Looking for an adventure? If so, then get in the car and take the approximate forty minute trip to the Kansas City suburb, Harrisonville, Missouri. Take some time to drive around the town of approximately 10,000 people and witness yourself the small town feel. Take note of some of the great historical buildings, some of which are for sale, which you can find at www.myniftynest.com. Stop in and visit a local antique shop, such as Keeper's Antiques or maybe Debbie's Antiques and Things. One of the best features of a small town is the local food. Try some pie at Golden Goose Cafe, located at 1809 E. Mechanic Street.
If visiting this small town made you feel all warm and bubbly, then just imagine what it'd be like living there. The cost of living is much lower when compared to some of the popular inner city locations. You can get more bang for you buck if you choose to commute to the city for work, so why not choose Harrisonville? Harrisonville homes can be found at www.myniftynest.com.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Pro's and Con's to Multiple Locations When House Hunting
When it comes to buying a home, it may be someone's biggest life-time purchase, therefore, many facts come into play. When considering buying a home, one should first speak with a lender to see what price range to shop in. There are many lenders to choose from, but an example of someone is Rich Blanchard with Bank of Kansas City. You can email him at rblanchard@bankofkansascity.com.
Once a budget is determined, the next step would be to look at location. Many people determine where they want to buy a home, based off of where they work, where their kids might go to school, where their family lives, where their friends live, where activities that they like seem to occur, etc. Location can sometimes be a hard decision, but the budget usually helps narrow down the choices. There will be pro's and con's to each location, so it really depends on the specific person and what he/she wants to live close to.
Many people chose to live near work because it is someplace that they go almost every day. Limiting the drive time to work can sometimes mean more sleep, which is very important to some. Living closer to work can also result in less transportation costs, such as fuel, wear and tear or vehicle, or even less bus fare. As with everything in life, there are usually con's with the pro's. A person may consider it a con to live close to work because they may be called in more, since they are close. You might be pressured to work more, due to being so close. You might even be the one who gets to stay late because you don't have to fight traffic to get home. I'm sure there are many pro's and con's to living near work, so it really just depends on the person and their type of work.
As a parent, one of your first stops in the morning might be to drop off the kiddos at school. Since that is the first destination, it might make sense to live closest to the school. Choosing to live near the school could put you further from family, work, etc. It again just hinges on each and every person making the decision.
Living near family can be great if you need assistance caring for kids or animals. Family support can be nice! On the other hand, some people do not want to live "too" close to family, as they are in fear of privacy and independence. As always, every situation and person is different.
Friends can be fun to live by, but one will usually consider how much time they spend with these friends, which will help them determine if it's worth it to live near them. If a person only hangs out with friends once a week, they may choose to live closer to work. Money will usually help with this decision.
Another factor to consider when deciding on location is what the person likes to do during free time. Does this person like to shop, eat out, run, walk, bike, go to concerts or sporting events. A person might ask oneself if living closer to those venues would be beneficial. There are many pro's and con's to any location, so it's a good thing that most of us have a budget, which forces us to narrow down the location, forcing a decision.
Many of the above examples are more for those who live in the city. If a person lived in a small town they might live within minutes of work, family, friends, entertainment etc. There are many pros and cons to living in the city vs. living in a more rural setting, but that's to be discussed in a future post. Please stay tuned for more random information on finding that nifty nest.
Once a budget is determined, the next step would be to look at location. Many people determine where they want to buy a home, based off of where they work, where their kids might go to school, where their family lives, where their friends live, where activities that they like seem to occur, etc. Location can sometimes be a hard decision, but the budget usually helps narrow down the choices. There will be pro's and con's to each location, so it really depends on the specific person and what he/she wants to live close to.
