Two local details can slow any of them: the occupancy inspection that several St. Louis-area cities require, and title problems that surface late. We're one of the direct cash buyers, so we have a stake in this, and we'll say where a listing leaves you more money.

How to sell a house fast in St. Louis: the four ways compared

A listing usually brings the most for a house in good shape. A cash sale brings the most certainty for a house that needs work.

Price it to sell: about seven weeks on the market, then the buyer's loan. It costs what the lower price gives up, plus commission. Best for a house a lender will finance as it stands.
List it as-is: no repairs, but still showings, an inspection and commission, at a price that reflects the work. Best for a house that needs mostly cosmetic work.
Take an iBuyer offer: an online offer and a closing in three weeks or more, less a service fee. Best for a newer house that fits the company's rules.
Sell to a direct cash buyer: no lender, showings or repairs, and a closing in days or weeks, at a lower price than an updated house would bring. Best when the house needs real work or the timing is tight.

How long does a house sale take in St. Louis?

On the open market, plan on roughly three months from listing to closing. A cash sale skips the buyer's loan, so the title work and your schedule set the pace.

Realtor.com data published by the St. Louis Fed puts the median listing at 50 days on the market in St. Louis County and 52 in the City in September 2026. Winter runs slower: in January 2026 the medians were 61 and 75 days.

After the contract, a financed buyer still needs the loan. ICE Mortgage Technology found the average purchase loan took 36.8 days to close in March 2026.

Waiting has its own price. Add up a month of mortgage interest, taxes, insurance and utilities, then multiply by the months you expect to wait. As an example only, $1,700 a month over three extra months is $5,100.

Price it to sell on the open market

Pricing at or just under recent comparable sales is the cheapest way to speed up a listing. It works best on a house a lender will finance without a repair list.

Price against homes that closed nearby in the last few months, not against asking prices. A high price often gets cut anyway: in September 2026, about 45% of active listings in St. Louis County took a price cut, by Realtor.com's count.

Clear counters and closets, fix the small things an inspector would write up, and have your payoff figure and disclosures ready.

The costs are the commission, your share of closing costs and whatever the price cut takes. Clever Real Estate's August 2026 agent survey put the average Missouri commission at 5.61% in total: 2.87% for the listing agent and 2.74% for the buyer's agent. Both are negotiable.

List it as-is

Listing as-is skips the repairs but keeps the showings, the inspection and the commission. The price reflects the work, and fewer buyers can take on major repairs.

Lenders limit what financed buyers can take on. Under Fannie Mae's rules, a house with defects that affect its safety, soundness or structural integrity is rated C6, and the loan can't be sold to Fannie Mae until they're repaired. That pushes the roughest houses toward cash buyers and renovation loans.

Start Fresh

Don’t let your house hold you back

As-is doesn't end your disclosure duties. For most homes built before 1978, federal law requires the seller to disclose known lead-based paint, give the buyer the EPA pamphlet and allow 10 days for a lead inspection, which the buyer can waive. That covers a lot of St. Louis: the Census Bureau's 2024 survey counts 56% of the City's homes as built in 1939 or earlier, against 9% in the County. Missouri law also requires a seller who knows a house was used to make methamphetamine to say so in writing.

Our guide to selling a house as-is in St. Louis covers the listing side in more detail.

Take an iBuyer offer

An iBuyer makes an online offer, assesses the house and adjusts the price for condition. It's usually faster than a listing, but it buys only certain houses and charges a service fee.

Opendoor, an iBuyer that serves St. Louis, says it buys mainly single-family homes, townhomes and some condos built after 1930, within a price range for each market, and may pass on homes with significant structural problems. More than half the City's homes were built in 1939 or earlier, so check the year built on yours before you count on an iBuyer offer.

Opendoor's St. Louis page lists closings from as little as 21 days to 60 days or more. Its service fee varies by market and property, and the price is final only after the home assessment, so compare that net with your other offers. Our post on professional home buyer vs iBuyer goes further.

Sell your house to a direct cash buyer

A direct cash buyer is usually the fastest route, because there's no buyer's loan, appraisal or showing schedule. The tradeoff is price: expect less than a fully updated house would bring.

We can make an offer within 24 hours. We can close in as little as 7 days when the title is clear; 30 to 60 days is typical. You choose the closing date.

Our offer starts from what the house would sell for, then subtracts a realistic repair budget and the costs we take on, like closing costs and the taxes and utilities while the work happens. You see each line. In our FAQ's words: "We pay fair prices, but not always full market value. For houses needing repairs, we calculate fair prices by subtracting repair costs." There's no agent, no commission and no closing costs passed to you.

