Randy & Katherine Ambrose are the top experts in west Wichita real estate.

“If a seller wants to sell their home and say goodbye to it, the buyer is going to have to perceive it as a good buy,” said Gary Keller, chairman of Keller Williams Realty Inc., one of the largest real estate franchises in North America,  this morning on Good Morning  America.

Gary Keller is, frankly, a real estate genius…and it’s because of the way he thinks, which is aligned with how top producers across the country think,  that Ambrose Team brought Keller Williams Realty to our hometown…Wichita, Kansas. Gary ‘s statement is true of any market, and certainly it’s everything in today’s market. As I’ve said in other posts, buyers are buying. It’s just that they’ll only buy, duh, what looks to be a “good buy”!

Same thing when buying a car or a stereo. Buyers want to get what they want …at the right price compared to the other choices available. A buyer is going to buy what they preceive to be “more for the same , or the same for less.” 

In other words,  every buyer wants to feel that they got a good deal. Today more than ever, a buyer wants to see that their dollars are buying them more home for the same price; or that they’re getting the same value for less dollars.  Cliches are cliches for a reason…and the one that comes to mind is “more bang for the buck!” And in the Wichita market, whether it’s the Maize school district, Goddard, Andover or anything around or between the best “bang” is what they’re going to buy. The Seller that doesn’t want to compete will sit on the bench.

Every day Sellers will say, “we’re different…we don’t really need to sell.”  And this attitude, always stated with such confidence, as a perceived strength, and the supreme advantage is actually a major disadvantage. What we see in today’s market is that Sellers who do not need to sell, don’t, because they are competing with sellers who absolutely, positively have to sell and will do whatever it takes to do so. This is just as true in Wichita as anywhere in the USA today.  Selling a home in this market is a price war and a beauty contest.  Keller nailed it when he said, “price gets them interested & staging gets the offer”. You Must price to get the buyers in the door & have your home staged for the ‘Wow’ that will cause them to want to buy it compared to everything else they get to choose from right now. Needless to say, if it’s not priced to get them to come see it…it doesn’t matter what it looks like! If you are priced to get some looks…make sure it looks ‘goooooood’!

Gary shared a few other great gems that made the air. Unforntunately, someone at GMA didn’t listen too carefully and slapped together their own version of 5 Tips for the homeseller. Number 5 was a huge blunder!! By 10:30am GMA corrected the mistake online but it’s too bad for any consumers who only saw the story on air, or may yet watch the video clip online. Hopefully they will re-edit the clip; plus do an on-air correction. Tip #5 was “Be there” (Yikes!!!!) . The GMA story suggested that Sellers BE at the showing…as “no one can sell your home like you can!” Whoa!! That’s Real Estate Marketing 101…the seller should Never be present at the showing. That’s the best way to blow any chance at a sale…or irreputably damage the Seller’s negotiating position.  BTW- the buyer’s don’t want your REALTOR there either…unless that’s the agent they called to view it or it’s an official Open House! And…neither Seller nor their agent should be at the inspection.

 GMA quickly changed the advice online to “Be available”. Now that sounds like advise GK or any knowledgable real estate pro might give. Be available by phone, email, or fax in case your REALTOR needs to reach you for questions or to start negotiations. Be gone, but be available! And let the professionals make sure that you get a chance to say “Good-Bye!”!

 While other homes sit on the market, listed and unsold…this one in Fossil Rim Estates marketed by Ambrose Team is snapped off the market within 24 hours of hitting MLS!

Closing, like all else in the world,  is “a process & not an event” !  Though a SOLD sign in Fossil Rim Estates certainly points to good things happening in the Wichita real estate market & specifically pertaining to real estate offerings in west Wichita & the Maize school district.

This SOLD sign means that today there is a happy set of Buyers planning a move into an exquisite home located in this lovely neighborhood…and happy Sellers that can bask in the joy of knowing that all their hard work & planning… designing & caring for this home have made it desirable and attractive to great Buyers in today’s market. The decisions they made in carefully positioning their offering to entice real live buyers to come see it right away and make a buying decision, worked!

Two other sets of potential buyers so far, are lining up to buy this Fossil Rim home should fate give them another chance.

Yes, there are qualified Buyers buying & they’re out there searching for the perfect home. Let me say that again…there are Buyers buying!!  And “Buyers buy”.  If they weren’t interested in buying we’d all call them “lookers”.

Why is it that while most homes sit hoping for even just a “looker”, another home gets SOLD?  The answer is proper “positioning”.

Positioned to cause Buyers to want to buy it! 

Buyers are smart…and they know the right home to buy when they see it.

It’s said that “buyers vote with their feet”.  If a home isn’t attracting buyers to walk through it…then it’s not going to sell. 

How do you get real buyers through the door…get their feet on your carpet? Now that’s the right question!!

Fossil Rim is a west side community of distinction located in the Maize school district.  It’s conveniently located at 29th St. North and Tyler Rd.,  close to New Market Square, The Warren’s west location, a number of great restaurants, and is less than a 15-minute drive on Hwy. 96 to the East side corridor of Woodlawn, Rock Rd. and Webb Rd.

Fossil Rim borders the northeastern edge of Reflection Ridge & the north rear of Northridge Lakes at Reflection Ridge.

Fossil Rim features 50 choice home sites, for homes of 1800 square feet or larger on the west side of the development. On the east side , there are 20 exclusive estate lots in the only gated community on the West side of the city. These lots average about a full acre in size, and homes begin at 3000 square feet. There are still lots to build on in the Estate area.

