Duplex in Olathe, Kansas For Sale

Olathe Duplex For Sale

This is not my listing.  But I am really liking this Olathe Duplex that is for sale.  Priced at $184,950 the price has been lowered from an original asking price of $200,000…which I thought was a little high.  Each side is 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms with a one car garage per side.  (Not my photo so sorry about the quality.)

The really good news? It’s in Olathe which is still a healthy real estate market.  It’s across the street…literally…from Mid American Nazarene University.  And just minutes from I-35 and everything Johnson County, Kansas has to offer.

I think you can expect rents in the $750 – $775 range.  The duplex is currently not rented and is owned by the Nazarene Church from what I understand. 

If you are in the market, can qualify for the investment loan and have the cash on hand to make this work I strongly recommend you take a close look at this place.  Contact me today if you are looking for an investment property in the Kansas City area.  My phone number is 913.568.1579.

New Olathe Portrait Studio

You know I love to review Olathe businesses.  Today I’m announcing Portraits Today Studios located here in Olathe, Kansas.  Located at 2081 E Santa Fe in the Crossroads Shopping Center.  You know, the shopping center with Price Chopper, Blockbuster and Taco Via.  Portraits Today Studios is located in The Cove behind Taco Via and next to The Little Gym.

Stop by and see the owners.  You may recognize them.

Olathe Real Estate Market Update

Hey.  The market is tough.  Tough all over.  But Olathe, Kansas is really holding up better than most.  Heck, I just looked at one neighborhood (Copper Creek) that in the last year has had 18 homes sold and only 1 home on the market currently.  That home, in my opinion, is over-priced or it would be sold, too. 

On the flip side the Tara neighborhood has 2 foreclosures on the market and another steamrolling it’s way there. 

You must, absolutely must, price your home correctly in this current market (not the market from two years ago) to sell your home.  Do that, and you should be okay.  Heck, even if you have to sell at 10% less than you bought at if you are moving up you don’t think you can’t make up that 10% (or more) on the buy side?

Let us know if we can help.

First Time Home Buyers Olathe, Kansas

Attention first time home buyers in Kansas City.  And yes, that includes Overland Park, Olathe and a dozen other cities.  The current mortgage crisis will now benefit you!

The House has passed a bill that will likely become law within the week.  It’s a bill that no one wants to stand in the way of so it’s pretty much a done deal.  How will this help the first time home buyer in the Kansas City area?  Well, if you;

• Are a  first time home buyer
• Have purchased or will purchase a home between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009
• Have individual income of less than $75,000 or as a couple earn less than $150,000

If you meet those 3 standards you are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit. 

Now, you will be expected to pay that back over the course of the next 15 years interest free.  So it’s not free money.  But it’s discounted money.  If inflation ends up being 5% this year, well…hopefully you get the picture.  I’ll work out the math for you a little later today but you will be saving hundreds and possible a couple thousand in interest over the course of that 15 years. 

(Further details will be announced as I dig deeper into this Housing Rescue Bill.)

So if you are a first time home buyer and looking to purchase a home in the Kansas City area you need to contact me today.  Regardless of where you are looking be it Olathe, Overland Park, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Shawnee or a host of other suburban cities or Kansas City.  If I am not knowledgeable about the area of town you are looking I’ll hook you up with someone who is.

With a FHA loan, 3% of the purchase price and good credit this makes it easier and more economically feasible to be a first time home buyer than ever before!

Olathe, Kansas #11 Best Place To Live

The new CNN/Money 100 Best Places To Live is out and Olathe has come in at #11. 

You already knew Olathe was a great place to live.  Now others know, too.  Tell your friends that want to move to Olathe, KS that you know a great real estate agent and then contact me. 

Johnson County, Kansas One Of The 10 Best Counties To Raise A Family

Daily Real Estate News  |  July 8, 2008Top 10 Best Counties to Raise a Family

Low cost of living, reasonably priced homes and short commute times added to excellent schools is what landed 10 communities at the top of Forbes magazine’s best places to raise a family.

To be considered, the communities had to have populations greater than 65,000 and most of the school funding had to come from property taxes. Average SAT and ACT scores must top 1,050 or 22, respectively. These factors reduced the number of counties under consideration to 51.

After that, the magazine considered cost of living, graduation rate, home prices, property tax rates as a percentage of median home prices, percentage of homes occupied by owners, per-capita income, air quality, crime rate and commute times.

Here are the results:

Hamilton County, Ind. (near Indianapolis)
Ozaukee County, Wis. (near Milwaukee)
Johnson County, Kan. (near Kansas City)
Geauga County, Ohio (near Cleveland)
Delaware County, Ohio (near Columbus)
Morris County, N.J. (northern N.J.)
Hunterdon County, N.J. (central N.J.)
Waukesha County, Wis. (near Milwaukee)
Montgomery County, Pa. (near Philadelphia)
Chester County, Pa. (near Wilmington, DE)

Source: Forbes, Zack O’Malley Greenburg (06/30/2008)