Buy, Sell & Invest in St. Louis, MO
Brick two-families, neighborhood-by-neighborhood pricing, and city permits.
The City of St. Louis sold near $270,000 in spring 2026 and a three-bedroom rents around $1,700, a gross ratio near seven and a half percent that swings from Dutchtown to the Central West End. Neighborhood is the whole analysis, and we price to the block.
Buying and selling rentals in the City of St. Louis
The City of St. Louis is about thirty to thirty-five minutes from our office at 920 First Capitol Drive in St. Charles. Redfin put the median sale price near $270,000 in May 2026 across hundreds of sales, Zillow's index sat near $187,000 and was flat on the year, and Zumper's three-bedroom rent average was about $1,700 in October 2026. The effective property tax rate runs near 1.65 percent, the highest of the cities we serve alongside Florissant.
Those averages hide the city. A Dutchtown two-family near $160,000 renting its flats at $1,100 each is a high-yield cash-flow play with real management needs; a Tower Grove South or Benton Park house near $275,000 to $300,000 rents to young professionals; a Central West End or Grove condo near $425,000 serves the medical campus and Cortex and runs best furnished. Every purchase needs the city's Housing Conservation occupancy permit before a tenant moves in and a re-inspection every three years, and a 1910 brick building needs a tuckpointing, sewer, roof, and boiler reserve. We underwrite the specific building on the specific block.
The investor advantage
Underwrite before you offer
Local comps, vacancy, and capital expense risk get analyzed before an offer goes out, so the number rests on hard data.
Price the rent as a listing
The rent estimate is the figure we would list the property at, because the person running the numbers is the person who has to hit them.
Buy with a rent-ready list
We walk the property and hand you a structured list of what needs attention to reach full rental yield.
Close, then hand over the keys
Once the transaction clears, management starts the same day: punch list executed, property listed, qualified tenants placed.
Sell with a tenant in place
Showings scheduled around the lease, with tenant rights respected and buyer access managed without violating terms.
Full brokerage backing
Brad is a licensed Missouri Realtor, and the transaction runs through CityScapes Realty with MLS access and a real office behind it.
What the St. Louis city numbers look like
- Price and rent by neighborhood
- From about $160,000 and $1,100 a flat in Dutchtown to $425,000 and furnished rates near the medical campus. The city median tells you nothing; the block tells you everything.
- Occupancy permit and three-year re-inspection
- A permit before any vacant unit is occupied, $120 for a vacant unit or $200 if occupied, a twelve-month certificate, and re-inspection every three years. The Problem Properties unit pursues unpermitted rentals, so the permit history is part of the due diligence.
- Brick and age
- Tuckpointing, flat roofs, sewer laterals, boilers, and knob-and-tube wiring are the capital items on a century-old building. We inspect before offering and size the reserve to the building.
- Selling with a tenant in place
- City two- and four-families trade investor to investor with the rent roll and permit history, and single-family rehabs often net more vacant. We tell you which and manage the sale around the tenants.
More in St. Louis
- Buy, Sell & InvestHow this service works everywhere we manage, in full.
- Property management in St. LouisFull-service management for St. Louis rentals, with local rules and rents.
- Short-Term & Mid-Term Rentals in St. LouisFurnished rentals for traveling professionals in St. Louis.
- The $100 Property AssessmentAn hour on site at your St. Louis property and a written summary.
Buy, sell & invest in nearby cities
- Maryland Heights, MO
- Creve Coeur, MO
- Florissant, MO
- Hazelwood, MO
- All of St. Louis County
- Every service area
Need a furnished place or a home to rent in St. Louis? See our available properties.
St. Louis questions, answered
It can be, for the right property at the right price. St. Louis has steady tenant demand, but rents and purchase prices vary street by street, so a ZIP-code average tells you very little. We underwrite the specific address with current comparable rents, realistic vacancy, make-ready cost, and reserves before you offer.
The figure depends on bedrooms, condition, parking, and the block. We pull comparable rentals that are leasing right now in that part of St. Louis and adjust for your property, and the number you get is the number we would list it at.
That is the most common thing we do. You get a realistic rent range, a rent-ready punch list, an estimate of carrying costs, and an honest read on whether the deal works. If you buy it, the property goes straight into management with no gap, and marketing can start before you close.
Each path carries a different number. Selling occupied opens the door to investor buyers and keeps rent coming in, though it narrows the buyer pool. Selling vacant reaches owner-occupants, who often pay more, while you carry the property empty. We have handled both and can tell you which likely nets more in your situation.
Vacancy and turnover, almost every time, followed by maintenance reserves, utilities during vacancy, make-ready costs, and the occupancy permit and inspection that St. Louis and most nearby municipalities require before a tenant moves in. We build all of it into the numbers before you make an offer.
Bring us the St. Louis address you are thinking about.
Buying, selling, or running the numbers on a maybe in St. Louis, you will get a straight read from the person who would handle the transaction and manage the property afterward.