Many people chose to live near work because it is someplace that they go almost every day. Limiting the drive time to work can sometimes mean more sleep, which is very important to some. Living closer to work can also result in less transportation costs, such as fuel, wear and tear or vehicle, or even less bus fare. As with everything in life, there are usually con's with the pro's. A person may consider it a con to live close to work because they may be called in more, since they are close. You might be pressured to work more, due to being so close. You might even be the one who gets to stay late because you don't have to fight traffic to get home. I'm sure there are many pro's and con's to living near work, so it really just depends on the person and their type of work.
As a parent, one of your first stops in the morning might be to drop off the kiddos at school. Since that is the first destination, it might make sense to live closest to the school. Choosing to live near the school could put you further from family, work, etc. It again just hinges on each and every person making the decision.
Living near family can be great if you need assistance caring for kids or animals. Family support can be nice! On the other hand, some people do not want to live "too" close to family, as they are in fear of privacy and independence. As always, every situation and person is different.
Friends can be fun to live by, but one will usually consider how much time they spend with these friends, which will help them determine if it's worth it to live near them. If a person only hangs out with friends once a week, they may choose to live closer to work. Money will usually help with this decision.
Another factor to consider when deciding on location is what the person likes to do during free time. Does this person like to shop, eat out, run, walk, bike, go to concerts or sporting events. A person might ask oneself if living closer to those venues would be beneficial. There are many pro's and con's to any location, so it's a good thing that most of us have a budget, which forces us to narrow down the location, forcing a decision.
Many of the above examples are more for those who live in the city. If a person lived in a small town they might live within minutes of work, family, friends, entertainment etc. There are many pros and cons to living in the city vs. living in a more rural setting, but that's to be discussed in a future post. Please stay tuned for more random information on finding that nifty nest.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Real Estate Bidding Wars
Well folks. A lot has happened these past couple of years and I have failed to put it on here so that I could share the up's and downs of what's occurred in real-estate. I will try to write extra so that I can catch up on topics that would have risen over that time.
As for real-estate in the KC Metro, this has been one of the best years we have seen in approximately ten years. Agents all over the city hustled all Spring and Summer to get homes on the market, only to sell the the day of or the week of listing. There is good and bad to this, depending on who you are talking to and that is what I'm going to talk about today.
First of all, Listing agents and seller's absolutely love selling a house the week it has been listed. Time is money. The longer it is listed, the more money it will cost the agent and her company to market the home. Time spent on some homes can go into the negative, relating to money for an agent. So, the faster a home sells, the more money the agent profits, which should be pretty easy to understand. For the Seller's, time is also money. The longer their home sits, the more mortgage payments they have to pay. Their taxes and HOA can also continue to add up in the cost section. With this in mind, one would think that super quick selling homes would be a good thing for everyone, but they forget to think about the buyer's.
In the long run, yes, buyer's want to purchase a home that is in a neighborhood where it will sell quickly so that if they had to sell they would feel more comfortable that they could list and sell it quickly. No one wants to purchase a home where they know it will take a year to re-sell. On the other hand, during the purchase, lots of havoc and stress for the buyer is sometimes created when homes are selling as quickly as they have been this past Spring and Summer. Homes have not only been selling the day and week that they are listed, but most are going for list price or even above. Many of these situations have caused bidding wars between buyers, which results in someone losing out on the deal. That particular buyer and agent are then at square one, and racing against whatever time clock that buyer has. Their timer could be running out because they have already sold their house or because they have little ones and school is starting. It really gets crazy when a buyer gets beat out of a home, not once, but twice. At this point, they become the buyer who tours a home the day it is listed and offers full price, causing it to sell before it's even processed.
All of the above has been occurring all Spring and Summer, creating fast moving homes and a great market. As of now, school has started and so there are still many buyer's waiting for more homes to be listed so that they can get out of their temporary living situation. Numerous people are staying with family, friends, and some have even went as far as renting an apartment or a hotel until they find something. They are literally waiting for that perfect "nest" to come on the market.
So, those who are considering listing their homes might want to think about calling an agent because there are still plenty of buyers scrambling for homes. Many of those buyers have lost in a bidding war and are very motivated to purchase. These 2013 real-estate bidding wars have been fun for some, but if you've lost out on a deal, whether you are a buyer's agent or a buyer, it is definitely the opposite of fun.
