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Unique 4+ bedroom Gambrel in Springfield has a price reduction from $249,000 to $225,000.  For more photos and details, visit www.256PhilbrickHillRd.com.

Sara Ellis, Listing Agent

Sara@cbmilestone.com

Sitting on my sofa on a chilly February morning, I look out my picture window and see my apple tree full of big fat robins. The first thing that pops into my head is that spring is just around the corner. I remember being in elementary school and learning and singing about the Red Red Robin that was a sign of spring, and soon we would have spring flowers green grass and rising temperatures.  Initially I was excited, we have had a pretty dismal winter so far, and quite frankly I was looking forward to warmer weather, and spending more time outside, then my bubble was burst, I was told that these big fat robins are actually Canadian robins. I didn’t know there was a “Canadian” robin so I set out to do a little research.

Canadian robins are bigger and darker than the birds that we normally see here in New Hampshire. Wildlife biologists and birdwatchers say that robins are fairly common winter residents in New Hampshire. Robins are short-distance migrants, they lack the urge to fly far south each fall and are not overly ambitious. In the winter months, robins are likely to stay in large flocks where there is an abundance of fruit.  They seek crabapples, mountain ash and any leftover berries that they can find. Robins can survive for several days if inclement weather prevents them from feeding because they carry fat reserves on their bodies. However, they may go further south if an ice storm or blizzard prevents them from finding food.

Apparently, New Hampshire may be balmy compared to northern Canada. While the Canadian robins are visiting us and enjoying the “warm” weather, I am no longer going to take their appearance as a sure sign that spring is right around the corner. So for now, I suppose I will listen to Punxsutawney Phil and plan for a longer winter, I will keep the long johns handy, the woodstove stoked and keep my eye out for a crocus peeking through the snow.

I live right in New London, just a big block outside the village, so I have a very short drive to work…less than five minutes, and under 2 miles, but there is almost always something fun and interesting to see.  For example, I can drive out of my driveway and turn right or left and get to my office in about the same amount of time, and whichever directly I go in, it’s not unlikely that once a week or so, I’ll see a busy, but shy, flock of wild turkeys.   In one case they flutter and quickly work their way back and forth at a front-yard bird feeder; in another, the scout peers cautiously over the edge of a snow bank, then boldly goes forward, with the others of the flock timidly following in a sporadic and random fashion.  (There is always one more just when you think they’ve all crossed.)  Their numbers were once drastically reduced to the point where their loss was a serious possibility…now they make fun and entertaining neighbors and are a relatively common sight! Marilyn Kidder 2/23/2010

A Bit About Opossums

Did you know that there are opossums in New Hampshire, and that they are expanding their range northward? Opossums are relatively new to New Hampshire, gradually moving into the state from Massachusetts in the late 1960s. Rockingham and Hillsboro Counties began to have increasing numbers by the mid-1970s and by the early 1990s, the opossum had moved north to the Lakes Region, sweeping past Lake Winnipesaukee on the east side by the mid-1990s. They seemed to have moved up the major river systems in their march northward. First, they followed the coastal rivers, then the Merrimack, and they have now populated the Connecticut River Valley all the way into Coos County! By 2001, a few had made it all the way to Stratford, Columbia and Stewartstown.Opossums are the state's only marsupial. That is, the females have a pouch on their belly, just like a kangaroo, where the honey-bee-sized babies crawl at birth to spend their first 3 months of life. There are so many unique things about opossums! They have a long prehensile tail, like a monkey, that aids them in climbing trees. Although they can snarl and open their mouths wide when threatened, they also will feign death and "play possum." Most live out their lives within just a few hundred yards of where they were born. In fact, over 90 percent of opossums die before they are two years old.In New Hampshire, opossums are at the very northernmost edge of their range. Their hairless ears and toes often are blackened or missing from being frozen. Opossums were once thought to not be able to survive such a cold climate, but they just keep plodding north on frostbitten feet. -- Eric Orff, furbearer biologist (Reproduced from the NH Fish & Game Website) 

The positive momentum felt in the New Hampshire housing market during the second half of 2009 continued into January 2010, with the state’s residential home sales ahead of January 2009 by 16.5 percent. This time, there is additional good news on the price side as well, as the median price of residential homes increased by 7.5 percent over the same period last year – the first month-over-month median price increase in 26 months and the largest such jump in 52 months.

According to data released this week by the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS® (NHAR), 529 single family homes sold in January 2010, a substantial gain from the 454 home sales in January 2009. And the median price in that same period was $215,000 this year, compared to $200,000 of a year ago.

The last time home prices showed an increase for a single month over the same period from a year prior was November 2007, and the last time that increase was better than 7.5 percent was September 2005.

