Dave & Co. Real Estate: Local Team Helps Heroes Find Homes

Dave & Co. Real Estate: Local team helps heroes find homes

Dave Larson was born and raised in Hartford, but he never predicted he’d end up back in town. Now, he says he can’t imagine it any other way. 

Larson attended college at the University of South Dakota (USD) and worked for the Army National Guard as an officer recruiter. Following his time as a recruiter, he deployed to Afghanistan for a year and then came back to Hartford and worked as an ROTC recruiter at USD. 

Larson owned a few rental properties on the side, and when USD began discussing cuts to its ROTC program, he decided to pursue his real estate license. 

“Actually, the day they reinstated the program was the same day I got my real estate license so I ended up doing both for a while,” Larson said. 

In 2012, however, Larson went full-time with real estate, starting out on the Ron Weber team with Hegg Realtors. 

“I always had big ambitions, and as I figured out who I wanted to work with and the customers I wanted to take care of, I hired a past Army National Guard recruiter and it snowballed from there,” Larson said. “I really enjoy helping fellow veterans and taking care of people; I’ve been in the Guard for 23 years, so that’s an outlet where I can help fellow veterans.

Now, Larson runs his own team of seven people with Hegg—all of whom are current military, veterans, or military spouses. And while they travel across eastern South Dakota for clients, the entire team is from Hartford. 

“Customer service is the number one priority on our team,” Larson said. “At the end of the day, we just like helping people. It’s fun to negotiate and help them out, whether that’s finding their dream home or selling their current home.”

As you can imagine with an all-military team, offering recognition to the nation’s heroes is also a major priority. In fact, the Dave Larson team is one of just a few in the state participating in the Homes for Heroes program. 

Homes for Heroes is a national organization dedicated to helping active military, veterans, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, and teachers find homes. According to its website, heroes save $2,400, on average, when buying or selling a home with a Homes for Heroes real estate agent or working with a mortgage, title, or inspection specialist. 

The savings, which amount to 0.7 percent of the purchase price, come directly out of the agents’ pockets, and heroes simply receive a check after the sale has gone through. 

Aside from working with these heroes, Larson says he’s proud to live and work in the Hartford community. 

“Being born and raised here, I enjoy seeing the people that have lived here forever, but I also love that it’s growing and so many new people are coming to town,” he said. 

With multiple parks, a pool, a golf course, new businesses, and a growing young community, Larson says there aren’t many people moving out of town, and the demand for property is high. 

Even with the current Covid-19 pandemic, he says people are still listing and buying across the Sioux Empire. Larson’s team is implementing no-touch and virtual showings for those prospective buyers. 

“If people are looking, we’re here to help,” Larson said. 

If you’re ready to sell or begin your home search, you can reach the Dave & Co. Real Estate Team at (605) 751-9021.