By Karen Moeller, on December 3rd, 2025 
Showing homes in St. Louis is a little like speed dating. You walk in, take one lap through the room, get a feel for the energy and decide very quickly if this relationship has potential or if you should politely run.
After hundreds of showings across the metro, I have noticed certain patterns. Consider this your completely serious, absolutely scientific guide to the subtle red flags St. Louis buyers and agents spot the moment they step inside a home.
These signs are not dealbreakers by themselves, but they tell a story. And sometimes, they tell it loudly.
Let’s take a Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on December 2nd, 2025 
There is something happening in real estate that numbers and charts don’t capture. It is quieter than the headlines and more personal than the market updates. If you have spent any time talking with agents across the St. Louis metro, you can feel it immediately.
A lot of agents are carrying a kind of tired that goes deeper than being busy. It is the tired that comes from trying to hold everything together alone. The tired that comes from constant change. The tired that comes from giving so much of yourself to a career you love but not always feeling Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on December 1st, 2025 
There is a quiet change happening in the St. Louis real estate market, and it is not about interest rates or home prices. It is about the number of agents still actively working. After years of more agents than available transactions, the count is finally tightening. And honestly, this is not a bad thing for buyers and sellers.
In every market cycle, people enter the business when it looks easy and step out when it becomes clear that real estate requires consistency, knowledge, and true day-to-day commitment. What we are seeing now is the industry balancing itself out
Why the Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 28th, 2025 
Every year around this time, the same question starts popping up in my texts, emails and casual conversations:Should I list my home during the holidays or wait for the spring market?
It is a fair question. When your holiday to-do list already feels as long and heavy as Jacob Marley’s chain, the idea of packing, staging and keeping the house show-ready can feel like too much. But the truth is, the holiday season behaves very differently in St. Louis than most people expect.
Here are the answers to the questions homeowners are asking right now.
Q: Do homes really sell Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 26th, 2025 
The City of St. Louis has approved a major change that will quietly reshape how land is valued, bought, and sold inside the city limits. The minimum buildable lot size, previously set at 4,000 square feet, has now been reduced to 1,500 square feet. It is one of the biggest zoning shifts the city has made in decades, and it affects far more than developers. Homeowners, sellers, and buyers should understand how this change works and what it means for property value.
This update creates new possibilities, but it also introduces new considerations for anyone involved in a real estate Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 25th, 2025 
The White House is one of the most recognized historic residences in the country, and like many older homes in the St. Louis region, it requires continual upkeep. During Donald Trump’s presidency, several major renovation projects took place. Regardless of politics, these updates offer valuable lessons for anyone who owns or is planning to renovate an older home.
Here are five practical takeaways.
1. Old homes need real infrastructure work
The West Wing’s major HVAC replacement showed how essential it is to update aging systems. St. Louis homeowners in pre-1960 homes face similar challenges with older ductwork, undersized returns, and Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 24th, 2025 
The City of St. Louis has begun accepting applications for the new Impacted Tenants Fund, a relief program created to support renters who were forced to relocate after their homes were condemned or damaged beyond habitability during the May 16 tornado. The program provides a one-time payment equal to one month of rent, calculated using the 2025 HUD Fair Market Rate for the size of the former unit. Applications are processed through Employment Connection.
The fund was established under Ordinance 71840 and financed through federal American Rescue Plan dollars. Although the program was authorized in 2024, Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 24th, 2025 
St. Louis buyers, builders, and longtime residents have been asking a quiet question over the last few years: Why does it feel like there are fewer tear down opportunities in the older suburbs?
You would think that with aging housing stock, the supply of buildable lots would naturally increase over time. But the opposite is happening, and the reason has nothing to do with builders, zoning boards, or construction trends. It starts inside the homes themselves.
Homeowners in their seventies and eighties are staying put longer than any previous generation. They have stable tax Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 17th, 2025 
My first cell phone was a pink Motorola Razr, glossy and impossibly cool for its time. It was a gift from my husband, who said, “That way we can reach each other when we’re not together.”
