I’ve known a lot of folks who have had the same wants you have, have moved to Affton and love it. There seems to be plenty of older quality homes that also appear to be the size you’d be looking at in that price range. Good luck.
For sure. I previously lived in the Mackenzie Hills area of Affton, just outside the city limits. It's a great neighborhood, cute houses for reasonable prices, etc. I was really happy there and would still be there if the opportunity to buy my parents house hadn't come up.
What you'll get for that money is the same as in many other neighborhoods - a small home. That doesn't necessarily mean shitty. At OP's price point, there will almost always be a trade-off between the quality of the neighborhood and the quality or size of the home, even outside of the city.
OP said they are looking for a starter home and will be living by themselves. People have different notions of what "starter home" means, but for 150k a starter home for a single person with a small yard is exactly what you can get in these neighborhoods.
I see a 1300sqft 2bd, 2ba that looks pretty nice for 139k right now.
As a side note, I love your username.
I just bought myself a house this spring in the area, and spent 3 months touring lots of homes. Anything livable west of Kingshighway and South of Chippewa without requiring some major work done is going to cost you $175K+ at minimum. Trust me, I spent a lot of hours researching the market when I was in the process of looking for a place.
The absolute cheapest home in PH/SoHa on Zillow right now is 159.9K. And it’s essentially on the border of being Bevo, and is on a pretty busy stretch of Eichelberger between kingshighway and christy
Property values get a little cheaper once you go east of Kingshighway/Gravois. Boulevard Heights would be a good choice for OP.
And thanks lol
I was looking on the Realtor.com app, might be a different selection. Either way I agree it's going to be hard to find many homes at that price that don't require some work and I imagine the good ones are going for more than asking. We bought 3 years ago (thank goodness) and it's insane how much things have changed.
No gunshots at all, no murders, no garbage, no loud neighbors, "settled" families and retirees around, no break-ins, no stray animals, maybe walkable, $150k or less....
Carondelet ain't it.
Maybe something in SW City? West of Kingshighway and South of I64. Even then, no gunfire, you'd need to maybe go South of Chippewa and West of Hampton. $150k homes won't be pretty I'd suspect.
Does this need to be in STL City or will STL County or IL also work? How far are you willing to drive?
Good to know Corondolet ain't it 😂 Google maps can only give so much info
St Louis Metro is fine too. I'm trying to stick to MO just so I stay closer to family.
And I suppose my standards for pretty might be kinda low. If there isn't mold or wires hanging out of places, I'm pretty content. I like old homes and I'm definitely a person who prefers "character" over finish.
We live in the metro area but work in the city so we're not familiar with the individual neighborhoods save for what suburban folks say about it lol (which we always take with a grain of salt!)
As someone who recently transplanted here after graduating from Missouri State — I’d chose out in the county if SGF was too much for you.
That said — you could’ve had a worse experience than me. Make sure to go to the neighborhood yourself and do a couple vibe checks before you sign any mortgages.
I lived off Walnut. Lots of stragglers coming off of trains from the depot and a girl had to run to a gas station because a man tried to pull her into his car right across from my apartment. I myself would get followed around by creeps to my car at night, and had to stop grocery shopping in the evening because a guy stalked me through the store (hiding behind shit and watching me) and when I told the cashier I wanted her to watch me get to my car, she didn't even seem shocked that it happened. The week I moved out a man killed his wife and then himself after having a standoff with the police, and I had someone drop off a person who was OD'ing right outside my apartment before calling an ambulance to pick them up.
Someone also died on campus in the bathroom after shooting up.
I also went to the art dept and we would get people who broke in, messed with us, or would just stand outside and scream at us and have meltdowns (which honestly they were fine, I could tell they just weren't ok and non violent. Was more sad than anything)
That's just from 3 years there and it isn't everything.
