Tag Archives: Buying A Home In Lenexa Kansas

Organization Is Key To Completing A Lenexa Kansas Home Purchase

Posted on by
Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

Buying a home can be made easy in most cases by simply working with a great agent. By great agent I mean a real estate agent who knows what they’re doing and cares enough to make your transaction as important as if it were his or her own personal transaction. Everything I do in business is based on organization. One step into my office and you’ll understand just how important it is to me. When I walk out of my office each day, I feel great that the critical items have been handled and the rest is in order to start the next day. It takes just one lost piece of paperwork or dropping the ball on one item during the home buying process and the wheels can fall off the bus.

Let’s say your buying a home in Lenexa Kansas. After you’ve chosen the Lenexa Realtor that will represent you, the next step is choosing a great lender who works the Lenexa KS area. Once you have your loan Pre-Approval Letter in hand, it’s off to view homes. But wait… there more to an organized home search than just heading out to view any homes in the price range. Buyers should first scout the neighborhoods within their price range and desired area. At a minimum, checking out the main streets of the surrounding area will help you understand important factors around the neighborhood. Look for traffic flow, excessive noise, parks, shopping, dining amenities, etc. Always look closely at whether the neighborhood commons areas are well taken care of – it’s a tell-tale sign if they’re not.

When choosing homes to view, the process can vary greatly from one buyer to the next. Many  buyers prefer to receive  all the listings via email and then tell me which ones they want to see. A few want to give me their basic parameters and have me choose all the homes we see. In most cases, the best solution is a combination of the two. I set my clients up to receive email updates of listings that fit their parameters. I ask enough questions up front that only relevent listings are sent to buyers. Taking the time to check a few additional MLS boxes can go a long way towards making it easier for buyers to cull through the available MLS listings. Once the right home is found,  you’ll be counting on your agent for expert representation through the remainder of the real estate process and organization is just as critical during the rest of the real estate process.


Posted by Jason A. Brown

Add to DeliciousAdd to DiggAdd to FaceBookAdd to Google BookmarkAdd to RedditAdd to StumbleUponAdd to TechnoratiAdd to Twitter

10 Important No-Fluff Tips For Kansas City First Time Home Buyers

Posted on by
Checking The Pulse Of The Kansas City Real Estate Market

I’ve seen a ton of web sites with “tips” for First Time Home Buyers and most of those sites are a complete waste of time. I don’t think a Kansas City First Time Home Buyer needs told to “choose a home that best fits their needs”. I saw that as the #1 recommended tip on one First Time Home Buyer site. Seriously, who buys a home without taking that into consideration?

Another of my favorites I’ve come across is to “make sure your agent is working with no more than a couple of buyers at one time to ensure they have time to assist you”. I couldn’t disagree more because any agent who’s working with only a couple of buyers is probably not an agent with much production and experience. Rather than insulting your intelligence with some silly advice, I’ll instead give you a list of mistakes I’ve actually seen home buyers make – or I’ve stopped them from making – over the years…

1. Being too picky – I’ve seen buyers miss GREAT homes because they were picky about things that, in the big picture, shouldn’t have caused the home to be eliminated from consideration.

2. Worrying only about the payment when getting Pre-Approved for a home loan – the loan costs can easily be more important than the payment if you’ll only be staying in the home a couple of years.

3. Thinking they can get a better deal by not using a buyer’s agent – a buyer’s agent will save you more than the 3% buyer’s commission and a seller and listing agent aren’t simply going to hand that 3% over to you for not having an agent.

4. Not considering the utility bills – a home is larger than an apartment and utility bills could be double, triple or more than a buyer is prepared for.

5. Ignoring area property values – buyer’s can come out ahead by buying a more expensive home in a subdivision with solid appreciation rate versus buying a home for significant less in a subdivision with falling property values.

6. Financing anything (i.e. a car) after going under contract but prior to closing – this can drastically change the borrower’s income-to-debt ratios and cause a lender to change their mind about providing the mortgage loan.

7. Not factoring in you’ll have to buy a refrigerator, washer, dryer, mower, garden hoses, etc. – there are many things supplied in a rental home that you’ll be responsible for when owning a home.

8. Failing to consider ongoing expenses of owing a home – when that air conditioner goes out and the home needs repainted, has money been put into savings for these types of repairs?

9. Running a weak offer up the flag pole to check a seller’s response – making a low-ball offer, putting down very little earnest money and asking for the moon can cause a seller to arch their back and lead to a buyer getting a worse deal.

10. Wearing rose-colored glasses – too many buyers fall in love with the cosmetics (i.e. pottery barn paint colors) to the point they start convincing themselves they can ignore the big crack in the foundation wall.


Posted by Jason A. Brown