“We’re aware that one month cannot be defined a trend, but we’ve expected that the good news in terms of sales would ultimately translate to prices, and we’re hopeful that this is the start of that change,” said NHAR President Monika McGillicuddy, a 25-year veteran of the real estate industry and an agent with Prudential Verani in Londonderry. “This is excellent news all the way around.”

And condominium sales, which had lagged behind the residential numbers throughout much of 2009, were up in number and price as well – with a 41 percent gain in sales and 9.5 percent median price improvement.

McGillicuddy attributed the sales and price increases in part to the continued incentive of the homebuyer tax credit, and generally as a continuing signal that the residential real estate market is experiencing the early stages of the recovery process.

“There are many factors that have gone into

this shift, from the tax credit to excellent interest rates to competitive prices,” McGillicuddy said. “Ultimately, we’re talking about an increase in confidence that I believe is at the core of sustainable momentum in the real estate market.”

The good news filtered to the local markets as well, as a majority of New Hampshire’s 10 counties saw year-end increases in both sales and prices.

“We’ll continue to monitor these numbers closely,” McGillicuddy said, “but from what I see and from what I’m hearing from other Realtors around the state, we’re very encouraged.”

Source: NH Association of REALTORS Press Release 2/16/2010

Listed below is New London’s real estate activity for 2009 as compared to 2008 (in parentheses). All types of property sales are included: single family, land (waterfront and water access broken out), condominiums and commercial (none for this year).

...and enter a cardboard sled race…for only $13 a day for a combo (ski, tube, ride) all day ticket, or $10 for an under the lights night ticket? Arrowhead Recreation Center in Claremont offers a back to basics fun experience for young and old alike. On a recent family first visit there for some tubing, I talked with one of the folks at the lift. While affiliated with the Claremont Recreation Department, Arrowhead is run entirely by volunteers and every penny collected goes right back into the Center. It’s a wonderful place to have a ton of fun without breaking the bank. We’ll definitely go back again! Give it a try.

Arrowhead Recreation Area Main

See their brochure for additional details: http://www.arrowheadnh.com/files/2009_10_brochure.pdf

You can find this tag line on the NH Department of Resources and Economic Development’s web site at Welcome to New Hampshire.  If you’re planning a visit to NH for a vacation or house-hunting, it’s the perfect place to start.  You can make your reservations right on line.  The site is designed around the current season and, there is an absolute wealth of information to be found.  Some of the many subjects covered are Arts & Entertainment, Shopping and Antiquing, Family Attractions, What to do, Where to Eat…etc.  For example, in the Arts & Entertainment section, you’ll find a brief description of NH’s music and arts scene, but there are also separate links to “Music”, “Galleries”, “Museums”, “Theatre”, “Film”, and “NH Made”.  There’s even a NH Brewery Location Map!  There are plenty of pictures and even some suggested itineraries suited for the season, and what could be more appropriate than “Yankee Dollar Stretchers”?  You’ll find yourself going back many times.  Come visit us in the New London-Lake Sunapee Area when you get here!  The Best Team in Town | Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate

MKIM’s mission is to connect people of today with 20,000 years of ongoing Native American cultural expression. The Museum embraces cultural diversity and encourages responsible environmental action and seeks to challenge and inspire all of us to improve the quality of our lives and our world. With these goals in mind, the Museum galleries, grounds and gardens have been designed as teaching tools while also functioning as tranquility zones in which visitors can find respite from the hectic pace of modern life. The Museum is also a favorite site for educational school field trips and hosts over 5,000 children each year. Since its founding over 17 years ago, nearly 250,000 people have visited. There are docent led tours daily and families enjoy the “Quests”, including the Completing the Circle Quest and Medicine Woods Quest. The Museum is closed in the winter. Visit the website at: http://www.indianmuseum.org/index.html

[caption id="attachment_189" align="alignleft" width="148" caption="Donna Forest, ABR"] [/caption]

Selling? Within the first 15 SECONDS, a buyer has already developed an opinion of your home!! Here are a few things you can do to be sure that very first impression is a good one:

1. Improve curb appeal. (Remove toys, paint front door, prune shrubs, keep walks and driveways clear of snow, etc)
2. Paint walls which are dinged and scuffed and clean all dirty carpets. Keep all colors neutral.
3. Get Rid of Clutter! Remove excess furniture, knick-knacks, extra wall decorations, etc.
4. Have a home inspection done and then address the items which need to be repaired.
5. Eliminate odors. Nothing turns a buyer off faster than a smelly house.

While it may seem like a hassle to do these things now, when you realize the best price for your property in the shortest period of time, you’ll be glad you made the effort!

Email or call me to receive a free booklet “Home Enhancement Guide.”

Donna Forest is Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate.