Despite the rising prices, the number of home sales in Jefferson County saw a slight decrease. In July Continue Reading →]]> The Jefferson County real estate market continues to show resilience with a steady increase in home prices. In July 2026, the median sold price for homes reached $312,250, marking a 2.38% rise from $305,000 in July 2025. This upward trend also reflects a 2.88% increase compared to June 2026, when the median sold price was $303,500. The market’s upward momentum is further highlighted by the median list price, which climbed to $324,950, representing a significant 10.15% increase from $295,000 in July 2025.

Despite the rising prices, the number of home sales in Jefferson County saw a slight decrease. In July 2026, there were 294 home sales, a 1.34% drop from the 298 sales recorded in July 2025. These figures, along with other detailed insights, are illustrated in the chart below, available exclusively from MORE, REALTORS®. This data is essential for anyone interested in the St. Louis, MO real estate market, providing a clear picture of current trends and helping to guide informed decisions.

Given the competition for the house, they made a calculated decision to waive their own inspection to make their offer more attractive. Before they did, we talked more than once about the additional risk they would be taking on. Continue Reading →]]> I recently represented buyers in a multiple-offer situation. The house was being sold through a corporate relocation company, and before making their offer, my buyers had quite a bit of information about the property. They had read the Seller’s Disclosure completed by the people who had lived in the home and reviewed reports provided as part of the relocation transaction.

Given the competition for the house, they made a calculated decision to waive their own inspection to make their offer more attractive. Before they did, we talked more than once about the additional risk they would be taking on. The relocation company had never lived in the house, the reports provided were not a substitute for inspections performed on the buyers’ behalf, and the relocation addendum contained its own limitations and protections for the relocation company. I advised them not to waive their inspections.

But advising a client and making the decision for them are two different things. My job is to make sure buyers understand the risks and help protect their interests. Ultimately, they decide how much risk they are willing to accept, particularly when they’re competing for a house they really want. My buyers understood the tradeoff, made the more aggressive offer and got the house.

After closing, they discovered that the oven wouldn’t heat and two of the four burners didn’t work.

This isn’t a story about whether the previous owners knew the appliances weren’t working. We don’t know that. Nor is it an argument that buyers should never waive inspections. What makes the situation interesting is the way a relocation transaction can change some of the assumptions buyers ordinarily make about who knows what about a house and who is responsible for that information.

In this particular transaction, the relocation company’s obligation to sell was contingent upon it first becoming the contractual owner of the property. The rider also stated that the company had never lived in the house and had no firsthand knowledge of its condition beyond inspections it had reviewed and information provided by the previous owner. The people who knew the house and the party selling it to my buyers weren’t necessarily the same people.

The buyers received a Seller’s Disclosure completed by the previous owner and occupant, but the relocation company specifically stated that it made no representation about the accuracy or conclusiveness of that disclosure. It made the same disclaimer regarding the inspection reports provided to the buyers.

Those documents can still provide useful information. A disclosure completed by someone who actually lived in the house can tell a buyer quite a bit. The same can be true of previous inspection reports. But there’s a difference between being given information and having the party selling you the house stand behind it.

There’s also a difference between receiving someone else’s inspection reports and commissioning your own. Who ordered the report? What was the inspector asked to examine? How old is it? What wasn’t inspected? Has anything changed since then? In this case, the relocation company didn’t prevent my buyers from investigating further. The rider provided an inspection period and specifically acknowledged that the buyers had been advised to obtain their own inspections. They chose to give up that protection as part of their offer strategy.

The relocation rider also wasn’t simply another disclosure to initial. It contained terms that affected the transaction itself. The property was being sold “as is,” including defects known or unknown to the buyer. Acceptance of the deed at closing constituted the buyer’s acknowledgment that the condition of the property, including its fixtures, equipment and appliances, was acceptable.

Other provisions addressed title and closing. If a lien, encumbrance or other cloud made the title unmarketable, the buyer could terminate, but the relocation company had no obligation under the rider to clear the problem. The rider also provided for a potential charge if a buyer- or lender-caused delay pushed closing more than five calendar days beyond the scheduled date. Most importantly, if the rider conflicted with another provision of the purchase agreement, the rider controlled.

