The Jefferson County Zip Code With The Hottest Real Estate Market

Yesterday I identified the Zip Code in St Charles County with the hottest real estate market so today I’ll do the same for Jefferson County.  I’ll save the long explanation I gave yesterday though about the importance of not looking at just one piece of data, how it takes a qualified agent with good data to really determine the health of a market, etc.  If you missed that, you can get it in yesterdays article.

What is the hottest market in Jefferson County today?

Based upon some of the data contained in the charts and tables below, I  would have to say that overall, the 63012 market is the hottest today.  As the tables and charts show, the 63012 zip area (Pevely, Barnhart, and Imperial) is number 1 on the fastest-selling zip list for Jefferson County at 40 days and has just over a 2-month supply of homes for sale.  In addition, as the chart at the bottom shows, our exclusive home sales and price trend chart shows home sales in the 63012 zip code area trending upward while most zip codes in the St Louis area are trending downward.

[xyz-ips snippet=”Jefferson-County-For-Sale-and-Open-Houses”]

Continue reading “The Jefferson County Zip Code With The Hottest Real Estate Market

The St Charles County Zip Code With The Hottest Real Estate Market

Which Zip Code in St Charles County is home to the hottest real estate market today? Well, it depends…

  • 63376 based upon the zip code where homes are selling the fastest
  • 63376 based upon where the inventory of homes for sale is the lowest
  • 63367 based upon trending home sales
  • 63341 based upon home price increases over the past year

I could go on, but the point I wanted to illustrate here is that there is no one piece of data, or one list or chart that is going to accurately depict what the “best” market is, or even the condition of the real estate market.  To accurately determine what a particular local real estate market is like one really must examine the health of the market looking at many different factors.  Additionally, what is a “good” market to one person, may not be good for another, so it is also important to understand the wants and needs of the person asking the question.

It is for the aforementioned reasons, as well as others I won’t elaborate on here, why, even though I love technology, automation and “platforms” (today’s buzz word in the tech world), I think real estate agents continue to be an absolutely necessary part of the home buying and selling process today and will remain so for many years to come. A qualified, professional agent will gather and analyze data such as I’ve presented here, then apply it to their clients’ situation and then determine the best price, course of action, etc.

The other point I hoped to make here was to encourage home buyers, sellers and investors not to put too much weight on one piece of data being reported in the media, but instead seek out a professional that can provide you with a comprehensive view of the market.

But, I digress, so back to the question, what is the hottest market in St Charles County today?

Continue reading “The St Charles County Zip Code With The Hottest Real Estate Market

Strong Economy and Low Inflation Prompt Fed Reserve To Lower Interest Rates

Yesterday afternoon, the Federal Reserve released a statement that was quite a vote of confidence for how the economy is doing.  The Fed Reserve’s statement included “…the labor market remains strong and that economic activity has been rising at a moderate rate. Job gains have been solid, on average, in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low.” and went on to say “Market-based measures of inflation compensation remain low;”.

As a result of the positive economic conditions, the Federal Open Market Committee announced it would lower the target range for the federal funds rate to 2 to 2-1/4 percent.  The committee went on to give a very positive outlook on the future economy as well saying that “sustained expansion of economic activity, strong labor market conditions, and inflation near the Committee’s symmetric 2 percent objective are the most likely outcomes…”.

Will the move by the Fed Reserve cause lower mortgage interest rates?

It’s hard to say if this announcement will prompt immediate lower interest rates as the mortgage market takes a little longer view of things.  However, while we don’t know if mortgage rates will decline or, if so by how much, I think, absent some major shift or change in the economy,  it is safe to say that mortgage rates are not going up at this time or in the very near future.

Mortgage interest rates have been at historic lows for years…

Continue reading “Strong Economy and Low Inflation Prompt Fed Reserve To Lower Interest Rates

St Louis Area Percentage Change In Rent Since 2010 Over 15 Times Higher Than Change In Mortgages

The median rent for counties in the St Louis area in 2010 varied from a low of $620 in Franklin County to a high of $819 in St Charles County.  By 2017 rents had increased to $736 and $993 respectively in those counties, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau.  As the table shows below, the increase in rents from 2010 to 2017 in St Louis area counties varied from 18.3% to 23.0% with a median increase of 18.75%.

