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  The Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust(ASLPT), located in New London, is a private, 501(c)(3)  non-profit organization supported by 1,000+ members, which was founded in 1987 to preserve and protect the rural character of the Mt. Kearsarge/Lake Sunapee region for the public benefit.  To date, ASLPT has protected 6,491 acres, consisting of 106 properties, and including 4,000 feet of shore front on Lake Sunapee. Because the organization plays a vital role in helping to preserve the special places, the views we all enjoy, and rural character of our area for the public benefit, Coldwell Banker Milestone is pleased to contribute a portion of every commission earned to ASLPT. The majority of these properties are preserved through conservation easements, but there are other ways to accomplish this as well.  Methods of Land Conservation When the Trust accepts an easement, they also accept stewardship responsibilities, now and forever.  In addition to helping families preserve their properties and safe-guarding them for future generations, ASLPT also devotes itself to educating the people of our communities about the importance to them of protecting our environment and its ecosystems through land conservation.  Many of the open spaces in our communities which we all appreciate so much have been conserved through the efforts of their owners and ASLPT.  For more information, visit their web site at:  http://www.ausbonsargent.org/

A convenient location, large, level lot and 3 bedroom cape with dormers - visit www.38CountyRd.com for details and photos.

Marilyn Kidder, Listing Agent

marilyn@cbmilestone.com

You’re putting your house on the market and the Realtor hands you a Sellers’ Property Disclosure to fill out. You’re thinking, “What a nuisance! Maybe I can skip over some of the questions.” Beware – this will come back to bite you! Withholding pertinent information about the property has serious consequences. A thorough Disclosure will protect you as well as the buyer. Most buyers appreciate knowing as much as possible about a property before buying it. They can live with it not being perfect, as long as they know the issues up front and have had a chance to investigate and digest them.

Properties can fail to close and lawsuits can happen when information is withheld. Not only should you disclose current issues with your house, but it also may be a good idea to disclose any past problems that have been repaired, or areas that require routine maintenance. A word of caution on past repairs – don’t guarantee that the problems are fixed. This implies that they will never come back. Rather, be specific on how they were taken care of. Also, don’t guess when filling out the disclosure; if you don’t know, then indicate that it is unknown. On the other hand, don’t just fill in “unknown” because it is easy and avoids problems. A thorough and properly filled out seller’s Disclosure may make buyers feel good about your house and also help keep you out of court!

[caption id="attachment_391" align="aligncenter" width="125" caption="Donna Forest, ABR"] [/caption]

Contact Donna at donna@donnaforest.com or visit her web site at www.donnaforest.com

1. Overpricing.  Your home will stay on the market longer and buyers will be less inclined to make offers.
2. Using emotional values to price the property vs. factual market conditions.
3. Not preparing the home for sale before it goes on the market.
4. Listening to the opinions of friends and relatives vs. the professional advice of your REALTOR.
5. Not giving the first offer serious consideration.  Most often, it seems that this turns out to be the best one.

For more selling information, visit my website and click on “Resource Links” and/or “Free Reports”!  www.DonnaForest.com. [caption id="attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="122" caption="Donna Forest"] [/caption]

Price reduced from $257,700 to $248,700.  Great 3 bedroom cape with Mt. Kearsarge views.  For more information, visit www.472KingHill.com

Marilyn Kidder, Listing Agent

marilyn@cbmilestone.com

New London NH Neighbors…I was driving home from work last week coming off Main Street, past the library and down South Pleasant.  It was early evening and a grayish kind of day.  As I passed the raspberry man’s house, I caught a quick movement out of the corner of my eye.  There between the two houses, out behind the raspberry patch, was a small group of whitetail deer foraging under the big pine and apple trees.   Though I couldn’t get very close, I stayed and watched them for a while, while they actually watched me as well. They looked pretty “fat and happy”, as though they were weathering the winter fairly well. While not rare or unexpected, it’s still fun to see them (as long as they’re not eating your vegetables) and such sights continually remind me that, though short, my “commute” can still be full of interesting things to see.

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)