St. Louis is a city that is currently experiencing some seriously rapid growth. Growth is generally a good thing, resulting in increases in both jobs and residents over the last ten years. The growth also forces changes at a cultural level as well, attracting new tourists and even new residents.
One of the nation's largest metropolitan areas with more than 2.7 million residents, St. Louis' recent rapid growth is driven, in part, by the comparatively low cost of living for a city of its size. In 2005, St. Louis had the 4th lowest cost of living of any U.S. Metro Area.
But while such rapid growth brings with it good things, such as more jobs and increased tourism revenue, every ship brings its rats with it. For the ship of St. Louis, the rats appear as an increasingly chaotic and cluttered housing market. As such, it becomes a necessity for those who migrate into the city -- whether for work, school, or some other reason -- to implement a strategy to find a living space in and around the city without ending up with a home in a less than desirable neighborhood that costs more than you would otherwise be willing to pay.
Another strategy is to go the apartment route, renting for far less than it costs to own. New residents have taken up this task in increasing numbers due to the rising cost of homes. Home ownership, as such, has steadily continued to fall.
As one of the most rapidly growing suburban towns of St. Louis, Clayton, Missouri is beginning to gain more attention in the housing market over the past several years. Clayton, Missouri apartments are becoming very popular because of the suburb's proximity to St. Louis' city center as well their reasonable prices and the small-town feel of Clayton (its current population is under 13,000 people). Clayton also sports great schools and churches, along with a demographic in line with the rest of the state, making it a microcosm of Missouri.
Clayton, Missouri Apartments Online
As more and more people become connected to the Internet, the World Wide Web is quickly becoming the ultimate shopping mall. Virtually every market -- including real estate -- is affected by the Internet phenomenon. Shopping around online for Clayton, Missouri apartments is a simple, effective, and easy way to use the broad-reaching capabilities and power of the Web to "window shop" for homes with all of the requirements that you desire for your new abode.
By using increasingly powerful, database driven tools online, navigating hundreds of available apartments in a single sitting, sorting them via virtually any prerequisite -- such as size, price range, neighborhood of choice, number of bathrooms, etc. -- becomes a study in simplicity and ease. Furthermore, many sites will allow you to make side-by-side comparisons according to the criteria you have chosen, once you have found a few homes that interest you.
The Internet will probably never replace traditional real estate companies entirely, but it is making significant strides in comparison shopping for homes and apartments, as well as promoting competition in pricing. So, whether you are looking to move to the St. Louis area, or just to relocate within the city, using online tools can help you find the perfect residence.
