So it looks like Waldo home values have slumped a bit compared to last year–understandable for a couple of reasons: the higher interest rates have knocked out some traditional first time buyers who flock to Waldo for a starter home and fewer buyers are bidding up prices. Let’s take a look at the numbers:
may 2023
may 2022
Median list price:
$295,000
$297,500
Median sales price:
$296,000
$318,000
Days on market:
2
2
No. of homes sold:
39
28
Last month the list price and sales price were virtually the same, yet the sales price was down 7% from May 2022. The lowest closed price was $165,000 and the highest was $539,000. Here are the year-to-date numbers:
jan-may 2023
jan-may 2022
Median list price:
$287,450
$249,950
Median sales price:
$282,250
$278,000
Days on market:
5
3
No. of homes sold:
114
128
Checking out these stats, you can see that prices haven’t risen that much compared to last year-just 1.5% and fewer homes have closed. There is still a lack of inventory and the higher interest rates have had an effect on sales. Still we are in peak buying season through the warmer months–I’ll have the mid year report next month! Currently there are 9 homes for sale in Waldo, with a median price of $359,000 and 11 days on the market.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Just a quick reminder about the Brookside Sip and Shop tonight (Thursday June 22)! Stroll along 63rd St from 5-7pm and stop in local businesses for a cool beverage and hot deals! Several restaurants also having specials so make an evening of it!
Here we are in the thick of the busy home buying and selling season and despite the much higher interest rates, so many houses are still going under contract very quickly, often for over asking price. I think buyers have “gotten used to” these higher rates and although their dollars can’t buy as much, they still want to own a home. And yes, there is still a lack of inventory.
Here are the stats for the main Brookside zip code of 64113, single family home sales:
May 2023
May 2022
Median list price:
$575,000
$462,500
Median sales price:
$582,500
$487,400
Days on market:
2
2
No. of homes sold:
28
36
Although fewer homes sold, most houses are going under contract within 48 hours and home values rose 19% compared to May 2022. We had two multi-million dollar closings last month; the lowest closed price was $376,500 and the highest was $2.2 million. And you can see that buyers are paying list price or above. Here are the year-to-date numbers:
Jan-May 2023
jan-May 2022
Median list price:
$567,000
$492,450
Median sales price:
$576,000
$516,500
Days on market:
4
2
No. of homes sold:
90
120
So far this year, 30% fewer homes have sold yet home values jumped up 11% compared to 2022. Many buyers pay over asking price….I know this sounds redundant to hear every month, but that’s the way it is!!
Currently there are just 11 homes for sale in the 64113 Brookside zip code, ranging in price from $409,900 to $10 million. The median list price is $850K and 31 days on market.
(all stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Waldo is welcoming yet another new, locally women owned shop just east of McLain’s Bakery! It’s exciting to report small businesses are thriving in our neighborhood! Read on to find out more about Ampersand Design Studio at 211 E Gregory. There are so many attractive and colorful items here for sale; you will see why the owners describe the shop “where color and pattern come to play”.
Owners Morgan Georgie and Carrie Kiefer met in design school at KU. Both got jobs with Hallmark, in the creative department for gift wrap, photo albums and party goods. After leaving the company, Morgan and Carrie started Ampersand, initially designing invitations and wall art and selling via their own website and Etsy. Eventually they sold their colorful art and prints to Crate and Barrel, West Elm, Minted and other national companies. They decided to open a storefront, and picked the Waldo location. “We really love the close knit neighborhood here, the constant flow of foot traffic and everyone has been so warm and accepting” says Morgan. They opened this space in April and business has been steady. Future plans include special classes and workshops plus pop up events.
Carrie Kiefer and Morgan Georgie, Ampersand Design Studio
So what can you find in Ampersand? There are useful and practical items like all cotton blankets, napkins, glassware, planters, KC branded tee shirts, some kids’ items and greeting cards, all featuring eye catching designs and bright colors. Here, you’ll find just the right special and unique gift: a decorative serving tray, pillows, hand towels, wall art, —or pick up a new pair of fun earrings! In the back of the store is where the magic happens—Morgan and Carrie have their design studio set up there. What inspires their art? “We are inspired by exposing ourselves to new things” Morgan says. “It could be an interiors magazine, a beautiful movie or even an artistically displayed plate at a favorite restaurant. We get inspired by color, pattern, and typography everywhere we go. We love what we do!”
