Ladies and Gents, wondering what to do this weekend? Why not head out to the 2010 Renaissance Festival held in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

This weekend (October 2-3) is the fifth weekend of the annual festival and and the theme: "Myths of the Highland." There will be heavy lifting games, Scottish vendors and entertianment. Click here to view the week 5 schedule of events.

KC Renaissance Site Address:
633 North 130th
Bonner Springs, KS 66012

Adult Admission ......................$18.95 ..................$15.95
Child Admission (5-12) .............$9.95 .....................$8.45

Brad Papa
Realty Executives
913-526-4985
Brad@PapasInTheHouse.com
www.PapasInTheHouse.com
Come to Papa For All Your Real Estate Needs!

Olathe just keeps growing! Our hometown Olathe, Kansas was the second fastest growing city in the Midwest (among 100,000+ residents) during the 2000 decade according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Olathe grew by 31% during the past decade, making it the NATION's 29th fastest growing city in the 100,000+ category.

The current population of Olathe, Kansas is estimated at125,000. If you want to move to Olathe, contact Olathe real estate agent Brad Papa at brad@papasinthehouse.com or 913.526.4985 today!

City of Olathe

Olathe Real Estate Agent - Brad Papa

Brad Papa
Realty Executives
913-526-4985
Brad@PapasInTheHouse.com
www.PapasInTheHouse.com
Come to Papa For All Your Real Estate Needs

Many buyers think if they do not use a Kansas City buyer's agent, they could possibly get a great deal on the house and save the 3% commission. This could be true, but often homes are overpriced to begin with and without an experienced agent performing a comparative analysis on the home, you could still be overpaying. In addition, an experienced real estate agent can offer invaluable advice when it comes to inspections and repairs. After the inspection report came back on a home my clients wanted to purchase, they were ready to take the home as-is, but I pointed out the furnace had major problems and they ended up getting the home at the price they wanted, plus a NEW furnace.

In addition, another reason that first time home buyers should use a buyer's agent is because many times buyers are distracted with the sellers decorating style, or lack thereof.  Many buyers cannot visualize how a home would look with different paint colors and/or carpet, or even how it would look with their own furniture. Furthermore, buyers often cannot look past the decor to see the structural elements such as age of the roof, HVAC or windows.  First time home buyers are often used to a landlord taking care of the property and thus they don't look, or forget to care, about these bigger ticket items. 

This is where a real estate agent that is experienced with dealing with first time home buyers can give them a friendly reminder to keep things in perspective. It's part of my job to ensure that first time home buyers don't just purchase a "pretty" home that will cost them an extra $10,000 over the next few months because they didn't realize that these bigger ticket items needed attention.  In short, first time home buyers need to remember that "looks" are not everything! Their pocketbooks will love it!

Brad Papa
Realty Executives
913-526-4985
Brad@PapasInTheHouse.com
www.PapasInTheHouse.com
Come to Papa For All Your Real Estate Needs!

Why hasn't my home sold? Are there secrets to getting my house sold in today's market? I hear these questions many times from sellers and while there are some things you can control, there others you can't. It's best to focus on what you can change!

Some things you can control:

Price: Pricing your home over the market value is the number on reason that a home does not sell. The most important factor to consider is that if a home is overpriced it won't even show up in a buyer's search! Buyer's won't even have the chance to fall in love with your home because it is just out of their range and they won't even see it listed in their search. 

Condition: Is your home move-in ready? Has it been recently remodeled in a neutral color scheme or are there a lot of fix ups that are needed? The condition of the property can dramatically increase or decrease the price of a home. Check out my other articles for some great tips: Top 5 Tips For Getting Your Home Ready For A Showing or Top Tips For Getting Your Home Ready To Sale  

Availability: You control if a buyer has access to your property, so make sure that when an agent or showing company calls for a potential appointment, you make every effort to rearrange your schedule to accommodate them.

Appliances: Which ones are staying and which ones are going. This is especially important for first time home buyers who may not have certain appliances.

Some things you can't control, but do affect how quickly your home sells:

Location: Is it in a good neighborhood that is highly desirable? Do you back to a busy street, are you near the train tracks, how close is the nearest grocery store.

Layout: Unless you plan on doing major renovations, the layout is something you cannot change. Here are some of the things that potential buyers might have on their "must have" lists: open floor plan, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms and their location, size of rooms and closets  

Yard: A lot of people look for a larger yard, and some are looking for a fence. Others require a deck or patio

Contact Olathe real estate agent, Brad Papa for more tips on how to get your Kansas City home sold fast! Register online now for my free seller's seminar at http://www.PapasInTheHouse.com