buying a house (St. Louis, Ballwin, Rea: condo, low crime, how much)

[chillipeppers]

Hi
We have recently moved to saint louis and are looking to buy a house...can anyone give any advice re. it, i.e whether to buy a house in ballwin or granite city,IL. Advantages or disadvantages re buying in saint louis vs granite city. taxes,commute,schools,price of housing

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Are you looking at any particular suburbs? Or just comparing Ballwin and Granite City and the city?

I wouldn't recommend St. Louis City public schools, just from what I've heard. Really I wouldn't recommend public schools in any major city. But there are nice private schools and magnets.

Do you want a newer home or an older (like 75+ years, which a lot of the city is) home? Do you want a big yard or a small one? Do you want access to MetroLink? Parks?

I would think the city would be cheaper than Ballwin. Illinois is generally considered to have higher taxes, but cheaper housing. The City has a 1% earnings tax. I don't know how much of a difference that will make for you.

Do you have a job yet? Where you work can make a difference where you live.

Some more info would certainly be appreciated.

[STLsue]

...mod cut... We moved 6 times before coming back home to St. Louis where I was born and raised. ...mod cut...

[aragx6]

Guess it depends where you're working really - those are pretty far from one another, so am I right to guess you'll be working in the city?

Honestly I know next to nothing about Granite City... sorry.

[anr_black]

Why those two cities?? Are you working in one and have family in the other??

Granite City is in the metro east (IL side). It's a smallish blue-collar town. The major employers I would guess would be the steel factories and Gateway Hospital. I really don't know about the schools, but you could find what you'd expect in a smaller town--grocery stores, restaurants (mostly fast food and chains) and a couple parks. I used to work near there, so I only know what I've seen passing through. Housing, I would guess, would be much cheaper here than in Ballwin.

Ballwin is a west county St. Louis suburb on the MO side. I don't know a lot about it either, only what I've seen when I visit friends that live there. Seems to be a lot of newer housing, esp. miles of condo developments. Hilly terrain. Granite is more small town; Ballwin is definitely suburban.

In general, property will cost in more in MO, but gas and taxes will be more in IL. Hope this helps--I'm really curious though as to why you're comparing these two specific towns :-)

[JulianJT]

*sigh*

Another "which suburb should I live in" thread.

[aragx6]

*sigh*? You've made 20 posts but yet are already sick of helping peopel figure out where to live? I don't think City Data is the right place for you!

[JulianJT]

Originally Posted by aragx6

*sigh*? You've made 20 posts but yet are already sick of helping peopel figure out where to live? I don't think City Data is the right place for you!

Almost 4,000 posts in under a year? Uh.. Alright

I have been a member here before, but stopped coming long ago. I don't even remember my old screen name. I have been scouring the forums for probably 2 years. I'm not tired of helping people, I'm tired of everyone running to the suburbs.

[ucfjtm]

Originally Posted by JulianJT

Almost 4,000 posts in under a year? Uh.. Alright

I have been a member here before, but stopped coming long ago. I don't even remember my old screen name. I have been scouring the forums for probably 2 years. I'm not tired of helping people, I'm tired of everyone running to the suburbs.

You have to look honestly at the situation though. I'll likely end up in a suburb somewhere after living in the city a few years. There aren't many places within city limits where I can buy a 3000 sq ft house with 3 car garage, have a full acre yard, have very low crime, little traffic, almost no noise, and get great public schooling.. all for under $300k. Your money goes farther in the 'burbs, even if you have to pay a little more for gas to commute.

My primary reason for likely living in the suburbs in the distant future: There's not a lot of open lots to build the house of your dreams within city limits.. unless you're willing to tear something down. Again, cost comes into play.

[STLCardsBlues1989]

Personally, I prefer the charming 80 to 100-year-old homes compared to the cookie cutter, often cheaply-made subdivisions (not that all suburbs are that way).

Obviously older homes require more upkeep, but they can also be cheaper (depending on the suburb). And not everyone wants a 3,000 sq. ft. house. For me, anyway, it's just more to clean. Sometimes city homes are cheaper, but I understand people not wanting to put their kids in public schools. But personally, if I could afford it, I'd rather have a beautiful city (or even inner ring suburb) home and private school rather than a cookie cutter house that looks exactly like my neighbors and has no character and have the "American dream".

Maybe it's just because I'm young, but I live in a town of 400. I have peace and quiet. It would be nice to have some human noise.