Two Great New Listings To Share!!

Toured two new listings today that I want to share with you.  One in Prairie Village, one in Brookside.  Both properties are updated and ready to move in!

The Prairie Village house offers a Cape Cod floorplan with two bedrooms on the first floor and two on the second floor.  Each floor has a full bath.  The baths and kitchens are updated.  Basement is partially finished.  Newer roof, nice back deck and a screened in porch, one car garage.  Close to Prairie Village Shopping Center--priced at $235,000.

The Brookside home is just east of Oak, close to Acadamie Layfayette and St Peter's Church/School.  It's a three bedroom two bath house with one bedroom on the first floor.  Updated kitchen and baths, new roof and HVAC, finished basement.  Hot tub in the back yard, one car garage. 

Both of these homes are great to show, and are ready for quick occupancy.  Contact me if you would like a private tour!

Here's the news...year end sales stats for Kansas City (Jackson and Johnson Counties) and December numbers...

Jackson County

For December '07, sales down almost 5% compared to '06.  Average sales price dropped over 11%, inventory up 3.68%.

Johnson County

For December '07, sales down just over 17% compared to '06.  Average sales price up 4%, inventory up 3.26%

Comparing stats 2006 to 2007:

Johnson County sales down 9.49%, average sales price down 1.19%.  Jackson County sales down 6.12%, average sales price dropped 4.33%.

Soiurce: Heartland Multiple Listing Service

Buying A Home?  You Need an ABR!

What's an ABR?  Accredited Buyer's Representative.  Approximately 4% of real estate agents have this accreditation--and I'm proud to say I am one of them!

Becoming an ABR involves attending several hours of specialized classroom training on representing a home buyer as a buyer's agent.  I learned specialized negotiation tactics, the rules on foreclosures in KS and MO, how to represent clients in various agency transactions and  what is most important to buyers in the transaction and in the agent-customer relationship. In addition, there is a lengthy test to pass and continuing education requirements.

 As a buyer's agent, I am here to be an assertive advocate for my buyer regarding the purchase of a house. Here are a few of the questions to consider as we look for 'the one':

What are the positives and negatives of the property?  How well does it fit the buyer's wants and needs?  Is the asking price fair and reasonable?  How does it compare to other homes on the same block ... or within several blocks?  Looking over the property, is there anything that is an area of concern (for example, wood rot, signs of water in the basement, water marks on ceilings, asbestos wrapped pipes, etc). What type of mortgage works best for the buyer?  What payment amount are they comfortable with? The questions are limitless and I welcome all of them.  Buying a home is usually the largest purchase most people will ever make--representing the buyer is a serious and time-intensive  responsibility. Having the  credentials of an ABR show the professionalism and dedication of a buyer's agent. 

If it's time for you to buy a home..or if you just want to explore the possibility and check out the market, contact me for a personal visit.   Thank you for reading my blog!

The Top Five Reasons To Buy A Home Now

This is it...the time of year when many people think about moving to a new home.  Reasons can vary:  you may have a new job location, desire a different enviornment, have outgrown your present home, want to downsize, or just need new surroundings.  Here are good reasons to consider making that move now:

1.  Selection.  You hear it every day...it's a 'buyer's market'. Inventories are high, prices have come down.  If you know what you want, you can look at literally 30-40 homes before making a decision.  You probably won't get everything you want, but because of the high amount of unsold homes, you have a lot to choose from.

2. Mortgage rates are low.  For the past several years, rates have barely budged above 6% for a 30 year conventional fixed rate loan.  Now they are under 6%.  A house payment is the one monthly payment you can control--the cost of gas, food and healthcare continute to rise way above inflation levels.  If you need to borrow money now to buy, take advantage of the low rates.

3.   Competition has forced prices down.  You will pay less for a nicer home in a good area than you would have a year or two ago.  When there is too much inventory, the product competes on price.  Now is the time to get a deal in an area you desire. 

4.  Over 50% of mortage applications are currently generated by the GenX generation.  A new study states this fact, and many of these buyers are first time buyers.  They know real estate is a good investment, they know what they want, and they are ready to buy.

5.  If you have a house to sell, the spring market is the strongest.  Most sales occur in the first six months of the year.  If you have a house to sell, get it show ready now as the buyers are out there looking.  Make sure your home looks appealing, is free of clutter, updated  and priced right. It will sell.

For more information on what homes are selling for in your nieghborhood, or if you'd like to hook up to a personalized buyer's website, contact me at mary.hutchison@prukc.com