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Heavy machinery could be heard for blocks in one Northland neighborhood. Ashlar Homes is in the process of building a housing community with prices starting at $320,000.
While the price tag is out of reach for some Kansas Citians, Ashlar Homes president Shawn Woods said the $300,000 to $400,000 price range is a competitive place to be in the market.
Woods said the company looks at land, pricing for permits and school district popularity to determine a spot for its next community. Currently, the Ashlar Homes team has sights in Lee’s Summit, Spring Hill and the Northland.
“It’s a lot of research on where can we go and build a house that we can do it the most economically but also make it a place that people want to live?” Woods said.
The construction team created designs to accommodate people wanting to downsize or purchase their first home, but costs are continually rising.
A few years ago, Ashlar’s base home sold for $280,000. Now, they are selling for $320,000.
Future tariffs could add another $10,000 to $20,000, which is why Woods has weekly conversations with his vendors about how tariffs could impact the process.
“In housing, though, it’s always, 'The best time to buy was yesterday,'” Woods said. “It doesn’t matter if it was a tariff, if it’s production issues or just demand. Housing prices are just continually going up. So you never can outsave price increases in housing, unfortunately.”
Woods said to keep prices lower, buyers can opt for a slab foundation, shorter upper cabinets or even leave off cabinet hardware. A slab foundation can save buyers at least $30,000.
Some of the houses built by Ashlar Homes are on this year’s Parade of Homes, starting April 26.