Have you ever wondered how streets and neighborhoods, even towns got their names?  I've thought about that for years.   Developers and builders might name streets and neighborhoods after loved ones, a point in history, or some other reference.  Streets might be a continuous grid with names continuing from city to city.   Growing up in Kansas, the streets in my neighborhood were named after birds!  They were Redbarn, Robin, Meadowlark, Chickadee, and Brown Thrush to name a few.    These were 1950's homes in a middle class neighborhood, a cozy setting. What about cities?   The city where I grew up, Wichita, has several different definitions, with each meaning from an Indian Tribe.  One definition references the Caddoan tribe reporting that the name originated by the "weets" and "eta".   W... 12/30/2021

There is new way to sell your home in Johnson County Kansas and in recent months companies like OpenDoor and OfferPad have been bombarding the airwaves and local mail boxes with offers to buy your home for cash. These companies are part of a new trend call "iBuyers" or "Instant Buyers".Instant Buyers will make a cash offer on your home generally within 24-72 hours. For many home sellers this can be advantageous if your situation requires a quick sale or if you have a home that may be in need of extensive repairs. You get to sell your home without having to go through the typical steps of having to get your home ready for the market and get to forego all of the showings that come with selling in the traditional manner.For those of you who are not sure if you want to pursue this avenue th... 12/20/2021

This is a picture of my first home, I purchased it in Denver Colorado in 1993 and I paid a whopping $67,000 for this 2 bedroom 1 bath brick bungalow west of downtown Denver. I was 23 years old and didn't have a clue of why I wanted to buy a home, it just seemed like a good idea. It turns out that good idea completely changed my entire financial future. I kept the home until 1998 and SOLD it for $149,000, an $82,000 increase in value.  Over the next 7 years I owned multiple homes in Denver and kept gaining equity through home ownership.Click Here to See My First Homes Zillow Zestimate, You will be ShockedIn 2005 my wife and I chose to relocate to Overland Park and the equity gained from our homes in Denver allowed us to build our dream home, a home that we have lived in for 15 years and ... 08/23/2021

Starting over again as an experienced agent in a new market isn't easy and sometimes it requires explanation. I know experience matters and people have choices. So, I've put together this timeline that outlines my background as a Realtor. As you can see, it's been almost 20 years since I first began my real estate career and aspired to make it a success. I did just that, and actually exceeded my own wildest expectations. I am proud of my past achievements. Fast forward to today, while starting over, I'm not driven by achieving the highest sales volume, but instead I'm just focussed right now on doing the best job I can for the clients who provide me opportunities to assist them and entrust me with their lifestyle transition. I'm not the most "established" Realtor in town, but I probably... 06/15/2021

Mike Russell & Associates currently has 5 New Listings Coming Soon to MLS and there are an additional 306 homes currently in Coming Soon Status for Johnson County.So what really does Coming Soon to MLS really mean? These are homes that are putting the final touches on before hitting the market, maybe some fresh paint or some new carpet waiting to be installed?  Why should you care about Coming Soon to MLS Listings?More: Most up to date home searchIn a low inventory market when home most homes are selling within the first 24-48 hours you can get a list of homes in advance. This gives you the opportuunity to research the homes, the  neighborhood, schools and everything that is important in your home search. This way you can eliminate homes that don't meet your needs and truly focus on the... 04/26/2021

Mike Russell & Associates Spring 2021 Guide to Selling your Home In Johnson County Kansas is Now Available, completely updated with all of the information you need to get your home SOLD for top dollar this Spring.Click Here to Download your Free Spring 2021 Guide to SElling Your Home in Johnson County Kansas Are you also Buying a New Home This Spring?Click Here to Download our Spring 2021 Guide to Buying a Home In Johnson County Kansas Having Trouble Finding your Dream Home online? Try our Home Search, update every 15 minutes or less. Click Here  04/24/2021

The Spring 2021 Edition of Things to Consider When Buying a Home is now available. Completely Updated with all of the information you need to be a home buyer this Spring.Click Here to Download your Free Copy       Are you also a Home Seller? Find out why this is most likely the best sellers market ever!Click Here to Download our Free Seller Version  Wonder where all of the great homes are?Click Here to Visit the Most Up To Date Home Search  04/24/2021

Beep, Beep, Beep is the sound as the Brinks Truck backs up to the seller's home with every dollar you can beg, borrow or steal. You just made an offer that that says I am doing everything in my power to get this home, your offer most likely included an AS-IS addendum stating you cannot ask the seller for repairs no matter what the home inspection discovers and an appraisal waiver stating that you cannot renegotiate price even if the banks appraisal is lower than your offer.So is this the winning hand or is it an overreaction to the current market circumstances? With inventory of available homes down by 64% you will most likely be competing against other buyers for any desirable home on the market but is this the only way to win a bidding war?  This is where the Buyer's Agent you hire ma... 04/23/2021

So you just offered on your 5th house, your offer was $50,000 over list price, you agreed to take the home in as-is condintion and even agreed to make up any shortfall if the home doesn't appraise for what you offered. What was the response? Did you get a response? So many buyers are making offers and finding themselves nowhere near the front of the pack, what you may need to consider is looking for a better time to be a buyer? It is currently April 2021 and there are probably 100 words I can use to describe it and many of them are not fit for public display. But if you are currently trying to buy a home you know those words well. More: Find your Dream Home HereSo what is the answer to getting yourself to the front of the line? Is it offering even more money? Is it   your beautifully wr... 04/19/2021

