Location versus house; it's your choice

Sioux Falls, SD home on a lake. Who'd thunk.

I've purchased my fair share of homes but usually my final decision as to which home to buy was greatly influenced by the location of the property. When I lived in the Chicago area, I moved from an a apartment in the inner city Logan Square area to a section of the city referred to as Sauganash located around Peterson Ave. and Lawndale St. This area of the city was about as far north as you could get and still remain in the city limits. Any farther north and your would be in Lincolnwood, IL. Many city employees who were required to live within the city limits lived in this neighborhood including firemen, police officials, government employees, etc.

I purchased this home because it was a nice Georgian style but more so because of where it was located. It was myself and my wife at the time so we didn't need a ton of space. The home was all brick, 3 bed, 1.5 bath with a full finished basement and a brick garage. The home had a small yard and the space between homes was about 8 feet.

Over a 3-year period we added on a full deck in the back yard, put a sliding door in sitting area room that led out to the deck and totally remodeled this room as well including a new roof above it. That was the extent of our home improvements and when we sold the home at the end of the 3-years, we made a profit of $80,000.00 on a $10,000 investment. A nice rate of return.

We had sold this first house due to a divorce and thus the next home I purchased just for myself and my dogs. A small home right on River Road in Schiller Park. The house was only two bedroom but it did have a full basement. I only stayed in this home for 6-months and broke even when I sold it. The location and the home in this case were not a wise choice but circumstances required to move quickly so live and learn.

I purchased a home in Glendale Heights, IL that I upgraded with new carpet, window treatments, paint, a totally upgraded main bath and landscaping. The home was on a corner lot and located near my employer at the time. 3 bed, 2 bath, bi-level that fit my lifestyle at the time. I purchased a 6-person Jacuzzi for the lower level and spent many an hour soaking and with a lovely lady friend while we watched the snow fall just outside the window. This home was a transition home and although I had trouble selling it (on the market three different times) in the end I received more than asking price and made a profit of about $25,000.00 in 3-years.

Since this time I have remarried and lived in Port Orange, FL, Charlotte, NC and now Sioux Falls, SD. In Port Orange our home was surrounded by a protected sanctuary thus it was very private. Fox and armadillo would walk out of the sanctuary and into our yard by our lanai.

The home in Charlotte was location in Highland Creek, a golf course community not far from Concord Mills. Nice home in a nice area. We rented this home to a tenant for 5-years and then sold the property just last year.

Our current home is in Sioux Falls and back's up to a small lake. Who would have ever thought South Dakota would offer this type of home site. Once again, it is just my wife and I so this home although smaller than previous homes suits us very well. We love the lake in the Spring, Summer and Fall as we sit on our deck drinking wine and listening to the geese honk with their newly born goslings in tow.

Location, location, location. Find the location that suits your life and your can make the home what you want. You can always add on a bedroom or turn a 2 car garage into a 3 car garage but you can't plop a 30-acre lake in your backyard.

In Charlotte, reach out to Sherry Strohl for buyer and seller services.

Barry KuKes has been a Realtor for over 18-years and still maintains licenses in FL, NC and SC.