Kansas City North Real Estate, Fran White, REALTOR

Kansas City Zoo Announces October and November are F R E E !

Part II Of A Kansas City Icon = The Music Exchange

Kansas City Power and Light Intends To Raise Rates... It's Electrifying

Gladstone Raises Personal Property Tax Levy To Maximum

Looking For Something To Do In Kansas City Over Labor Day Weekend? The Irish Fest!

New Missouri Prescription Drug Card Program for Missouri Residents

Missouri Sales Tax Free Holiday Is Coming Up: August 1,2,3, 2008

New Kansas City North High School Goes Green - Staley High School To Open For 08-09 School Year

Local Hair Stylist Joins St. Martin Salon In Parkville

A Kansas City Icon - The Music Exchange - Will Be Remembered (LOCALISM FEATURED)

Kansas City North.... M I S S O U R I

“Never say sorry - it's a sign of weakness” WHO SAID THAT?

Happy Birthday Carol Lalumondier

How To Stay Safe This 4th At The Lake Of The Ozarks

Want To Know What Crime Is Going On In Your Neighborhood?

Half-Duplex For Sale in the Lovely Northland... Kansas City, Missouri

I Am Not Pleased With My Realtor.... So When The Listing Is Up..... He's History

Enjoying Kansas City's Downtown Farmer's Market

American Strong Woman Never Gives UP!

A Couple Of Ways To Make Sure You Are Prepared For Disaster

Flooding in Branson Missouri

Changing the Perception of REALTORS®, One Person At A Time

American Idol Fans: David Cook's Childhood Home For Sale In Kansas City Burbs

Real Estate In Kansas City is Hopping

First Time Buyers Beware: "That's Only On Television"

2008-10-05T15:52:21Z

Yes, you read right..... The Kansas City Zoo is offering free admission to Kansas City, Missouri residents for the months of October and November.

Of course you have to prove that you live in Kansas City, Missouri and rightfully so.

You will need proof of residence and a state-issued ID which is required at the admissions gate.

You can also verify that you are a resident with a bill or credit card statement, even a bank statement, with your name and Kansas City, Missouri address.

It is free during normal zoo hours.

2008-09-25T16:46:57Z

I wrote previously about the Music Exchange about it being a Kansas City Icon and that it was now closed due to the untimely death of the owner.

I mentioned that I'd gone with my daughter to the sale........ well it was on a PART of the sale....

Below is the notification of the next segment of the sale of memorabilia from The Music Exchange.

Presents...

Historical Memorabilia Auction
Featuring Items from "The Music Exchange"

Auction Date:
Saturday, September 27th at 10AM

Public Exhibition:
Saturday, September 27th at 8AM

Auction Location:
Sunflower Auction Gallery
(Inside The Kansas City Gift Mart)
6800 West 115th Street
Overland Park, KS 66211
Phone: (913) 491-2930
www.sunflowerauction.com
gregg@sunflowerauction.com

Click Here to View the Online Catalog (Proxibid)

Click Here to View the Print Catalog (.pdf)

Click Here to Print an Absentee Bid Form (.pdf)

2008-09-07T08:45:12Z

Luckily here in Kansas City we didn't have a really hot summer like we've had in the past... but prepare yourself for next year!

Kansas City Power and Light (KCPL) is seeking to raise electrical usage by 17%. Yes you read right!

We've just experienced an increase from Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) and now KCPL is going to raise their rates!

The rate increase is suppose to take place next summer and they have filed in Missouri and Kansas to raise rates for 800,000 customers.

2008-09-03T15:03:54Z

In 2005 Gladstone voters approved a 39-cent property tax increase. That tax increase will begin showing up in your personal property tax bill this year.

The City Council has voted to set the city's 2008 tax levy at 93 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. So in other words if you buy a new car that cost $25,000 you are going to pay about 32.00 more in personal property taxes beginning this year.

This voter approved raise in taxes gave Gladstone leaders the authority to set the tax levy no higher than 93 cents per $100 of assessed valuation. Up until this year Gladstone council decided to stay at the existing tax rate of 54-cents per $100 of assessed valuation.

