Over One in Three St. Louis Home Sellers Paid Buyer Costs This Year, Here’s How Much and Where

More than one in three St. Louis-area home sales in the past year included a seller concession, with 34.5% of all closings involving the seller paying part of the buyer’s costs. This data, provided by MORE, REALTORS®, covers the period from November 2025 through October 2026 and reflects a significant portion of the market where sellers are helping buyers with expenses such as closing costs or repairs.

For both buyers and sellers, this means that negotiating a concession is now a common part of the transaction in the St. Louis metro area. Buyers may find some relief in upfront costs, while sellers need to factor these potential expenses into their net proceeds. The average concession paid was $5,690, with a median of $5,000. This is real money changing hands at the closing table, and it can make a meaningful difference in affordability for buyers and bottom-line outcomes for sellers.

How Seller Concessions Differ by Price Range

The likelihood of a seller paying a concession, and the amount paid, varies significantly based on the home’s price. Here’s how the numbers break down:

• Under $150,000: 27.9% of 5,915 closings included a concession, averaging $3,587
• $150,000 to $249,999: 43.9% of 7,869 closings, averaging $6,215
• $250,000 to $399,999: 37.8% of 11,356 closings, averaging $5,432
• $400,000 to $599,999: 30.3% of 6,134 closings, averaging $6,107
• $600,000 and up: 22.1% of 3,660 closings, averaging $8,138

Homes in the $150,000 to $249,999 range saw the highest share of seller concessions, with nearly 44% of sellers paying part of the buyer’s costs. The average concession in this range was $6,215. At the top end of the market, concessions were less common, just over one in five sales above $600,000 involved a concession, but when they did occur, the average amount was significantly higher at $8,138.

Seller Concessions by County

The practice of paying buyer costs is not uniform across the region. Here’s how the numbers stack up by county:

• St Louis County, Missouri: 31.6% of 12,875 closings, averaging $5,466
• St Charles County, Missouri: 33.5% of 5,658 closings, averaging $5,234
• Madison County, Illinois: 37.1% of 3,247 closings, averaging $8,017
• St Clair County, Illinois: 40.1% of 3,128 closings, averaging $4,623
• City of St. Louis: 36.2% of 2,989 closings, averaging $5,138
• Jefferson County, Missouri: 35.9% of 2,941 closings, averaging $6,085
• Franklin County, Missouri: 38.9% of 1,284 closings, averaging $6,535
• Lincoln County, Missouri: 41.7% of 782 closings, averaging $6,687

Lincoln County, Missouri, leads the region with 41.7% of closings including a concession, and an average concession of $6,687. Madison County, Illinois, stands out for the highest average concession at $8,017. In contrast, St Louis County and St Charles County have lower shares and lower average concessions compared to some of the smaller counties, but the practice remains prevalent throughout the metro area.

What This Means for Buyers, Sellers, and Agents

For buyers, the high frequency of seller concessions can open doors to homeownership by reducing upfront costs. For sellers, these concessions are a real part of the negotiation landscape and should be considered when setting expectations for net proceeds. Real estate agents, as professionals guiding clients through these transactions, play a key role in structuring offers and counteroffers that reflect the realities shown in the data. With more than a third of all sales involving a seller-paid concession, understanding the local norms by price and location is essential for everyone involved in a St. Louis home sale.