For homeowners, the median cost of a mortgage in 2010 ranged from a low of $1,168 in Franklin County to a high of $1,519 in St Charles County.  In 2017 those median mortgage payments had changed little with the median mortgage in Franklin County coming in at $1,197 and for St Charles County, $1,521.  As the table below shows, the increase in mortgage payments during this period ranged from a decrease of 1.3% to an increase of 3.1% with the median being a 1.2% increase.

Thanks to a strong economy and lower interest rates, homeowners come out on top!

So while rents increased a median of 18.75% from 2010 to 2017, mortgage payments increased just 1.2%, making the increase in median rent 15.6 times higher than the increase in mortgages during the period. Homeowners also benefited through increased equity with a median increase of 26.75% in the prices of homes sold from 2010 to 2017.

St Louis Area Median Rent and Mortgage Costs 2010-2017

St Louis Area Median Rent and Mortgage Costs 2010-2017

Number of Housing Units In St Charles County Increased Over 10 Percent Since 2010-Little change in St Louis City and County

The number of housing units in St Charles County grew from a total of 141,355 units in 2010 to 156,324 units in 2018, for an increase of 10.6%, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Census Bureau.  As the table below shows, during this same period, the number of housing units in St Lous County and St Louis City remained the same.  The surrounding counties, Franklin, Jefferson and Warren, all saw fairly significant increases.

Estimated Number of Housing Units By St Louis Area County – 2010-2018

Estimated Number of Housing Units By St Louis Area County - 2010-2018

Inventory of Homes For Sale is 1-Month or Less In Top 10 Sellers Markets In St Louis

The St Louis housing market has been low on inventory of homes for sale in many areas and many price ranges for the past couple of years.  Even as the summer market is down to the last few weeks, we still find the market short on listings in many markets.  With the inventory of homes for sale low, the market definitely favors sellers.

Our firm publishes a list showing the current inventory of homes for sale (in terms of months supply based upon the most recent sales trend) and below I show the top 10 St Louis area zip codes in terms of low inventory.  As the table below shows, the Maryland Heights area (63043 zip) has the lowest inventory with what equates to about a 2 week supply of homes for sale and number 10 on the list, the 63101 zip in the city of St Charles, has just a 1-month supply.

Historically, a 6-month supply of homes for sale has been considered by many in the industry to be a balanced market not favoring buyers or sellers.  Of the 96 zip codes contained in the St Louis 5-County Core market, the list below represents, only 13 of the zip codes (13.5%) have a listing supply of 6 months or more.

[xyz-ips snippet=”Seller-Resources—Listing-Targeted”]

St Louis 5-County Core Market Months Supply Of Active Listings By Zip

(click on table for live data and complete list)

St Louis 5-County Core Market Months Supply Of Active Listings By Zip

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Maryland Heights and Maplewood Are Fastest Selling Cities in St Louis

The cities of Maryland Heights and Maplewood are currently tied for first place on the list of fasting selling cities in St Louis.  As our table below shows, homes that sold in the past 30 days took an average of 15 days to sell in Maryland Heights and Maplewood. Seven of the 10 fastest selling cities are located in St Louis County, two in St Charles County and one in Warren County.

St Louis MSA’s Fastest SOLD Cities

(click on table for complete, live data)St Louis MSA's Fastest SOLD Cities

St Louis Home Sales Continue Downward Trend – YTD Home Sales Lowest In 4 Years

Year to date, through the end of May, there were 9,929 homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market, a decline of 5.2% from this time last year when 10,477 homes had sold.  This marks the lowest YTD home sales through May since May 2015, when there were 9,262 homes sold.  As the second chart below illustrates, the St Louis home sales trend (trailing 12 months and represented by the dark green line) peaked in October 2018 with 26,032 homes sold in the prior 12 months but then stalled and has begun a slight downward trend which continues with 25,433 homes sold in the 12 month period ending in May 2019.

Meanwhile, St Louis home prices continue to rise with the median price of homes sold in the past 12 months in the 5-County Core market increasing 5.21% from the prior 12-month period.  As the table below the charts shows, the median price of homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market during the most recent 12-month period was $199,900, an increase from $190,000 during the prior 12-month period.

