DreamLux Home Loans · NMLS #2156538 · City of St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis City | Tower Grove, The Grove & Lafayette Square

Home loans and investment financing inside the city limits. DSCR · Non-QM · FHA 203(k) renovation · Conventional

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No credit impact to review options · Underwritten pre-approvals that listing agents take seriously

DSCRInvestor Loans

203(k)Renovation Loans

3.5%Min FHA Down

280+Wholesale Lenders

MO + KSBoth Licensed

Tower Grove & Lafayette Square │ STL City Mortgage Broker

DreamLux Home Loans is a wholesale mortgage broker financing property inside the City of St. Louis, including Tower Grove South, The Grove, Lafayette Square, Soulard, Downtown West and Dutchtown. The city is an independent city, legally separate from St. Louis County since 1876, with its own assessor, its own recorder of deeds, a 1% earnings tax, and a citywide Housing Conservation inspection required before a new occupant moves in on a sale. As a broker rather than a bank, Zach Brown places files across 280+ wholesale lenders, which is what decides DSCR qualified on rental income, Non-QM for self-employed income, and FHA 203(k) renovation on century-old brick.

City of St. Louis

Independent City · Not St. Louis County

Your St. Louis City Mortgage Expert

Home Loans in St. Louis City Neighborhoods

Buying inside the city limits is a different transaction than buying in the county, and two rules catch people. The City of St. Louis is an independent city, legally separate from St. Louis County since 1876, so it runs its own assessor, its own recorder, and its own tax structure. And 100% of the city sits inside a Housing Conservation District, which means a Housing Conservation inspection certificate is required before a new occupant moves in on a sale. That inspection belongs in your closing timeline, not in your surprise pile.

DreamLux Home Loans finances Tower Grove South, The Grove and Forest Park Southeast, Lafayette Square, Soulard, Downtown West, Cherokee Street, Dutchtown and Shaw. Zach Brown (NMLS #2156538) places files across 280+ wholesale lenders rather than one bank's guideline set, which is what decides DSCR on rental income, Non-QM for self-employed income, and 203(k) renovation on century-old brick.

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Complimentary Resources

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CALCULATOR

Mortgage Calculator

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Home Purchase Qualifier

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Loan Estimate Comparison

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LOCAL MLS

St. Louis City Home Search

Browse city listings by neighborhood and by ZIP.

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Down Payment Assistance

Missouri MHDC programs and what pairs with a city purchase.

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FOR SALE BY OWNER

FSBO PRO Listing Tool

Selling a city property yourself, or unloading a rental out of the portfolio? List it on FSBO.com with a DreamLux client invite link and get it syndicated to the major portals.

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A note on two of these. The home search runs on a third-party listing platform. FSBO.com is an affiliated business, since DreamLux Home Loans is a DBA of NEXA Lending, LLC, and NEXA Lending, LLC and FSBO.com share common ownership. Because of that relationship, referrals between the two may provide a financial or other benefit. You are not required to use FSBO.com to obtain mortgage financing from DreamLux Home Loans, and you are not required to use DreamLux Home Loans to list a property on FSBO.com. There are other providers available and you are free to shop for the best services and rates. Plan pricing is set by FSBO.com and is subject to change.

Available in St. Louis City

12 of Our Most Popular Mortgage Loan Programs

Investors

DSCR

Qualify on rental income, not tax returns

Non-QM

Self-employed and alternative income

Conventional

Owner-occupant purchases and refinances

3.5% Down

FHA Loan

First-time buyers, 3.5% down at 580

$0 Down

VA Loan

Veterans and active duty

$0 Down

USDA Loan

Eligible addresses outside the city

Jumbo Loan

Above the conforming limit

Free $$

Down Pmt Assist

Missouri MHDC and lender-paid options

HELOC

Tap your existing home equity

Construction

One-time close on infill lots

Bridge Loan

Buy before your current home sells

Reverse Mortgage

Equity income for homeowners 62+

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Service Area

Where We Lend in the City of St. Louis

The City of St. Louis is an independent city, not part of St. Louis County. That is not trivia. It means a separate assessor, a separate recorder of deeds, a city earnings tax, and a citywide Housing Conservation inspection requirement that county buyers never encounter. Financing inside the line and financing a mile outside it are two different conversations, and the ZIP codes below are the ones that fall inside.

