14 Features St. Louis Buyers Are Turning Their Backs On (Plus 5 They’ve Already Written Off)

The St. Louis real estate market is changing faster than you can say ‘Gateway Arch.’ Today’s homebuyers have clear preferences about what they want and more importantly, what they don’t want in their dream homes.

I’ve watched these trends evolve while helping families find their perfect match in the Lou.

Let’s explore which home features St. Louis buyers are increasingly rejecting and which ones they’ve completely abandoned.

1. Formal Living Rooms

Remember when homes needed a pristine room just for ‘special occasions’? St. Louis buyers now view formal living rooms as wasted square footage that could be put to better use.

Families prefer open concept layouts where they can actually live and interact. The pandemic reinforced this shift as people needed functional spaces for multiple activities rather than rooms that sit empty most of the year.

Modern buyers are repurposing these spaces into home offices, playrooms, or extending their kitchen areas. If you’re selling, consider staging your formal living room as a multi-purpose space to show its potential beyond collecting fancy furniture that nobody uses.

2. Popcorn Ceilings

Nothing screams ‘dated home’ louder than those bumpy, textured ceilings from decades past. St. Louis buyers cringe at popcorn ceilings, seeing them as immediate renovation projects rather than charming vintage details.

Beyond their outdated appearance, these textured nightmares collect dust, are difficult to clean, and often contain asbestos in older homes. Young families especially avoid them due to health concerns and the inevitable messy removal process.

Sellers who take the time to remove popcorn ceilings before listing typically see faster sales at better prices. Smooth, clean ceilings make rooms feel taller, brighter, and significantly more modern—exactly what today’s St. Louis buyers are hunting for.

3. Dark Cherry Cabinets

Those rich, mahogany-toned kitchen cabinets that dominated the early 2000s have fallen dramatically out of favor with St. Louis house hunters. Dark cherry cabinets make kitchens feel smaller, darker, and stuck in a time warp.

White, light gray, or natural wood tones now rule the market, creating brighter, more inviting cooking spaces. Even in historic St. Louis neighborhoods where traditional styles prevail, buyers prefer updated kitchen aesthetics with lighter finishes.

If you’re not ready for a complete cabinet replacement, painting existing dark cabinets or refinishing them in lighter tones can transform your kitchen’s appeal. Hardware updates with modern pulls and knobs can further help modernize these dated kitchen features.

4. Carpet in Dining Rooms

Spilled spaghetti sauce and red wine don’t mix well with carpet—a lesson St. Louis homebuyers have firmly embraced. Carpeted dining rooms have become a major turn-off in the market, with buyers immediately calculating removal costs during showings.

Hardwood, luxury vinyl plank, or even quality laminate flooring now dominates buyer wish lists for dining spaces. These practical surfaces handle inevitable food spills without permanent staining and bring a cleaner, more sophisticated look to eating areas.

Many St. Louis homes built in the 80s and 90s featured wall-to-wall carpet throughout, but modern families prioritize easy-to-clean surfaces in food zones. If you’re selling with dining room carpet, consider offering a flooring allowance rather than replacing it with more carpet.

5. Ornate Fireplace Mantels

Heavily carved, oversized fireplace mantels that once symbolized luxury have lost their appeal in the St. Louis market. Today’s buyers view these elaborate focal points as outdated and excessive rather than impressive statement pieces.

Clean lines and simple designs now dominate fireplace trends, with buyers preferring understated elegance that complements rather than dominates a room. Natural stone surrounds or minimalist floating shelves have replaced the chunky carved wood mantels of yesteryear.

St. Louis homes in historic districts might retain some period-appropriate detailing, but even there, buyers prefer less ornate versions. Sellers finding success have either replaced ornate mantels entirely or painted them in neutral tones to downplay their heaviness and help them blend with modern décor.

6. Heavy Draperies

Those floor-to-ceiling fabric fortresses with swags, jabots, and valances are making St. Louis homebuyers run for the hills. Heavy draperies block natural light, collect dust, and give rooms that unmistakable ‘grandma’s house’ feeling that younger buyers actively avoid.

Light-filtering blinds, simple curtain panels, or even bare windows with architectural trim are now preferred for their clean, uncluttered appearance. Modern St. Louis homeowners want to maximize natural light while maintaining privacy through less obtrusive window treatments.

If your home still sports brocade drapes or floral patterns with tassels, removing them before listing can dramatically improve buyer perception. The investment in simple, neutral window coverings pays dividends in making spaces feel larger, brighter, and more contemporary.

7. Whirlpool Tubs

Those massive jetted tubs that dominated 90s master bathrooms have lost their bubbling appeal with St. Louis homebuyers. Occupying precious bathroom square footage while rarely being used, whirlpool tubs represent wasted space and outdated luxury to today’s practical buyers.