Both areas share a beautiful clubhouse and pool, in the center of the community. Many of the homes, especially on the gated side have their own pools, so home owners  feel that they benefit greatly over competing neighborhoods in that they enjoy a very private neighborhood pool used by a very small number of neighbors.

Builders selected for the area included Fouts Geller Building Group, Inc., Mike George Homes, Randy Ketzner Construction and Robl Construction. Other builders were  considered individually. 

Ambrose Team, Randy & Katherine Ambrose, specialize in this neighborhood as well as in other luxury home areas located within the Maize & Goddard school districts in west Wichita, Kansas. Ambrose’s provide complimentary professional staging & a free 14 ft. Moving truck to assist homeowners in Fossil Rim in preparing their homes for sale. 

Often, Ambrose’s are working with homeowners well in advance of the home hitting the market officially. Those intersted in finding out what homes may be coming available in Fossil Rim & surrounding neighborhoods like Reflection Ridge, Northridge Lakes @ Reflection, & Fox Ridge are encouraged to call Randy & Katherine directly to preview upcoming homes. 

Randy Ambrose states, “our goal in the luxury market is to not only inform our buyer clients of new MLS offerings within minutes of the those fine properties being input into the system, but to show an average of 3-7 homes that are not officially on the market yet! We have uncovered many extraordinary choices for our clients this way giving them an advantage over competing buyers looking for the same types of properties. And of course, home sellers love it when  they can get their home sold that way!”

Fossil Rim Estates waterfront culdesac Ranch

 One of our favorite neighborhoods in the Maize school district is Fossil Rim Estates! 

 Come see the craftsmanship of one of Wichita’s finest trim carpenters in his own custom Robl Ranch! Fabulous floorplan & design! Exquisite Brick & Stone elevation* Dramatic arched entry * Beautiful 8FT double Mahogany doors welcome you home! Largest lot in Fossil Rim Estates (W of gates);situated at end of beautiful long culdesac; waterfront & wrought iron fenced w/ 3 large gates, Fescue sod, Landscaping, sprinkler/well installed! Incredible outdoor entertaining with huge covered deck & expansive patio. Close to neighborhood clubhouse & Pool shared with very small # of community homeowners. Imagine relaxing in this elegant Master suite’s luxurious bath featuring incredible tub; tile work; Flat screen TV! Double vanity, oversized shower, private water closet, All season wardrobe closet. You’ll own one of Wichita’s most Impressive garages!!! Oversized in depth & width * Overhead doors 8ft tall* 18ft wide double door & single 10ft wide* Both have 3/4 horse belt drive LiftMaster openers* 3ft man door; Walls insulated, sheetrocked & painted * 9 110v/2 220v outlets* 9ft work bench *200 Sq. ft of cabinet fronts/Knotty Alder mitered doors…it’s a fun $10k bonus of cabintry!* built in & covered door storage under landing. Framing: all OSB wall sheathing,Tyvek house wrap, floor trussed 19.2′ OC, 10ft tall ceilings w/ 12 ft in formal area. Horizon wood windows. Hardiplank Lap siding. Interior Trim: Select soft Maple; Maple six Panel solid core doors; Custom, job built cabinets w/ raised panel doors & sides w/upgraded 3/4′ melamine cabinet interiors (note melamine shelving in walk in pantry also); Blanco sink; Granite counter tops; Slate flooring in Kitchen/informal dining & laundry; 10ft tall FP w/ TV slot & unique hidden storage! Built in DR China cabinet featuring granite top. Enameled 3 step crown molding in Formal area; 2 step crown in Master. Buyer will receive blueprints. Basement floorplan available. Formal DR furnture, Barstools, kitchen table set, & patio furniture may be negotiable.

Here’s a link to the full details:
http://mls.sckmls.com/WichitaReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=RORAN52245

West Wichita is getting a second Mongolian grill in about 4 months, reports Wichita Eagle business reporter/columnist, Carrie Rengers.  

Genghis Grill will be subleasing the Krispy Kreme building at 8512 W. Central, just east of Tyler Rd. Krispy Kreme closed last August leaving behind an attractive brand new building built. 

Genghis Grill opened it’s first location in the former Bennighan’s space at the corner of Rock Rd & Douglas in front of  the Towne East shopping mall. 

Gobi Grille was the first Mongolian grill to come to west Wichita. It is in the former Victory Grill building located  at 2319 N Ridge Rd, just north of 21st street, within the Maize school district.  Gobi Grille  is currently the only non-chain Mongolian grill in the city! 

I spoke with manager, Jon Suddeth, after learning the news about Genghis Grill.  This was the first that Suddeth had heard about the announcement made today, though he stated that he was aware that Genghis Grill owners were looking at & considering the Krispy Kreme building.  He was a little surprised that the decision was made as he felt that 4000 SF seems small as the grill takes up quite a bit of space & he wondered how much room would be left for dining space.

Suddeth stated that being a non-chain, Gobi Grille had some “learning curves in the beginning” & that Genghis Grille & HuHot (Wichita’s 3rd Mongolian style entry with one east side location) have about a 30 store headstart in terms of experience in store opening. Now Gobi enjoys a steady following of repeat guests. Gobi has new promotions coming soon…one may include the opportunity for diners to experiment with exotic meats such as venison, buffalo, & alligator. 

Gobi opened in 2009, to rave reviews from my family…   Here’s hoping that west Wichita will support both restaurants!  Thank you to the entreprenuers of both ventures for investing in Wichita’s west-side.