Low maintenance living
Four places where somebody else mows the lawn, and two where they stain your house.
Lock and leave is a real category here and it is smaller than people expect. These are the places where an association does the outside work, and in two of them that includes staining the exterior of the house, which is unusual anywhere. Get the documents for the specific address every time, because coverage is set by the association a house belongs to and not by the subdivision.
- 1 / Rapid City
Hart Ranch
In the townhome sections the association mows and waters the lawn, handles snow removal and garbage, and stains the exterior of the townhouse. That is the townhome arrangement rather than the whole area, so confirm it on the exact address.
- 2 / Rapid City
Elks Country Estates
Many homes in the golf course portion carry the same arrangement: lawn mowed and watered, snow, garbage, and the exterior stained. There are also townhomes for people who want the finish level on a smaller lot.
- 3 / Summerset
Sun Valley
Established homes and condominiums inside Summerset, which makes this the part of that town where you can buy without waiting on new construction. Different water provider and different school district from the rest of Summerset.
- 4 / Rapid City
Chapel Valley
Hillside condominiums for the setting without the yard, in a valley where the pines close over the road. Worth knowing the tradeoff: no street here is on a Level A snow route.
What to ask for, in this order: the current association documents, the annual dues and when they last changed, exactly what the association maintains and what it does not, and whether there is a reserve fund. A low assessment tells you what an association does not cover as much as what it does. Sandstone Hills in Spearfish charges fifty dollars in odd numbered years, which is real and which tells you plenty.
See what's for sale now
These open my search site, where the listings update from the MLS through the day. This page is the background; that one is the inventory.
Looking for low maintenance living?
The plat, the covenants and the county record are worth reading on any address here before you write anything.
Last updated August 2026
This page is general information, not legal, tax, lending or financial advice. Facts and figures are cited from public sources as of August 2026 and change over time. Henry Roy is a licensed real estate professional with Ascend Realty in South Dakota. Equal Housing Opportunity.