Questions for investors with rentals in St Ann, MO

Questions for investors with rentals in St Ann, MO

Investor · McKinney, TX · Member since 2009 · 405 posts · 160 votes

Currently have a few rentals in the North Dallas area and am looking to do the long distance landlording thing in St Ann, MO.

Why St Ann?

Wife and I are from MO, been in North TX almost 20 years now. Wife is from St Ann, her mother and sister still live there. She has other family members near St Ann and we have friends in the St Louis area too.

We know the area of St Ann near where Northwest Plaza used to be and would be focusing on the area South of the Rock Road, West of Ashby and East of Lindbergh.

We're working with an investor agent that knows the area, just wondering if anyone has rentals in that area and would share their experiences.

Specifically, things such as DOM you're experiencing when you turn a unit over. From comps I've seen, DOM is all over the map, from a few days to a couple hundred days.

There are a lot of 2/1's in the area, if you have any 2/1's, how have they worked out for you? 3/1's seem to bring maybe an extra $75 to $100 a month, but then garages and/or larger lots don't seem to add much in the way of rent - is that what you're seeing?

We'll be looking at several houses next week and would like to get a feel for what is working for others in that area. We'll be looking at homes listed in the $25K to $50K range in areas where rents are in the $750 to $900 range.

A lot of these homes are distressed and/or REO's.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Kevin

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  • Real Estate Investor · O Fallon, MO · Member since 2014 · 25 posts · 4 votes
    11y

    Hi Kevin!

    How has this been going for you? Did you ever buy anything?

    Andrew B

  • Investor · McKinney, TX · Member since 2009 · 405 posts · 160 votes
    11y

    We looked at quite a few homes, found one that appealed to us, made an offer, got into a best and highest offer situation and didn't win it.   After that we re-evaluated the potential profits vs headache factor and decided not to go that route.

    We were looking in decent areas in St Ann, only those in Pattonville school district, max target of 50K to 60K all in, that would rent somewhere in the $850 range.  

    While at first glance the numbers appeared better than what we see in the areas we like in North Dallas, once you figure in the increased operating costs for long distance landlording, increased turnover and costs associated with rentals in that price range and the limited appreciation potential, we decided to stop searching there.

  • Real Estate Investor · O Fallon, MO · Member since 2014 · 25 posts · 4 votes
    11y

    Ah. Gotcha. I'm selling a rental in the Pattonville school district myself now, that's why I ask. How much different are the operating costs for long distance landlords? I've been marketing to them as well, and it would help to know what they're looking at cost-wise.

  • Investor · McKinney, TX · Member since 2009 · 405 posts · 160 votes
    11y

    We self manage our rentals here, so we don't pay a PM and when issues do arise (which have been quite rare), depending on the issue I may address it myself, or call a local handyman or contractor.  

    We have enough family with plenty of trade contacts in St Ann that we could probably self manage, but have to assume that issues with 50+ year old homes in low income areas would far exceed what we have experienced with newer homes in more affluent areas.

    The limited return along with dealing with long-distance is a concern, the other concern is the area in general is decaying.  The only upside I see there is the redevelopment going on where Northwest Plaza used to be.  If that works out that general vicinity may see a nice boost, but in order for the retail part of that project to succeed it has to draw shoppers, and the base to pull from in that immediate area is pretty weak.

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