Brookside Home Sales Stats – Aug 2013

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On this last day of September, I’m finally getting around to post the Brookside home sales stats for August 2013.  It’s been a busy month!  No surprises here: prices continue to rise, and homes are selling faster.

In Aug 2013, 33  homes sold.  The average list price was $403,543 and the average sales price was $384,255.  Average days on market: 84.

In Aug 2012, 31  homes sold.  The average list price was $375,358 and the average sales price was $357,238.  Average days on market: 95.

Continuing the trend this year, average sales prices are higher than last year, about a 7.5% increase over last August.

Let’s compare year-to-date figures:

In the first eight months of 2013, 220  homes sold with an average sales price of $356,029 and 88 days on market.

In the first eight months of 2012, 200 homes sold with an average sales price of $321,320 and 109 days on market.

So far, Brookside home prices have increased almost 11% this year over last!

Currently there are 83 homes for sale in zip 64113, with an average list price of $745,259.  Twelve  homes are priced over $1million, which pushes the average list price higher.  As the calendar moves closer to cold weather and the holiday season, number of units sold per month will fall lower, as this is the time of year when there are not as many new listings popping on the market. However, we’ve had a strong 2013 so far for home sales and I think this year will beat last in terms of average sales price and number of homes sold.

If you would like sales figures from your neighborhood, contact me!

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

Armour Hills Home Sales Stats – Aug 2013

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Every month I post home sales statistics for Armour Hills and the Brookside zip code of 64113.

Starting this month, I’ve got a simple and easy to read chart for the stats, showing all the information I used to post in paragraph form (click on the chart to increase its size, then lick on your “back” button to return to this page).

Screen Shot 2013-09-23 at 1.43.23 PM

Click on the chart to view full size, then click on your “back” button to return to the post.

I think this looks much better: As is the usual pattern, sales are slowing down as we head into the end of the year.  The average list  price in August is virtually unchanged from 2012, although the average sales price is up almost $10,000.  Year-to-date shows the biggest change, as  the average  Armour Hills home sales price is way up over last year.  Just about every month this year,  prices are up in our neighborhood from 2012.

As of this writing, there are 15 homes for sale in Armour Hills, with an average list price of $245,206 and 48 days on market.  Good news for home sellers and home buyers!

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

Two Big Events in Brookside/Waldo – Saturday Sept 21, 2013

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Another big weekend for outdoor events coming up…just about everyone visits the Plaza Art Fair, now in it’s  82cd year.  However, there are two local happenings in our area on Saturday to note.  Even if you don’t participate, be aware as there will be streets blocked off and traffic re-routed at two key areas of Brookside and Waldo.

Strut Your Mutt, Brookside

Strut Your Mutt, Brookside

Strutt Your Mutt, a benefit for Wayside Waifs, is Saturday Sept 21, starting at 8am.  There are three ‘races’ — one 5K race with dogs, one without, and the traditional 3K walk. The center of the event is at 62cd Terrace and Brookside Plaza (near JULIAN, Foo’s Frozen Custard, etc), and the participants will be using Brookside Blvd from this area going north to 51st St and parts of Oak St.  Expect traffic re-routing around Brookside Blvd. most of the morning.  Brookside is a dog lover’s neighborhood, and this is a really fun day with music, contests and lots of folks just hanging out to people (and dog) watch!

(Between the Plaza Art Fair, Strutt Your Mutt and the Brookside Farmer’s Market traffic–plan to avoid Brookside Blvd on Saturday morning.)

Also on Saturday is the annual Waldo Fall Festival, at 75th St and Wornall (the parking lot near Aldi and CVS Pharmacy).

Waldo Fall Festival

Waldo Fall Festival

 From 10am-5pm, you can enjoy live music, a dog show, pancake breakfast, kids’ activities (moonwalk, train)  and the ever popular food trucks.  If you have a story to tell about Waldo, sign up in advance to participate in the Waldo oral history project here.  Wornall Road and 75th St. is always a very busy intersection, and it will be even more congested on Saturday.  Avoid the traffic back ups by parking a few blocks away and walking to the festivities.

It’s going to be a beautiful Fall weekend in our neighborhood…enjoy!

Brookside’s Current Sewer Line Project

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Wondering what’s going on with the street construction around Meyer west of Wornall Road?  It’s not the huge federally mandated sewer improvement project, although the work does affect  sewer lines.  The official title is “Brookside Watershed Area Storm and Sanitary Sewer Improvements, Phase 3B”.  And here’s what that means:

In Brookside, some sewer lines are combined — storm sewers and sanitary sewers join together to feed into Brush Creek.  During heavy rains, this type of line can cause sewer backups for homeowners in the area.  So the “Brookside Watershed Area”   project is a type of flood control, with the goal of alleviating sanitary sewer back up flooding in residential basements.  The contractor is repairing these underground pipes and/or replacing them.  The KCMO Water Department employees are not doing the work; it has been outsourced to Blue Nile Contractors.  It started in May of this year, and won’t be finished …until May of 2015.  So prepare yourself for several more months of ripped up streets, sidewalks, and detours.

