KC vs. ST. LOUIS (Kansas City, Lee's Summit: mortgage, loan, real estate)

[Sick and tired in SoCal]

I live in So. Cal and want to move back to MO. Originally from St. Louis area. I feel comfortable with that, but am starting to consider KC but I've never even been there. I want to buy a home but can't afford a lot. My salary will probably be about 45k to 50k in MO. I've never owned a home so I don't even know what my salary range could get me. I don't know what areas of KC would be right for me with my type of job (legal office). I'm sure near a city, probably KC. And I understand property taxes are different for different areas. Any help and imput would be gratefully appreciated.

[rondamarchant]

Around KC - there will be SOOO many options for you. Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Overland Park, Liberty....those are some just off the top. All w/ great resale values if you plan on maybe moving in a few years. Since you haven't bought before - talk w/ a loan officer in the area and find one that you're comfortable w/ and can give you a good idea on what your mortgage will be. Highway driving here will be a breeze to what you're probably used to. Do you know yet where you might be working???

[Sick and tired in SoCal]

I have no idea where I will be working, only in a law firm of some sort as a legal sect'y. which is why I said probably Kansas City, as most larger law practices are in larger cities near court houses.

[Purdue1906]

Originally Posted by rondamarchant

Around KC - there will be SOOO many options for you. Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, Overland Park, Liberty....those are some just off the top. All w/ great resale values if you plan on maybe moving in a few years. Since you haven't bought before - talk w/ a loan officer in the area and find one that you're comfortable w/ and can give you a good idea on what your mortgage will be. Highway driving here will be a breeze to what you're probably used to. Do you know yet where you might be working???

And all where you'll be surrounded by lovely sprawl and face silly commutes to and from work everyday. I-70 East and I-35 South are terrible at rush hour. KCMO has numerous nice neighborhoods with mature trees, unique hours, and are built right on the grid, meaning no need to fight the interstate 5 days per week.

Now if schools are an issue, then the 'burbs might be the choice, but if not, the city>the burbs

[Cairo_East]

There are so many options in and around the city, it's really more a question of what you want. Good schools? Older neighborhoods? Lots of acreage? Nightlife? Strong communities? Access to parks? Short commute times? You can afford at least a condo in almost any part of town with 50K annual salary.

[Show Me SLC]

As Cairo East mentioned, it all comes down to what you value.

Originally from St. Louis, I lived in Overland Park, KS, a suburb of Kansas City, MO for a short time. I really enjoyed the area and would live there again or in any of the neighboring communities on the Kansas side, such as Leawood and Mission. My commute was manageable as I worked in Overland Park as well. It would be at least a 30 minute commute to downtown KC from any of these areas during rush hour.

While housing and rent is more expensive in Overland Park, it is well worth it in my opinion. Actually, it was ranked as the 6th best place to live in Money magazine's top 100 places to live. The median income is roughly 90K and the population is roughly 165,000. For the record, O'fallon was ranked 39. On a side note, if you have children, the Johnson County school district is amazing. I find it similar to Clayton, Creve Couer and Chesterfield. Think of West County.

If I had to live on the Missouri side, I have heard good things about Liberty (northest of KC). The only other city in Missouri that found its way into the 2006 rankings was Lee's Summit (# 44), a suburb of KC. While expensive, the area around the Plaza is great.

If you are commuting downtown or to Overland Park, I would think twice about living in communities close to the triangle. The triangle includes the merging of Highway 71, Interstate 435 and Interstate 470. When it comes to congestion, particularly at rush hour, it is horrific and probably one of the worst in the state of Missouri.

Make sure to speak with a real estate agent or your auto insurance carrier to examine the different rates by location in KC. I was surprised at the difference in rates based on area.

The one thing that I really enjoyed about KC and OP is the number and variety of restaurants. While St. Louis has some amazing restaurants, I have to give the nod to KC when it comes to culinary options. I have heard that KC is often used as a test market for restaurants. I can think of a few restaurants that were in KC long before coming to St. Louis. Who knows, maybe that can be attributed to the fact that there isn't that much to do in KC in my opinion, with the exception of dining out. Regardless, I sure miss J. Alexander's.

While I no longer live in either city, I would much rather live in St. Louis for a variety of reasons.

St. Louis’s metropolitan population is roughly 2.8 million, compared to KC’s 1.8 million. By virtue of its size, you have more options in many categories tied to quality of life in my opinion. I believe the employment opportunities to be greater and more diverse in St. Louis. Of the 10 Fortune 500 companies located in Missouri, 8 are located in St. Louis and 2 in KC.

I also like its proximity to cities such as Chicago, Indy, Minneapolis, Cleveland, KC, Nashville, Memphis, etc. I also think that the culture of the cities is quite different as well. I find St. Louis to be more cosmopolitan and urban in feel than compared to KC.

While I don’t have any numbers in front of me, I believe that the cost of living and median income is roughly the same between the two cities. When it comes to housing, I believe that housing is a bit more expensive in St. Louis, but not by much. Regardless, you are still getting a lot more home for your money in either of these cities than you currently are in California or most cities on the West Coast or West.

Besides, you don’t have the Cardinals in KC. Then again, tickets are cheap to Royals games and you never have to worry about sell outs. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

[ex64060]

I like KC better easy access around the city and suburbs more affordable housing Lots of legal jobs here for you too
I sell homes for a living what you could afford depends on your income and outgo
but in KC and suburbs homes are WAY more affordable than St Louis and suburbs
more easy going lifestyle less populated New sprint center , great parks, Country Club Plaza
we have arts and entertainment and sports Chiefs, Royals Wizards BUT
if you wanna see the Cards or the Rams it's not a bad run to st louis to do so

M Hughes

[maccafan]

I'm 53 & lived in KC all my life. You will sure get alot more house here then you even can imagine compared to California. If you have kids, stay out of the KCMO School District and you'll be okay

[northbound74]

This post is a little stale, and I don't like to get off subject, but....

"Besides, you don’t have the Cardinals in KC. Then again, tickets are cheap to Royals games and you never have to worry about sell outs. Sorry, I couldn’t resist"

1985.



The only real difference between KC and St.L is the arch. They both have lots of jobs, equal number of major league sports teams, tons of places to eat, tons of things to do...yes, Kansas City included. I guess if you live hunkered down in Overland Park and never see much of the City outside of the Plaza, you would not think that there's much to do. Kansas City is the only place I've lived in (there's been several) that I've not been bored in. Okay, it's the biggest city that I have lived in. If anything, there's so much to do that I don't have time or money for it all. I kinda want to live in a rural area again just so I won't feel like I'm missing out on something if I don't go.
They're both great cities. To anyone trying to choose between the two, I would say just go wherever they offer you the better job or go visit each and decide which one fits you better.
Oh yeah...THE ROYALS ARE COMIN' BACK!!

[JesusisLord]

How bad is the traffic in Kansas City? Are we talking 30mph rush hour speed or 10mph like in California?