It is snowing in Sioux Falls today. And by snowing, I really mean blizzarding. As in "walk outside and nearly be swept off our feet because the gusts coupled with the icy ground make it hard to stay up" blizzarding. This is what my Accuweather screenshot looks like today.

No joke that today is a poor day for Outdoor Fitness! I did almost feel like I was getting a workout by just trying to walk to my car! 

So since South Dakota is getting hit with some pretty awful weather, where is the weather better? Well, if we don't like the weather in the STATE SD lets go to the CITY SD! (That is San Diego for all you yahoos that don't recognize it.) A high of 80 degrees, and it even feels like 80 degrees! What if we want to MOVE to San Diego? "Mary," you ask,"even though you work in South Dakota, can you help me move to San Diego?" YOU BETCHA!!!! 

As a RE/MAX agent, I have a connection to over 90,000 agents world-wide who would love to serve you. While I may not be able to personally help you negotiate the purchase or sale of your home, I can certainly help you connect with someone who will not only meet your expectations, but exceed them! RE/MAX was started over 40 years ago based on the principle that they hire only the best. I have found that to still be true today! If you'd like me to help set you up with a RE/MAX agent in your locale, or in the locale that you will soon be moving to, please feel free to give me a call at 605-376-1314 or drop me an email at mary@stefaniestockberger.com. Or if you are staying here in the Sioux Falls region, lets take a few minutes and sit down over a cup of coffee and see what your goals and plans are. I want to help make your goal of home ownership a reality, no matter where you are! 

“I don’t even know if you are the right person to talk to….”

I hear this phrase from almost every first time home buyer. The first time someone purchases a home, they may not have any idea where to start. “Do I need to talk to a bank first? Should I find a Realtor? Is it good for me to go to a bunch of open houses before I start really looking? How do I start this whole process?”

The good news is that there really isn't a wrong place to start. All of the above will get you started on the path towards home ownership. However, I do have a few suggestions on how you can speed up your process, or just help you feel more informed as you proceed.

#1. Talk with your banker first. – He or she will help you get approved for a mortgage, figure out how much you can spend, and set up a financial plan for success. They will also let you know about any limitations you may have as far as condition of house, location, or other loan specific limitations.

#2. Connect with a Realtor who you feel listens and responds to you. – If you call a real estate agent and they take more than 24 hours to call you back, I’d move on to the next one. If you talk with an agent and you feel like they spent the whole conversation looking online or texting or in any way ignoring you, move on. Find someone that you feel really understands you and you feel a good personal rapport with

#3. Go look at some houses. - Whether you want to go look at open houses or have your Realtor take you through for personal tours, schedule a little bit of time to start familiarizing yourself with what you really like.

#4. Write and negotiate an offer, do inspections, close, and move in!

The beauty is that if you are going to open houses and you find a Realtor that you just hit it off with, you’ve knocked out two birds with one stone. If you haven’t talked to a banker yet, your Realtor can refer you to one. If you don’t know where to find a Realtor you might hit it off with, your banker may have some suggestions. Of course, if you live in the Sioux Empire, I’d always recommend interviewing me to see if you and I could be a good fit! So whether you start at the bank or start at a home, just start!  

Welcome to what is sure to become the Sioux Empire's premiere blog about all things related to the purchase and sale of homes in Sioux Falls, Tea, Brandon, Valley Springs, Crooks, Harrisburg, Hartford, Lennox, Parker, Renner, Dell Rapids, Baltic, and beyond! If you are looking forward to purchasing your first home, I hope this blog proves helpful in answering some of the questions you may have. If you have a home to sell, I hope this blog gives you some ideas on how to go about preparing your home for sale. I encourage interaction, so if you have questions, ASK!!!

First, let me introduce myself and give you a few details about myself! 

This is Me!

 Mary Pate, Realtor ®

I hang my license at a lovely little place called RE/MAX Professionals, Inc. I've been in the real estate industry for nearly 3 years now, and have been licensed since April of 2013. This first 8 months of being licensed have been fantastic, and I have greatly enjoyed working with all of my clients who made it possible for me to win the

 2013 Realtor's Association of the Sioux Empire - NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR award. 

I don't want to be cocky, because there is absolutely no way I could have done it alone! I work in a fantastic group the Stefanie Stockberger Group composed of Stefanie Stockberger, Brad Stockberger, and myself with the excellent assistance of our marketing assistant Brittany Oehlerking. 

I'm looking forward sharing as much knowledge of the Sioux Empire as I can, and allowing you to ask your questions and get the assistance you need!