I found the best Vietnamese Pho soup in Wichita Kansas! My Tho is the best Pho ever! The nicest family owns the place, the soup is good and the service is great! A couple weeks ago after a closing with one on my investor clients who happens to be Vietnamese I was invited to brunch. It was 10 am. Phuoc, or his American name Leroy, likes to take me to places that serve his native food. We do it often. This time it was a place called My Tho. I'd driven by it hundreds of times and never realized what was inside. Inside it happens is the best Pho, a kind of noodle soup, I have ever had. The sign above My Tho advertises a billiard hall so it’s not surprising I never made the connection. When I was kid and our family was stationed on Taiwan our Amah, a combination of maid and Nanny, made thi... 12/20/2012

I spent the better part of the afternoon at KFDI, a local radio station, with some members of the Wichita Area Association of Realtors and the Wichita police department wrapping presents for kids that probably wouldn't be getting many otherwise. Every year the Wichita police department and KFDI have a huge project collecting lot's of toys for needy families in the area. The Wichita Area Association of Realtors and other community organizations collect toys that must be new and still in the package to be distributed.  The police officers actually go throughtheir neighborhoods talking to the people to find the families that could most use the help. Kids from the families are asked what they would like for Christmas and matches are made. Today when we showed up to help wrap the presents th... 12/17/2012

Shopping at Lucinda's in Wichita Kansas is nothing but fun! Seems everyone loves Lucinda's and what’s not to love. It's full of quirky designer fashions, interesting knick knacs, custom and unquie jewelry and a bunch of completely useless but fun stuff. Loicated right in the center of Old Town Wichita Kansas with many other night clubs, bars, restaruants and speiacilty shops Lucinda's stands out as one of the most popular places to shop. Whenever I want to go downtown I just ask her, “ya Wanna  go to Lucinda's” and we're on our way! It’s open late and fun to stroll through on the weekend evenings after taking in a movie or whatever else your doing in Old Town, Wichita Kansas. The staff is nonexistence until you need something and then they seem to be right there. We like that  non hassl... 12/11/2012

A building permit in Wichita Kansas is your formal permission from the city or county to start construction, demolition or renovation on your property, home or real estate. To get a building permit in Wichita you go to the office of Central Inspection, or OCI. The office is located at City Hall, 455 N Main, on the 7th floor in Wichita Kansas. Call ahead with any questions at 316 2688-4648. Before beginning any renovations or construction a member of the staff of the local government agency must review your plans to ensure compliance with the local zoning, bylaws and other applicable regulations. Once everything is in order you will be issued a building permit in Wichita and can begin working on your project. While the work is being preformed inspectors will come out at pre determined co... 12/02/2012

A Place to Call Home - Every State in the US has a state song, a state bird, and what they’re famous for. Kansas’ state song is “Home on the Range.” The state bird is the Meadowlark. And Kansas is known as the “Breadbasket of the US.” Why am I writing about Kansas? Even though I live in Arizona, my heart will always be in my home State of Kansas. The first time I drove from Arizona to Kansas for the holidays, I remember the distinct feeling of being proud of my home state. As I crossed the border, I felt a soothing comfort in seeing the rows and rows of wheat fields that stretched for miles. There were distant farm houses and small towns. My hometown of Wichita is the largest in the State, but I grew up going to small towns to visit family and vacationing. Our vacationing consisted of c... 07/07/2012

I attend the tax sales in Wichita Kansas. This is what I have learned about tax auctions in Wichita Kansas. Pay Attention at tax auctions and know what your buying. Seems obvious, but you'd be surprised. I've seen lots sold in Wichita Kansas just because they were $50....with $8000 in payable specials attached to someone not paying attention.  Oops.  Another guy bought some real estate that was under water. Those are cases of extreme "I just gotta buy something,  it's cheap, it has to be a deal!" Forget about taxes, specials and worthless land. A lot of that goes on at tax auctions in Wichita with less experinced bidders. We like to get the list and go scout Wichita for a couple weeks in advance. Get inside the home if I can, check out conditions, run numbers and set a limit. If the bid... 05/13/2012

Wichita Pizza Company - Wichita, KS - Gluten Free Dining Review I stumbled upon a mention on another Wichita gluten-free diner's blog of a pizza place that did a good gluten-free pizza.  If you've gone gluten free, and have kids, one of the top things you generally miss is pizza!  My family went from a bi-weekly Papa John's delivery to no pizza in sight for a very long time!  It wasn't until we visited Waldo Pizza in Kansas City that we realized you could have pizza that was gluten free and tasted good! So I was excited at the chance to go to a pizza joint here in town.  Wichita Pizza Company is located at 1520 S. Webb, on the North-East corner of Harry and Webb, near the Dairy Queen. It didn't look like much from the outside, and when you first walk in, I almost thought we were in a b... 08/19/2011

