Blog
What You Need to Know About Today’s Real Estate Market
If you’re planning on buying a home, it’s important to understand what’s happening in the real estate market. But with so much happening, it can be challenging to know where to start. In a recent article, realtor.com’s chief economist Danielle Hale shared what she thinks home buyers need to know about today’s real estate market, including:... Read More
Tips to Spruce Up Your Backyard on a Budget
This last weekend I was sitting outside on our upstairs screened in porch and noticed the backyard is a hot mess. There are a lot of things I want to do back there, but right now I have other projects that have a priority. Since I don’t really have thousands of dollars to spend, so... Read More
Is the Kansas City Real Estate Market Cooling?
As states issued strict lockdowns two years ago, it was a foregone conclusion that the U.S. housing market would slump. After all, with the COVID-19 recession sending the unemployment rate to its highest level since the Great Depression in April 2020, how could residential real estate not sink? Only it didn’t happen. By the summer of 2020,... Read More
3 Reasons Why the Fed Raising Interest Rates Is Good for Home Buyers
If you’re either in the process of buying a house or thinking of jumping into the market, you’re probably well aware that rates have jumped significantly in recent weeks. And that likely doesn’t feel or sound like anything good to you. But what you might not be well aware of is that, according to Chair of the... Read More
Why do agents not have photos of the home?
One of the first things I do when I get to the office is open my laptop, log into the MLS (multiple listing service), and look through all the new listings that came on the market overnight. It still shocks me how many of them come on the market with no photos. The sellers have... Read More
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Barndominium?
As the concept of “home” expands in America to include structures built from shipping containers and 3D-printed homes, one of the most common requests here in the midwest are for what’s called a “Barndominium”. A barndominium is a fully decked-out living quarters combined with workspace, all within a larger restored barn or barn-type metal building on acreage. This year I... Read More
Why Do We Even Need An Appraisal?
I’ve always thought it’s weird that we put so much emphasis on the home appraisal. I understand why we are forced to do them. Before a lender approves a new mortgage or refinance, it commissions a professional appraisal to verify the value of your home. The lender checks the appraisal figure to ensure the home... Read More
This Cracked Foundation is Killing the Sale of your Home
This last week, I had the opportunity to show three homes to one of our buyers. They were all in the same price range of $250,000 to $300,000 and within a few blocks of each other. I’ve literally toured over 10,000 homes in my 17 years in real estate, but it still intrigues me to see... Read More
Why Institutional Investors Are Hurting First Time Home Buyers
Single-family rentals have long been a savvy investment choice for many. For years, small-scale investors have been buying these rentals and maintaining a diverse portfolio. However, in the past five years, institutional investors have caught on to this cash cow and are now scooping up single-family homes in Kansas City at an alarming rate. You... Read More
How to Prevent and Fix Dog Spots in Your Yard
Before we explain exactly how to prevent and treat dog spots in the lawn, why do they happen in the first place? In basic terms, dog urine is actually a fantastic natural fertilizer for your lawn thanks to its high nitrogen content, however, too much of a good thing can cause damage. Read More