Last updated October 30, 2026
The deals in St. Louis aren’t hidden. They’re the houses that have been sitting. In 2026, about one County sale in three sat more than 30 days, and three out of four of those closed under their original asking price, by a median of $13,075. Most buyers scroll past them. I tell my buyers to look at them first.
In the houses that have been sitting. Of 2,864 St. Louis County sales in 2026, the 898 that sat 30+ days closed at a median 95.2% of their original list price, and the 630 that had a price cut closed at 91.6%. Houses that sold within 30 days got 101.7%. See the 2026 sales →
Yes. I tell every buyer to. A house that sat isn’t automatically a problem; often it was priced too high or marketed badly. Find out why it sat before you decide what it’s worth. Why buyers skip them →
Look at cumulative days on market (CDOM), not days on market. When a house is pulled and relisted, listing sites can restart the count at zero. The MLS keeps the full count, and I can pull it for any area and budget. How to find them →
Often, but you find out before you write the offer, not after. On select houses, ones that are clearly overpriced, have been sitting, or both, I call the listing agent, share my buyer’s budget and ask whether an offer in that range makes sense for the seller. In those cases, the price we land on is typically below market. What I ask the listing agent →
Yes. In 2026, as-is sales closed at a median 82.2% of the price per square foot of comparable standard sales in the same school district. Part of that gap is the cost of repairs, so an inspection decides whether it’s a deal. The as-is numbers →
Under $150,000 the gap is widest in percentage terms: houses that sat closed at 85.9% of original list. Above $750,000 it’s widest in dollars, a median $75,000 under original list. By price range →
Usually, if you use it to buy down your rate or cover cash you don’t have. A price cut lowers your payment a little and your down payment slightly. A credit of the same size, spent on discount points, typically lowers your payment more. Run your numbers in the calculator. Price cut vs. credit calculator →
It depends on days on market: in 2026 the median house that sold within 4 days got 104.0% of original list, and the median after 90 days got 88.0%. The full table and how I write the offer are on the offer page. How much to offer →
Source: 2,864 closed single-family sales in St. Louis County, January 1–October 5, 2026 (MARIS MLS), each measured against its original list price; 758 Jefferson County sales for the Jefferson County comparison.
In the houses that sat. In 2026, St. Louis County houses that sold within 30 days closed at a median 101.7% of their original list price, and only 27% closed under it. Houses that sat past 30 days flipped that: 75% closed under their original price.
| Houses that… | Sales | Median sale vs. original list | Closed under original list | Median dollars under original list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sold within 30 days | 1,966 | 101.7% | 27% | $5,000 over |
| Sat 30+ days | 898 | 95.2% | 75% | $13,075 |
| Sat 60+ days | 390 | 91.1% | 88% | $21,950 |
| Had a price cut before selling | 630 | 91.6% | 98% | $23,900 |
Jefferson County shows the same pattern. Of 758 sales in 2026, the houses that sat 30+ days closed at a median 96.7% of original list and $11,250 under it; after 60 days, 94.3% and $20,000 under.
About 31% of County sales sat more than 30 days. That’s nearly one house in three, and it’s the part of the market most buyers aren’t looking at. The full day-by-day table →
Because new listings get the attention, and a house that’s been listed for two months looks like something’s wrong with it. Sometimes something is. More often it was priced over the comps, photographed badly or listed at the wrong time of year, and the seller has been carrying the taxes, insurance and utilities, and often a mortgage, every month since.
I personally tell my buyers to look at the houses that have been sitting. They’re the ones where the seller is ready to talk, and where you aren’t competing with five other offers in the first weekend.
From one of my sales: Expired at $180,000, then sold for $200,000. A sitting house isn’t always a discount: this split-level expired in the fall with another agent, came back in the spring with new photos and no new work, and sold for $20,000 more. Catching a house like this before it’s relisted is where the room is. Read the sale →
Before you decide what a sitting house is worth, find out why it sat. Price is an opportunity. A wet basement or a bad sewer line is a different negotiation. How I offer on a house that’s been sitting →
Look at cumulative days on market, which the MLS calls CDOM. Days on market restarts when a listing is pulled and put back up, and listing sites can show that fresh count. CDOM keeps counting through relists, so a house that looks 6 days old online can be 120 days into trying to sell.
