"Homeownership Offers New Beginnings"

Sherry Bald Eagle Bear and her two nieces will now have a safe, affordable, and spacious place to call home.  Sherry purchased a South Dakota Housing Development Authority (SDHDA) Governor’s home at McGuigan Ranch in Spearfish. Sherry utilized a 502 direct loan from USDA Rural Development, NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources down payment and closing cost assistance, and homebuyer education. Together these partnerships helped create an affordable home for Sherry and her family. 

Sherry never thought that she would be able to own a home due to her fixed income.  It was not until she was referred to USDA Rural Development that she knew there was assistance and programs, like the Governor’s House and NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources, that could help her get in a home.

“Once I was qualified for the loan, I thought the process was finished. I was referred  to NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources. The NeighborWorks® staff, and their education program, helped me through the process.” Sherry stated. 

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources was the general contractor for this project.  NeighborWorks® made sure the project was moving along and that Sherry and her nieces would have a quality home in a timely manner.  NeighborWorks® construction manager, Dennis Rentz, played a big roll in helping the process run smoothly. “Dennis was so helpful throughout this process. He let me know that I could call him whenever I needed anything,” Bald Eagle Bear stated.

Sherry said that the only thing she would have changed about the process was she wished she had attended the homebuyer education class before she was pre-qualified. Sherry attended homebuyer education in Belle Fourche through NeighborWorks®, but this was after she was pre-qualified for a SDHDA Governor's Home. NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources offers monthly homebuyer education classes throughout the Black Hills which prepare future homeowners for homeownership and educate clients on all of their options.   “Homebuyer education taught me a great deal of information. I would have liked that to be my first step.” 

The family is excited to start their journey in their new home. “Homeownership has offered me a new life. One in which my nieces can be proud to have a home to love,” Bald Eagle Bear Stated.

NeighborWorks® Dakota Home Resources has assisted over 900 families with homeownership. For more information about NeighborWorks®, and their programs, call 605-578-1401.