Although today’s challenging economy has certainly affected both the real estate and homebuilding industries, some, like Sue Engbroten of Complete Realtors who represents the Magic Building Group LLC, see this as a prime opportunity to consider one of life’s most important investments and assets — a new home.

“There’s never been a better time in the last 40 to 50 years to build a home,” Engbroten said. “All of the stars are aligned with low labor costs, favorable material prices and extremely low interest rates.”

Magic Building Group LLC operates five different building entities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Prime examples include Heartland Ventures, R. W. Investments and Nottington Creek Builders. The group brings a decidedly different approach to the homebuilding industry that Engbroten said is a benefit to the buyer.

“We believe the most important thing a builder can do is create a value proposition for the customer,” she said. “That’s a little different than what has been done in the past.”

In earlier years, traditional builders would offer homes at a low base price and then incorporate high costs for quality features and finishes. Within the Magic Building Group, however, homes are completely priced with those extra features and finishes included. All homes feature granite countertops and vanity tops, iron spindles, solid hand-scraped hardwood flooring, tile in all wet areas, extensive trim packages and designer backsplashes that use travertine and glass. In addition, the homes feature oil-rubbed bronze or satin nickel fixtures, faucets and hardware. The base price even includes a garage door opener. This results in a better quality home for the price — and, in turn, a better value for the buyer.

The company is also vertically integrated, meaning that Magic Building Group buys its products direct and has full access to an in-house wholesale operation. This allows the group to effectively eliminate the middleman, which not only makes the process more efficient, it also lowers costs for the buyer, making the company’s homes about 8 to 9 percent less expensive compared to other builders.

Engbroten said the company’s focus is mostly on ranch and reverse ranch plans in a line of communities along the Interstate 435 and Kansas 7 corridor, including Piper, Shawnee, Olathe and Gardner. Each home features an emphasis on functional space, including finished lower levels that can double the home’s livable square footage. More and more homes are being built with maintenance-free features, answering a homeowner’s desire to spend more time at home without dedicating that free time to maintenance and upkeep.

Because the Magic Building Group builds new homes in a variety of areas and has forged strong relationships with local Realtors, Engbroten said the building entities keep both the Realtors and buyers in mind during the building process.

“We’re very co-op friendly and we want to make the transaction as painless as we can for both the agent and the homeowner,” she said.

And when it comes to selecting a new home, Kansas City has traditionally been a competitive market, housing hundreds of builders compared to other cities that may only have 10 to 15 primary building companies. Although the high number of builders has, in years past, fragmented the market, challenging market conditions have allowed experienced, reputable builders like the Magic Building Group to remain active while embracing an unwavering commitment to quality.

“Quality doesn’t have to take a backseat,” Engbroten said. “It’s very important to us to create as much value as we can for the homeowner.”

Magic Building Group’s new homes range in price from $209,000 to $360,000. For more information, visit them at or take a tour of a finished home at any of the following communities: Woodland Farms, 50th Terrace and Woodland Road, Shawnee, open noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; Nottington Creek, 175th Street and Lone Elm Road, open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; NewBerry at Piper, 123rd Street and Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kan., open noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday; or Sunset Ridge, 92nd Street and Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan., open noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

New models will be under construction at Lake Shore Meadows, 143rd Street and Lakeshore Drive, Olathe; Falcon Lakes, Kansas 7 and Hollingsworth Road, Basehor; Symphony Farms, 167th Street and Waverly, Gardner; and Bison Par, Speck Road and 20th Street, Independence.

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