Maria Morton

Kansas City Buyers - HGTV is looking for YOU!

Has anyone ever watched the show House Hunters on the HGTV channel?

Well, they are coming to Kansas City and they are looking for buyers to be on the show with their realtor. If you, or someone you know, is ready to buy and close in the next 1-4 months, they can apply to be on the show. Just call me and I'll send you an application.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with House Hunters, the show follows buyers around as they tour three different homes in their price range. Then the buyers choose one, write an offer, and the audience finds out after the commercial break which home they chose. Fast forward and we see whether or not their offer was accepted. Sometimes we (the audience) gets to see the buyers in their new home a few months later.

HGTV will film the buyers and their agent for 4 days over a 4 week period. They are looking for enthusiastic homebuyers who are planning on buying a home within 90 minutes of Kansas City in the next one or two months.

Could it be you?

If you think this might be fun, give me a call so I can get the application to you ASAP. What a hoot! Can you imagine?

Maria Morton SRES, WHS 816.560.3758 mobile 816.410.5500 office

licensed in Kansas & Missouri

Prudential Kansas City Realty - Plaza Office 435 Nichols Rd. 3rd Floor Kansas City, MO 64112

Prairie Village Market Report for the 1st Half of 2009.

There are currently 151 homes for sale in Prairie Village. Of those, 62 are Ranch style homes.

Prices range from $82,900 - $3,500,000.

The Average List Price is $267,908. Most are 3 bedroom, 2 bath homes with an average of around 1500 square feet.

37 homes have Contracts Pending.

19 homes have contracts but are accepting Back Up Offers.

January 1 - June 30 of 2009:

190 homes SOLD in Prairie Village. Of those, 104 were Ranch style homes.

The lowest Sold price was $54,945. On the market for less than 1 day.

The highest Sold price was $1,681,457. On the market for 522 days.

Average Days On Market for All homes Sold = 83. For Ranch style homes = 68.

In Johnson County, on the Kansas side, prices are up 11.5% from 2002 levels and down 5.3% from last year. Sales volumes are equivalent to 2002 levels. Inventory is up 37.7% from 2002 and down 10.1% from last year.

Prairie Village, KS, is a "close-in" suburban community of the Greater Metropolitan Kansas City Area. The last census count put the Prairie Village population at 22,072. The entire metropolitan area is counted at more than 2million. Kansas City, MO was incorporated in 1850. Prairie Village began development in the early 1940's.

Drummond Ranches in Prairie Village

There are three Drummond built ranches for sale in Prairie Village right now. (8.6.2009) Don Drummond was the builder who pioneered the modern style of architecture in Kansas City. Architect David B. Runnels worked with Drummond on most of the homes built in KC. When you walk into a ranch in Prairie Village, you know it's a Drummond by the quality of workmanship and the vaulted ceiling in the main living area.Though many builders emulated his style, you can feel the difference when it's a true Drummond.

7716 Chadwick, listed at $259,000, is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath boasting 1680 square feet which is a bit larger than the average 3/2 ranch in PV. The brick fireplace has that no-frills, modern look and the entire house has been updated with modern amenities. It's a dazzler!

2222 W 71st Terrace, listed at $229,000, is also a 3 bedroom, 2 bath built on a slab (no basement). It is smaller than the one on Chadwick by about 400 square feet but it has a pool! With temperatures headed in the high 90's starting tomorrow, this might be the preferred home.

4600 W 78th Street, listed at $225,000, is a 3 bedroom, 1 and 1/2 bath with 1040 square feet. It is triplex rather than a ranch, but has the look of a ranch from the road. To me, this is the most striking home from the outside.

Prairie Village is located just south of Mission Hills and west of State Line Rd. Originally PV was bounded by 67th and 71st streets; over the years it has expanded to encompass 6.2 square miles. After J.C. Nishols finished the Plaza and had a good start on the affluent residences in Mission Hills, he began developing Praire Village. This neighborhood, he envisioned, would allow people of modest means to afford a home.

Prairie Village Shopping Center, across from Indian Hills Country Club, was within walking distance of the earliest homes and people today still walk, bike and skateboard to the center. There are 2 other shopping centers within "The Village" as well as eleven (11) parks. The convenience of being so close to the Plaza, easy access to downtown, and preponderance of ranch homes makes Prairie Village a popular place to live. 

Wordless Wednesday in Kansas City V

Window shopping on the Country Club Plaza, Kansas City in August of 2009. Photo taken by Maria Morton.

McCormick & Schmick's in Kansas City

Featuring seafood, ambience and great service.

It's the domed roof that makes this building on the Country Club Plaza special for me. Foodwise,

I'm torn between the steak & lobster and the Alaskan King Crab legs. What's your favorite dish at your local McCormick & Schmick's?