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
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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:
- Improve curb appeal. (Remove toys, paint front door, prune shrubs, keep walks and driveways clear of snow, etc)
- Paint walls which are dinged and scuffed and clean all dirty carpets. Keep all colors neutral.
- Get Rid of Clutter! Remove excess furniture, knick-knacks, extra wall decorations, etc.
- Have a home inspection done and then address the items which need to be repaired.
- 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.
“New Hampshire residential home sales experienced the largest single-month increase on record last month (November) as sales jumped 70% from November of 2008.” In 2008, November saw 673 sales; in 2009, there were 1,141. The NHAR (New Hampshire Association of Realtors which tracks real estate data for the State) attributed the jump in part to the home buyer tax credit incentive. The jump was also considered a signal that the NH real estate market is in the middle of the early stages of recovery which will head us back to a “normalized residential housing market”. The cumulative totals for 2009 are about 5% ahead of the same period last year. Also important about the increase in the number of sales is that it has helped to drive down the statewide inventory to a 9.1 month supply. For comparison, at the end of January, 2009, it was at a 22 month supply. Prices do continue to lag, however, which should continue to make buying a home very attractive to buyers. The median price of last November was at $215,000 and dropped 2.8% this November to $209,000. Source: NH Union Leader 12/16/2009
Some of the best hiking trails in our area are minded by a very dedicated group of volunteers. These trails cover 75 miles surrounding Lake Sunapee and going over Sunapee, Ragged and Kearsarge mountains.
The Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway Coalition was formed in the mid-eighties by, as their brochure says, “a group of creative environmentalists” who were associated with the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, the Lake Sunapee Protective Association and local conservationists. That early group has evolved into a non-profit corporation led by directors from those towns which have SRKGC trails in them: Andover, Danbury, Goshen, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Sunapee, Sutton, Warner & Wilmot. The brochure best states their mission: “…to create and maintain a forever-green great circle of trail corridors and protected lands providing walkers with access to the mountains, lakes, vistas and historical sites of the region.”
The SRKGC is a wonderful example of the cooperation of enthusiastic volunteers, private landowners, and state and local governments. The organization welcomes new volunteers and memberships. Visit their site at: http://www.srkg.com/ There you will find a wealth of information on other hiking resources, as well as additional information about the trail network itself.
Ultimately, the market dictates value, based on current conditions. Your house has many values-one to the tax assessor, others to your lender and insurance company, and yet another value to you, the owner. Prospective buyers will also value it differently. What a buyer will pay is typically called "market value". The best price obtainable in any market can only be determined by aggressively testing the market and challenging the competition. So...what affects the value of your house? There are some factors which have no effect on the current value of your property, and you probably know what they are: what you paid for your house; the cash proceeds you want or need from the sale; or what your friends and neighbors say your property is worth. Also, there are some factors that are "given" - over which we have no control: your property's location, age, the size of the house and lot, and its floor plan and architectural style. Also, we cannot control the market conditions, including interest rate and the availability of financing, buyer demand, the state of the economy, the prices of recently sold properties, or the possible seasonality of demand. We also have no control over the competition: how many similar properties are for sale, or their prices, financing terms, location and physical condition. But, we can control the asking price!
Here’s your winter checklist! You look outside one day and it's bright and sunny and the next day snow begins to cover the leaves you forgot to rake. That's right, winter is just around the corner and you need to get your home ready. Also check wood floors just inside patio and exit doors for signs of water entry. Probe through the carpet or check under the doors from the basement or crawl space area for signs of dampness. Look for rotting sub-flooring, floor joists and sill plates (the wood that rests on the foundation wall). If possible, check behind the insulation for signs of rotting or infestation. Vinyl floor covering can be discolored from mildew trapped between the vinyl and wet sub-flooring. Caulk and seal around window and door openings. Fill cracks and openings in concrete drives, walks and patios. Have the heating system and flue inspected by a qualified heating technician. It is very important to change or clean the furnace filter on a regular basis. If the furnace has a built-in humidifier, have the humidifier cleaned. Treat the humidifier each month during the heating season to resist mold growth inside the air system. Have the chimney cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney sweep. Store fire wood two to three feet off the ground and away from the home's foundation. Wood piles invite unwanted guests all year long. Garden hoses should be drained and stored inside. If you have shut-offs for the outside hose faucets, they need to be closed for winter. Do not leave a garden hose connected to an outside faucet. Even an anti-freeze faucet will freeze and eventually leak if a hose is left connected all winter. Drain the gasoline from lawn mowers, weed eaters, etc. Remove grass, dirt and all debris and store for winter. Stuff a paper towel in the gas tank, leaving enough of the towel exposed so the towel can later be removed. Store the equipment with the gas lid off. The tank has to be drained with no gasoline or gasoline fumes present before the paper towel is stuffed inside. The towel keeps the inside of the tank dry and ready for next spring. Never store gasoline or equipment containing gasoline inside the home, garage or basement.
From a prospective homebuyer’s view, clutter translates into an undesirable home. Cluttered homes often appear smaller. They look darker, and tend to smell from the excess dust. Too much “stuff” around can be an immediate turn-off because the combined effect suggests that all of the home’s other features will be rundown, decayed and in need of much repair. The opposite is also true: homes devoid of clutter and kept clean give the impression of being well maintained and not requiring much work. Clutter compromises the ideal image and prospective buyers view the home in terms of cleaning and maintenance. 1Y0-A05 Properties with clutter translate into increased time on the market and lower values, not only because the clutter decreases the perception of size, air and light, but also because it makes buyers think that there will be a lot of work involved in maintaining the property. If you need help to de-clutter, call a professional. This initial cost will be recouped with a higher selling price and faster sale. For more helpful hints, go to: http://www.realtor.com/Basics/Sell/PrepHome/GetReady.asp
The Kearsarge Regional School District includes the towns of Bradford, Newbury, New London, Springfield, Sutton, Warner and Wilmot. As of 10/1/09, the enrollment from these towns totals 2,135 students. There are separate elementary schools (K-5) in Bradford, New London, Sutton and Warner. Springfield also has its own Kindergarten program. In March of 2007, the district opened a new and beautiful 123,321 square foot middle school in North Sutton. The old middle school in New London had become functionally obsolete, and 80 acres were purchased to include future growth. If you have not taken a drive around the new school and its well manicured playing fields, you really should do so! There are three grades there- 6,7, and 8. Each cluster has its own classrooms and common area. Stop in and take the tour of the impressive gym, cafeteria and library. Other spacious rooms house international languages, band, chorus, music, tech. ed and family and consumer science. There are about 460 happy students attending this school! Kearsarge Regional High School, also in North Sutton has a freshman academy wing that allows the freshmen to acclimate themselves to the school before blending in with the upper classmen. There are many wonderful activities going on there on a daily basis. One huge asset at this school is Project Climb. Hiking, canoeing and bike trips are enjoyed tremendously by members of this group. The High School Chorus goes to Disney World each Spring Break and performs on stage. They have won many awards! Their sports teams participate at the Class I Level for athletics. The school district has a website (Kearsarge.org) that is easy to access, should you need any further information.