The inventory of homes for sale has declined even further from last month, with just s 1.81 month supply of homes for sale in the St Louis 5-County Core Market.  The low inventory is the key reason behind the lower home sales as there just aren’t enough homes for sale to satisfy the current home buyer demand.

Would-be home sellers are afraid to list their homes…

The low supply of homes for sale, coupled with the high demand, has many homeowners reluctant to list their homes for sale for fear they will sell but won’t be able to find a home to buy.  This is why we developed our “Guaranteed No Sale” program, something that protects sellers from becoming “homeless”.  It allows a seller to list their home with the confidence they won’t be obligated to sell if they are not successful in finding a home to buy.  You can find out more at GuaranteedNoSale.com.

Continue reading “St Louis Home Sales Continue Downward Trend – YTD Home Sales Lowest In 4 Years

St Louis Area New Home Construction Continues To Decline In Most Areas

For the 12-month period ended April 30, 2019, there were building permits issued for 757 new homes in St Louis County, a decline of 22.80% from the prior 12-month period, according to the latest data from the St Louis HBA.  As the table below shows, St Charles County saw a decline of 6.38% during the same period. In February of this year, only two counties showed a downward trend in building permits, but in March that grew to 4 counties and for April, 5 of the 7 counties we are reporting on, show a decline in new home building permits. Warren County continues to show growth and an upward trend in new home construction with an increase of 20.07% in building permits during the most recent 12-month period from the prior 12-month period.

St Louis New Home Building Permits – April 2019

St Louis New Home Building Permits - April 2019

New Home Construction Trending Downward in Over Half The St Louis Area Counties

For the 12-month period ended March 31, 2019, there were building permits issued for 748 new homes in St Louis County, a decline of 23.60% from the prior 12-month period, according to the latest data from the St Louis HBA.  As the table below shows, St Charles County saw a decline of 11.23% during the same period.  Last month, those were the only two counties showing a downward trend, but, this month, Franklin County and the City of St Louis have also seen new home construction trend downward. Warren County again showed the greatest upward trend in new home construction with an increase of 23.66% in building permits during the most recent 12-month period from the prior 12-month period.

St Louis New Home Building Permits – March 2019

St Louis New Home Building Permits - March 2019

St Louis Home Sale Trend Continues To Slow….Rising Price Trend Remains

Year to date, through the end of March, there have been 4,829 homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market, a decline of 6.3% from this time last year when 5,156 homes had sold.  As the second chart below illustrates, the St Louis home sales trend (trailing 12 months and represented by the dark green line) peaked in October 2018 with 26,032 homes sold in the prior 12 months but then stalled and has begun a slight downward trend since with 25,583 homes sold in the 12 month period ending in March 2019.

Meanwhile, St Louis home prices continue to rise with the median price of homes sold in the past 12 months in the 5-County Core market increasing 4.79% from the prior 12-month period.  As the table below the charts shows, the median price of homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market during the most recent 12-month period was $198,950, an increase of 5.26% from the prior 12-month period when the median home price was $189,000.

The inventory of homes for sale has declined from last month, with just s 2.33 month supply of homes for sale in the St Louis 5-County Core Market.

Continue reading “St Louis Home Sale Trend Continues To Slow….Rising Price Trend Remains

The 10 Fastest Selling St Louis Cities

Homes that sold in St. John, Missouri within the past 30 days took an average of just 18 days to sell, putting St John in the number 1 slot of Fastest Sold cities in the St Louis MSA.  As the table below shows, the cities that made the top 10 list are all on the Missouri side of the Mississippi, with 7 cities in St Louis County and 3 in St Charles County.

If you are a homeowner thinking of selling and see your city on this list, now would be a really good time to consider listing your home for sale!

10 Fastest SOLD Cities In St Louis Metro Area in Past 30 Days

(click on table for complete, live list)

[xyz-ips snippet=”Seller-Resources—Listing-Targeted”]

New Home Construction Trend In St Louis Is Down In St Louis and St Charles Counties

For the 12-month period ended February 28, 2019, there were building permits issued for 785 new homes in St Louis County, a decline of 21.11% from the prior 12-month period, according to the latest data from the St Louis HBA.  As the table below shows, St Charles County saw a decline of 13.05% during the same period however the other counties reported on by the St Louis HBA are all showing increased new home building activity for the period.  From a percentage standpoint, Warren County saw the biggest increase at 30.04%.