The reason for the decision to raise it is unexpected expenses which includes the May 2 tornado which cost the city more than $357,000 in payroll costs and repairs to city-owned facilities. In addition salt for road treatment went up $75,000 and fuel cost for city vehicles went up $71,000 over this past year.

2008-08-26T08:15:11Z

Ay, Top of the mornin' to ya! Are you looking for something to do in Kansas City over the Labor Day weekend?

Well my little leprechauns you can't afford to miss the Kansas City Irish Fest!

Since my wonderful husband has Irish in him this is an event that we never miss!

This year it's back at Crown Center and it's expanded to have THREE stages and includes even more Irish fun!

All of the Irish Eyes will be smiling with all the entertainment that's packed into this weekend, including my very fav....... The Elders!

There's fun for the entire family and don't forget to bring the wee ones!

For more information visit their website: www.kcirishfest.com

Here's a little taste of The Elders that I found on YouTube

2008-07-30T20:53:29Z

While visiting my Aunt and Uncle in Branson I saw a story about the new Missouri Drug Card Program on television.

The website states that as a resident of Missouri you have access to a FREE prescription drug card program.

If you go to www.missouridrugcard.com you can download your Prescription Card after putting in some simple information and supposedly have a savings of 75% at over 50,000 national and regional pharmacies.

The card is pre-activated and can be used immediately.

* I haven't personally tried this but thought it would be good information for anyone that needs assistance with prescription drug costs.

2008-07-24T09:47:54Z

We're in the heat of the summer and I can remember as a kid HATING to go shopping for fall/winter clothes right before school starts!

CHA-CHING! Now as an adult with the Missouri Sales Tax Free Holiday coming up August 1,2,3,2008 I can see how parents can save $$$$ shopping during those days!

Some will read this and say, "What are you talking about Fran?"

Missouri has this great holiday which begins at 12:01 AM on the first Friday in August and it ends at midnight three days later.

It means that you get tax free purchases on certain back-to-school needs like clothing, school supplies, computers and computer software.

The sales tax exemption is limited to:

Clothing - Any article having a taxable value of $100 or less.
School Supplies - Not to exceed $50 per purchase
Computer Software - Taxable value of $350 or less
Personal Computers - Not to exceed $3,500
Computer Peripheral Devices - Not to exceed $3,500
Be sure and consult the Missouri Department of Revenuefor a complete listing of items that are Tax Exempt.

KEEP IN MIND..... that some cities and counties choose not to be a part of this holiday..

Beverly Hills, Missouri, North Kansas City, Oak Grove, Platte Woods, Platte City and Smithville I've been told are opting out for this year (2008). But for a complete list of areas not participating be sure to check the Department of Revenue website. They have non-participants listed as:

Sales Tax Holiday - Cities Opting Out

Below is the list of cities that will not participate in the 2008 sales tax holiday. City sales tax in these locations will still be collected on the sale of qualifying holiday items.

Alton
Ashland
Ash Grove
Aurora
Ballwin
Battlefield
Bellerive Acres
Berkeley
Beverly Hills
Black Jack
Blackwater
Bland
Bloomfield
Bolivar
Boonville
Branson
Brentwood
Bridgeton
Byrnes Mill
Cabool
Camdenton
Cameron
California
Canton
Carl Junction
Carthage
Cassville
Centertown
Chamois
Charlack
Chillicothe
Clayton
Clinton
Collins
Columbia
Cool Valley
Cottleville
Crystal City
Des Peres
DeSoto
Desloge
Doniphan
Edmundson
Eldon
Eldorado Springs
Ellisville
Ellsinore
Elsberry
Everton
Fair Grove
Farmington
Fayette
Fenton
Ferguson
Festus
Flint Hill
Freeman
Freemont Hills
Frontenac
Fulton
Garden City
Gerald
Glasgow
Granby
Grandin
Grant City
Green City
Greendale
Half Way
Hartville
Hawk Point
Hayti
Higginsville
Hollister
Holts Summit
Houston
Ironton
Jane
Jefferson City
Joplin
Kennett
Kingdom City
Kirkwood
Koshkonong
Ladue
Laurie
Leadington
Liberal
Licking
Loma Linda
Malden
Manchester
Maplewood
Marble Hill
Marceline
Marlborough Village
Marshfield
Marthasville
Merriam Woods Village
Meta
Moberly
Montgomery
Moscow Mills
Mountain Grove
Mountain View
Mount Vernon
Naylor
Neosho
New Haven
New Madrid
New Melle
Nixa
Noel
Norborne
North Kansas City
Northwoods
Oak Grove
Oakland
Osage Beach
Overland
Owensville
Ozark
Palmyra
Paris
Pattonsburg
Pevely
Platte City
Platte Woods
Poplar Bluff
Purdy
Qulin
Reeds Spring
Richmond
Richmond Heights
Riverside
Rockaway Beach
Rock Hill
Rolla
Savannah
Sedalia
Seligman
Shelbina
Shrewsbury
Skidmore
Smithton
Smithville
Springfield
St Ann
St Mary
St Peters
Ste Genevieve
Stockton
Sugar Creek
Taos
Thayer
Town & Country
Trenton
Twin Oaks
University City
Urich
Vandalia
Velda
Walnut Grove
Warson Wood
Washburn
Waynesville
Webster Grove
West Plains
Willard
Willow Springs

