Freedom in Liberty, Missouri, means not being boxed into any one category. This Kansas City suburb of almost 31,000 offers a good bit of new construction but also a collection of classic options. It gives residents retail and dining hubs but hasn’t been overbuilt to the point of sacrificing the area’s 500 acres of park space. It boasts a top-rated public school system and is home to multiple all-ages events throughout the year. All combine to create a community with both convenience and tranquility. “Liberty is a place with a small-town feel, but it still provides everything you need,” says Julie Harman, a Realtor with Re/Max Revolution who has over 20 years of experience.
The Historic Downtown Liberty Square creates small town charm, offers history and supports local shops.
Liberty is a community that combines both convenience and tranquility.
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Homes priced for a range of buyers
Local Realtor Jimmie Rucker of The Rucker Group with Re/Max Revolution considers affordable housing one of Liberty’s biggest draws. That’s possible with the broad spectrum of options across the city’s 29 square miles. Early to late-century homes in town are available for less than $200,000. New construction is available in Clay Meadows and Homestead of Liberty, and sells for $415,000 to $850,000. “We have everything from entry-level, first-time homebuyer-type housing all the way up to executive-style homes, and everything in between,” says Rucker, a native of the area. “A lot of options for housing in the Liberty market.”
The average home price in Liberty is $366,000, slightly higher than the average in Kansas City. Listings average 41 days on the market, on par with the national average.
Liberty has several colonial style homes with nice curb appeal.
Raised ranch homes with two car garages and large yards line the streets of Liberty.
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Liberty School District ranks as the best in Clay County on Niche
The Liberty School District earns an A grade and ranks as the best district in Clay County on Niche. “So many people buy in Liberty because of the excellent schools,” Harman says. High school juniors and seniors can take instruction through the Northland Center for Advanced Professional Studies, which provides career-focused courses in topics like medicine and healthcare, global business and logistics, and digital media and design.
The private, four-year William Jewell College is a higher-education option in Liberty, with student-teacher ratios of 12-to-1. The Harriman-Jewell Series is one of the school’s signature programs, which has brought an array of world-class performing arts shows to campus since 1965 and is free to full-time students.
Liberty High School is rated as the 3rd best high school in Clay County.
Liberty North High School serves students from 9th through 12th grade in Liberty, MO.
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Service industries cover a significant portion of the workforce
Most of Liberty’s employed population have jobs in service industries. The Liberty School District is the city’s top employer, and the 177-bed Liberty Hospital is No. 2. A 1.7 million-square-foot Hallmark Cards distribution center in town rounds out the city’s top three largest employers.
From Stocksdale to Capitol Federal, park space is abundant
The Liberty Parks and Recreation Department oversees not just 500 acres of parks but also 16 miles of trails around the city. “Liberty has a great parks and recreation department,” Harman says. “It’s one of the reasons it’s such a good place to raise a family.” Stocksdale Park spans 112 acres, with 7 miles of mountain bike trails, a playground, horseshoe courts and an 18-hole disc golf course. Liberty’s 146-acre Capitol Federal Sports Complex is a magnet for youth and adult sports tournaments with numerous turf and natural grass fields. The Liberty Community Center provides indoor recreation space, particularly when the weather’s unsavory in a region that experiences all four seasons. The area averages 17 inches of snow per year. Tornadoes can also be a risk in a state that has seen an average of 55 of them annually since 2010, according to a Springfield News-Leader database.
Ruth Stocksdale Park offers Liberty a disc golf course, 7 miles of mountain biking trails, a playground and horseshoe courts.
Liberty locals head to Canterbury Park to play on the playground after school.
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Downtown is a retail destination
Liberty Square is a downtown district with more than two dozen shops and restaurants in a walkable stretch of town. “It’s kind of a quaint little downtown,” Rucker says. “It has lots of antique shops and businesses. Some good quality restaurants. The Jesse James Bank Museum is down there. As far as Liberty goes, it's definitely a destination area for locals to go and hang out.” The museum preserves the spot of the country’s first successful peacetime bank robbery in daylight, by James’ gang in 1866. Plazas like Liberty Triangle and Liberty Commons offer big-box stores and chain restaurants.
Besides shopping and dining, locals can spend free time attending community events like the Fall Festival in September. “The Fall Festival definitely is the biggest event in Liberty,” Rucker says. “It brings in several thousand people for that weekend. They’ve got a carnival and set up vendors around the square.”
Luigi's is a hotspot on Liberty Square offering locals fine Italian cuisine.
Hy-Vee in the Liberty Triangle is perfect for home-cooked meals.
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Interstate 35 is a window to the region
Liberty fans out from Interstate 35, which diverts into I-29 for drives into Downtown Kansas City, just a 17-mile trip. Missouri Route 152 connects to I-29 for those heading to the Kansas City International Airport, 19 miles away.
Crime
Property crime in Liberty is down 56% year-over-year, though violent crime is up 25%, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Criminal Justice Information Services crime dashboard. The city’s violent crime rate is well below the national rate, though, according to the FBI Crime Data Explorer.
Real estate agent Crystal Hawkins, a Kansas City Northland native, fully believes that the home is the heart of the family. She brings decades of experience in the construction industry with her to help her clients make thoughtful, educated real estate decisions.
Crystal's greatest passion is her family, which includes her husband David, their three daughters, a granddaughter, and two dogs. David, a builder and trim carpenter, has worked in the housing industry for over 30 years, and Crystal has been working alongside him in business every step of the way. They have built, remodeled, and flipped houses, and built their dream house out in the country just north of Kansas City.
While working in the construction field, Crystal always wanted to provide clients with a home to be proud of, regardless of price point. This philosophy is what made a career in real estate such a natural choice for her, and it is what brought her such great success in her first year. She was named a Rising Star and Rookie of the Year for 2018. She was also #1 in sales volume increase for the Northland office that same year.
Crystal and her family enjoy going to the movies, playing board games, and going out to their farm to ride dirtbikes. When she's not working or spending time with her family, Crystal loves volunteering. She was a Girl Scout leader for 12 years and an active member of the PTA. She has volunteered with other organizations serving youth to include sports, clubs and homeschooling groups.
Crystal's work in real estate has proven her to be honest and personable, and she still loves helping families find homes they can take pride in. To speak with Crystal about your real estate goals, call her at 816-392-1000 or email her at crystalhomeskc@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.