Selling a House in St. Louis City vs St. Louis County
St. Louis sellers mix up “the City” and “the County” every week. The house may sit ten minutes from our Brentwood office and still fall under a completely different collector, occupancy office, and building department than the house across the street. The metro feels like one place. The paperwork does not.
This is the seller’s difference list, not a price essay. I am David Dodge, Senior Buyer at House Sold Easy. Michael Slane and I have bought 1,000+ houses here since 2016. For a City cash path start at sell my house fast in St. Louis MO. For a County municipality use areas we serve. The metro offer page stays sell my house fast St. Louis.
We buy houses as-is for cash on both sides of the City limit. Typical close is about two weeks when title is ready. We typically cover our standard closing costs. Call 636-525-1566. We are not your attorney, title company, or city hall.
Two governments, one metro
The City of St. Louis is an independent city. It is not inside St. Louis County. The County surrounds it and contains dozens of municipalities plus unincorporated pockets such as Affton, Mehlville, and Oakville. Your tax bill, occupancy rules, and building department follow that line, not the highway you drive, and not the “St. Louis, MO” line on a shipping label.
If you are not sure which side you are on, look at the collector on the tax bill. For County parcels, use the St. Louis County Assessor locator. For City parcels, use the tools on stlouis-mo.gov. Guessing from a ZIP code is how people call the wrong occupancy office.
A South City brick two-flat and a Kirkwood bungalow can both be “St. Louis houses” in conversation. They are not the same file.
Occupancy is the difference sellers feel first
City. The Building Division runs Housing Conservation inspections for residential occupancy. The City states that 100% of property in St. Louis is located in a Housing Conservation District. Ordinance 71835 requires a City Housing Conservation District Inspection of any property located in that district. The inspection is a basic code check for minimal interior building-code issues and minimum exterior standards under the International Property Maintenance Code. It is not a warranty of the house or its systems.
The City’s occupancy page lists when a certificate of inspection is required: before a vacant residential unit is occupied, and before the sale of an occupied structure if a certificate has not been issued in the last 12 months. A certificate is valid for 12 months. Rental dwelling units are reinspected every three years or upon a change in occupancy. Owner-occupied properties are exempt from that rental reinspect rule.
As of the City page we are citing, the application fee is $120. If a resident is found occupying a dwelling without a current certificate, the application fee is $200. Property managers can apply for additional units at the same address at a discounted rate the City publishes. Those numbers can change. Use the residential occupancy / Housing Conservation page, The Building Division phone on that page is (314) 622-3313.
Water and electric must be operable at the City inspection. If a certificate is issued with violations, the owner has 30 days to make the necessary repairs. The City says extensions may be granted for weather or other specific causes.
County unincorporated. Occupancy in unincorporated County is a County process, not a City Building Division file. See Occupancy permit applications and call (314) 615-5184. That page describes a permit meant to apply minimum standards of safety and health on properties in unincorporated County areas.
A cash buyer can still close while an occupancy file is open. Who must clear a punch list is a contract and title question, not a slogan. We buy as-is, including houses with code issues. For the inspection walk-through itself, read St. Louis occupancy and inspection permits.
Taxes and the settlement statement
Missouri does not levy a statewide real estate transfer tax. Some localities may still show local items. Whether your file shows a City transfer line or only recording and title charges is a title-company question. Do not take a rate from a neighbor or from this post. Ask the closer on your file.
We typically cover our standard closing costs on a House Sold Easy cash sale. Your mortgage, tax, and lien payoffs still come off the settlement statement. The written offer is the amount you receive, subject to those payoffs. Details live on seller closing costs in Missouri and who pays closing costs?.
Property-tax collectors differ. A City house and a County house are not on the same collector’s list. Delinquent bills follow the parcel. If unpaid taxes are the reason you are selling, say so on the first call so title can order the right payoff.
Illinois is a different tax story. We buy in Metro East, and about 90% of our deals are on the Missouri side. If the house is in Illinois, tell us the town on the first call. Do not assume City of St. Louis rules apply across the river.
Title, probate, and who can sign
The deed is the deed. City versus County does not change who must sign. It changes which recorder and which circuit court you may already be in.
- City probate and County probate are different courthouses. See can I sell a house in probate in Missouri? and probate / inherited.
- A divorce decree still has to match the people on title. See selling a house after divorce in Missouri and the transactional page at divorce.
- Liens are paid at closing when equity allows. Sell with a lien.
Title still needs a photo ID from every signer, a payoff from each lender, and any court paper that gives a personal representative authority. None of that is a City-only rule. The stamp on the recorded deed is what changes.
Housing stock is context, not a price
City streets often mean older brick, alley garages, and Building Division notices that mention the International Property Maintenance Code. County streets range from inner-ring bungalows to West County lots and South County ranches. None of that is a sale price. We do not publish neighborhood medians. If someone quotes a City-versus-County “discount,” ask which comps they used. Our offers come from a 30-minute walkthrough of the actual house.
Condition still beats the City/County line. A County ranch with an open punch list can take longer than a tired City brick with a current certificate. A vacant house with the water off will not pass a City Housing Conservation inspection until utilities are on. That is a City scheduling fact, not a reason the house cannot sell.
How a cash sale works on either side
Our office is at 1750 S Brentwood Blvd, Suite 503, Brentwood, MO 63144, County side, minutes from the City line. We buy within about 75 miles of St. Louis, west to Wentzville, south to Festus, plus Metro East.
- Call 636-525-1566. We ask occupancy, condition, who is on title, and timing.
- David Dodge or Michael Slane walks the house about 30 minutes. No cleaning required.
- You get a written offer and pick the closing date when title is ready. Typical close is about two weeks.
Same steps as how it works. You do not need a different buyer for each side of Skinker. People find us on Google at 4.7 from 65+ reviews because the process is boring on purpose.
If the house has a Building Division notice, a vacant-building posting, or a municipal occupancy failure, bring the paper. Selling a house with City code violations is the City-notice explainer. The condemned money page is sell a condemned house. Those are different papers.
If the house would show well and you can wait on a buyer’s loan, compare cash offer vs listing. Disclosure rules are statewide. Read Missouri seller disclosure rules. For the clock itself, see how long it takes to sell a house in St. Louis.
Have a key, the names on the deed, the latest tax bill, and any city letter. If someone else must sign, say so on the first call. City versus County does not fix a missing signature. Call 636-525-1566 and ask for David or Mike.
Common questions
Does a City house take longer to sell than a County house?
Not as a rule. Title, occupancy punch lists, and the buyer’s financing on a listing drive the clock. A simple County file can be slow. A clean City cash file can be typical, about two weeks after a written offer, when title is ready.
Can you buy on both sides of the City limit?
Yes. About 75 miles of St. Louis, west to Wentzville, south to Festus, plus Metro East. Areas we serve.
Who do I call about a notice on the door?
The department printed on the notice. City Building Division contact information is on stlouis-mo.gov. County or municipal notices name their own office. Do not call the City about a Kirkwood door tag.
Do I need two different disclosure packets?
You need to tell the truth about what you know and complete the forms your contract and federal law require. City versus County does not replace Missouri disclosure rules.
Is there a statewide transfer tax I should budget?
Missouri has no statewide real estate transfer tax. Ask title whether your locality adds anything. We typically cover our standard closing costs on a cash sale to us.