Understanding all of that doesn’t necessarily mean a buyer has much leverage to change it. A buyer can ask for different terms or refuse to sign, but the seller doesn’t have to agree. When several buyers are competing for the same house, insisting that a relocation company change its rider may make an offer less attractive or potentially unacceptable. How much flexibility exists will depend on the particular company and transaction.

So the practical question becomes: Knowing that these are the terms under which this property is being offered, am I still comfortable buying this house? If the answer is yes, the next question is how much additional risk to assume elsewhere in the offer.

That’s where the individual decisions start to matter collectively. If the relocation company isn’t standing behind the previous owner’s disclosure, that matters when deciding whether to waive an inspection. If the reports provided were prepared for someone else and come with disclaimers, that matters when deciding how much reassurance to take from them. If the relocation rider changes provisions of the standard sale contract, that matters when deciding what else you’re willing to concede to win the house.

None of this means a relocation property is a bad purchase, and it isn’t unreasonable for a company that has never occupied a house to limit the representations it makes about that house. It simply means that a relocation sale can allocate risk differently than the ordinary resale transaction it may resemble.

My buyers’ oven and two nonworking burners were relatively minor in the universe of things that can go wrong with a house, but they illustrate why buyers need to look at their offer as a whole. When you’re trying to make an offer more competitive, don’t just ask what protection you’re willing to give up.

Ask how much risk you’ve already agreed to take on.

Karen Moeller
STLKaren.com
Karen.McNeill@STLRE.com
314.678.7866

About the Author:
Karen Moeller is a St. Louis area REALTOR® with MORE, REALTORS® and a regular contributor to St. Louis Real Estate News, helping clients make informed, data-driven decisions.

For those in the St. Louis real estate market, these rate reductions could translate into more manageable monthly Continue Reading →]]> In an encouraging development for prospective homebuyers in the St. Louis area, mortgage rates have seen a downward trend this August 2026. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate now stands at 6.74%, reflecting a decrease of 0.05% from the previous level. This drop marks a significant movement away from the high levels above 6.5% that have characterized much of this year’s market. The 15-year fixed rate also edged down slightly to 6.27%, offering a more favorable option for buyers looking for shorter-term financing.

For those in the St. Louis real estate market, these rate reductions could translate into more manageable monthly payments, offering some relief amidst otherwise high borrowing costs. Sellers may also find this trend advantageous, as lower rates could stimulate buyer interest and activity, potentially leading to quicker home sales. As always, historical rate information can be accessed at the chart button below for a more comprehensive understanding of these fluctuations.

This data, provided by MORE, REALTORS®, highlights a pivotal moment for the St. Louis housing market, where falling rates could invigorate both buyers and sellers. As the market adjusts to these changes, staying informed on current mortgage rates remains crucial for making strategic real estate decisions.

*Rates shown are national averages from Mortgage News Daily’s Rate Index and are updated as of August 13, 2026. Individual rates may vary based on factors including loan amount, down payment, credit score, property type, occupancy status, and market conditions. Contact a licensed mortgage professional for personalized rate quotes.

I have a much more sensitive nose than my husband, so when he couldn’t smell anything, I tried to talk myself out of it. Maybe someone had walked down the street smoking marijuana. Maybe a neighbor was outside smoking. But the smell persisted, and as I moved around the house, I became convinced it was strongest near my air vents.

That’s when my imagination went somewhere considerably less pleasant: What if an animal had gotten into the ductwork?

I went outside and inspected the Continue Reading →]]> Earlier this spring, I was cleaning my house when I suddenly smelled skunk.

I have a much more sensitive nose than my husband, so when he couldn’t smell anything, I tried to talk myself out of it. Maybe someone had walked down the street smoking marijuana. Maybe a neighbor was outside smoking. But the smell persisted, and as I moved around the house, I became convinced it was strongest near my air vents.

That’s when my imagination went somewhere considerably less pleasant: What if an animal had gotten into the ductwork?

