| Several years ago, I traveled with my boss to | | | | from the movies and books. We also learned it is a |
| Overland Park, Kansas to provide staffing for a | | | | hub for the arts, gaming, and entertainment |
| conference of state money officials. We landed in | | | | communities - very family friendly, but also attractive |
| Kansas City, Missouri and had our map printed from | | | | to young professionals. |
| Mapquest clutched in our hands to find our way to | | | | Housing is a little high in Overland Park, with prices |
| this prairie community. | | | | averaging about $240,000. But at these prices, you'll |
| We hopped on a bypass from the airport which | | | | find real estate with a lot of square footage, plenty |
| apparently goes right through some major | | | | of bedrooms and bathrooms, and a fairly low |
| conservation areas, including what I believe may have | | | | foreclosure rate. In fact, there are only 33 |
| been about a hundred miles of the famous tall grass | | | | foreclosures now listed on alongside the more than |
| you find in this amazing prairie state. After about 10 | | | | 1,500 homes currently available. |
| minutes of driving through this natural area, my boss | | | | Having the foreclosure rate low helps real estate hold |
| started yelling, "You got the wrong directions! We'll | | | | its value in the neighborhoods throughout the area. |
| never find our way out of here!" It was like a | | | | When foreclosure rates are high, all homes lose value |
| reverse Wizard of Oz moment when we wanted to | | | | as they are sold at lower prices, which in turn bring |
| find our way out of being lost in the Kansas prairie | | | | the prices of other homes down with them. In |
| and back to where we knew there was bottled | | | | addition, the low foreclosure rate also keeps homes |
| water and shopping malls. | | | | occupied - vacant homes attract vandalism as |
| We finally emerged from the wilderness and drove | | | | windows get broken, spray paint abounds, and grass |
| right to our modern-day hotel, none the worse for | | | | grows tall. The irony is sweet that in Overland Park, |
| the wear. What we learned is that Kansas really does | | | | Kansas and its famed Tall Grass prairie heritage, tall |
| have a slice of prairie life - just like you'd imagine | | | | grass in single family residences is rare indeed. |