I’ll be honest. I did not want one. My first thought? What if I don’t want to be reached?
It took about a week before that sleek flip phone was buzzing day and night, and that was before I got into real estate. Now my life is in my phone, and my phone is within arm’s reach all Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 15th, 2025 
If you live in Kirkwood—or you’re thinking about making it home—there’s a major project you’ll want to keep an eye on. The City of Kirkwood has officially selected Double Eagle Development to transform the former Public Works site, a 5.9-acre parcel tucked between South Taylor Avenue and South Fillmore Avenue, into a vibrant mixed-use community.
This redevelopment follows the momentum of other downtown improvements, including the restoration of the historic Kirkwood Train Station—a project I covered earlier this year. Together, these efforts are reshaping how Kirkwood grows while preserving the small-town character that residents love.
What’s happening
On October 31, Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 14th, 2025 
Basements in the St. Louis area are both a blessing and a balancing act. They give us extra space — perfect for storage, projects, or play — but they also tend to trap moisture. The air might feel comfortable upstairs while, below ground, humidity is quietly hard at work, warping doors, feeding mold, and threatening everything you’ve tucked away for safekeeping.
The Clues You Might Miss
In our own home, we’d never had an issue with doors sticking — until suddenly we did. First, the pantry door wouldn’t close properly. Then the bathroom door followed. Within days, nearly every door Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 13th, 2025 
Before I was ever a REALTOR, a friend of my husband’s bought a small bungalow to rent out. He was proud of the renovation, every shingle and fixture chosen by hand, and eager to start earning after the bills stacked up.
His first tenant seemed ideal. A well-spoken man explained that his niece was coming to St. Louis for college and needed housing. Nice car, polished demeanor, the kind of tenant every landlord hopes for.
The rent came on time. Everything looked fine.
Three months later, my friend got a call from the police. The “niece” didn’t exist. The home Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 12th, 2025 
Every seller has said it—or heard it: “It’s just paint—buyers can always repaint.”
That little phrase has tanked more first impressions (and offers) than shag carpet and avocado appliances combined. Because here’s the real story: paint isn’t just decoration—it’s persuasion.
The Hype
“Buyers can look past color.” Sure—in theory. But humans don’t buy houses in theory; they buy them emotionally. And color hits emotion before logic even shows up.
When a home feels heavy, dark, or dated, buyers don’t say, “We could fix that.” They say, “Let’s keep looking.” And they do—usually toward a home that looks bright, fresh, and Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 11th, 2025 
When an out-of-state investor hired a St. Louis property management company to handle her “passive income” portfolio, she pictured auto-deposits and serenity. Instead, she got unpaid utilities, tenants who’d gone AWOL, deferred maintenance, and an electrical shut-off on inspection day. (There’s nothing like meeting your buyer by flashlight to remind you how active “passive income” can get.)
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Roughly one in five St. Louis rental properties is owned by someone who lives outside Missouri — and too many assume “property management” means “set it and forget it.” Spoiler: it doesn’t.
When Property Managers Drop the Ball Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 10th, 2025 
The Open House Myth: Why Most Homes Don’t Sell on Sunday Afternoons
Ask ten sellers how they plan to sell their home, and at least half will say, “We’ll do an open house — that’s how you get buyers in the door.”
It sounds logical. People walk in, fall in love, and write an offer before dessert. But here’s the truth: open houses rarely sell the house they’re hosted in.
The Hype
Open houses feel productive. There’s movement, conversation, cookies on the counter, and maybe a nosy neighbor or two peeking in. Sellers love Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 9th, 2025 
It sounds simple: skip the agent, skip the commission, keep more money. In practice, the For Sale by Owner (FSBO) route often costs sellers time, money, and peace of mind — and usually nets less than they expect.
