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Portsmouth, NH Real Estate News

By Lew Corcoran, Real Estate Agent, Home Stager, & Photographer
(Better Living Real Estate, LLC)
Home Value Update for Portsmouth NH Through September 2009 According to Zillow.com, the listing prices of single family homes have increased 6.3% in the last 3 months while listing prices of condos declined 4.7%. The current mean listing price of homes for sale on the market in Portsmouth, NH, is $350,000. Below is a chart of the trend of listing prices of homes for sale in Portsmouth, NH, in the 3 months through September 2009: Median List PriceMore Portsmouth Home Values  If you're looking for a home or condo to purchase in Portsmouth, NH, or in the surrounding area, then try this home search.  You can still buy a home with no money down with the USDA Rural Development Home Loan program. With the FHA Mortgage program, you can purchase a home with as little as 3.5% down. When you're re...
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By Fred Doleac, Real Estate in a Virtual World
(Fred Doleac - Bean Group)
Portsmouth New Hampshire Real Estate for Sale! Virtual Homes Real Estate provides direct access to the New Hampshire MLS and Massachusetts MLS systems and offers various tools to assist you in searching properties for sale that meet your criteria. If you are a first-time home buyer you will be able to obtain information that will educate you to the values offered in the Portsmouth, NH market. New Hampshire Home Search Service - New Listing Alerts! Home search is a web-based real estate software tool that keeps you continually informed of your local real estate market. Daily/real time new listing alerts, advanced search capabilities and addresses with mapping are available. To sign up click on  NH MLS Listing Alerts to subscribe to our FREE service. Portsmouth, NH MLS Map Search NH MLS m...
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By Captain Wayne - Rowlett Real Estate School, Rowlett Real Estate School / Owner and Instructor
(Rowlett Real Estate School)
We invite you to visit the best New Hampshire Real Estate School.  Our New Hampshire Real Estate Courses are fully accredited and approved. Our New Hampshire real estate school is one of the leading online Real Estate Schools offering the best prices for online real estate courses available anywhere.  Licensed Instructors are available to assist you with your New Hampshire Real Estate course and New Hampshire real estate license. Our New Hampshire online real estate school offers pre and post licensing and continuing education for New Hampshire Real Estate, Appraisal, Home Inspection, Mortgage Broker, Land Surveyor, Engineer, Personal Finance, Professional Development, Counselor, Social Work, Tax Assessor, funeral director services, consumer education and legal CEU. http://www.rowlettca...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
Why Are You Pricing Your HOME Like Clothing at the Mall? Why Are You Pricing Your Home Like Clothing at the Mall? Sellers who really want to sell their property NOW so that they can move on, are more involved with analyzing their price point than ever before.  It seems that most sellers want to price their property with something that ends in '99'--$599,000 or $599,900, etc.  Here's what I ask them:"You're about to move to Raleigh and your Realtor® has set up a search for you through his/her MLS.  Can you tell me what your price parameters are for that search?  When you're searching online at night for homes in the Raleigh (or destination city of choice), what price points do you use in your own search?"   They'll say, "We're moving up a bit so, we enter $600,000 - $700,000.""What if yo...
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By Jim Lee, REALTOR, CRS, ABR, Buying or Selling? Ann & Jim are the local experts
(RE/MAX Shoreline)
Have you tried this great Google tool yet? Google Trends Labs lets you search, find, and compare keyword search terms with others to see which ones are being searched for most. Here's an example from my area comparing: "Knoxville Real Estate", "Knoxville TN Real Estate" and "Knoxville Homes For Sale"     The blue line above represents Google searches within the US for the keywords, "Knoxville Real Estate" which form the baseline at 1.00 The red line is for "Knoxville TN Real Estate which scored 0.45 or less than half the top keywords rank. Last is the term, "Knoxville Homes For Sale" which is the keyword set the salesman below told me was the top search term for my area and it ranked 0.39 These results are for searches done within the United States for the year 2009. You can ask Google ...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
If customer service, loyalty and retention our some of your goals in business, what are you doing to insure the satisfaction of your clients and past clients. In a recent visit to a major sporting goods store I had an issue being able to purchase a hunting license the day before the season started because their machine was down(found out later it was out of license paper). Approximately one month earlier I had a similar issue with the same store. As I walked out disgusted I picked up my BlackBerry and promptly left. About 3 hours later while preparing for my morning hunt I received an @reply on Twitter and guess who? The chief marketing officer & evp e-commerce from the store searched and read my tweet. He asked about the problem, we had a short conversation (140 characters or less) and...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
