STL Home Buyer Journey
George Kindler
13 Years Of Real Estate Experience At Your Fingertips
Last updated October 19, 2026
There’s no single percentage to offer below or above asking in St. Louis. Start with the comparable sales. Then let days on market tell you how much leverage you have: in 2026, homes that sold in their first 4 days got a median 104% of their original list price, and homes that sat 91 days or more got 88%.
Source: 2,865 closed single-family sales in St. Louis County, January 1–October 5, 2026, each measured against its original list price.
Start with the comparable sales, not the list price. Then use days on market to judge your leverage. In 2026, the median home that sold within 4 days got 104% of its original list price; by two weeks the median was right at list, and after 90 days it was 88%. See the 2026 table →
It depends on how long the house has sat. In the first week, offering below asking rarely works: 78.7% of homes that sold within 4 days went above list. After 60 days, the median sale was 93.4% of original list or less. My approach on a stale listing: comps first, concessions second, and keep more cash in your pocket. How I offer on a stale listing →
Sometimes. On a well-priced home in its first few days, over asking is often what it takes: in 2026, 78.7% of homes that sold within 4 days went above list. Paying over asking isn’t overpaying. Overpaying is going past what the comps support and the number you set before you toured. When there are multiple offers →
About 1% of the price is typical for a financed buyer on a retail sale in St. Louis. On a cash offer I’ve always recommended 10%. A larger deposit can strengthen a financed offer in a competitive situation, but it’s money at risk if you walk away outside your contingencies. How earnest money fits your cash to close →
No. Shorten the inspection window instead of removing it, and get a sewer scope on every St. Louis home. Winning the house and inheriting a foundation or sewer bill isn’t winning. Why I keep the inspection →
The list price tells you what the seller hopes for. Days on market tells you how that’s going. Here’s how 2,865 St. Louis County sales in 2026 finished against their original list price:
| Days on market | Sales | Median sale vs. original list | Sold above original list |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 days | 990 | 104.0% | 78.7% |
| 5–7 days | 319 | 102.0% | 61.1% |
| 8–14 days | 277 | 100.0% | 31.4% |
| 15–30 days | 378 | 97.6% | 26.5% |
| 31–60 days | 508 | 97.4% | 24.8% |
| 61–90 days | 186 | 93.4% | 11.8% |
| 91+ days | 204 | 88.0% | 5.4% |
Read it from the buyer’s side. A house in its first week is priced against the most buyers it will ever see, and most of those homes sold at or above list. After a month, the median sale was about 97% of the original price. After 60 days, it was 93% or less. These are past sales, not a promise about any one house; condition and price drive the numbers as much as time does.
The sellers who cut their price tell the same story. In 2026, 630 sellers lowered their list price before selling. The typical cut was 6%, and those homes then sold for a median 97.8% of the reduced price, so buyers still negotiated below the new number. The seller’s side of this data →
Comps first, concessions second. I start with what similar homes nearby actually sold for, adjusted for condition. That sets the price. Then I look at days on market and price history to decide what else to ask for, usually seller-paid closing costs or a repair credit.
My position is always to keep more cash in your pocket, and a stale listing is one of the best ways to do it. A seller who has watched the house sit for 60 days is thinking about another month of payments, and that’s when a clean offer at a fair price with help on closing costs gets a yes. What seller-paid closing costs can cover →
Find out why it sat before you write the number. A house that sat because of price is an opportunity. A house that sat because of a wet basement or a bad sewer line is a different negotiation, and you’ll want the walk-through tool and an inspection before you decide what it’s worth. How repair costs change your offer →
St. Louis doesn’t move as one market. The table above shows it: 990 homes sold within 4 days at a median 104% of list, while 390 sat more than 60 days. The well-priced, move-in-ready houses still draw multiple offers in a weekend. The ones that need work, or were priced high, sit.
When you’re in a multiple-offer situation, compete on terms as well as price:
An escalation clause says you’ll beat competing offers by a set amount, up to a maximum you choose. In a true multiple-offer situation, it means you pay just enough to win instead of guessing high. Set the cap from your budget and the comps before you tour, and ask for proof of the competing offer that triggered it. Know the trade-off: an escalation clause shows the seller your ceiling, so I only use one when the situation warrants it.
It depends. In a real multiple-offer situation, an appraisal gap guarantee is an excellent way to reduce the seller’s risk, and that can win the house. But I’d hate to increase a buyer’s exposure when the competition may be inflated.
Here’s how that happens, from my listing experience. In strong areas, investors often write offers that aren’t retail offers. The listing agent can honestly say they have an offer in hand, and they don’t have to tell you it’s a junk offer. So before you guarantee a gap, your agent should ask the right questions about what you’re really competing against. And only guarantee a gap you can cover in cash on top of your down payment, closing costs and reserves. Waiving appraisal protection altogether is the move most likely to leave you owing more than the house is worth.
Decide your ceiling from your comfortable payment and the comps, and write it down before you tour. If the bidding passes it, you’re done. That isn’t losing; that’s the plan working. Find your number with the buying power calculator →
On a move-in-ready home you can shorten the inspection window or agree to raise only major findings, and stay competitive without going in blind. Add a sewer scope on every St. Louis home. Three of four homes sold in St. Louis County in 2026 were built before 1980, and the expensive problems don’t show up in listing photos. How old St. Louis homes are →
No pressure, no sales pitch — just a straight conversation about what the comps support and what I’d ask for.
Call or Text George · 314.435.1087Houses that have been sitting
Usually price, condition or both, and sometimes access or photos. Ask your agent for the price history and showing activity, and read the disclosure. A house that sat because of price is an opportunity; one that sat because of a known defect needs an inspection before you pick a number. How to find and negotiate on homes that have sat →
Yes, if it fits and the comps support your number. No competition is when you have the most room on price and terms. In 2026, homes that sat more than 30 days sold for a median 97.4% of original list or less.
Often an opportunity. In 2026, sellers who cut their price took a typical 6% cut and then sold for a median 97.8% of the reduced price. Find out why it needed the cut before you assume the new price is the floor.
Competing for a house
Yes, with a hard cap, in a true multiple-offer situation. Set the cap from your budget and the comps before you tour, and require proof of the competing offer. When there are multiple offers →
Only when it’s a real multiple-offer situation, your agent has asked the right questions about the competing offers, and you have the cash to cover the gap on top of your down payment, closing costs and reserves. Why it depends →
Because the market splits. In 2026, 990 St. Louis County homes sold within 4 days at a median 104% of list, while 390 sat more than 60 days. Well-priced, move-in-ready homes still draw multiple offers; homes that need work or are priced high sit.
Compete on terms as well as price: get fully underwritten, match the seller’s timeline, offer solid earnest money and use an escalation clause with a hard cap. Decide your maximum before you tour.
After the offer
Your lender lends on the lower of the price and the appraised value, so the difference has to be solved. The seller can lower the price, you can cover the gap in cash, you can split it, or you can cancel if your contract’s appraisal protection allows it. On a VA loan the rules are different. VA appraisal options →
On a house that has sat, often yes; it’s how I keep more cash in a buyer’s pocket. On a house drawing multiple offers in its first weekend, asking for help usually weakens the offer. What sellers can pay →
Related reading: Is now a good time to buy in St. Louis? · What move-in-ready homes actually cost · First-time buyer programs in St. Louis