Investor Education
Guides, articles and primers on real estate investing strategies, tax law, and best practices for St. Louis investors.
Knowledge compounds faster than capital
The investors who consistently build wealth aren't necessarily the smartest or the best-funded — they're the most informed. They know the tax code, the financing landscape, the local market, the strategies that fit their goals. These guides and articles will help you get there.
Strategy Guides
1031 Exchange Hub
Comprehensive guide to like-kind exchanges — rules, deadlines (45/180), qualified intermediaries, common pitfalls. Plus a built-in 1031 calculator.
1031 hub →St. Louis Real Estate News
Weekly articles on interest rates, market shifts, NAR & regulatory news, and topical pieces relevant to investors and the agents who serve them.
Read the news →Fair Commission Rate
Understanding the post-NAR-settlement commission landscape — how to negotiate buyer-side commissions, what's normal in 2026, and what it means for investor offers.
Learn more →MORE Resource Center
Deep library of real estate articles, ebooks, scripts, checklists and reference materials — many directly applicable to investor scenarios.
Browse the library →Common Investor Strategies (Primers)
Flipping (Fix & Flip)
Buy distressed, rehab, sell at retail. Short hold (3–9 months). High return when execution is right — high downside when ARV is wrong or rehab overruns budget. Hard money is the typical funding vehicle. Use the 70% rule as your initial filter: max offer = ARV × 0.70 minus rehab.
BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat)
Acquire distressed with hard money or cash, rehab, lease, then cash-out refinance to pull most or all of your capital back out. Repeat with the recovered capital. The "infinite ROI" strategy when executed well. Watch your ARV math — if you don't hit 75% LTV on the refi, you have stuck capital.
Long-Term Rentals (Buy & Hold)
Traditional rental property strategy. Cash flow + appreciation + loan paydown + tax benefits = wealth over time. St. Louis is a strong rental market with 8–12 zip codes that historically pencil. Plan for 8–10% vacancy, 8–10% maintenance, 5–10% capex, and conservative rent estimates.
Small Multifamily & House Hacking
2–4 unit properties qualify for owner-occupant conventional financing (3.5–5% down) if you live in one unit. Highest return-on-down-payment strategy for new investors. After 12 months you can vacate, rent the unit out, and repeat.
Hard Money Basics
Short-term, asset-based loans for flips and quick-turn deals. Typical terms: 80–90% loan-to-cost (purchase + rehab), 70–75% loan-to-after-repair-value, 6–15 month term, 9–14% interest, 1–3 points up front. Cost is amortized over short hold. Speed and flexibility are the value — not the rate.
DSCR Loans (Debt-Service-Coverage-Ratio)
Long-term investor financing that qualifies the property's rental income, not your personal income. Typical: 75% LTV, 30-year fixed or 5/1 ARM, no personal DTI requirement. Required DSCR usually 1.0–1.25 (rent ≥ 100–125% of debt service). Critical for investors who've maxed out Fannie/Freddie investor slots or have complex tax returns.
Private Money
Loans from individual investors (often retirees, professionals with idle capital, or self-directed IRA holders). Terms negotiable — often 6–10% interest, 1–2 points, with much more flexibility than institutional hard money. Building a private-money network is one of the highest-ROI relationship investments an investor can make.
Conventional Investor Loans
Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac investor loans for 1–10 financed properties. Best rates and terms available — typically 75–80% LTV on rentals, 25%+ down, 30-year fixed. Requires good credit, debt-to-income within guidelines, and reserves. After 10 financed properties, switch to DSCR or local portfolio lenders.
Ready to run the numbers on your next deal?
Calculators and quick-math shortcuts in Investor Tools.
About investor education in the St. Louis market
Real estate investing in the St. Louis metropolitan area has been an attractive path to wealth for decades, in part because of the affordability relative to coastal markets, but also because of the strong local rental demand, stable employment base, and a deep professional network (contractors, lenders, attorneys, property managers) that supports the investor community. New investors should start with strategy clarity (what are you trying to build — current income, equity, or both?), then layer on the financing knowledge to match.
If you're an agent considering specializing in investor clients, the topics above are non-negotiable to understand at a working-knowledge level. Investor clients won't tolerate an agent who can't talk through ARV, cap rate, DSCR or 70% rule math.
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