If you live in southern Overland Park, it’s likely you’re hearing bulldozers buzzing and concrete trucks churning once again. The reason? New-home inventory is at its lowest since local industry expert Dan Whitney began keeping records.
“We’ve been tracking this market since our first report in September 1999. We’ve never counted so few spec or model homes in our inventory,” said Landmarketing owner Whitney. He advises bankers, builders, developers and homebuyers on real estate values based on the market research his firm collects.
“We’ve never seen a month’s supply this low, specifically in southern Overland Park,” Whitney said.
Adding to the problem is that consumer demand in the area has reached a five-year high.
Rodrock Homes says that buyer demand for its new homes has increased 47 percent over the same time last year. So far the 2013 statistics show the highest sales since 2007. The builder and developer is expanding its business to keep up with demand.
“Our on-site agents are selling more than one home a week right now,” said Rodrock Homes’ CEO Brian Rodrock. His company recently opened a slate of new home sites in its southern Overland Park communities of Summerwood and Wyngate. Some of those sites have already sold. More sales are pending from buyers wanting fully custom homes by summer.
The company is also offering more model homes than usual to accommodate the increase in spring shoppers.
Three fully furnished models are currently available for touring daily in the company’s Wyngate community. Each model is decorated by Kansas City’s Twigs Interiors. It is a boutique design firm known for creating cutting-edge spaces.
Two more Twigs-decorated model homes are ready for daily viewing in Rodrock Homes’ Summerwood neighborhood. That neighborhood is just one mile west of Wyngate. The homes are also available for immediate sale.
Chuck Jansen of Keller Williams Realty recently sold two Summerwood homes within a seven-day period. Both of his buyers chose the Chesapeake, a spacious new Rodrock Homes’ two-story designed to fit Summerwood’s equally spacious home sites.
“Even resale inventory in this price range is minimal, so when one couple found a Chesapeake two months from completion. It was a great choice and it fit their needs,” Jansen said. “They didn’t want to build from the ground up. But they could still pick out colors and materials to make the house their own,” the Realtor added.
Featuring 3,500 square feet of living space, a two-story great room with floor-to-ceiling windows and a curved entry, the Chesapeake is just one of the new floor plans Rodrock Homes is rolling out.
Also new is the Shelby EX, a 11/2-story that includes finely crafted details like boxed vault, barrel and wood beam ceilings. Recently added to the plan was a butler’s pantry with a pass-through to the dining room, plus an enlarged master suite.
“We continue to make changes to our homes based on the feedback we receive from buyers and agents,” said Rodrock Homes Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Reglin.
Both buyers and Realtors appreciate the service-oriented approach of the company born from a family with three decades of experience building and developing communities in Johnson County. “I haven’t had one negative experience selling Rodrock Homes,” Jansen said. “It’s all about the history and quality of the Rodrock name and their attention to detail and commitment to service.”
Jeff Rice, who did plenty of research before purchasing his Lancaster III home in the company’s Wyngate community last fall, agrees. “I’m a performance analyst for a mutual fund company, so I vetted Rodrock Homes multiple times,” Rice explained. “I love what they’ve done compared to what else I’ve seen.”
And so do many others. So far this year, buyers in the nationally recognized Blue Valley School District have bought more new homes in Rodrock Homes’ Summerwood and Wyngate communities than in any other new-home communities.
One reason is that Wyngate families enjoy in-neighborhood access to Blue Valley elementary and middle schools. Both a paved walking trail and intra-neighborhood streets connect kids and parents door-to-door. “You can’t beat having that short walking distance,” Rice said.
Summerwood kids get to attend the award-winning district’s newest high school, Blue Valley Southwest.
In addition to walk-up access to schools, Wyngate features an amenity park with a state-of-the-art clubhouse, zero-entry pool, nature trail, sport courts and a children’s playground.
Summerwood’s equally luxurious amenity park will be completed this summer. In addition to its proximity to Blue Valley Southwest High School, the neighborhood boasts expanded home sites surrounded by more than 50 acres of preserved green space.
Combined homes and home sites in both communities begin in the $400,000s, with those in the exclusive Summerwood Estates section beginning in the $750,000s.
And while you can build from the ground up on the daylight, walkout and level home sites still available in all of Rodrock Homes’ neighborhoods, you can also choose from a limited supply of Rodrock Ready homes available for move-in within 45 days or less. For a complete listing, click on the Rodrock Ready logo at rodrockhomes.com.
