What's That Smell?

Homeowners may be totally unaware that their home has an unpleasant odor. It can be unrecognizable to them but immediately apparent to visitors on entering the home.

Candles, aerosol spray or even chocolate chip cookies can’t get rid of the smell. To eliminate the odor, the source of the smell first has to be removed and then, the affected areas can be treated.

Cigarette smoke is particularly offensive to people.  It is very common for buyers to refuse to even consider looking at a home where smoking is allowed. This odor permeates the air in a home and soaks into carpets, furniture, drapes, clothing and even the building materials like drywall and cabinets.

Pets may be considered part of the family but it is still a problem when the animals are not adequately house-broken. Urine isn’t just absorbed by the carpet but also the padding and in some cases, the subflooring. Sometimes, walls and floors have to be treated and sealed before painting and new floor covering can be installed.

If a casual friend doesn’t want to hurt your feelings about the jeans you’re wearing, you can bet the ranch that they won’t tell you about the odors in your home. You’ll need to rely on your closest friends to tell you the truth or maybe your mother-in-law.

Remember to Get Your Annual Credit Report

You are probably aware that Federal law entitles you to a free copy of your credit report annually by each of the three credit bureaus: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. By regularly looking at each of these reports, you can determine if there are any errors on them and be aware of your credit worthiness.

Instead of ordering all three at the same time, experts recommend that you stagger them throughout the year. This will let you look at your credit at three different times during the year instead of only once a year.

An easy way make this happens on a timely basis is to set a recurring appointment on your digital calendar whether it is on your phone, your email program or a contact manager. Make the appointment to order a free credit report from www.AnnualCreditReport.com a recurring event to take place every four months. You’ll order one report from each of three companies once a year.

You can record that date and the bureau you ordered the last report in the appointment’s note section so that you’ll have a history and won’t try to order the same report twice in one year.

This isn’t just for people who are trying to clean-up their credit. This procedure allows you to monitor your credit to be sure that your report is accurate. You might even discover that someone is illegally using your good credit.

Winter Question in Kansas City - "How is the real estate market?" - The Bubb Cribb Team @ ReeceNichols Answers It!

After thinking a bit over the holidays about our team, team / personal goals & making a few new years resolutions I came up with an everyday what do I do statement.  I truly hope that I win the POWERBALL this week and my 1.5 Billion dollars will allow me to retire from Real Estate, but I think the odds are a bit slim.

I am proud to be a member of The Bubb Cribb Team with my wife Megan Bubb Cribb & brother in law (brolo) Eric Bubb.  I have been working on getting my Dad, Garry Cribb, to join us, but he is pretty loyal to the horse that brought him to the dance, I think he will see the light!

"How is the real estate market?" is what people ask me on a daily basis, the easy answer - The market is GREAT ( a bit low on inventory for some parts of town, but that is raising sales prices), interest rates are LOW and KC is a place people want to be!  If you are thinking of buying or selling I would encourage it, who knows what the election will bring later this year!

For our team I must now toot our horn a bit (you do want someone selling your house that has a little swagger) :) and I am proud to boast that for the second year in a row we as a team have more than doubled our sales from 2014 to 2015!  We have also been recognized as one of the fastest growing teams in the KC area, KC Magazine has awarded Megan her 8th straight Best in KC Real Estate Award, for the second year in a row our team was awarded in the Top 1% Nationally of Premier Selling Agents from Trulia.com and the best part about it, we are all having fun while doing it!

Thanks Meg and Eric for making this our best year yet!

And therefore back to my resolutions & what I pledge to do in 2016 for my clients & team...

I make #KC Home Purchases / Sales An Enjoyable, 
Smooth & Profitable Process!  

The market is going to get worse at some point, I urge you to consider reward yourself in 2016 with a #HomeUpgrade, my family grabbed one in 2015 and while I still hate moving, having the new home to make your family's own is an awesome feeling.  Getting back on track, let me introduce you to our team, who we are, and what we do to ensure our clients get that smooth transaction, profitable outcome and home of their dreams!

The Bubb Cribb Team - Who Are We?


The Bubb Cribb Team Is Proud to Be a Top Producing Team With The #1 Firm For Residential Real Estate In Kansas City - ReeceNichols located at the 76th and State Line Office (Southgate) we work all parts of Kansas City with our top sales coming from Kansas City, MO and Johnson County, KS.

Kansas City Experts – Single Family, Luxury Homes, Condos, Investments, Rentals

• Over 75+ Homes Sold In Kansas City During 2015!
• Homes Sold In All Parts of KC & Suburbs
• Downtown/ Midtown/ Plaza Condo Specialist Group + One Park Place KC
• HUD / Foreclosure Certified Investment Agents
• Relocation, Lease Purchase & Referral Partner Programs

Eric Bubb, Megan Bubb Cribb & Chris Cribb, as the collective Bubb Cribb Team, are excited to assist you and make your real estate dreams a reality! The Bubb Cribb Team is a family team comprised of Kansas City natives that have lived and worked in this remarkable city for decades, are committed to raising our families in Kansas City while giving back to our community.

Everyone knows 10 realtors - why use The Bubb Cribb Team?  We have a plan!

Marketing / Promotions

• FOR SELLERS -  We Provide:  Targeted Online / Direct Mail / Social Media Campaigns With Professional Photographs / Video, Premium Marketing Materials, Reverse Prospecting, Open Houses, Agent Tours, Home Staging & Great Client Support For Every Listing!

