Need help w/ relocation from NC to St Louis (St. Louis: real estate market, houses) - Missouri (MO) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

aragx6 · 02-15-2008, 03:47 PM

Well, to be fair, I did choose to move here, and I really am quite happy...
but someday...

Anyway, back to the topic, Nettie, I really hope you love St. Louis as much as I and the others on this forum do. I'm sure it will be a hard change for you, but hopefully, in the end, a good one.

Bobster · 02-18-2008, 11:54 AM

Hi there! I saw your thread the other day and was doing a search for a different client and came across this one...STLtoday - For Sale (http://realestate.stltoday.com/RealEstate/Sales/Listing.asp?lid=30-8339373 - broken link)

How cool a home is this!

STLCardsBlues1989 · 02-18-2008, 11:56 AM

I agree! That's an awesome house!

NettieNC · 02-21-2008, 08:57 AM

Charlotte is a much smaller, newer city. It does have neighborhoods that remind me of Webster/Kirkwood, Frontenac, and new construction like west county. There are really no areas in Charlotte like Soulard, Central West End, etc.

I like the look of Ladue but really don't get the neighborhood feel like Charlotte. There seem to be lots of short streets off of busy roads and I don't see a lot of sidewalks.

I think I will wait and see where we end up sending the oldest to school before deciding on housing. Like I said in my original post, I don't want to have to get on the interstate or commute more than 10-15 minutes to get to the kids' schools.

NettieNC · 02-21-2008, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragx6

Well, to be fair, I did choose to move here, and I really am quite happy...
but someday...

Anyway, back to the topic, Nettie, I really hope you love St. Louis as much as I and the others on this forum do. I'm sure it will be a hard change for you, but hopefully, in the end, a good one.

Thank you. I know it will be hard but I am enjoying my visits to St. Louis. My husband is renting in Soulard and we have had fun going to the bars and restaurants together. I also enjoyed the Mardi Gras events (the dog parade was my favorite). That said, I don't think Soulard is where I want to settle the family. It is really no where near the schools that I am looking at and that is the biggest issue for me.

NettieNC · 02-21-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aragx6

The city would be perfect for you if you like more urban neighborhoods with single family homes, places like Lafayette square, Soulard and the Central West End. You can also expect a better appreciation in areas like this over much of the suburbs. Places like Ladue and Clayton may well be about maxed when it comes to a speedy appreciation.

Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll consider Central West End when we start to look again. The homes that you and others have posted are beautiful and not nearly as expensive as further west.

I agree with you that Ladue and Clayton may be about maxed out as far as appreciation in the near term.

Bobster · 02-21-2008, 11:55 AM

Nettie: while aragx6 is indeed the sayer of true things...I don't agree with her on this one...I think that Ladue and Clayton, as well as the entire St. Louis region, has a lot of potential for appreciation. We didn't experience the wild and crazy appreciation that some of the other parts of the country did and the things that have made Ladue and Clayton popular for so long will more than likely continue to make them popular for some time to come.

Near term, appreciation just about anywhere is probably going to be stunted, but long term Ladue and Clayton will do fine.

aragx6 · 02-21-2008, 01:34 PM

Obviously I'm not a Realtor, so everything I say is only opinion, and what I'd do if I were looking to buy in the metro right now.

There may well be no new growth for a year or two anywhere, but I would say if any area in the metro is going to appreciate well in the next 2-4 years it'll be areas in the city and areas way out west and south.

I think if you buy a place in much of West County you won't lose money, but realistically you probably can't expect to make money there.

I think long-term investment you can never go wrong with an area with great schools and a solid reputation, and I think long-term investments in questionable city neighborhoods will be good bets.

Areas way far out, may well suffer when looking at 7-10 years out because I think gas is going to be a major issue in the next decade.

I think that came out convoluted, so here's an easier way to look at what I think:

If you're buying and planning to sell in 1-2 years don't expect to make a dime.

If you're buying and selling within 3-5 years I'd buy out in the ex-urbs or in "already there" neighborhoods in the city like CWE, Soulard etc.

If you're buying and not planning to sell for at least 6 years, buy wherever you'll be happiest, but I wouldn't suggest areas far from the urban core. If gas really does go to $8 or more dollars a gallon, those areas are going to struggle. I know $8/gallon sounds insane, but it could be much worse. They're already saying gas will be $4 gallon through much of the U.S. by summer.

Bobster · 02-21-2008, 02:59 PM

Back in the "old" days...when I first got into real estate, we were taught that you pretty much had to own a home for 7 years before it made economic sense. That number has gotten a bit shorter because homes are more expensive now and appreciation is a percentage based thing.

Right now, I'd say that if you aren't thinking that you're going to own your home for at least 5 years, you're probably better off renting.

This number can be shortened if you plan on doing improvements to a home, but even then you need to make sure that you buy the house right and watch where you spend your money on the work because it's easy to spend money fixing up a house that you won't get back if you were to sell.

As far as the outlying areas...I'm not so sure...I remember thinking similar things about St. Charles.....$8.00 a gallon gasoline might bring things to a head though!

mahalemama · 02-22-2008, 01:43 PM

Hey NettieNC
We are also about to relocate to StL from NC. We live in Raleigh and will be moving in May. We are also looking in that same area, Ladue Clayton ect. But we have been finding better luck and pricing in Chesterfield , a little more to the west. We will have a starting Kindergartner so the school search is also very important for us. If you hear any good leads let me know. Good luck with the move.