I went outside and inspected the air intake. It was elevated and screened, making my theory seem pretty unlikely. Within a couple of days, the smell disappeared, and I mostly forgot about it.

Then, a couple of months later, it happened again.

By this point, I had mentioned the mystery smell more than once, but no one else had actually smelled it. One friend even suggested that perhaps I should talk to my doctor, just to make sure the problem wasn’t my nose rather than my house.

Then one night my husband, Craig, and I were watching television when I smelled it again. I mentioned it, and within seconds he could smell it too.

“Is this what you’ve been smelling all along?” he asked.

Yes. Exactly that.

Now I knew two things: I wasn’t imagining it, and somewhere around our house there really was a skunk.

I started looking more carefully outside and noticed what appeared to be animal burrows beneath both the front porch and back deck. A few nights later, sitting on the back porch around 10 p.m., we finally met our visitor.

A young skunk, about the size of a small cat, emerged from the bushes and wandered around the yard. He was surprisingly cute. He was also the animal that had been digging up my plants and leaving their roots exposed. Eventually, he disappeared back into the landscaping and continued digging.

At least one mystery was solved.

But another remained: If the skunk was outside, why had I been smelling him inside the house, and why did the smell seem strongest near my air vents?

So How Was the Smell Getting Inside?

It turns out houses move a lot more air than most of us probably imagine.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, most residential forced-air heating and cooling systems do not mechanically bring fresh outdoor air into the house. Instead, outdoor air enters homes in several ways, including through open doors and windows and through a process called infiltration.

Infiltration is simply outdoor air finding its way through openings, joints and cracks in walls, floors and ceilings and around windows and doors. Wind and differences between indoor and outdoor temperatures can help drive that movement.

In other words, outdoor air doesn’t need an open window or an obvious hole to get into your house. Whatever is in that air can come along for the ride.

That still left the question of why I had associated the smell so strongly with the vents.

Once an outdoor odor gets inside, a forced-air system can move that indoor air around the house. There is also another possible pathway in some homes: duct leakage. The U.S. Department of Energy warns that poorly sealed return ducts running through unconditioned spaces can draw in contaminated air and distribute it throughout a house.

Depending on where ductwork runs and where air is entering the structure, an HVAC system can potentially help move an odor whose actual source is somewhere else.

That doesn’t prove what happened in my house. We didn’t conduct pressure testing or inspect the duct system afterward, so I can’t tell you exactly which pathway brought eau de skunk into my living room.

What surprised me was realizing that smelling something at an air vent didn’t mean it originated there. The vent may have been the messenger rather than the source.

I had thought of my house as fairly closed to the outdoors when the windows and doors were shut. In reality, air was still moving between the two. The HVAC system was moving air inside the house, while wind, temperature differences and pressure changes could move outdoor air through openings I couldn’t see.

The skunk simply made that invisible movement very easy to smell.

Once we actually saw him, some other pieces fell into place. The Missouri Department of Conservation says striped skunks are common in urban and suburban areas and often shelter beneath decks, porches and sheds. They forage primarily at night, and during spring and summer insects and larvae make up an important part of their diet.

That explained why the spaces beneath my porch and deck were attractive real estate and why he spent so much time digging around my landscaping. Living across from a wooded lot may have made seeing a skunk less surprising, but apparently there was plenty on my own property to interest him.

My yard had amenities.

For several months, I had treated the smell inside the house, the holes beneath the porch and deck, and the mysteriously uprooted plants as separate little mysteries. Eventually, a small skunk wandering through my backyard connected them.

I started out wondering how a skunk could possibly have gotten into my air ducts.

What I learned instead was that he didn’t need to.

Karen Moeller
STLKaren.com
Karen.McNeill@STLRE.com
314.678.7866

About the Author:
Karen Moeller is a St. Louis area REALTOR® with MORE, REALTORS® and a regular contributor to St. Louis Real Estate News, helping clients make informed, data-driven decisions.