2008-07-20T09:36:26Z

Yes... GREEN is one of Staley High Schools colors along with black and silver.

But that's not what I was talking about when I said Staley High School was going GREEN... I meant Staley High School is the only school in the four-state region to adopt the green concept, and was one of the first in the country to register the school as a LEED-registered project.

The high school is the fourth high school in the North Kansas City School District located in the northern portion of the district.

All the classrooms have an occupancy sensor system. Which means the lights come on when someone enters and go off when everyone is gone. (What my mother wouldn't have given to have something like that when I was a kid.)

A good percentage of the from of the school is glass. But not any kind of glass, it's the kind that draws heat in.

The geo-thermal heating system is designed to store heat in the summer and use it in the winter.

Low-flow water system that reduces water usage by about 50% were installed in all the restrooms and elsewhere.

There's approximately eighty-nine million dollard of steel in the structure and most of it is recycled.

The large collections pond outside collects the rainwater and it will be used to water the landscaping.

There have been many families moving into the Staley High School boundaries, I myself have had requests for houses in the Staley area.

Here are other tid-bits that are listed on the Staley High School Website:

314,000 square-foot, 2-story building on 80 acres

48-acre "green space" surrounds the school with 3 ponds and 2 streams

1,500-student capacity with a potential for 2,000 with Phase II expansion

2 competitive gymnasiums

750-seat auditorium and a "flex" theater

District Activity Complex on 64 acres includes District Varsity Soccer Stadium

District Football Stadium to seat 6,000 spectators

Built according to U.S. Green Building Council certification standards

2008-07-16T14:19:53Z

Girls we all know that when we find a Stylist that does a great job you'd follow her just about anywhere!

Well at least I would! I discovered Chandra Kelso barely a year ago when I asked my broker, "Who does your hair, it looks great!"

I was pleased to find out that this stylist was only about 5 minutes from my office and 10 minutes from my home. What a find!!!

From the first time I had "Chandy" do my hair it was evident to me that to this talented woman hair was an art!

About three months ago Chandy moved to St. Martin in quaint little Parkville, Missouri. A little artsy, craftsy area of the Northland where the 1993 flood levels were as high as my head.

Gasoline was heading to $4.00 a gallon and Parkville is nearly 20 minutes away from my home.... BUT I decided I couldn't live without the talented touch of Chandy!

So once a month I drive over to Parkville, which basically sits on the banks of the Missouri River and is the home of Park University. Driving down the main drag you see quilt shops, craft shops, antique stores and restuarants. It's a great little town where the hustle and bustle of city life goes away.

Quite contrary to the town when you step in St. Martin you'd think you'd just stepped into a posh and upscale shop in New York!

It's quite a treat! If you live in Kansas City North or are moving here and are looking for a talented, fun, caring hair stylist give Chandy a call 816-587-1587.

2008-07-12T16:20:24Z

Have I ever told you my daughter loves music? She has a record collection and most of the contents were purchased at "The Music Exchange" here in Kansas City, Missouri.

Ron Rooks owned The Music Exchange and it was a fixture of Kansas City for decades.