St Louis New Home Building Permits – February 2019

St Louis New Home Building Permits - February 2019

St Louis Area Home Affordability Best In St Louis City

During the first quarter of this year, homebuyers in the City of St Louis needed to spend a median of just 16.9% of their annual wages to buy a median-priced home, according to data just released by ATTOM Data Services.  This makes the City of St Louis the most affordable county to buy a home in the St Louis area.  As the table below shows, St Charles County, where it takes 37.7% of annual wages to buy a median-priced home is the least affordable county for 1st quarter 2019.

On a positive note, St Charles County had an affordability index of 101 for the quarter, meaning that homes were slightly more affordable there than the historic average.  St Clair County had the best affordability index at 103 and the City of St Louis had the worst at 93.

St Louis Area Home Affordability – 1st Quarter 2019

St Louis Area Home Affordability - 1st Quarter 2019

St Louis Home Sale Trend Slowing Slightly

Year to date, there have been 2,903 homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market, a decline of 3.6% from this time last year when 3,010 homes had sold.  As the second chart below illustrates, the St Louis home sales trend (trailing 12 months and represented by the dark green line) peaked in October 2018 with 26,032 homes sold in the prior 12 months but then stalled and has begun a slight downward trend since with 25,756 homes sold in the 12 month period ending in February 2019.

Meanwhile, St Louis home prices continue to rise with the median price of homes sold in the past 12 months in the 5-County Core market increasing 4.79% from the prior 12-month period.  As the table below the charts shows, the median price of homes sold in the St Louis 5-County Core market during the most recent 12-month period was $197,000, up from $188,000 during the prior 12-month period.

The inventory of homes for sale remains low, with just s 2.5 month supply of homes for sale in the St Louis 5-County Core Market.

Continue reading “St Louis Home Sale Trend Slowing Slightly

St Charles County vs St Louis County Home Price Appreciation

Since the announcement of the Better Together plans to merge the County and City of St Louis together into one big “Metro City”, there has been a lot of talk about the impact this would have on the St Louis real estate market. I’ve had several conversations with people in the real estate industry that feel St Charles County, as well as some of the other surrounding counties, will benefit if the Better Together plan succeeds.  Their optimism is based upon the belief that, given what appears to be a tremendous groundswell of opposition to the plan from residents of both St Louis City and St Louis County, that, if it passes, many will flee the new Metro City.

Obviously, only time will tell as to whether the Better Together Plan will even get the required number of signatures on the petition, if so, then whether the voters pass it.  It is only then, in the subsequent months and years afterward that we will really be able to see just what impact, favorably or negatively, it has on the St Louis real estate market.  For now, however, it seemed a good time to take a look at the St Charles County and St Louis County real estate markets and compare them.

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Continue reading “St Charles County vs St Louis County Home Price Appreciation

St Louis Home Sales Down Slightly, Prices Up, In Past 12 Months

For the 12-month period ended February 28, 2019, there were 37,427 homes sold in the St Louis metro area, a decline of 1.22% from the prior 12-month period when there were 37,889 homes sold, according to our STL Market Report below. During the same period, the median price of homes sold in the St Louis metro area increased by 4.11% from $172,900 to $180,000.  As the table shows, there is currently a 3.19 month supply of homes for sale in the St Louis metro area.

 

STL Market Report – St Louis MSA

STL Market Report - St Louis MSA

St Louis New Home Construction Continues To Decline

There were 4,471 building permits issued for new homes in the St Louis area during the 12-month period ended January 31, 2019, a decline of 5.20% from the prior 12-month period when there were 4,716 permits issued, according to information just released by the Home Builders Association of St Louis & Eastern Missouri (St Louis HBA).

As the table below shows, St Charles County continues to see the largest decline in new home construction with 1,489 new home permits issued in the most recent 12-month period, down 13.03% from the prior 12 month period. Four counties in the St Louis area have seen gains in permits, with Warren County being the big winner in terms of percentage increase with nearly a 30 percent increase in new home permits for the period!

