Newbie visiting Kansas City MO for buy and hold

[Karena Wong]

Hi BPers!

I'm a newbie from NYC, have yet to do my first real estate deal, and looking into buy and hold SFR to 4-plexes (low maintanence is ideal like B and A class 'hoods). I've been looking into different markets and have narrowed it down to Kansas City, Savannah, Atlanta, and Dallas. Before making any deals I'm going to spend a little time in each of these markets, plus it gives my boyfriend and I an excuse to go on vacation and eat a lot of food!

We have booked our plane tickets to visit Kansas City MO for a few days at the end of the month to see some sites, eat some BBQ, and meet some players in the KC real estate market. Although we aren't ready to pull the trigger yet, I do want to see some neighborhoods and meet some people that we could work with in the future.  

So BPers, can ya steer me in the right direction? Who do you recommend we contact (ie, Turnkey companies ? Property management companies? Real estate agents/investors)? 

We would also love recommendations as to where locals love to eat/drink/hang!

Your help is much appreciated!! Thanks in advance!

-Karena

[Jayson Edwards]

@Karena Wong I believe you'll really enjoy your time in Kansas City! As you noted, we sure have some good BBQ here. Here's a few suggestions, although there are many more: Gates, Zarda, Danny Edwards on Southwest Blvd, Joe's KC (formally Oklahoma Joe's), BB's Lawnside, Q39, and Jack Stack BBQ. Again, that's just getting started on that list. 

As far as where to look, I'll assume you're interested in the Missouri side of KC. The rough areas are South of downtown, East of Troost. This is a generalization, but North of 85th, and East of Troost can be a little sketchy, some pockets more than others. Some people make a lot of money in these areas, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone from out of town. Often recommended is to look outside of the 435 loop. You'll see on a map that 435 does a large circle around the city, areas outside of the loop are generally nice areas to be in. Many investors look in Raytown, Independence, Grandview, North KC, Liberty, and Gladstone. There are also areas where cash flow may be less, but you have nice neighborhoods and appreciation potential, such as Lee's Summit, Blue Springs, or Overland Park, Shawnee, and Olathe on the Kansas Side in Johnson County. 

I hope this helps!