Following closely is the Columbia DIST 4 School District, serving parts of Monroe and St. Clair counties Continue Reading →]]> The St. Louis metropolitan area continues to attract home buyers with its diverse and thriving communities, and recent data highlights the fastest selling school districts in this dynamic region. Leading the charge is the Gasconade Co. R-I School District, straddling Gasconade and Montgomery counties, where homes are selling at lightning speed. With only one active listing averaging just 20 days on the market and a list price of $439,500, this district is a hot spot for families seeking a swift home buying process.

Following closely is the Columbia DIST 4 School District, serving parts of Monroe and St. Clair counties in Illinois. This district boasts 33 active listings, also averaging 20 days on the market, making it a popular choice for buyers. The third spot is held by the THOMPSONVILLE COMMUNITY 174 School District in Franklin, with an average market time of 22 days for its single listing. For those interested in exploring more about these quick-selling areas, MORE, REALTORS® provides a comprehensive list of the fastest selling school districts at the end of this article, ensuring you have all the information needed to make informed real estate decisions in the St. Louis metro area.

That’s a decision the buyer can make. It doesn’t mean the insurance company has made the same one.

Obtaining homeowners insurance often feels like a simple item on the home-buying checklist. Call an insurance agent, provide the property address and some information, receive a quote, send it to the lender and move Continue Reading →]]> In a competitive real estate market, buyers sometimes waive inspections to make their offer more attractive. They may decide they’re comfortable accepting the house as it sits, including the aging roof, outdated electrical panel or other conditions they might otherwise have investigated during an inspection period.

That’s a decision the buyer can make. It doesn’t mean the insurance company has made the same one.

Obtaining homeowners insurance often feels like a simple item on the home-buying checklist. Call an insurance agent, provide the property address and some information, receive a quote, send it to the lender and move on. But getting an insurance quote and establishing that a particular property is insurable are not the same thing.

Major insurance carriers describe homeowners quotes as estimates rather than contracts or guarantees of coverage. An application may still be subject to underwriting, and the insurer may need additional information about the property before deciding whether it will insure it.

That distinction matters because the standard St. Louis residential sales contract doesn’t simply tell buyers to get an insurance quote. It contains a separate contingency specifically addressing insurability.

Your Inspection Period and Insurability Period Do Different Jobs

Paragraph 10 of the St. Louis REALTORS® Residential Sale Contract deals with property inspections. Under the standard language, a buyer has 10 days unless a different period is inserted to conduct inspections and exercise the rights provided under that contingency.

Paragraph 10a addresses something different. It says the contract is conditioned upon the buyer’s ability to obtain homeowner/hazard insurance. Unless another period is specified, that Insurability Period is also 10 days.

The two periods may run alongside each other, but they answer different questions.

The inspection contingency asks whether the buyer is willing to accept the house. The insurability contingency asks whether an insurance company is willing to accept the risk.

A buyer can review what they know about a property’s condition and decide they’re comfortable proceeding. That decision doesn’t bind the insurance company, which evaluates the property for a different purpose and under its own underwriting requirements.

What If You Waived Inspections Entirely?

This is where the contract gets particularly interesting.

Paragraph 10a specifically anticipates that an insurance company may require an inspection and says that, if one is required, it must be completed before the Insurability Period expires.

Paragraph 19 goes even further. It requires the seller, with reasonable advance notice, to permit inspections required by the buyer’s lender or insurer.

So a buyer can decide not to inspect the property for their own purposes, while an insurance company can still decide it needs additional information or an inspection before accepting the risk.

Waiving an inspection doesn’t make an insurer’s underwriting requirements disappear.

So What Did That Insurance Quote Actually Tell You?

A quote is useful. It gives a buyer an idea of what coverage may cost.

What it doesn’t tell the buyer is whether the insurer has finished evaluating the property.

That’s why there is a meaningful difference between asking:

“How much will homeowners insurance cost on this house?”

and:

“Is there anything else your company needs to review or inspect before determining that it will insure this property?”

The distinction matters even more because the buyer’s contractual protection has a deadline.

The Clock Matters

The standard St. Louis contract gives the buyer an Insurability Period of 10 days unless another number is inserted.

If the buyer cannot obtain homeowner/hazard insurance and wants to exercise the contingency, Paragraph 10a requires written notice from an insurance company of that inability within the Insurability Period.