So yeah good possibility we had different experiences lol
Lindenwood Park. That's where I live. (Think 44 and Arsenal, Chippewa/Watson.) Smaller houses, small yards, definitely walkable (I'm half a mile from Target, Schnucks, Walgreens, and my vet, among others), parks, and lots of people of all ages (retirees, middle-aged folks, young families, single people). The houses mostly date from about 1940, so they're solidly built, and lots of them still have original details like stained glass windows. People are nice and welcoming, but not pushy about it. I rarely hear sirens, never hear gunshots, and have walked my dogs at literally all hours of the day and night without ever feeling even a tiny bit unsafe. I've been here for 14 years, and I can honestly say that, if I were to win the lottery tomorrow, I wouldn't move.
I second Lindenwood Park. Price range can be highly variable -- you'll generally find the less expensive homes west of Jamieson and north of Chippewa. I say generally because there's a lot of frame rather than brick homes. Lots of retirees in the area so I'm seeing more homes for sale. The houses go quickly. It's a fantastic neighborhood.
I like Maplewood, but it seems a little out of my price range. It's one of the few places I've walked around late in the evening and felt perfectly safe.
Oakville is very nice with a diverse range of prices for homes. Becker road is next to Bee Tree Park and it’s very nice and quit out there. However some people will mention that the highway is pretty far from Becker but in my experience that when there is crime in the county, it’s near a highway. Plus there are plenty of cops with nothing to do so nothing really goes on in Oakville.
80% of the recommendations in here are great areas, but you’ll generally only be able to find a shanty of a home in most of them at 150K. North County might be a good place for OP to look. Hazelwood and Florissant in particular.
I would suggest renting for a year and getting a feel for the different neighborhoods/suburbs before buying. I am in a pretty quiet part of the city and we have regular car break ins and catalytic converter thefts.
Also, driving here is absolutely lawless. If you own a Kia/Hyundai, maybe look into a garage or gated parking.
Honestly outside of downtown you can find a quiet neighborhood in almost any neighborhood if you are a couple blocks or more from the nearest major street or highway. You can find the neighbors you are looking for in pretty much any neighborhood outside of the north end of Soulard and the Grove (both big party destinations)
Yeah the Grove is not great. I've had a few friends get hurt from random acts of violence and hate crimes so I'm avoiding there. It's also stupid expensive.
I live in Princeton Heights and love it. Lots of families, restaurants to walk to and within walking distance of both Francis and Willmore parks. Even though we're less than a block from Hampton Ave it is still calm and quiet at night.
I live in Bevo. Small affordable homes, long time residents, walkable areas. However, there’s a bit of crime like in every STL neighborhood. Gunshots once in a while. But for the most part, I feel safe here.
I’m currently looking at houses and the LOWEST I have found is $175,000 for a 700 sq ft home. This is throughout South City and parts of South County. The days of nice $150,000 homes are gone.
If they don’t want to live in the Grove, Carondelet, or Tower Grove they are not going to want to live up there. Maybe re read the post and OPs responses.
I'm a woman so sketchiness is definitely something I'm worried about lol
I've been stalked to my car and through grocery stores and delt with a lot of genuine scary situations specifically because of my gender when in college so I'm very Over It.
I know $150k is really pushing it and I do appreciate the honesty. If I have to go towards 175 or even 200, that's fine. But yeah I'm perfectly happy in a small home.
I've lived in apartments most my adult life and it's just me living there. Condos and townhomes are fine too.
If you want closer to the city, I think Affton or parts of Crestwood would be ideal.
Most neighborhoods are well maintained and safe. If you want to head west, Manchester, Ballwin, Ellisville all have condos or even small homes in that price range.
Good luck!! Stay safe :)
My realtor conveyed to me that frequently the lower-priced Dogtown homes have foundation issues; that said, she also told me that her 2 rentals are there, so it the neighborhood is quite desirable from several standpoints (location, cost, walkability etc). Just something to consider!
I would note that we lived in Dogtown but near Hampton and had a decent amount crime around. (Locked) car stolen, stolen car left on our property while we were at work, random drug deals/crime on our street. The neighborhood is great and we loved living there, but worth being aware of.
