Halloween and pumpkins. They are the perfect pairing for fall. As such, we decided to try a little contest last year to see who could paint a great looking pumpkin. It went over so well, we decided we had to do it again this year and we had a great turnout. 

Hosted by everyone here at Brookings Home Team and Century 21, we handed out pumpkins for kids to paint. We know everyone might have their own tradition for picking out pumpkins and carving them with their family. We wanted to find a way to add some extra fun to those traditions by leaving the pumpkin whole and painting it or decorating it in a fun way, much like we do to ourselves before walking door to door collecting candy. And with this contest, you can add another great looking…

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When looking to sell your home, it might be easy to focus on the dollar signs. Everyone wants to walk away with at much money as possible after going through the entire processes setting an asking price, staging the house, promoting the listing, preparing for open houses...and the list goes on. To be rewarded for going through these necessary steps, you might need to look at these five things before taking the highest offer you receive.

1. Earnest money deposit: The earnest money deposit (EMD) is the sum of cash the buyer is offering when the sales agreement is signed to show they are serious about buying your home. It goes towards their down payment at closing. Standard EMDs are generally 1% - 3% of the cost of the home. If a buyer changes their…

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OPEN HOUSE, October 18, Thursday 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
435 Hunters Ridge Rd, Brookings, SD
Get Directions Click Here
Description Features Photos Maps & Local Schools Walk Score
Click for current price
5 BEDROOMS
2 BATHROOMS (2 full)
2682 Square Feet

YOUR HUNT COULD BE OVER....with this roomy and comfortable Ranch home. It includes 5 Bedrooms, (3 on the Main Level) 2 Bathrooms, Formal Dining Room, Sun Room, Main Level Laundry, fenced in yard and a great location. Newer wood floor, over 2,600 finished sq. ft. and all kitchen appliances stay, round out this…

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Every Monday Morning at 8:15am, join me on my Facebook page as I sit down with a local lender, and do a live interview and talk about a Mortgage Tip that may help YOU with your next Real Estate Purchase. 

This morning I sat down with Stacy Himley from Guaranteed Rate.  In this episode, Stacy explained why it's important to speak with a lender before buying a home. You can reach Stacy at 605.605.690.2305 or Stacy.Himley@rate.com  Her office is located at 304 4th St Brookings SD, 57006 or on the web at www.Rate.com/StacyHimley

 

 

The Importance of Speaking with A Lender Before Buying a Home

 

- - Hey, good morning everybody. Shane here from the Brookings Home Team and Stacy from Guaranteed Rate. We're actually in her new office here…

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When buying or selling a house, there are a few things called contingencies that you should be aware of. I'd like to share five different contingencies to keep in mind when going through the home buying and selling process. But first, let me explain what a contingency is - these are provisions that must be met for the transaction to go through. If they aren't met, a buyer has the right to walk away from the deal and will keep any money they put down in earnest. Here are some of the most common contingencies.

  1. Home inspection contingency: This gives the buyer the right to have the home professionally inspected and request repairs by a certain date — typically within five to seven days of the purchase agreement being signed. You may be required…

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OPEN HOUSE, October 11, Thursday 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
104 Twin Oaks Ln, Brookings, SD
Get Directions Click Here
Description Features Photos Maps & Local Schools Walk Score
Click for current price
4 BEDROOMS
2 BATHROOMS (2 full)
1644 Square Feet

READY FOR YOU!! Looking for a country feel, but want to stay close to town? Just a couple miles south of Brookings is this 2008, very well maintained home. Both bathrooms have been updated, 4 bedrooms and new carpet through out. Some newer appliances, a heated 2 stall garage and all of this on a 109''x200''…

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 Every Monday Morning at 8:15am, join me on my Facebook page as I sit down with a local lender, and do a live interview and talk about a Mortgage Tip that may help YOU with your next Real Estate Purchase. 

This morning I sat down with Justin Froiland from Fairway Mortgage, and discussed how to lock in your interest rate for your mortgage during the closing process. You can reach Justin at 605.695.1429 or justin.froiland@fairwaymc.com.  His office is located at 412 5th St., Brookings SD 57006 or on the web at www.BrookingsMortgage.com 

 

 How to Lock in Your Interest Rate

 

 

- Hey, good morning everybody. Shane here from Brookings Home Team powered by Century 21. Justin here from Fairway Mortgage. It is a holiday, but Justin has…

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Last month, I attended the 2018 REALTOR Convention of the Dakotas. Hosted by the Minot Board of Realtors, I spent September 12th through 14th at the Grand Hotel in Minot, North Dakota. This is an annual event where like-minded realtors can network and learn from Realtors outside of their area. Information is exchanged about new and changing trends in the real estate industry while adding skills to continue helping customers on a daily basis. Vendors have products and are available to talk to about their application as well. 

To kick off the first day of the convention, I took a Code of Ethics class required for Realtors to take every two years. In this curriculum, 17 Code of Ethics rules are covered and explained. These are basic "dos and don'ts"…

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Every Monday Morning at 8:15am, join me on my Facebook page as I sit down with a local lender, and do a live interview and talk about a Mortgage Tip that may help YOU with your next Real Estate Purchase. 

This morning I sat down with Andrew Jallo from Dacotah Bank. Andrew explained a few new changes that you could benefit from if you're in the process of buying a new home.  You can reach Andrew at 605.692.8600 or Andrew.Jallo@dacotahbank.com.  His office is located at 1441 6th St., Brookings SD 57006 or on the web at www.dacotahbank.com.

 

 Day One Certainty in a Standard Conventional Mortgage

 

 - Hey, good morning everybody. Shane here, from the Brookings Home Team, powered by Century 21, and it is 8:15 on the dot. No technical…

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Did you know that when the leaves start changing color in the fall is the most crucial time of the year for your lawn? Although spring lawn care gets all the attention, fall lawn care is most important for your grass. So, here are four step to take right now to ensure your lawn looks amazing next spring. 

1. Aerate

Performing this step gives new grass room to spread without competition from spring weeds. Aeration tools pull up plugs of grass and soil, breaking up compacted turf. This means water, oxygen and nutrients can easier reach roots while giving seeds room to grow. The activity level of your yard is something to consider when determining how often to aerate. Do you have kids that play on your grass when the weather is nice? Or is your…

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