From Overland Park to Prairie Village, Which Kansas City Suburb is Right for You?

Kansas City is the shining beacon of the American Midwest, a sprawling city on the western edge of Missouri and just over the state line from Kansas. It provides a wholesome, active lifestyle and is renowned for its eponymous style of barbecue and jazz heritage dating back to the early 1900s.

Known as the “City of Fountains” for the number of water features around the city, the most famous of Kansas City’s fountains is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain, located in the city center. There’s even a fountain just beyond the outfield at Kauffman Stadium, the home of major league baseball’s Kansas City Royals.

Kansas City offers some of the best suburban living in the country. These pleasant suburbs that fan out from downtown have great homes, schools, parks, and business districts, all while being just a short drive from everything the urban core has to offer.

For instance, Overland Park homes for sale are among the most popular with buyers. Other great suburbs are Prairie Village, Leawood, and Olathe.

The Kansas City area remains one of the more affordable regions of the country. That’s good news for transplants from both coasts, where the quality of living suffers because home prices and taxes are so high.

According to Zillow, the median home price in Kansas City is $206,024. Although that represents an increase of 18.5% over the past year, that’s still much more affordable than many other major cities in the U.S.

Of course, homes tend to be more expensive in the more attractive suburbs, and many people are willing to pay those prices for spacious homes in terrific neighborhoods. It’s not surprising that some of Kansas City’s suburbs are among the most affluent places in the region.

For instance, Zillow currently calculates the median price of Overland Park homes for sale at $382,455, a jump of 15.1% year-over-year.

The typical value of Prairie Village homes for sale is $384,116 – a rise of 12.9% over the last year.

For Leawood homes for sale, the median is $601,602, up 12.6% in the last 12 months.

Olathe real estate, meanwhile, has a median price of $339,877, an increase of 15.4% over the past year.

 

So the question is, how do you go about getting a great house in one of these neighborhoods? The starting point is to hire a local real estate agent who knows these areas well. Kansas City’s top suburbs are clustered southwest of downtown, and a real estate agent with years of experience will know the ins and outs of each one. They’ll know which properties are best for you and your family, pricing trends, and what the local attractions are like.

Spend some time researching agents, reading testimonials on their websites, and getting recommendations from people you know who’ve recently purchased homes in these suburbs. Then, interview the best candidates.

Once you’ve hired an agent you feel comfortable with, it’s time to find the Kansas City suburb that’s right for you.

 

Overland Park is generally considered the top suburb of Kansas City. Located just southwest of Kansas City across the Missouri-Kansas border, it’s the second-largest city in Kansas with a population of nearly 200,000.

Overland Park attracts families and well-educated professionals and has a higher average median income than many other parts of Kansas City. Buyers of Overland Park, KS homes for sale love this city for its short commute times, great schools, and lush parks.

Overland Park has a true sense of community, exemplified by downtown’s Local Life 3rd Friday and the city’s popular farmer’s market. Local Life 3rd Friday is a fun way for residents to support the locally-owned shops downtown. The city also holds a Farmers’ Market every Saturday morning. Locals have been coming to the market for over 35 years to buy farm-fresh produce and other foods straight from the heartland.

Active families who purchase houses for sale in Overland Park will be pleased to know that the city was recently named one of the top 10 soccer cities in the country. That designation is largely thanks to the Scheels Overland Park Soccer Complex, which features 12 lighted, regulation soccer fields with all-weather synthetic surfaces.

 

Located just east of Overland Park, Prairie Village is a smaller community of about 23,000 residents.

Prairie Village is a planned community that was started in 1941 and was later named the best-planned city in America by the National Association of Home Builders in 1949. Prairie Village homes for sale give their occupants a relaxed suburban lifestyle on tree-lined streets.

 

Olathe is another large city, with a population of around 142,000. It’s the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, and is located on the southwest edge of the Kansas City metro area. Olathe is proud of its heritage as both a stop on the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail during American westward migration in the 1800s.

Olathe homes for sale are located in one of the most affluent counties in the country. This diverse city has an extensive art and culture scene – among the many annual events is the Johnson County Old Settlers Days celebration, which has been held since 1898. Other attractions include the Olathe Community Theatre Association and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site.

 

Leawood is a long, narrow city of around 34,000 that’s just southeast of Overland Park. It’s known for its fashionable neighborhoods with upscale Leawood properties, as well as a shiny downtown area that’s become an attractive business center.

If you’re looking to live in the best Kansas City suburbs and are looking at Overland Park houses or Prairie Village homes for sale, let local expert and agent Trent Gallagher put his extensive experience to work for you.