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We are looking at a possible opportunity in RC and would like to know more about the area. I don't have specific questions yet, but just trying to get a general feel for the area. Thank you ~K~
I am also contemplating RC for retirement, I once lived in Sioux Falls, which I liked, but it was very flat there, and not much in the way of nature, but Sioux Falls is booming these days. Driving thru the black hills though, is pretty gorgeous stuff. I also know that homes there, the nicer ones with a little acreage are running over 225k and up approx., there housing inventory is low in the hills. That is what a realtor told me. And the prices are high. As well, the airport there does not have much in the way of flights, pretty expensive to fly out of Rapid. No Amtrak there either. I know the wages there are low as well, compared to the price of housing, which they like to say, it is because of the view of the hills.
Last edited by folkguitarist555; 06-02-2014 at 07:29 PM..
I grew up in Rapid City and I liked it. There was always something to do. The city had a good program going for soccer, football, baseball, etc... separate from school. When I lived there, there were 3 swimming pools, pretty large. Several ice skating rinks in town.
The Black Hills are right there so you can get away from town and go hunting, camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, etc...
I'm shocked at home prices in the area. Wow. For some reason I thought they would be more reasonable. I found that 300k doesn't get what I thought it would. What a disappointment. Property taxes seem a little high too, but I guess that offsets there being no state income tax.
~Sigh~
Very true. With no state income tax, they have to make up the difference somewhere.
Property taxes, in and around Rapid City, in particular going up into the hills, is costly. You can find some gems, here and there though. Piedmont, Black Hawk, Rapid Valley, or South toward Hermosa tends to be a little more even priced, or I should say, better than going West.
Are you going to need to be in Rapid City or have you thought about further out, like Hill City, Custer, Hot Springs, etc???
I spoke with a realtor a few weeks ago, as well, I been looking at MLS's and in my range, there is a few homes in Box Elder that are not ancient, but still have no acreage. My range is much lower then the OP. Even so, with me being a service connected Vet, I could get a property tax exemption on first 100k of assessed home value in SD. Still, the housing stock there in my range, is pretty lousy, and slim pickings. They act like living on the prairie with no trees, with a view of the hills, is equal to living in the Garden of Eden there in western SD. It is silly imo. I also believe that utility rates are not outrageous, but on the high side in SD. If OP wants a McMansion for 300k with acreage, with low utility rates, low property taxes, ...they would have to consider rural areas outside of Louisville, KY, Lexington, KY, Bloomington, IN, Branson, MO, NW Arkansas, Idaho Falls, ID, and on the outskirts of Boise Idaho, like up in Emmett. Boise is getting pricier though. Also western NC, on the outskirts of Asheville, NC. There are very few areas out west that are affordable any longer. N Idaho around Post Falls and Hayden may be possibilities also. Idaho has one of the lowest property tax and utility rates in the USA, as does Arkansas. There are many cheap areas in the USA, from southern MN to West Virginia, to TN and most southern states, so it can be hard to choose in the end. Lots of folks seem to love Boise, and NW Arkansas it seems.
When I grew up in Rapid City, we refered to Box Elder, as Shanty Town. For years it was a few delapatated old houses, porches hanging, out buildings falling over, wrecked and disabled cars in the yard, 6-8 dogs chained up to various trees, streets were gravel, or dirt. It was not the place you wanted to live. It was safe, in that there wasn't any crime out there, but it was just trashy. It was kind of the overflow for young airman to rent a place, off base.
Through the years, Box Elder has done some major improvements to their image and it has become the area for people to build, but as you can imagine, people didn't want to start off by building a $300k home there, amongst the rubble. So to start off with, there were a few ranch style homes, lower end pricing, built. Once they were established, some better homes were built. It has really come a long way.
If you are looking for acreage, take a look down Rapid Valley, and get out a ways, say Caputa area. Sure, the land is going to be pricey, but not near what it is to the West. Same with Black Hawk area.
I appreciate all the information. I'm looking more at family friendly neighborhoods than something rural with acreage. I don't want the kids to feel isolated and good schools nearby is important. There is a lot to consider. But part of the fun of looking at new areas is learning new things that were never on your radar before.
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