  How to Gain Control of Net Income   Here is a quick fix to net income issues.  It’s just a quick fix not a long term solution but maybe it will get you through until you get the help you need from a CPA, Coach, Financial Planner or the CRS200 Business Planning & Marketing class.  Here is the disclaimer; I am no CPA, Tax Accountant or Financial Planner, I am just a well battered REALTOR® who learned his lesson. Early on in my real estate business I did pretty well considering my young age of 22 and the small Wisconsin town I was in.  It wasn’t long before I averaged a transaction a week, an average of 10 days on the market and a 99% list price to sales price ratio.   Respectable stats but I was spending 60 hours a week and netting about $13,000 a year back then.  I could have done bet...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
Getting Your House Ready to Sell Many sellers will hire an agent to put their house in the MLS and then they wait for showings to occur.  While this will probably generate a few showings, they are definitely not taking advantage of the market.  It is a buyer's market and sellers have got to learn to think like a buyer. Follow these steps to not only make your house more livable but to reach your goal...to receive an offer in a shorter period of time. Keep the front of your house looking nice.  The curb appeal is the first thing that the buyer sees when he looks at the house online and also when they pull into your driveway.  This means have the bushes trimmed, the flowerbeds weeded, the grass seeded/mowed and have the gutters cleaned.  If the buyer views a house that is not taken care o...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
DO YOU TAKE A FULL DAY OFF EACH WEEK?  No ifs, ands or buts about it. You have to take at least one full day off each week. This will help generate energy, peace of mind, and time to do what you want to do. Time for yourself can only help you. Seperating  yourself from the many tasks a Realtor has to do each and every day gets tiring. A "day off" will rejuvinate you...mind, body and spirit. Taking a day off means no real estate calls, no answering your cell phone, no negotiating offers, no taking ad calls, no taking sign calls, no meeting with clients or prospects. The minute you do any business activity, it’s a workday, even if it’s for five minutes. You are deserving......The 24/7 weekly approach to the real estate business leads to family frustrations and burn out. This will help yo...
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By Sharon Tara, Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
(Sharon Tara Transformations)
Plan on selling your New Hampshire house in the near future?  Wondering what you can do to increase your chances of finding a buyer and selling it fast? If you're fishing for buyers, you need to use the right bait.Unfortunately there are a lot of other New Hampshire sellers with their hooks in the water right now and those buyers have a lot to choose from.In order to get their attention, you need to have the shiniest house.  Your house has to be attractive, appealing, and memorable.  The secret is in the preparation.You can't do anything about the location.The market will determine the price.Condition is the one thing you have the most control over. The way you prepare your New Hamphsire house for sale could determine just how long your house sits on the market and just how long you sit...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
MEMORIES ON ACTIVE RAIN - September 29, 2009 Over the last two years or so I have been apart of the Active Rain community. There are some very nice memories along the way of those who have been of particular help and support to me. This is the first time I've been involved in the social media concept and while the first year I only dabbled in it, this second year I've put myself out there with comments and blogging. I remember a  very memorable response along the way  from Gary Wotal. He is an active member as well and he had written a blog that had a wonderfully, funny photo called "the packed truck"  that I fell in love with. I emailed Gary and asked about it and he promptly sent me the link to this funny picture.  Take a look for yourself......http://www.gwoltal.myfastmail.com/files/...
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By Lew Corcoran, Real Estate Agent, Home Stager, & Photographer
(Better Living Real Estate, LLC)
Get a Free List of Websites of Government and Bank Foreclosure Listings in Portsmouth, NH There are a number of websites that contain free listings of government and bank foreclosed homes in Portsmouth, NH. These websites contain descriptions, color photos, and addresses of the foreclosed homes for sale in Portsmouth, NH. And, most of these websites have government and bank foreclosure listings nationwide. There's no charge to search the foreclosure listings on any of these websites, and there's no 7-day free trial period either. Virtually all of these websites do not require any personal information to get access to the government and bank foreclosure listings. You can access these foreclosure listings anytime you want and as often as you want - free of charge! Click here to get your o...
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By Lew Corcoran, Real Estate Agent, Home Stager, & Photographer
(Better Living Real Estate, LLC)
FHA, VA, and USDA Rural Development Loans in Portsmouth, NH Are you looking for a home mortgage loan in the Portsmouth, NH area? Then you’ve come to the right place! Northeast Community Mortgage is a mortgage broker serving Portsmouth, NH, and many of the surrounding areas. When you decide to buy a home or refinance a mortgage in Portsmouth, NH or in the surrounding area, your search for a home mortgage loan should start and end here.  With so many lenders to choose from in the greater Portsmouth area, you should choose one you can trust to find the mortgage loan that will best meet your needs. As a mortgage broker, we help our clients obtain a loan from the lender who has the terms that best matches their needs. In terms of mortgage programs, we specialize in FHA, VA, and USDA Rural De...
