Author: Cami Jones

Happy Holidays from Cami Jones Collaborative!

As December winds to a close, the holidays remind us of the year’s blessings, while we anxiously look forward to 2018. On a professional note, 2017 saw record real estate sales for our former team. December brought the formation of Kansas City’s Boutique Real Estate Experience; Cami Jones Collaborative. As we look back over the year, we offer a few notes of thanks.

To our clients:

Thank you for trusting us to help you, whether you are buying, selling or both. Your home purchase is likely the biggest of your life and we’re honored to be a small part of it. You and your family deserve a remarkable concierge experience and that’s exactly what you will get. We are honored to provide a hands-on real estate experience while caring for each detail of your transaction from beginning to end. We value the friendships we’ve made with each of you over the years and thank you for your repeat business and referrals.

To our team:

We are blessed with the hardest-working real estate team around. Each person on the Cami Jones Collaborative team demonstrates on a daily basis how she will go the extra mile to make it all happen. We support one another and cheer on each other’s successes- what a team! Thanks to Christine Carlson, Rebecca Kyger, Missy Hutton, Stacy Vollmar and Mandy Doull for always going above and beyond to deliver KC’s best real estate experience.

To our family and friends:

Thank you for supporting us in what can be a crazy, hectic and fast-paced career that we all love! We couldn’t do it without your love and support. “I feel truly blessed to have found the perfect fit for my family in this community. I take great pleasure in helping my clients achieve the same result,” said Cami.

To our amazing city:

Kansas City is home to so many wonderful people, unique neighborhoods, awesome restaurants, terrific sports teams and so much more. It’s so much fun introducing out-of-town transplants to KC- we know you’ll love it as much as we do! You can see by our current team listings that we help clients buy and sell throughout the metro; if there’s an area you’re curious to learn more about, ask us!Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season filled with good health, family, friends and endless joy! Happy New Year to you and all the best for a happy, healthy 2018 filled with family, friends and all good things.

Welcome to Cami Jones Collaborative!

As a principal of Jones-Plattner & Associates, Cami Jones has been instrumental in creating a $100 million-plus powerhouse comprised of the area’s top-producing real estate professionals. The team was one of ReeceNichols’s most successful. Fast forward to today: Cami has created a new boutique real estate experience for Kansas City. Cami Jones Collaborative promises a flexible and dedicated team working together to ensure that every property garners the attention it deserves.Through innovative marketing strategies, professional photography, first class staging services, and fearless negotiation skills, we handle every step of the transaction, working quickly and efficiently until your goals are met.You’ll recognize familiar faces on our team; we bring decades of real estate experience to the table and are anxious to help you with your purchase or sale. We have an intimate understanding of the housing market and will be with you every step of the way!

Our team:

Cami Jones:

As a principal of Jones-Plattner & Associates, Cami Jones has been instrumental in creating a $100 million-plus powerhouse comprised of the area’s top-producing real estate professionals. Cami is please to bring youCami Jones Collaborative, ReeceNichols. You’ll find:A Boutique ExperienceA small team focus means a one-on-one relationship with Cami and her entire team throughout the transaction. You’ll have six of the city’s top-producing power-players taking care of you from beginning to end.Concierge ServiceCami offers more in-depth services than the average agent. She sets up every detail your transaction requires to deliver a bespoke, full-service experience that is quick and efficient, minimally stressful, unbelievably fun, and achieves stellar results.Kansas City PrideCami Jones’ deep Kansas roots allow you to work closely with someone who is woven into the fabric of the community. She knows the area and she knows how to find your perfect fit.Contact Cami directly: camij@reecenichols.com

Rebecca Kyger:

Becca’s considerable business and sales background has earned her numerous accolades that speak to her matchless business savvy, tenacious work ethic, and the meaningful relationships she builds with every person she meets. Becca credits her professional experience with having taught her the finer points of providing value to customers, a personal mission that can be summed up as service, service, service!Becca’s enthusiasm and dedication to the wants and needs of her clients gives them the confidence to call her again and again, even if it’s many years down the road. They know exactly who to call when they have a need.Becca lives in south Overland Park, Kan., with her husband John, her two sons Paxton and Briggs, and dog Tito. Contact Becca here: rkyger@reecenichols.com

