St. Louis metro · Missouri

Hard money and rental loans for St. Louis City, the county and St. Charles.

St. Louis is two markets split by a city limit: an independent city where prices have held flat and rents are high against them, and a county where resale values keep climbing. United Lending lends across both, and in St. Charles and Jefferson counties, with flip and bridge loans and DSCR rental loans.

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Market data

St. Louis by the numbers

The city and the county move differently, so both appear here next to the metro figures.

St. Louis by the numbers
Measure	St. Louis	Change	Source and month
Typical home value, metro	$273,164	+3.3% in a year (US +1.2%)	Zillow Home Value Index, Sep 2026
Typical home value, St. Louis City	$176,514	−0.4% in a year	Zillow Home Value Index, Sep 2026
Typical home value, St. Louis County	$285,675	+2.8% in a year	Zillow Home Value Index, Sep 2026
Typical home value, St. Charles County	$372,123	+2.2% in a year	Zillow Home Value Index, Sep 2026
Typical rent, metro (all homes)	$1,427	+4.1% in a year	Zillow Observed Rent Index, Sep 2026
Median sale price, metro	$289,000	+7.3% in a year	Zillow, Aug 2026
Median days to pending	11 days	8 a year earlier; US 27	Zillow, Sep 2026
Single-family permits, St. Charles County	1,056	+6.7%; the most of any county in the metro	Census Building Permits Survey, Jan–Sep 2026
Investor share of home purchases	About 1 in 5	—	Realtor.com 2026 Investor Report, via HousingWire, H1 2026

St. Louis City isn't part of St. Louis County, so Zillow and the Census report it as its own county. Metro figures include the Illinois side of the river; our St. Louis lending covers property in Missouri.

Where we lend

St. Louis areas we lend in

One set of underwriting standards applies across the Missouri side of the metro. Here's how the areas differ on value, rent and building, using Zillow's September 2026 figures.

St. Louis CityMOA $176,514 typical value against $1,287 rent, about 8.8% a year, and a deep stock of older single-family houses and two- to four-unit buildings. Values slipped 0.4% over the year, so ARVs and refinance values come from closed sales, not the trend.
Clayton, Ladue and the central corridorMOClayton $890,795 (+7.7%), Ladue about $1.38 million (+8.8%), Creve Coeur about $617,000, Richmond Heights about $390,000. The metro's top resale values, for high-end renovations and rebuilds.
Kirkwood and Webster GrovesMOKirkwood $466,230 (+4.0%) and Webster Groves $442,332. Older inner-ring suburbs with strong resale and typical rents near $1,900 to $2,100.
West CountyMOChesterfield $571,219, Wildwood about $577,000, Ballwin about $411,000, Town and Country about $1.19 million. Premium after-repair values for updates and larger renovations.
St. Charles CountyMOSt. Charles $345,233, O'Fallon $378,128, St. Peters $320,850, Wentzville $401,678. The metro's growth county, with 1,056 single-family permits through September.
North CountyMOFlorissant ($195,065) and Hazelwood ($162,752), where Zillow's yearly rent runs about 10% of the typical value, among the highest ratios in St. Louis County. Rental territory first.
Jefferson CountyMOArnold about $273,000 and Festus about $303,000, with the lowest effective property tax rate of the metro's core counties, 0.80%.

Loans in St. Louis

How St. Louis investors use each loan

Fix and flip loans

Older city and inner-ring houses often need systems work as well as finishes. On our published terms the loan can cover the full renovation budget on top of the purchase loan.

Fix and flip loans: terms

DSCR rental loans

Rent is high against price in the city and North County. Hold rentals on DSCR loans qualified on the property's rent, closed in your own name or an LLC.

DSCR loans: terms

Bridge loans

Buying a house that needs work before a bank will lend on it? A bridge loan can cover up to 95% of the cost at the start, interest only, for 12 to 18 months. Then sell, or lease and refinance.

Bridge loans: terms

Before you close in St. Louis

St. Louis rules: city, county and state

Most of what trips up out-of-town investors here comes from the city-county split.

The city is not in the countySt. Louis City separated from St. Louis County in 1876 and runs its own assessor, recorder of deeds and building division. Its effective property tax rate is 1.03%, against 1.20% in the county (Census ACS, 2020–2024). Check which side of the city limit an address falls on before you budget taxes or permits.

88 municipalities, 88 rulebooksOutside the city, St. Louis County's 88 municipalities set many of their own building and occupancy rules, and many require an inspection or permit when a house is sold or re-rented. Ask the city hall that covers the address what a sale or a new lease triggers.

Missouri taxes: 19%, odd years, no homestead breakResidential property is assessed at 19% of market value and reassessed in odd-numbered years, next in 2027. Missouri has no general homestead exemption, so investors pay the same rate as owner-occupants.

No transfer tax, and deeds of trustMissouri charges no real estate transfer tax, so closing costs are mostly title, recording and lender fees. Missouri lenders secure their loans with a deed of trust rather than a court-foreclosed mortgage.

Short-term rentals in the cityA court paused the city's 2023 short-term rental ordinance in April 2025. Ordinance 72095, in effect since February 23, 2026, requires a city business license and a 3% fee on rent under Proposition S. Confirm the current rules with the city before counting nightly income.

Illinois is outside this pageOur St. Louis lending covers Missouri property. If your deal is in Metro East, in Madison or St. Clair County, Ill., ask us before you count on financing there.

St. Louis loans

Buying or refinancing in St. Louis? Get terms.

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United Lending LLC offers business-purpose financing secured by non-owner-occupied investment real estate. We do not offer loans for personal, family or household purposes, or loans on owner-occupied primary residences.

Questions

Investor loans in St. Louis: questions

Do you lend in both St. Louis City and St. Louis County?

Yes, and in St. Charles and Jefferson counties. The loan programs are the same in each; what changes is the local paperwork, because the city and the county have separate assessors, permit offices and tax rates, and county municipalities add their own inspection rules.

What are your hard money terms in St. Louis?

Our flip and bridge loans go up to 95% of the cost at the start, with up to 100% of the rehab budget on flips, 12–18 month interest-only terms and no prepayment penalty. We don't publish a rate: rate, points, fees and loan size are quoted on your call for the specific property.

Do you finance property on the Illinois side, in Metro East?

Our St. Louis program covers Missouri. Call before you write an offer on a property in Madison or St. Clair County, Ill., and we'll tell you whether we can help with it.

Is there a United Lending office in St. Louis?

No. We're headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, and lend here the way we lend nationwide. You can do everything by phone and email, from the first call to the closing documents, and we'll explain how signing will work for your deal.

Can I finance a two-family or four-family building in St. Louis?

For a rental, a DSCR loan adds up the rent from every unit and compares it with one monthly payment. Whether you plan to rent the building or renovate it to sell, tell us the unit count and the scope, and we'll confirm on your call which loan fits it.

How fast can you close on a St. Louis property?

We don't publish a standard closing time; your loan officer gives you a date once the file is in. In the county, leave time for any municipal occupancy inspection the sale requires, since that runs on the city's schedule rather than ours.

Sources (9)Checked November 4, 2026

United Lending's own loan terms come from its published program limits as of the date above. Market figures and rules come from the public sources listed here. Your actual terms depend on the property, your credit and experience, and underwriting.