Walk-in showers with rainfall heads, bench seating, and multiple spray options have become the must-have bathroom feature. Buyers cite concerns about cleaning jetted tubs properly, their high water usage, and the maintenance headaches that come with motor and pump systems.

If you’re renovating to sell in St. Louis, consider replacing that rarely-used whirlpool with an expanded shower or a freestanding soaking tub that offers a cleaner look without the mechanical complications. This bathroom upgrade consistently ranks among the highest ROI renovations in the current market.

8. Mirrored Closet Doors

Wall-to-wall mirrors might have seemed like a smart space-enhancing trick in the 80s, but St. Louis buyers now view mirrored closet doors as dated eyesores. These reflective panels show every fingerprint, crack easily, and create a disorienting fun-house effect in bedrooms.

Today’s homeowners prefer simple sliding doors with clean panels, barn-door styles, or even curtained closet solutions that add texture without the cold, hard mirror surface. Beyond aesthetics, parents of young children often cite safety concerns with large mirrored surfaces that can shatter.

Replacing mirrored closet doors before listing your St. Louis home is a relatively inexpensive update with significant visual impact. Many buyers will mentally add this to their “must change” list when touring homes, potentially lowering their offer to accommodate the anticipated renovation costs.

9. Tiled Countertops

Ceramic tile countertops with their endless grout lines have fallen firmly out of favor with St. Louis homebuyers. These high-maintenance surfaces collect dirt in the grout, provide uneven work surfaces, and scream “outdated kitchen” to today’s buyers.

Solid surface options like quartz, granite, or even butcher block have become the standard expectation in kitchens at virtually all price points. Buyers consistently cite the cleaning challenges and bacterial concerns associated with tile grout in food preparation areas.

For St. Louis sellers, replacing tiled countertops before listing typically offers strong return on investment. If budget constraints make replacement impossible, professional grout cleaning and sealing can improve appearance temporarily, though buyers will still factor replacement costs into their offers.

10. Vessel Sinks

Those bowl-shaped sinks that sit atop bathroom counters are quickly losing their appeal with St. Louis homebuyers. Once considered high-end and spa-like, vessel sinks have proven impractical in daily use, with splashing issues, difficult cleaning around the base, and awkward heights for shorter family members.

Undermount sinks that create clean, seamless countertop surfaces have become the preferred choice in updated bathrooms. The practical concerns of vessel sinks extend to durability issues, with many developing cracks or becoming loose at their single connection point.

St. Louis homes with vessel sinks often see buyers mentally calculating replacement costs during showings. If you’re renovating a bathroom before selling, skip this trend regardless of what your designer suggests—the practical limitations have firmly moved vessel sinks into the “passing fad” category.

11. Overly Themed Décor Rooms

The Tuscan kitchen complete with grape motifs or the nautical-themed bathroom with seashell everything—St. Louis buyers are firmly rejecting heavily themed rooms. These personalized design choices feel dated and create immediate “must renovate” impressions during home tours.

Neutral, versatile spaces that buyers can envision personalizing themselves now win the day in our market. Sports team rooms (even for beloved Cardinals or Blues), princess bedrooms, and hobby-themed spaces all fall into this category of too-specific décor that limits a home’s appeal.

If selling your St. Louis home, consider neutralizing any themed rooms before listing. Paint over murals, remove theme-specific hardware, and stage with versatile furniture. This simple preparation helps buyers see possibilities rather than renovation projects, often resulting in faster sales at better prices.

12. Fluorescent Kitchen Lighting

Those humming, flickering rectangular light boxes that dominated kitchen ceilings for decades have become instant turn-offs for St. Louis homebuyers. Fluorescent lighting casts an unflattering bluish glow that makes both people and food look unappetizing.

Modern recessed lighting, pendant fixtures, and under-cabinet LEDs have become the expected standard in updated kitchens. Beyond the harsh light quality, buyers associate fluorescent fixtures with commercial spaces or outdated construction, giving even well-maintained kitchens a dated feel.

Updating kitchen lighting before selling offers excellent return on investment in the St. Louis market. Even modest homes now feature more sophisticated lighting plans that create layers of illumination rather than the flat, shadowless glare of fluorescent panels that once dominated kitchen design.

13. Faux Stone Facades

Fake stone veneer applied haphazardly around entryways or as random interior accent walls has fallen out of favor with discerning St. Louis buyers. These artificial applications often look obviously fake, with repeated patterns and unconvincing edges that detract from a home’s authentic character.

Natural materials used thoughtfully or clean, simple surfaces now dominate design preferences. The trend toward authenticity means buyers prefer either genuine materials or modern alternatives that don’t pretend to be something they’re not.