Price history helps too. A house that’s had a price cut has already told you the seller is moving: in 2026, County houses with a cut closed at a median 91.6% of their original price. Whether that cut is an opening or a warning depends on why it was needed. Is a price cut a buying opportunity? →
Want the houses that have been sitting?
Tell me the area and your budget, and I’ll text you the listings that have sat, with the full day count from the MLS and what I’d want to know about each one before you tour. You get one text from me, not a sales team calling to set an appointment.
I don’t make this call on every house. I make it on select houses: ones that are clearly overpriced against the comps, ones that have been sitting too long, or both. On those, I call the listing agent before we write anything. I share my buyer’s budget and ask whether an offer in that range makes sense for the seller. In these cases the number we land on is typically below market.
The call does two things. It tells the listing agent there’s a real buyer with a real budget, which matters to a seller who’s been carrying the house for months. And it tells us, before you spend money on an inspection, whether the seller is ready to deal or still holding out for the original price.
It’s also where I learn what the seller actually needs: a quick close, more time to move, help with something on their end. That’s often worth as much as the price, and it rarely shows up in the listing. What else I ask the listing agent →
The share of houses that sit, and how far they come down, changes with price. Under $150,000, nearly half the houses sat 30+ days and those closed at a median 85.9% of original list. From $250,000 to $500,000, fewer houses sit, but the ones that do still closed about $9,500 to $13,500 under original list.
| Sale price | Sales | Share that sat 30+ days | Sold within 30 days | Sat 30+ days | Median dollars under original list (sat 30+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under $150,000 | 468 | 46% | 97.5% | 85.9% | $14,150 |
| $150,000–$249,999 | 498 | 38% | 100.0% | 95.8% | $10,000 |
| $250,000–$349,999 | 545 | 24% | 102.0% | 97.1% | $9,500 |
| $350,000–$499,999 | 563 | 27% | 102.5% | 97.2% | $13,500 |
| $500,000–$749,999 | 436 | 29% | 102.9% | 96.2% | $23,250 |
| $750,000 and up | 354 | 25% | 103.1% | 94.2% | $75,000 |
A median is the middle sale, so half the sitting houses in each range came down more and half came down less.
The gap between houses that sold fast and houses that sat ranges from about 4 to 17 percentage points across County school districts. In Ladue, Webster Groves and Kirkwood, houses that sold fast went well over list and houses that sat came in about 10 points lower. In Normandy and Jennings, the gap was wider still. Districts are sorted by that gap; districts with fewer than 15 houses that sat aren’t shown, because a median of a handful of sales isn’t reliable.
| School district | Sales | Sat 30+ days | Sold within 30 days | Sat 30+ days: sale vs. original list | Gap | Median dollars under original list (sat 30+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normandy | 69 | 37 (54%) | 99.4% | 82.4% | 17.0 pts | $14,900 |
| Jennings | 37 | 19 (51%) | 99.5% | 87.1% | 12.4 pts | $12,001 |
| Ladue | 81 | 21 (26%) | 105.8% | 95.2% | 10.6 pts | $30,000 |
| Webster Groves | 121 | 33 (27%) | 104.3% | 94.1% | 10.2 pts | $23,999 |
| Kirkwood | 132 | 29 (22%) | 104.8% | 94.7% | 10.1 pts | $20,100 |
| University City | 89 | 36 (40%) | 101.5% | 92.1% | 9.4 pts | $22,400 |
| Riverview Gardens | 115 | 56 (49%) | 97.2% | 89.0% | 8.2 pts | $11,950 |
| Parkway | 399 | 109 (27%) | 102.9% | 95.9% | 7.0 pts | $23,000 |
| Mehlville | 285 | 76 (27%) | 103.6% | 96.6% | 7.0 pts | $10,000 |
| Lindbergh | 146 | 30 (21%) | 102.6% | 96.3% | 6.3 pts | $9,950 |
| Ritenour | 124 | 48 (39%) | 100.0% | 93.8% | 6.2 pts | $9,150 |
| Ferguson-Florissant | 232 | 102 (44%) | 100.0% | 94.2% | 5.8 pts | $9,950 |
| Rockwood | 387 | 114 (29%) | 101.4% | 95.8% | 5.6 pts | $23,700 |
| Affton | 67 | 16 (24%) | 103.2% | 98.0% | 5.2 pts | $6,700 |
| Pattonville | 108 | 19 (18%) | 100.1% | 95.9% | 4.2 pts | $10,000 |
| Hazelwood | 296 | 110 (37%) | 100.5% | 96.8% | 3.7 pts | $8,450 |
These are district-wide medians. Inside a district, prices change street by street, so compare the house you’re looking at with the closest comparable sales. St. Louis County school districts →
Yes, but not against their own asking price. As-is listings closed at a median 97.1% of original list in 2026, close to standard sales. The discount is already built into the price. Measured against comparable standard sales in the same school district, within 25% of the size and 15 years of the age, as-is sales closed at a median 82.2% of the price per square foot.
