Why/why not buy a house in Wyandotte county?

[sandwich]

I'm new to the market, and need your help.

PROS: A lot more house for the money.  Easy highway access.  bigger lots.

Cons: I've heard that taxes are a killer.  Crime? Especially near downtown KCK/Quindero.  The stigma of "the Dotte"

I've found a few houses I'd like to see near the Legends, East of 435.
.
What should I know about the following zip codes? 66106 66102  What about Edwardsville?

Please help me, because I don't know anyone in the KC area who knows this stuff!

[dangerboy]

Urban KCK has some great values, especially the Rosedale and Hanover Heights neighborhoods in southeast KCK (between Rainbow and State Line Road).  These are basically Westport or West Plaza but much cheaper.  Another great neighborhood is Westheight.  Very historic and looks a lot like Brookside.

[tat2kc]

we looked in kck for a home, but the taxes made it too expensive for us. Not worth it, but yea, some awesome homes.

[Stockton]

I'm new to the market, and need your help.

PROS: A lot more house for the money.  Easy highway access.  bigger lots.

Cons: I've heard that taxes are a killer.  Crime? Especially near downtown KCK/Quindero.  The stigma of "the Dotte"

I've found a few houses I'd like to see near the Legends, East of 435.
.
What should I know about the following zip codes? 66106 66102  What about Edwardsville?

Please help me, because I don't know anyone in the KC area who knows this stuff!

Far western KCK (approximately west of 435) is nothing to be afraid of, it's just exurbia. Though the middle-class Piper school district abutts the more urban KCK school district about 99th St. So if you care about the school district, the most important thing you need to check is which the property you look at is in.

Edwardsville is in the Bonner Springs school district. It's probably more small townish and less suburban than Piper, but still good schools.

As for Quindaro BLVD and that area, it's rather secluded in the far northeast section of KCK, bounded by a river, interstate, industy, and Parallel PKWY. It's nothing to worry about when looking at other areas of the city.

And downtown KCK isn't that bad on crime. It's a pretty diverse area, sort of runned down, but business is still conducted there daily...government offices, private offices, retail, and restaurants.

Zip Code and City statistics reference:
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SA ... en&_sse=on

[schugg]

just come over to the Missouri side where the value of your home will not depreciate.

[sandwich]

That's a great web site, thanks for including that. 

I see that residentia taxes in Wyco are 11.5%  Aren't they around 5% in Johnson?  Links?

[Moniker]

Taxes are a killer in Wyandotte, but you can own a home on the cheap over there. If you're concerned with depreciation, I'd recommend Johnson County if you're really set on living in KS.

Or, just buy a house in Missouri! 

[Maitre D]

I'm new to the market, and need your help.

PROS: A lot more house for the money.  Easy highway access.  bigger lots.

Cons: I've heard that taxes are a killer.  Crime? Especially near downtown KCK/Quindero.  The stigma of "the Dotte"

I've found a few houses I'd like to see near the Legends, East of 435.
.
What should I know about the following zip codes? 66106 66102  What about Edwardsville?

Please help me, because I don't know anyone in the KC area who knows this stuff!

You should live where you want to.  Appreciation will always be nearly impossible to predict.  Houses give you 2 advantages over renting:

1) Better living conditions - both quality, and usually in space;
2) Fixed payments.

Pick the area you like, and go for it.  Values cannot be forseen by anyone, really.

[sandwich]

OK, checking MO.

Exactly where is Troost Bad?  Are we talking only E/NE of Downtown?  Hyde Park seems nice.

And can anyone give me a link to check an address's property tax?  I've found 2 sites that supposedly do this, but they are both buggy and crash.

[justin8216]

I'm new to the market, and need your help.

PROS: A lot more house for the money.  Easy highway access.  bigger lots.

.........What should I know about the following zip codes? 66106 ...........

Please help me, because I don't know anyone in the KC area who knows this stuff!

The 66106 zip code is very diverse. from older turn of the century neighborhoods in the Argentine district on the east side of the zip code - east of I-635 and South of Steel Rd, west of the Rosedale area zip 66103, to brand new subdivisions in the Turner district in the central part of the zip code. Also Turner west of 55th street over to the KS River is completely Rural with many large homes and acreages and people with horses.

Argentine is in the Kansas City KS public school system. Turner is its own school district separate from Kansas City KS schools. It has a very nice high school facility opened in 2001. The Turner School system occupies all of the 66106 zip except the Argentine area -east of 47th Street and North of Steel Rd.

There are 3 new homes subdivisions currently building.
Melrose Gardens is at South 47th just south of Gibbs Rd. This subdivsion will have about a 100 new homes and boast incredible views of the downtown skyline.

Another subdivision is under way at S 55th and Douglas Rd near the Wyandotte County Pierson Park. They are currently installing streets and other infrastructure.

