Rockhurst high school..  He is a commercial broker with Block and Company–you’ve probably seen their signs in the Waldo area.  Over the years he worked in the restaurant industry, trained as a chef, worked for a wine distributor and eventually got a license in the real estate industry to work for himself.  Marshal is very proud of his apartment baby, and really enjoys getting to know the new tenants.  “Brookside is a friendly place where neighbors like to know each other, support one another and the locally owned businesses here.  It’s exciting to provide such a high quality building in this walkable neighborhood for those that prefer to rent rather than own a home–there’s much less maintenance.”

Most of the building is leased; as of this writing there are a couple of apartments left. For more information and a personal tour, contact The Romanelli Reserve through their website.

Armour Hills Home Sales Report – June 2024

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At the halfway point in the year, let’s take a look at June home sales for Armour Hills on this last day of July. In Brookside as a whole, prices are down from last year and fewer of properties have sold. That’s true for the monthly report but not year-to date! Let’s take a look:

JUNE 2024JUNE 2023
Median list price:$419,000$430,000
Median sales price:$442,500$476,250
Days on market:22
No. of homes sold:56

Last month, most buyers paid over the list price, around 5.6%. Home prices were down 7% compared to last June. The lowest closed price was $398,800 and the highest was $485,000. Look at these year to date figures– prices are up:

JAN-JUNE 2024JAN-JUNE 2023
Median list price:$432,122$415,000
Median sales price:$444,750$436,000
Days on market:22
No. of homes sold:2827

Unlike Brookside as a whole (prices dropped 4% first half of the year); Armour Hills prices were up 2%. Most homes are still selling within a few days of hitting the market and buyers continue to pay over list price. Currently there are three homes listed in Armour Hills, with a median list price of $375,000 and 40 days on market.

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

Waldo Home Sales Report – June 2024

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Halfway through the year and Waldo home prices overall are up, which is the opposite of it’s neighbor Brookside during the same time frame. Let’s take a look; these stats are for single family homes bounded by State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th St.

JUNE 2024JUNE 2023
Median list price:$305,000$322,500
Median sales price:$326,000$333,750
Days on market:43
No. of homes sold:3336

Buyers paid an average of 6.8% over asking price; yet prices dropped just over 2% compared to the same period last year. The lowest closed price was $125,000 and the highest was $631,000–that was $56K over list price. Yes friends, there are still bidding wars going on! Here are the year-to-date numbers:

JAN-JUNE 2024JAN-JUNE 2023
Median list price:$299,000$292,500
Median sales price:$305,500$296,000
Days on market:33
No. of homes sold:128142

Here we see that the median sales price rose 3% compared to a year ago; that is a modest increase. Buyers are paying about 2% over the list price; the number of homes that changed owners dropped by 10%.

Currently there are 23 single family homes for sale in Waldo–and over half of them are under $300K. Current median price is $255,000. This could be the time to buy–more selection as some homes sit on the market longer. Traditionally there is some reason a house sits for more than a few days–just see the days on market stat in the charts above! Still, if buyers can be a bit more flexible, there may be some Waldo deals out there!

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

Brookside Home Sales Report – June 2024

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Halfway through the year, fewer homes in Brookside are selling, and prices have cooled somewhat. Yet most buyers still paying list price or above. What does this mean? I have some comments at the end of the blog; first let’s take a look at the stats. I’m using the main Brookside zip code of 64113 for the report:

JUNE 2024JUNE 2023
Median list price:$550,000$580,000
Median sales price:$567,500$593,250
Days on market:22
No. of homes sold:2440

The lowest closed price last month was $395K and the highest was $1,235,000. Buyers paid about 3% over list price; yet home prices dropped 4.3% from a year ago–that’s practically a wash right there. Fewer homes changed owners as well.

Here are the year-to-date numbers:

JAN-JUNE 2024JAN-JUNE 2023
Median list price:$535,000$575,000
Median sales price:$553,500$578,500
Days on market:33
No. of homes sold:115130

The YTD stats reflect the monthly data for June: buyers paying around 3% over list price and home prices dropped 4%; homes are still selling within a few days of listing. In my opinion, the lower prices reflect the impact of higher interest rates–sellers more aware of pricing correctly and buyers more aware of their budgets. Fewer home sales indicate more owners prefer to stay put; those that do sell still have an eager pool of buyers wanting to purchase in the neighborhood.

Currently there are 24 single family homes for sale in Brookside, with a median list price of $691,000–a high number because the majority of homes are priced over $500K with 7 homes asking over $1,000,000. The lowest asking price is $350K and the highest is $8.5 million.

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

Brookside Has It’s Own Bagels Now!

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If you are a bagel lover as I am, you know how challenging it can be to find a bagel like the kind you can buy in New York City.  The situation is similar to  pizza:  so many different kinds and ways to make them; buying  frozen bagels or pre packaged bags at the grocery store – NOT even worth the money in my opinion.  So I was very excited to learn about Brookside Bagels, available at the Brookside Farmers’ Market…and lovingly made nearby at a Brookside home kitchen.

Owner James Holler would visit NYC a few times a year and loved the bagel sandwiches he bought there; however he was discouraged that he could not find a comparable bagel here in KC.  Along with his wife Carley, he started to bake them at home, tinkering with various recipes. His home based CPA job originates in Phoenix, so  due to his later business hours, James spent early mornings watching YouTube videos for inspiration.   He started giving samples to friends, getting good feedback and kept on baking, finally settling on a recipe using only organic flour, yeast, salt, water and barley malt syrup.  In April, James and Carley opened their stand at the market… and now sell  out every week. 

