This is a great conversation to have as we are about a year out from buying. I grew up making fun of Leawood folk, and JoCo in general. Then I moved out of KC for 20 years and just moved back, so I don’t really know a lot about KC anymore, and particularly not from an adult perspective. So why the concerns about PV and Leawood? Is it just a taxes thing?

School district is one of our biggest factors and based on balancing our wants/needs with school quality, it sounds like we want to be in the Shawnee Mission East school district. It’s the only highly rated district on the KS side that is not a Blue Valley school and south of 435. So that is a motivating factor for PV/north Leawood.

I can see that point of view.

I just flat out do not like Leawood. The people are mostly jerks, everything looks awfully plain, HoA's are butt and the cops are dicks apparently.

As for PV, I'd just be concerned about all teardowns and rebuilding. Tax wise, it actually seemed like LS was worse when my wife and I were looking at places a year ago. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but **** did they seem outrageous.

Maybe Nall Hills? Seems to fit many of your location needs and great access to major roads with neighborhood stability vs. price point. I’m not in kc area but have relatives there. http://nallhills.org

Meant to mention schools . Sorry. It’s in Sm South (Raiders) map for high school. Next to Blue Valley North for next HS boundary.I m not in kc area but have relatives there. http://nallhills.org

Consider writing love letters to the sellers if your agent lets you know it's not an obvious flipper or investment property. Not a fan of the concept myself seeing as it treads into violating Fair Housing laws but it supposedly works.

During the last sell boom, people were walking up to houses and offering money to the owners to sell

Sounds like I need to sell my rentals. Good to hear the market is good!

The SM school district isn't what it used to be. Desoto school district is better, but you have to live in western Shawnee or Lenexa. https://www.niche.com/k12/search/bes...icts/s/kansas/

Tried it

Have you tried writing to say you intend to turn their house into a BDSM airbnb rental?

At this preliminary stage I haven’t yet been factoring in HOAs, but that will definitely be a part of the equation. The other points are good to know. I mean, I already knew about Leawood pricks, but the rest is good to know.

I mean, we’ll be flexible. It’s not like we are Shawnee Mission East or bust, but it’s our target at this point.

Yeah the whole process sucks. Just embrace the suck and do the best. I’ve done this many times under many conditions to/from mostly high cost sellers markets. So Cal, Northern Virginia, Hi., etc.
As a seller, in those markets I’ve had all kinds of letter attempts made . None worked with me. Many were plays on new wives, sob stories and multiple Chiefs fans plays given my man caves decor and it’s out of norm for the locations. Most were above asking price.
My last 3 moves involved homes that were only hours on the markets with multiple offers. Hell, 2 houses ago, I left my power of attorney with an agent I just meant and instructions to buy me a house in a certain neighborhood . Nothing I would recommend or ever thought I’d do as a Midwesterner. But if your market is approaching this kind of crazy I’d be surprised but don’t truly know.
What as worked as a buyer and seller in sellers markets;
No B. S. No contingencies. Have your financing locked down. Show it.
No quibbling. The market sets the price. Don’t initially include allowances or low ball your offer over carpet, water heater, roof,etc.
No weird requests. What does or does not convey. Don’t fall for or try stunts about flat screens, refrigerators, etc. I’ve had people try to get me to leave plants and aquariums, etc. I probably would have if they just didn’t ask in their initial offer.
Be flexible on closing and move in dates. State that in your offer. Defer to the seller or negotiate it.
Use your inspectors findings as negotiating points after your initial offer has been accepted.

The house we moved into last fall was never on the market. I put an ad on a local Facebook swap page. I was very specific about what we were looking for. Two people contacted me. One had forty acres and a beautiful home that was perfect for us. Shook hands and started moving stuff in pretty much immediately but that's a small town for you. Of course now I'm six months into paying two mortgages. Anyone want to buy a beautiful home in the poorest county in Iowa?

Well I would stick to it.It’s important. During all of my moves involving high schoolers, school selection drove all other considerations.

My wife and I locked down our neighbors choices only after dropping in unannounced to a high school during the school day.
It was amazing to see the differences between schools in the same district

We've pretty much done all this. We've basically done everything short of me dipping into my 401k and/or completely exhausting our savings account.

Like I said earlier, we have to compete with 4-8 other offers every bid we put in on. We can't come in 12k over asking and at least 1 house we got beat out by straight cash, homie.

Offer sight unseen is they made an offer without looking at the house.

Yeah sucks is good description. No embracing about it.

Anybody want a 4 bedroom shithole in Olathe as is? I'm your guy. You'll get a gret deal on it because I'm lazy.

