Adrian's Plaza Penthouse

One of the most unique properties in Kansas City was sold this week.  Located on the rooftop of the Carlton Plaza Condos, this 200 sq. ft. "penthouse" is now the home away from home away from home to Adrian, the gentleman with the biggest smile in the room.  His closing was attended by his agent, Kevin Vaughn of American Real Estate, April Bonderer of First American Title, Chucker Luetje and Terry Boatwright of the Carlton Plaza, and your's truly with grandson #2 Colin (now known as Skull).  A toast was made to the previous owner and to Adrian, who I'm sure will enjoy this bird's nest view of the Country Club Plaza!

Oh This One is Good!

Sweet, sweet Brookside.  If I needed another house, this would be on top of my list!  I love the neighorbood, it has a 2 car garage, yummy colors,  and what a master bedroom!

http://lorit.reeceandnichols.com/MO/Kansas-City/64113/homes-for-sale/116-E-70th-Street-64796111

First Time Homeowner!

Congratulations to Dave on purchasing his first home after many years of being a renter.  Dave is an avid bike rider, uses public transportation and has put gas in his van only a couple of times this year.  (As a Realtor who pretty much lives in her car - this is mind-boggling!)  The Thompson Rauenzahn Team wishes Dave many years of enjoyment in his new home!

6 REASONS TO GOOGLE YOUR ADDRESS

© 2011 Trulia.com · All Rights Reserved.

Just Google It...

With virtually any type of information imaginable online, it makes sense to do regular internet searches for your home’s address. There are at least six compelling reasons it makes sense to do so, especially if it’s an address you’re thinking of renting, buying or selling. Smart homeowners would do well to search for their addresses, too, and here’s why:

1. To See If Megan’s Law Registrants Live Nearby

There is plenty of information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders in their neighborhoods. Nearly every state that has a Megan’s law-­type sex offender registry has an online

version that serves up the names, addresses, sex-­offense history, and even photos in many cases, of convicted sex offenders.  Googling your address and “Megan’s law”-­-­ or even your city or ZIP

code and “Megan’s law” -­-­ will turn up a quick list of nearby registrants.

2. To Find Crime Reports and Data For Your Home and Environs

City, county and state law enforcement agencies all post crime data online, but a Google search for your address or city and “crime reports” is most likely to turn up your local police office’s crime map. Or, you can check out Trulia Crime Maps for a crime map of recent incident reports for the whole city, ZIP code or neighborhood. The map is color-­coded to represent the intensity of crimes in each area.

3. To Detect Scammers Trying to Rent or Sell Your House

Internet scammers have taken to ripping off home information and putting together fake listings offering other people’s homes for rent or lease-­to-­own. They often list the home on extremely cheap and easy terms, then ask the would-­be-­buyer or tenant to please wire or send the deposit money overseas. These scams often come to light only after the homeowner or current resident notices bargain-­hunters checking out the place. If you start getting an inordinate amount of foot traffic to your home, or someone knocking on your door asking if they can see the place, you may want to Google your address. If you find a fraudulent listing, identify yourself as the home’s rightful owner and ask the offending site to take the scam posting down -­ stat!

© 2011 Trulia.com · All Rights Reserved.

4. To See What Your Neighbor’s Place Sold For and Possibly Lower Your Property Taxes

In real estate, the value of your home is largely driven by what is similar or how much nearby homes have sold for. If you search your address, Trulia will first surface some sort of image of your home, a map, the basic property details from the public records (see No. 5, below), and recent sales data for your own home before listing out the comps -­ homes with similar numbers of beds, baths and square feet near yours, and what they recently sold for. If you see a pattern of homes selling for lower than your home’s assessed value,

you can use those comps to petition your county to lower your own property taxes!

5. To See Your Home’s Property Records

Your home’s records online are populated from the public records about your home, which are either so old they don’t include upgrades and additions, or they’re just flat out wrong. If you Google your address, or search for it on Trulia, and find that your home’s description is riddled with errors, contact your county public record agency to correct them and edit your home facts on Trulia. This is particularly important if you’re planning to sell your home anytime soon.