As for real-estate in the KC Metro, this has been one of the best years we have seen in approximately ten years. Agents all over the city hustled all Spring and Summer to get homes on the market, only to sell the the day of or the week of listing. There is good and bad to this, depending on who you are talking to and that is what I'm going to talk about today.
First of all, Listing agents and seller's absolutely love selling a house the week it has been listed. Time is money. The longer it is listed, the more money it will cost the agent and her company to market the home. Time spent on some homes can go into the negative, relating to money for an agent. So, the faster a home sells, the more money the agent profits, which should be pretty easy to understand. For the Seller's, time is also money. The longer their home sits, the more mortgage payments they have to pay. Their taxes and HOA can also continue to add up in the cost section. With this in mind, one would think that super quick selling homes would be a good thing for everyone, but they forget to think about the buyer's.
In the long run, yes, buyer's want to purchase a home that is in a neighborhood where it will sell quickly so that if they had to sell they would feel more comfortable that they could list and sell it quickly. No one wants to purchase a home where they know it will take a year to re-sell. On the other hand, during the purchase, lots of havoc and stress for the buyer is sometimes created when homes are selling as quickly as they have been this past Spring and Summer. Homes have not only been selling the day and week that they are listed, but most are going for list price or even above. Many of these situations have caused bidding wars between buyers, which results in someone losing out on the deal. That particular buyer and agent are then at square one, and racing against whatever time clock that buyer has. Their timer could be running out because they have already sold their house or because they have little ones and school is starting. It really gets crazy when a buyer gets beat out of a home, not once, but twice. At this point, they become the buyer who tours a home the day it is listed and offers full price, causing it to sell before it's even processed.
All of the above has been occurring all Spring and Summer, creating fast moving homes and a great market. As of now, school has started and so there are still many buyer's waiting for more homes to be listed so that they can get out of their temporary living situation. Numerous people are staying with family, friends, and some have even went as far as renting an apartment or a hotel until they find something. They are literally waiting for that perfect "nest" to come on the market.
So, those who are considering listing their homes might want to think about calling an agent because there are still plenty of buyers scrambling for homes. Many of those buyers have lost in a bidding war and are very motivated to purchase. These 2013 real-estate bidding wars have been fun for some, but if you've lost out on a deal, whether you are a buyer's agent or a buyer, it is definitely the opposite of fun.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Realtor or Not
Ladies and gents, this is my first blog on real estate, so please bare with me as it's kind of a trial run. I've decided to write about what "I" think about using a professional vs. buying/selling with-out one. I have lots of reasons, but I'll try to stick to a few. First of all, I'd say the biggest reason, "for me" would be money. Have you ever looked into the cost of advertising? Whoa! It's mega-expensive! If I list my home with an agent it does not cost me anything unless my house sells. If I list it myself, I have to pay for each and every little bit of advertising that is done. Trust me, my pockets are not even close to being as deep as they are in company's like Re-Max, Keller Williams, Reece and Nichols, etc... Also, if I list my house and spend thousands of dollars marketing it I'm out the money whether my house sells or not. So, let's say I spend $2,000 marketing my house online, in newspapers, etc... My house sits for however long, doesn't sell and so I decide to stay here. I'm bummed, do not get to move and I'm out two grand. If I list my house and it sets for however long and I decide to not move, I'm out zero dollars. Hmmm. I'm pretty sure I like the zero dollars, but that is me. On the other hand, if I spend two grand on my own, and sell my house I may save quite a bit of money. If I sell it with a professional's help, I will have to pay. It's strange how you have to pay for professional help. lol I guess I'm old fashioned when I say that I like a true dentist to work on my teeth, an attorney to represent me in court, and a doctor to diagnose my illnesses. I understand that we have to cut back some places, but real estate is the only place I know where you only pay "after" and "if" you get results. To each their own!
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