If that doesn’t happen, the contract says the insurability condition is deemed waived and the buyer’s performance is no longer conditioned upon obtaining insurance.

That makes timing important, particularly if the insurer needs additional information or wants to inspect the property.

Exactly what constitutes an inability to obtain insurance in a particular transaction can become a legal question, especially when underwriting remains pending or an insurer requires something to be addressed before providing coverage. Buyers and their agents have good reason to find out where the insurance process stands before the deadline rather than at it.

A buyer can waive a property inspection. A buyer can accept an old roof. A buyer can decide that an outdated electrical system doesn’t bother them.

But those decisions don’t answer the insurance company’s question.

Before the Insurability Period expires, there is one more question worth asking:

“Is there anything else your company needs to review or inspect before determining that it will insure this property?”

Karen Moeller
STLKaren.com
Karen.McNeill@STLRE.com
314.678.7866

About the Author:
Karen Moeller is a St. Louis area REALTOR® with MORE, REALTORS® and a regular contributor to St. Louis Real Estate News, helping clients make informed, data-driven decisions.

The market also saw an uptick in activity, with 829 homes sold in July 2026, a significant 11.28% increase from the 745 homes sold in July 2025. This Continue Reading →]]> The Metro East real estate market continues to show positive trends as of August 2026. In July, homes sold for a median price of $235,000, marking a 2.17% increase from July 2025, when the median sold price was $230,000. Interestingly, this price remains unchanged from June 2026, indicating a stable market environment. The median list price for homes in July 2026 was $225,000, reflecting a 4.65% rise from $215,000 in July 2025.

The market also saw an uptick in activity, with 829 homes sold in July 2026, a significant 11.28% increase from the 745 homes sold in July 2025. This data suggests a robust demand in the Metro East area. For a detailed visual representation of these statistics, please refer to the chart below, available exclusively from MORE, REALTORS®. As a trusted name in the St. Louis, MO real estate market, MORE, REALTORS® is committed to providing the most accurate and up-to-date information to help you make informed decisions.

The median list price for homes in July 2026 was $404,950, reflecting a significant 9.45% rise from $370,000 in July 2025. This increase in list prices indicates a strong seller’s market, with demand continuing to drive prices Continue Reading →]]> The St. Charles County real estate market continues to show robust activity as of August 2026. In July 2026, homes in the area sold for a median price of $386,250, marking a 4.96% increase from the median sold price of $368,000 in July 2025. However, this figure represents a slight decrease of 2.83% from June 2026, when the median sold price was $397,500.

The median list price for homes in July 2026 was $404,950, reflecting a significant 9.45% rise from $370,000 in July 2025. This increase in list prices indicates a strong seller’s market, with demand continuing to drive prices upward.

Additionally, the number of home sales in St. Charles County reached 616 in July 2026, a 5.66% increase from the 583 homes sold in July 2025. This growth in sales volume highlights the ongoing interest in the region’s real estate market.

For a detailed breakdown of these statistics, refer to the chart below, available exclusively from MORE, REALTORS®. As a trusted name in the St. Louis real estate market, MORE, REALTORS® is committed to providing accurate and up-to-date market insights.

The median list price for homes in the St. Louis MSA was $300,000 in July 2026, reflecting a 3.45% increase from $290,000 in July 2025. Additionally, the number of home sales increased by 4.52%, with 3,604 homes sold in Continue Reading →]]> The St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) real estate market continues to exhibit steady growth as of August 2026. Homes sold in July 2026 for a median price of $310,000, marking a 3.96% increase from the median sold price of $298,200 in July 2025. This median sold price also remained consistent with June 2026, showing no change from the previous month.

The median list price for homes in the St. Louis MSA was $300,000 in July 2026, reflecting a 3.45% increase from $290,000 in July 2025. Additionally, the number of home sales increased by 4.52%, with 3,604 homes sold in July 2026 compared to 3,448 in July 2025.

For a detailed visual representation of these data trends, refer to the chart below, available exclusively from MORE, REALTORS®. This chart provides valuable insights into the ongoing developments in the St. Louis real estate market, helping buyers and sellers make informed decisions.