Let’s take a look at the Pine Cone Apartments in Grygla

Written by Kari Sundberg, Eagle Editor

Dave Hunter, a partner in Pine Cone Investments, LLC, has been spending some time in Grygla this last week. As a new owner of multiple buildings in town, Dave has truly enjoyed spending time here. “I have been so impressed with how friendly and helpful everyone has been up here; I’ve never felt so welcome! Our tenants have even made dinner for me this week,” he beamed. “You sit down at the café and just feel like one of the people. The generosity and kindness of everyone is really impressive,” he added.

The Pine Cone Apartments, formerly Mar-Bel Homes, sold in an online auction on May 2nd, 2019. A firm from Fairmont, MN, bought the properties which currently consist of three 8-unit apartment buildings and two duplexes within Grygla. Pine Cone Investments, LLC, is a separate entity of the firm that owns about 300 rental units nation-wide.

“Most of our properties are family houses,” stated Dave, who partners with Doug Willner, CEO. “We rent apartments, mobile home parks, and even have around a dozen farms we own and rent out,” he added. Hunter says he and Willner are long-time friends who are your typical small-town country boys who value hard work. The two have been in the housing market for about 35 years now with their headquarters located in Fairmont.

As of August 1st, MarBel Homes officially became Pine Cone Apartments and Dave is overseeing some pretty exciting changes as the new property manager. Eventually, when everything is up and running, they look forward to hiring a full-time property manager on site in Grygla, but for now, Dave is taking on the task and operating out of an office set up in the Independence Hall. 

Many upgrades have already taken place and more are on the schedule. Dave says they’ve replaced toilets, sinks, lighting, carpeting and many more inside changes. They also have some roofing to do and gutter/foundation work on the White House as it’s currently leaking. “We have so much to get accomplished,” he pointed out. Dave is also a licensed general contractor with an 11-man crew that they shuffle around to their properties. With that help, they hope to get more units up to date here in Grygla. “We’re anxious to keep improving the facilities and are looking for ways to add to the properties,” offered Dave. For example, they are currently working on getting WiFi installed free to their renters. They want to make it friendlier outside by adding some grilling and dining areas. They also want to make some more of the units handicap accessible and upgrade the existing sidewalks. “These are people’s homes…we want it to feel like home,” he said.

Dave also mentioned that though their company is not religious-based, they do base their values on religion. When asked how they do that, he said they visit with and share their values with their tenants.

Right now, Pine Cone Apartments is offering a referral fee. They are giving $100 cash if you refer someone who signs a lease. Also, with that one-year lease, they are offering the first month’s rent free to their new tenants. Dave also said that HRA has been a tremendous help and the properties are all Section 8 accepted. 

Majority of the units are 1-bedroom, however, there are three 2-bedroom units currently available. Dave said Pine Cone Investments took over the 12 tenants out of the 28 max that they hold; they are currently up to 17 tenants.

Dave concluded, “These buildings used to be full at one time and can be full again with the upgrades and improvements we are making. People want to move into nice, clean facilities and we’re happy to make that happen.”