Water Conservation and Your Black Hills Home

It looks to be beautiful weather for the 74^th Annual Sturgis© Motorcycle Rally™ compared to the heat in years past. Although it seems we’ve had rain often in the forecast this season, we are still well below average in that department. With this in mind, it’s important to make sure your watering systems are performing correctly and most efficiently so that you are getting maximum coverage and doing your best to conserve water.

Maintenance before issues occur. To keep the system working at its best, flush the lines once a year and check your irrigation water cycles each spring as the conditions may change from year to year. Frequently inspect your system for leaks, broken sprinkler heads or over-spray and keep a box of replacement parts on hand to quickly make repairs.

There are many different types of ways to make sure your entire area is covered and adequately watered. In our Black Hills region, the potential to have a large yard and even acreage is normal. Our yards aren’t shaped or sloped the same as “cookie cutter” neighborhoods in other regions so we sometimes have to get a little more creative in how we irrigate our property.

Drip irrigation is most efficient at water conservation because the water is delivered directly to the plant. It is also the most effective way to water mature shrubs that may have grown so tall that they block sprinkler heads. New drip systems are also designed to rarely clog and have built-in emitters spaced 12 to 18 inches apart, delivering water to the entire bed. Be sure to install a water pressure reducer and filter to ensure the best flow. For vegetable gardens or plants with special watering needs, a smaller version of the irrigation tubing is available. This can be looped around the plants to provide maximum water.

Use technology to your advantage. You can better manage your water usage with a smart controller that uses weather data to calculate how much water a plant loses each day and delivers enough water to replace the loss the next day. Remember, however, that smart controllers are only as good as the information you provide, so be sure to accurately enter the type of plants, soil conditions, slopes and other factors.

Check the water output to your fixed sprinkler heads. If you have the type that delivers water in quarter, half and full circles and they aren’t doing the job you need them to do, replace them with adjustable heads to better meet your needs. One improvement may be to replace with MP rotators. These heads put out larger drops of water, which reduces evaporation and gets the water where you need it. These rotators are more effective than sprays and mists that evaporate before they reach the ground, or are carried away by the wind.

Adjust watering times as needed. Once you’ve adjusted, replaced and improved your watering sprinklers and lines, you may need to readjust your watering schedule for a longer period — about 30 percent longer — to ensure the area gets enough water. Rotators and certain drips may put out water at a slower rate, so you may run the sprinklers longer. This may seem counter-productive to water conservation but remember the flow is less so you will actually use less water.

Ensuring your landscaping and gardens are getting the water it needs in the most efficient way is easy with some planning and maintenance. Now is a great time to find a home in our premier Sunset Creek development. Our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact Jim Peterson at (605) 574-4444 or June Johnson at (605) 786-7356 at Integrity Realty Team, or email us to discuss how we can help you with all your real estate needs.

Our office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – ours are always open for your convenience! Like us on Facebook for all upcoming events!

Excitement Promised at the 74th Annual Sturgis® Motorcycle Rally™

It’s that time of year again when the 74^th Annual Sturgis© Motorcycle Rally™ brings hundreds of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts, fans, exhibitors and onlookers to South Dakota. Anytime now the onslaught of bikers will begin rolling into the Black Hills area to help kick off the rally being held this year on August 4-10, 2014.

Whether you’re a long-time resident or just passing through, the City of Sturgis always promises an experience of a lifetime where locals show you down-home hospitality and hundreds of visiting exhibitors can offer you anything and everything you’d like to dress up the bike or your body.

Even if you aren’t a biker, there’s still great fun to be had at the Rally.  This year’s entertainment includes an endless amount of concerts, great food and drink, a multitude of vendor exhibits and other activities you have to see to believe. Check out the events schedule to help you decide what to do first.

One special event you may want to participate in is the 12^th Annual Mayor’s Ride. This ride, held August 4, is a benefit ride for the Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department. Join other VIP riders and be escorted on several of the Black Hill’s most spectacular two lane roads and byways. At the end of the ride, you will enjoy a grand luncheon with Mayor Carstensen as your host at Custer State Park.