St Louis New Home Building Permits Issued – Jan 2019

St Louis New Home Building Permits Issued - Jan 2019

 

Is The St Louis Housing Inventory Down 25 Percent Or Up 10 Percent? The Importance Of Understanding The Data.

I promise not to turn this article into one of my boring, lengthy diatribes that only a data nerd could enjoy, however, I do want to discuss something that I think is very important for all home buyers, sellers and investors.  Given that today there is a plethora of “data” and “information” available to us thanks, in large part, to the internet, and that home buyer, sellers, and investors (as well as the real estate agents working with them) make decisions based, at least in part, to those things, it is imperative to know you have the right data and that it is the relevant data or information.  Making a large financial decision, such as one related to buying or selling a house, on inaccurate, misunderstood or mispresented date or information, can literally cost you thousands of dollars.

A quick, and current, example…The St Louis Housing Inventory…

A report was released this past week from within the real estate industry that indicated there was an “inventory of homes for sale” of 3,272 in the City and County of St Louis combined and that this was “down 24.9% from 2018“.  I saw many well-meaning real estate agents copy and paste the graphic or data on Facebook with messages that, if a buyer would create a little bit of a panic or concern on “missing out” and, if a seller, thinking competition is down so now is a good time to list your home and name your price.

Continue reading “Is The St Louis Housing Inventory Down 25 Percent Or Up 10 Percent? The Importance Of Understanding The Data.

St Louis Area New Home Construction In 2018 Declines

There were 4,140 building permits issued for new homes in the St Louis area during 2018, a decline of 3.16% from the year before when there were 4,275 permits issued, according to information just released by the Home Builders Association of St Louis & Eastern Missouri (St Louis HBA).  The number of permits issued for new homes during 2018 was just slightly down from 2016.

As the table below shows, St Charles County has seen the largest decline in new home construction with 1,499 new home permits issued in 2018, down 12.85% from the year before and decline of 24.48% from 2016 when there were 1,985 permits issued.  Franklin County, Warren County and the city of St Louis all had significant double-digit gains in building permits issued during 2018 from the year before.

St Louis New Home Building Permits Issued – 2016-2018

St Louis New Home Building Permits Issued - 2016-2018

 

Cheaper To Buy Than Rent A Home In Six Out Of Eight St Louis Areas Counties

According to a report just released this morning by ATTOM Data Research, it’s cheaper to buy a home than rent in 6 of 8 St Louis metro area counties covered in the report.  The data reported also shows, however, that home prices are rising faster than rents in all of the counties, a trend that, if it continues, could make buying a home a less affordable option in the future.  The data also shows, on a postiive note, that in 6 of 8 counties wages are rising faster than rents.  The counties are split when it comes to wages vs home prices however, with wages rising faster than home prices in 4 and home prices rising faster than wages in the other 4.

Affordabilty is determined by the percentage of wages necessary to purchase a home in a given County.  Based upon this criteria, the most affordable county to buy a home is the City of St Louis at 20.1%, followed by Madison County, IL at 27.3% and then St Louis County at 27.6%.  The least affordable county to buy a home on the list is St Charles County at 45.3%

St Louis Home Affordability – 2018

St Louis Home Affordability - 2018

St Louis Home Sales Remain Steady But Trending Downward

In the last week, I’ve seen several reports indicating declining home sales on both a nationwide basis as well as for the St Louis market.  The reports vary widely but one local report indicated single family home sales were down 6 percent from a year ago, which, of course, should cause some concern for both agents as well as consumers since a 6 percent decline is significant.  However, this is why, for this very reason, MORE, REALTORS® developed their own proprietary software to analyze and report the market data (the same MLS data as the aforementioned report was based upon) and present it in a manner that more accurately depicts the market conditions and is more applicable than many of the other reports out there.

Before I go further, I’m not picking on anyone reporting market information, as most are simply reporting the data that is available to them and doing so in a common manner which is to look at data for one specific month (in this case November) and compare it to the same month a year ago.  I’m just suggesting that due to fluctuations that can be caused by, for example, weather during the month, the number of Friday’s during the month (a popular day for closings), etc. looking at a single month doesn’t paint a true picture of the market.  It also matters what area the data is for, is it the St Louis MSA (which includes 8 counties in Illninois) or the city of St Louis, or some other combination?