Stop by AmpersandDesign Studio the next time you need ideas for a gift or personal special something. Hours are 9am-6pm Monday through Friday; Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 9-4. Make a note to visit later this year when Morgan and Carrie promise “a lot of great holiday themed items.” Thank you for supporting our small businesses in Brookside and Waldo!
Did you make a career change due to the COVID 19 pandemic? Jessica and Alex Wood did—and Brookside is better off for it!Their new ice cream shop is called FrenchCustard.
Alex and Jessica Wood, owners of French Custard
Pre pandemic, the Woods were living in Manhattan NYC; the couple had their own e- commerce clothing line, Discourse NYC. Jessica says they always like to “make our own stuff: we bake our own bread, make our own pizza, we ferment stuff” so when COVID hit and they reassessed priorities, the pair moved to Kansas City (where they are both from) and decided to make their own ice cream. “It was a COVID project” Jessica explains, “we love French custard ice cream, which is very popular in New York. There are so many artisan ice cream shops there and we missed being able to walk to our favorite spot for a treat”. Alex’s grandmother found an old 1980s ice cream maker in her basement (complete with instructions on a video cassette!!) and they started experimenting. They gave samples to friends, hosted several pop ups and based on the enthusiastic response, decided to open a storefront.
There are two different styles of ice cream, Jessica explains. The “Philadelphia style” is most common in the US—this style does not use eggs and does use a lot of stabilizers for consistency. Jessica and Alex prefer the French custard style, which uses only eggs, milk, cream, and sugar— no other additives. You can really tell the difference too: French Custard tastes very natural, fresh, and clean—rich and smooth with that special homemade burst of flavor. All of their ice cream is made in the back of the store and the flavors change often. Right now their best selling scoop is Salted Caramel Pretzel; other flavors include Brookside Butter Pecan, Fruity Pebbles, Mint Chocolate Chip, Cinnamon Churro, Cookies and Cream and French Vanilla. Alex and Jessica also have quite a few collaborations going on with other local businesses; Heirloom Bakery sells their ice cream during their Wednesday Summer happy hour and Bacaro Primo (Italian restaurant in the Crestwood Shops) features French Custard ice cream on their menu.
Alex and Jessica live in Brookside, within walking distance of the store. “We are so excited to be open in Brookside; this is where we wanted to be. We feel we have something very special to add to the flavor of Brookside” says Jessica. “Everyone here is so very nice and helpful; French custard ice cream shops in NYC are very, very competitive. Here, it’s a very friendly atmosphere”.
French Custard is currently open Tuesday/Wed/Thursday from 2pm-9pm; Fridays from 2-10pm; Saturday noon-10pm and Sunday noon-9pm. French Custard is located at 5905 Main St, along the Trolley Track Trail in the Morningside Shops. Treat yourself soon!
Waldo homes are continuing to sell quickly however prices have calmed down somewhat–and fewer homes are selling, no doubt due to a continued lack of inventory and much higher interest rates than April 2022. Let’s take a look at the numbers; I’m using the boundaries of State Line-Holmes and Gregory to 85th for this report:
april 2023
april 2022
Median list price:
$260,000
$250,000
Median sales price:
$275,500
$275,000
No. of homes sold:
21
27
Days on market:
3
3
The interesting fact about the sold price for last month was 1) it was above asking price, so buyers still paying more than list price and 2) the sold price was virtually unchanged from a year ago. With most homes selling within a few days of hitting the market, buyers have to be quick to see the new houses quickly. The lowest closed price last month was $175K and the highest was $470K. Below are the year-to-date numbers:
January-april 2023
january-april 2022
Median list price:
$275,000
$244,500
Median sales price:
$275,000
$261,500
No. of homes sold:
71
94
Days on market:
8
3
Waldo home values have risen 5% YTD compared to 2022. Note that 32% fewer homes have closed, and some homes are sitting on the market just a little longer. Currently there are just three single family homes for sale in Waldo, with a median price of $359,000 and 12 days on market.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Home prices aren’t rising as drastically as they were; however the number of units sold is way down. Why? Here’s one reason: homeowners do not want to give up locked in low interest rates for a more expensive home with much higher interest rates. That means less inventory for buyers. Let’s take a look at the numbers; I’m using the primary zip code of 64113 for this report:
April 2023
april 2022
Median list price:
$519,000
$479,950
Median sales price:
$516,000
$500,000
No. of homes sold:
17
35
Days on market:
3
2
Prices are up just over 3% compared to one year ago, and most buyers are paying slightly under list price. Notice the number of units sold–50% fewer than April 2022. Lack of inventory and higher interest rates contribute to fewer homes selling. Now let’s look at year-to-date figures:
January-april 2023
january-april 2022
Median list price:
$550,000
$499,000
Median sales price:
$537,250
$529,250
No. of homes sold:
62
84
Days on market:
7
3
So far home values are up 1.5% compared to 2022. Most homes are still going under contract quickly and yes, there are still some bidding wars. Currently there are 12 single family homes for sale in Brookside, with a median list price of $789,450 and 31 days on the market. Most of the houses are priced well over $500K, including 4 over $1,000,000.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
The weather forecast looks good for this weekend–fortunately for two outdoor events you can check out! The biggie is the 37th Brookside Art Annual, at 63rd St and Brookside Plaza.