Tickets are extremely limited so be sure to get tickets now! The cost is $150 per rider (+ tax) and all participants will receive on one-of-a-kind Mayor’s Ride Souvenir Gift Pack including:

• Limited edition decanter
• Limited edition 2014 Mayor’s Ride t-shirt
• 2014 12th Annual Sturgis Mayor’s Ride pin
• 2014 Jackpine Gypsies commemorative pin, plus other collectibles from each of the 2014 Mayor’s Ride Corporate Sponsors

If you are coming in for the fun, take some time to realize the beauty of South Dakota and the surrounding communities in and around Sturgis. Now is a great time to find an investment property in Deadwood, vacation home in Spearfish, or even a home in Sturgis itself. Our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact Jim Peterson at (605) 574-4444 or June Johnson at (605) 786-7356 at Integrity Realty Team, or email us to discuss how we can help you with all your real estate needs.

Our office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – ours are always open for your convenience! Like us on Facebook for all upcoming events!

Home Sales on the Rise in Black Hills

Summer is in full swing in the Black Hills and the housing market continues to look up. According to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), pending home sales rose sharply in May as mortgage rates stayed relatively low and an increase in inventory helped to accelerate the market. The existing-home sales for June will be reported July 22, but is forecasted to show further improvement.

The Pending Home Sales Index is a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings. In May there was a 6.1% increase to 103.9 from 97.9 in April. While it’s still 5.2% below last year at this time, this 6.1% increase was the largest month-over-month gain since April 2010.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, expects improving home sales in the second half of the year. “Sales should exceed an annual pace of five million homes in some of the upcoming months behind favorable mortgage rates, more inventory and improved job creation,” he said.“However, second-half sales growth won’t be enough to compensate for the sluggish first quarter and will likely fall below last year’s total.”

As we move further into the summer season, it appears interest rates may remain stable,
helping to further increase pending home sales. In a more current article published July 11,
2014 by Matthew Graham with Mortgage News Daily, he reports, “Mortgage rates moved just barely lower today, bringing them in line with the lowest levels of the month. In this case, when we talk about “the lowest levels of the month,” it means that closing costs are as low as they’ve been for the same rates that have been available for the past several days.”

The national median existing-home price is projected to grow between 5 and 6 percent this year and in the range of 4 to 5 percent in 2015. Good news for home sellers thinking of selling their Black Hills homes. For home buyers, now is the time to buy before home prices continue to rise.

Whether you are looking for a year-around home, land, investment or vacation home, our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact Jim Peterson at (605) 574-4444 or June Johnson at (605) 786-7356 at Integrity Realty Team, or email us to discuss how we can help you with all your real estate needs. Our office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – ours are always open for your convenience!

5 Basic Repairs to Boost Your Black Hills Home to Sell

If you are going to take advantage of the great Black Hills housing market and sell your home this summer, inventory is increasing. In April, for-sale inventory in the US increased 4.1% from the previous month and we continue to see month-over-month increases.

This means that there’s more competition when selling your home this summer so be sure to make those little repairs you’ve meant to do, but never made a priority … until now.

Make sure your home makes the top list for Black Hills buyer’s this summer.These 5 basic repairs will help prepare your Black Hills house for the pickiest of buyers:

Clear and Caulk Gutters
After the rains we’ve been having this summer, your gutters most likely need some attention. Clean the debris that’s accumulated in your gutters so that water has a clear path out and away from the home. Make sure to check for leaks, cracks and any other damages to repair. Re-caulk the gutter end caps so that leaking down the side of your home is avoided.

Queue Up Your Entrance
The entrance into your home is one of the first impressions for buyers. Buyers will notice signs of neglect with sagging screen doors and poorly maintained porches.

Make sure everything at the entrance is in good working order. If the screen door has seen better days, it’s best to install a new one or replace the screen part. Check for any missing or corroded hinge screws and make sure the screen closes properly on its own.

