Tuesday, December 3, 2013

10 Great Ideas For Holiday Fun With The Kids in Kansas City (that will still leave money for presents)!



The holiday season is upon us and from our family at The Bubb Cribb Team to yours here are a few great things to do in Kansas City to make the most of the season with your family!


  • Take in a session of The Nutcracker performed by The Kansas City Ballet at the amazing Kauffman Performing Arts Center.  Running from December through the Christmas season this is a chance to see kids, introduce them to the arts in KC and watch a nationally renowned company perform.  As a KC Ballet Patron our family is proud to be involved with the inaugural 2013 Nutcracker Ball and I would highly encourage all parents if they want to be a part of the event of the season grab a ticket and join us on December 6th!

Nutcracker Ball

  • Go down to see the Plaza Lights. Watching the lights come on is simply magical, but as we are past Thanksgiving it is a great way to enjoy the holiday season. It is definitely worth braving the insane throngs of people to see this happen in person at least once on the first night, but every night is magical on The Plaza.  Take a horse drawn carriage ride and you will remember it for the rest of your life!

  • Visit the Union Station (the traveling exhibits change frequently.) The space is just gorgeous and is a great opportunity to share a bit of important Kansas City history with your child. Be sure to check out the supposed bullet holes from the 1933 Union Station Massacre, the event that prompted the US Congress to strengthen the powers of the FBI.  From the PIRATES exhibit, to the crown Jewels of Lady Diana there have been a ton of great items to see come into KC.

  • During the Christmas season, visit Crown Center, and check out the mayor’s Christmas tree lighting, then go ice skating.  There is nothing more fun than a visit to Crown Center in the holiday season, see also #10 – Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope for more fun.

  • See a play at the Coterie Theater, “one of the best five theaters for young audiences in the U.S.“, according to Time Magazine.  A lovely part of the KC Experience.

  • Explore Kansas City’s history and understand the city by touring the John Wornall house and the Bingham-Wagner estate.  You will feel like you were playing a game of “The Oregon Trail” as you learn what used to be in KC.


  • Take a stroll through the historic Rose Garden in Loose Park. Check out the ducks and geese (and feed them at your own risk).  I have a soft spot in my heart for Loose Park as it was one of the locations I had my wife, Megan Bubb Cribb visit during our wedding proposal night.

  • Let your kids melt some crayons, go crazy with Legos, cover themselves in glitter and glue their fingers together at Hallmark’s Kaleidoscope.  With the great new aquarium also at Crown Center I would make sure it made your holiday list.

 If you are looking to sell and list your home or to put an offer in on a new home, now is the time and the Bubb Cribb Team would love to help you!

The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols would love to be your neighborhood experts in buying or selling your home in any part of Kansas City.  We have great area specialists in Union Hill, Hyde Park, Brookside, Sunset Hills, Waldo, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Overland Park, Fairway, Leawood, Kansas City North, Lees' Summit and more; please contact Christopher CribbMegan Bubb Cribb or Eric Bubb for assistance!

Christopher Cribb - The Bubb Cribb Team 
Reece & Nichols - Southgate  Direct Line 913.239.2023


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

KC Real Estate Tips - Three Reasons You Should Write That Offer TODAY!





Three Reasons You Should Write A Real Estate Offer Today - don't waste a moment or you may loose your dream home!

Do you really need to write the offer today?  As an experienced real estate team of agents, we must confirm that we have seen people lose the house of their dreams because they waited just one day.  

Yes, hesitating just one day in a high demand area can make the difference!

I hate that this market demands that buyers make decisions so quickly, but it is my job to let you know what the market is actually like.  The last thing I ever want to do is to rush any client. We have seen the disappointment that can result when someone misses out on a truly exceptional home, and I am working to be proactive instead of reactive.  Simply put, well priced homes move FAST in Kansas City / Prairie Village / Leawood / Fairway / Brookside. 

If you are not willing to act swiftly, your competition for the home may be.  It’s can be devastating to lose a great house because the offer did not get in fast enough, but it does happen – more often than you think.  On the flip side, we have also had our clients win out because other buyers have hesitated and they did not.   Accordingly, when the house is the right house, I do encourage my clients to act swiftly.  To ensure you are ready to go when "your house" comes on the market, be sure to be PREAPPROVED with a great lender.  Use a lender you trust, they will be your partner throughout this sale process and you need to ensure they are working for you.


The following are three reasons why it may be important for you to write the offer today:

1)  Avoiding a bidding war / Get a better price!  Sometimes if you get an offer in quickly, you will be able to get it accepted quickly at a slightly lower price than if you waited and the situation became a bidding war. We have seen this often occur with REOs (foreclosures).  Take this as an example how about your client’s offer is the first offer, gets put into the computer portal that evening before the REO agent leaves the office, and the next morning when they check their email, it is already accepted.  Gone.  Our client is celebrating as the 10 other higher offers that poured in that evening and the next day are put aside, the deal is done and you won! 


2)  They just did a price reduction!  When a seller does a price reduction it is highlighted for those searching for a home.  With most MLS systems and specifically both our Reece & Nichols system and Heartland MLS, an automatic email alert will be sent to buyers who are actively looking for that type of home, and the home will appear in the “hot sheet” search that most buyer’s agents run first thing every morning.  Even a modest price reduction can dramatically increase the attention that a listing receives.  If the price is now appealing, or you think the owner will now be receptive to your offer, get that offer in quickly before someone else has the same idea. 



3)  Your offer may deter other buyers!  Buyers dislike bidding wars, so many will shy away from a home with an offer already on it. With thanksgiving "Black Friday" around the corner think, would you rather fight with 20 others for 1 TV or be the first in line to get it.  In our Kansas City market, buyers are not expecting bidding wars, unless the property is EXCEPTIONAL!  Often the presence of another offer will make buyers and their agents shy away.  Accordingly, your early offer may keep others from even bidding.  (Note this does not hold true for low ball offers, if you submit a low ball offer, the listing agent will simply tell other buyer’s agents that the offer they have in hand is low and it will not generally deter other buyers from bidding.)



If you are looking to sell and list your home or to put an offer in on a new home, now is the time and the Bubb Cribb Team would love to help you!

The Bubb Cribb Team at Reece & Nichols would love to be your neighborhood experts in buying or selling your home in the stalwart Kansas City locations, of Union Hill, Hyde Park, Brookside, Sunset Hills, Waldo, Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Overland Park, Fairway, Leawood and more; please contact Christopher CribbMegan Bubb Cribb or Eric Bubb for assistance!

Christopher Cribb - The Bubb Cribb Team 
Reece & Nichols - Southgate  Direct Line 913.239.2023