When the Federal Reserve says its Kansas City district is faring better economically than many areas of the country, folks like Jennifer Midyett Courtney smile a little more.

The Realtor’s schedule is sure to fill up faster.

“It gives people a little more confidence to make that big investment,” said Courtney, who represents buyers and sellers in Lawrence, Eudora and McLouth. “As long as the prices are going up, and the equity is going up, people are going to be more confident.”

The Federal Reserve’s latest snapshot of economic activity, known as the Beige Book, shows that the Fed’s Kansas City district watched its economy expand “solidly” from late February through early April.

Residential real estate activity, retail sales and tourism all increased, while factory orders rose briskly and the energy sector continued to strengthen, the Fed said. Also, crop producers were “upbeat,” consumer spending “rose solidly” and bank deposits climbed.

Manufacturing activity also was “rising briskly” in the K.C. district, an area that includes branch offices in Denver, Oklahoma City and Omaha, Neb.

Kelli Nicks, who works in human resources at Amarr Garage Doors in the East Hills Business Park, said several other entries in the Fed’s book rung true: Manufacturers generally reported “solid growth in capital investment” and managers “remain optimistic about future activity.”

Amarr is finishing up an $18 million expansion, adding 130,000 square feet of warehouse, production and office space to its 250,000-square-foot plant at East Hills. The business now has nearly 500 employees, having added five customer-service and engineering workers in March.

While steel prices have forced Amarr and its competitors to boost prices for its residential and commercial doors — jibing with the Fed, which reported that “a sizable share of manufacturers raised output prices” in recent weeks — Amarr officials are looking forward to rising orders in the coming months.

“It’s good to hear,” she said of the Fed’s report. “Obviously, the demand for people to make the product is there. That’s a good indicator.”