As you will see from our STL Market Report™ tables I’ve prepared below, the St Louis real estate market is actually holding fairly steady in terms of sales when we look at the past 12-month period and compare it with the prior 12-month period.  In terms of home prices, St Louis home prices have increased about 4% – 5% in the St Louis area, depending on how we look at the area.

Continue reading “St Louis Home Sales Remain Steady But Trending Downward

Median Price of Homes Sold in St Charles County In Past 12 Months Hits $230,000 – Sales Up Slightly

The median price of homes sold in St Charles County during the 12 month period ended October 31, 2018, was $230,000 according to the STL Market Report™ from MORE™, REALTORS®.  As the STL Market Report™ below shows, this is an increase in the median price of homes sold of 4.55% from the prior 12-month period. During the most recent 12-month period, there were 6,081 homes sold in St Charles County, an increase of 1.11% from the prior 12-month period.  There is currently a 2.52 month supply of homes for sale in St Charles County and listings have been on the market a median time of 74 days.

STL Market Report – Homes – St Charles County

(click on table to go to live report)

STL Market Report - Homes - Charles County

[xyz-ips snippet=”St-Charles-County-For-Sale-and-Open-Houses”]

Continue reading “Median Price of Homes Sold in St Charles County In Past 12 Months Hits $230,000 – Sales Up Slightly

St. Louis’ 10 Fastest Selling Cities In October 2018

Not only did the beautiful fall weather of October draw St Louis area families to the popular apple and pumpkin picking festivities at Eckert’s Millstadt Farm, it also brought out home buyers putting Millstadt, IL at the top of our fastest SOLD cities in the St Louis metro area for October.  As our table below shows (an exclusive feature of MORE™, REALTORS® feature), homes in Millstadt took just an average of 8 days to sell in October.  The next nine cities on the list were all in Missouri with 5 of those in St Louis County, 2 in Jefferson County, 1 in St Charles County and 1 in Warren County.

St Louis Metro Fastest SOLD Cities – October 2018

(click on the table to see the complete table with current data)

St Louis Metro Fastest SOLD Cities - October 2018

            Copyright 2018 – MORE, REALTORS – All Rights Reserved

St Louis Real Estate Market Holding Steady

In contrast to reports from around the country of a cooling housing market and even a possible bubble in some markets, the St Louis real estate market continues to hold steady. As our exclusive, STL Market Report for the St Louis 5-County core market below shows, during the past 12-months homes have sold at about the same pace as the prior 12-month period, prices are up a little over 5 percent and the supply, while up, is still at a rather low 3 months.

St Louis 5-County core market home sales and prices

(click on table for live current report)
St Louis 5-County core market home sales and prices

 

Home Affordability In St Louis Drops For All Counties In Third Quarter

One of the nice things about St Louis has always been that it’s an affordable place to live and an affordable place to own a home.  However, as St Louis home prices, and mortgage interest rates, continue to increase, home affordability in St Louis has declined.

As the table below, which is based on data from ATTOM Data Research, shows, all of the counties reported on in the State of Missouri saw home affordability decline during the 3rd quarter with the exception of Jackson County (Kansas City).  All of the counties had a decline in home affordability from a year ago with St Louis County seeing the biggest decline at 11%.

St Louis Home Affordability – 3rd Quarter 2018

St Louis Home Affordability - 3rd Quarter 2018

St Charles Homeowners spend the largest percentage of income on a home…

In St Charles County, home buyers spend, on average, 41.3% of their income to buy a home, the highest percentage of the reported counties in Missouri.  In the city of St Louis, the percentage of income spent on housing was just 21.9%.

