Understated $1.4 million Tudor in Mission Hills has library loft, two terraces

For a nickel shy of $1.4 million, you can move into 6929 Belinder Ave., described in sales literature as an “understated Tudor on manicured treed lot” that is “so much larger than it looks.”

The 40-year-old brick and timber home also sits in Mission Hills, one of the area’s most prestigious neighborhoods, where median household incomes are just over $200,000 a year, according to city-data.com.

J.C. Nichols began developing Mission Hills in the 1920s as part of his Country Club District plan. It is and has been home to such notable people as baseball player George Brett, crime fiction writer James Ellroy, golfer Tom Watson, Ewing Kauffman and Donald C. Hall.

“It certainly is associated with a finer lifestyle,” says the home’s listing agent, Scott Lane of ReeceNichols. “A lot of people aspire to live here.”

The 4,900-square-foot home has a lot of gracious rooms, including a formal living room and dining room, an eat-in kitchen, a paneled den, six bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half bathrooms.

A split-level family room in the basement has a walk-in, temperature-controlled wine cellar, a large, restaurant-style wet bar and billiards room with a stone fireplace. The homeowners had the game room/bar area added in 2000 and insisted the builders dig the floor several feet deeper than the existing basement floor so it would have higher basement ceilings. Hence, the split-level format.

The real wow factor, though, is a great room on the rear that’s flooded with natural light. It has soaring wood ceilings, a towering stone fireplace and radiant heated floors. Stairs lead to a library loft, office and five of the home’s six bedrooms. One guest bedroom suite is on the first floor.

There’s also a gym/kid’s playroom above a four-car garage, beautiful landscaping and two outdoor terraces: one with a fountain imported from Italy and one with a kitchen and hot tub. New zoned heating and cooling systems were installed earlier this year.

Prospective buyers should expect to do some updating, particularly in the kitchen, dining room and master bathroom, which all feature dated wallpaper and cabinetry.

Still, the home has the elegant bones and sturdiness of much older homes and has been meticulously maintained.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 7:00 AM.