I can say Buyers and Sellers are not like the mailman, as they do not always come out in bad weather. Yesterday it hit 95 here in NH and half of my afternoon appointments canceled. A normal spring day in May is around 70. June to August in the low 80's. Yesterday though there was no humidity, so it was a welcomed warm up by many after a winter that dragged into April.  I have an older couple that both retired this month who found me through my Active Rain blog.   They want to sell their big Manchester NH Area home and purchase a smaller one all on one floor. They even asked me if I was going to write about them canceling their appointment. The Mrs. told me I could, as the heat was too much for them and knew today would only be around 80. She was surprised I did not close due to the heat... 05/19/2017

A home seller told me they had rejected 10 offers over the last 6 months and their home has gone unsold. They asked me if I would list their home. Before I would agree to that, I needed to know more about why all these offers were rejected. I headed over to this Manchester NH Area home. It was a well kept newer home in a great neighborhood. As we walked around the home i saw their old agents sign laying in the mud.   The home was beautiful, how could it not sell? The answer was soon apparent when the seller asked me how I felt about offers. My answer was I LOVE THEM, after all an offer is what starts the buying process.    Mrs. Seller lost it, she stomped, she banked the table, hissed and even hawed at her husband. What the.... is going on I thought. As i pondered that, she said "go ahe... 05/10/2017

It is always exciting to get that call "I want to list my house with you, can you come over." This listing appointment went from a high to low quickly when this Manchester NH Area home owner soon said they are looking to hire 4 different agents to list their home. The home owner gave me a tour and relayed why they were looking for multiple agents and what they were hoping to accomplish.  My question was to the other 3 agents that agreed to this. WHY?  The home seller' thought is the more agents, the more marketing which will result in more buyers. I was SHOCKED to hear that he had hired the other 3 agents over a month ago. That he was no looking for a fourth agent as it has not sold and he thinks he needs more agents. Before my listing appointment I looked in MLS and there was no listin... 05/08/2017

If you want to make sure your home does not sell, lock the buyer in a closet. No that is not my advice, but it is what happened when showing a Manchester NH Area home For Sale. The showing instructions said the seller would let us in. It is a trend that is hindering home sales, but yet increasing with those sellers who seek discounts. We got to the home about 10:57 am, 3 minutes before out 11 am showing. At that point when the seller snapped if we knew what time it was, we should have left. The home is in the exact area they want though. It is the right style, age and priced lower than others in the neighborhood. The seller let us in after berating us for being 3 minutes early.  I asked if we could walk through the home. Mrs Seller stayed on our heels. When we got the master bedroom wit... 05/03/2017

What is a final walk through? That was the reply from a buyer closing on one of my listings. They called to ask questions about their closing on my Manchester NH Area listing. I let them know that their buyer broker should have gone over that with them as we prepare to close. Que the crickets...   In brief, usually the morning of the closing here in NH. The buyer walks through the home prior to closing to make sure the seller is out. The condition is the same when they purchased and that the appliances included in the contract, are still there.     As a listing agent I always prepare my seller for how the selling process will work including moving out, the final walk through and closing. When I am on the other side and hired as a buyer agent, i do the same for my buyer.  In this case, t... 04/30/2017

Can a home buyer see a home for sale on Easter Sunday? Early this morning, the phone rings, what do I do? I answer it. It is a potential home buyer asking if they can see a  Manchester NH Area home this morning.  It was not in my plans to show homes today. This one home is vacant, so yes it could be seen, but As I though, can't they see it on Monday? The buyer let me know they drove to NH to see their parents Saturday, they leave to go back to CT after Easter dinner. They would really like to see as their parents need a home all on 1 floor that will not need a great deal of work.   If they can go early, I can meet them at my vacant listing. I never say never, so I was open to showing the home home if needed. In this case they are today and his parents are ready to make a move, but will ... 04/16/2017

I got a call today from a good friend who is ready to buy a home. However his girl friends best friend is in real estate part time and will be their agent. Can I show them this list of MANCHESTER NH area homes for sale? It seems their agent works full time at another job and can only show homes Monday or Tuesday's during the day. They can not see homes then, so their agent told them to ask me as their friend to show them the homes and she could write the offer?     First, I fell out of my seat and second i spit up a little of my coffee.   He must have known right away by my tone change and immediately began to apologize.   Before I could even think about "What a great friend he is." He put is girlfriend on the phone. Now I was thinking "Now what"?   After her short talk, I did ask her ... 04/05/2017