Primary Market

City of St. Louis, Missouri, an independent city since 1876, plus adjacent St. Louis County neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods Served

Tower Grove South Tower Grove East The Grove Forest Park Southeast Lafayette Square Soulard Benton Park Fox Park Compton Heights Shaw Botanical Heights The Hill Downtown West Midtown Cherokee Street Dutchtown Bevo Mill Southampton Carondelet Central West End

ZIP Codes

63104 Lafayette Square, Soulard, Benton Park, Fox Park 63110 The Grove, Forest Park Southeast, Shaw, The Hill 63116 Tower Grove South, Bevo Mill 63118 Tower Grove East, Cherokee Street, Gravois Park 63103 Downtown West, Midtown 63102 Downtown 63108 Central West End 63109 Southampton, St. Louis Hills 63111 Carondelet, Holly Hills 63139 Clifton Heights, Ellendale

Two City Rules Worth Budgeting For

1% earnings tax. The city levies a 1% earnings tax on residents and on anyone who works inside the city limits. It does not change your loan program, it changes your take-home, which is worth factoring into the payment you actually want to carry.

Occupancy inspection. 100% of the city sits inside a Housing Conservation District. A Housing Conservation inspection certificate is required before a new occupant moves in on a sale, and the certificate is good for 12 months. Schedule it early.

Hours

Monday through Friday, 8am to 8pm CT
Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 6pm CT
(573) 301-4422

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St. Louis City Home Search

Live listings filtered to the ZIP codes above, so you are shopping inside the city line rather than next to it.

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Second Opinion

Loan Estimate Comparison

Have an LE on a city property? Send it. Investor and 203(k) files are where the cost lines diverge most between lenders.

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Selling In This Area

FSBO PRO Listing Tool

List a city home or a rental you are exiting on FSBO.com with a DreamLux client invite link, syndicated to the major portals.

Get My Invite Link →

Disclosure. The home search runs on a third-party listing platform. FSBO.com is an affiliated business, since DreamLux Home Loans is a DBA of NEXA Lending, LLC, and NEXA Lending, LLC and FSBO.com share common ownership. Referrals between the two may provide a financial or other benefit. You are not required to use FSBO.com to obtain financing from DreamLux Home Loans, and you are not required to use DreamLux Home Loans to list on FSBO.com. Other providers are available and you are free to shop for the best services and rates.

Shopping the suburbs instead? West County is covered on the Chesterfield, Creve Coeur and Ballwin page, the inner-ring suburbs on the Kirkwood, Wildwood and Crestwood page, and the whole region on the St. Louis metro page.

DreamLux Home Loans'
Live Wholesale Mortgage Pricing

Pricing shopped across 280+ wholesale lenders.
No SSN required. No credit pull.

No Credit Impact

Soft pull only to review your options

You Hear Back From Zach

Not a call center or a lead queue

280+ Wholesale Lenders

Your file is shopped, not fitted to one product sheet

Licensed in Missouri & Kansas

NMLS #2156538, verifiable on NMLS Consumer Access

Zach Brown

Mortgage Loan Officer • NMLS #2156538

NEXA Lending, LLC • (573) 301-4422

Loan Type

Rate Type

Transaction Type

DreamLux Home Loans is an Equal Housing Lender • NMLS #2156538 • NEXA Lending, LLC
Rates subject to change. Not a commitment to lend.

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Ready to Buy or Invest in St. Louis City?

Whether it is a first home in Tower Grove South, a 203(k) on a Lafayette Square brick, or the next door in a rental portfolio, the file gets shopped across 280+ wholesale lenders rather than fitted to one product sheet. Reviewing options costs nothing and requires no credit pull.

Begin My Application Schedule a Free Call (573) 301-4422

City of St. Louis Real Estate

Neighborhoods We Finance in St. Louis City, Missouri

Tower Grove South

63116. Owner-occupant demand against limited inventory, so an underwritten letter carries more weight than a pre-qualification. FHA and Conventional lead here.

The Grove / Forest Park Southeast

63110. Mixed-use redevelopment corridor. DSCR and renovation financing do most of the work, and appraisals lean on recent rehab comps.

Lafayette Square

63104. A local historic district, so exterior changes route through the city Preservation Board. FHA 203(k) and Conventional renovation both fit, with the review timeline built in.

Soulard

63104. Historic district with strong short and long term rental demand. DSCR qualifies on the rent rather than your tax returns.

Downtown West / CityPark

63103. Loft and new-build inventory. Condo and loft projects need warrantability checked before you write, and Non-QM covers what conventional will not.

Cherokee Street

63118. Arts and small-business corridor with mixed-use buildings. Financing depends on the residential-to-commercial square footage split.

