Market Stats for Lakepointe in Shawnee, KS

Lakepointe has quite the pickings for houses right now if you're looking to live in Western Shawnee.  Lakepointe currently has 18 active homes listed for sale ranging in price from $127,990 to $365,000, three to five bedrooms/2+ baths available.  In the past 90 days, 6 homes have sold...ranging from $169,000 to $318,000 with an average of only 66 days on market, which is great for this price range and time of year.  This is a great location and when the price is right, these homes will move.

Lakepointe is located in Western Shawnee, just off Johnson Drive and Monticello Road. This community is part of the Award Winning De Soto School District, has great highway access, and is close to restaurants and shopping.
To see any of the available homes in this neighborhood or any of the nearby communities in Shawnee, such as Crimson Ridge, Monticello Farms, Brittany Valley, Woodland Park, Brittany Heights, Grey Oaks, Woodsonia, Greens of Chapel Creek, Greenview Ridge, or Estates of Green View Ridge, email, text, or give us a call. As a resident of nearby Grey Oaks, Pickett Property Group is your Western Shawnee expert.

Things to Do in KC This Weekend: Plaza Art Fair & American Royal Parade

Nothing kicks off the Fall season in Kansas City better than cooler temps and these fun activities.  Take a look at what's happening in our area this weekend:

Plaza Art Fair


Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO

September 24 – 26

Cost: Free Admission

Details: Come see over 200 artists sharing their works,  experience live music on 3 stages, a Kids’ Art Workshop and lots of great family fun! Get more information here!



American Royal Parade

Downtown Kansas City

Saturday, September 25th

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: Time for another American Royal in Kansas City!! As usual, the event kicks off with the parade! Get details, including parade route info here.

Today's First-Time Home Buyers

In today's market, more than 50% of buyers are first-time home buyers.  That's an amazing statistic considering where we've been and where we're headed (meaning the economy).  But, given the recent tax credit program and the all time lows in interest rates, who can blame them?

An independent study of over 2000 first-time homebuyers recently shed some light on this group of buyers.  Take a look:

• The median age is 28 years old...down from 32 just four years ago.
• The median home size is about 1600 square feet
• Location or neighborhood was the #1 "must have" for 36% of first-time home buyers
• 66% of sellers paid at least some of the buyer's closing costs
• 76% used their own savings for the down payment
• 25% had help from their family for the down payment

Having worked with several first-time home buyers, I can say that these statistics are pretty close to what I have seen in the area.  If you are looking to buy your first home...or second...give Pickett Property Group a call.  We'd love to help!

Kansas City, MO Ranks 7th Most Affordable Housing Market in US

Well, our friends at Coldwell Banker have released their Home Listing Report and ranked Kansas City, MO as the seventh most affordable housing market in the US.  Their report is based on average listing prices of four bedroom, two bathroom homes across the United States.

Number one in the nation?  Detroit, MI, with an average price of $68,007.

Rounding out the top 10?  Our very own Topeka, KS, coming in with an average of $116,343.

On the flip side, Overland Park ranked as the least affordable city in Kansas, with an average list price of just less than $231,000.

And the least affordable housing market in the nation?  You guessed it!  Newport Beach, CA...with an average list price of $1.8 million.

Free eBook: 7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home

With interest rates at all time lows and sellers looking to sell, this really is a great time to buy a home.  Whether you are a first-time home buyer, an investor, or even if you're considering a second home, don't let the less-than-glamorous media messages delay you from achieving your dream.  Download this FREE eBook:  7 Reasons Why Now is a Great Time to Buy a Home.  If you're like me, you'll love it:  quick, easy to read and includes simple charts and graphs to really make you think.  Once you're done, email, text us, or give us a call.  We're here to help you with that next step!

Just Reduced!! Immaculate West Plaza Bungalow only $145,000!!

A Must-See at $145,000!!!

This immaculate West Plaza bungalow is move-in ready, yet loaded with vintage charm.

This 2-bedroom home features wood floors, crown molding, a claw foot tub, high ceilings, designer colors, custom blinds and more!  Full basement and large pantry add tons of storage options and the back sun room makes a perfect office or breakfast nook.

