While NH real estate sales rose from April to May by 3.7%, year-to-date, they are down 1.2%. The reality is there are just not enough homes on the market for the number of buyers looking to make purchases and that’s a serious problem.  The most desirable homes, the ones that are selling, tend to be smaller, and more affordable, slowing the median increase.

When some people decide to buy property outside that state in which they currently live, they may be doing it with a lot of knowledge already.  They could have the resources of friends and family already living there, or the experience of having visited and spent significant amounts of time in the state.

For others, however, the choice to buy real estate- whether it’s a commercial property, single home, a condo, or even bare land- can seem daunting without some knowledge of the new state. 

Of course, there is some research you can do for yourself. You'll have to narrow it down to the state and maybe a county or region on our own.  But when you get down to choosing a city or town, the best source of information is going to be a well-qualified real estate broker.

You may know the phrase “Grandfathered” from the recent short-run TV sitcom, but for years the term has been given to real estate properties that wouldn’t, under current regulations, be allowed to be constructed upon. In many (but not all) cases that can be a good thing when a property comes up for sale. For example, in the case of waterfront real estate, many restrictions have been imposed on new construction dealing with setbacks, site clearing and size of structure, sometimes to the point of making a previously designed building site unbuildable under the new guidelines.

Yankee values may have started on the east coast and being frugal has its place at the grocery store or car dealership, but not always when it comes to real estate. While there’s real estate for sale everywhere, the search for a great deal is not unique to one geographic area in the United States of America - but there are limits.

Is it time to stop thinking you should always be offering less than asking price?

Know which loan conforms to the property before you apply to a lender.

Question: Are you all set with your financing?

Answer: My buddy has me all set with a great rate.

NOT SO FAST… will the property conform to the type of loan you have been assured you’ll be approved for, at this great rate?

Here is where your Realtor comes in and guides you through the process in determining if you will get that loan or waste three weeks thinking it’s a breeze only to find out the property: Type, Location, Association, or occupancy doesn’t allow the loan you are “pre-Approved” for.

Many subdivisions have strict by-laws to prevent owners from pitching a tent on their site and camping out. This Covenant comes in the form of “no” a temporary shelters provision. One step further we often see no mobile homes, or a minimum square footage requirement. These guidelines were intended to ensure a homogeneous design and value of homes in a given neighborhood. They were and are still a good idea in most cases.

According to Doug Kaufmann the Author of The Fungus Link: An Introduction to Fungal Disease,: “Mold, a certain type of them make a byproduct that is called a micro toxin, so it’s a mold poison”.

With Functional Medicine micro toxins are often looked at as a piece of the picture. In the micro toxins profile the individuals mold exposure challenge is often realized. Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt of the Sophia Institute talks about “treating the mold that’s inside you and shutting down the mycotoxin production that way”. He further states “we always start with the heavy metals to acknowledge there is a link between mercury toxicity and mold”. Dr. Klinghardt further states “that when you threaten a mold with an effective remedy, that mold will crank up its production of mycotoxins” It’s important to have your liver ducts open and working optimally. This information was discovered in the TOXIC MOLD SUMMIT of 2019.

Your Mortgage lender analyzes these five “steps” when considering your loan application and you can help the likelihood of being approved for a loan by knowing them. 

You think you’re getting a great deal when you purchase a For Sale by Owner (FSBO) property, but buyer beware – things aren’t always as rosy as they seem.  Here’s a real-life example of just one of the many things that can go wrong.

I had a seller on the sale of a condo in the White Mountains. My seller listed their property with me and during the normal disclosure reported that they had no mortgage on the property. As the transaction moves forward and it comes time to close, we should expect a simple transaction and no lender to chase for a discharge, right? Wrong!

“Many times, in the past buyers have called about properties they want to view and potentially buy, only to find out that a financing option was not available due to the fact the access is on a private road. We have informed the sellers a solution which is to get everyone on the road to sign a joint maintenance agreement. This would state who would take care of the plowing, and general upkeep of the common road, and the financial responsibility. This document would need to be recorded and run with the property deed. The problem is not everyone is willing to do that, after all, why put yourself on the hook for this expense if your neighbor is willing to plow for free because that individual has a truck and plow?”

This spring's home shoppers expect less competition overall as more inventory continues to hit the market nationwide, but will struggle with affordability as home prices continue to rise, according to new survey data released today by realtor.com®, the Home of Home Search?. The survey also found, nearly half of shoppers this spring are looking for homes at or under $200,000, which despite less competition will prove difficult to find, as this one segment of housing has actually experienced the largest inventory decline year-over-year.  

Guest blog from history.com:

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2019 occurs on Monday, May [...]

Real estate tax assistance is real and you should see if you qualify! The Low & Moderate Income Homeowners Property Tax Relief program offered by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue was created to decrease the economic burden of the State Education Property Tax on certain at-risk taxpayers.

We survived through the very long winter and I, for one, am so happy that Spring is finally here. I'm looking forward to longer days, warmer weather, spring flowers and enjoying time outdoors. Now that most of the snow has melted we are left with the remains of our Fall yard work this could be a good or bad thing depending on how much work you did several months ago. But, with newly thawed you’ll realize that the spring clean-up doesn’t have to be that bad. It just requires breaking down the tasks that must be done and having the right tools for the job. Through a series of simple steps and before you know it your yard will look spectacular and you will truly earn your summer! 

We often think of mold as either a horrid musky smell often associated with older homes and basements or, we see the once light-colored shower grout is now black, YUCK!  Mold grows undetected. Most people don’t realize they have a problem because they can’t see it at the beginning or ever.  Mold is not visible until it creates a [...]

Spring has arrived and a deep spring clean-up is a must after a long winter when our homes have been completely closed up. Beyond the obvious regular cleaning tasks, here are a few hacks to use for a deep cleaning.

Use lemon to remove wet stains; rub one half of a lemon stains. The citric acid helps remove hard water marks. Remove water stains with lemon for a natural faucet fix.

Three local New Hampshire banks have once again been selected to participate in the 2019 Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s (FHLBB) Equity Builder Program (EBP); Bank of New Hampshire, Franklin Savings Bank and Woodsville Guaranty Savings Bank. This program offers members grants to provide down-payment, closing-cost, and rehabilitation assistance and homebuyer counseling to households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income.

You’ll never quite get over just how beautiful the White Mountains of New Hampshire are.  The changes in the landscape in a true four-season environment are nothing short of magical, the views will literally make you weep. It is a true outdoor wonderland, and even if you’re not into outdoor activities, the scenery you take in on a daily basis is reason enough to want to call this area home.

Several Months ago a young man came into our office looking for a new rental. He said the place he was renting had given him a rash and bed bugs were found in the mattress and room. After he told the Landlord he was given an alcohol spray bottle. This is an inadequate move as a Property Manager as It is our responsibility to provide a clean and habitable place as a dwelling. In New Hampshire (and every other state) we have the Law of Warranty of Habitability. This means the Landlord/Owner/Property Manager must provide the following:

So here’s something no one wants to talk about, - ever. Not in Property Management, not at a family dinner, and definitely not on a first date. Creepy crawlers in the night that bite!

It’s a common trait to itch with all bugs and mites. Some leave rashes. Most are very common; I remember getting lice in 5^th grade from my cousin at our family camp because we used the same pillows and didn’t wash the pillow cases between stays. Most bugs and mites need a human host to survive and only live 36-72 hours on their own.