Retirement in Mission/Roeland Park/Fairway? (Kansas City, Shawnee: sales, vehicle registration, crime) - City-Data Forum

GoodUserNamesAreTaken · 01-30-2011, 07:18 AM

I am thinking about moving back to KC from the east coast in a few years when I retire. Ideally, I'd like to find a small older house in the Mission.Roeland Park/Fairway area for less that $150K completely renovated. I found a really interesting house that needs work at 59th and maple in Mission for $95K. Is this a decent area?

I am less concerned with escalating resale value than I am with ending up in a trailer park/barrio/ghetto neighborhood and the attendant crime/trash/drugs that follow those areas.

There seems to be an affordable part of Fairway that looks decent on Google's street view near 61st and El Monte. The prices are closer to the $150K range, but many of the houses look to need fixing up.

Last, but not least, I want to add a medium sized (12'x15')greenhouse/conservatory room to whichever house I choose to help me get through the Kansas winters. In either of these areas are there restrictions on building this kind of thing on the average sized lot?

Thanks to anyone who can help me. I have a few years before I have to make decisions.

GraniteStater · 01-30-2011, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodUserNamesAreTaken

I am thinking about moving back to KC from the east coast in a few years when I retire. Ideally, I'd like to find a small older house in the Mission.Roeland Park/Fairway area for less that $150K completely renovated. I found a really interesting house that needs work at 59th and maple in Mission for $95K. Is this a decent area?

I am less concerned with escalating resale value than I am with ending up in a trailer park/barrio/ghetto neighborhood and the attendant crime/trash/drugs that follow those areas.

There seems to be an affordable part of Fairway that looks decent on Google's street view near 61st and El Monte. The prices are closer to the $150K range, but many of the houses look to need fixing up.

Last, but not least, I want to add a medium sized (12'x15')greenhouse/conservatory room to whichever house I choose to help me get through the Kansas winters. In either of these areas are there restrictions on building this kind of thing on the average sized lot?

Thanks to anyone who can help me. I have a few years before I have to make decisions.

Are you very familiar with the Kansas City metro or ever visited the areas you are targeting for RE?
I am a bit confused as to why you would choose KS over MO for retirement. KS taxes are not low in the least. Property taxes are not low, KS has an income tax, vehicle registration fees are through the roof, and sales tax is 9-10%!
As for Fairway, it is a perfectly nice area with next to no crime at all. When I was very young I grew up in that area of Westwood, right next to Fairway. For the most part, this area has somewhat older demographics with singles and families mixed. If I recall, some very large family bought multiple houses off 48th street near Belinder and tore some of them down- creating a mega lot. That definitely changed the character of the neighborhood in a very negative way.
Some MO side areas you could look at might be: Parkville, Liberty, KCMO suburban areas of Clay and Platte County, Independence, and Lee's Summit.
As you may know, RE values in the KC metro area just don't appreciate much at all compared to the coasts so you could definitely broaden your search. MO property taxes and sales taxes tend to be lower than KS, particularly JOCO.

mandavaran · 01-30-2011, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Are you very familiar with the Kansas City metro or ever visited the areas you are targeting for RE?
I am a bit confused as to why you would choose KS over MO for retirement. KS taxes are not low in the least. Property taxes are not low, KS has an income tax, vehicle registration fees are through the roof, and sales tax is 9-10%!
As for Fairway, it is a perfectly nice area with next to no crime at all. When I was very young I grew up in that area of Westwood, right next to Fairway. For the most part, this area has somewhat older demographics with singles and families mixed. If I recall, some very large family bought multiple houses off 48th street near Belinder and tore some of them down- creating a mega lot. That definitely changed the character of the neighborhood in a very negative way.
Some MO side areas you could look at might be: Parkville, Liberty, KCMO suburban areas of Clay and Platte County, Independence, and Lee's Summit.
As you may know, RE values in the KC metro area just don't appreciate much at all compared to the coasts so you could definitely broaden your search. MO property taxes and sales taxes tend to be lower than KS, particularly JOCO.