We buy as-is, with no repairs or showings, and we buy with tenants in place. Mark's Maryland Heights house had code items on a bathroom, the front pillars and a back deck. Our offer met his $160,000 as-is target, and the sale closed in about 60 days. Mark's story has the details.

If the house is in good shape and you can wait about three months, a listing will probably leave you more. A cash contract can also fall through, so use the checks below.

How occupancy inspections can slow a St. Louis sale

The City of St. Louis and several County cities require an inspection or an occupancy permit when a house sells or a new owner moves in. Each city sets its own rules, so call city hall before you list.

The City of St. Louis requires a Certificate of Inspection before anyone occupies a house after a residential sale, and an occupied house sold without one from the past 12 months needs one too. Inspections are booked 3 business days to 15 days after you apply, the application is $120, and the water and electric must be on. Listed violations get 30 days to fix.
University City requires an occupancy permit before anyone moves in and asks sellers to have the house inspected before listing. The home-sale inspection is $80 per unit, and minor repairs may get a conditional permit with 60 days to finish them.
Florissant lets a house sell as-is without a city inspection. The buyer then has to get the inspection and the permit before anyone moves in.

So the same repair list can fall on the seller in one city and the buyer in the next. Ask your city whether a sale triggers an inspection, who makes the repairs and how far out inspections are booked. We buy houses with open code items as they are, but the city's permit rules apply to every sale, whoever the buyer is.

Title problems and other holdups

Title trouble holds up closings on every route, so order the title search early and tell the title company what you already know.

The usual surprises are an old second mortgage or home equity line that was paid but never released, a contractor's lien, a court judgment, or an owner on the deed who has died. If the house is still in a late parent's name, the title company will ask who has the authority to sell, and settling that takes time; see selling an inherited house. If a foreclosure date is set, read selling before foreclosure.

How to check out a cash buyer before you sign

Confirm the buyer can pay, that a licensed title company handles the money, and that the contract doesn't let the price slide later.

Ask for proof of funds, such as a bank letter, that covers the price.
Ask how they reached the number, line by line.
Use a title company for the closing and any earnest money. Missouri requires title agencies to be licensed, and the Department of Commerce and Insurance lets you look one up.
Read when the buyer can cancel and whether an inspection period lets them cut the price.
Ask whose name will be on the deed. Our FAQ says we may connect a seller with other trusted buyers, so ask us too.
Look up reviews and a local office. We have 372 Google reviews with a 4.9 average, a BBB A+ rating and an office at 8711 Watson Rd in Webster Groves. Read what sellers say.
Confirm wiring instructions by calling the title company at a number you looked up yourself.
Get more than one offer, plus an agent's listing estimate, before you decide.

Frequently asked questions

How fast can you sell a house for cash in St. Louis?

A direct cash sale is usually fastest, because no buyer's loan or appraisal is involved. With us, we can make an offer within 24 hours. We can close in as little as 7 days when the title is clear; 30 to 60 days is typical. A listing priced at the market often takes around three months once the loan is counted, though it can bring more for a house in good shape.

Do I need an occupancy permit to sell my house in St. Louis?

It depends on the city. The City of St. Louis requires a Certificate of Inspection before anyone occupies a house after a sale. University City requires an occupancy permit before anyone moves in and asks sellers to inspect before listing. Florissant lets a house sell as-is and puts the inspection and permit on the buyer. Ask your city hall who has to make the repairs an inspector finds.

How much less will a cash buyer pay than a listing?

There's no fixed discount. It depends on the repairs the house needs and the costs the buyer takes on, and our offer shows each line. A listing has its own costs: commission, which averaged 5.61% in Missouri in Clever Real Estate's August 2026 survey, plus repairs, closing costs and the months you carry the house. Compare what you would net from each.

Is an iBuyer faster than a local cash buyer?

Sometimes. Opendoor's St. Louis page lists closings from as little as 21 days. With us, we can make an offer within 24 hours. We can close in as little as 7 days when the title is clear; 30 to 60 days is typical. The bigger difference is which houses qualify. Opendoor says it buys mainly homes built after 1930 and may pass on houses with significant structural problems. We buy houses in any condition.

Can I sell my house quickly with tenants living in it?

Yes, though tenants change who will buy. A listing means fitting showings around the household with whatever notice the lease requires, and buyers who plan to live there will often want it empty. We buy with tenants in place. No eviction required.

See your numbers side by side

To see a cash number next to what a listing might bring, read how we buy houses, send us a message, or call (314) 334-1481. Take your time; the decision is yours. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice, so talk to a Missouri real estate attorney when your case turns on the details.

How to Sell a House Fast in St. Louis: Four Ways Compared