Kansas City North Real Estate Blog

Large Custom Ranch for Sale in Stonecreek Subdivision, Blue Springs, MO

DON'T MISS this opportunity to own a custom-built home! True ranch with everything on the main level and very low maintenance. The hearth room is the heart of this home - you will love spending time here! The covered front porch is great for relaxing. Oversized garage and doors. Great neighborhood close to shopping. Large finished basement has tons of storage.

More photos of this amazing home can be found at http://www.kansascitynorth-realestate.com/listing/mlsid/108/propertyid/1794981/

Whether buying or selling a home in Blue Springs, MO, call Ron Henderson at 816-651-9001.

Drought takes a toll on home foundations - KansasCity.com

This summer’s severe drought is burning a big hole in the budgets of many families forced to repair damage to their homes’ foundations.

Local repair companies and structural engineers can’t keep up with the torrent of phone calls, and waiting lists extend for several weeks just to get an inspection. With the cost of driving in just one steel pier to shore up a foundation at more than $1,000, the bills add up fast.

“We’ve been swamped, and we’ll be busy for the next several months,” said Mike Bromley, vice president of ABI Corp. of Lee’s Summit. “Every situation is different, but depending on the house and the damage, the cost can range from a couple of thousand dollars to $20,000.”

via www.kansascity.com

Types Of Garage Doors | Garage Door Options |Garage Doors | HouseLogic

“Especially on houses where the garage is front and center, the garage door absolutely has to look good,” says Casey McGrath, a real estate practitioner in Kitsap County, Wash. And it has to operate smoothly: Americans use the garage more than any other entry to the house, including the front door, according to a survey commissioned by window and door manufacturer JELD-WEN.

What a garage door costs

A new door should cost significantly less than the amount it may add to the value of your house. For a standard door in wood or steel, installed costs typically range between $550 and $1,650 for a single door, and $800 to $2,500 for a double door. But if you’re looking at a heavy-duty aluminum door, or a custom-made design in exotic wood, the cost could easily reach $10,000.

via www.houselogic.com

7 Storage Solutions You Didn't Know You Had

You care about your home. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® cares about homeownership. To help you become the best, most responsible homeowner you aspire to be, we want to provide you with free information and tools you can use to make smart and timely decisions about your home.

From time to time, we may reach out to you to help us support legislation and/or policies that may have an impact on you, the homeowner. You can choose to join our cause. Or you can choose not to. Regardless, your privacy is safe with us.

We'll never share or sell your email address or other personal information you may provide us in the course of using the site with anyone without your explicit consent.

via www.houselogic.com

GE Recalls 1.3 Million Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard

You care about your home. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® cares about homeownership. To help you become the best, most responsible homeowner you aspire to be, we want to provide you with free information and tools you can use to make smart and timely decisions about your home.

From time to time, we may reach out to you to help us support legislation and/or policies that may have an impact on you, the homeowner. You can choose to join our cause. Or you can choose not to. Regardless, your privacy is safe with us.

We'll never share or sell your email address or other personal information you may provide us in the course of using the site with anyone without your explicit consent.

via www.houselogic.com

FAST FACTS about the world’s wealthy: The wealthy are back and ready to buy real estate

If you are seeing an increase in luxury buyers in your market, there are at least two good reasons why.

1. The number of worldwide wealthy has recovered from the 2008 downturn, when the number of HNWIs plummeted from 10.1 million to 8.6 million in just one year. The current HNWI number has risen to a record 11 million. 
   
   Total wealth controlled by wealthy households has also increased since a five year low point in 2008, rising from $32.8 million to $42.0. 
   
   These statistics from The Capgemini/RBC World Wealth Report for 2012, offer good news for luxury real estate since demand for homes depends heavily upon the number of households who can afford them.
   
    
2. The post-recession affluent are also in a home shopping mood. Research done last year by Barclay's found that 57% of HNWIs want to increase their residential property portfolios in 2012. This buying attitude is most likely a result of lifestyle desires as well as the view that residential real estate is an investment opportunity and smart portfolio play. 
   
   Here’s what one billionaire has to say about buying luxury property now. 
   
   “Trophy (property) assets are probably the most resilient and successful investment options at the moment, and will be for the foreseeable future.” 
   
