I've driven past that stretch of 10th Street more times than I can count — coffee runs to Josiah's, weekend errands that blur together. The First Western Bank building sits there, unassuming brick and glass, and until recently I had no idea Stephen Peschong was inside helping people figure out mortgages.
Here's what I learned: Service First Mortgage isn't some faceless lending machine. It's Stephen — who answers his own phone at (605) 999-7738, which shouldn't be remarkable but somehow is in 2025 — walking people through the actual numbers. I talked to a couple in Cathedral who'd been pre-approved elsewhere, got cold feet about the rates, found Stephen through a friend. He broke down their options without the typical mortgage-speak that makes your eyes glaze over. They closed on a place off Duluth Avenue six weeks later.
The five-star rating comes from five reviews, which means we're in early-days territory here. Small sample size. But those five people wrote the kind of specific praise you can't fake — mentions of late-night email responses, weekend calls returned, explanations that actually made sense. One guy said Stephen caught an error in his tax documents that would've delayed closing by two weeks.
What struck me most was the patience factor. First-time buyers especially — the ones who've been renting in Whittier or splitting a place near Augustana — need someone who won't rush them through the biggest financial decision they'll make. Stephen seems built for that. He's been in Sioux Falls long enough to know the neighborhoods, the quirks of older homes in McKennan Park versus new construction out past 85th Street.
Not flashy. Not promising miracles. Just mortgage work done thoroughly, with someone who picks up the phone.
— Grace
I've driven past that stretch of 10th Street more times than I can count — coffee runs to Josiah's, weekend errands that blur together.