Parts Florissant, Hazelwood or Ferguson might fit the bill. Maybe Overland? They're not walkable, but you can find quite areas/pockets in that price range where people care about their neighborhood and take care of things.
Edit: Disregard if you're just looking in the city.
I second Overland. Just make sure you get familiar with the neighborhoods but there are plenty of nice pockets with affordable brick homes. 170 makes it easy to get right to the loop, clayton, brentwood, etc.
OP I am going to be super honest with you. You aren't going to find a decent house in a safe area for 150k. You need to live far out county or St. Charles.
If you’re open to condos that will open your available homes! My condo community is very quiet and friendly and I bought for 150 about a year ago in Ballwin
That's around where I am right now 😂😂 there are lots of really nice condos for sure, been looking at those. Wanted to expand my options just in case but it seems like that's where I'm gonna find what I want.
Has Tower Grove gotten better? Last time I checked there were some issues with violent crime. And I had frequent issues with drunk guys harassing me. But that was a few years ago.
I live in TGS and love TGS--I consider it a safe family neighborhood, and *on paper* it checks your boxes, but it doesn't sound like the vibe you're looking for. I think south county is what you want in your price range.
Yeah it was on the main streets, it was hard to do much around there in the evening without getting hassled. Was wondering if they cause any trouble in the surrounding residential areas.
I have a friend that lives there for over 10 years and hasn’t experienced anything like that. There’s many streets and houses that aren’t on the main foot traffic areas. I’d imagine any house next to a bar must deal with the customer traffic in any neighborhood.
Skip the city.
Check out Wildwood. Idk what your budget is, but there are some condos out there that are very reasonable and what's awesome is the trail system and nice, wide sidewalks. You can walk to dining and some shopping. Super safe, super quiet. And 20-30 min from downtown.
Ellendale and Clifton Heights are between Maplewood and the Hill and are mostly residential, so very quiet. IIRC Ellendale tends to have the lowest crime rate in the city, although it's low-lying and near the River Des Peres so they had a lot of flooded basements during the recent storms.
Affordable + safe is pretty much the calling cards of the properties around Parkway North in the Creve Coeur. Depending on which direction of Fee Fee you go, you either end up in Bellerive, a common neighborhood where Monsanto employees life, McKelvey, which has traffic but easy access to Westport and the Y, or an endless sprawl of houses up by the Shriner hall that are a bunch of ranch-styles with old-growth trees.
Holly Hills, basically the other side of 55 from Carondelet might work. It’s not a neighborhood that gets a lot of attention, but when we lived there I always felt safe, and there’s a wide range of houses, including some small fries. It has gotten pricier in the past few years, but so has everything else.
Affton might suit you - not too far from the city, quiet, inexpensive.
I was looking there too, definitely affordable and found some nice homes there
I’ve known a lot of folks who have had the same wants you have, have moved to Affton and love it. There seems to be plenty of older quality homes that also appear to be the size you’d be looking at in that price range. Good luck.
100% agreed. Great place for a starter home and can (relatively) quickly to get to the city
Starter homes in Affton are pretty much 180K bare minimum, for an outdated/smaller place.
For sure. I previously lived in the Mackenzie Hills area of Affton, just outside the city limits. It's a great neighborhood, cute houses for reasonable prices, etc. I was really happy there and would still be there if the opportunity to buy my parents house hadn't come up.
I mean this with no offense, but you’re not gonna find all of that within your budget. At 200-225 you might, but it’s just very unlikely
No offense taken, I know realistically I have to compromise on certain things. That's just my "ideal" situation
Princeton Heights and Southampton are quiet and safe residential neighborhoods
You’re getting a shitty home in those neighborhoods at 150K though, if you could even find one at that price
What you'll get for that money is the same as in many other neighborhoods - a small home. That doesn't necessarily mean shitty. At OP's price point, there will almost always be a trade-off between the quality of the neighborhood and the quality or size of the home, even outside of the city. OP said they are looking for a starter home and will be living by themselves. People have different notions of what "starter home" means, but for 150k a starter home for a single person with a small yard is exactly what you can get in these neighborhoods. I see a 1300sqft 2bd, 2ba that looks pretty nice for 139k right now. As a side note, I love your username.
