Conservative Homeschooling Family relocating to STL -which area is best - please read! which (St. Louis: short sale, real estate)

[cevrazel]

We are moving to STL in the new year and are trying to decide the best area to settle in. We home school so school districts aren't a concern. We need to be relatively close to the airport (30 min's or less) and would like to have access to all of the fun stuff downtown (Forest Park, etc...). Our budget for a home is 160K or less and we are looking for a 4/2+ bath home. A good library, nice parks and rec., and safe community are key - walkable would be a dream come true.

From our quick trips down, we like the Richmond Heights area although I'm not sure we can find what we need in our price range there. We are also thinking Saint Peters/O'Fallon area. Any ideas from those of you out there??? We don't mind living in a more rural area, as long as we are still fairly close to the things I mentioned above.

Any ideas/suggestions would be very much appreciated.

[Dawn10am]

If you want to be close to downtown and Forest Park, yet still want a 4br/2ba for under $160k, I'd recommend looking in Maplewood (walkable), Southwest City (walkable), and South County (not so walkable). However, keep in mind that the closer you are to the city the more liberal your neighbors are going to be, if that matters.

St. Peters and O'Fallon are within that price range and are also very conservative, but are also a long way from the fun/educational offerings of the city and are not walkable in any sense of the term.

I'd probably go with either Maplewood or SW City.

[flynavyj]

Don't worry about needing to find conservative values, you'll find them all over St. Louis. There are areas that tend to lean more conservative than others, but you'll never feel like an outsider anywhere. The homeschooling network is pretty close, I have numerous friends who were raised in home schooling households, and all had normal (yet different) childhoods.

Luckily for you, the St. Louis airport is located very close to the middle of a metro that can be crossed by car in about an hour. So, getting more than 30 minutes from the airport can be difficult in any direction, specifically at your price point and home requirements. If you're wanting a walkable area, I'd check out the city or maybe University City. You can always look in Kirkwood, or other areas close to there such as Rock Hill, Glendale, or Webster Groves. Webster has an independent downtown which is pretty neat, and worth checking out. St. Charles has some very cool areas, and if you're not worried about getting in one of their "GREAT" school districts, you might even be able to find an awesome older home in historic old town, which would add a bit of walkability + keep you within 15 minutes of the airport.

[billiken]

Originally Posted by flynavyj

Don't worry about needing to find conservative values, you'll find them all over St. Louis. There are areas that tend to lean more conservative than others, but you'll never feel like an outsider anywhere. The homeschooling network is pretty close, I have numerous friends who were raised in home schooling households, and all had normal (yet different) childhoods.

Luckily for you, the St. Louis airport is located very close to the middle of a metro that can be crossed by car in about an hour. So, getting more than 30 minutes from the airport can be difficult in any direction, specifically at your price point and home requirements. If you're wanting a walkable area, I'd check out the city or maybe University City. You can always look in Kirkwood, or other areas close to there such as Rock Hill, Glendale, or Webster Groves. Webster has an independent downtown which is pretty neat, and worth checking out. St. Charles has some very cool areas, and if you're not worried about getting in one of their "GREAT" school districts, you might even be able to find an awesome older home in historic old town, which would add a bit of walkability + keep you within 15 minutes of the airport.

All the areas you mentioned are great, but finding 4bds/2+bth for under $160k sounds rough in Rock Hill/Glendale/WG/Kirkwood. We just sold our 3/1 home in Rock Hill, which is probably the cheapest of those towns, for a little under $160 (and it was by no means super fancy--older kitchen finishes, older bath, no finished basement, not huge). I think you could probably find something in St Charles, though.

Missouri as a whole is conservative, but the City of St Louis votes heavily democrat, if that matters to you. I like the city though (but other people's political beliefs don't bug me...and the taxes are still low). St Louis County is closer to 50/50 politically. And then the outlying counties are more conservative.

[flynavyj]

My quick Prustl.com search shows about 5 homes in that area within the price range...specifically if you're willing to negotiate a couple thousand dollars ($165-170k range). Might have to sacrifice on the 2+ full Baths, for a 1.5 BA home, but as anyone who's ever purchased a home knows, you can search for ages, or decide what aspects are most important and decide accordingly.

[aragx6]

I think I'd try and look in the older (63301) sections of St. Charles. The only negative in the area is the schools (and they're by no means terrible) and that's not an issue for you. The area is more conservative than most anything will be in St. Louis County, you'll have easy access to all the community activities and shopping of Main Street St. Charles, and the airport will be easily accessible.

This listing is a short sale, but is an example of what you might find in that area: http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...1_M78007-03230

Please let us know if you have any more questions!

[MUTGR]

Originally Posted by cevrazel

We are moving to STL in the new year and are trying to decide the best area to settle in. We home school so school districts aren't a concern. We need to be relatively close to the airport (30 min's or less) and would like to have access to all of the fun stuff downtown (Forest Park, etc...). Our budget for a home is 160K or less and we are looking for a 4/2+ bath home. A good library, nice parks and rec., and safe community are key - walkable would be a dream come true.

From our quick trips down, we like the Richmond Heights area although I'm not sure we can find what we need in our price range there. We are also thinking Saint Peters/O'Fallon area. Any ideas from those of you out there??? We don't mind living in a more rural area, as long as we are still fairly close to the things I mentioned above.

Any ideas/suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I'd throw out the old town area of Ferguson, at least since districts are not a concern.

[glamatomic]

There are parts of Ferguson that are actually REALLY nice- DH and I's second house pick was in Ferguson. If you can find something in Old Ferguson West for your price range, I would definitely recommend it! The schools are the main issue in North County- but obviously it isn't an issue for you (it wasn't for my husband and I either as we plan on home schooling).

Also, my Buyer's Agent, Shannon Howard was AMAZING- her website is STL Homes with Soul | Shannon Howard's guide to vintage & unique St. Louis real estate

Back to the homeschooling thing though- there is an 'academy' in Maryland Heights called Day Spring which has both Core and Enrichment programs for home schooled children. My baby isn't even born yet (due July 3) but I've been seriously considering it as a socialization option in a few years time.

Maryland Heights is another area you could consider- I used to live there and although I wouldn't consider most of it 'walkable' (it's definitely suburban rather than urban) I think you could definitely find a house that would fit most of your needs within budget. There isn't a library in Maryland Heights itself but there's one in Bridgeton which is only a stones throw away, and the one I used to go to when I lived there.

I personally wouldn't want to live all the way out in St. Peters / O'Fallon. It would definitely be more than 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis, especially in traffic. Stay in St. Louis County if you can, of course I'm biased

[aragx6]

Glam I don't think I knew you were pregnant. Congratulations!

[cevrazel]

My husband has been down a lot over the last year for work and he likes the Maryland Heights area. Maplewood seems nice too. Of the towns everyone mentioned, which to you think is safest?