6. To See Your Home’s Google Street View

When you’re selling your home, it’s especially critical to see everything that prospective home buyers will see. That means checking out how your home’s listing looks on all the online real estate sites (yes, even on Trulia), checking out the flyer -­ even stopping by to check out any staging your broker or agent did if you’ve already moved out. One thing even the most savvy sellers don’t check out is the way Google Street View

depicts your home. If you’re about to sell your home, and you notice that the street view is outdated, mention it to your agent, and ask them to make a note of that fact in the listing information.

QUICK TIPS:

1. Google your address and “Megan’s Law”.

2. Check out Trulia Crime Maps around your area.

3. Detect scammers trying to rent or sell your home.

Jessica's New Home!

In the business of real estate, one of the perks of the job is meeting and spending time with people who are just fun.  Jessica along with her parents, Jim and Nancy, were delightful to househunt with.  Jessica just graduated from college and is ready to start her adventures.  Good luck and make happy memories in your first new home!

Lauren's New Home

A porch swing, picket fence and kitchen fireplace .... what more could a girl ask for in her first new home?  Lauren found the PERFECT home in one of the nicest neighborhoods of Kansas City.  We had fun looking at houses for a few weeks, but when she walked into this one, I could tell she felt this was "home."  Lauren, I hope you have many happy years in your new home!

Crazy for QR's







I'm feeling so proud of myself today --- got my very own QR Code!  Take your smart little 'droid phone, hover your scanner app over the crazy quilt here, and see what you find.  Way cool!

First Day of Spring!

Happy Spring!  How did you celebrate the first day of Spring?  These sweet daffs were the first to pop open in our front yard this afternoon.  Guess the rain yesterday and the sunshine today (78 degrees!) were just what they were waiting for.  I held a house open in Waldo today and watched the neighbors in shorts clean out flower beds.  Came home to hear a lawnmower next door.  Lots of open house traffic today with some of my fellow agents.  So....if you have an idea that you are ready to sell your house --- get busy because the buyers are out there! 

New Listing In Lee's Summit MO

1132 NE Hunters Ridge, Lee's Summit MO
$179,000

The Lori Thompson & Carolyn Coleman team strikes again!  We have ventured to Lee's Summit MO to list a beautiful ranch home in the Deerbrook Subdivision.  This 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home has a finished lower level, 2 fireplaces, hardwood floors and fresh interior paint.  There is a third car garage to the rear of the home which provides an awesome workshop area for tinkering and tooling.  The backyard adjoins greenspace and feels like your own private park.  This one is ready to SELL!

 

Buying A Home? 3 Do's 2 Don'ts

What every first time home buyer should know

Farhaneh Haque

15 March 2011 01:18

Dreaming of owning a home? There’s more to buying a house than saving for a down payment. Buying a home requires good planning and advice from a trusted team of experts.  Farhaneh Haque, Regional Sales Manager of Mobile Mortgage Specialists, TD Canada Trust says home buyers should seek professional advice to ensure they’re prepared for the complexity of the process as well as the responsibility of home ownership. “Mortgage specialists can help home buyers figure out their needs, what they can afford and which mortgage product is best for them - whether that’s a five year fixed rate mortgage, a five year variable rate product or something entirely different, such as payment flexibility to be able to pay off their mortgage faster which could give them the flexibility to pay less at a later date if something unexpected came up.”
Haque shares some do’s and don’ts for home buyers.
Do:
Gather a team you trust. You should consider assembling a professional team to get you through the technicalities of home buying. This team can include a mortgage specialist, real estate agent, home inspector and lawyer. Ask around for referrals and meet with them in advance so that you are comfortable relying on their advice when you need it most.
Know what you can afford. Only you and your lender can properly determine what you can afford. To make sure that borrowers can still support their mortgage in the event that interest rates rise, the government recently made some changes. Borrowers must be approved based on a five year fixed mortgage rate, even if they select a different term.
Choose the right option for you. After you know what you can afford, narrow down your search by figuring out what type of home suits you best. Ask yourself questions such as do you want: a house or a condo? A new home or older home? In the city or a smaller community? Is more square footage worth a longer commute? Are you looking to renovate or move right in?
Don’t:
Skip the home inspection. You may know a handy guy, but the best way to see if your dream home will turn into a nightmare is by having, before you purchase your home, a home inspector identify any potential problems and determine whether or not any upgrades need to be made.
Buy more than you need. Even if you can afford a more expensive home, choosing one that you love at a lower price point allows you to keep some breathing room in your budget. A fourth bedroom that you never use is just another room to clean and heat! For more information go to http://www.tdcanadatrust.com/.