Streets affected in Phase 3B are:

Valley Road from W 65th north to W 62 Terrace

Meyer west of Wornall

Greenway Terrace

Pennsylvania north of Meyer

Wornall from huntington to W 57 Terrace

W 58 Terrace west of Wornall

Funding is coming from PIAC dollars (which is funded by taxpayers).  The next phase of the project is 3C, which will also affect homeowners west of Wornall.

It is up to the contractor to notify  homeowners in the area that their streets and sidewalks will be torn up for this infrastructure project.  Notifications can be made by using fliers, doorknockers and public meetings. However, homeowners may not be notified exactly when work will begin on a certain street.  I used to live on W 58th Terrace, one of the blocks currently being worked on, and I checked with a friend still on the block about how he was notified of the project.  He told me he received a general mailing back in May–basically a fact sheet from the CIty with a description of the project and contact numbers.  That was all. So, I suppose it’s up to the individual homeowners to call and find out exactly when their street will be affected in order to plan ahead.

Here’s a link to the fact sheet on the project:

https://www.kcwaterservices.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/BrooksideStorm+SanitarySewerImprovementsPhase3B_ProjectOverview.pdfEre’s

Weekend Events for Kansas City – Sept 6-8, 2013

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With the Labor Day weekend behind us, now we jump into what I call ‘festival season’ here in Kansas CIty. Besides the over-the-top  fun of the Renaissance Festival , this weekend brings us Art Westport, the Greek Fest and the famous Waldo Crawldo, plus a run that will tie up traffic on Sunday in the downtown/Crown Center area.  Below are the details:

Art Westport – Friday (5-9pm), Saturday (10-9pm), Sunday (11-5pm)

This is the 34th year for Art Westport, an art fair exclusive to Kansas City artists–which makes the art more affordable (for me!) compared to the Plaza Art Fair.   Be prepared to park along a side street and walk to the booths, lined up along Westport Road west of Broadway.

Falldo Waldo Crawldo – Saturday 6pm-midnight                             

A benefit for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the Falldo Waldo Crawldo  is a wild night of bar hopping and crazy costumes, centered around the 75th and Wornall area of Waldo.  There are drink specials, really good prizes (tickets to the Mumford and Sons concert, a  mountain bike, Royals and Chiefs tickets)  and all the participating bars are within walking distance of the 75th and Wornall corner.  Save a few bucks and get a ticket in advance for $7, or pay $10 night of the event. And watch for wobbly pedestrians in this area Saturday night.

Prairie Village Jazz Festival – Saturday 3-11pm

Don’t look to the website for details on this festival–it still states ‘more information coming soon’.  It’s a free event, held at Harmon Park, 7700 Mission Road from 3-11pm with headliner Bobby Watson. Always crowded–get their early and bring your own lawn chairs!

GreekFest – Friday (6-10pm), Saturday (noon-10pm),  Sunday (noon-6pm)

  The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church sponsors this festival, now in its 52nd year. Located at the church at 120th and Wornall, there’s plenty of tasty Greek food and pastries, entertainment, and fun for the kids.  The Greeks know how to have a good time–this is a happy and lively event!

I’m also mentioning the Broadway Bridge Run because it will cause traffic delays on Sunday.  This event is actually three races:  a 5 and 10K, plus a half marathon.  It starts in the City Market area, goes around the downtown airport, and travels south using Main and Walnut to the Liberty Memorial area.  Be aware of road closures if you will be in this area on Sunday.

Temperatures this weekend are forecast for  the mid-upper 90s, with lots of sunshine–so don’t put away  sunscreen and shorts just yet if you plan to visit these outdoor events!

Brookside Home Sales Report – August 2013

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Today is September 1..I’m a bit late getting out the home sales stats for the Brookside zip code of 64113!  My apologies, time just slipped away.  I’m happy to report that the upward trend of increasing home values/units sold for our neighborhood continues, as it has all year.  Here are the details:

In July 2013, 36  homes sold.  The average list price was $437,803 and the average sales price was $429,464.  Average days on market: 65.

In July 2012, 34  homes sold.  The average list price was $341,804 and the average sales price was $330,384.  Average days on market: 98.

You can see there was a huge jump in the average sales price. Why?  Because in this zip code we have home prices ranging from $150K-$1million+.  In July of this year, three home sales were over $1million.  This skews the average sales price way up.

Let’s compare year-to-date figures:

In the first seven months of 2013, 187  homes sold with an average sales price of $351,048 and 88 days on market.

In the first seven months of 2012, 169 homes sold with an average sales price of $314,732 and 112 days on market.

