July 2007 brought the sale of 184 Douglas County homes which was up from last month's 177 homes.  Average DOM (days on market) was 74 vs. last month was 87 (homes selling quite a bit faster).  It was nice to see both more homes being SOLD and being SOLD faster in July.Northwest Lawrence Kansas Real Estate had 44 homes sell this past month with an average price $198,470.  This was down from June which had 65 homes sell with an average price of $233,517.  There was one home that SOLD in the this area for $48,000 that brought down the average price so much.Northeast Lawrence Kansas Real Estate had 32 homes sell this past month with an average price $152,398.  This was down from June which had 22 homes sell with an average price of $153,157.Southwest Lawrence Kansas Real Estate had 63 homes... 08/11/2007

Hi Active Rain Community,I received this email from Bob Buchanan, a local mortgage specialist that I depend on for not only my buyers but also myself on upper end loans.  Any guesses which way it will go before the next 15 minutes are up?"It's Fed Day and at 2:15pm Eastern Time, the Federal Reserve Board will release their interest rate decision and Monetary Policy statement. At the moment, Mortgage Bonds are basically in a holding pattern, just slightly up in advance of the news. My sources don't anticipate a cut by the Fed but we are watching for a potential reaction following the release which might necessitate a locking action. For now, we are in a floating stance in advance of the Fed announcement. If you have questions about what is happening in the market, please don't hesitate t... 08/07/2007

June 2007 brought the sale of 65 Northwest Lawrence Kansas homes which almost doubles the 33 homes SOLD in May.  In May the average was $206,403 but this past month the average was $233,517.Northwest Lawrence Kansas real estate traditionally has the largest number of SOLD homes each month in the county and also will usually have the highest average price of homes SOLD.June 2007 brought the sale of 22 Northeast Lawrence Kansas homes vs. the 21 homes SOLD in May.  In May the average was $158,639 but this past month the average was only $153,157.June 2007 brought the sale of 33 Southeast Lawrence Kansas homes vs. the 20 homes SOLD in May.  In May the average was $154,072 but this past month the average was only $143,285.Northeast and Southeast Lawrence Kansas real estate traditionally have... 07/05/2007

The market is great here!  Just to give you an example, I wrote contracts on three homes in the first three days of June with an average price of $250,000 each where the average price of homes in out market is $175,000.Next week two of those homes will close and one will close in mid July.  One seller had a home picked out but had not yet put in an offer on it until they got the accepted offer on their home.  Another seller held the line on their investment property since the phone was ringing off the hook with buyer interest.  Still another seller had already moved out of state yet still held the line on the price that they expected.In a buyer's market one would expect sellers caving in and taking a loss on what they expected to receive.  But, with homes here receiving 7-10% appreciati... 06/23/2007

Lawrence Kansas is alive and well when it comes to building permits.  There were 2,638 permits issued in 2006.  Whether you are looking for a new construction or pre-owned home, you will need a Realtor that will keep you updated about the community where you want to live.  With a FREE 2-10 Home Warranty given to anyone who buys or sells a home through me and service that will please, contact Rob at 785-393-2274.Other interesting stats about Lawrence Kansas:12,271 Building Safety Inspections performed129,267 Linear feet of curbs and gutters replaced6,809 Emergency medical responses2,155 Fire Rescue responses643,398 Parks or Recreational facility visits121,576 Police Service calls421,864 rides on the "T" (local bus service is extremely popular here)27,608 Linear feet of sidewalks installe... 06/21/2007

  I love stats on county appraisals. They help me identify which properties on the MLS are the best investment properties. As I work with investors, they are amazed at what I find.For example, there are two properties I found that are $50,500 and $64, 400 below county appraisal! I have over 100 properties on my spreadsheet that are below county appraisal.There is one single family listing that is $11,800 below county appraisal that has a positive cash flow as is but could be petitioned to become a duplex and have about $800 or more cash flow per month. The home already has separate entrances for each side of the duplex.One investor had me recently put in an offer for $35,000 on a home that when fixed up would sell for over double that or would be a wonderful rental.But being below count... 05/10/2007

  I love stats on county appraisals. They help me identify which properties on the MLS are the best investment properties. As I work with investors, they are amazed at what I find.For example, there are two properties I found that are $50,500 and $64, 400 below county appraisal! I have over 100 properties on my spreadsheet that are below county appraisal.There is one single family listing that is $11,800 below county appraisal that has a positive cash flow as is but could be petitioned to become a duplex and have about $800 or more cash flow per month. The home already has separate entrances for each side of the duplex.One investor had me recently put in an offer for $35,000 on a home that when fixed up would sell for over double that or would be a wonderful rental.But being below count... 05/10/2007

