Maria Morton

During the past week, I have attended two Christmas parties, helped to decorate two Christmas trees, and taken two driving tours of Christmas lights around Kansas City. Whew! I love Christmas but all of these activities on top of my regular real estate work made for some very long days. Here are a few pictures of sights that I found enjoyable. Hope you enjoy the spirit of Christmas too!

All photos taken in Kansas City on a Fuji Fine Pix E550 by Maria T. Morton

My Mom called me this afternoon to say she'd just rceived two tickets to Celtic Thunder; would I like to go? Well, yes! Of course! So I picked her up at 5:30 and we went to Raglan Rd which is conveniently located right across the street from the Sprint Center. One of many fine establishments in the Kansas City Power & Light District. After visiting around for a bit, we walked over to the main event. This video from You Tube describes much better than my feeble words could:

Celtic Thunder

Armour Hills is one of the more popular neighborhoods in the Brookside area of Kansas City. What makes it so desirable? When JC Nichols built many of these homes during the 30's and 40's, he stipulated that each home should look unique. So, you have this beautiful neighborhood full of Tudors, Cape Cods, and Dutch Style Colonials built with brick, stone, and wood in all different sizes. No cookie cutter houses here!

You will find strong neighborhood associations which helps keep crime from spreading into the area. People walking their dogs along the tree lined streets stop and talk to each other. It's a short distance to the Brookside shops so you can go to the bank, drop your mail off, grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper during your stroll. Joggers like the proximity of the Harry Wiggins Trolley Track Trail running along the western border of Armour Hills. Bicyclists love the gently sloping hills and winding streets as well as the courteous drivers who share the road.

Just up the street from the little park pictured above is a playground where children can safely play on the swings and slides. The Academie Laffayette is over on Oak St; here, students speak French all through grade school giving them an added dimension to the normal course of study. Several other schools exist in the Brookside area so plan on driving slowly when the children are walking to or from school.

People of all ages find the proximity to the Country Club Plaza and Westport convenient. Downtown is easily accessible by car or Metro Bus.

Homes in Armour Hills range in price from the 150's up through the 350's. Most are 3 bedrooms with 1.5-2.5 baths though there are some 2 bedroom and 4 bedroom homes available. Yards are of average size; many of them fenced. If you buy a home in Armour Hills, you will likely inherit some well cared for landscaping. Soil Service, over on Troost, is a great place to find knowledgeable Master Gardners to help you learn more about the plants around your new home.

Well, we had a beautiful day in Kansas City. Lovely and sunny with just a bit of breeze. All around Brokkside, people were out walking, some with dogs, some with each other. It was a perfect day for an Open House! Guess we lucked out as Brian Buzby says it may freeze tonight. Brrr.

The kittens above were at the open house today. When I first went inside, the yellow one tried to escape. Everytime the door opened the yellow one tried to dart out. He's fast! But we caught him every time. Good thing all the visitors were animal people. The kittens love to run around the house with anyone who's going; especially up and down the stairs. They also enjoy playing the jump off the counter onto your shoulder game. They have not perfected their moves yet, so any part of the body is okay to grab onto. :) Cute. One of the visitors wanted some info so I brought out the laptop. The kittens found it to be a perfectly cozy little bed for their afternoon nap.

Initially, I thought that leaving the kittens in the home during the open was not a good idea. As it turned out, the people touring opens in Romanelli Gardens today were all happy to see the kittens. They were cute and very personable. The buyers really warmed up around the kittens. I'm considering having animals at more open houses; what do you think?

It's A Tough Market Out There!

I had a pointer sign up at an intersection on the outskirts of Kansas City directing traffic to a listing. One of those big tractors with a grass mower attachment came along and ran over my sign, mangling it slightly. After bringing the sign back to the office and propping it up against my desk, several people asked me what happened to my sign. Rather than explaining about the tractor, I just replied "It's a Tough Market Out There!" Everybody laughed so I thought it would make a good picture. Hope you enjoy it!