This house also boasts a private backyard, alarm system, automatic garage door, dishwasher, central A/C, and new 200 amp electric panel.  Conveniently located within walking distance of The Country Club Plaza and Westwood Park.

Be sure to add this one to your list of must-sees!  For more information on this house or others in the Holly Garden, West Plaza, Westwood area, contact us at PickettPropertyGroup.com today!

Looking for a home? FHA Changes Coming in October

If you are currently looking for a home and plan on using an FHA loan, get a case number now as some new changes take effect on October 4, 2010.  See the hypothetical example below:

The bright side?  If you are looking at an FHA loan with a value of $250,000, the Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium is decreasing from 2.25% to 1%.  This will bring about a $3000+/- savings in closing costs!

The not-so-bright side?  If you borrow more than 95% of the value of the home, your monthly payment is going to go up.  For example, TODAY, a loan for $250,000 at 4.5% will give you a monthly payment of $1381.58 (principal+interest+PMI).  After October 4th, your monthly payment will be $1454.50.  The payment increase isn't huge, but it will affect those buyers trying to qualify for a larger loan amount.  On the flip side, if you borrow less than 95% of the value of the home, the payment will increase from $1381.58 to $1433.67 on the 4th.

In addition, borrowers with a credit score at or above 580 will be eligible for maximum financing.  Those between 500 and 579 will be limited to 90% LTV.  And those below 500 will not be eligible for FHA-insured mortgage financing.

This is just a brief summary of the new changes that will take effect.  For more info, speak to your mortgage lender and/or visit these HUD guidelines.

Market Stats for Grey Oaks in Shawnee, KS

Grey Oaks in Shawnee, KS has had a slow August, considering the number of listings out there. If you're looking to be a part of this great neighborhood though, there's still quite a few to choose from. Grey Oaks still has 12 active homes listed for sale ranging in price from $270,000 to $399,950, four to five bedroom floorplans for the picking. For the month of August, only 2 homes have sold ($265,000 and $439,950) with an average days on market of 245 days.

Grey Oaks is located in Western Shawnee, just off K-7 Highway and Johnson Drive. It features a neighborhood park, community pool, walking trails, part of the Award Winning De Soto School District, great highway access, and close to restaurants and shopping.

***Don't let the construction on K-7 scare you!  Silverheel is now open and offers great access to the community! ***

To see any of the available homes in this neighborhood or any of the nearby communities in Shawnee, such as Crimson Ridge, Brittany Heights, Brittany Valley, Lakepointe, Woodland Park, Woodsonia, Monticello Farms, Greens of Chapel Creek, Greenview Ridge, or Estates of Green View Ridge, email, text, or give us a call. As a resident of Grey Oaks, Pickett Property Group is your Western Shawnee expert.

Woodsonia Market Stats in Shawnee, KS for August 2010

Woodsonia in Shawnee, KS had a quiet August, which is not surprising for a month surrounding back-to-school. If you're looking to be a part of this great neighborhood though, there's still quite a few to choose from. Woodsonia currently has 7 active homes listed for sale ranging in price from $174,900 to $245,000, three to four bedrooms with 2-3 baths available. In the past 30 days, 1 home sold after only 22 days on the market!  Talk about the right condition/right price!

Woodsonia is located in Western Shawnee, just off K-7 Highway and Johnson Drive. It features a neighborhood park, community pool, part of the Award Winning De Soto School District, great highway access, and close to restaurants and shopping.

To see any of the available homes in this neighborhood or any of the nearby communities in Shawnee, such as Crimson Ridge, Brittany Heights, Brittany Valley, Lakepointe, Woodland Park, Grey Oaks, Monticello Farms, Greens of Chapel Creek, Greenview Ridge, or Estates of Green View Ridge, email, text, or give us a call. As a resident of nearby Grey Oaks, Pickett Property Group is your Western Shawnee expert.

Pricing Your Home to Sell in Today's Market

When it comes time to list your home, pricing is critical.  Especially in today's market, pricing can either bring you many showings but no offers, send you multiple offers from multiple buyers (which is ideal!), or it can put your home out of consideration all together (bad!!). 

In simple terms, houses that are priced well and in good condition sell.  Houses that aren't sit...and sit...and sit.