Dutchtown & Bevo Mill

63111 and 63116. The city's accessible entry point with steady rental demand. FHA for owner-occupants, DSCR for the buy-and-hold side.

Shaw & Botanical Heights

63110. Established blocks near the Missouri Botanical Garden. Conventional and FHA owner-occupant, with 203(k) on the remaining unrehabbed stock.

Zach Brown

Senior Mortgage Loan Officer & CEO · NMLS #2156538

Zach originates purchase, renovation and investment loans across Missouri and Kansas as a wholesale broker, placing files with 280+ lenders rather than one bank's guideline set. Inside the City of St. Louis that matters on the files banks handle worst: DSCR qualified on rent instead of tax returns, Non-QM for self-employed income, and 203(k) renovation on historic brick where the appraisal has to account for the rehab rather than the current condition. He also plans around the two city-specific items that move closing dates, the Housing Conservation occupancy inspection and Preservation Board review in the historic districts.

Licensed in Missouri & Kansas · Verify NMLS #2156538 · (573) 301-4422
Page written and reviewed by Zach Brown · Last updated August 10, 2026

St. Louis City Mortgage FAQ

Common Questions from St. Louis City Homebuyers

Can I use a DSCR loan to buy a rental property in St. Louis city?

Yes. DSCR loans qualify on the property's rental income rather than your personal income, so there are no tax returns, no W-2s, and no debt-to-income calculation on you. That fits the city specifically, where a lot of buyers are adding doors in Tower Grove, Soulard, The Grove and Dutchtown rather than buying a primary residence. Bring the projected or in-place rents and we can look at whether the numbers support the file.

Is the City of St. Louis part of St. Louis County?

No. The City of St. Louis separated from St. Louis County in 1876 and has operated as an independent city ever since. It has its own assessor, its own recorder of deeds, its own earnings tax, and its own inspection requirements. For financing, that means city property records and city-specific closing items, and it is why a lender who mostly works the county can miss things on a city file.

Do I need an occupancy permit to buy a house in St. Louis city?

Effectively yes. All of the city sits inside a Housing Conservation District, and a Housing Conservation inspection certificate is required before a new occupant moves into a unit that has been sold, unless one has been issued in the prior 12 months. The inspection checks the property against minimum interior and exterior maintenance standards. Schedule it as soon as you are under contract, because a failed item can hold up move-in even when the loan is clear to close.

Does the St. Louis city earnings tax affect my mortgage?

Indirectly. The city levies a 1% earnings tax on residents, and on anyone who works inside the city limits regardless of where they live. It does not change your loan program or your qualification, but it does change your take-home pay, which is worth factoring into the payment you actually want to carry rather than the maximum you technically qualify for.

What renovation loan works for a Lafayette Square or Soulard historic home?

FHA 203(k) finances the purchase price and the renovation cost in one mortgage, and Fannie Mae HomeStyle does the same on the conventional side with fewer property restrictions. Both are built for exactly the century-old brick stock in those districts. One local wrinkle: Lafayette Square and Soulard are historic districts, so exterior work routes through the city's Preservation Board. Build that review into the timeline before you set a closing date.

Are there historic tax credits for rehabbing a St. Louis city property?

Yes, there are both a Missouri state historic preservation tax credit and a federal historic rehabilitation credit for certified historic structures, and much of Lafayette Square, Soulard and Shaw qualifies. The credit percentages, caps and application steps are set by statute and change, and the credits are a tax matter rather than a loan product, so confirm current terms with your CPA and the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office. What we can do is structure the financing so the rehab budget and the credit timing do not collide.

Can I get an FHA loan on a St. Louis city home?

Yes, and 3.5% down at a 580 credit score is the standard structure. The thing to watch in the city is the appraisal. FHA requires the property to meet minimum property standards, and on older unrehabbed stock, peeling paint, missing handrails and roof condition are the items that come back. If the house needs work to pass, that is usually the moment to look at 203(k) instead of walking away.

Should I use a mortgage broker or a bank for a city property?

A bank offers one guideline set, its own. A broker shops the file across many wholesale lenders. In the city that matters most on three file types: DSCR, self-employed income, and renovation, where one lender's overlay declines a file that another approves. It also matters on condo and loft warrantability downtown, which varies lender to lender rather than being a single national answer.

What Our St. Louis City Clients Say

Reviews from City of St. Louis homebuyers, homeowners and investors, collected and verified by a third-party platform.

Reviews are collected and verified by a third-party platform. Individual results vary. Loan approval depends on credit, income, assets and property, and is never guaranteed. Verify NMLS #2156538