He's a know it all know nothing

How shitty we talking?

Most houses in neighborhood worth 230k. I give you mine for 190k. Nothing wrong with it, just needs updated Master bathroom. Probably new carpet in bedrooms. New flooring in basement and kitchen.

Get a 15 year loan.

Yeah, send your kids to school with the Tongie pig farmers.

This. Definitely.

Houses under 200k and not in the ghetto?

Is this even real life?

When I bought it it was $160,000 and I thought that was a great deal.

Don't you live in Phoenix? This cost of living calculator says houses are 9.4% more in Olathe than Phx? Couldn't imagine that is true, but thats what it says.
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-l...athe-ks/200000

I cant see why would want to have a rental in a city right now. Prices are good, free up some cash. Invest.

We are renting out the farm house. Pain in the ass.

Yeah I'm about ready to do that. Get out of the game, lay low. But what to invest in that I can beat 8-10%?

Ask Lewdog. He may be able to lead you into something good.

Also talk to the accountant on rules-you prob knew that.

Amazing, already 8 pages, and still not an Bugeater post.

Only because you missed it.

Good find. I missed it.

Honestly, I may just rent the rest of my life. Buying a house DOES suck, as does the upkeep and repairs.

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(doesn't help my state of mind that I'm usually gone 11-13 hours a day with work, but still)

Same here. Me and the wife live in the northland by Tiffany Springs area, and it's a nice area.

We have talked about a house, but at the end, it just wasn't worth the investment for us since we're pretty much gone half of the day due to work or events anyways.

Plus, most houses around here is going for $300,000 at the minimum.

Right. I moved up that way as well, I'm 4 minutes away from Zona. Love it up here.

It's definitely a sellers market right now, so that doesn't help anything. I'm not ruling out one day diving back into house ownership, but right now I'm just fine.

Huh, you're not too far off from where I am then.

I'm tired of living around unemployed crackheads and renting from slum lords who refuse put any of those thousands of dollars I give them back into their properties.

Plus I ain't getting any younger, I'd like to have start a family soon.

Well, I can't speak for your experience, but there are good apartment complexes that does care, just have to do some hard and time consuming research.

What I find the best way to do is just scout the area, then just talk to the property managers/leasing agent, and equally important, just walk around the apartment complex without the property managers/leasing agent and see if there are any people outside that potentially lives there, and talk to them face to face.

Yeah, that too. The neighborhood I lived in for years took a serious nosedive that last 4-5 years, so it was time to go. The place I found is a little more pricey, but so totally worth it.

That's what I thought when I moved into this place, you'd think for $1000/month my management company would at least make sure that my apartment doesn't smell like cigarettes (per their lease agreement) and that kind of pricetag would scare the scummies away.

But nope. It's advertised as luxury apartments. But my place is a dump.

Sorry to hear about that situation. Did they go through new management when you lived there? Was it good before something went sideways?

Too bad KCMO where I am at is probably a bit a ways from your desired location. It's a good area where I am.

It was like that to an extent back in 2015 when we bought. Only gotten worse if you're looking for stuff under $250k. Glad we bought when we did. Our $150k house has increased about 40k in 4 years doing jack shit except living in it. Kinda ridiculous.

My neighborhood took a nosedive the second I moved in. I was the first to move in.

Sounds like a Dangerfield joke.

Two changes iirc - the worst part is the culprits of all our problems are friends with the lady in the office, so she won't do anything about it.

When we originally moved in, the lady in the office was super authoritarian and she enjoyed enforcing the rules. But she quit a few weeks after we signed our last lease (18 months) and this new lady took over and it's gone downhill ever since.

Nobody cares that you're making money, underwriters want solid income and credit from buyers, and a house that appraises for more than contract with no BS attached to it..Like remodeled basement with no permits.

Actually... The IRS cares, they will be getting about $6600 from the sale

Yeah, that definitely will do it. The lady currently in our complex is the authoritarian type, so I'm good with that. Managers who are tough/enforce it really good are the types that people hate, but kept the property in good condition. The other kinds, well, like you just said, it just goes downhill.

I've seen houses bought from across the country but I would hardly say that 43 pictures, walk through video, and a local connection was unseen.

Always,

budget for 15 but sometimes the right house requires a purchase w/ 30 year note.

Making extra payments is the next best thing.

This. Get a 30 year fixed but pay it off in 15. Just make extra payments toward the principle. So if you mortgage is $1000, pay $1500 a month but make sure that extra $500 goes directly to the principle.