Michelle Neely

I’m Michelle Neely, a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) and Realtor with Nelson Home Group, Keller Williams KC North. I help older adults and their families across the Kansas City metro sell a longtime home, downsize, or make the move that comes with a much bigger life change behind it. I’m licensed in both Missouri and Kansas and I work both sides of the state line.

Kansas City has always been home for me. I was born and raised here, grew up throughout Jackson County, and now live in Excelsior Springs with my husband and two kids. I truly love real estate and the people I get to meet through it.

A Little More About Me

Before real estate, I spent 15 years in the dental field, which taught me a lot about patience, communication, and helping people feel comfortable when they don’t know what to expect. Today I bring that same approach to real estate as part of Nelson Home Group, Keller Williams KC North.

What I Specialize In

Four kinds of moves make up most of my business, and they overlap more than you would think: senior transitions and downsizing, new construction, first-time buyers, and relocation to Kansas City. Each one has its own set of decisions and its own places where a deal goes sideways. Here is how I work each of them.

Senior Transitions and Downsizing in Kansas City

This is the part of real estate that has become most important to me. I help older adults and their families figure out what needs to happen with the home: what is worth fixing, how to prepare it for the market, how to price it, and how to get it sold, while keeping the bigger life change in mind. These moves are rarely just about selling a house.

I’ve helped clients sell a longtime home to retire closer to family, downsize into maintenance-provided housing, and sell a parent’s home to help fund assisted living and memory care. I’ve also helped retirees find the right Kansas City home for their next chapter.

A few of those moves: in Kearney, a longtime homeowner sold a home with too many stairs to move into a one-level forever home. In 2026, a couple relocating to be closer to family spent about a year driving in for showings while their farm was still unsold; once it sold, we went under contract within weeks on a zero-entry, ramp-ready villa in Leawood Falls in Leawood and closed with cash in 33 days, with no repair requests along the way.

I also don’t pretend to be an expert in everything. When a family needs help outside of real estate, I can connect them with senior professionals I personally know and trust, including CarePatrol for senior living placement, Lifescape Elder Care Law and Estate Planning for elder law, Caring Transitions for downsizing and estate sales, and Senior Move Management KC for senior relocation and move management. I am not compensated for these referrals.

New Construction in Kearney and the Northland

New construction is another big part of my business. I serve as the listing agent for Joel Herman of Herman Design + Build, representing his new construction homes in Kearney, Missouri. I also represent buyers purchasing new construction from builders throughout the Kansas City area.

Having experience on both sides gives me a strong understanding of the process. I help buyers navigate builder contracts, selections, upgrades, inspections, walkthroughs, timelines, and closing, and I know where the builder contract protects the builder instead of you. On the other side of that, I have helped sellers time the sale of their current home to fund a new build in Kearney. And when a search points to a nearly new home instead of a build, the calendar becomes the lever: in Lee’s Summit I helped a first-time buyer negotiate $8,000 under list on a 2023 reverse 1.5 story that had sat 71 days.

First-Time Home Buyers

First-time buyers are some of my absolute favorite people to work with. Buying your first house is exciting, but it gets intimidating fast when everyone starts throwing around terms you’re somehow already supposed to know. I take the time to explain what’s happening, why it matters, and what comes next.

I’ve helped first-time buyers beat multiple offers to purchase their first home in Olathe, Kansas. If you’re just getting started, our team put together a full walkthrough of the process here: How to Buy Your First Home in Kansas City.

Kansas City Relocation Buyers and Sellers

Moving across the country, or across the world, adds another layer to buying or selling a home. I’m comfortable being my clients’ eyes and ears in Kansas City through video walkthroughs, virtual communication, and remote transaction coordination.

I’ve helped buyers purchase a Kansas City-area home while stationed overseas, and sold a home for clients who had already relocated out of state. You can read more of our client stories on our buyer success stories page. If you are still choosing between towns, our Living In series breaks down what it is actually like to live in each Kansas City community.

Why Clients Work With Me

Every specialty above comes down to the same job: getting a home sold or bought at the right number, on the client’s timeline, without surprises. Here is the track record behind that, where I do it, and the questions I get asked most.

Selling a Home Anywhere in the Metro

When I list a home, I’m hands-on about getting it ready for the market. That means figuring out which repairs are actually worth doing, bringing in my professional stager, building the right pricing strategy, and using professional photography, video, social media, and marketing to get the home in front of buyers.

One of my favorite Excelsior Springs success stories was selling a home that had already spent 184 days on the market with another agent. I have also helped a client purchase and flip a foreclosure in Excelsior Springs. In St. Joseph I took over a six-bedroom home in Club View Estates that two previous listings with another brokerage had failed to sell, and it sold carrying 306 cumulative days on market, a history every buyer’s agent could see on a comp report.

In Olathe, I relisted a home another agent could not sell, priced just under a round-number search bracket; it drew 20 showings in the first two days and closed above the relist price. The same clients then bought their next home in Arbor Woods on a contingent offer while that sale was still pending, and both homes closed the same day.

Where I Work

The whole Kansas City metro, on both the Missouri and the Kansas side. In 2026 alone I’ve closed homes in 20 different cities. A lot of my volume is in the Northland, in Kansas City, Kearney, Excelsior Springs, Liberty, Smithville, Parkville, Platte City, and Gladstone. Just as much of it is east and south, in Independence, Lee’s Summit, Raymore, Belton, and Oak Grove. I regularly work Johnson County, Kansas, in Olathe and Leawood. If your house is in this metro, I can help you sell it.

Common Questions

Do you only work in the Northland? No. I live in Excelsior Springs, but my business is metro-wide. In 2026 I closed homes in 20 cities across Clay, Platte, Jackson, Cass, and Johnson Counties, on both the Missouri and Kansas sides.

Do you only work with seniors? No. Senior transitions are my specialty, but a large part of my business is first-time buyers, new construction, relocation, and everyday sellers.

What does an SRES® actually do differently? The designation means I’ve been trained on the financial, legal, and family dynamics that show up in later-in-life moves: reverse mortgages, Medicaid and asset timing questions, estate and trust sales, and how to run a sale when adult children are involved and don’t all agree. I bring in the right specialist rather than guessing.

Can you help if my parent’s house needs a lot of work? Yes. Deciding what to repair and what to sell as-is is one of the most common conversations I have. I’ll walk the house with you and give you the honest math on both paths.

Are you hiring agents at Nelson Home Group? Yes. I came to this team as a second-career agent, interviewed several teams first, and the structure and training here are why I chose it. If you are thinking about a career in real estate or a move to a team, see what the team provides its agents on our Join the Team page, or call me directly and ask what it is really like.

Credentials and Recognition

• Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®): with additional education through the Seniors Real Estate Institute
• #1 Team Agent for Units Closed: Keller Williams Kansas City North, 2025
• Kansas City Real Producers 40 Under 40: 2025 and 2026
• 2026 production: 45 closings and more than $19 million in closed sales volume through August, with more under contract
• Licensed in Missouri and Kansas: MO 2023045420, KS SP00250678

Whether you’re helping a parent with a transition, ready to downsize, buying your first home, building something new, relocating to Kansas City, or preparing to sell, I’m always happy to be a resource and help you figure out what comes next. Nelson Home Group, Keller Williams KC North is an Equal Housing Opportunity brokerage.