A Black Hills Thanksgiving Day Thanks

I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t love Thanksgiving. Besides all the great food, it’s one of those holidays where we can just be happy for our friends and families and all of the wonderful things we enjoy here in Black Hills. Did you know that there are also real estate benefits to the holiday? Being thankful for what we have and taking stock of all that we already have gives us license to realize that our real estate position may be even better than we thought.

When we compare our homes to others without taking into consideration that fair appraisal, it lends itself to frustration with what we have. If your home fits your family needs, lifestyle and budget, you should count your blessings! If it’s time to sell your home, being in a realistic frame of mind can help market your home better because you’ll already know what great features to highlight in your home.

If you are looking to buy a new home in the next 6 months, be careful not to get caught up in the shopping frenzy that ensues the day after Thanksgiving. Running up debt could affect your mortgage application, or even affect the pre-approval you may have already received. What’s more, you are trying to de-clutter to show off your home, sell it and move, not add more to clean, organize, and hide before potential buyers come to view your home.

Make a list of realistic wants and needs before you start your home shopping. Those things that are merely “wishes” can probably be added later on when the urge to spend has passed.

Throughout the year I’m reminded how lucky I am to live in the Black Hill region and what wonderful friends my clients have become. I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Email me or walk on in anytime to chat! You can also Call me, Jim Peterson, at (605) 574-4444 or email me to discuss how I can help you with all your real estate needs. Our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. My office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – mine are always open for your convenience!

Landscaping your Black Hills Home for Energy Efficiency

You may be deciding how to landscape your new Black Hills home or how to add landscaping to make your home more attractive before selling it. Whatever your situation, you can use energy-efficient landscaping strategies to save on your yearly energy bill or to show potential buyers the added benefits of buying your home.

The best approach for South Dakota landscaping is to ensure that south-facing windows receive full sun during the winter while southern and western-facing windows receive adequate shade and no direct sunlight during the summer. You will also want to plant windbreaks around your property that can block our unforgiving winter winds.

The first step is indentifying your microclimate. This is the area that immediately surrounds your home. Nearby mountains, lakes and more immediate, shade, wind and moisture around your home can affect its microclimate.

Once you’ve determined your microclimate and mapped out where your windbreaks should be, the vulnerable sides of your home and the best types of plants that thrive in your area, you are ready to get started!

An effective windbreak helps to reduce heating costs during cold South Dakota months. There are several types of windbreaks depending on the direction your home faces and the logistics of where things are located around your home.

The first type of windbreak is to plant a row of trees and shrubs placed a certain distance from the house to reduce the chilling effects of our winter winds. The typical distance to plant this type of windbreak is 7 times the distance of the tree’s mature height to ensure the tree will not impede into the home.

Deciduous trees are ideal for letting sun through during the winter, while blocking it in the summer. Coniferous trees such as Black Hills spruce, ponderosa pine and eastern red cedar are ideal for year-round shade and blocking heavy winds.

Another type of windbreak consists of a variety of shrubs, vines and groundcover placed very close to the home. In the winter, this helps to insulate the house and prevent the snow from drifting against the side of the home. In the summer, it serves to shade the ground and pavement around your home helping to cool the air surrounding it.

Taking all of these things into consideration will improve your home’s energy efficiency and your curb appeal. Before you dig, call South Dakota One Call (811) to determine the location of any underground utilities around the home.

Call me, Jim Peterson, at (605) 574-4444 or email me to discuss how I can help you with all your real estate needs. Our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience in selling your Black Hills Home. My office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – mine are always open for your convenience!

Buying a Black Hills Vacation Home

The Black Hills of South Dakota is a perfect place for a vacation home! However, buying a vacation home is a very different experience than buying a primary residence. If you are trying to decide if a vacation home is the right investment for you – or if you have already decided to begin looking, here are some guidelines:

Vacation Home Versus Investment
When determining the features you want or need in a second home, you must first determine if this will truly be a “home away from home” or if this going to mainly be used for investment purposes. Typically a buyer’s wish-list for many convenience items will differ depending on the answer.

