KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Business owners and homeowners in the Midtown area say investors and realtors are knocking on their doors offering to pay for their properties.
People who live and work in the area believe it’s because of the potential streetcar extension.
Many homeowners said they won’t sell if they are approached.
Jim Waltz owns a triplex at the corner of 40th and Warwick. The property is just a block away from a potential streetcar stop proposed at 39th and Main Street.
Waltz said he bought the home in 2011 for $62,000. He said it needed a lot of work.
"We lived on the first floor while we did the second floor. We’ve got the second floor all done now… It’s a nice three-bedroom, two full bath apartment," said Waltz.
Waltz hasn’t been approached by a buyer yet, but he expects to be once the renovations are completed.
However, he is being approached for another property he owns.
A bungalow he renovated and rents out near UMKC has received a lot of interest.
"So yeah, we're always getting little postcards in the mailbox that say we're really interested in your property over in the Troostwood area," Waltz said.
The house on Lydia is five blocks from the potential streetcar stop at 51st and Brookside.
Waltz said there was some interest in it before, but since the news of the streetcar extension he’s received a lot more.
Some people in the Southmoreland neighborhood have also received offers in person.
Blue McNiel said she was checking her mail when a realtor approached her. The realtor said her client wanted to buy McNiel's house for 40 percent more than what she bought it for just five months earlier.
Like many, McNiel declined the offer.
Business owners are being approached as well.
Christina Decker owns Midwest Cyclery on Main Street. Decker said several investors have stopped by with offers to buy her property.
Decker said she knows her space is valuable since it could be divided into three separate units.
But for now, she said she’s not interested in moving, no matter the price she’s offered.
"So, yeah, door knockers, they're here. You never know what's going to happen. But I don't plan on going anywhere," said Decker.
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