If They Can Smell It, We Can't Sell It

This is serious! If a buyer walks in a home that smells they can immediately be turned off and leave. I've seen this happen even if the home fits their needs perfectly!
With the movement towards a "smoke-free America" more and more buyers are turned off by the left over smell of stale cigarettes.
If you are selling and you'd walk a mile for a camel - think about your potential buyers and bring in a company to professionally refresh your home.
When it comes to pets... if Rover has been all over, you might consider bringing someone in to deodorize. Believe it or not, some folks just don't like pets.
If you have pet stains, hire a professional to removed the stains. If you know there are stains on the hardwoods under the carpet, I suggest declaring that on the seller's disclosure to save you a possible headache later.
There are also those people who like pets but are allergic to them. Another suggestion would be to have Rover or Fluffy out of your home during showings. Your furry friends could be scaring off buyers who sneeze their way right out the front door.
Just remember when listing your home for sale in Kansas City, MO - if they can smell it, it will be hard to sell it.
Fran White, REALTOR 2006


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Stay in a High Rise Condo and Feast on Prime Rib

Stay in a High Rise Condo and Feast on Prime Rib
Next year the Kansas City Zoo will have two visitors from the San Diego zoo.
The visiting koalas will spend their summer vacation in the new Discovery Barn that was expanded this past year.
Their vacation will cost the zoo about $35,000 and eucalyptus flown in twice per week to quench their palette. (Sounds to me like they will be enjoying a high rise condo and feasting on prime rib.)
Those fuzzy visiting dignitaries go on exhibit on March 31 and will be quite a pleasing temporary addition to the zoo.
The Kansas City Zoo celebrates it's 100th anniversary in 2009 and has seen massive improvements over the past few years.
Too bad we couldn't find them a permanent home for sale in Kansas City, Missouri.


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Posted by: Fran White, REALTOR, 2006

Going to Kansas City

Surely you've heard that infamous song that's been sung by a variety of artists Goin to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come. They've got some crazy little women there, and I'm gonna get me one.

Well I'm one of those Crazy Little Women who's crazy about Real Estate and Kansas City.

My hometown, Kansas City, has been called many things,The Heart of America because of our location but my favorite would be The City of Fountains.

Kansas City is called the City of Fountains because it is the home of more fountains than any city in the world, except Rome. The majority of our famous fountains are found on the Country Club Plaza. The streets of that area decorated with artwork from around the world and the fountains there are the city's most popular and decorative. For more information on the fountains visit this link http://www.experiencekc.com/fountains.html or this link http://www.360kc.com/Attractions/KansasCityFountains.html

Kansas City also has many jazz and blues clubs plus several wonderful concert venues.

According to Dean Hampton of http://www.webjazz.net/ "You could stay busy listening to live jazz most every night of the year and it would all be world class.

KC has more jazz & blues support organizations than any other city in the world. Start with the 400+ member KC Jazz Ambassadors, then the KC Blues Society, the CODA Jazz Fund, the UMKC Friends of Jazz, and the Elder Statesmen of Kansas City jazz.

KC is where jazz and blues met. That resulted in the development of a sound is jazz unique to jazz and that sound is recognized as a major milestone in the development of jazz."

Kansas City is just a JAZZY place to live and has a great selection when it comes to realestate in Kansas City MO!

It may be Holiday time in Kansas City, but real estate is beginning to heat
up!

How do I know? No, I didn't put my head to the ground and hear footsteps.... but I have been experiencing more calls for listing appointments and much higher hits on my website!
This is all very good news! Because this is the time to buy or sell. Interest rates are at a good point, there are rumors that they will stay this way a short while.
If you have considered buying, it's time to start looking! If you are considering selling it's time to get your house in order for the market as I discussed in my post When does Spring start in Real Estate.
Happy Holidays!!!
Posted by: Fran White, REALTOR 2006 www.kansascity-realestate.net

Daylight Saving Time

Need more time during the day to work on your Kansas City home?

Daylight Saving Time

I previously wrote about When is Spring in Real Estate
Today I was pleased to find out when we will be SPRINGING FORWARD and going into Daylight Saving Time this year!
That means more daylight time to look for a home in Kansas City Missouri!!
Webexhibits.org says since 1966, most of the United States has observed Daylight Saving Time from at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April to 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October.
Beginning in 2007, most of the U.S. will begin Daylight Saving Time at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and revert to standard time on the first Sunday in November.
That's great news I think!