What is it with you? He specifically asked for info on Mission/Roeland Park/Fairway so he must know the area where he wants to be. Why the big pitch for MO.? I doubt he needed a lecture on the entire metro area.

GoodUserNamesAreTaken · 02-01-2011, 10:01 AM

I have pretty much decided on Kansas over Missouri. I grew up in Roeland Park in the sixties, so I know the housing stock and general neighborhood layout. I also will have ample income to afford the higher taxes in Kansas. What I'm looking to avoid is an area that is turning/will turn dangerous or unpleasant, like the Brookside Boulevard area or Northeast. Both were stable, middle class areas in the late sixties and early seventies, but the trailer park/ghetto/barrio seems to have washed over them.

The Mission/Roeland Park/Fairway area is close to shopping and cultural attractions, with ample size lots and lots of mature trees. After living in both the center of major cities (New York and Boston) and in the suburbs of others (Washington and Philadelphia) I am ready for something in the medium distance that is neither a substantial commute away from or in the direct center of the action.

GraniteStater · 02-01-2011, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoodUserNamesAreTaken

I have pretty much decided on Kansas over Missouri. I grew up in Roeland Park in the sixties, so I know the housing stock and general neighborhood layout. I also will have ample income to afford the higher taxes in Kansas. What I'm looking to avoid is an area that is turning/will turn dangerous or unpleasant, like the Brookside Boulevard area or Northeast. Both were stable, middle class areas in the late sixties and early seventies, but the trailer park/ghetto/barrio seems to have washed over them.

The Mission/Roeland Park/Fairway area is close to shopping and cultural attractions, with ample size lots and lots of mature trees. After living in both the center of major cities (New York and Boston) and in the suburbs of others (Washington and Philadelphia) I am ready for something in the medium distance that is neither a substantial commute away from or in the direct center of the action.

Fairway is BY FAR the most upscale of the bunch. It has more higher end properties, and the average home value there is the highest. Westwood and Fairway will always have the most desirable locations in NE JOCO because they are practically on top of the Plaza as well as a short drive to downtown KC, MO. I will tell you that Roeland Park is the most transitional of the three enclaves due more in part to a demographic transition. This is an area that is aging out, and becoming more diverse (bigger increase in the Hispanic population). The housing stock in Roeland Park has not aged quite as well and RE values there tend to be lower. Unless things have changed in the past few years, it should still be a perfectly safe area.

KansasDB · 02-01-2011, 02:36 PM

Have you considered Leawood? It's also a very desireable area.

GraniteStater · 02-01-2011, 03:32 PM

^
The OP wanted a lower price point than Leawood.

GoodUserNamesAreTaken · 02-02-2011, 04:47 PM

I appreciate all the good ideas and observations sent my way. I was not aware that the Mission Shopping Center was an empty field now. That was such a bustling area when I was last living in KC.

It seems that a lot of the areas I mentioned are in transition. I'll keep an eye on them over the next few years. Meanwhile, I'll broaden my search to include more of Prairie Village which seems more stable.

smellykat · 02-02-2011, 04:59 PM

Prairie Village is wonderful! The Prairie Village Shopping Center is as vibrant as ever, great shopping, and host to art fairs and community events. Very friendly residents. Fixer uppers could probably be found for $170K.

GraniteStater · 02-02-2011, 05:28 PM

Another reason that Prairie Village is desirable is that it has been named "tree city USA" at least a few times. It is a prototypical example of mid 20th century USA suburbia, but has a great majority of residents who take pride in the city, neighborhoods, as well as the well regarded school district. Shawnee Mission East is a great high school and is right at the corner of 75 and Mission Road, a bit closer to the southern fringe of Prairie Village. If you travel south on Mission a few miles you run into old Leawood. Lee Boulevard is one of THE NICEST roads in all of JOCO and many would agree with me.