There you would find my daughter in the store in Westport where she would finger through the albums and then after four or more hours would come home with the treasures she'd purchased.

Two years ago Ron passed away as he was setting up his shop after moving to the West Bottoms of Kansas City. He was found in his new shop listening to records.

My daughter says there wasn't anything Ron Rooks didn't know about music. Who sang it, who wrote it and when....... and besides that WHERE it was located in his 250,000 piece collection of albums.

There was an auction that started today for items that Ron referred to as "Americana."

I love a good auction, so I had to go..... with camera in hand.

Dressed in her "Vinyl Saved My Soul" t-shirt off we went to the bottoms and the second floor of 1413 West 13th Terrace.

In a very short time I saw a lifetime collection of Ron's "Americana" which I couldn't resist snapping shots of. You would not believe the wide array of items....... and I couldn't leave without my daughter having a little slice of memorabilia from "The Music Exchange."

The album sale starts next Wednesday....... and there she will be.

When we got home she asked me if she thought Ron was upset that all of his stuff was being sold. I told her I'm sure he was up in heaven watching and spinning records.

So we walked out of there with this great mirror that's engraved that says:

"Remember The Music Exchange"

and a good sized box of all these different pin-backed buttons that my daughter remembered him having at the store that include music, presidential candidates, silliness and rock stars (The Beatles, Duran Duran, Rollings Stones, etc.)

2008-07-09T19:17:44Z

OH how I love Kansas City North.... and the many things it has to offer!

You see I grew up in Kansas City North... before 435.... before there was a Worlds of Fun or Oceans of Fun.... not quite back in the day of Jesse James but before there were what they called "four leaf clover hiways" at 435 and 69 Highway.

Back in the day when I would ride my horse from Claycomo to Randolph Rd without major highwways present.

I'd leave at dawn and return at dusk... and would have enjoyed an entire day of visiting classmates and friends along the way. Those were the days!

Long since past, Kansas City North still has lots to offer homeowers! Your choice of ranches, split entrys or atriums........ it's long been ear marked as THE place to live in Kansas City!

2008-07-05T16:32:50Z

And I always wondered where my uncle heard that saying.....

Today, the day after the Fourth of July... my husband had to deliver a printer to Des Moines, Iowa..

On the way up we saw signs about "The Birthplace of John Wayne" and "The Bridges of Madison County" so on the way back we took a little detour of sorts... to Madison County!

The www.madisoncounty.com website says: "The Bridges of Madison County" was made on location in Madison County, Iowa. A reconstructed farm house provided the key set, with additional sequences shot in the towns of Winterset and Adel, along with the actual Roseman and Holliwell covered bridges. Locations were coordinated with the full cooperation of the Iowa Film Commission, Winterset and Adel Chambers of Commerce, and the Madison County Covered Bridge Preservation Society.

You've seen the movie "The Bridges of Madison County" where Robert Kindaid (Clint Eastwood) comes to Madison County, Iowa to take pictures of the covered bridges because he is a professional photographer on assignment with National Geographic magazine.

He asks directions from Francesca Johnson (Meryle Streep) who's at home, alone because her husband and two children have left for four days for the Illinois state fair....... well the rest is in the movie but I had fun taking pictures in Madison County today!

Not only is this town a movie set... but the birthplace of John Wayne whose quote is in the title of this post...."Never say sorry - it's a sign of weakness."

We drove up John Wayne Dr. for a glimpse at his birthplace. Decorated with US Flags and beautiful bedding plants it sits on the corner of a normal neighborhood..... and oh the traffic!

2008-07-03T15:12:45Z

Several of us agents from the Reece and Nichols Kansas City North office got together today at lunch to celebrate the birthday of one of our country's great leaders........ Our Broker: Carol Lalumondier.

Carol was born on the Fourth of July (I can't reveal what year) and it's only appropriate because she's such a FIRECRACKER!

We had a delightful lunch at El Maguey Mexican Restaurant! Some REALTORS® had to leave before all the excitement began..... Carol gave us a wonderful demonstration of her knowledge, not only real estate but also the Mexican Hat Dance.

Of course her version was quite different from the original version... she just sat in her chair and smiled!

