Should You Sell Your St. Louis Home NOW or Wait for Spring 2026?

Written by David Dodge  

The Question on Every St. Louis Homeowner’s Mind

Are you refreshing Zillow daily, watching your estimated value bounce, wondering: “Should I list now… or wait for the famous spring rush?”

It’s December 11, 2025. The real estate world says we’re entering the “slow season.” But the fresh December data tells a very different story: For 70–80% of St. Louis sellers, listing in the next 60–90 days will net you more money and less stress than waiting until March–May 2026.

Keep reading — every claim below is hyperlinked directly to its source.

St. Louis Housing Market Snapshot – December 11, 2025 (Live Data)

The Myth of “Always Wait for Spring”

The old rule existed because spring brought more buyers and prettier curb appeal. Since 2020 everything has changed — low inventory and shifting buyer patterns have flattened seasonality.

| Seasonality Comparison (2022–2025 average)

Five Data-Backed Reasons to Consider Selling Before Spring 2026

• Less Competition Than We’ve Seen in Half a Decade — Your Home Becomes the Star of the Show

  • Right now, there are only ~3,106 single-family homes active across the entire metro — the lowest December inventory since 2019 and 11.9% fewer than last December. When supply is this tight, buyers literally fight over the few well-priced, well-presented homes, routinely bidding at or above asking price — even in January.

• Winter Buyers Are the Most Serious (and Most Decisive) Buyers You’ll Ever Meet

  • The people braving snow and 20-degree open houses aren’t “just looking.” They’re relocating for a new job starting January 1st, their lease ends February 28th, or they’re expecting a baby in April. These buyers write cleaner offers, waive more contingencies, and close 30–40% faster with far fewer fall-throughs. 

• Mortgage Rates Are Forecast to Drop Further in Q1 2026 — Which Means a Flood of New Competition for You

  • Every major forecasting body (Fannie Mae, Mortgage Bankers Association, NAR, Wells Fargo) expects the 30-year fixed to fall into the high-5s by March 2026. That half-point drop will pull tens of thousands of sidelined buyers off the fence — instantly increasing the number of offers you’ll compete against if you wait.

• Beat the February–March Renovation Rush and Save Thousands While You’re At It

  • Try booking a painter, roofer, or landscaper in February 2026 — you’ll be put on a waiting list and pay 20–40% premiums. Right now, contractors are hungry and offering true off-season discounts.

• Lock In Today’s Near-All-Time-High Prices Before the Inevitable Spring Supply Wave Hits

  • National active listings are already up 18% year-over-year, and every local economist agrees St. Louis will see a 25–35% surge in new listings between February and May 2026. More supply = softer prices and stronger buyer negotiating power. 

The Only Three Scenarios Where Waiting Until Spring 2026 Actually Makes Financial Sense

1. Your home’s #1 selling feature is a huge, landscaped yard that looks like a park in April but a mud pit in January — spring curb appeal can add 2–5% in the right property. 
2. You have major cosmetic or structural updates planned and can complete them over the winter (kitchen remodel, finished basement, new roof, etc.).
3. You live in one of the hyper-seasonal family neighborhoods that reliably jumps 8–12% every single April because of school-district timing (think certain pockets of Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Ladue, Clayton, Richmond Heights, and parts of the Central West End).

Cash Offer vs. Traditional Spring Listing: Side-by-Side Comparison Using 2025 St. Louis Numbers

Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood “Sell Now or Wait?” Timing Cheat Sheet – December 2025 Edition

The Bottom Line for St. Louis Sellers Right Now

Here’s the simple truth: For 70–80% of homeowners in move-in-ready or near-move-in-ready homes, late 2025 and January–February 2026 will be one of the strongest, lowest-competition selling windows we’ve seen in years.

You’ll face fewer competing listings, more serious buyers, higher odds of multiple offers, and prices that are still within a few percent of all-time highs — before the big spring inventory surge arrives and gives buyers more leverage.

Spring 2026 will still be good. But for most people, right now is actually better.

The best time to sell is always when it’s right for you and your family. If your timeline and condition line up, the data says “now” is stronger than most sellers realize.

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