The Hype
On paper, the math looks tempting. Why pay a percentage when you can put up a sign, post online, and wait for offers? The problem: that commission also covers massive marketing reach, pricing expertise, negotiation, and risk management — the exact places where DIY sellers tend to lose ground.
The Reality
Independent surveys consistently show that FSBO homes sell for Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 8th, 2025 
The Spring Real Estate Market Myth
Every year, right around Valentine’s Day, someone says it: “We’ll wait until spring to list — that’s when everyone buys.”
It sounds logical. The grass is greener, flowers bloom, and families want to move after the school year. But in reality, this well-worn belief doesn’t hold up in the St. Louis market. Spring might be busy, but it’s not the only season that sells homes — and in many cases, it’s not even the best one.
The Hype
For decades, national media and marketing campaigns have painted Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 7th, 2025 
The Myth of the Perfect New-Build Home
Few things feel more exciting than walking through a brand-new home. Fresh paint. Perfect grout lines. Not a fingerprint on the fridge. For many buyers, it’s the dream — a house no one has ever lived in, with that new-home smell and the promise of zero surprises.
But here’s the myth worth busting: new construction doesn’t mean problem-free. It just means different problems.
The Hype
When buyers hear “new,” they often picture worry-free living — no leaky roofs, no ancient HVAC systems, no mid-century electrical panels Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 6th, 2025 
If you’ve toured a home lately, you’ve probably heard it: “Don’t worry about the rate — you can always refinance later.”
It’s catchy, comforting, and — unfortunately — a little too convenient.
The “buy now, refinance later” pitch became the industry’s favorite lullaby as rates rose. It was meant to calm nervous buyers, but it’s drifted into wishful thinking disguised as strategy.
The Hype
The logic goes like this: get in the market now, build equity, and when rates drop (soon!), you’ll simply refinance and cut your payment. Easy math, right?
But that promise assumes a crystal ball. Rates Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 5th, 2025 
Everywhere you look, there’s a new “AI-powered” home-value tool promising to tell you what your property is worth before you’ve even finished your morning coffee. Just type in your address and, like magic, you’ve got a number. It feels efficient, even futuristic.
But here’s the truth: those instant valuations might be sleek, but they’re often missing the very thing that makes real estate human — context.
The algorithms behind these estimates pull from public data, recent sales, and square footage, but they can’t sense the difference between updated and well-loved versus 1970s time capsule. They don’t know that the home Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on November 1st, 2025 
When the air turns crisp and pumpkin-spice lattes make their annual comeback, another seasonal ritual quietly unfolds across St. Louis neighborhoods: the boundary dispute. Yes, October is the month when falling leaves, overhanging branches, and the great “whose tree is that?” debate takes center stage.
Why Fall Brings Out the Turf Wars
Blame it on the leaves—or the timing. As summer ends, more homeowners turn their attention outdoors, tackling gutters, fences, and yard cleanup. That’s when property lines get a little fuzzy. One neighbor trims the branches hanging over their fence; another rakes leaves from a tree technically rooted Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on October 31st, 2025 
If you’ve driven through downtown Kirkwood lately, you’ve probably noticed the fencing, cranes, and construction buzz surrounding the historic Kirkwood Train Station. What looks like disruption is actually a once-in-a-generation investment … and one that’s likely to pay dividends for both the city and its homeowners.
🚆 From 1893 to 2026: A Legacy in Motion
Built in 1893, the Kirkwood Station has long been more than a train stop. It’s been a community landmark — a place where families greeted returning college kids, commuters caught the Amtrak to Chicago, and visitors got their first glimpse of Kirkwood’s small-town-with-soul charm. It’s Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on October 30th, 2025 
For weeks after the winds died down on May 16, 2025, the St. Louis tornado left more than just rooftops shattered and trees uprooted – it cracked open the hidden workings of our housing market.
Meet Denise Harris (name changed for privacy). She spent the afternoon of the storm standing in her Walnut Park living room as a brick chimney collapsed sideways, before walking out to the curb and watching three men in out-of-state plates stop by: “You ready to sell?” they asked.
