Will probably be moving to the KC area within the next 6 months. Asking help on a good safe place to move in the KC metro area. Housing cost about 150k or less. Also which side of the river is better KS or MO? Lived in Leavenworth for 4 years back in early 2000.

Quoted: Will probably be moving to the KC area within the next 6 months. Asking help on a good safe place to move in the KC metro area. Housing cost about 150k or less. Also which side of the river is better KS or MO? Lived in Leavenworth for 4 years back in early 2000.

Why would you want to move from Texas to MO? I will never understand it!

Good luck with your search, I do not have the answers to your questions.

While I cannot help you with housing or location advice, I'd like to be the first to welcome you to our happy little community.  As long as you have a camera to post pics of everything you say, you will be welcomed with open arms.



~Ed

LoL. Im from the NW Subs of Chicago. Wife is from Basehor,Ks. Lived in TX for the last 4 years and she is homesick. Basically thats it in a nutshell.

Quoted: While I cannot help you with housing or location advice, I'd like to be the first to welcome you to our happy little community.  As long as you have a camera to post pics of everything you say, you will be welcomed with open arms. ~Ed

Yeah, Like Ed says, we will welcome you with open arms, however be advised that you will be hosting Movie and Beer nights at your place where all of us come to your house and drink your beer and eat pizza and watch a "MAN" movie... Usually it is a "Show and Tell" for firearms... It is sort of a right of passage.....

I'd avoid Kansas City, KS.  If you're looking in the KC Metro, you could probably find quality housing on the KS/Johnson County area (Overland Park, Shawnee, Lenexa, Olathe, etc) but they do have higher property and payroll taxes (iirc) than in MO.  You won't get as much house for $150k as you could probably find on the Missouri side.

I just bought a house in July and was looking all over the KC Metro really, and found that $150k went alot farther on the MO side than the KS side in most cases.

I live in Blue Springs, a suburb ~ 20 minutes east of downtown with excellent schools.  Lee's Summit is just south of here, again, excellent schools.  Both are (IMO) nice cities to live in and relatively low in crime.  Grain Valley is just east of me in Blue Springs, it's a smaller town and growing fast.  Figure an additonal 10 minutes to get to downtown if you choose there.  Lots of new and newer houses there and the price is right.

I can't speak for north of the river (Liberty, North KC, etc) since us south of the river folk don't venture north of the river much (at least that's the stereotype).

I'd suggest getting in touch with a real estate agent and telling them your requirements and having them show you some various areas.  That's their job, afterall.  I can put you in contact with the one I used, which I highly recommend.

Hope that helps a bit.

I really like the Lees Summit area if you plan on living south of the MO river. You will still be fairly close to the downtown area, too.

Parkville is a beautiful town that is located on the MO river. It is NW of the downtown area. It's the nicest area that's in the vicinity of KCMO.

Quoted: I really like the Lees Summit area if you plan on living south of the MO river. You will still be fairly close to the downtown area, too. Parkville is a beautiful town that is located on the MO river. It is NW of the downtown area. It's the nicest area that's in the vicinity of KCMO.

I'm also a big fan of the Lees Summit area.  I've lived here for about 15 years.  There are a lot of shooters around the KC area and a few of us in Lees Summit.  We just need some more options for long gun ranges that allow 50 BMG and MGs.

I would recommend one of the following: Liberty, Lees Summit, Overland Park.

Find somewhere fairly close to your job so you can avoid all the road construction.

Welcome (back) to KC!

Shawn

Quoted: Quoted: Will probably be moving to the KC area within the next 6 months. Asking help on a good safe place to move in the KC metro area. Housing cost about 150k or less. Also which side of the river is better KS or MO? Lived in Leavenworth for 4 years back in early 2000. Why would you want to move from Texas to MO? I will never understand it! Good luck with your search, I do not have the answers to your questions.

What he said. Welcome anyway.

+1 for Liberty. Growing area, but it's on the North end of town. Can be a drive if you work somewhere south of the river.

My wife and I bought this house in Liberty in 2005 for $146,000.

I live north of the river in Kansas City, Missouri.  The northland is a great place to live.  It's reasonably close to everything.  You are minutes from the airport and downtown.  Reasonably close to the stadiums.  There are great shopping areas.  Great school districts.  Housing is affordable.  The crime rate is very low.

On the other hand, where are you going to work?  What kind of drive or commute is acceptable to you?  Traffic in KC isn't too bad.  It's a little bit amplified right now due to construction on one of the major bridges.

Kansas City, in my opinion, is the perfect place to live.  It's not too big, and its not too small.

I'm a mortgage broker, if you want any input or advice on a home loan, just send me an IM.  I can also refer you to some excellent realtors.

I live in independence and I like it hear and consider it safe

Don't decide on a side of town until you have jobs here.  Then you can pick safe neighborhoods closer to your work.  If you work central or downtown then North of the river is the place to go.  Better places to live, quieter, cheaper and more places to shoot you guns close by too.

Well ultimatly I want to work for a Law Enforcement department.

Quoted: Well ultimatly I want ot work for a Law Enforcement department.

Don't most police depts require you to live in the town within 6 months of hire?  If so, that's quite a bit of considering to do before buying a house.

A lot of good info has been posted here already.  I grew up in Liberty, and am still a Northlander by heart.  I live down in Belton now, but am really wanting to move back up north.

As far as MO vs KS goes: MO, ftw.  Unless you're working on the KS side, there's not a lot of reasons to live over there:  Higher taxes all around, more liberal attitudes, lots more traffic.  I hate going over to Kansas....but, most of my friends live over there, so I'm crossing the state line way too much.