When I moved to Sioux Falls a couple of years ago, I was working with a limited budget.
- I was reluctant to throw away money paying rent.
I started house-hunting immediately. The area is beautiful and the properties for sale were quite expensive. I spent more than six months touring one house after another. My priority was a safe neighborhood and decent amount of property. The only way I was able to afford a home with potential was to purchase a fixer-upper. I found a three-bedroom, two-bathroom residence that had been left vacant for over five years. The bones of the house were solid and square but everything else was a mess. I am handy and have some experience with renovations. I wasn’t afraid of tackling the project and making improvements that would significantly increase the resale value. The most difficult aspect was making sure I completed necessary repairs and upgrades before the arrival winter. I knew that by the end of October, the temperature would plummet into the thirties. By Thanksgiving there would be snow on the ground and temperatures in the teens. I needed to have airtight windows, insulated walls and ceilings and a working heating system. I was dealing with a leaking duct system, a leaking roof and lots of water damage. The winters in Sioux Falls are unforgiving. I didn’t want to shiver all winter, pay huge heating bills or risk my water pipes freezing. I spent all of my free time and every dollar of my savings on my house. I went without anything that wasn’t a necessity, including new appliances and furniture, until the spring thaw.