When you say residential real estate in Johnson County, people tend to think of cul-de-sacs and saplings and the clean, spare look of new housing. But there’s also the Plaza-style living of Fairway, the close-in convenience of Roeland Park, the tree-lined neighborhoods of Prairie Village, the big lots and long, low ranches of old Leawood, the putting-green views of golf-course communities…and so much more.

The housing market in Johnson County has been like a house afire for more than a decade. From 1990 to 2000, the county averaged 3,191 single-family building permits per year. In both percentage of total and absolute numbers, this is more than any of the six other counties in the metro area tracked by the Home Builders’ Association of Greater Kansas City. The thrust of housing development has been to the south part of the county, where demand has driven up cost. The average price tag for a newly constructed home in Johnson County in 2001 was $272,000.

The 16th hole of Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate provides a striking view for the surrounding homes.
PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Wright

Luckily, the variety of existing housing in the county provides relief to those who can’t come up with the money for the new stuff. As Sam Turner, president of Shawnee Mission Medical Center noted in Ingram’s Johnson County Economic Development Report, the northeast area of Johnson County—the gateway to the county, if you will—is crucial in providing a supply of affordable housing for younger families. Development westward along K-7 and K-10 also offers some more cost-effective options.

While Johnson County has accounted for 39 percent of the single-family permits issued in Kansas City in the last 10 years, it has accounted for 49 percent of total multifamily permits issues. Apartment-dwelling offers yet another alternative for the Johnson County lifestyle.