When is SPRING in Real Estate?

Spring starts early in real estate! I'm already working with buyers and sellers that are preparing to buy or sell in spring!

If you are planning on selling your home in the spring, now is a great time to get busy making a to-do list of things you need to accomplish before your home is ready for the market.

I'm sure you've heard the expression you only have one chance to make a great first impression. That not only applies when you are trying to get a job, but also when you are selling your home.

Curb Appeal = First Impression

If you have your home on the market and someone drives up and their first impression isn't good... unfortunately I've had buyers say, "I'm not going in." That's not good.

You don't want them welcomed by chipping paint, leaves from last fall in the yard, un-manicured bushes or screens hanging off the window. And you certainly don't want it to appear you are growing a crop of maple trees in your gutters! If this is what welcomes your prospective buyers, their first impression is going to be YUCK!

Get those leaves from last fall bagged up, touch up that trip around the windows, and give those shrubs a little haircut.

Another important point to focus on is your front door. Spruce it up whether it be with a fresh coat of paint or a shiny new door knob... make it look inviting!

Another good thing to do is wash those windows, inside and out! Sparkly, crystal clear clean windows are important!

We have some days here in Kansas City where the weather is tolerable to be outside in the winter, so sit down and make yourself a Seller's To-Do list of things that will help your home sell quickly.

Posted by: Fran White REALTOR http://www.kansascity-realestate.net/

Wake up!!

What's your favorite morning waker upper?
I don't know about you, but when I get up in the morning I like a good cup of coffee!! I thought I would share with you my favorite coffee and it's in Kansas City! For me it's The Roasterie
It all started in 1978 when the now "head bean baron" was in Costa Rica as a foreign exchange student.. and his love for coffee was born when he picked his first coffee beans in the mountains around the Poás volcano.
Fifteen years later he founded The Roasterie in the basement of his Brookside home.
I have to say that one thing this company does besides have FABULOUS coffee, is give back to the community!
To this day, nobody else does it like The Roasterie. They've always supported the world's small, specialty farmers and their communities, which is why they get first chance at the world's best beans.
Coffee at it's finest! Coffee and Kansas City Real Estate, a natural combination!

Home Owners Warranties...Are they a good thing?

What about Homeowners Warranties?
When negotiating a deal I suggest to my buyers to ask for a Home Owners Warranty from the sellers. It's sense of security for the buyers.
In return I always suggest to my sellers to offer a homeowners warranty to buyers, again it creates a sense of security.
But I also tell my buyers about a personal experience I'd had when purchasing a home with a homeowner's warranty. One of the first things I suggest they do when they get into their new home is call a good heating and air conditioning company and have them service the furnace and air conditioner.
When my husband and I purchased our current home in 2002 we negotiated a homeowners warranty.
It was a chilly April and one week after moving in the furnace motor went out.
We called our Home Owners Warranty company (their name will go un-mentioned) and they sent out one of their contract service people. The service man went in, looked at the furnace and said it hadn't been maintained and that's why the motor went out.
I was sure to tell him we'd only lived in the home a week, but that didn't matter he told me it wasn't covered because it hadn't been cleaned and maintained.
Had I called for someone to service the furnace immediately upon moving in the furnace wouldn't have been filled with an accumulation of dust and dirt and would more than likely been covered.
Do I feel homeowner's warranties are valuable? Yes, I do, but I always suggest to my buyers to have their heating and cooling maintenance done immediately upon moving in!
Posted by: Fran White http://www.kansascity-realestate.net/


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Kansas City Real Estate Phone Policy

Kansas City Real Estate Cell Phone Policy
Boy that sounded corporate didn't it? Well that wasn't my intention, I guess I just wanted to make sure you understand the importance I put on answering my cell phone.
Sometimes in Kansas City Real Estate moments matter! When I first got into this business and started thinking about my own policies and how I wanted to operate I thought about cell phones. Everyone has one...so why does it seem that every time I call another agent I need to leave a message?
This is really a pet peeve of mine. Yes, voice mail is great, but I hate waiting for the call back after you've left a message.
I decided that my own personal policy would be to answer my cell phone 99.9% of the time and I do. (This is not a personal invitation for all of you to test this policy *smile*)
Another thought.... How do you answer your phone? I think it's only professional to answer your phone using your name so the caller immediately knows that he reached the correct person.
How are you answering your phone?
Fran White, REALTOR 2006