About Johnson County, KS

Home sales for the Fairway Kansas real estate market, zip codes 66205 for January 2012 trended upward as compared to the preceding month. 6 total sales for January which is equivalent to total sales of 5 for December in 2011. The high for single family home sales in the preceding 12 months having come in June with a total of 17 sales.

Average price for homes sold in Fairway Kansas trending upward for January 2012 from the preceding month with an average sales price of $320300. The high for single family average sales price for the preceding 12 months having come in May with an average price for homes sold of $366435.

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Average days on market for homes sold in Fairway Kansas trending downward for January 2012 as compared to January 2011. Average days on market for January 2012 being 81 as compared to 121 days for the same time period for 2011.

About the Author: The information provided by Suzanne Hinton, recognized local real estate expert for Northeast Johnson County, including North Overland Park, Mission, Prairie Village, Merriam, Fairway and Roeland Park Kansas home market. Suzanne can be reached at 913-529-1453 or email at shinton@remax.net.

Let's stay up to date on what homes are selling for in Roeland Park KS. Here are just a few of the recently single family sold homes in Roeland Park KS per the local MLS:

One of the great things about February is that we get to focus on the color red during what can be a gloomy, middle of winter month. Whether it’s increasing awareness of women’s heart disease with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women or just enjoying the red hearts that come with Valentine’s Day, vibrant red is everywhere!

However, here in the land of beige, otherwise known as Johnson County, there is no red to be found, or any other color, save brown and variations thereof, once we go home. Area home magazines seem to showcase the same living room every month with its requisite tan walls and mahogany accents. “Tuscan” style has become a catchall for homes that are tastefully neutral and although I’ve never been, I doubt they bear close resemblance to any region in Italy, unless we’re talking about the wine cellars.

When did we become so adverse to color? Was it the pink bathrooms of the 1950s? Did the avocado green and harvest gold appliances and matching carpet of the 1970s push us to go strictly vanilla at home? Have we over-compensated for the style mistakes of previous generations? Historically, wealthy landowners infused a rainbow of color throughout the home. One look at Mount Vernon or Monticello confirms that our founding fathers embraced color and in fact, selected a different hue for every room. While that may be a little over the top for 21st century sensibilities, a pop of color couldn’t hurt!

I am not ashamed to admit that I am addicted to color. I have a red dining room, a red couch in the hearth room, a lime green kitchen complete with green and red tile backsplash. Color is a mood-enhancer for me and red always seems cheery. Some believe red signals aggression but it puts me in my happy place! The key to color is balance. If the walls are a bright color, then furniture should be muted. If you have brightly colored furniture, tone down the wall color. The goal is to have striking visual elements but not so much that they compete with each other.

If colorful walls or sofas seem like too big of a leap, then start small with colorful art, pillows, or a rug. That pop of color will most likely become your favorite area of the house!

Facts from the 2010 census confirm what we already know as we go about our daily lives: the general population is getting old. As of April 2010, there were over 40 million people age 65 and older, that’s an increase of about 15% from 2000. Other interesting statistics show
the fastest growing group of adults is those aged 65-69, up one third from 2000 and in the past decade, the population of men aged 85-94 grew by one half.

These numbers will keep growing as the baby boomers are now turning 65 in rapid numbers. What does this mean for the housing market? The boomers will leave their large suburban homes, looking for a maintenance free lifestyle, close to city amenities, services, shopping and restaurants. These boomer buyers are attracted to the condo lifestyle and smaller, one level living homes. Many of the couples I work with that aren’t ready to retire are planning for a simpler housing arrangement by purchasing ranch or 1.5 story floorplan homes. They are thinking ahead of how to eventually ‘age in place’ by modifying their surroundings. Boomers don’t see themselves moving to designated senior housing communities---saying the residents are ‘old’ and not as active as themselves. I think these communities will eventually house much older and slower moving seniors--perhaps those 90+ years, while the more physically and mentally fit ‘younger’ seniors will try to stay put in their homes. Already we l see two generations of the same family on Social Security and Medicare—at the same time.

Boomers should start to plan their final housing moves now. There could easily be an excessive inventory of McMansions lingering on the market in the near future, as I don’t predict many Gen X and Y homebuyers will want large, energy-expensive homes. This generation is delaying marriage and focusing on building a career first—and when they do marry, they don’t plan on having several children. In addition, they have quite of bit of college debt to pay off—which will affect their ability to qualify for a home purchase.

As the baby boomers see the last child prepare to leave the nest, they think of downsizing but are often overwhelmed by starting the process. If this is your situation, think about creating a plan now as to how to move into the next phase of your life comfortably. Often that first step is downsizing to a smaller home!