Author: Cami Jones

2016- Quite a year for the Jones-Plattner & Associates team!

The numbers are in, and 2016 was quite a year for all of us at Cami Jones Collaborative! The listings, purchases, referrals…we couldn’t have done any of it without YOU! Thank you to our loyal clients, friends, family and colleagues. 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 know we have 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! So- how did things shake out in 2016?

- 166 homes sold by our team!
- $66 million in transactions posted by our team!
- We added new members to our amazing team in 2016.
  - Adriene Marks joins us as a new Realtor.
  - Christine Carlson is a Transaction Coordinator for our agent team members.
  - Stacy Vollmar is our new Team Leader.
  - Jen Weaver serves as Team Trainer.

We are thrilled with our new additions and know that they will make a huge impact on JPA in 2017 and beyond.REALTrends.com listing of America’s BEST Real Estate Agents has our JPA team listed at #10 by volume for Kansas: $48,428,052 for 2015! REAL Trends is a consulting and communications company for the residential real estate industry and has been widely known as the trusted source for data, news, and trends for the residential real estate industry.

ERIC CHURCH concert ticket giveaway!

CONCERT TICKET GIVEAWAY! Celebrate the new year with a chance to see Eric Church with 3 of your besties at Sprint Center in Kansas City! The concert is Tues, Jan 31. Please head over to our Facebook Page, like the Eric Church post and/or comment with a testimonial about your experience with Jones-Plattner & Associates to be entered to win!Winner of the 4 tickets will be announced on Tues Jan 24 at 5pm. Good Luck!*For official rules, see our website*Promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook

Happy Holidays from Cami Jones Collaborative

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are upon us…this year has Hanukkah beginning on Christmas Eve…and the New Year isn’t far behind! We’ve got many team members, clients, family and friends who will hit the road for celebrations, so please be safe, everyone! Our messages of Thanksgiving still ring true:

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 purchase of your life and we’re honored to be a small part of it.
To our team- we are blessed with the hardest-working real estate team around. Each person on our Jones-Plattner & Associates 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!
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!
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!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season filled with good health, family, friends and endless joy!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Cami Jones Collaborative

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 life-changing 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 are blessed with the hardest-working real estate team around. Each person on our Jones-Plattner & Associates 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!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 things, nothing else matters!Wishing you and yours a wonderful, restful holiday and a great long weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

What is “lack of inventory” and what does it mean to you?

The lack of available real estate inventory poses a challenge but it can be a good thing, depending on what side of the transaction you find yourself! The Kansas City real estate market has been very hot, often resulting in multiple offers on Day 1, and many sellers find themselves receiving OVER asking price with no contingencies attached. A hot market is typically good news for sellers: inventory is low, and competition is high.On the flip side, homebuyers will be up against a lot of other people vying for the same piece of property, and up against a short supply of existing homes. Also, first-time buyers in high-demand areas may find that their best offer is beaten out by cash buyers and investors. Use an experienced real estate agent (like any one of us on the Cami Jones Collaborative!) to help you get a handle on the market and look over what’s available. You will need to decide where you can or can’t (or aren’t willing to) compromise. Remember, finishes and appliances and paint colors are easy to change, location isn’t. (Read our previous post for tips on buying!)As a buyer, you’ll want to get your financing lined up so you don’t waste any time in a hot market. Once you find the house…be ready to pull the trigger with your offer! And be ready to offer without contingencies. In a hot market, sellers will likely take the cleanest offer: the one with no contingencies, the one with the most money down and the one offering the quickest (or most preferable) closing date.Above all, be flexible and be patient! Your dream house awaits, it’s just a matter of time. Good luck! Call us today and let us help you sell and find your next home!

5 things to look for when buying a home

Are you in the market to purchase a new home? Perhaps you are going to be selling one and buying another one. In either case, there are lots of things you should be looking for and that’s why it pays to hire a licensed Realtor® to represent you. (Read more on why using a Realtor makes sense here.) Here are 5 red flags that should make you take another look– and at least get to the bottom of things!FOUNDATION OR WALL CRACKSSome cracks are a normal part of a house settling that occurs with time. Others can indicate major structural issues or even previous water damage. Foundation work is a costly repair, so consult with a good home inspector before buying. Some clients even hire multiple inspectors with different specialties.LAYOUT AND LOCATIONOne thing that absolutely can’t be “fixed” or altered after your move-in date is the physical location of the property. Before buying, get out and walk around the house. Go at different times of day, to get a feel for the “after school” traffic and rush hour traffic. Look and listen around you. The layout of the home is another thing you can’t easily fix after purchase. Sure, if you’re buying a tear-down or intend to gut and remodel, this isn’t a big deal. But in general, you’ll want to walk the rooms and see if the layout works for you. Is it open enough? Do you have enough space to entertain?UNWELCOME PESTSYou’ll want to inspect for past and current evidence of termites. In addition, roaches, mice and spiders are troublesome. Granted, some of these pests can be seen as part of home ownership, especially if your property is situated near a wooded area or creek, but you’ll want to do your due diligence and go in with eyes open!IF YOU SMELL SOMETHING BADBad odors could be coming from pets, and if they have soiled the carpet, chances are you’ll be replacing the carpeting and padding as well. Bad odors could also signal something much worse, like mold or even plumbing problems. Again, when you are walking through the home, try to use all of your senses when observing and making notes. And take notes/photos so you can point out to an inspector if you have any questions.TOO MANY ‘FOR SALE’ SIGNS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODIt could just be a sign of a hot market, with lots of properties moving. BUT- you want to ask your Realtor to study comps and neighborhood market trend reports to make sure property values are holding in the area and that there’s nothing causing everyone to leave!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 our team here.

