Wednesday, December 25, 2013

THE SEARCH

My interest in Mid Century Modern and Modern architecture started about 12 years ago. 
Up until about three years ago the idea of actually buying a mod home was never a possibility. 





My obsession to own started with a Drummond Home Tour about five years ago. I was hooked. The inside of these cool homes had just the vibe I was looking for. My partner Rick went with me on the home tour and he too was reeled in.  I spent many hours driving around the city, discovering the mod homes in various pockets, most notable Roe Circle with Jerad Foster's iconic Drummond.






Since I wasn't in a financial situation to make the move to a modern home, I had to make the best of it with the tiny, generic ranch I lived in in Roeland Park.

Two years later I put my house up For Sale. It took a grueling 11 months to get it sold. 
The good news was, I was in that prime situation to pounce on a mod that came on the market.







Then I got set up on MLS lists and saw the reality of pricing and demand in the market.
These houses often sold the first day of listing, making the prospect very frustrating and unlikely. 
A potential buyer would literally have to be pre-approved, ready and waiting to pounce on a listing the first day. 

After many open houses already in "show for backup" mode, the dream was beginning to seem inaccessible, especially with my budget. I didn't have enough money to buy the turn-key homes, nor the money to renovate. We watched house after house get offers before we had a chance.











The search brought us to Leawood, Raytown, Kansas City, Overland Park, Prairie Village, Merriam and North of the river. The Metro area is full of mid-century modern homes in varying conditions and styles. Some are true to form [and usually needed renovation] while others had updates that didn't really belong. It's tough to make the stars align on a budget. But we came close. Stay tuned for the big reveal!