Homes in established St. Louis neighborhoods with authentic brick or stone features still command premium prices. However, properties with obviously fake stone applications, particularly those from the early 2000s building boom, face buyer resistance. If selling with these features, consider removing them entirely rather than trying to improve their appearance.

14. Half Walls Between Rooms

Those chest-high partial walls that once served as room dividers are now viewed as awkward obstacles by St. Louis homebuyers. Half walls create visual clutter without providing actual separation or the openness today’s families desire.

Open concept layouts or thoughtfully designed spaces with clear purpose have replaced these neither-here-nor-there dividers. Buyers see half walls as remnants of 90s design that interrupt flow and collect dust on their flat tops while serving little practical purpose.

Removing half walls before listing can dramatically improve a home’s appeal in the St. Louis market. This relatively simple renovation instantly modernizes floor plans and creates the spacious feeling buyers crave. Even in historic St. Louis homes, buyers prefer either proper full walls or completely open spaces rather than these in-between solutions.

15. Vertical Blinds

Those clicking, clattering plastic slats that once covered sliding glass doors have been completely rejected by St. Louis homebuyers. Vertical blinds symbolize apartment living, break easily, and create that unmistakable cheap plastic appearance that devalues even nice homes.

Modern alternatives like panel curtains, cellular shades, or sliding plantation shutters have become the expected window treatments for larger openings. The practical issues with vertical blinds constant tangling, missing slats, and noisy operation make them a feature buyers immediately plan to replace.

If your St. Louis home still sports these outdated window coverings, replacing them before listing can significantly improve buyer perception. Even budget-friendly curtain panels create a more current look than perfectly maintained vertical blinds, which have joined the ranks of features buyers won’t accept at any price point.

16. Carpeted Bathrooms

Wall-to-wall carpet in bathrooms ranks among the most universally rejected home features in the St. Louis market. The moisture issues alone make this a deal-breaker, with buyers immediately envisioning mold growth beneath that soggy floor covering.

Tile, luxury vinyl, or even quality laminate flooring designed for wet areas have become the only acceptable bathroom flooring options. Beyond the practical concerns, the hygiene implications of carpet collecting bathroom debris make this feature particularly off-putting to today’s buyers.

St. Louis homes with carpeted bathrooms typically see significantly longer market times unless priced to reflect immediate renovation needs. If you’re selling with this feature, consider replacing the flooring before listing—few updates will make a bigger difference in buyer perception and willingness to make competitive offers.

17. Vinyl Flooring with Loud Patterns

Those busy, high-contrast sheet vinyl floors with faux brick patterns or geometric designs have been completely abandoned by St. Louis homebuyers. These attention-grabbing floors dominate spaces, clash with furnishings, and immediately date a home to specific decades.

Modern flooring preferences lean toward subtle textures and natural-looking materials, even in vinyl products. The visual noise created by these patterned floors makes rooms feel smaller and creates design challenges that buyers don’t want to tackle.

Homes in St. Louis neighborhoods like South City or St. Charles may still have these vintage floors in kitchens and bathrooms. Replacing them with simple, neutral flooring options before listing can dramatically improve marketability. Even luxury vinyl plank flooring, which offers similar durability at reasonable cost, presents a much more current aesthetic.

18. Drop Ceilings in Living Areas

Those commercial-looking suspended tile ceilings have no place in residential living spaces according to today’s St. Louis buyers. Once installed to hide pipes or wiring, drop ceilings instantly create an office or basement feel that buyers reject in main living areas.

Standard drywall ceilings or even exposed structural elements with a thoughtful industrial design approach are vastly preferred in today’s market. The institutional appearance of drop ceilings, combined with their tendency to yellow and sag over time, makes them immediate renovation targets.

St. Louis homes with drop ceilings in living rooms, dining areas, or bedrooms face significant buyer resistance. Removing these systems before listing, even if it means some additional electrical or plumbing work to relocate utilities, typically offers strong return on investment through improved buyer perception and stronger offers.

19. Plastic Folding Doors

Those accordion-style plastic doors that once served as closet or room dividers have been completely written off by St. Louis homebuyers. The flimsy vinyl construction, constant track issues, and distinctly cheap appearance make these doors an immediate replacement item.

Modern alternatives like French doors, pocket doors, or sliding barn-style doors offer both improved function and aesthetics. The hollow sound and poor operation of folding doors create an unmistakably dated impression that devalues otherwise nice spaces.

Homes throughout St. Louis County with these plastic accordion doors face buyer resistance regardless of neighborhood or price point. Replacing even one prominent folding door before listing particularly on a main floor closet or between living spaces can significantly improve buyer perception of overall home quality and maintenance.