April 2007 brought the sale of 111 homes vs. last month was 71Baldwin (5) avg. price $232,740Eudora (9) avg. price $162,078NW Lawrence (33) avg. price $206,403NE Lawrence (21) avg. price $158,639SW Lawrence (18) avg. price $222,353SE Lawrence (20) avg. price $154,072Rural Lawrence (5) avg. price $194,820$575,000 was the highest price and $46,500 was the lowest priceAverage DOM (days on market) was 88 vs. last month was 91 (homes selling faster)Average price for the county $187,5959 had 5 or more bedrooms25 had 4 bedrooms62 had 3 bedrooms13 had 2 bedrooms2 had 1 bedroom2 had 5 or more bathrooms8 had 4 bathrooms36 had 3 bathrooms50 had 2 bathrooms15 had 1 bathroomFor a FREE CMA, (no obligation comparison of your home's value) call Rob at 785-393-2274 or email HomeValue@LetRobDoIt.com Than... 05/02/2007

In a nutshell, we still have a buyer's market in the Douglas County area but it is much better than last year when during June to August we had a tremendous number of homes go on the market all at once.With 492 homes sold in Douglas County in the past 6 months and 877 homes currently on the market, we have 10.8 months of inventory of homes. 6 months is considered balanced and below 6 months becomes a seller's market.In Lawrence we have had 420 homes sold in the past 6 months and 696 homes currently on the market, which means we have 10 months of inventory of homes. Lawrence remains the best marketplace in the county for the seller.In Baldwin we have had 15 homes sold in the past 6 months and 59 homes currently on the market, which means we have 2 years of inventory of homes. Best market... 05/02/2007

Heidi has big ideas about the Canoe that she got for her Dad's birthday. The canoe has dreams of floating on Clinton Lake near Lawrence, Kansas. Clinton Dam was built in 1971 to reduce seasonal flooding in the Wakarusa Valley. In this area, the Kaw River and Wakarusa River come together to make a rich valley. Wakarusa is a word taken from the Potawatomie language meaning "knee deep in mud." There was a severe, damaging flood in 1951. Read more about the Floods of 1951 .  Clinton Lake  provides safety and earth protection from flood damage and far more with the recreational opportunties and wildlife habitat for nesting bald eagles, flocks of geese and other wildlife that enjoy an undeveloped area.  Years ago, a delicious potato called the Wakarusa potato  was grown in the valley. The pot... 04/28/2007

March 2007 brought the sale of 71 homes vs. last month was 67Baldwin (3) avg. price $114,500Eudora (4) avg. price $139,400NW Lawrence (23) avg. price $249,517NE Lawrence (14) avg. price $123,900SW Lawrence (12) avg. price $224,967SE Lawrence (13) avg. price $179,285Rural Lawrence (2) avg. price $266,250$630,000 was the highest price and $68,000 was the lowest priceAverage DOM (days on market) was 91 vs. last month was 101 (homes selling faster)Average price for the county $183,5895 had 5 or more bedrooms24 had 4 bedrooms27 had 3 bedrooms14 had 2 bedrooms1 had 1 bedroom1 had 5 or more bathrooms6 had 4 bathrooms17 had 3 bathrooms29 had 2 bathrooms18 had 1 bathroomFor a FREE CMA, (no obligation comparison of your home's value) call Rob at 785-393-2274 or email HomeValue@LetRobDoIt.com 04/07/2007

NOTE:  This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.  On Saturday, March 17th I will have three Open Houses in Baldwin, Kansas.  744 E. 1650 Rd, Baldwin, KS 66006 (withdrawn since sellers aren't moving now) will be from 1:10pm-1:20pm, 417 Blaze, Baldwin, KS 66006 (withdrawn since rented now) will be from 1:30pm-1:40pm, and 1839 N. 100 Rd., Baldwin, KS 66006 (SOLD) will be from 1:50pm-2:00pm. Every buyer attending one of my Open Houses in Baldwin, Lawrence, or Eudora this weekend will be entered into a drawing for $100 in Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates at Maceli's.  Realtors do not qualify for drawing.  Tim Franklin of Bank of America, Scott Klausman at ... 03/16/2007

NOTE:  This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.   On Sunday, March 18th I will have two Open Houses in Eudora, Kansas.  809 Elm, Eudora, KS 66025 will be from 2:10pm-2:20pm and 1122 Peach, Eudora, KS 66025 will be from 2:30pm-2:40pm. Every buyer attending one of my Open Houses in Lawrence or Eudora on either of these days will be entered into a drawing for $100 in Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates at Maceli's.  Realtors do not qualify for drawing.  Tim Franklin of Bank of America, Scott Klausman at 2-10 Home Warranty, Lisa Henry of Capital Title, and Maceli's are the sponsors of this drawing. 809 Elm has an asking price of $100,000 and has a 2007 coun... 03/14/2007