| Type of sale | Sales compared | Price per square foot vs. comparable standard sales |
|---|---|---|
| Standard sale, sold within 30 days (the check) | 1,543 | 100.1% |
| Standard sale, sat 60+ days | 277 | 95.9% |
| Listed as-is | 281 | 82.2% |
| Bank-owned (REO) | 34 | 59.2% |
Standard sales that sat 60+ days still closed about 4% under comparable houses per square foot, even after their price drops. That’s the room a sitting house gives you beyond the cut you can see.
From my own family: A 1,900-square-foot ranch, all on the main level, bought as-is for $275,000 when comparable retail sales ran about $340,000. That’s about 81% of retail, almost exactly the County median for as-is sales.
Part of the as-is gap is the work the house needs, and the data can’t tell a bargain from a roof you’re about to pay for. Price the repairs before you count the savings. How repair costs change your offer →
It can be. A house that fell out of contract has a seller who already thought they were done, and the second time around they’re usually more realistic. Find out why the first deal fell apart: a buyer’s financing is the seller’s bad luck, and an inspection finding is your next inspection’s first item.
From one of my sales: A St. Louis City house sat more than 90 days after two failed contracts. Days after my buyer went under contract, the seller offered $30,000 off before a single inspection. How it happened →
Usually, if you’re financing. Taking $9,000 off a $300,000 price lowers your loan by $9,000 and your payment by about $57 a month at 7% with 5% down. The same $9,000 as a seller credit spent on discount points can lower your rate by roughly three-quarters of a point, about $149 a month on the same loan if each point is worth 0.25%, or it can cover closing costs you’d otherwise pay in cash. The seller nets the same either way.
Price cut or seller credit: what does each do to your payment?
Principal and interest on a 30-year loan only; taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance aren’t included. One discount point costs 1% of the loan, and how much it lowers your rate changes daily, so replace 0.25 with your lender’s quote. Credit limits used for the warning: conventional 3% of the price with under 10% down, 6% with 10–25% down, 9% with more than 25% down; FHA 6%; VA 4% in concessions, with normal closing costs allowed on top.
Credits have limits by loan type, and the credit can’t go toward your down payment. If the house appraises low, a price cut also matters more than a credit. What seller-paid closing costs can cover →
When the discount is smaller than the problem. A house that sat because of a failing sewer lateral, foundation movement or water in the basement can cost more to fix than the price came down. Get the inspection and a sewer scope on every St. Louis house, and price the big items before you call it a deal. What buyers regret about cheap houses →
Kinds of sales
They’re the deepest discount and the smallest slice: 42 County sales in 2026, a median price of $93,950, and 59.2% of the price per square foot of comparable standard sales. Most are sold as-is and need work. As-is and bank-owned numbers →
Not by itself. One split-level expired at $180,000, was relisted with new photos and no new work, and sold for $200,000. The room is in catching a house before the seller fixes the marketing. The relisted sale →
Only if the work costs less than the price gap. The fixer-upper guide compares both by area. Fixer-upper vs. move-in ready →
Timing and tools
Somewhat. Fewer buyers shop in fall and winter, so sellers have fewer offers to choose from. The month-by-month numbers are on the timing page. Best time to buy →
Not always. When a listing is pulled and relisted, the days-on-market count can restart. The MLS cumulative count doesn’t. What happens when you click Zillow →
It depends on why the cut was needed. Price alone is an opening; a problem the inspection will find is not. Reading a price cut →
This is one piece of the St. Louis home buying process. See how it all fits together:
📚 Complete St. Louis Buyer Guide →Looking for room to negotiate? I’ll text you the houses that have been sitting, with the real day count. One text from me, not a call center. Get the list →
Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You'll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.
One text, email, or call is all it takes to put that experience to work for you.
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