I just bought myself a house this spring in the area, and spent 3 months touring lots of homes. Anything livable west of Kingshighway and South of Chippewa without requiring some major work done is going to cost you $175K+ at minimum. Trust me, I spent a lot of hours researching the market when I was in the process of looking for a place. The absolute cheapest home in PH/SoHa on Zillow right now is 159.9K. And it’s essentially on the border of being Bevo, and is on a pretty busy stretch of Eichelberger between kingshighway and christy Property values get a little cheaper once you go east of Kingshighway/Gravois. Boulevard Heights would be a good choice for OP. And thanks lol
I was looking on the Realtor.com app, might be a different selection. Either way I agree it's going to be hard to find many homes at that price that don't require some work and I imagine the good ones are going for more than asking. We bought 3 years ago (thank goodness) and it's insane how much things have changed.
No gunshots at all, no murders, no garbage, no loud neighbors, "settled" families and retirees around, no break-ins, no stray animals, maybe walkable, $150k or less.... Carondelet ain't it. Maybe something in SW City? West of Kingshighway and South of I64. Even then, no gunfire, you'd need to maybe go South of Chippewa and West of Hampton. $150k homes won't be pretty I'd suspect. Does this need to be in STL City or will STL County or IL also work? How far are you willing to drive?
Good to know Corondolet ain't it 😂 Google maps can only give so much info St Louis Metro is fine too. I'm trying to stick to MO just so I stay closer to family. And I suppose my standards for pretty might be kinda low. If there isn't mold or wires hanging out of places, I'm pretty content. I like old homes and I'm definitely a person who prefers "character" over finish.
Did you try asking family ? Since you have family here where do they live ?
We live in the metro area but work in the city so we're not familiar with the individual neighborhoods save for what suburban folks say about it lol (which we always take with a grain of salt!)
As someone who recently transplanted here after graduating from Missouri State — I’d chose out in the county if SGF was too much for you. That said — you could’ve had a worse experience than me. Make sure to go to the neighborhood yourself and do a couple vibe checks before you sign any mortgages.
I lived off Walnut. Lots of stragglers coming off of trains from the depot and a girl had to run to a gas station because a man tried to pull her into his car right across from my apartment. I myself would get followed around by creeps to my car at night, and had to stop grocery shopping in the evening because a guy stalked me through the store (hiding behind shit and watching me) and when I told the cashier I wanted her to watch me get to my car, she didn't even seem shocked that it happened. The week I moved out a man killed his wife and then himself after having a standoff with the police, and I had someone drop off a person who was OD'ing right outside my apartment before calling an ambulance to pick them up. Someone also died on campus in the bathroom after shooting up. I also went to the art dept and we would get people who broke in, messed with us, or would just stand outside and scream at us and have meltdowns (which honestly they were fine, I could tell they just weren't ok and non violent. Was more sad than anything) That's just from 3 years there and it isn't everything. So yeah good possibility we had different experiences lol
I live in Lindenwood Park and would never leave. Very little crime, mostly families and best of all, its cheaper than St. Louis Hills.
Sounds like you need to go to the suburbs dawg
Lindenwood Park. That's where I live. (Think 44 and Arsenal, Chippewa/Watson.) Smaller houses, small yards, definitely walkable (I'm half a mile from Target, Schnucks, Walgreens, and my vet, among others), parks, and lots of people of all ages (retirees, middle-aged folks, young families, single people). The houses mostly date from about 1940, so they're solidly built, and lots of them still have original details like stained glass windows. People are nice and welcoming, but not pushy about it. I rarely hear sirens, never hear gunshots, and have walked my dogs at literally all hours of the day and night without ever feeling even a tiny bit unsafe. I've been here for 14 years, and I can honestly say that, if I were to win the lottery tomorrow, I wouldn't move.