Is there any advantage to waiting 5 or10 days after listing your home. before accepting an offer? That was some great debate around here since someone started putting "a hold" on offers until 5 days after the listing is put in MLS. The conversation continued noticing a MANCHESTER NH area home, where the seller was ready to sell, but not sure who with.     Last fall, I was the 5th of 5 agents he interviewed. The seller now had in his head that waiting a minimum number of days was the way to go.   I did not get the listing because i disagreed with him. Sure enough he listed with this grand plan of waiting a week for offers to come in and addressing them all at once. He admits he got offers the first day but made them wait. He lost those buyers who withdrew not willing to wait.   The next... 03/29/2017

When a buyer's offer does not get accepted, who is to blame? On a new MANCHESTER NH area home listing, there were several offers the first couple of days. One buyer just called very upset theirs was not picked. Going back and looking they had the lowest offer. Normally as it was my listing and not my buyer, i would tell them to ask their agent. In this case though i had to ask them. "Why they made such a low offer? Didn't anyone tell you there is a shortage of homes for sale and new listing sell quick?"   They replied that their buyer agent told them it was ok to make a low offer that the seller would counter with what they were willing to sell the home for?   Shaking my head i told them that most new listings sell for at or above list price?   They did not know that, they said.   They... 03/23/2017

When is an appraisal not an appraisal. When it is a CMA. What is a CMA asks a Manchester NH area home owner? Known as a Certified Market Analysis, this likely home seller received a coupon in the mail for a FREE MARKET ANALYSIS. She saw an ad for one in the paper and another ad online. She called all 3 companies and said "she was looking for an appraisal of what her home was worth. " Two agents showed up and the third did not have time when the owner was free, so they said they could complete by just driving by and not going inside. Within a week she had three reports. None were labeled appraisal, two were marked CMA and one was labeled a BPO which she had no clue what it meant. All three values were different. Her concern was they were very different and she had no clue how they came u... 03/17/2017

What is the price range of homes you for sale in the Auburn NH area? The surprise reaction from callers is often the great difference in price ranges we have here in my area. I love talking about my area so letting potential buyers know we have new homes, old homes, starter homes, upscale homes, retirement homes, condo style homes and elegant estates.    The next question is always: How is the market? We are seeing a steady pace of sales. Values are increasing slightly in the most desired areas. Properties needing work are seeing a decrease in value. Many sellers listing their homes with us now are experiencing quick sales.   I would also like to look ahead for 2017. Interest rates came up slightly but have settled back a bit. There is talk of another increase come spring, so many buye... 03/16/2017

Here is the scenario, A home Buyer gets pre approved for a specific amount, lets say $250,000. So how much over $250,000 should homes be priced that the buyers actually go see? Here in the Manchester NH Area, there seems to be a trend of buyers asking to go look at homes $25,000 and up to $50,000 over what they are approved for.    When reminded they are approved for only $250,000, the reply is "We will just make an offer for $250,000".   It is not 1, or 2 but 3 buyers in 2 weeks. That makes a trend. SO to get to the bottom of it, I looked for a common denominator.   All had pre quals from the same large mortgage company. When asked, each buyers was told they should shop in that higher price range to open the amount of homes possible available up.   I had the same conversation which ea... 03/14/2017

You may be able to easily identify brand names you like, but how quick can you rattle of 3 you trust? This March there is an Active Rain Challenge to write a paragraph on 3 of the brands I trust the most. I did not think it would be hard, until I sat myself down here in Manchester NH as the weather fell to 12 degrees to write them down.      The first Brand I trust is JEEP. For 16 years I have owned Grand Jeep Cherokee style automobiles. Having bought the newest one last year, it is not just a car. It is my second home, my mobile office and the place i spend the most time. I needed luxury but durability.  Able to give a smooth quiet ride but rumble down a dirt road or through a foot snow.   What many do not think, is a vehicle is more than luxury, heated seats, cooled seats, full openi... 03/06/2017

