March 14, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by the Lincoln County and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations.

When prospective homeowners want to build near Sioux Falls, more often than not Kelly Nielson gets the call.

The owner of Nielson Construction has built his business around providing homes in the growing communities of Minnehaha and Lincoln counties. And he’s far from done.

This year will bring the opening of a new development in Baltic, continued growth in Harrisburg and Tea, and plans to expand to other communities.

“We’re finding a lot of people that like to be in smaller towns,” said Lexie Ricci, who leads sales and marketing for Nielson Construction.

“We see a lot of move-up buyers, first-time homebuyers, along with those that are downsizing. We try to cater to everyone we can and try to have a variety of product to fit their price point.”

Here’s an overview of the neighborhoods in progress:

Baltic Heights

Brand new for 2019, the Baltic Heights development is on the north end of town adjacent to an existing neighborhood. The price points for those homes will be $190,000 to $300,000. The development is likely to cater to the move-up market buyer as well as the first-time homebuyer, Ricci said.

There will be 32 lots total, and, weather-permitting, Nielson will get started on several of them soon along with some spec homes.

Lots are available for purchase, and buyers are able to use their own builder or Nielson Construction to build their dream home.

The city is excited about Nielson Construction coming to town, said Mike Wendland, city administrator of Baltic.

“The quality and price range of home that Kelly and his team offers is greatly needed in Baltic,” Wendland said. “Our current inventory of available homes is extremely low, and any time a home does come up for sale, it is sold within days.”

Harrisburg’s Legendary Estates

Nielson’s first neighborhood project was in Harrisburg, and it’s entering the final stages of development. It began in 2006 with the potential for 300 lots.

“Nielson Development now has only 75 lots left, so we’re finishing up the development within the next couple years,” Ricci said. “We currently only have one spec home left, and we’re in the process of putting six more spec homes in alongside the custom-built homes we are building.”

Homes typically are priced between $190,000 and $350,000.

“We’ve had a great response to Legendary,” Ricci said. “It’s a tight-knit community. I have a lot of people living in Legendary who continue to stay there. Maybe they came for their first house, and now they’re in or looking at their move-up house in the same development.”

Tea offers three neighborhoods

Nielson has three developments in Tea.

High Pointe Estates is entering its third phase and includes homes priced from about $235,000 to $300,000.

The Artisan addition is located on the south end of Tea and has about 10 lots left. Homes are priced between $190,000 and $235,000.

“Homes in both those developments have continued to show strong interest and yet at a little slower pace than Sioux Falls,” Ricci said.

The company will start a new development, Pinnacle, to the east of Artisan this summer, with homes ranging from about $200,000 to $280,000.

“We’ll be catering to the move-up and first-time homebuyer,” Ricci said.

What’s next

“Communities in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties have approached us about developing in their towns, and we’re always open to looking,” Ricci said.

“We’re always looking for land. Kelly is looking at the bigger picture and not what’s happening right now but in five years from now. We need the capability in our developments to cater to every price point.”