My husband just sent me this article about the winning bidder on a home in Siganaw, Michigan! What a way to sell the home, what a way to take a loss! I bet we'll see more and more of this. It leaves me to believe that some homes you'd even have to PAY people to buy! I have many buyers who leave a fixer upper and make that very comment!   SEE ARTICLE 10/02/2008

So often I work with First Time Buyers. I love these people. They are so interested in the process, they ask the right questions, and they are fun to work with. After years of working with First Time Buyers I've come to the conclusion that it's better to prepare them to be prepared to be prepared to be prepared... Huh? What do I mean by this? Most specifically, I run into these scenarios so frequently that it should go down in the books. The buyers see a wonderful property and they haven't looked at enough to determine that this really is the best one for thtem. OR The buyers are uncomfortable with taking the next step (making an offer) because they have never done this before, and another offer comes along too quickly before they decide to make an offer. This is painful. While balancin... 09/29/2008

I'm optimistic. How can't I be, home values will eventually be on the increase again and I really do think we're close to that time. I can remember almost 2 years ago hearing that we were in it until at least 2009. After watching this video, I can see how this whole process really did need to take the 3-4 years it took to readjust.   WATCH THIS   I was one of the ones who took out a 7/1 ARM mortgage the summer of 2005, knowing it was the riskiest I wanted to get, but well worth the 5% I did get. Now I'm on the look out for the best time to refinance. It's like the stock market...how low will it go before we hit the bottom in this period of low rates, and isn't it just good enough if we refi and get lucky enough to get a low rate still? Sure, it will be hard to beat our 5% rate, but I th... 09/24/2008

It's different for everybody, I'll admit it. Each and every one of the consumers have a different need to be filled when hiring an agent to manage their buying and selling process.  But please don't attack our industry. Maybe your needs are different, or maybe you aren't aware of everything we need to do in our industry. Watch this video...  Yes, putting a listing on the MLS is just few click's work, but that's not all we do. Oftentimes, by the time I've gotten to the point of entering a listing into the MLS, I've visited the property twice, spent 3-4+ hours on research and data collection both from the seller, online (for pricing analysis), and the city. Our office administrator has several entries to do with a new listing, not just the MLS, as we advertise on multiple websites and the... 09/21/2008

I recently went furniture shopping with my husband. We looked everywhere (EVERYWHERE) between Keene, NH and Concord, NH. Bottom line was, we needed something pet/child friendly, that looked good in our living room, and was reasonably priced. After weeks of looking, (did I mention we went EVERYWHERE?) we found just that at Furniture Factory Outlets located in Walpole, NH. But there is more to it, Peter and Maya went WAY above and beyond to provide follow up for us, long after the furniture had been delivered.  They answered questions about maintenance, they ordered a part for us to address a concern, they back up their products and I would highly recommend them. Don't we want our consumers to think the same of us? IT'S NOT ABOUT US! IT'S ABOUT THE CONSUMER... Building a local community, ... 09/17/2008

I live in a region that supports using local resources (i.e., "Localvore" = one who supports/eats locally grown foods). I live in a region that has a strong social conscious ... (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia = Social consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society.)   Creating change in the way we do business will help all of us remain sustainable as an industry, while supporting the things that we, as good humans, believe and value. I recently had a closing in which an appraiser was called in from Concord.  The closing agent was called in from Manchester. Both are over o... 09/12/2008

                                                                                             FHA simpler than hanging wallpaper! check is out! I actually tried this. I was redoing our bathroom and installing a simple border. The roll was rather long, and so I cut it down to sections and hoped I might be able to blend in the edges. Never having wallpapered before, I figured a simple border in a small bathroom might be a good start, great practice. Little did I know it might turn out! My border dried 1/16th inch too high, showing a stripe of white beneath it, between the border and the trim. Not only that, it has started peeling under the window, one year later! I have to say, closing a loan with FHA is much more fun, simpler, and I would prefer to do these over hanging wallpaper, anyday!... 09/05/2008

I'm reading Beyond Change Management this month and something I read is really making think long and hard. "How can we maintain our purpose and transform our core business to compete successfully in our marketplace?" I'm taking this quote back to some experiences I've had where I've had to decide between making a change, which was taking a risk, or maintaining status quo. One of the major changes I've made was going back to school. True, I don't need a degree to do what I'm doing. It was a risk because I was taking two years of my life where I would have to juggle work with school. If I hadn't gone back, I'd still be wondering when I'll ever go back to school- so I guess I had it coming. Taking risks not only is empowering, but it gets me in that "gray zone" where things are unpredictab... 09/01/2008

Call for help... I'm studying to earn a master's degree in Organizational Development and Management right now. As I reach my last year (of the 2 year requirement), I begin to shift my focus onto developing a practicum learning project. Mine will have something to do with age diversity in the workplace (coworkers, managers and consumers included). In it's early stages, I'm wondering if people could comment on their experiences with working with various age groups (coworkers, managers, and consumers) and how communication differences, values, and other barriers have affected how you work with each other.  I'm also interested in the dynamics in the workplace occuring between long time agents and newer agents, between genders, intergenerational differences, and production level differences... 08/30/2008

More often than not, when buyers make an offer on a property, they include a home inspection contingency in the purchase and sale documents.  (I recommend all buyers do this...for any property they are considering!) This allows them to have a professional look over the house to make sure that there are no hidden defects or damage that could affect the integrity or value of the property. It's quite likely that you had one performed before you bought the house you are going to be selling.When there is a lot of inventory (aka: competition) on the market, buyers can afford to have high expectations, and problems that come to light as a result of a home inspection can result in unexpected repair bills, price reductions or even withdrawn offers! One way to avoid these pitfalls is to hire a h... 01/12/2008

Don't miss this....The Keene Pumpkin Festival!Don't waste any time thinking about it...simply do it. This is a fun event sure to please everyone.Be a part of history in the making by helping Keene New Hampshire regain the Guinness World Record for the most lit jack-o-lanterns in one place. A title they proudly held in 2003!Last years event drew a record crowd of 80,000 people but alas many came without a jack-o-lantern. While the town was bustling with all the activity ...the title went to Boston!Boston's total came to 30,128 lit jack-o-lanterns, beating out Keene's 2003 record of 28,952.Can you imagine having so many lit pumpkins...I bet it looked awesome. The Keene Pumpkin Festival will be held on October 20, 2007! Main Street Keene NH 10am to 9pm  and don't forget your jack-o-lantern... 10/18/2007