Advice on Kansas City MO neighborhoods (Raytown, Grandview)

[Julie McCoy]

Hey all, 

I'm an out-of-state investor very interested in the SFH market in Kansas City, and am hoping to purchase my first property by the end of the year, if the right thing comes along. I've seen a lot of discussion about Raytown and Grandview as solid B-grade cash-flowing working-class neighborhoods, which is my target area. However, I have some questions that I'm hoping those with local knowledge can help me with.

Crime - I've got a prospect I like in the 64129 zip (outside the 435, close to Eastwood Hills Elementary), and when I look at crime heat maps the area appears pretty good - a handful of thefts, but no violent crime or B&E in the immediate area.  However, reports from Rentfaxpro and City-Data show the crime rate in the area to be very high (disproportionately so, when compared to the actual incidents I've seen reported).  Can anyone shed light on this seeming discrepancy?  

School districts - It appears that, on the whole, public schools in KCMO are pretty terrible.  The only thing that's turning me off of Grandview as an area is the rock-bottom school ratings on GreatSchools and Education.com (Raytown doesn't seem to be much better). Can anybody comment on the impact this has on tenants/tenant duration, especially in regards to the KC market?  My mind says better school districts will encourage tenants with children to stay longer, but is that reflective of actual experience in these areas?

Thank you in advance for any insight you can lend!

[Mike D'Arrigo]

@Julie McCoy I think it's too much of a generalization to say that all of Raytown and Grandview are solid B class. Although they are solid, working class areas, it does vary neighborhood to neighborhood. You can have all B class homes on one street and go 2 streets over and have C class properties. It is a relatively safe area however and I have found the Trulia heat map to be pretty accurate. The one area that you didn't mention is Independence which is just north of Raytown. This is a desirable area with decent schools. It's true what @Cliff Harrison says about Hickman school district not being very good, but it is improving. I wouldn't rule out the area just south of 87th and north of Bannister Rd which is in the Hickman school district. The Cerner Trails project is taking place here on the site of the old Bannister Mall and is the largest commercial development project in the history of the state of MO and is expected to create 16,000 new jobs. This is a good rental area with both B and C class properties. We've sold a lot of turn key properties in this area. Most of the beltway outside of the 435 loop from Independence down to Grandview can be good. The only section in that area that I would avoid is the Ruskin Heights area. We've been selling turn key properties in these areas for several yeas and I know the area well. Feel free to reach out if I can help.