To Rent or Not to Rent
There is no wrong answer here! Just be sure to research how the property’s use may affect your financing options and taxes. While renting out your vacation home can provide additional income, renting it for more than a few weeks a year may change the classification of your home as an investment property; making it ineligible for full mortgage interest tax deductions. However, there potential benefits for rented vacation homes including deductions for property management and rental expenses. This is where utilizing a Realtor® with expertise in vacation home and investment properties can be invaluable to help you determine the best option for you.

Vacation Home or Future Primary Residence
When looking at vacation properties, one aspect to focus on is quality-of- life amenities for your family. Often times, a vacation home can eventually turn into your primary residence in later years so be sure it has the amenities you are desiring or it has the capabilities for them to be added when  desired. Look at your current home and list those items that you use in your regular day-to-day life and add them to your vacation home wish-list!

Consider Realistic Expenses
Consider all the expenses involved in each potential vacation home. Expenses include things such as garbage collection, snow removal, outdoor maintenance and clean-up, and yearly home maintenance. Now is the time to realistically to put these in your budget as well as if you want a property management company to assist.

Rapid City, Hill City, Black Hills and surrounding areas … all great places for vacation homes no matter the season. If you are ready to buy a vacation or investment property; or just have questions on if it’s the right choice for you – I’d love to talk with you. Our expertise in the Black Hills or Rapid City markets will ensure you a stress-free experience. Contact me, Jim Peterson, at (605) 574-4444 or email me to discuss how I can help you with all your real estate needs. My office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – mine are always open for your convenience!

Come for the Independence Day Fun, Stay for the Beauty

Whether you live here in the Black Hills area or just come for the summer fun, there’s no denying that this is a great season to be in South Dakota! Independence Day is just one of the great annual celebrations around the area. Once here, you will know why so many homeowners own vacation homes in the beautiful Black Hills and Rapid City areas. You may even want to look at a few vacation homes yourself while here!

Spearfish City Park
Ready for some good old-fashioned fun with the kids? Join Spearfish in their annual Ice Cream Social and Floating Parade for some cool fun! Bring an inner-tube to Spearfish City Park (no registration required) at 1pm for their annual Ice Cream Social followed with decorating your inner-tube, and yourself, to the theme of “125^th Birthday Style”. The free floating parade will start at 2:45pm – tubers will enter the creek at the location marked near the South Park shelter and will exit where marked at the creek bank, before the falls. Come early to get a good spot for you and the family and be ready to show off your tube creation! Admission: Free

Mount Rushmore
What better way to celebrate our country’s independence than at Mount Rushmore; one of our National treasures! It’s a 2-day celebration starting on July 3 with live music from local musicians and the Ellsworth Air Force Band as well as performances along the Avenue of the Flags, Military honors, a flag folding ceremony, Declaration of Independence reading and many other activities. The kids and plane enthusiasts alike with be thrilled to see a US Air Force flyover in the afternoon and evenings before the monument lighting!

The entire celebration is dedicated to honoring the veterans and active duty members of our military. At this time, the fireworks celebration is on hold due to the fragility of the forest lands. There are, however, surrounding Black Hills communities that can offer responsible firework displays and all celebrations have been coordinated with the area towns so you won’t miss anything! Admission: Parking Fee – $11

Crazy Horse Memorial
“Legends in Light” is an awesome multimedia laser-light show that is being presented nightly, at dark, now through Native Americans’ Day in October. The show turns the mountainside into giant 500-foot “screen” showing how the memorial will look once completed and shares the story of the heritage, culture and contributions made by Native Americans in our society.

Colorful animations, sound effects and laser beams choreographed to music will be sure to catch everyone’s attention. If you think you’ve seen Crazy Horse already, you must check out this ever-evolving memorial in a whole new light! Admission: Varies

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 me, Jim Peterson, at (605) 574-4444 or email me to discuss how I can help you with all your real estate needs. My office is in the heart of Hill City and as a tourist spot, restrooms are hard to find – mine are always open for your convenience!