Houses in Florissant seem cheap - is there a catch? (Kansas City: for sale, foreclosures)

[icecreamsandwich]

I was looking at houses for sale in Florissant randomly and I noticed there seem to be a large (larger than normal) number of them for sale up there. I mean 2,000+ square foot houses for ~$140k or so - this doesn't seem to happen in the other places I've looked at (st Charles, independence, blue springs, Lee's summit)

I was looking on realtor.com. Does anyone know why this is? Is it because of the airport?

[flynavyj]

North St. Louis county typically has a "crime" stigma to it, and at minimum a "ghetto influenced" stigma. Being from the area, I can tell you that it's no ghetto. There are some incredibly nice homes, neighborhoods, etc throughout Florissant, and some nice acreage as well. The school districts do leave a little to be desired, primarily Hazelwood East, and Hazelwood Central to a lesser extent. Hazelwood West is probably considered the best school district in that area, but I don't think much of Florissant is in Hazelwood West anyway, it's mostly Hazelwood.

The airport isn't a huge factor, as much of Florissant is far enough North that it's away from Lambert's arrival and departure corridor. There are some very affordable homes throughout North County, so if you're looking for a nice quiet place to buy your first home, or even a place to settle in for a while I'd definitely put in a list of places to check out.

[1greatcity]

And it should be added that the bulk of homes in Florissant are cookie cutter post WWII stock, mostly not overly large, and beginning to show some age. Those things are reflected in the home prices you've seen.

[MOKAN]

Florissant sounds a bit like Raytown. When you get back on Realtor.com you should check out northern Raytown, like north of 63rd along the Blue Ridge BLVD and Sterling corridors. There are some really nice, sizeable houses in that area that are inexpensive, plus the area has some character.

I would think you could find similar homes in Independence for that price as well.

[flynavyj]

There are a ton of post WWII homes throughout Florissant, and St. Louis County as a whole. Heck, the vast majority of homes in St. Ann were built to house factory workers during WWII, hence why they're all 2bd, 1ba, brick ranches that look almost identical, minus some of the brickwork, or the several that are frame construction (exact same layouts though).

From a kid who lived in a post WWII community in Bridgeton, I thought it was pretty awesome. It wasn't the suburbs like today, this subdivision was about 1500 homes, and had grocery stores, a movie theater (at one time), lots of small businesses and shops, multiple grade schools (Two public, Two private) and two churches all within the confines of the neighborhood. As a kid, you could walk to any of three fairly large city parks, a community pool, tennis courts, lots of basketball courts, soccer fields, etc...it was a great place to spend a childhood!

Also, while looking online there seem to be some good deals in Florissant that are newer construction. In the barrington downs subdivision which was built just under 20 years ago if memory serves me right. When it was built, there were a lot of stately 2 stories, and plenty of atrium ranches. Was a very cool location, and expensive to say the least. The prices I see up there tell me that folks are taking DRASTIC losses on those properties, so I wonder if there's been some overall decline in the subdivision, or if folks simply don't want to deal with the traffic associated with I-270 East in North County...which was the reason I wasn't willing to move that far Northeast.

-edit-

Looks like Barrington Downs was hit pretty hard with the recession and foreclosures, lots of newer 2,000+ SF homes for sale at ridiculously low prices. Sometimes the interiors are dated 20 years, but the price point would allow for some major profits if the market ever comes back around. A few examples.

http://11023328.jimmybrockman.com/
http://11050986.davidb.pruadv.com/
http://11055291.pete.pruadv.com/

[Smtchll]

^ I didn't even know what an "atrium ranch" was. I had to look it up. Apparently it's a St. Louis thing?

The atrium ranch is a popular floor plan, especially in the Midwest, primarily the St. Louis area. What is an atrium ranch? It’s a ranch style home, usually built on a walkout lot, that features a atrium stairwell connecting the main level with the lower level. The atrium stairwell, typically on the back of the main level great room, is lined by a wall of windows, usually giving great views to the rear of the property. Homeowners are drawn to the atrium ranch because of the openness and the way the atrium itself connects the main level with the lower level. The wall of windows lets in plenty of natural light. Atrium ranch homeowners feel the floor plan allows them to better utilize the lower level by adding bedrooms, baths, recreation rooms, home theatres, and more.

Atrium Ranch | Homes For Sale | New Homes |

[flynavyj]

Yeh, i can remember when several relatives and family friends built atrium ranches in the Florissant area...What people did with the atrium was always interesting, some had water fountains, some had trees that would reach up to the 2nd floor. The open windows was always gorgeous, and if your property backed to common ground, you felt pretty connected to the wooded backyards, etc...Also, the lower levels were always finished, normally with theater rooms, a couple more bedrooms, a bar, etc...plus there would be a portion left unfinished for storage...really a beautiful design, and they were gorgeously executed during the brief time period that they seemed popular.

[Okey Dokie]

Originally Posted by Smtchll

^ I didn't even know what an "atrium ranch" was. I had to look it up. Apparently it's a St. Louis thing?


Atrium Ranch | Homes For Sale | New Homes |

We have a similar style homes in Kansas City, although I didn't know this is what they are called.

[icecreamsandwich]

Thanks for the answers . Much appreciated.

To clarify though - is it that there's crime (more than an average place of Florissant's size) but not that much, or that it's there but over reported (as it seems to be with St. Louis as a whole)?

Ie would it be a good place to settle permanently?

Originally Posted by 1greatcity

And it should be added that the bulk of homes in Florissant are cookie cutter post WWII stock, mostly not overly large, and beginning to show some age. Those things are reflected in the home prices you've seen.

I'm not sure I understand: the properties I saw seem to be larger than in other places for the same price?

[flynavyj]

Crime rates in Florissant are similar to Blue Springs, and lower than both Raytown and Independence. The housing stock you've likely seen are newer homes, which as you said are greater than 1900 SF. Cookie-cutter housing is a very generic term used on these boards to describe the "suburbs" vs the "city". That's all personal opinion, some like brick homes, some like frame homes, some like shake siding, and others vinyl.

I'm sure this is true of many metro areas, but most people in St. Louis don't venture overly far from where they live. I'm sure many city dwellers stay with city neighborhoods and nightlife, while many county dwellers do the same. And to a greater extent, folks from South County don't travel to North County on a regular basis, and vice versa. Because there is a very large percentage (about 23%) of African Americans in Florissant (and much of North County) it tends to have a perception of being "ghetto". As stated, crime numbers don't really correspond well to that assumption.

I'd bet that most of the great housing deals you're seeing in Florissant are the result of the poor economy, high foreclosure rates, soft housing market, and mediocre school performance...not necessarily in that order.