James and Carley Holler started Brookside Bagels

If you’ve ever tried to make bagels  from scratch, you know it is a time consuming process.  James mixes and preps the dough on Friday, and gets up at 4am on Saturday to start baking hundreds of bagels.  He hand rolls and boils  each one and even makes his own “everything” seasoning–the everything bagel is his top seller; he also sells sea salt, sesame seed, poppy seed, blueberry and chocolate chip flavors. Customers can order ahead and pick up at the market; on rare Saturdays Carley can’t operate the booth, she will deliver the bagels to your Brookside area home–that is rare, dedicated customer service!!!

At this time, there are no plans to expand to a commercial bakery operation or retail storefront; James likes controlling the quality and output from his Armour Fields kitchen. “We are relatively new to the Brookside area and really feel the love from our customers.  We are excited to stay here, grow as a family and keep providing high quality bagels to Brookside” says James.  As the website states, the mission is to “craft each bagel with care, using traditional techniques and high quality ingredients” for the customer.  And if you are a bagel lover, you’ll agree these are very high quality bagels!

Find out more about Brookside Bagels at their website or Instagram page (brookside.bagels) –or just stop by their booth on Saturdays at the Brookside Farmers’ Market!

Brookside Sidewalk Sale Begins Today July 11

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It’s the annual Brookside Sidewalk Sale, starting today and running through Saturday. Browse the shops along and around 63rd St and pick up some bargains! Many of our favorite shops will be offering deals, including A STORE NAMED STUFF, Corner Candleshop, Sierra Winter, LADYCO and more.

In addition, the Shred Event is Saturday from 8am-11am, in the parking lot between the tennis courts and Red Door Grill.

Thank you for supporting our locally owned Brookside businesses!!

Armour Hills Home Sales Report – May 2024

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Just a couple of days late in getting this final May home sales report published for Armour Hills as we are already into July! Happy birthday USA!

MAY 2024MAY 2023
Median list price:$397,000$487,500
Median sales price:$400,000$526,500
Days on market:23
No. of homes sold:44

The first thing to notice here is the median sales price was 24% lower than May 2023; the same number of homes sold; however, that’s a big drop. The lowest closed price was $380K and the highest was $447K. However, check this out: three of the four homes that sold went over asking price by at least $20,000. Here are the year-to-date numbers:

JAN-MAY 2024JAN-MAY 2023
Median list price:$434,343$395,000
Median sales price:$447,000$417,000
Days on market:35
No. of homes sold:2321

As is usual now, buyers still paying over the list price for most properties; YTD about 2.8%. Values are up 7.19% for the year; approximately the same number of homes changing owners. Currently there are four homes for sale in Armour Hills; the median list price is $428,500 and 26 days on market.

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

Waldo Home Sales Report-May 2024

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The Waldo home sales stats for the month of May are in, and there was a surprising drop in prices compared to May 2023. Yet most buyers are still paying list price or above. Let’s take a look at the specifics; I’m using the boundaries of State Line to Holmes and Gregory to 85th St for the numbers, single family homes.

MAY 2024MAY 2023
Median list price:$249,000$289,950
Median sales price:$251,000$295,000
Days on market:22
No. of homes sold:2137

Home prices dropped by 17% compared to last year, and fewer homes sold. One explanation could be more of the smaller, lower priced homes closed last month compared to a year ago; also the higher interest rates have shrunk the buyer pool. The lowest closed price last month was $85,000 and the highest was a new build on the 7600 block of Main at $675,000. Here are the year-to-date numbers:

JAN-MAY 2024JAN-MAY 2023
Median list price:$285,000$280,000
Median sales price:$295,000$279,500
Days on market:35
No. of homes sold:89102

For the year, Waldo home values are up 5.5%–a healthy increase. Homes are still selling quickly even though fewer are changing owners. Currently there are 22 single family homes for sale in Waldo–that seems like quite a few! The lowest priced home is $200K and the highest is $669K–the second new build on the 7600 block of Main St.

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

Brookside PatioFest Tomorrow Evening!

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What a great idea….Brookside does it again! The first PatioFest is tomorrow night and everyone is welcome. Come out and celebrate the Summer Solstice with your neighbors and friends! The shops will be open till 7 as well.

There will be live music at several places in the core area of Brookside-including near Jalepeno’s, the Brooksider, Brookside Toy and Science and Foo’s. Check the website for details on who is performing where and exact showtimes.

Brookside Home Sales Report-May 2024

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Homebuyers are pushing prices up in Brookside; yet year to date, the median sales priced dipped from last year. What’s going on?? Let’s take a closer look at the numbers. I’m using the main Brookside zip code of 64113, single family home sales, for these stats:

MAY 2024MAY 2023
Median list price:$695,000$575,000
Median sales price:$725,000$582,000
Days on market:32
No. of homes sold:2528

The closed sales price was way up– 24% compared to 2023; and most buyers still paying over list price by about 4%. There were 4 million dollar + sales last month; the lowest closed price was $380K and the highest was $3.350 million cash. Only five homes closed under $500K; because most Brookside homes that closed were well over $500K, the median sales price was pushed way up compared to last year. The number of homes changing owners remains consistent. Here are the YTD figures:

JAN-MAY 2024JAN-MAY 2023
Median sales price:$535,000$567,000
Median list price:$553,500$576,000
Days on market:34
No. of homes sold:9191

So far this year, prices are down around 4% compared to 2023; yet again, most buyers are paying over the list price. We’ve had ten $1million + homes close this year. And consistently, most houses are under contract within a few days no matter what the price.

Currently there are 18 listed single family homes in Brookside, with a median list price of $587,500 and 25 days on the market.

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