ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis couple made it their mission to inject life back into the West End neighborhood by rehabbing one house at a time.
The neighborhood sits north of Delmar Boulevard, a street in St. Louis, that is historically and widely considered a socioeconomic and racial dividing line.
“There's a view that there's a negativity north of Delmar, but there's some great housing stock over here,” Rodney Norman said.
Rodney and Juanita Norman have spent the last few years fixing up and selling houses on Maple Avenue, including the home he grew up in.
“We made a decision that we were going to keep that house. We were going to rehab it. We went into a neighbor's house and we saw what she had accomplished and we're avid HGTV watchers and we said 'Hey, let's take this on,'” Rodney said.
The couple will soon complete their third rehab, turning a three-family into a single-family.
Homes like this one are selling for a pretty penny this year.
“The first house that we sold. It sold for $270,000 in 2019. Our family home sold for $340,000 in '21.”
In September, West End home prices were up 9.7% compared to last year, selling for a median price of $110,000. On average, homes in West End sell after 35 days on the market compared to 74 days last year. There were 12 homes sold in September this year, up from eight last year, according to Redfin.
The Normans said they hoped their work was a symbol the region's historic dividing line for race and wealth may be starting to break down.
According to their real estate agent, Rodney that raised some doubt on the other side of Delmar.
“How can you command that price per square foot north of Delmar?" he said others asked. We have to change the perception, and that's what we're doing."
Juanita said she helps by inspiring others to keep things looking tidy inside and outside in the neighborhood.
She worked with the city's Forestry Division to get trees back up on the street.
“What can be done to beautify their streets and make it a livable walkable area for their families,” she said.
The couple noted they were investing their lives so others might do the same.
“Look at what this neighborhood has to offer, how this community is changing,” she said.
The couple has considered moving into their latest project once it's done and plans to sell their home built from the ground up across the street.
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