Check an address before you fall for the house.
Flood zone, USDA eligibility, the community’s occupancy inspection rule, and this year’s loan limits, from public records. Nothing is saved, and nobody calls you.
One page, with Sean’s details, for a buyer or their agent.
For information only, not a commitment to lend. Flood zones come from FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer and USDA eligibility from USDA Rural Development, both as of the day you check; a lender’s formal flood determination and USDA’s own lookup control. USDA loans also have income limits. Loan limits are FHFA and FHA one-unit figures for 2026. Parcel values and tax bills are the assessor’s published records for St. Louis County and the City of St. Louis; other counties are not covered yet. The payment estimate uses today’s conventional rate from our rates page, a 730 credit score, the site’s insurance assumptions and the tax figure shown; it is an estimate, not a quote, and your rate depends on your credit, loan and lock date. Occupancy rules and tax rates come from our community guides, each with its source. Better Rate Mortgage · NMLS #2401335 · Equal Housing Lender.
What the St. Louis address check looks up
- Flood zone. The FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer at that exact point: the zone letter, whether it is a high-risk area where flood insurance is required on a mortgage, and a plain reading of what the zone means.
- USDA eligibility. Whether the address sits in a USDA Rural Development eligible area, where a zero-down USDA loan is possible if income qualifies. Parts of St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln counties and the Metro East qualify.
- Occupancy inspection. Many St. Louis area municipalities require an occupancy permit and inspection when a home changes hands. If the address is in one of our community guides, you see the rule and who is responsible for it.
- Assessor record. For the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County, the assessor’s published value, year built, and, in the city, the actual tax bill. No owner names.
- 2026 loan limits. The conforming limit and the FHA limit for a one-unit home, so you know which loan types a price falls under.
- A payment for this house. Enter a price and down payment and you get principal and interest at today’s posted rate with its APR, taxes from the real bill or the community’s effective rate, insurance and mortgage insurance if any.
Type a street address with city and ZIP, or paste a listing link from Zillow, Realtor.com or Redfin and we read the address and asking price off the page. The result prints as a one-page sheet you can hand to a buyer or an agent.
Address check questions, answered
Does Zone X mean I do not need flood insurance?
Zone X is FEMA’s minimal-risk zone, and lenders do not require flood insurance there. Two cautions. FEMA maps are updated over time, and the lender orders its own flood determination before closing; that determination controls, not this lookup. And “not required” is not “no risk”: about one in four flood claims come from outside high-risk zones, and a preferred-risk policy is inexpensive. In the St. Louis area, homes near the Meramec, Missouri and Mississippi rivers and their creeks deserve a closer look regardless of zone.
If the address is USDA eligible, do I qualify for a USDA loan?
Not automatically. USDA has two tests. The property must be in an eligible area, which is what this check answers. The household must also be under the USDA income limit for the county, which varies with household size. Both have to pass. USDA loans are zero down with a guarantee fee instead of mortgage insurance, and they are a real option in much of St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin and Lincoln counties and the Metro East.
What is an occupancy inspection, and who pays for it?
Many St. Louis area cities, including Kirkwood, Webster Groves, Florissant, University City and the City of St. Louis, require an occupancy permit and inspection before a home can change hands. Who applies and pays varies by city, and so do the fees and what the inspector checks. Each of our community guides states the rule with a link to the city’s own page. The practical point for a buyer is timing: make sure the inspection is scheduled and passed before closing, because you may not be able to turn on utilities without it.
Where do the tax and value numbers come from?
From the assessors. In the City of St. Louis we show the assessor’s appraised value and the actual current tax bill for that parcel. In St. Louis County we show the assessor’s appraised value; the county does not publish the bill at the parcel level, so the payment uses the community’s effective tax rate from our guides. For other counties the payment uses the guide rate. Assessed values are not sale prices, and taxes are reassessed on the odd years in Missouri, so treat them as a starting point.
Is the monthly payment a quote?
No. It is an estimate built from today’s posted 30-year conventional rate, shown with its APR, a 730 credit score, the down payment you chose, the tax figure on the page, and the site’s insurance assumptions. Your actual rate depends on your credit, the loan program, the loan size and the day you lock. A pre-approval with Sean turns this into a number you can make an offer with.
Can I paste a Zillow, Realtor.com or Redfin link instead of typing the address?
Yes. We read the address and asking price off the listing and run the same checks. If a listing is off-market or the page cannot be read, type the street address instead. We take only the facts we need, never the photos, and we do not store the listing.
Do you keep the addresses people look up?
Results are cached for seven days so a repeat lookup is instant, and that cache is keyed to the address, not to you. No account, no email, nothing tied to your name unless you choose to contact us. Owner names from assessor records are never shown or stored.
Which areas does the address check cover?
Flood zone, USDA eligibility and loan limits work for any U.S. address. Assessor records cover the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Occupancy rules, tax rates and the community facts come from our sixty St. Louis area guides on both sides of the river. Outside the metro you still get the federal answers; you just will not see local records.
St. Louis community guides → · Affordability map → · Mortgage payment calculator → · Talk to Sean →
Reviewed by Sean Zalmanoff, Founder & Chief Loan Officer, Better Rate Mortgage (NMLS #239823). Last updated July 2026.