Before I take a listing, I make sure my clients understand this.  Every once in awhile though, I will have a client that wants to price their home at a number higher than I would recommend and I have to stop and have a very honest conversation with them.  Click on the link below to watch a video that explains exactly how a successful pricing strategy will make your house stand out from the crowd:

Why Some Houses Sit While Other Houses Sell

Still have questions?  Feel free to email, text, or give us a call...Pickett Property Group.

Redbox Hits One Billion Rentals!

Every once in awhile, I like to post a deal that I think will benefit my clients, readers, and anyone else that might be interested.  And today...who doesn't like movies?!!?!

Redbox...you know, the big red boxes in most McDonald's, grocery stores, and Walmarts that spit out movie rentals for around a buck...has hit a major milestone...one BILLION rentals!  To celebrate, they have kicked off their Thanks a Billion Promotion!  Everyone will get a free rental...and if you're lucky, other prizes too.

To get your free rental, you must first rent one movie as usual.  When the disc comes out, take a look at the DVD itself; there will be a code printed on it.  Then, simply enter the code on this screen and you'll get the code so you can rent the next one free!

Don't forget...Redbox also sends out a promo code good for one free rental the first Monday of every month to customers that have signed up to receive SMS text messages.  To set up your own account to start taking advantage of this offer, click here.

K-7 and Johnson Drive Interchange Project Update for September

Heads up, Western Shawnee residents!  Starting Monday, September 13th, K-7 will be down to one lane, going north and southbound.  This will start just north of Johnson Drive and go to just south of 47th street.  Both northbound and southbound K-7 will be placed directly next to each other on the existing southbound K-7 lanes.  All of this will allow construction on the new K-7 nterchange alignment to tie it into the existing K-7 alignment.

As expected, there will be delays around this area, so prepare yourselves accordingly.  For more information, check out the KS DOT site.

Learn Backyard Composting at the Johnson County Library in Lenexa

This year has been a year of experimentation for us.  My wife started her first square foot garden this Spring and at the same time, we set up our own compost bin.  Keep in mind, though, that neither one of us have "green thumbs"...let alone any knowledge about gardening or composting beyond what we have Googled.

Fresh out of the gates though, it's actually been pretty productive for us.  We've managed to dine on fresh green beans, strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers.  And as long as my wife doesn't see the inch worms and grasshoppers that like to hide here and there, she'll eat the cauliflower and broccoli too.  Not only are we teaching our sons and ourselves about the importance of growing and eating fresh veggies, we're also taking it a step further...literally...to the back corner of the yard...the compost bin.

Though it's not the fancy rolling kind, it's also not the chicken wire kind...just your basic black bin.  We toss in our garden cast offs...like the squash plants that rotted out for some reason...with a little bit of kitchen scraps, combined with lawn clippings and weeds, saw dust, and coffee grounds.  Mix it up a few times and we now have a small, but decent amount of compost available.  And now that the weather has cooled a couple degrees, we'll head back outside and spread some of our homemade compost in our flowerbeds and pots to give our landscaping a bit of nutrition.

Composting isn't hard...and once you get past the initial "fear", it's easy to maintain.  Lowe's has some great information about composting.  But if you happen to live in the Kansas City area, check out the FREE class on backyard composting to be held Sept. 16th at the Johnson County Library on 87th and Lackman in Lenexa.  Just in time too...the county commission is considering new regulations that would prohibit grass clippings and other yard waste from being deposited into the county landfill.

Debunking the 4% Home Sales Tax Myth

Some emails and reports are circulating the various media outlets announcing a 4% sales tax or transfer tax on real estate stemming from the new federal health care legislation.  I'm here to tell you that this information is FALSE.

Instead, what was included was a 3.8% Medicare tax for some high income households that have "net investment income".  Set to take effect January 1, 2013, this new tax applies to households with an Adjusted Gross Income of  more than $200,000 for individuals and more than $250,000 for couples.  When these limits are met, the new tax would only apply to any home sale gain realized in excess of the $250K/$500K existing primary home exclusion that pushes the filer's AGI over the $200K/$250K adjusted gross income limit.

Clear as mud, right?!  For more information, check out the NARs' Myth Busters Flyer.