Happy Birthday Carol!!

By the way, Carol is an Active Rain Member!

2008-07-02T19:09:30Z

It's a common known fact that many people go to the Lake of the Ozarks for the holiday weekend.

This year if you want to stay safe be extra careful not to consume any of the water while swimming.

Recent testing has found levels of e. coli bacteria that are above the state's acceptable limits.

The samples that showing the highest levels were found at Horseshoe Bend.

The lakesunleader.com that serves the Ozarks has the full story here.

2008-07-02T18:25:17Z

I've just learned of www.crimereports.com .... a great website that no matter where you are in the U.S. you can put in an address or a zip code and see what kind of crime is happening in your neighborhood.

What a useful tool this could be when clients ask, "How's the Crime in this neighborhood?"

Just point them to the website!

It appeared that there was a place to also search for sex offenders.

They give you the option of signing up for e-mail notifications of crimes in a certain area. Of course I had to sign up and see how it worked!

2008-06-26T19:46:59Z

$110,000 Homes for Sale in Kansas City - Platte County, Kansas City, Missouri (Right off Barry Rd) (map)

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64155-Kansas City (Kansas City - Platte County)

FOR SALE
$110,000 It's a Steal!

	Reece and Nichols

	Fran White Email Fran
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	Address: 5519 NW 84th Ct. Type: Residential Style: Duplex Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 Suite: No Living Area: Year Built: 0 More Details

	Description


	5519 NW 84th Ct, Kansas City, MO 64155 This great 1/2 duplex is a STEAL at 110,000.00. Fresh neutral paint in popular colors, Berber carpet, Laminate in Kitchen. 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths and double garages. Location Location Location... close to everything: grocery stores, hospital, hiways, shopping which will help you save in gas! All in a quaint little culdesac. Details Asking Price: 110,000 MLS: 1481995 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2 # of Floors: 2 HOA/Maintenance Fees: .00 Garage Size: 2 Subdivision: Barry Duplexes Year Built: 1996 More Description

5519 NW 84th Ct at Barry Rd google map yahoo map

Location: Right off Barry Rd

2008-06-18T19:06:35Z

Again this week I received a desperate call from a lovely Seller....

My heart just bleeds for these people. She's hooked up with a REALTOR® that doesn't call and doesn't perform as we should.

He's too wrapped up in his own problems and is sharing his woes with his client. This could create a swarm of trouble, resulting in you losing a listing!

Is that what we should do? Absolutely NOT!

Are these the agents that cause us to be associated with used car salespersons? Absolutely.

In this trying time we all need to make an extra effort for our Sellers and Buyers...... Listen to them... Contact them, let them know what's going on. They deserve special treatment.

After all they are our bread and butter!

2008-06-10T15:54:15Z

How long has it been since you were at the Farmer's Market in downtown Kansas City?

With my relatives in town I was there just last week. The fruit and vegetables were more than plentiful and lucious looking!

The flowers were big and beautiful! My relatives from Norway really enjoyed the sites and sounds of the Farmer's Market, as did I!

2008-06-09T19:51:46Z

This video below is of a friend of my daughter's. She is participating in a video contest on youtube.com.

All you have to do is watch it......... and pass it on to someone.

She's a great young lady, who has a lot of courage to reach for the stars and stay focused on her dreams!

Mama Lou, her stage name, encourages all her audiences to follow their dreams and never give up

2008-06-09T17:30:17Z

I was sitting on my deck going over a list of things i've jotted down for May blog topics... boy am I behind, it's JUNE! Time to get crackin'!

The weather here has blistering hot and humid which makes for great storm weather!

I'm sure you've heard about the devastating tornados that have his our area lately. The tricky tornado wasn't particular with it's distruction: businesses, restuarants, schools and homes.

The damage was eye opening and sad.

It made me think to blog about a couple of ways that we can make sure, as homeowners, we are prepared for disaster.

Do you re-visit your homeowners insurance policy each year to make sure that you have ample coverage in case of fire or tornado?

A quick conversation with your insurance agent could prevent you from being caught up in a nasty mess.