Two Wonderful Wichita Homes Open this Sunday June 12th, from 2-4pm! This weekend, we have not one beautiful offering but two!  Stop by and see these beauties! 8257 E. Old Mill Ct - $193,000 - 5 Bedroom 3 Bath, Finished Basement, 2002 Built Directions:  From 45th St N and Rock Road, head North on Rock Road to Old Mill, then turn East into Sawmill Creek, follow Old Mill to 2nd Right turn - home in cul-de-sac! This beauty has gorgeous hardwood floors, great-room style floor plan, upgraded maple cabinetry, grand French door entry into the Master bedroom suite, dual vanities, walk in closets, finished basement, fenced and sprinklered yard, 3rd car parking, motorcycle stall, and one of the neighborhood's largest back yards!  There's a lot to see and it's the best value in the neighborhood, p... 06/10/2011

Carraba's - Review of Gluten Free Dining Options in Wichita, KS The first stop on my journey was in response to a celebration.  We had worked hard and accomplished a lot lately and I wanted a nice meal out.  The two gluten-free places I'd been told about were already closed, so I googled to see what would come up for gluten free in Wichita.  First up was a restaurant that unfortunately had closed down. Carraba's showed up on the list and I called to confirm that they had a gluten free menu and were open. View Larger Map After waiting half an hour to get in, we were finally seated.  Kelly got the regular menu while I had the Gluten Free version.  I confess, I was pretty disappointed.  The whole point of my journey was to get to eat things without having to just order the baked chicken. ... 06/08/2011

On a Journey to Find Great Gluten Free Dining in Wichita, KS! Living the gluten free life is hard enough on it's own, at least, it's still hard for me.  Add in frustration over the lack of good restaurant options - thereby limiting your social life! - and it gets even more annoying.  I am sick and tired of ordering the grilled chicken and, gasp, sick of ordering steak too, just because they're the only thing on the menu with a good chance of being safe.  Let's start at the beginning, shall we? 3 years ago, my son was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance and also a problem with caseine.  We had him tested because he's autistic, and there had been a lot of reports and a lot of anecdotes from friends that a GFCF diet improves autistic symptoms.  I was loathe to do the diet trial because go... 05/29/2011

Have Kids? Want to Sell Your Home?  Get on your Knees!! No, not to beg!  What do I mean then, telling you to get on your knees? Those of us with little ones know that you don't put anything valuable within 4 feet of the ground. For that matter, box those breakables up until their 18!  But what we often forget is just how much damage those little suckers can do.  Day in, day out, we get immured to the smudges, the spills, the splatters, until we hardly even notice them.  The solution?  Get on your knees and crawl around your house.  Go ahead, I'll wait. Disgusted yet?  Yup, those little darlings have a way of demolishing walls and trim from their height and under.  Being so much taller (or not so much taller in my case!), we often don't notice those darling ... 04/23/2011

Tips on Selling Your Home, when you have KIDS! One Quick Tip on Selling Your Home with Little Kids No, I don't mean selling the kids with the home!  I mean, are you trying to sell your home while you've got little ones still at home?  If you've thought about selling, but looked at those fancy staged homes, looked up at your own crayon-colored home and started bawling, this might be for you. I've been there, done that.  As an agent, noone knows better the oft-repeated advice - "Your home should be de-personalized," "Your home should look like a model!" "Your home should be sparkling clean every showing!"  Yet, when I sold my own home a few years ago, I despaired!  How would I ever keep the place show-ready with my rambunctious young kiddos?  First, think about your home - the size, the a... 04/16/2011

How Walkable is your Home? With gas prices going sky-high and a definite national push over the last several years to decrease our carbon footprint, a curiosity has grown in buyers.  They want to know - How walkable is the home?  Many sellers are caught off guard.  "How what is my home?!"  Luckily, for sellers and buyers, there's "an app for that!"  To find out the "walkability" of your home, one ingenious company came up with a score called a Walk Score.  The Score is an algorithm that takes into account the nearness of services like groceries, restaurants, medical facilities, schools, etc.  From there, it develops a score that indicates how easy it would be to ditch the car.  It does not take into account things like pedestrian walkways, prettiness of the walk, whether it's hilly, cl... 03/23/2011