4 Fading Fads For 2011

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
We keep hearing about what’s popular in 2011 for home design — but how about what’s not? Builder Magazine writer Jenny Sullivan asked industry experts to weigh in on design fads that you won’t likely see in the new year. Here are some of the fading home trends experts mentioned:
1. Trophy space: Forget those two-story grand entrances. Builders are seeking more affordable, energy efficient design so they are getting rid of large, volume spaces in homes.
2. Just for show: Fancy, overdone rooms won’t cut it in the era of the practical, cash-strapped buyer. Lavish industrial-grade kitchen ranges or fancy master bath spa tubs– that are hardly even used anyway–will fall to the wayside. “The kitchen is once again becoming a working part of the home and not just a showcase,” architect Don Taylor of DW Taylor Associates in Ellicott City, Md., noted in the article. “It needs to provide all of the latest conveniences and technology, but with practical applications in mind. The faux commercial kitchen look may have reached its summit.”
3. Egocentric houses: It’s not just about the interior of a home that makes a home.
Buyers are caring more about its curb appeal and what’s nearby the home as well. Parks, amenities and neighborhood connections create a sense of community, said John M. Thatch, principal with Dahlin Group Architecture and Planning in Pleasanton, Calif. While most infill homes on the boards are 10-20 percent smaller in size, Thatch notes that buyers are willing to trade extra space for a more appealing neighborhood.
4. Home flipping: Gone is the trend of buying a “starter” home or a home for short-term investment. Buyers are now buying for keeps and it’s changing the way they view homes. “The idea of a home as a short-term money maker is essentially gone, so when people do buy they’ll do it with the intention of staying ten years instead of two or three,” says Jim Chittaro, president of Smykal Homes in Chicago. As such, he says buyers will care more about the design of the home and they won’t want it to feel cheap.

Snow Day ~~~ No School!

It's official.  We're in the middle of the "snow storm of the century!"  Blizzard warning.  Stay home.  Don't drive.  Be prepared to lose power.  I've hauled in the firewood, stocked up on Girl Scout cookies and I'm ready!

Here's a tip I got yesterday from another agent in my office --- "For icy door steps in freezing temperatures get warm water and put LOTS of Dawn dish washing liquid in it.  Pour it all over the steps.  They won't re-freeze."

This morning Toby Dog and I made our famous home-cooked dog food.  Today's ingredients are:  lentils, split green peas, sweet potatoes, cranberries, cream corn, rice and baby food beef.  Yummy!  Actually, I thought I was going to throw up as I mixed it all together.  But Toby loves it.

Stay warm and safe!

A Happy New Homeowner

After a long and sometimes difficult journey, Brandon happily accepts the key to his first home.
I met Brandon over 1-1/2 years ago as he began the process of looking for his first home in Kansas City MO.  The home he chose to buy happened to be a foreclosure (groan) in the neighborhood he really wanted to live.  Tough negotiations began but persistence prevailed.  We had a deal.  Then we had inspections.  Then we had more negotiations.  Lender requirements for repairs.  Repairs done.  Lenders happy.  Title didn't clear.  More waiting and waiting and waiting.  Finally word came today that we were clear to close.   Hallelujah!  Before anyone changed their minds, Brandon and I did our final walk-through at the house and headed to the closing table.  Now Brandon's fun begins!
Good luck and enjoy your new home, Brandon.  Don't forget to invite me over to see the improvements!

What a Realtor won't do!

After my open house this afternoon, Carolyn Coleman (first listing agent) and I became expert house painters and neutralized a bedroom.  A once lavender bedroom, is now a terrifically taupe room.  We are AWESOME!  One of the first rules of selling a house is to make it as neutral as possible, appealing to as many people as possible.  Buyers want to be able to picture their furniture and decor fitting in without having to do too much work themselves.  Wallpaper?  Get rid of it!  Bright colors?  Tone it down!  All in a day's work for this dedicated Realtor!

It's An Open House Day!

The sun is shining --- the birds are singing --- what a perfect day for an Open House!  7222 Walnut St., $163,000, 3BR/1.5 BA in Waldo.