Another thing you can do is to take pictures of everything in your home and upload the pictures to one of the on-line photo storage sites like Flickr or Photobucket for safe keeping. Then should you need to access your pictures to make an inventory of your possessions they will be right there waiting for you from any computer.

Just a couple of ideas to help you be prepared.

2008-05-09T08:13:34Z

I've been meaning to post this... a couple of weekends ago we made a fast trip down to Branson Missouri to see my favorite aunt and uncle.

I've mentioned before that my uncle is a fishing guide with River Run Outfitters in Branson.

Branson as well as the rest of Southern Missouri has had more than it's share of rain over the past few months. So much so that Branson has had to open all 10 of it's flood gates down by the fish hatchery.

Here's a video:

2008-05-06T06:56:51Z

Do any of you use Google Reader? I do. I have searches set up that correspond with the area I sell real estate in.

One day I was reading my Google Reader and found this woman who had posted on her blog about an experience she had with a REALTOR®, which made her decide to sell her home on her own.

I responded to her, giving her some information about the process that evidently her previous REALTOR® hadn't given her and gave her some ideas where she could market her home since she was trying to sell it on her own.

She was very kind and appreciative of the information. We wrote back and forth and when she got ready to list the home with an agent she told me I could list it. Unfortunately, the home was an hour and a half from me but I assured her that I knew the #1 agent in that county and felt confident that she'd do a good job for her.

She interviewed the agent, decided she felt the same way about her that I did, and the rest is history.

The house has been listed for maybe two weeks and is SOLD!

Even if it's just one person at a time, I've helped change one person's opinion of REALTORS®

2008-05-05T19:41:30Z

Do you watch American Idol?

Are you a David Cook Fan?

David is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City. Really nice town!

A Reece and Nichols agent has his childhood home for sale and she's using "David Cook's Childhood Home For Sale" to attract attention!

If you'd like to take a LOOK at where the possible next American Idol grew up, go here.

I personally like David and have been cheering for him from the get go!

2008-04-18T13:50:57Z

I've been trying to spread the word that real estate in Kansas City is alive, well and striving... even Realty Times recently wrote and article about the Kansas City Market, you can read it here: http://realtytimes.com/rtpages/20080411_hotmarket.htm

We're finally seeing Spring, some of the homes that have been on the market for quite some time are now being selected as buyers choice of homes.

What's even better, my grass is getting greeeeeeen! I hate the dull and drab colors of winter.

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2008-03-04T10:54:05Z

I've been showing a lot of first time buyers lately that have been watching a lot of television shows that show home remodeling, home decorating, and home buying.

Don't get me wrong, most of those shows are full of useful information, remodeling and decorating ideas and they can even give you tips on things to look for when shopping for a home that could be problematic... so they can be useful.

But please keep in mind that these are nationwide shows, some are even shot in Canada, and not everything they say apply to every area of the country.

Remodeling projects that they say can be completed in a weekend would be a tough job for seasoned hands, let along two women single handedly.

One show suggests that when you find a home you want to make an offer on "low-ball them." In other words, if they are asking 225,000.00 go in and offer them 25,000.00 less right off the bat.

I'm an advocate for negotiating a good deal, but my experience has been that this type of low-balling offends the sellers. I've even had a couple of sellers even refuse to make a counter offer because they were insulted.

Work with your REALTOR®. Ask them to show you comps in the neighborhood of homes that have sold as well as those for sale. Compare them to the home you want to make an offer on and proceed with a sensible offer.

I hear more and more REALTORS® working with sellers stressing the importance of pricing homes properly to sell in this market of over abundance.

Then there are those sellers who are having to bring money to the table to even sell their homes and have very little wiggle room.

I understand everyone wants a deal but just because the television shows are telling you to "low ball and ask for your closing costs to be paid," doesn't mean that it always happens or it's the rule of thumb to follow. In my opinion that only happens every-time on television.

I work with buyers and sellers so I see, feel and understand both sides.

As a buyer if you really want the home and give an outrageously low offer on a home that is priced correctly and the sellers get offended and refuse to counter - then you have lost out on a home that you really wanted and you are disappointed. That isn't a win/win for anyone.

Work with your REALTORS® and as buyers and sellers make mindful decisions.... and remember everything that is seen on television isn't always the case.