Booths open tomorrow, Friday May 5, at 5pm. Enjoy browsing through all sorts of local and regional art: painting, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, photography and a few pieces that will certainly make you ponder…what is it exactly?? In addition there are things for the kids to do: arts and crafts and face painting plus several food and snack options. The Art Annual continues on Saturday from 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.
Also happening on Saturday is the 2nd Annual Waldo Spring Fling, at the NE corner of Gregory and Wornall. This is a smaller, growing event and family friendly; several local Waldo businesses will have booths set up plus food trucks for noshing.
You can easily enjoy one or both outdoor events this weekend; remember to drive slowly near these two areas and watch for extra pedestrians and tight parking on side streets. Thank you for supporting our local Brookside and Waldo businesses and events!
Everyone needs some special indulgent treatment every so often, and one of the places you can do that is Roots and Branches Salon in Waldo. Formerly Hagoya Yoga and Massage, new owner Holly McPheter took over the space last fall and expanded the services offered.
There is a comfortable, nature vibe here, with the hair salon up front and center. Their stylists offer a full range of services for men and women, including cut, color, styling, waxing and extensions and a line of R+CO and Kevin Murphy products for purchase. In the back of the shop, enjoy a relaxing massage (choose from deep tissue, Hawaiian style, cupping and hard to find pre natal massage.) They are also the first studio with a certified teacher for Inferno Pilates. Holly is particularly proud of their yoga services: their “hot yoga” sessions are 105 degrees! If you are thinking about starting a yoga program, ask about their Friday happy hour “drop in “sessions” for $15.As you can see, their yoga studio is quite large!
You may know about the original Roots and Branches location in the River Market area. Holly opened that location nine years ago and wanted to expand south. She searched for another location for two years before finding this spot, knowing it was “meant to be. The brand was already established with yoga and we wanted to continue that. We love the close neighborhood atmosphere here and most of our customers are within a five mile radius”.
Beth Swarthout, Salon Coordinator and Holly McPheter, Owner
And for those of you looking for a special unique gift, besides the special hair products Roots and Branches has a wall of boutique items for sale, including local artwork, blankets, baby items and Nomatix yoga towels.
Roots and Branches is hosting an open house on Saturday April 22 from 3-6pm if you would like to come by and check out the space. Various vendors and local artists are participating; the staff is looking forward to meeting more folks that live in the nieghborhood! Roots and Branches is located at 515 W 75th St. You can also book appointments online.
I have some interesting stats to report regarding Brookside single family home sales this month, as you will see in the charts below. The median sales price is up compared to last year; however it’s not higher than the median list price. Let’s take a look–I’m using the main Brookside zip code of 64113 for these numbers:
march 2023
march 2022
Median list price:
$657,000
$481,000
Median sales price:
$650,000
$512,500
Days on market:
12
2
No. of homes sold:
16
20
Home values rose 26.8% compared to March 2022; note that buyers generally paid within 1% of the list price and many homes sat on the market a little longer (12 days compared to 2 days a year ago). Ten of the 16 homes that closed were priced over $500K; there were 4 million dollar plus sales. The highest was $1.45 million for the very contemporary house at 65th and State Line. Let’s take a look at year-to-date numbers:
jan-march 2023
jan-march 2022
Median list price:
$550,000
$500,000
Median sales price:
$542,500
$535,000
Days on market:
19
4
No. of homes sold:
45
49
The numbers of homes sold is about the same; the bidding wars aren’t quite as strong this year as you can see with the median sales price being lower than the median list price. And some homes are sitting on the market longer. Currently there are 18 single family homes listed in Brookside, with a median sales price of $704,500 and 7 days on market. The median price is high because 1) six million dollar + homes are for sale and 2) only 5 of the 18 listings are priced under $500K.
(All stats taken from Heartland MLS; deemed reliable but not guaranteed.)
Inside Brookside (And Waldo) 