Many people I know have expressed interest in reducing their impact on the Earth.  But most bemoan the fact that doing anything significant seems to require a large chunk of change.  Who has thousands laying around for solar panels and new efficient cars?  The fact is that there are a lot of little things that you can do, with very little capital outlay.  Some even end up saving you money, and some are simply free!  While they don't seem huge, think of how big an impact it would be if 100 people did these little things?  What about 1000 people?  Try 1 million people!  Now we're talking some Earth-friendly change! Here's just a few free or low cost ways that you can help the environment! 1. Compost!  Yum!  Composting not only helps create super rich soil that will help your plants grow ... 03/15/2011

Need something to do in Wichita this weekend? Want a peek of Spring? The Wichita Garden Show is in full bloom!  This Wichita, KS annual show is a beautiful display of gardening, plants, products, education, entertainment, and more! The main attractions are the 6 Great Gardens - this year the theme is Movies.  I know there's a garden with a Jurassic Park theme, an Avatar theme, and one based on the movie UP.   In addition, there's plenty of mid-sized and mini gardens.   There's also live music, speakers, and educational booths.  Friday night is family night, with talent contest for kiddos, tricyle/bicycle decorating contests and more fun! Come on out and get the Spring Fever.  Maybe if we all keep believing in Spring, it'll finally show up! Days and Times: Friday March 4                ... 03/03/2011

They don't make 'em like they used to! Old homes are such fun to visit!  They're full of character, charm, and surprising features.  Most importantly, these features are often unique to this period and simply can't be really replicated in today's homes.  Lots of great woodwork, tall moldings, intricate details, carvings, and more!  I love to go show these homes and even more fun when I can list one!  They're just full of surprises and each one's unique!  Here are some questions I often get when showing these old gals to prospective homeowners! Why did they have such huge windows, one buyer asked me?   Back in the day, that was how you kept the house cool!  Often the bedrooms are all upstairs, and they'd sleep upstairs where the rooms could catch more of the breeze and cooler air.  They... 02/28/2011

Since we tour hundreds of homes each year in the pursuit of finding buyers their next home and finding homes to list, we've definitely seen some odd things.  But every now and then there are still moments that just leave us standing there, wondering what someone was thinking! A while back, I showed a buyer a home that looked awesome online - kitchen was spacious and had newer looking counters, very homey and livable.  I arrived at the home before the buyer, to turn on the lights and help it show its best.  I got to the kitchen and touched the countertops as I set my folder down.  I think I truly did a double take.  Those nice looking homey updated countertops?  CONTACT PAPER!!  No joke.  Someone thought it was a smart idea to put contact paper down, stuck to the actual countertops, eve... 02/26/2011

Why do we say to de-personalize your home before selling? I've heard the resistance many times and I completely understand!  After all, you bought a house to be your haven, where you can decorate as you wish without consulting landlords or being told what you can and can't do. Your home becomes a reflection of your personality and who you are!  And that's great! So why does an agent tell you to de-personalize? 1. The person buying your home isn't you.   That is, if people walk into the house and can immediately associate a "personality" to it, that personality may not be who that buyer is and so they won't be able to picture themselves living there.  For example, if a family of 4 walks into a home and it just screams "swanky bachelor pad," then they may not be able to think of that hom... 02/18/2011

Where's My Money?? Getting your Down Payment from a Retirement or Brokerage account?  Be prepared to wait for your money! When it comes to your down payment money, the banks have all kinds of rules about where it can come from, how long it must be there, what kind of documentation you need, and all that fun stuff.  Mostly, they really don't want your down payment to come from another loan and they really want to see where it came from so they can prove it wasn't a loan. While many buyers do have the cash sitting in a readily accessible and provable bank account, many others plan to obtain their down payment money as a gift from family, by pulling it out of their retirement accounts, and even by cashing in stocks and bonds.   All of these are very valid options and generally easy to pro... 02/11/2011

Need something to do this weekend?  Need Ideas for your home? Just need to get out of the house? After all these Snow Days and just plain crummy weather, you may be tired of staring at the same old walls.  For that matter, we've all spent enough time indoors lately that you've probably identified every little flaw in your place!  Well let's solve both those issues!  Get out of the house and out to Century II.  Get some fresh air, visit with other people besides the weatherman, and get some great ideas for improving your old space - maybe next Snow Day you'll have something cool to stare at!  This weekend is the Wichita Area Builders' Association's 2011 Home Show!  Starting Thursday, February 10th, it runs through the 13th.  Hours below: Thursday - 1pm-9pm Friday - 10am-9pm Saturday - 1... 02/07/2011