   --John Caudwell, Billionaire , 2012

 

via blog.luxuryhomemarketing.com

The Most Expensive Home in Liberty, MO

Liberty, MO has some really great homes available right now, but if you are looking for class and sophistication, then you HAVE to see this home! (Click any photo to see more information and additional photos.)

Located in Liberty School District is this 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath ranch home in the Shoal Creek Valley - The Preserve Subdivision.

When you are ready to purchase your dream home, or if you have a home to sell, call Ron Henderson any time at 816-651-9001 or visit www.clayandplatte.com to search homes for sale and learn more about Ron Henderson & Associates.

How to Get an Offer on Your Home in Kansas City

1. Price it right. Set a price at the lower end of your property’s realistic price range and it will almost guarantee a full price offer.

When I sit down with a seller to show them the price range I believe their home should be in, they almost always want to price it a little higher. Typically it begins with, "Can't we just start a little higher to see what happens?"  

I'll be honest with you, I usually let them do it, but here's what happens 99% of the time. We start out at the high end of their price range, 8-10 potential buyers come through the home in the first 30-60 days and end up buying something else that's more agressively priced. After my sellers finally decide to lower the price to where it should have been, they now realize they aren't going to get a full price offer and end up taking less than they could have gotten to begin with.

Recently I've seen some homes come on the market with a very agressive price and end up getting multiple offers with buyers willing to bid the price of the home up over the sellers asking price. That's a nice place to be because now the seller is holding all the cards.

2. Prepare for visitors. Get your house market ready at least two weeks before you begin showing it. I personally pay for a professional stager to help all my clients because statistics gathered by Stagedhomes.com shows that 94.6 percent of homes staged by a staging professional sell within 33 days, compared to an average of 196 days for homes that are not staged.

3. Be flexible about showings. It’s often disruptive to have a house ready to show at the spur of the moment. But the more amenable you can be about letting people see your home, the sooner you’ll find a buyer. Many times out-of-town buyers will fly into Kansas City with the intent of finding a home over the weekend. If your home is not available to them, then you just lost a potential sale.

4. Anticipate the offers. Decide in advance what price and terms you’ll find acceptable. Most people only focus on the price, but there are actually many different things that make up an offer. Earnest money, closing and possessions dates, inspections, contingencies, etc. Discussing these various issues with your Realtor up front will help them to know what you want and find the right buyer.

5. Don’t refuse to drop the price. If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days without an offer, you should be prepared to at least consider lowering your asking price. Typically I tell all my clients 45 days or 8-10 showings with no offers and you're definately overpriced.

 

If you're thinking about selling your Kansas City home, I would invite you to give me a call 

Ron Henderson, Keller Williams Realty, Kansas City MO

http://www.clayandplatte.com

 

 

'Immobile Move-up Buyers' Press on Market

Inventory of for-sale homes on the market has fallen 24 percent from a year ago and many are pointing to the “immobile move-up buyer” as the reason behind the drastic drop. Some analysts say the lack of move-up buyers in the market may also slow the overall housing recovery.  

Housing affordability—due to fallen home values and ultra-low mortgage rates—is at record highs. But mortgage applications for home purchases are down by 6 percent over the last year, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. 

Some point to the still-high number of home owners underwater on their mortgage as the reason. Many of these home owners are taking a “sit and wait” approach until prices pick up. Only then will they seriously consider moving on, analysts say. 

The numbers have been improving. While three months ago 12.1 million borrowers had negative equity, only 11.4 million do now, according to CoreLogic. Still, nearly 24 percent of all residential homes with a mortgage are underwater. Plus, about 2.3 million additional borrowers have less than 5 percent of equity in their homes, which is considered near negative equity. 

Mortgage analyst Mark Hanson told CNBC, however, that home owners probably need about 20 percent of equity in their current home in order to move up and buy another home. According to his calculations, about 25 million borrowers don’t have that kind of equity.

“Half of the repeat buyers have died. They are down for the count due to negative equity, ‘effective’ negative equity, low quality credit, or legacy second liens they can't extinguish,” Hanson says. “This is a huge problem for anybody betting on ‘escape velocity’ or a ‘durable recovery’ in housing.”

Source: “Where Are the Move-Up Home Buyers?” CNBC.com (Aug. 1, 2012)