Lawrence Kansas Open Houses NOTE:  This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.  On Sunday, March 18th I will have two Open Houses in Lawrence, Kansas.  1037 Wellington, Lawrence, KS 66049 will be from 1:00pm-1:10pm and 4416 W 25 Pl, Lawrence, KS 66047 will be from 1:30pm-1:40pm. Every buyer attending one of my Open Houses in Lawrence or Eudora on either of these days will be entered into a drawing for $100 in Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates at Maceli's.  Realtors do not qualify for drawing.  Tim Franklin of Bank of America, Scott Klausman at 2-10 Home Warranty, Lisa Henry of Capital Title, and Maceli's are the sponsors of this drawing. 1037 Wellington ... 03/14/2007

NOTE:  This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.  On Sunday, March 18th I will have two Open Houses in Lawrence, Kansas.  1037 Wellington, Lawrence, KS 66049 will be from 1:00pm-1:10pm and 4416 W 25 Pl, Lawrence, KS 66047 will be from 1:30pm-1:40pm. Every buyer attending one of my Open Houses in Lawrence or Eudora on either of these days will be entered into a drawing for $100 in Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates at Maceli's.  Realtors do not qualify for drawing.  Tim Franklin of Bank of America, Scott Klausman at 2-10 Home Warranty, Lisa Henry of Capital Title, and Maceli's are the sponsors of this drawing. 1037 Wellington has an asking price of $150,... 03/14/2007

Welcome to Douglas County Kansas real estate where the end of February brought us a bright, sunny 76 degree day, 5-6 inches of rain last night, and heavy snowflakes blowing straight across this morning; all within less than 24 hours!!February 2007 brought the sale of 67 homes versus 51 homes in January so more homes are selling as we move into Spring(??).  This is great information to know if you have a home for sale or homes for sale in Lawrence Kansas, Baldwin Kansas, or Eudora Kansas.  Now is the time to get your home on the market if you want to or need to sell your home.  118 homes have already sold which means 118 buyers have come and gone and if you wait another month another 100 or more buyers will be gone.  I calculated the following statistics for you:Baldwin (3) avg. price $2... 03/01/2007

Lawrence Kansas Open Houses NOTE:  This blog was written in the past about properties on the market at the time of the blog being written and should not be considered as active listings beyond the date of this blog.  On Sunday, February 18th and Sunday February 25th I will have two Open Houses in Lawrence, Kansas.  1037 Wellington, Lawrence, KS 66049 will be from 3:05pm-3:10pm on both days and 4416 W 25 Pl, Lawrence, KS 66047 will be from 3:30pm-3:35pm on both days. Every buyer attending one of my Open Houses in Lawrence or Eudora on either of these days will be entered into a drawing for $100 in Sunday Brunch Gift Certificates at Maceli's.  Realtors do not qualify for drawing.  Tim Franklin of Bank of America and Maceli's are the sponsors of this drawing. 1037 Wellington has an asking ... 02/16/2007

SELLERS - Are you wanting to know what homes comparable to yours sold for recently so that when you go to sell a home, you will know how to price it on the Lawrence Kansas real estate market?BUYERS - Are you wanting to know what sellers paid for the home when you want to buy a home?  Are you looking to buy a home that is below county appraisal?INVESTORS - Are you wanting to know the true bottom line on investment properties so you can calculate Cash on Cash return but don't have the rental receipts and expenses to make an educated decision?RENTERS - Are you wanting to raise your credit score so you can stop buying a place for your landlord and buy a home that you can afford for yourself?Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Secrets are now revealed to you through client consultations.  The Lawren... 02/15/2007

Lawrence Kansas Real Estate Investors: Wouldn't you like to know the rental income, when leases expire, and who pays the utilities of the investment property you have selected without having to call a Realtor? Well, I have made that information available on my http://www.MoveToLawrence.com/ website.After all, how can you calculate your cash on cash return or your capitalization rate without having an idea of what your income and expenses are going to be for utilities?  When I teach my investors' classes, we go through a worksheet that investors love where everything is taken into consideration: financing costs, net operating income, expenses, depreciation, etc.When the investors finish taking my class, they are able to "run the numbers" themselves by going to the http://www.MoveToLawren... 02/06/2007

I received an email this evening from someone in Spearfish SD wanting some photos of a home in Lawrence Kansas.  I emailed back and let her know I would get them tomorrow after I get the combo for the lockbox from the listing agent.In the mean time, I sent her the feature sheet, the county appraisal card for the property, a block analysis of the appraised prices of the homes on the block, the block analysis of the features of the other homes on the block, and the building material quality.  I also sent her links to my http://www.movetolawrence.com/ website where other MLS feature sheets are available for Lawrence Kansas Real Estate, Eudora Kansas Real Estate, and Baldwin Kansas Real Estate; divided by zip codes.In the morning after I get the combo, I will take photos of the vacant home ... 02/04/2007