Percentage of Annualized Wages Necessary to Buy A Home

Percentage of Annualized Wages Necessary to Buy A Home

 

The Most Expensive Homes For Sale In St Louis

One of the great things about living in St Louis is it is a very affordable place to live, including when it comes to home ownership.  Home affordability in St Louis is certainly much better than the coasts but also beats many, if not most, metro areas.  Having said that, we do have our share of expensive homes though.  For example, there are currently 322 $1,000,000+ homes and condos listed for sale in the St Louis 5-county core market (City of St Louis and Counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin).   The most expensive St Louis home listed for sale, at the time I wrote this article, is a home in Huntleigh listed for $7,695,000.

42 Huntleigh Woods, Huntleigh, MO 63131

(Click on the image above to see complete details)

See the complete list by clicking here.

Of the 322 $1 million+ homes listed, nearly 82% of them are in St Louis County.  Below is a breakdown of the listings by county:

  • St Louis County  – 263
  • St Charles County – 25
  • City of St Louis – 10
  • Jefferson County – 9
  • Franklin County – 15

See the list of the 30 cities in the St Louis 5-County Core market with the highest average home prices here.

[xyz-ips snippet=”St-Louis-Luxury-Homes-and-Condos—For-Sale-and-Open-House”]

 

New Home Construction Trend In St Louis Flat Overall

There were 4,642 new home building permits issued for the 7 counties in the St Louis area covered by the St Louis HBA during the 12-month period ended August 31, 2018, just 2 more (0.04%) than the 4,640 that were issued during the prior 12-month period, according to data from the St Louis HBA.

This would indicate that perhaps the new home building market has peaked for the time being which, given that this is the best report for this 12-month period since August 2007 when there were 5,706 permits issued in the prior 12 months, it’s not bad.

St Charles County’s Loss is Franklin County’s gain…

As the table below, which shows the building permit activity by county, illustrates, St Charles County has seen nearly a 14% decline in building permits in the past 12-months from the prior period, while Franklin County has seen nearly a 42% increase.  Granted, 32.9% of all the building permits issued in the 7-county area were issued in St Charles County, but a year ago 38.3% of all the permits were issued in St Charles County.

New Home Building Permits – St Louis Area

New Home Building Permits - St Louis Area

 

 

St Louis Home Sales Trend Remains Flat While Prices Rise

St Louis home sales remain consistent but fairly flat with 27,636 homes sold during the past 12 months, just slightly more than the 27,525 homes sold in the prior 12 month period, for the 5-County core St Louis market.  As the table below shows, while home sales only increased by 0.40% during the period for the core St Louis market (city of St Louis and counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin) the median price of homes sold during the period increased 5.46% from a median price of $184,900 to $195,00.  There is a currently a 2.55 month supply of homes for sale and the median time a home has been for sale in this area is 68 days.

St Louis 5- County Core Market – Home Sales and Prices

(click on table for live report)

St Louis 5- County Core Market - Home Sales and Prices

St Louis City and County market about the same…

As the table below shows, the housing market in the city and county of St Louis is performing pretty much the same as for the larger 5-county area.  There were 16,828 homes sold in the past 12-months in this area, which is just 16 home sales more than the prior 12-month period when there were 16,812 homes sold.  The median price of homes sold in the most recent 12 month period was $185,000, a 5.71% increase from the prior 12-month period when the median home price was $175,000.  There is a 2.46 month supply of homes for sale and the median time a home has been on the market for sale is 63 days.

St Louis City and County – Home Sales and Prices

(click on table for live report)

St Louis City and County - Home Sales and Prices

 

St Charles Makes Money Magazine’s 50 Best Places To Live In America List

Money Magazine just released itsThe Best Places To Live In Americalist and St Charles came in at number 32 on the list and was one of only two cities in Missouri to make the list.  The other was Lee’s Summit, in the Kansas City area, which came in at number 41 on the list.

In choosing the best cities to live in, Money Magazine looked at cities with populations of at least 50,000 people, then eliminated any place that had either a crime rate more than double the national crime risk rate, a median income of less than 85% of the state’s median household income, or a lack of ethnic diversity.  After that step, they were left with 583 cities that “qualified”.  From there, Money says they “then collected more than 135,000 different data points to narrow the list. We considered data on each place’s economic health, cost of living, diversity, public education, income, crime, ease of living, and amenities.”  Their reporters then even went so far as to interview residents and checked out the neighborhoods of the best scoring cities to narrow down the list to the top 50 in the country.

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