Mandy Doull:

Real estate is in Mandy Doull’s genes. Raised in the Kansas City area by parents who both work in the industry, Mandy was exposed to the complexity of the real estate world from a young age. She can proudly say real estate isn’t solely her job—it’s her calling.“I love my hometown and truly want my clients to feel the same way when they find a home in a community that is perfect for them,” Mandy says. “My goal is not to just sell you a house. It’s to find you the right house that I know I can sell for you again.”Mandy lives in Stilwell, KS, with her husband and four children. Contact Mandy: mandydoull@reecenichols.com

Missy Hutton:

The consummate entrepreneur with a brilliant eye for both style and substance, Missy brings something special to the Cami Jones Collaborative team. Whether it’s working behind the scenes of a staging, managing a marketing campaign or assisting a family with the final details of their closing, Missy does it all and she does it with flair.“Throughout the years, my commitment to providing exemplary service and focus on building long-lasting relationships have been the keys to my success,” Missy says. “My focus will always be listening to my client’s desires to help them achieve the happiness that comes with finally finding their perfect home in this great city.”Missy lives in Overland Park, Kan., with her family. When she’s not working with you on your transaction, you can find her on the sidelines cheering on Kansas City’s sports teams, singing along at concerts or jetting off to her next travel destination. Contact Missy: missyhutton@reecenichols.com

Stacy Vollmar:

A self-proclaimed detail-oriented person, Stacy’s expertise also lies in providing you with the education you need to make the best decision possible for your life and family. Her attention to detail does not end after the papers are signed. It’s her job to not just to get you to the finish line—it’s to help you find your happily ever. And help you find it she will.With an extensive background in sales, marketing and entrepreneurship, as well as over 15 years of experience in real estate, Stacy’s philosophy revolves around passion, new beginnings, and opportunities.Stacy lives in Overland Park, KS. When she’s not stopping by for one of her famous “pop-by’s”, you can usually find her hopping a plane to her next big travel destination, sipping on a latte in one of her favorite coffee shops, and generally enjoying everything the thriving Kansas City scene has to offer. Contact Stacy here: svollmar@reecenichols.com

Christine Carlson:

Christine Carlson is the unfailing backbone of Cami Jones Collaborative.As your official transaction coordinator, Christine is responsible for making sure that every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed, ensuring that, when it comes to your home, every detail of your transaction is carried out impeccably.“My goal is to be the person with the answers,” she explains. “And if there aren’t any, I’ll be the one to find them.”Christine lives in Olathe with her husband and two daughters. Contact Christine: christinec@reecenichols.com

Happy Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving is a great opportunity for us to reflect on how grateful we are.We are blessed with the best clients in the world and we are honored to share in your most important and memorable moments! The day you close on and move into your new home isn’t one you’ll ever forget. Thank you for trusting us to help you, whether you are buying, selling or both. Your home purchase is likely the biggest purchase of your life and we’re honored to be a small part of it. We have many repeat clients, and it truly is fun seeing you move to different properties as you enter different stages of your lives!We are blessed with the hardest-working real estate team around. Each person on our Cami Jones Collaborative team demonstrates on a daily basis how she will go the extra mile to make it all happen. We support one another and cheer on each other’s successes — what a team! If you’re new to Kansas City, just ask around. People know that with Cami Jones Collaborative, you’ll get knock-your-socks-off customer service from the first time we meet until long after your closing date!We are thankful for our amazing city. Kansas City is home to so many wonderful people, unique neighborhoods, awesome restaurants, terrific sports teams and so much more. It’s so much fun introducing out-of-town transplants to KC- we know you’ll love it as much as we do!We are thankful for good health, families and friends. Without these, nothing else matters!Wishing you and yours a wonderful, restful holiday and a great long weekend! Happy Thanksgiving! Congratulations to our local high schools that are playing for football state championship titles! Good luck!