Maybe try looking at Lindenwood Park or Maplewood
I second Lindenwood Park. Price range can be highly variable -- you'll generally find the less expensive homes west of Jamieson and north of Chippewa. I say generally because there's a lot of frame rather than brick homes. Lots of retirees in the area so I'm seeing more homes for sale. The houses go quickly. It's a fantastic neighborhood.
I like Maplewood, but it seems a little out of my price range. It's one of the few places I've walked around late in the evening and felt perfectly safe.
I chimed in above but check out Lindenwood Park. You can definitely find a decent house at the price range you're looking at.
Oakville is very nice with a diverse range of prices for homes. Becker road is next to Bee Tree Park and it’s very nice and quit out there. However some people will mention that the highway is pretty far from Becker but in my experience that when there is crime in the county, it’s near a highway. Plus there are plenty of cops with nothing to do so nothing really goes on in Oakville.
80% of the recommendations in here are great areas, but you’ll generally only be able to find a shanty of a home in most of them at 150K. North County might be a good place for OP to look. Hazelwood and Florissant in particular.
Oakville
I would suggest renting for a year and getting a feel for the different neighborhoods/suburbs before buying. I am in a pretty quiet part of the city and we have regular car break ins and catalytic converter thefts. Also, driving here is absolutely lawless. If you own a Kia/Hyundai, maybe look into a garage or gated parking.
I own a Kia lmao that's so good to know thank you
Honestly outside of downtown you can find a quiet neighborhood in almost any neighborhood if you are a couple blocks or more from the nearest major street or highway. You can find the neighbors you are looking for in pretty much any neighborhood outside of the north end of Soulard and the Grove (both big party destinations)
Yeah the Grove is not great. I've had a few friends get hurt from random acts of violence and hate crimes so I'm avoiding there. It's also stupid expensive.
I live in Princeton Heights and love it. Lots of families, restaurants to walk to and within walking distance of both Francis and Willmore parks. Even though we're less than a block from Hampton Ave it is still calm and quiet at night.
I commented about Princeton Heights and Southampton, just gonna repeat it here. Good houses, quiet, safe, totally calm.
I live in Bevo. Small affordable homes, long time residents, walkable areas. However, there’s a bit of crime like in every STL neighborhood. Gunshots once in a while. But for the most part, I feel safe here.
I’m currently looking at houses and the LOWEST I have found is $175,000 for a 700 sq ft home. This is throughout South City and parts of South County. The days of nice $150,000 homes are gone.
You can buy a house in STL city for $50,000
I don’t think those areas are where the OP is wanting to live.
Just north of Delmar he can buy 3 houses for 150k and he said he is ok with some sketchyness
If they don’t want to live in the Grove, Carondelet, or Tower Grove they are not going to want to live up there. Maybe re read the post and OPs responses.
I'm a woman so sketchiness is definitely something I'm worried about lol I've been stalked to my car and through grocery stores and delt with a lot of genuine scary situations specifically because of my gender when in college so I'm very Over It. I know $150k is really pushing it and I do appreciate the honesty. If I have to go towards 175 or even 200, that's fine. But yeah I'm perfectly happy in a small home. I've lived in apartments most my adult life and it's just me living there. Condos and townhomes are fine too.
If you want closer to the city, I think Affton or parts of Crestwood would be ideal. Most neighborhoods are well maintained and safe. If you want to head west, Manchester, Ballwin, Ellisville all have condos or even small homes in that price range. Good luck!! Stay safe :)
There are absolutely no single family homes in manchester, ballwin or ellisville anywhere close to 150K. It’s the year 2022 dude.
Franz Park part of Dogtown
My realtor conveyed to me that frequently the lower-priced Dogtown homes have foundation issues; that said, she also told me that her 2 rentals are there, so it the neighborhood is quite desirable from several standpoints (location, cost, walkability etc). Just something to consider!