There is also a lot of infill housing going on all over the 66106 zip code. New infill homes are being built along Strong Avenue in Argentine. Also new homes in Central Turner North of Metropolitan Ave and West of 47th Street.

new infill homes in 250K range on Swartz Rd are under costruction also some infill homes in the 200k range are going in at S 53rd and Oak Grove Rd near the elementary school.

If schools are a concern for you with elementary age children I would recommend you look in the Junction Elementary attendance area. Junction Elementary consistently scores above average on state tests and is the highest scoring elementary in the Turner system. This is in the only part of the Turner school system that is east of I-635 and stretches from the Johnson-Wyandotte County line north to Steele Rd. This area is also known as Maple Hill.

most all people who live in the 66106 zip code do the vast majority of their shopping in Johnson County as its major business corridors are only minutes away south on I-635 and are much more accessable for residents compared to business districts in Kansas City KS north of the KS River.

There is a major new subdivision being planned in the Turner School system, that is to have about 300 new homes. It is actually in the 66112 Zip code. A very small section of the Turner School District extends north of the Kansas River abutting State Ave. This area is mostly south of I-70 and mostly rural. Students living in this small area of the district are split up among Turner's 6 elementary schools that are all located South of The KS river. The district's new preschool campus in located nearby at  65th St. and Riverview and serves preschool students district-wide.

I hope this information has been helpful and/or enlightening for those not that familiar with this area of Wyandotte County.

[sandwich]

Thanks for the info.  At this point, Wyandotte is out, due to the taxes.  We don't have/aren't planning on kids, so schools aren't important.  Now we are checking out Waldo and Hyde Park.

[schugg]

Thanks for the info.  At this point, Wyandotte is out, due to the taxes.  We don't have/aren't planning on kids, so schools aren't important.  Now we are checking out Waldo and Hyde Park.

there ya go!   waldo is a great neighborhood.

[chingon]

I live in Waldo, and I love it.  But there are certainly no shortage of neighborhoods between downtown and 85th street that provide different ammenities, lifestyles, and qualities, depending on what you're looking for.  Hyde Park included.

[alpha_glamourina]

OK, checking MO.

Exactly where is Troost Bad?  Are we talking only E/NE of Downtown?  Hyde Park seems nice.

And can anyone give me a link to check an address's property tax?  I've found 2 sites that supposedly do this, but they are both buggy and crash.

The website I use to check taxes is http://www.jacksongov.org/  It's got a clunky flow and crashes sometimes (so it's probably one of the ones you've been using), but when it works, it works just fine.   

Troost boggles my mind in the very best way; property values over the past year have doubled and even tripled in some instances and I think that's crazy-good.  You might want to visit www.kcpd.org to decide for yourself which parts of Troost might not be as appealing as others; they have crime data and maps you can see exactly where robberies, assaults and other unpleasant things occur.  This way, you can decide for yourself how "bad" bad might be, or how much better it actually is over last year's figures. 

[KCK]

I own a house here in KCK. The taxes are high, however many of the homes are valued far less than their equivalents in Johnson county. I live in the 66102 zip code in a neighborhood called Westheight. I think the real problems of KCK are

1. Trash - You don't have to have a lot of money to keep your yard and your neightborhood clean. If everyone went out once a week and picked up trash in their yard and neighborhood for 30 minutes, the city would be spotless.
2. Blight - There are so many homes where lazy people keep their homes looking like junkyards. Either their grass is never cut, or they don't have any grass at all, just dirt. They keep appliances, cars, and spare junk they have out in the open. Then there are houses that are abandoned, or maybe in such bad disrepair that they should be abandoned and demolished.
3. Crime - If KCK was a beautiful place, its crime problems might be easier to overlook, but its ugly and crime ridden. Still the majority of crime is concentrated in a very small area (which I happen to live in). If you do choose KCk, remember that the city is 125 square miles and that Piper and the Village West area are as different from the Quindaro area as Prospect is to the Great Mall in Olathe.
4. Taxes - If my house were in Fairway, it would be valued at around $150,000, but here in KCK my beautiful bungalow is worth $50,000. Taxes are therefore not a problem.

[chingon]

Westheight is the shit.  One of the city's most slept on neighborhoods.  Rosedale and Strawberry Hill are also really cool KCK hoods.

[catfish1812]

Not sure where Westheight is located.  Anybody know the streets that define the area?

Thanks!

[justin8216]

Not sure where Westheight is located.  Anybody know the streets that define the area?

Thanks!

The boundaries are the same as those of the Westheight Manor National Register of Historic Places district. It encompasses the areas generally bounded by Wood Ave. and Glendale on the north; 18th St. on the east; State Ave. on the south; 25th St. on the west as far as Everett; Everett on the north as far as 22nd St.; and 22nd St. on the west.

Here is the link to the Historic Westheight Neighborhood Association:
http://members.tripod.com/~westheight/HWNA.html

[catfish1812]

Thanks for the info!