Selling your home? Here’s what you can expect.

Once you’ve made the decision to sell your home, you set into motion even more decisions. It makes good sense to enlist the help of a seasoned real estate professional. You use professionals for many aspects of your life; bankers, builders, repairmen, stockbrokers, educators, etc. Why take a chance when it comes to one of your most important investments? Use a skilled and objective negotiator in what can be an emotionally-charged experience. What can you expect? -We’ll work together on the timing of the listing. When to put your home on the market is an important decision, and we’ll come armed with historical data for your neighborhood and the local market in general.-We’ll help you get your home ready to sell. We’ll point out updates that will net you the biggest bang for your buck, and discuss pre-inspections and other potential areas of concern.-We’ll help you get to the “right” listing price. Experienced Realtors®, like our team members at Cami Jones Collaborative, bring pricing expertise, negotiating skills, and market access to the table- and can often land you a higher selling price as a result. We know the ins and outs of the local market, what it will bear and what the comps are. Pricing right is everything!-We’ll help you stand out and get noticed. You want your home to have maximum exposure to as many potential buyers as possible. This exposure includes professional marketing (online and offline) materials, hosted open houses, and regular communication with buyers’ agents.-We’ll help you negotiate and close the deal!Let our team help you! We make the listing process easy and will have you on the road to selling your beautiful home in no time! Give us a call today! You can reach Cami Jones at 913.521.8809.

5 real estate terms both buyers and sellers should know

If you regularly follow our blog, then you know that we’ve been going through a list of common real estate terms, five at a time! There are so many real estate terms that surface during the buying and selling processes…it’s enough to make your head spin! (This is one of the reasons why it pays to employ the services of a licensed Realtor– read more about that in our previous post on the topic!) We thought we’d take a few terms at a time and give simple explanations for each, courtesy of National Association of Realtors (NAR) Real Estate Glossary. For the full list of the terms and definitions, click here! For the first five terms that we covered, click here!Fixture: Personal property that has become part of the property through permanent attachment.Gift letter: A letter to a lender stating that a gift of cash has been made to the buyer(s) and that the person gifting the cash to the buyer is not expecting the gift to be repaid. The exact wording of the gift letter should be requested of the lender.Good faith estimate: Under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, within three days of an application submission, lenders are required to provide in writing to potential borrowers a good faith estimate of closing costs.Gross closed commission income: The total amount of commission income a real estate sales agent or broker receives from closed transactions.Gross sale price: The sale price before any concessions.Ready to take that next step and make a move? Let the experts from Cami Jones Collaborative help you! We’re with you every step of the way. (And no, we won’t test you on these terms!) #JPA

5 (more) real estate terms you should know

If you regularly follow our blog, then you know that we’ve been going through a list of common real estate terms, five at a time! There are so many real estate terms that surface during the buying and selling processes…it’s enough to make your head spin! (This is one of the reasons why it pays to employ the services of a licensed Realtor– read more about that in our previous post on the topic!) We thought we’d take a few terms at a time and give simple explanations for each, courtesy of National Association of Realtors (NAR) Real Estate Glossary. For the full list of the terms and definitions, click here! For the first five terms that we covered, click here!Down payment: The amount of cash put toward a purchase by the borrower.Dual agent: A state-licensed individual who represents both the seller and the buyer in a single transaction.Earnest money deposit: The money given to the seller at the time the offer is made as a sign of the buyer’s good faith.Escrow account for real estate taxes and insurance: An account into which borrowers pay monthly prorations for real estate taxes and property insurance.Exclusions: Fixtures or personal property that are excluded from the contract or offer to purchase.

Let’s help the kids at Children’s Mercy Hospital with Shadow Buddies!