In early January we received the December Market Report for Home Sales from The Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors (KCRAR), most of the information showed a somewhat flat market compared to the year prior except for 1 number. Well, that 1 number was how many available home there were for sale compared to last year. In turns out that we actually had 54% less homes available to sell. As new homebuyers started to come into the market it quickly became apparent that finding them a home that meets their criteria was going to be a challenge. Forward 3 months and the the inventory situation has gotten worse while bidding wars and price escalation rules the market. Right now buyers are begging for new homes to hit the market but no relief seems to be in sight?One hope of many buyers i... 04/13/2021

We have been seeing a declining number of available homes for sale for several years now but in January of this year those numbers sunk to the lowest levels in history. Comparing the number of available homes this year vs last year at this time there is an over 50% decrease.This is very troublesome as we head full on into the traditional Spring and Summer selling seasons. This severe lack of inventory has created a panic like frenzy amongst would be buyers to secure new listing as they hit the market.More: Find your Dream Home NowThis frenzy has created multiple offer bidding wars on most new listings as they hit the market. This has also led buyers to extreme measures when placing their bids. "They say that desperate times require desperate measures", well those measures now include of... 03/29/2021

In December something changed in the real estate market, it is something that had been present for a while but in December it entered the extreme territory. If you have been searching for a home, you already know what it is. It is an unprecedented lack of available homes. When our local MLS released the end of December statistics we realized that the number of available homes had decreased by 54% over the previous year. This severe lack of inventory has left buyers frustrated and on edge trying to find a suitable home. This has also led to bidding wars that are pushing offers way over the asking price.This lack of inventory is creating a ripple effect that may actually be the biggest part of the problem. There is a large pool of potential sellers who are not engaging in the market due t... 02/18/2021

What a great way to start off 2021 with this new lead on January 1st, 2021. We are Under Contract and set to close Feb 1. At Home Kansas, Rob Lang received a new buyer lead Jan 1 2021 at 10:21am, met her for the first time at 1pm at the house, and in less than 12 hours her dream home was under contract at 10:07pm that same day before others could get there to see it due to the ice/snowstorm. This buyer had all the preliminary documents signed, pre=approval letter in my hands, and didn't wait until the next day to think about it when it likely would have been gone. Buyers today need to set up automated alerts, be pre-approved, be less restrictive on their search criteria due to the very low inventory in this area, and submit offers immediately. This buyer will have a rural property to ra... 01/02/2021

Want Golf Course living? Want maintenance free? This is your opportunity as these Falcon Valley Patio Homes don't come up for sale often.  The perfect combination of indoor and outdoor spaces, you will absolutely love this property.You can see all of the photos, property information and price at  http://19714w100th.Info Ready to take a look? Call 913-523-6427 for a private showing!  11/19/2020

Just listed by The Rob Ellerman Team at ReeceNichols, an AMAZING DEAL on a Reverse style home in the coveted MILLS FARM! Tour this home on Saturday with me from 12pm - 4pm, and be prepared to make an offer ...because in competitive market with low inventory, this priced to sell home will be sold in no time to a serious, decisive and lucky home buyer! 16516 Lucille Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66221 11/05/2020

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood here at Southpointe, a Summit Homes Community in Overland Park. While I sit at the model home and have discussions with visitors, here are a few of the benefits we've discussed about owning a new Summit home. You don't need to sell your current home before you build. You will not have to make a mortgage payment until your new home is complete. You do not need a 20% down payment to build. You can build with a fixed price and no surprise costs You can choose from a variety of lots You select the floorplan that best suits you and design selections to fit your budget and taste. You do not have to worry about supply and demand that results in a bidding war and drives up the price of your new home. You will have a 1, 2 and 10 year builder warranty for ... 11/02/2020

I stopped by one the many new home communities this weekend during the kick-off of the 2020 Parade of Homes which runs everyday through October 25th. This fall the Parade of Homes feature over 250 new construction models and spec homes in six counties across the metropolitan area. The Parade features homes by some of the area’s finest builders and includes townhomes, villas and single-family homes with a variety of floor plans featuring the latest design trends. Homes range in price from $199,000 to $2 million. Tbis is a great opportunity to preview the latest in-home innovations, styles and decorating, all showcased by the premier new home builders in the area's up and coming communities.All homes will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission is free. Free Parade guides will ... 10/12/2020

Johnson County KS Homebuying ProcessYou may have heard that pre-approval is a great first step in the homebuying process. But why is it so important? When looking for a home, the temptation to fall in love with a house that’s outside your budget is very real. So, before you start shopping around for a Johnson County home, it’s helpful to know your price range, what you’re comfortable within a monthly mortgage payment, and ultimately how much money you can borrow for your loan. Pre-approval from a lender is the only way to do this. In my thirty years of helping homebuyers, I have never not recommended that a Johnson County KS homebuyer discuss financing with a reputable lender prior to home shopping.  And, obtain a pre-approval letter which is more important now that ever. According to a... 10/06/2020

The Arthur & Betty Verhaeghe Park is a best kept secret in Overland Park, but I guess I'm letting the cat out of the bag. This small park has adequate amenities for children to play on the farm themed playground and there's a place for outdoor gatherings under a covered shelter. However, what I like most is the entrance it provides to the walking/bicycle path where I enjoy strolls with my dog Buddy and along for the walk, it's a place where my other buddy (my grandson) can accompany me as he rides his new bike.The former 42 acres of farmland was donated by the Verhaeghe family of Overland Park. And, what a wonderful addition it's turning out to be! Located south of Mills Farm and Mills Ranch, near 167th Street and Quivira Road, the park sits adjacent to other park land between Heritage ... 10/02/2020

Folks, this is my team! How exciting is this? Rob Ellerman, was recently interviewed for Forbes magazine, following our team's ranking as #1 in the Kansas City Metro and #3 in the nation overall. His leadership is the reason that The Rob Ellerman Team has grown to where it is today, and the reason that it continues to grow. I am thrilled to be a part of this group!  09/09/2020