Factually speaking, Pleasant Lake is a 606-acre lake located in Merrimack County in central New Hampshire, in the town of New London. The village of Elkins is located at the east end of the lake, next to its outlet. Water from Pleasant Lake flows east to the Blackwater River, a tributary of the Contoocook River and ultimately the Merrimack River. Its primary inflow is Great Brook.
These facts, however, hardly communicate the beauty (moon- and sunrises over Mt. Kearsarge), sparkling clear waters (a Class “A” lake), fun fishing, sailing, water-skiing (and other varieties of water-sports), swimming lessons at the town beach, fireworks on the 4th of July, and on and on.
View some wonderful pictures at the Pleasant Lake Protective Association’s web site: Pleasant Lake Photo Gallery and explore more information about this wonderful resource: a place for recreation, education, and protection.
Pleasant Lake Protective Association
Like being in town, close to shopping? You'll love this attractive New Englander on Green Road in Newport, NH. Fenced yard, nice lawn and garden, 2 bedrooms, full bath, garage. Seller is participating in the Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus Program until 7/31/10 and is offering a 3% buyer credit at closing up to a maximum of $8,000. Call Jane Snow, Listing Agent, to schedule a showing 603-526-4116 or email jane@cbmilestone.com. Listed at $118,085.
Here’s some good advice to help you avoid 5 costly mistakes first-time buyers make.
Buying a first home can be a daunting experience. Here are five common and costly mistakes that novice home buyers make:
1. Ignoring the costs of having a low credit score. Lower-score borrowers pay thousands of dollars in increased interest rates over the life of the loan.
2. Muddying the waters by shopping for other things before closing. Lenders continue to check credit scores right up until the time of closing. Too much shopping could cause the lender to take back the loan.
3. Scrimping on an inspection. Being surprised by the need for expensive repairs can be financially devastating.
4. Buying without contingencies. Buyers should give themselves an out if the inspection turns up problems or the bank raises the interest rates.
5. No money for insurance. Insurance can be surprisingly pricey. Buyers who don’t budget for it can face a nasty surprise.
Source: CNNMoney.com, Les Christie (04/19/2010)
Don’t Get Discouraged or Insulted by so-called “Lowball” Offers.
While a low offer is disappointing or some sellers may think – even insulting, it helps to have some perspective on it. Considering that we are still in a buyers’ market, I believe that any offer today is better than NO offer at all. Don’t focus on the numbers! Someone likes your house enough to put an offer in on it. Consider it is a starting point for negotiations. Some buyers view offering much less than asking price as standard procedure. They are obviously trying to buy at the lowest price possible, just as sellers want the highest price possible. Don’t automatically assume that you are not dealing with a serious buyer if the initial offer is low. Make a counter-offer; it’s usually not a waste of time. Include sales that validate your price. This can be an effective start to negotiations. The buyer may be basing his offer on outdated data. Bottom line, don’t let emotions rule your response to a lowball offer. Instead of rejecting it out of hand, try to find out something about the buyers and why they offered what they did. It doesn’t cost you anything to counter offer and remember the old adage “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. You may just end up selling your property!
Contact Donna at donna@donnaforest.com for more good advice about selling in this market.
Comfortable home with many recent upgrades. Close to Lake Sunapee Harbor. For more details and photos, visit www.364LakeAve.com
As we all know, the market, even in the Lake Sunapee/Kearsarge area of NH, has become a different ball game. There are fewer buyers and more homes to sell. To increase your chances of selling in a reasonable time period, here are a few good guidelines to follow:
- Price your home just under the competition. Be the best value out there for the money.
- Clean and de-clutter. One cannot over-emphasize the impact this will have on buyers.
- Consider offering a credit at closing if the kitchen and/or bathrooms need remodeling.
- Make your house appealing from the 1st day it goes on the market. With fewer buyers looking, your house needs to be in perfect showing condition when someone wants to look. Missed opportunities are hard to get back.
- Have a home inspection prior to putting the house on the market. Fix any issues that come up. This will help take away a buyer’s opportunity to say “no”.
If you’d like more ideas about how to give your house the best chance to sell, give me a call.
Donna Forest, ABR
What’s an “Ice House”? Quite literally, it’s the building where blocks of ice were stored, layered with sawdust, to be delivered to those people lucky enough to have an “icebox” to keep their food chilled. In this case, while there is an “Ice House” building, this small, hands-on, children-friendly museum offers much, much more than just the opportunity to see a lot of ice-cutting and handling tools.
The Ice House is a living, working legacy to the New London, NH, area from Bill Kidder, the man who created it and, who, until his death in 2005, spent many happy hours here polishing, tinkering, repairing, mowing, and showing interested folks around. He and his wife, Petie, collected a great variety of old and interesting stuff, including all kinds of tools and machinery (most of which still work), wonderful children’s riding toys, cars (preferably old Fords) and a wide variety of items of local interest including the Town’s original fire engine, a jail cell and first movie projector. He loved to show people around and share his infectious enthusiasm for “Yankee Ingenuity.” We hope you’ll visit and come again and again, as there’s no way to see it all the first time through. We’re open from mid-May to mid-October, Tuesdays and Thursday, 9-4, and Saturday 9-2. http://www.wfkicehouse.org
Some photos generously provided by John McMahon.
This inviting cottage is just about brand new inside and ready for summer fun on the water! Level yard and dock. See more photos and details at www.OtterPondCottage.com
Jane Snow, Listing Agent
The best of summer stock theater played out in a former 1820 barn, now a charming red building with a white front porch right on Main Street in New London! Their mission statement summarizes perfectly what “The Barn” is: “The New London Barn Playhouse produces vibrant theater created by emerging artists in collaboration with accomplished professionals within, and in order to preserve, one of the most cherished and historic summer stock theaters in the country.” The New London Barn Playhouse is the “oldest, continuously operating, summer stock theater in New Hampshire” and is listed in New Hampshire’s Register of Historic Places. But, even more than that, it is the intimate experience in this small theater which makes it so special. Summer in New London wouldn’t be the same without the Barnies walking down Main Street and the opportunity to see really good summer stock theater right in our own community! Visit their web site at: WELCOME - NEW LONDON BARN PLAYHOUSE
Charming antique farmhouse is situated on a beautiful 6.5 acre lot of mostly open fields. Large barn, many recent updates to the home. For more photos and details, visit www.744MainSt.com.
Sara Ellis, Listing Agent