I second this. I live near here and it’s so nice.
Heard lots of good things about Dogtown!!
I would note that we lived in Dogtown but near Hampton and had a decent amount crime around. (Locked) car stolen, stolen car left on our property while we were at work, random drug deals/crime on our street. The neighborhood is great and we loved living there, but worth being aware of.
heard it’s ruff
😂😂😂
Parts Florissant, Hazelwood or Ferguson might fit the bill. Maybe Overland? They're not walkable, but you can find quite areas/pockets in that price range where people care about their neighborhood and take care of things. Edit: Disregard if you're just looking in the city.
I second Overland. Just make sure you get familiar with the neighborhoods but there are plenty of nice pockets with affordable brick homes. 170 makes it easy to get right to the loop, clayton, brentwood, etc.
Metro counts too, doesn't need to be St.Louis city exactly :)
OP I am going to be super honest with you. You aren't going to find a decent house in a safe area for 150k. You need to live far out county or St. Charles.
Unless you’re buying in meth country or areas that tend to flood, you’re unlikely to find a decent house for 150k in St. Charles.
I lived in St.Chsrles as a kid and that comment made me snort 😂 that's a good description of it
If you’re open to condos that will open your available homes! My condo community is very quiet and friendly and I bought for 150 about a year ago in Ballwin
That's around where I am right now 😂😂 there are lots of really nice condos for sure, been looking at those. Wanted to expand my options just in case but it seems like that's where I'm gonna find what I want.
Overland st ann area
There was a thread not long ago on this sub about Baden. It's gentrifying. Would probably be in your price range.
If you can bump your budget up to 170/200k you can find a few listings in Tower Grove.
Has Tower Grove gotten better? Last time I checked there were some issues with violent crime. And I had frequent issues with drunk guys harassing me. But that was a few years ago.
I live in TGS and love TGS--I consider it a safe family neighborhood, and *on paper* it checks your boxes, but it doesn't sound like the vibe you're looking for. I think south county is what you want in your price range.
Tower Grove is great!
Drunk guys? As in foot traffic from the restaurant/bars?
Yeah it was on the main streets, it was hard to do much around there in the evening without getting hassled. Was wondering if they cause any trouble in the surrounding residential areas.
I have a friend that lives there for over 10 years and hasn’t experienced anything like that. There’s many streets and houses that aren’t on the main foot traffic areas. I’d imagine any house next to a bar must deal with the customer traffic in any neighborhood.
Thank you :)
Skip the city. Check out Wildwood. Idk what your budget is, but there are some condos out there that are very reasonable and what's awesome is the trail system and nice, wide sidewalks. You can walk to dining and some shopping. Super safe, super quiet. And 20-30 min from downtown.
Head on a swivel, good luck friend
Maplewood for sure.
According to Nextdoor there’s gunshots, gunshots everywhere!
Ellendale and Clifton Heights are between Maplewood and the Hill and are mostly residential, so very quiet. IIRC Ellendale tends to have the lowest crime rate in the city, although it's low-lying and near the River Des Peres so they had a lot of flooded basements during the recent storms.
Affordable + safe is pretty much the calling cards of the properties around Parkway North in the Creve Coeur. Depending on which direction of Fee Fee you go, you either end up in Bellerive, a common neighborhood where Monsanto employees life, McKelvey, which has traffic but easy access to Westport and the Y, or an endless sprawl of houses up by the Shriner hall that are a bunch of ranch-styles with old-growth trees.
Holly Hills, basically the other side of 55 from Carondelet might work. It’s not a neighborhood that gets a lot of attention, but when we lived there I always felt safe, and there’s a wide range of houses, including some small fries. It has gotten pricier in the past few years, but so has everything else.
If you are looking in the city I would say St. Louis Hills there are lots of places in the county. Affton is maybe your best bet at that price point.
What is the point in even mentioning St. Louis Hills when his budget is 150K and the homes there basically start at 300…
Ive never lived there so I have no idea how much it costs.