A fresh coat of paint on the front door with newly installed handles and locks goes a long way towards making a great first impression. Freshly potted flowers and a nicely swept porch make potential buyers want to enter and see the rest of the home.

Repair Holes and Freshen Paint
Repairing all the nail holes throughout the house and giving all the tired walls a fresh coat of neutral color paint will bring new life into your Black Hills house. Not only will it make the home look newer, it will make it look cleaner and brighter as well. These are things buyers notice immediately and will appreciate as it’s one less thing for them to do upon moving in.

Renew those Baseboards
Scratched and beat-up baseboards can detract buyers from seeing all the good things your home has to offer. The first step is cleaning all the smudges and dust from those baseboards. Then you can fill in any dents and deep gouges with spackle. Finally, painting all the baseboards throughout the home with an eggshell finish can really go a long way in making the home look crisp and clean.

Bring New Life to Cabinets
Not looking to completely replace those worn out cabinets? You can quickly improve the look of your cabinets with an application of products that are made to even-out the surface color and blend scratches. If you want to take it a step further, new knobs and handles can help to give the allusion that your cabinets are newer and will give the rooms a modern, updated look.

Whether you are looking for a year-around home, land, investment or vacation home, our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact Jim Peterson at (605) 574-4444 or June Johnson at (605) 786-7356, or email usto discuss how we can help you with all your real estate needs. Our office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – ours are always open for your convenience!

 

Founding Fathers in Black Hills Tops New Events for Independence Day

If you are looking for something to do July 4^th in the Black Hills region, you don’t have to look far. Endless beauty, six national parks and monuments, abundant wildlife, are just a few of the things that Black Hills can boast about that make the region so popular.

On the Fourth of July, we kick up the American Pride in full Black Hills fashion. Although Mt. Rushmore, Hill City, Spearfish, and Wall may not be having fireworks displays this year, it doesn’t mean there’s any less family fun to be had with parades, festivals and rodeo!

The newest tourist attraction taking place Friday July 4^th can be found in the Black Hills, Independence Hall in which a 2,300 lb replica of the liberty bell was recently hung outside of the Black Hills’ own Independence Hall, located at 9815 S. Highway 16. Visitors to the Black Hills’ newest patriotic tourism attraction can also hear a free dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by a signer of the Declaration re-enactor that will be followed by the ceremonial ringing of the bell.

At Main Street Square, a celebration will honor past and present military personnel from 2 PM till 8 PM.

However, if you’re looking for fireworks, head down to post 22 for the annual firework show which takes place this Thursday. Elks golf course will hold a firework show on Saturday.

Here are just a few of the events posted below. For a full listing of events around the Black Hills, be sure to check out this Event Calendar to make your plans now.

Post 22 will hold fireworks on Thursday, July 3 at dusk

Arrowhead Golf Course will hold fireworks on Friday, July 4 at dusk

Elks Golf Course will hold fireworks on Saturday, July 5 at dusk

Crazy Horse will not be doing a fireworks display on July 4 in the evening but will hold a Special Mountain Blast at 1:04 p.m. in celebration of Independence Day.

Lead will hold a City fireworks display in conjunction with their Gold Camp Jubilee Days between 9:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. on July 4at Manuel Bros Park in front of the Open Cut.

Custer will hold a City fireworks display on July 4.  The display will be held at Pageant Hill at dark, around 9:30 p.m.

Sturgis will have fireworks on July 4 at dusk. They are based out of the Sturgis Fairgrounds on Ball Park Road.

Belle Fourche will hold a City fireworks display on Saturday, July 5 at dusk following the Black Hills Roundup rodeo. If you are attending the Rodeo, you may park at the Rodeo Grounds, otherwise parking is limited and it is suggested to park in residential areas and walk towards the library.

Summer also means the housing market is red hot. Home prices are rising month over month and inventory is gaining. Whether you are looking for a year-around home, land, investment or vacation home, our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact Jim Peterson at (605) 574-4444 or June Johnson at (605) 786-7356, or email usto discuss how we can help you with all your real estate needs. Our office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – ours are always open for your convenience!