In any heavily populated area, several suburbs tend to get lumped in with the nearest big city. This is particularly true of St. Louis. Less than 15% of the region’s population actually lives within the city limits, but citizens of nearly 100 surrounding communities collectively call themselves St. Louisans. Why does this matter? Well, if you’re looking for a home in one of those communities—St. Charles, Missouri, for example—the blurring of boundary lines could trip you up. Online searches might steer homebuyers to St. Louis realtors, but there’s a definite advantage to finding a local realtor in St. Charles, MO. The Trouble With Online Searches The internet is a great place to start a home search, but shoppers don’t always get what they’re looking for on the first try. Professionals—whether they’re plumbers, mechanics, dentists, or realtors—do business with people from all over. They don’t want to limit themselves, so their online presence often includes every town they can think of that they are willing to serve. As a result, a typical Google search sometimes casts too wide of a net. For example, we found an online article with a title promising St. Louis real estate statistics. The towns of Crystal City, DeSoto, and Union were included. These range from 35 to 50 miles outside of downtown St. Louis. Imagine planning a move to St. Charles, Missouri, and not being familiar with the local geography. This type of information would be very confusing! And while real estate agents from neighboring communities might be able to help, it’s much better to find realtors in St. Charles, MO. Realtors in St. Charles, MO Know St. Charles, MO People who aren’t from St. Charles might have visited its historic main street or the casino. They might even know that it’s the oldest city on the Missouri River. But even real estate agents might not know much beyond the tourist attractions if they don’t live and work there. There’s much more to it than a place to visit on the weekends. St. Charles is a thriving city in its own right, with a population of more than 70,000. It is the county seat of St. Charles County, which tops 400,000 residents. The city of St. Charles is the home of several local companies as well as the regional offices of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Sysco, and American Freightways. In 2018 it ranked number 32 on Time Magazine’s list of best places to live in America , citing its history, schools, and yearly celebrations and festivals. The real estate market in both the city and county of St. Charles is diverse, with a mix of older historic homes and new construction—single-family and apartment or condo complexes. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties has seen the growth of St. Charles in terms of its popularity and potential. Anticipating the expansion of their two county offices—St. Charles and Winghaven—they constructed a new building combining them, in order to serve this growing community better. It is Select Properties’ largest satellite office with more than 110 agents. Agents there focus their efforts exclusively on the town of St. Charles and St. Charles County. What Makes Realtors in St. Charles, MO Stand Out? When you live and work in a community, you simply know more about it than someone from outside the area. Realtors in St. Charles can speak to clients from their own personal experiences. An agent from another part of the metropolitan region will first need to familiarize themselves with the town before being able to help someone find what they’re looking for in a home. And even then, they won’t have the firsthand knowledge of a home-town realtor. For example, if you see a house for sale while driving through St. Charles, and your buyer’s agent happens to work in South County or Kirkwood, they’ll need to do some legwork to get you information about it. A local realtor’s familiarity with all parts of town will help a homebuyer zero in on exactly what they’re looking for in a house and neighborhood . They’ll have a good feel for the market when it comes to pricing, as the going rate will be different in St. Charles than in other places in the St. Louis region. For example, buyers will likely get more house for the money in St. Charles than in Ladue or a West County suburb. Focusing Energy in the Right Place Real estate agents are busy people. Their energy and attention are understandably focused on their primary territory. Homebuyers need someone who will work hard to find them the home they need. It’s logical to find a realtor in the target area for a new home. Finding a realtor in St. Charles also means having the advantage of their network of local experts. Whether it’s for repairs and remodeling or putting in a swimming pool at the new house, they’ll know and have worked with reliable people who won’t have to travel across the region to get to you. Neighbors Helping Neighbors When you find a realtor who not only services St. Charles but also makes it their home, you’re getting much more than just an agent. You’re meeting a new neighbor. They can help you find the nearest grocery store or your new favorite restaurant. Your children might meet theirs at school. Most of all, their knowledge of the town can help you find the home that suits your family’s needs. The agents at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Select Properties know how important local representation is when looking for a house. That’s why they have ten offices across the region. And while each focuses on a specific territory, their combined resources and talent allow them to do the very best job for every single client.
