Moving to Olathe or Overland Park.. need advice (Parkville, Leawood: for sale, real estate) - Kansas City - Missouri (MO) - City-Data Forum

East Coast RN · 06-08-2015, 09:37 AM

Hi everyone,

I posted awhile ago about relocating to Johnson county now the time has come and we will be permanently in the area this week. However our dilemma is that we still have not found a house and are exclusively looking only in Olathe or Overland Park with a budget no more than $325k for a house.

Our realtor mentioned that some homes that we have liked in Olathe such as newer subdivisions/newer builds were in potentially iffy areas. He mentioned that areas of Western Olathe were not the best for a young family.

Any advice on subdivisions/communities would be great.

Thanks in advance!

rwiksell · 06-08-2015, 12:16 PM

Before we get into a bunch of Missouri VS. Kansas bickering, can I ask you to clarify as to the reason for looking exclusively in Overland Park and Olathe? Is it because your work is in that area, and you want to keep the commute short? Or is it because someone told you that it's the only "decent" place to live in the metro?

Can you also share what sort of house you're looking for? It seems like it should be easy to find a modest 3-bedroom house in either suburb for $325k or less. But perhaps you need 4 bedrooms? New construction? Gated community? Walk-out basement? These are things which I could see pushing the price out of your budget.

kcmo · 06-08-2015, 12:23 PM

I thought it was against the law for a real estate agent to advise you at all about areas "iffy areas". That's not very professional and could be very misleading if the agent doesn't know what they are talking about or has ulterior motives such as wanting to push specific developments (conflict of interest). Either way, I hope you do your own research (which is obviously what this thread if for) and don't avoid areas because people have told you it's too black or too Hispanic.

Like I said, professional agents don't typically go there because they know they can attract a lawsuit and or lose their license.

I would think a $325,000 home will put you in a nice area in any area of KC though.

Having said that, I think you will generally pay more for the same house in Overland Park vs Olathe. So to get the same home you found in western Olathe for 325k might cost you 350-400k in parts of Overland Park. Location Location Location...

East Coast RN · 06-08-2015, 05:51 PM

Thanks for responding. The reason we're looking in Olathe or OP is because my new job is in Olathe and hubby's new job is in OP and we really don't want a long commute. I had considered some areas on the Missouri side but we also are looking for good public schools because we have a 3.5 year old.

As for the house part, we want a 4+ bedroom with a finished basement and a decent sized yard. I'm not entirely sure why our realtor said the western area of Olathe was iffy. He did say that some of the new construction was in that area and we had mentioned that we didn't want to be too far off the beaten path.

GraniteStater · 06-08-2015, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by East Coast RN

Thanks for responding. The reason we're looking in Olathe or OP is because my new job is in Olathe and hubby's new job is in OP and we really don't want a long commute. I had considered some areas on the Missouri side but we also are looking for good public schools because we have a 3.5 year old.

As for the house part, we want a 4+ bedroom with a finished basement and a decent sized yard. I'm not entirely sure why our realtor said the western area of Olathe was iffy. He did say that some of the new construction was in that area and we had mentioned that we didn't want to be too far off the beaten path.

Most of the "newer construction" at the mid-range price points is spotty at best in large chunks of Olathe and Overland Park. Is there some reason why you are not looking at Leawood or Overland Park inside 435?

MLSFan · 06-08-2015, 06:53 PM

Parkville is close to highway and if you don't mind a 30 minute drive to olathe, Legends area is about same distance too

You want a 4+ bedroom house for 2 adults and 1 infant? Why not a smaller house/apartment for a few years, then move to area with good school when kid hits school age?

rwiksell · 06-09-2015, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeb

Parkville is close to highway and if you don't mind a 30 minute drive to olathe, Legends area is about same distance too

You want a 4+ bedroom house for 2 adults and 1 infant? Why not a smaller house/apartment for a few years, then move to area with good school when kid hits school age?

I respect the effort to recommend Parkville to the OP, but if both parents are working in Johnson County, I have to concede that it's probably the best place to live, too (even if it costs a bit more.) And with a 3.5 year old, school age is in just over a year, so I doubt they'll want to move that soon.

It might be worth trying to rent a house, though. If what they want is a bit out of their price range, perhaps renting a 3-bedroom house for a year or two would be smart. Save some money, and then buy the house they want in a few years. And obviously I don't know their needs specifically, but it seems like a 4-bedroom house with a finished basement would be a ton of living space for a family of three. Even if one more kid is on the way. If they want to have three kids, I would say wait till number three comes along to look at a bigger house. But that's just me, I guess.

RadioSilence · 06-09-2015, 10:24 AM

There is nothing wrong with western Olathe. Perhaps by "iffy" the realtor meant flimsy construction. I don't know.

If you can live in Overland Park, and get into the Blue Valley School District, that would be ideal for your kids. But Olathe schools are good too.

kcmo · 06-09-2015, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwiksell

I respect the effort to recommend Parkville to the OP, but if both parents are working in Johnson County, I have to concede that it's probably the best place to live, too (even if it costs a bit more.) And with a 3.5 year old, school age is in just over a year, so I doubt they'll want to move that soon.

It might be worth trying to rent a house, though. If what they want is a bit out of their price range, perhaps renting a 3-bedroom house for a year or two would be smart. Save some money, and then buy the house they want in a few years. And obviously I don't know their needs specifically, but it seems like a 4-bedroom house with a finished basement would be a ton of living space for a family of three. Even if one more kid is on the way. If they want to have three kids, I would say wait till number three comes along to look at a bigger house. But that's just me, I guess.

Yea, if they both work out there, it basically makes sense to live there too. The only reason to put up with a commute would be if they wanted a different lifestyle that they can't get in Kansas (urban, walkable, lake living, hilly area. However, the MO side does good schools too. Maybe the OP is just talking about KCMO near state line when they mentioned schools being the reason to choose Kansas, but just know that the suburban MO side districts are just as good as the JoCo schools.

Personally I would much rather live in Overland Park. I just think Olathe is too far out and too conservative. Overland Park is more white collar and closer tied to KCMO in both culturally and geographically speaking. But you will pay more to live in a similar home in OP vs Olathe.

brianf408 · 06-09-2015, 10:51 AM

There are a few homes for sale in my subdivision of Overland Park that should meet your criteria. We love our neighborhood, it is in a great location near Quivera and 435, it wasn't built by a developer so the houses aren't all cookie-cutter, the neighbors are nice, area safe, etc. I'll send you a PM with some more info.