Louisburg, Spring Hill, or Olathe??? (Overland Park, Park: house, purchase, high school)

[northbound74]

Belton.."If there is one drawback, it's the lack of good mom/pop restaurants"
The Log Cabin is good. Home cooking...country cooking..something like that.
I also like the Missouri side much better, but the tax situation from dealing with two states seems confusing..
Northeast JoCo is my favorite. The more affordable houses are on the small side, but at least you aren't spending half your life in a car. It's not far from downtown, Metcalf, Johnson Drive, Country Club Plaza, Brookside, etc.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by northbound74

Northeast JoCo is my favorite. The more affordable houses are on the small side, but at least you aren't spending half your life in a car. It's not far from downtown, Metcalf, Johnson Drive, Country Club Plaza, Brookside, etc.

I agree. The architectural styles are more varied, and more visually interesting compared with the cookie cutter stucco garbage in south Johnson County. Northeast JoCo also has old established neighborhoods that are over 70 years old in some areas. This is old by JoCo standards. Also, older areas have more of a Midwest flavor compared with the ugly unappealing plains/southwest influenced cookie cutter houses.

[jiston2000]

Most people realize that the quality of materials and construction is not that good (not to be insulting). Besides, their are good quality built 30 year old homes in central and northern areas of Overland Park that are selling for 225K or less in some areas right now.


Plains10--you would be shocked. We just sold ours, and I assumed that most people knew this--from what I have seen, people are very uneducated when looking for homes. They don't know what materials cost, the names of materials, what costs more, what materials are popular in decorating, even house styles, they just want what looks new and what looks like all of the other new homes. They would sacrifice floor space any day for ceiling space. And they would sacrifice floor space for outdoor space in a second-make sure you have a flat, square, BIG yard. I have been shocked, and have learned a lot about the public's general housing knowledge.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by jiston2000

Most people realize that the quality of materials and construction is not that good (not to be insulting). Besides, their are good quality built 30 year old homes in central and northern areas of Overland Park that are selling for 225K or less in some areas right now.


Plains10--you would be shocked. We just sold ours, and I assumed that most people knew this--from what I have seen, people are very uneducated when looking for homes. They don't know what materials cost, the names of materials, what costs more, what materials are popular in decorating, even house styles, they just want what looks new and what looks like all of the other new homes. They would sacrifice floor space any day for ceiling space. And they would sacrifice floor space for outdoor space in a second-make sure you have a flat, square, BIG yard. I have been shocked, and have learned a lot about the public's general housing knowledge.

I prefer the architecture in the eastern part of the country. I love the old New England architecture, but those old homes can be expensive to maintain. I just do not like a lot of new home architecture (outward appearance) right now.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Plains10

I have friends who also really do not like the quality of construction of some of the new subdivisions. Their was a story awhile ago about a resident in Lenexa who was very angry about a home building company that did not meet her expectations with regards to the new home. Apparently, cracks were developing on the inside of the home along with other problems. I would choose a 20-25 year old home any day over some of the newer cookie cutter construction. Yes, some of the older homes may need some updating, but a lot of the interior upgrades can be done quite easily like some new light colored paint instead of wallpaper. That can do a lot to brighten up a dreary room. Some of the "older" neighborhoods in Overland Park are especially nice because of the wide variety of architectural styles that exist. Another big plus is the great shade trees that line the streets along with sidewalks. Some of the newer developments do not even have sidewalks! We have become such a car-dependent society for sure.

My parents bought a new home recently in Olathe, and you couldn't pay me to live there! The new houses have crappy siding on the sides and back that looks ugly and will warp/peel soon. The houses are too far apart, no trees, and then they don't even allow fences. So what are you going to do? Sit out on your hot deck, looking across a football field of grass at your neighbor? Needless to say, I never saw anyone actually enjoying their massive lawns/outdoor areas. And like you said, no sidewalks.

My parents think the grocery store is close - only 15 minutes by car! Olathe doesn't seem "sophisticated" to me, unless you think eating at Applebees or Chilis is fine dining. But it seems extremely conservative (isn't some whack job congress woman from there?), my parents being nutty evangelicals who I wouldn't want to live next door to. The seem to fit in perfectly!

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Plains10

I prefer the architecture in the eastern part of the country. I love the old New England architecture, but those old homes can be expensive to maintain. I just do not like a lot of new home architecture (outward appearance) right now.

The KC area in general seems to be a little behind the times with new home architecture. I don't know what the deal is with the crappy siding. I remember the home I grew up in had that batton/board siding that needed to be scraped, primed, and painted every 3 years or so. That's just insane. Then the houses never have any architectural elements on the sides and backs. New homes in Denver, even in the 'burbs, tend to use traditional architecture styles, like Craftsman, Bungalow, Prarie, Victorian, etc. This seems to be a trend that started in the mid '90s.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

My parents bought a new home recently in Olathe, and you couldn't pay me to live there! The new houses have crappy siding on the sides and back that looks ugly and will warp/peel soon. The houses are too far apart, no trees, and then they don't even allow fences. So what are you going to do? Sit out on your hot deck, looking across a football field of grass at your neighbor? Needless to say, I never saw anyone actually enjoying their massive lawns/outdoor areas. And like you said, no sidewalks.

My parents think the grocery store is close - only 15 minutes by car! Olathe doesn't seem "sophisticated" to me, unless you think eating at Applebees or Chilis is fine dining. But it seems extremely conservative (isn't some whack job congress woman from there?), my parents being nutty evangelicals who I wouldn't want to live next door to. The seem to fit in perfectly!

The state rep you are thinking of is the reactionary Kay O'Connor. She wanted to transform things back to the 1950s. I don't think she is a rep anymore. Olathe is ultra conservative, tends to have a lot of large families, and has mega-churches. It has some Bible Belt influences as well.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Plains10

The state rep you are thinking of is the reactionary Kay O'Connor. She wanted to transform things back to the 1950s. I don't think she is a rep anymore. Olathe is ultra conservative, tends to have a lot of large families, and has mega-churches. It has some Bible Belt influences as well.

My parents drink the coolaid at "First Family" mega church. What's scary is how their religious/political views have become even nuttier after joining this church!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

My parents drink the coolaid at "First Family" mega church. What's scary is how their religious/political views have become even nuttier after joining this church!

I am sure since Olathe is so conservative that the city probably has a lot of families that conduct home schooling as well!
Olathe reminds me of a sprawling suburban city of Dallas/Ft. Worth for some reason. I think a lot of it has to do with the strip malls, stucco houses, and big highways everywhere.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by denverian

My parents drink the coolaid at "First Family" mega church. What's scary is how their religious/political views have become even nuttier after joining this church!

I am sure you are glad you don't live in JOCO anymore Denver is a neat city, but I can't tolerate dry climates at all.