For families like Denise’s, the trauma is immediate. But for the Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on October 25th, 2025 
For the first time in decades, the city of St. Louis is rewriting its zoning playbook — and this change could quietly reshape how we live, build, and invest in the Gateway City.
This isn’t just bureaucratic shuffle. It might be a property-value accelerator in plain sight.
What’s Changing
In July 2025, the Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill 60 (BB 60), an ordinance effective September 29, 2025, which amends the Zoning Code to define, permit, and regulate accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Specifically, it allows both attached and detached ADUs by-right in all residential zones in the City — no Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on September 19th, 2025 
If you’ve ever sat through a weekend “get rich with real estate” seminar, you’ve probably heard this pitch: St. Louis is the affordable Midwest market with strong cash flow, stable renters, and easy entry points.
And for many investors, that sounds like the perfect recipe for a better retirement, a nest egg for the family, or a shot at financial freedom.
But here’s the truth: without the right guidance, St. Louis can turn from opportunity into nightmare—fast.
This is the real story of one out-of-state investor who trusted the hype, bought “off market” without local representation, and walked straight into Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on July 15th, 2025 
A Satirical Look at Cut-Rate Real Estate Models—and Why Smart Agents Still Matter
[Opening: Observational Humor with a Mission]
You ever notice how people will spend hours reading Amazon reviews for an $18 waffle maker but choose a real estate agent—or worse, skip one entirely—because “the website made it easy”?
Lately, a growing number of online platforms are pitching a new real estate model: a one-stop shop where you can get pre-approved, pick a house, choose an agent, and close the deal without ever leaving your couch—or, let’s be honest, putting on pants.
It sounds convenient. Until you realize the Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on July 14th, 2025 
That new-home smell? It’s intoxicating. Brand-new everything, sparkling finishes, no mystery stains from owners past. For many first-time buyers in St. Louis, new construction feels like a dream in drywall. A clean slate. A chance to create something that’s all yours.
But while it may look like smooth sailing, the new construction journey comes with its own set of speed bumps—some financial, some emotional. This guide is here to help you move forward with eyes wide open, heart full, and budget intact.
Let’s explore five unexpected costs that can sneak up on new construction buyers—and pair them with a few Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on May 14th, 2025 
Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood (and unfairly maligned) tags in real estate: Back on Market — aka BOM. For many buyers, seeing those three letters on a listing triggers a knee-jerk reaction:
“Yikes. What’s wrong with it?”
Totally fair question. But let me be your real estate decoder ring for a minute: a BOM home isn’t necessarily damaged goods. In fact, it might be the best house you haven’t seriously considered — yet.
What Does “Back on Market” Actually Mean?
All it means is this: the house was under contract with a buyer, and now it’s back Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on May 13th, 2025 
If you want to understand the heart of a city, don’t just study the map — listen to the voices shaping the conversation. In St. Louis, those voices are increasingly coming from local influencers who are not just entertaining followers, but reflecting the dynamic, diverse spirit of our neighborhoods.
Whether you’re relocating, upsizing, or just considering your options, tapping into the content created by St. Louis’s most-followed personalities can give you a front-row seat to the lifestyle vibe that no MLS listing can capture.
Here are 10 standout social media figures helping to define St. Louis right now — and Continue Reading →
By Karen Moeller, on May 12th, 2025 
If you’re a homeowner prepping to sell, chances are you’ve peeked at your Zestimate and done some mental math about how much your place might fetch. But when the appraiser shows up with a clipboard and a calculator (okay, it’s probably a tablet these days), they’re playing by a very different rulebook.
Here are eight things that surprise even seasoned sellers when it comes to how a home is appraised — and why it pays to have a pro guiding you through it.
1. Your ZIP Code Carries More Weight Than You Think
Even if your home backs to the Continue Reading →
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