What $320k USD buys in Saint Louis, MO

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GON

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Exceptionally well staged/ photographed home for what it is.

Exterior- I might have removed the alarms sign and the handful of dead leaves at the front of the house. Interior, well staged, lots of personal items removed, closet is a great example that one needs to have some items in the closet, yet remove most of the items. Looking for anything wrong, the hangers above the washing machine are distracting.

For an older home with things like laminate kitchen countertops- the stager/ seller of this home nailed the pictures and salability.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4107-Federer-St-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/3021581_zpid/?
 
Agreed it's staged and photographed well, that's an agent I'd look for when listing. I loathe the low ceilings in the second floor bedrooms, I grew up in a house like that and would never buy one.
 
dishdude said:
Agreed it's staged and photographed well, that's an agent I'd look for when listing. I loathe the low ceilings in the second floor bedrooms, I grew up in a house like that and would never buy one.
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Yes, low ceilings are a significant issue for many buyers. I would not consider a home with under nine-foot ceilings. Ceilings are a huge quality of life issue for the interior of a home, one that is often overlooked/ not discussed. We owned a well-built ranch with eight-foot ceilings, I looked into what it would take to raise the ceilings from eight foot to ten foot.
 
I lived close to there after college. That house is probably 100 years old but looks pretty good overall. It’s a pretty desirable area for younger people that want to live in the city before their kids are in school.
 
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RhondaHonda said:
The brick is original and if someone flipped it, it was a kitchen remodel 20 years ago. Most of the inside has the same trim and flooring as all of those homes do in the area.
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Sorry, it's just my , first blush, impression.
 
GON said:
Exceptionally well staged/ photographed home for what it is.

Exterior- I might have removed the alarms sign and the handful of dead leaves at the front of the house. Interior, well staged, lots of personal items removed, closet is a great example that one needs to have some items in the closet, yet remove most of the items. Looking for anything wrong, the hangers above the washing machine are distracting.

For an older home with things like laminate kitchen countertops- the stager/ seller of this home nailed the pictures and salability.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4107-Federer-St-Saint-Louis-MO-63116/3021581_zpid/?
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Home prices are crazy now. We have to be at the very upper limit of what a house will ever bring. The house I grew up in with a couple of acres that was built in 1963 sold for 200k+ a few years back and I can still remember my Dad saying he bought the property and had it built for 8k.
 
Arc said:
Home prices are crazy now. We have to be at the very upper limit of what a house will ever bring. The house I grew up in with a couple of acres that was built in 1963 sold for 200k+ a few years back and I can still remember my Dad saying he bought the property and had it built for 8k.
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Critical thinking and historical data suggest your assessment of single-family homes being at the top makes sense. I have thought the same for the past five years, but every year new single-family homes are hitting record highs on a MACRO basis. The saying what goes up must come down- may not apply to single family home prices/

We purchased a single-family home in SEP 2024. Yesterday I received an unsolicited email from Redfin, showing our home had a 13-month price appreciation of almost 12 percent. Not sure how Redfin came up with the gain, but I sense it is looking at MACRO price trends in our subdivision, and being near a military installation, our subdivision has high annual sales/ turnover of homes.

Our youngest Son is looking to buy a home. My recommendation to him- if you find a home you really like- buy it. History suggests he will be ok buying a home at the top of the market. The key to buying a home at the top of the market is to really like the home you are buying. As long as one really likes the home, temporary short term price drops are no big deal. And if you really like the home, more likely than not someone else will really like the home when it is time to sell.

On the other side of the spectrum- I don't recommend buying a home as person doesn't like--- that can end up burning the buyer, and when it is time to sell, buyers may not like the home either. Don't compromise at today's single family home prices--- wait for the right home and then figure out how to pay for it.
 
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GON said:
Critical thinking and historical data suggest your assessment of single-family homes being at the top makes sense. I have thought the same for the past five years, but every year new single-family homes are hitting record highs on a MACRO basis. The saying what goes up must come down- may not apply to single family home prices/

We purchased a single-family home in SEP 2024. Yesterday I received an unsolicited email from Redfin, showing our home had a 13-month price appreciation of almost 12 percent. Not sure how Redfin came up with the gain, but I sense it is looking at MACRO price trends in our subdivision, and being near a military installation, our subdivision has high annual sales/ turnover of homes.

Our youngest Son is looking to buy a home. My recommendation to him- if you find a home you really like- buy it. History suggests he will be ok buying a home at the top of the market. The key to buying a home at the top of the market is to really like the home you are buying. As long as one really likes the home, temporary short term price drops are no big deal. And if you really like the home, more likely than not someone else will really like the home when it is time to sell.

On the other side of the spectrum- I don't recommend buying a home as person doesn't like--- that can end up burning the buyer, and when it is time to sell, buyers may not like the home either. Don't compromise at today's single family home prices--- wait for the right home and then figure out how to pay for it.
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The bankruptcy rates are rising and many people are at their limit. A home is only worth what a person can afford to pay. Layoffs are pretty bad this year too even though many times it doesn't make the mainstream news. Personally I expected a collapse a year ago but something is still propping up the economy and people are still spending. Starting to think I'm the only one having a rough time. It's hard to gauge everything when you retire and aren't participating.
 
One bonus is that place is 10 minutes away from "The Hill"... some of the best Italian Restaurants in the entire Midwest.
And although I have good friends in Webster Groves, and they would also only be about 10 minutes away.... the answer is NO. Neighbors are WAY too close.
 
I've lived in the STL area before and I have a house in Grafton, Illinois currently. I am not big on buying a house in the area in which it is located. I would stick to the area around the west side of 270 and west of that If I were buying a house now. The Kirkwood area is my personal top choice.
 
Arc said:
The bankruptcy rates are rising and many people are at their limit. A home is only worth what a person can afford to pay. Layoffs are pretty bad this year too even though many times it doesn't make the mainstream news. Personally I expected a collapse a year ago but something is still propping up the economy and people are still spending. Starting to think I'm the only one having a rough time. It's hard to gauge everything when you retire and aren't participating.
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Its not just you. The so called "K" shaped economy is propping things up. The top 10% now account for 50% of all consumer spending. Not making a political statement - just stating facts. If you owned risk assets or real estate or about anything else the liquidity pump during covid meant your net worth went way, way up and continues. If your in the bottom half things have gotten much more expensive comparatively.

If you were just a average working stiff things have gotten much harder comparatively.
 
Can't comment on the price as I am not familiar with the area. I would say for this style of home at this price point having laminated kitchen countertop makes sense. The seller agent did a good job staging the home, but they could have probably do a better job spray paint the lawn green before photos. This home in a good neighborhood in Silicon Valley (good school) would have been 2M easily.

Arc said:
Home prices are crazy now. We have to be at the very upper limit of what a house will ever bring. The house I grew up in with a couple of acres that was built in 1963 sold for 200k+ a few years back and I can still remember my Dad saying he bought the property and had it built for 8k.
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$8k could buy you a lot of gold back then, and if you use gold as a benchmark of money that $8k construction cost would have been probably 933k today.
 
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