Again we see average prices up from the same time period in 2012. We’ve had four $1million+ sales this year so far, and 21 sales over $500K. Last year, in January -July there were two million dollar plus sales and 19 homes sold over $500K.  There seems to be more upper bracket home buyers in the market this year.

Currently there are 88 homes for sale in zip 64113, with an average list price of $697,636.  Eleven homes are priced over $1million. The most expensive home for sale in our zip code is the old “Applebee’s” house at 5550 Ward Parkway, priced $50 shy of $5 million.

If you would like sales figures from your neighborhood, contact me!

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

Your Money Flushed Away at the KCMO Water Department

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Last week the Kansas City Star reported that the Kansas City MO Water Department awarded a two year,  $12 million dollar no-bid contract to West Monroe Partners.  Yes, you read that right.  $12 million dollars–which breaks down to $500,000 per month — being paid to this Chicago company.

For this exhorbitant fee,  West Monroe Partners will address problems with the department’s phone system, information technology, call center training (they have a call center?  The water department doesn’t even have a published direct customer service phone number!) and billing issues.  Where does the KCMO water department get $12 million dollars to throw at a consulting firm?

The horrible customer service and billing problems at this utility are well known.  What has  current management been doing to fix the problems?  Why does an outside company, at very hefty fees, have to be hired?  Shouldn’t these issues be addressed by current management?  Isn’t that what they are paid to do?  What is the job description of the head of the department?  And since we’ve had these same problems for years, wouldn’t a better solution be to hire management who knows how to run a water department efficiently and effectively?  Why not fire those that can’t get the job done? Where is the accountability???

Just last year, KCTV reported that the water department  hired a consultant, who was being paid $250 per hour, to deal with water service bills and poor customer service.  What happened to that consultant’s recommendations? How much did that cost us?  Did management implement any of the suggested changes?

And why was this a no-bid contract?  There is a foul smell to this entire story. Why did the City Council approve this contract?

We’ve had huge increases in our water bills to pay for the federally mandated upgrade of our sewer system.  These increases will continue for the next several years.  Apparently the water department has included a fat budget line item for consulting  firms with the higher rates so they can outsource the job they are supposed to be doing…while current KCMO water  personnel  collect generous salaries and pension benefits for not doing the jobs they were hired to do.

Armour Hills Home Sales Stats – July 2013

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Armour Hills in Brookside

Armour Hills Homes in Brookside

Sometimes I wonder if  readers are getting tired of me reporting every month that home sales are UP in Brookside!  Oh, not really,….it’s even good news for buyers.  Yes, you may be paying a bit more than two years ago but as a homeowner, you want to feel confident you are making a good investment!

For Armour Hills, the average sales price is way up for the month of July.  Here are the details:

In July 2013, nine homes sold.  Average list price was $296,517 and average sales price was $292,000.  Average days on market was 20.  

In July 2012,  nine  homes sold at an average price of $224,111  and 53 days on the market.

Wow, that is quite a jump in the average sales price!  Almost $72,000!  Here’s why:  in July, three sales closed with sales prices over $300,000, including one $410,000 sale. Prices way over $300K are not the average for our neighborhood.  It’s good to see the average days on market way down–less than three weeks from list to contract!

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

From Jan-July 2013, 49  homes have sold  at an average price of $263,011 and 66 days on market.

From Jan-July 2012, 44  homes sold at an average price of $220,406 and 89 days on market.

As of this writing, there are 22 homes for sale in Armour Hills, with an average list price of $252,361 and 60 days on market.

Sales prices are up, number of units sold is up, and days on market is lower than  last year. This has been a consistent trend since the beginning of the year. Armour Hills should finish up 2013 as the strongest  for home sales in the past  few years!

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

Brookside Area Home for Sale

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First time buyers often want a home with ‘good bones’ as the saying goes:  newer HVAC, roof, windows, as those items are expensive to replace.  I have a listing in the Brookside area with ‘good bones’ — lots of space for the price, just needs a new owner to add decor!

Brookside Area Home for Sale

Brookside Area Home for Sale

This home has new windows, new HVAC, new hot water heater, new 100 amp electrical service and new bracing on the basement walls.  It’s a Tudor style home, with a living room, dining room, enclosed side porch, kitchen and cozy breakfast room, plus a bedroom and full bath on the first floor.  The second floor has two bedrooms, another full bath and  a large dormer for storage. There is a private driveway and fenced backyard. Built in 1935, it has many charming details: crown molding, fireplace, brick exterior, built-ins…and all appliances stay!

Conveniently located near a bus route, this home is within a couple of miles of UMKC, the Country Club Plaza, Stowers Institute, and the Brookside/Waldo shops and restaurants.

It’s a great deal priced at $119,000.  If you are currently renting, your payment could be lower than your monthly rent!  The address is 715 E 72nd St, just east of Holmes.

For more information on this home, contact me.  It will be a fine house for the next owner.