• FOR BUYERS - We are home matchmakers for the right home with all of our buyers, we start online with you & continue to walk you, as a partner, through the process & tough shark negotiators to get you a great price!

You have likely heard the phrase, "Two heads are better than one," The Bubb Cribb Team realized this is just as true in real estate as it is making family decisions... why choose one REALTOR when you can have three to help you?  :) We guarantee that you will never be passed along to a junior agent & we sell every home with a focused marketing plan including a top presence online, professional photos / video, direct mail integration, social media campaigns, home staging assistance & much more!

Accolades / Awards

• Best in KC Real Estate – KC Magazine – 8 Straight Years (2007 – 2015)
• Top 1% Of All Agents – Trulia.com – 2014/2015
• Zillow 5 Star Premier Agents – Certified Educators / Zillow Local Experts Brookside (Kansas City), Prairie Village, Leawood, Johnson County, KS - Trulia PRO Agents

With experience and home sales knowledge from KC North across both state lines to the lakes of Lee's Summit and all of KC's ever expanding borders we are here to assist you. Don't forget our favorite pocket communities like Brookside, Crestwood, Parkville, Prairie Village, Fairway, Sunset Hills, Mission Hills, Leawood & Overland Park - simply put, we cover all of KC & do it well.  Our office and home neighborhoods are located in the State Line Corridor, (Kansas City, MO & Johnson County) allowing us to be top producing specialists that get you access to hot properties in the area first and/or make sure your home is marketed right to sell quickly for top dollar!

Dedicated REALTORS Licensed In Both MO & KS

• Buyers Agents & Sellers Agents – From 1st Time to 50th Sale
• Top Real Estate Additional Team Certifications - CRS – Certified Residential Specialist, ReeceNichols Client Care Team, eProfessional - ePro, 
• Fannie Mae (HomePath)  / Freddie Mac (HomeSteps), HUD Homestore & VA - Veteran Property  Registered Foreclosure Agents / Selling Brokers
• Leader’s Choice / Real Estate Pro & Top / Peak Producer - Brian Buffini Graduates

Proud Members of ReeceNichols Real Estate

No question about it, in KC you want the #1 selling firm, with the highest used local home web search site & 50+ years of experience as the sign in your yard.  One Company, One Resource, One Solution. ReeceNichols lists and sells more homes Kansas City than any other local or national company. Kansas City area residents know that ReeceNichols will create and deliver a remarkable home buying and selling experience - maybe that is why ReeceNichols sells more than the next 11 companies combined. ReeceNichols, A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate - has sister companies across the US and partners internationally for any relocation needs.

CONTACT US - We Work  Days, Nights, 

Weekends  - Whenever Our Clients Need 

Call / Text / Email us at any time, we appreciate your business 
& are never too busy for your referrals / home buying and selling needs!

           Megan Bubb Cribb – 816.813.0132 – meganb@reecenichols.com
           Eric Bubb – 913.428.6052 – ericbubb@reecenichols.com
           Chris Cribb - 816.982.5990 - chriscribb@reecenichols.com

It's Your Advantage

Technology has certainly streamlined the home buying process and introduced things that help purchasers make better decisions. Buyers have enthusiastically embraced video tours, digital signatures and the enormous amount of information available about a home, neighborhood, schools and neighbors.
The ironic thing is that buyers are ignoring the one single thing that can help them secure the “right” home. Talking to a lender or using a financial calculator is not pre-approval.
Pre-approval requires written verification on employment and income and ordering a credit report for the purpose of obtaining a mortgage. A mortgage credit score is different than what a person might see from credit reporting websites. 
Pre-approval gives buyers the confidence to know the amount they can borrow which can result in bargaining power when dealing with a seller or competing against another offer. Transactions can close quicker once a buyer has been pre-approved.
If any issues are discovered in the initial process, the purchaser and lender will have more time to correct them compared to trying to get it done during the loan approval period as stated in the sales contract.
Most lenders best interest rates are only available to the best borrowers. You might get approved on a loan but at a higher rate than you expected which could make a significant difference in the monthly payments.
The “right” home without financing will never have the buyer’s address. Getting pre-approved with a trusted mortgage professional is one of the first steps in the buying process. It can definitely be an advantage that will benefit you in negotiations and ultimately, during the time you own the home.

Check out The Bubb Cribb Team - Your Key To KC Real Estate!

Early Burnout Could be Good

Most of us understand the expression "burning the candle at both ends" to mean working so hard that you burn yourself out. Normally, that wouldn’t be a good idea unless it is intentional.

If the candle is your mortgage and the strategy is to get it paid off early, being “burned out” would be a good thing. One end of the candle would be your regular mortgage payments and the other end would represent additional principal contributions.

Since the Great Recession, lenders have been reporting a higher than normal number of borrowers getting shorter term mortgages not only when they purchase the home originally but when they refinance them also. It seems like the mindset of America’s homeowner has shifted a little from the belief that they will always have a house payment.

The extra $100, $200 or $500 in your checking account isn’t earning interest. Additional principal contributions with your regular payments on a fixed rate mortgage will save interest, build equity and shorten the term of the mortgage.

Wealth management is about making financially wise choices. If having your home paid for by retirement age is one of your goals, making extra contributions regularly could get you there. Use this Equity Accelerator to see how it will affect your loan.