Best Neighborhoods Around Chesterfield? (St. Louis, St. Charles: hardwood floors, cul-de-sac, real estate)

[clementine.jones]

We're looking at a possible move to the Chesterfield area next summer. My significant other will be working on the northeast side of the Chesterfield Parkway. I would like him to have a tolerable commute, but I'm also interested in having a private lot which is why I'm researching Wildwood as well.

Here's what I want:
Top-notch schools with great parental involvement and awesome teachers
Access to nearby parks/walking trials
Trees! (I love trees)
Easily commutable to Chesterfield Parkway (25 min or less)
4 bedrooms
3 car garage or oversized 2-car garage
Private lot, preferably large -- the larger the better!
Would love to have a neighborhood pool or YMCA or aquatic center nearby

Don't want:
Vinyl-sided boxes
Atrium Ranches
2 story houses with the extra 2-story "great room" box on the back
Average or less-than-average schools

Budget: $200,000-$475,000
We'd consider a fixer upper towards the lower end of our price range, but only houses that needed cosmetic updates towards the upper end.

Someone told me that Claymont Estates fits the bill. Any others?

[cruitr]

River Bend Estates may suit your needs. The homes were built in the 60s and are usually well-maintained.

Here's an River Bend home that sold a few months ago:
67 Sunny Hill Ct, Chesterfield, MO 63017 - Zillow

[clementine.jones]

Thanks! That's definitely one to check out. Any others?

[marigolds6]

The garage is going to be by far the hardest thing to find. Garages that size are uncommon in this area.

The rest should not be too difficult at all:

Most of St Louis County is within 25 minute commute of that particular location (especially since it is a reverse commute for everything east of that location.

The two closest districts are very good districts, and there are lots of public schools options.

To the east especially, the houses are older so more brick and not as much vinyl. Big lots are relatively easy to find. 4 bedroom in your price range is a little more difficult, but certainly doable.

The garage will really be the hard part.

If you really like trails and parks... try going to this map:
Trails
Turn on Greenways, and all of the project options. That will give you a good idea where current trails and parks exist or are planned.
The area near Creve Coeur Lake actually has a large trail network that connects to the Katy Trail across the Missouri River.

[flynavyj]

Much of the newer stuff in Chesterfield will net you a garage of that size...the 3 car garage seemed to gain in popularity within the last 10-15 years or so. The more difficult part will be finding something that's not clad in siding. Most recent trends, from at least the last 20 years involved a brick, stone, or combination front facia, and the remaining three sides were covered in siding. I was just in my friends home in St. Chuck, about a $600k+ home, and it was clad in siding once you left the front of the home...kinda crazy considering the price, but i'm sure it's "Top Notch" siding.

25 minutes to Chesterfield Parkway should be relatively simple, and doesn't limit you to chesterfield, but the southern ends of St. Charles County, and potentially all the way out to Lake St. Louis, as long as traffic isn't bad on I-64.

Simply putting in a requirement of:

Price >100,000<500,000
and
Garage > or = 3 car

That basic search netted about 250 results in Western St. Louis County...tons of homes out there, finding everything you want might be more difficult...but I don't see a reason you can't find a large home, with 4bd, 2.5+ba, with a 3 car garage within your price range...depending on how much land your wanting, it could be more difficult...but based on all the stuff St. Louis offers, I don't think you're going to have a problem...and if you stick from about Clayton, MO and go West until the metro area begins to turn very rural, you'll be in a good to great school district. enjoy the hunt.

[clementine.jones]

Thanks all! If I had to choose between the 3-car garage and a perfect, park-like lot, I would probably pick the lot. (And who knows, maybe that lot would have a spot to put in a detached garage/outbuilding later on ... )

Yeah -- I don't know why shiny vinyl siding is so popular even on the expensive houses here. Where I'm from it would only be used on modular homes or starter homes. The fiber-cement siding looks so much better! Again, that's something that could be changed down the road but a whole subdivision full of vinyl-covered cookie cutter boxes just seems a little soul-less to me.

Speaking of soul, I have really been enjoying the stlouishomeswithsoul.com web site ... I highly recommend it! She's profiled some beautiful properties but a lot of them are in north county and the school situation worries me a bit there.

I'm thinking that we'll probably want to stay in Chesterfield/Wildwood/Creve Couer/Weldon Spring .... I would love to be in Ladue or Clayton schools, but there is very little below 500k in both those areas.

Thanks for the input. More suggestions are welcomed

[flynavyj]

check Olivette for Ladue Schools without the Ladue price. It was becoming popular to build to suit in that city as well...might be a very valid option.

[Dawn10am]

Originally Posted by clementine.jones

a whole subdivision full of vinyl-covered cookie cutter boxes just seems a little soul-less to me.

Stay out of St. Charles County then. At least the newer parts.

[aragx6]

^That's true at the lower price points, but by the time you're getting up to the top of the market at 500k most homes are at least 3 sided brick (you do see a lot of siding on the back of homes however. It isn't the prettiest stuff in the world, but there is a benefit to not having to worry about it for 20+ years. I'm also seeing a ton of 3-car garages, but most lots are only about about 1/2 or a bit more of an acre or less unless you get out far enough that hubby's commute would grow a bit long.

You might look in Whitmoor -- the homes are about 20 years old, the neighborhood is well kept and has a great country club and golf course, the schools are in the very good Francis Howell District, most homes have 3-car garages, lots are about a half acre (slightly larger on the cul-de-sacs) and your husband would have easy access to I-64 to get to Chesterfield. There are actually quite a good number of homes in the subdivision below the top of your budget so you'd have some room to make any upgrades as desired. Here's an example: Coldwell Banker Gundaker -- Your site for St. Louis Real Estate

[billiken]

Geez, at that price point that far out, I'd expect to at least see some hardwood floors in the living area!