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Uncategorized Curb Appeal Matters More Than Most Sellers Think Buyers decide how they feel about your house before they ever walk through the front door. Most sellers don’t actually believe that until they’ve watched it happen in real time. I’m talking about the thirty seconds between pulling into the driveway and stepping onto the porch. That’s it. That’s when the decision gets made. Everything […]
Uncategorized The Model Home Rep Doesn’t Work for You This one catches people every time, so I’m just going to say it plainly: the rep sitting in that model home works for the builder. Not for you. Their job is to get you to sign on the dotted line for that builder’s product, at that builder’s price. That’s not a criticism of them — […]
Uncategorized Why More Buyers Are Choosing One-Level Living One of the biggest shifts I’m seeing right now isn’t a style of home. It’s how people want to live inside it. For years, buyers wanted bigger square footage and multiple levels — more space stacked vertically was the goal. Lately I’m hearing something different: “I don’t want stairs.” And it’s not because these buyers […]
Uncategorized Trailside: Why Buyers Keep Coming Back One of the questions I get all the time is: what makes Trailside different? The easiest answer is to go stand in the middle of one of these lots and just look around. Most new construction right now feels like you could shake hands with your neighbor through the kitchen window. Trailside isn’t that. What […]
Uncategorized Renting vs. Buying in Ames: What Actually Changes the Math Every August, I talk to people who just went through Ames’ big Aug. 1 lease turnover and are asking themselves the same question: is it time to stop renting? There’s no universal answer, but here’s how I’d think through it. Renting isn’t “wasting money” — it’s paying for flexibility. If you don’t know how long […]
Uncategorized What I Wish Every Buyer Knew Before Owning Land in Story County Story County has plenty of buyers who’ve never owned rural or ag land before, and it works differently than buying a house in town. After years of working both sides of this — helping people buy their first acreage and helping longtime landowners sell — here’s what I make sure every buyer understands going in. […]
Uncategorized Two Big Things Hitting Central Iowa Next Week: Farm Progress Show and Cyclone Kickoff Late summer in Central Iowa always has this one stretch where the ag world and the college-town energy collide, and this year it lands right on top of each other again. Farm Progress Show — Sept. 1-3, Central Iowa Expo This is one of the largest outdoor farm equipment and technology shows in the country, […]
Uncategorized What’s Happening in Ames This Week: Taste of Campustown, Lincoln Highway Days & More Ames doesn’t slow down in late August, and if you’re new to town — or you’ve lived here for years and just haven’t made it out lately — this stretch is worth clearing your calendar for. Taste of Campustown — Wednesday, Aug. 27, 4-8pm Welch Avenue turns into a walkable food festival for the evening, […]
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Uncategorized The Questions I Get Asked the Most (Buying and Selling in Ames) After 10+ years doing this in Ames and Story County, a handful of questions come up in almost every conversation — whether it’s someone’s first house or their fifth. Here are the honest answers. “How much do I actually need for a down payment?” Less than most people think. Conventional loans can go as low […]
Uncategorized What Iowa State’s Return Means for the Ames Housing Market Every August, Iowa State’s return reshapes the Ames housing market. Here’s what relocating buyers and families need to know before the fall rush. Every August, something happens in Ames that most people don’t think about until it’s too late: Iowa State comes back. And with it comes a wave of faculty, staff, researchers, and families […]
Uncategorized When Everyone’s Actually Moving in Ames (And What It Means for You) If you’ve ever wondered why moving trucks seem to take over Ames practically overnight, there’s a reason: August 1st. Between Iowa State’s lease cycle and the wave of students, faculty, and staff turning over housing all at once, Ames has one of the most concentrated move days you’ll find anywhere in the state. Most rental […]
Uncategorized Where I Send Everyone Relocating to Ames: Cornbred BBQ If you haven’t been to Cornbred yet, I’m going to need you to fix that. Part of my job is knowing this market — the neighborhoods, the builders, the school boundaries, the commute times. But part of it is also knowing where to eat, because that’s half of what people are actually asking me when […]
Uncategorized Waiting for Rates to Drop? Here’s the Trade-Off Nobody Mentions If you’re sitting on the fence about selling this year, here’s the thing I’ve watched happen too many times to stay quiet about. Waiting for rates to drop so you can buy your next place is a reasonable bet — worst case, you refinance later. But waiting for rates to drop so you can sell […]
Uncategorized Why I Love Being Based on Main Street (And Why You Should Check Out the Farmers’ Market) Our office sits at the west end of Main Street in downtown Ames, and honestly, it’s one of my favorite things about where we work. Main Street has a real identity — locally owned shops, restaurants, and on Saturday mornings, one of the best reasons to be downtown: the Ames Main Street Farmers’ Market. Ames […]
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Matt Sievers
Ames
(515) 290-7950  |  (515) 233-2623  |  S63650000 IA   |  sievers@c21sre.com
S63650000 IA

(515) 290-7950
(515) 233-2623
sievers@c21sre.com

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