The American Royal BBQ- a KC tradition

It’s here! “The Royal” as locals fondly refer to it– “it” being the American Royal World Series of BBQ. The 2016 American Royal World Series of Barbecue® presented by Smithfield will be held October 26-30, 2016 at the Kansas Speedway, which is a new location this year. In years past, the American Royal and the biggest, best party of the year was held down in the West Bottoms. Last year, it was moved to Truman Sports Complex, and this year finds it at Kansas Speedway.For those new to Kansas City (or maybe you’ve just never made it down!) this weekend is all about FUN. If you’ve just moved to town, this is a terrific opportunity to get a real KC-style welcome and get your fill of the BBQ that we’re so famous for! 800+ teams from across the globe will be competing for bragging rights. The weekend has been featured on Food Network and you shouldn’t be surprised if you see Guy Fieri or other celebs making their way through the meat and the parties!Fair warning to the uninitiated: Friday night’s party is FUN and while open to all, it’s probably best to leave the kiddos at home and let them enjoy Saturday’s festivities which are definitely family-oriented.Enjoy the beautiful weather and delicious food, KC! We hope to see some of you there!

3 resources for residential sellers and buyers

Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your lifetime. We strive to deliver unparalleled customer service from the first contact you have with us until you are well settled into your new home! Cami Jones Collaborative has a team of real estate professionals ready to help you; whether you are buying, selling, or both. Don’t just take our word for it– read what some of our past clients have to say!We have three key resources that will make your life easier and hope that you’ll take advantage of one or all of them.

For starters, you’ll want to install our mobile app! It makes searching for homes a breeze and you can set custom alerts to keep you in the know at all times. Click here for mobile app installation.
If you’re on the front end of selling, or are just curious about the market value of your home, you can click here to easily get an estimate of your home’s value. Maybe you didn’t realize what your home was worth…and that “step up” neighborhood isn’t out of reach after all! You can also obtain a customized neighborhood Market Trends Report to see what things are moving for in your area.
Here is a link to our Property Search tool- you can search by geography, school district, zip code, neighborhood, etc. We are experts in the Kansas City-area real estate market, so whether you are looking north of the river or in western Shawnee, we can help.

YETI Prize Pack Giveaway!

In case you missed it on our Facebook Page, we are doing an awesome YETI Giveaway! Everyone loves those YETI tumblers, they literally keep your drink cold and on ice ALL DAY LONG! And we love the new YETI Hopper™ 20- it can easily transport at least 12 icy cans to the links, the lake or your next tailgate. Unlike other soft-sided coolers, it’s puncture-resistant, leakproof and sports an anti-microbial liner that resists mildew. Plus it keeps your beverages cold for days!! Value of the YETI Hopper™ 20 alone is $300!Winner randomly chosen on Tues, Sept 13, 2016. Good Luck!

What are Comps and how do they help determine house value?

Whether you find yourself buying or selling a home, neighborhood Real Estate Comps are a very important and useful tool. “Comps” refers to comparable sales, and they are used by agents and appraisers to determine the value of a house. The value of properties currently on the market along with properties that have sold in the past helps bring into focus the value of a house.When you use a licensed real estate agent like someone from Cami Jones & Co, she will have access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which is a database of all the properties in a given area that have been listed “for sale,” are in process of being sold (pending,) have a contingent offer or have previously sold. This is one of the many benefits gained when using a Realtor® to facilitate your real estate transaction.When reviewing Comps, we will take into account homes that have a similar size, condition, and location. This way, we are comparing “apples to apples.” The reasoning here is that your home is worth whatever others would be willing to pay for it — what the market bears — and the best way to determine this is to see what others have paid for similar homes.Keep in mind that every house is different, so you add or subtract from the fair market value to account for features and finishes that make the home more or less desirable to potential buyers even if size, condition, and location are pretty much equal.If you’re looking to sell and want to get a handle on what your home is worth, please contact us! We are Kansas City’s real estate experts and would love to help!