Family moving to STL in June (St. Louis, Kirkwood: transplants, for sale, real estate)

[kellyt]

Our family of four is moving to STL in June - relocating from Charlotte, NC. My husband will be working downtown. We are looking for a great family neighborhood with neighborhood pool, park-like setting. We've gotten spoiled here in Charlotte with the beautiful trees and great weather! We like to be outside a lot. Our children are both in elementary school - great school is very important (with active parents). We are also looking for a place with good sports associations and a good United Methodist Church nearby. Price range: $400-$500K. Thanks for any help. Commute time - no more than 45 minutes each way. Thanks for any help and guidance!

[aragx6]

Do you prefer new construction in more of the outer-ring suburbs or older neighborhoods with big trees and walkable downtowns? Depending on your answer I'd suggest very different places.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Just doing a search online there are United Methodist churches in Manchester, kirkwood, and Sappington, and one a couple of blocks from Scottrade Center and one in Lafayette Square.

$400k-$500k gives you a lot of options, though you could get a nice house in a lot of STL for $300k or less.

And for that much you could probably have your own private pool if you wanted to.

But here it's from about Late May-August. It's a little chilly (usually) the rest of the year, though sometimes you have hot days in April.

If you do a property such for the city, it may not bring up many results for $400-$500k, since you don't need to spend that much. Search maybe $200-$300k range for a 3 or 4 BR. You can find them for $400-$500k, you just won't get as many results usually.

But since it sounds like you want St. Louis County, you can find plenty of 3BR or 4 BR places for $400-$500k, but again, you can find places that are good for half that.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

For a St. Louis County search you can search here
STLtoday - Homes
Under St. Louis county you can search by city, including Sappington, Manchester, and Kirkwood.
Coldwell Banker Gundaker -- Your site for St. Louis Real Estate is good, too, but you can't search by city, only by county, so it's better (in my opinion) for city searches.
Try REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale as well.

[TGS]

Originally Posted by STLCardsBlues1989

For a St. Louis County search you can search here
STLtoday - Homes
Under St. Louis county you can search by city, including Sappington, Manchester, and Kirkwood.
Coldwell Banker Gundaker -- Your site for St. Louis Real Estate is good, too, but you can't search by city, only by county, so it's better (in my opinion) for city searches.
Try REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale as well.

STLCardsBlues, you have been using the wrong Coldwell Banker search page. Here is the better one:
Coldwell Banker Gundaker -- Your site for St. Louis Real Estate
You can search by city, school district, zip code, subdivision, etc. The mapping feature is also nice, because you can pull up a map for a house and also see the nearby houses for sale.

[CellarBelle]

I'm a Charlotte native, still have family there and in the area, and my vote is Edwardsville, Illinois! You won't find the neighborhoods with the pools, tennis clubs, and clubhouses that are popular in Charlotte (Park Crossing was my old stomping grounds in the mid to late eighties - I should say it was my parent's stomping grounds, I was at Western Carolina Univ), but you will find nice neighborhoods, a wonderful school district (I have a 2nd and 4th grader), two beautiful YMCAs, massive hike and bike trails, and a quaint downtown. It takes me 30 minutes to get to Busch Stadium, and last Thursday night I made it to the Cardinal Glennon ER in 30 minutes. Read all of my Ed posts to get a good feel for the area. Our housing costs are nice, but our taxes are our bigger downfall. But, we do have a nice public school system, and the community is wonderful. Also, very open to transplants. I moved here over 5 years ago and had no trouble meeting people. Good luck and I hope you find you love the area!

[kellyt]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Do you prefer new construction in more of the outer-ring suburbs or older neighborhoods with big trees and walkable downtowns? Depending on your answer I'd suggest very different places.

Neighborhoods with more established landscaping/trees are best. Thank you.

[kellyt]

Originally Posted by CellarBelle

I'm a Charlotte native, still have family there and in the area, and my vote is Edwardsville, Illinois! You won't find the neighborhoods with the pools, tennis clubs, and clubhouses that are popular in Charlotte (Park Crossing was my old stomping grounds in the mid to late eighties - I should say it was my parent's stomping grounds, I was at Western Carolina Univ), but you will find nice neighborhoods, a wonderful school district (I have a 2nd and 4th grader), two beautiful YMCAs, massive hike and bike trails, and a quaint downtown. It takes me 30 minutes to get to Busch Stadium, and last Thursday night I made it to the Cardinal Glennon ER in 30 minutes. Read all of my Ed posts to get a good feel for the area. Our housing costs are nice, but our taxes are our bigger downfall. But, we do have a nice public school system, and the community is wonderful. Also, very open to transplants. I moved here over 5 years ago and had no trouble meeting people. Good luck and I hope you find you love the area!

I'm so glad to hear from someone who is from Charlotte who really likes Saint Louis. We've met a few folks in Saint Louis who acted sorry for us when we told them we were leaving NC for MO! In fact, we looked at one house in Saint Louis where the owners were being transferred to Charlotte- they were thrilled! We're excited for the adventure, though, and I appreciate everyone's feedback on good areas.

[kellyt]

We'll also be moving to Saint Louis in June - living in a corporate apartment until we find a house. Any ideas on how to keep two active children busy during the summer months?

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Cardinal games, the Zoo, City Museum

Those are the first things that come to mind.

The City Museum might depend on how old they are, though.