David W. Gearhart sold a four-bedroom, 2.5 bath at 533 Ballas Park Dr. in Des Peres for $273,000 to Jeffrey Smith and his wife, Michelle Birkla, on Sept. 11.

Gearhart paid $283,000 for the home in June 2004.

Larry Dietzel of Keller Williams Realty was the agent for the sale. The home was listed for $279,000.

Gearhart is an associate in the St. Louis office of statewide law firm Lewis, Rice & Fingersh, L.C. He specializes in labor and employment litigation, immigration law and ERISA and class action litigation. He joined the firm in 2000.

He received his J.D. from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis (2000) and his bachelor's in International Studies and German from Emory University in Atlanta (1996).

Since 2004, Mrs. Birkla has served as a wedding planner and coordinator for Saint Louis Wedding Design.

Des Peres home sales have dropped two percent through September 2007 vs. the same period in 2006. The median price over that time period has also fallen $18,000 from $373,000 in 2006 to $356,000 so far this year.

After peaking in 2004, median sales prices in Des Peres dropped in 2005 before rising again in 2006, according to BlockShopper Metrics, which began keeping track in 1999.

Address: 533 Ballas Park Drive
Buyer(s): Birkla Michelle Et Smith Jeffrey Et Ux Con
Seller(s): David W Gearhart
Sale date: Sep. 11, 2007