ReeceNichols Overland Park Office is partnering with local The Shadow Buddies Foundation, to provide 200 children at Children’s Mercy with a personal “Buddy.” Each Buddy mimics the child’s illness, i.e.) a Buddy with an insulin pump will go to a diabetic child or a Day Surgery Buddy will go to a child having outpatient surgery. They are valuable when used as teaching tools as well useful for friends and family.How is Cami Jones Collaborative going to help? Each Buddy costs $20 to make for a child. With your $20 donation, you will be helping support a child through their difficult time.

Overland Park tops metro when it comes to real estate markets

According to an article in yesterday’s Kansas City Business Journal, WalletHub’s “Best Real Estate Market” report puts Overland Park, KS head-and-shoulders above other communities in the metro. Overland Park, with its population of 188,966, ranked No. 18 in the new study. The study included 300 U.S. cities.So what was measured? KCBJ’s Andrew Vaupel points out that two overall dimensions were examined, “real estate market” and “affordability and economic environment,” and specific metrics in each dimension included the following.

Real estate market

home value forecast
percentage of homes underwater
average number of days until a house is sold
percentage of homes selling for a gain
median home-price appreciation
home sales turnover rate
rent-to-sale price ratio
foreclosure rate
mortgage delinquency rate
number of bank-held homes
vacancy rate
the point at which buying a home becomes less expensive than renting the same home
percent of homes built between 2010 and 2015
building-permit activity

Affordability and economic environment

housing affordability
maintenance affordability
population growth rate
job growth rate
unemployment rate
underemployment rate
median credit score

This comes as no surprise to us; we have moved thousands of clients to Overland Park over the years. It is coveted for its affordability, proximity to jobs, terrific schools (Overland Park residents attend Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission, Olathe and Spring Hill public schools), quality of life and more. Contemplating a move? Get in touch with us today! Call us at 913-402-2550, or if email’s your thing…message us here! Thanks from everyone at Cami Jones Collaborative.

5 (more) real estate terms you should understand

There are so many real estate terms that surface during the buying and selling processes…it’s enough to make your head spin! (This is one of the reasons why it pays to employ the services of a licensed Realtor– read more about that in our previous post on the topic!) We thought we’d take a few terms at a time (starting with “A” of course) and give simple explanations for each, courtesy of National Association of Realtors (NAR) Real Estate Glossary. For the full list of the terms and definitions, click here! For the first five terms that we covered in our last post, click here!Commission: The compensation paid to the listing brokerage by the seller for selling the property. A buyer agency agreement may require the buyer to pay a commission to his or her agent.Contingency: A provision in a contract requiring certain acts to be completed before the contract is binding.Conventional mortgage: A type of mortgage that has certain limitations placed on it to meet secondary market guidelines. Mortgage companies, banks, and savings and loans underwrite conventional mortgages.Counteroffer: The response to an offer or a bid by the seller or buyer after the original offer or bid.DOM: Days on market. The number of days a property has been on the market.

5 real estate terms you should understand

There are so many real estate terms that surface during the buying and selling processes…it’s enough to make your head spin! (This is one of the reasons why it pays to employ the services of a licensed Realtor– read more about that in our previous post on the topic!) We thought we’d take a few terms at a time (starting with “A” of course) and give simple explanations for each, courtesy of National Association of Realtors (NAR) Real Estate Glossary. For the full list of the terms and definitions, click here!Adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): A type of mortgage loan whose interest rate is tied to an economic index, which fluctuates with the market. Typical ARM periods are one, three, five, and seven years.Application fees: Fees that mortgage companies charge buyers at the time of written application for a loan; for example, fees for running credit reports of borrowers, property appraisal fees, and lender-specific fees.Back-up offer: When an offer is accepted contingent on the fall through or voiding of an accepted first offer on a property.Buyer agent: The agent who shows the buyer’s property, negotiates the contract or offer for the buyer, and works with the buyer to close the transaction.Closing: The end of a transaction process where the deed is delivered, documents are signed, and funds are dispersed.