There is a great deal of people looking t be home owners. Many buyers are stepping up their plans on news interest rates could increase late in the year. The spring market seemingly brings an additional increase in those looking for the dream of home ownership. In walks a neatly dressed young couple. Pre qualification in hand ready to start looking at homes in the Manchester NH area. But then comes the statement, they say we can buy a home but should we?   I paused and went over their pre qual. I re-asked questions of income and debt. They sure can afford a home based on income, debt and their good credit score.   So where is all your money I wanted to ask? However as i thought about the politically correct way to ask, they told me. They have not thought about the future, they make s t... 02/27/2017

There is a trend in Real Estate that giving buyers a big case of nerves. Not just here in the Manchester NH area Home but across the country, under writers are giving buyers, sellers and agents fits. It may sound harsh, but this is "the new mortgage world" we live in. It is common for under writers to re-qualify buyers during the under writing process. It is more common than not that they will ask for additional paperwork from a Buyer.   The best way to handle it, is to be prepared for it. Let the buyer know it is common and when it does, do not panic.   A recent Q and A asked loan officers what a buyer should do when asked for additional information. One answer said "put their big boy and girl pants on and get it."   That is great, except this is the real world and in it, Buyers have ... 02/24/2017

Have you ever stepped inside the rolling barrel at the end of a Fun house that can spin you upside down never letting you out as a clown laughs at you? Well that is what a Manchester NH area Home Owner described it as when they tried a Limited Service Listing. They paid a flat fee up front where the agent put their home in the MLS and directed all calls to the seller. They then said they celebrated all the savings. Days turned turned to weeks and no calls. They then got their first calls, a Buyer who wanted to come Right over. They both left work early. They got the home ready and met them at the door, the buyer spent an hour their, they loved the home, said they wanted it, joined them for lunch where they said in a few years they will be ready for home like this.      In the next coup... 02/20/2017

Who can answer my question? asked a buyer agent calling on one of my new listings. As with most new Manchester NH area home listings we take, we had quite a few showings the first day. The buyer broker was asking if their buyer should make an offer??? As I sat in silence, the simple answer is "If they are interested in buying the home, then yes they should make an offer."    I thought to myself, "isn't this Buyer Broker 101." Step 1, see the house, Step 2, If the buyer wants to buy it, make a good offer. Step 3, call listing agent to see if there are any other offers to know whether they should make their best offer right up front.    Of course before Step 1, you would pre qualify the buyer to know they can even buy a home and what price range they should be looking in.   Then I litera... 02/07/2017

What is going on with Real Estate in the Manchester NH area? With 2016 in the books, lets look back at what happened to the market. In the fall leading up to the election we saw a sharp slow down as people held their breathe and waited to see what would happen. When the election ended, it was a collective sigh of relief. Home Owners who had stayed put, once again made the choice to move to bigger homes. This opened up many starter homes for the amount of first time buyers we saw.   AUBURN NH CONTINUES TO BE A VERY DESIRED AREA TO LIVE. We are seeing a steady pace of sales. Values are increasing slightly in the most desired areas. Many sellers listing their homes with us now are experiencing quick sales.   I would also like to look ahead for 2017. Interest rates came up slightly but hav... 02/01/2017

Does it matter what the Seller paid for  a home. A buyer asked "Why shouldn't I Look to see what the Seller paid?" They then proceeded to offer half price on a new listing based on how how low of a price it showed the seller paid. Curiosity then killed the buyers deal as it was not only rejected, tossed but thrown in the fireplace.   You see during a divorce, the wife had left, the husband kept the home and the kids. The judge ordered he pay the ex half of the equity anyway. In the local tax assessors office it showed as a sale from Mr. and Mrs. Seller to Mr. Seller. This buyer agent looked it up, saw the low price and sought to get a steal for her buyer.   The moral of the story is that it does not matter what a seller paid for the home. An asking price is based on what has sold. The ... 01/19/2017

Hurry and wait could be the motto of a Real Estate transaction. The best way to get through it, is to be prepared. There is normal waiting and then some, that is not so normal. Knowing what is normal and how to get through that which is not so normal, is a must. Buyers may wait for the perfect home to come on the market, they wait to see it, they wait for an answer to their offer, they wait for the inspection, the appraisal and the mortgage company to process their mortgage. They wait for approval and they wait to close.   Home Sellers see another set of waiting as they wait  for buyers to see their home. They wait for an offer. Once an offer is accepted they wait for the results of the inspection, the appraisal and wait for the buyer to be approved.       WHAT IS NORMAL AND WHAT WAITS... 01/13/2017