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By Lew Corcoran, Real Estate Agent, Home Stager, & Photographer
(Better Living Real Estate, LLC)
The Mortgage Interest Rate Lock Advisory for September 22, 2009 Here are some of the events affecting mortgage interest rates today in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. What the Mortgage Backed Securities Market is Doing Today: The price of the FNMA 30-Year 4.5% MBS coupon opened down 1/32 this morning to 100.38. The price of the FNMA 30-Year 4.5% MBS coupon closed down 3/32 yesterday to 100.41 (as shown by the white line). MBS is currently trading up 3/32 to 100.50 (as shown by the blue line). Remember, on mortgage backed securities (MBSs), as the price goes up, the yield comes down - and mortgage interest rates come down with it. I expect that mortgage interest rates will essentially be the same in price today as compared to yesterday Economic Reports, News, and Events Affecting Mortgage Int...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
150,000 POINTS ON ACTIVE RAIN AND COUNTING...... A couple of years ago a friend who is an Active Rain member suggested I join the social network and after checking it out I did join. In the beginning I didn't really do too much with it. I would go on every few days and see if there was any blogs of interest to me at the time. It was about a year later that I actually started to blog. As time went on I realized how much worthwhile information there is among the members and started spending more time on AR. It soon became a daily routine. I began to blog occasionally which soon lead to more. I was amazed to find so much worthwhile information existed among the members. Generally I looked for blogs with real estate related information. Photography is a passion of mine and I was delighted ...
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By Patricia Aulson, Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes
(BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate )
The First Day of School - August 31, 2009 the day that every mother in the country has been waiting for!  Yippee! The First Day of School - August 31, 2009 the day that every mother in the country has been waiting for!  Yippee! What a beautiful day it is, perfect weather indeed, sunny warm temperatures of 75 degrees here in seacoast NH and it's the first day of school  Alone at last, this is the day that every weary mother has been waiting for. Counting down the days on the calendar to get closer to packing off the kids. After a busy summer vacation, run here-go there, today every mom will breath a sigh of relief. For seven hours today moms across the country are breathing a sigh of relief. Alone at last we mothers can call our soul our own. Or can we? There's the cleaning, the laundry,...
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By Sharon Tara, Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
(Sharon Tara Transformations)
The biggest bang for your buck, by far, is using paint to improve your home's appearance.  Paint will make a room cleaner, fresher, brighter, and more stylish.  It gives buyers the impression that the house has been well maintained and cared for.  It makes your home more competitive with new construction. Paint can be used to help minimize negative features and to help showcase positive features.  It can be used to create a flow throughout the house and to create a lasting positive impression.Many people have trouble choosing paint colors or are afraid of making the wrong choice.  Many times sellers choose colors that they personally like, without taking into consideration the need to be appealing to all potential buyers.It is very important that the colors you choose are neutral, but n...
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By Sharon Tara, Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
(Sharon Tara Transformations)
One big mistake many sellers make is underestimating the importance of preparing their bathrooms for sale.I recently did a staging consult for a seller who responded "it's the bathroom, it's supposed to have toothbrushes in it" when I told him to remove his toothbrush from the counter. There is no room in the house more personal than the bathroom, and it is the last place buyers want to be reminded that you live there.As buyers, we know other people are living in the house and obviously use the bathrooms, but emotionally, we don't want to think about it.  It's like staying in a nice hotel...when we arrive the bathroom has been made to appear as though we are the first person to ever use it.  We know hundreds of people have been there before us, but right now...there are clean towels, br...
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By Sharon Tara, Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
(Sharon Tara Transformations)
The visual appearance of a home prompts potential buyers more than any other factor.  Once they step inside, buyers decide within the first ten seconds whether they want to buy your home.  They should be greeted with a spotless, move-in ready home, which gives the appearance of being well maintained and cared for.Clean or freshly painted walls, spotless or new carpeting are a must.  Hardwood floors must be in excellent condition.  Floor tile should be a light neutral color, with clean grout lines. If you currently have your house on the market or are planning on selling your house in the near future, then this seven-part series was written for you. Previous Tips:Tip #1  Update Lighting Fixtures Tip #2  Identify Red FlagsTip #3  Pre-Pack Your Stuff Tip #4  Define Space & Function Tip #5 ...
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By Sharon Tara, Retired New Hampshire Home Stager
(Sharon Tara Transformations)
Did you know that only 10% of buyers can actually visualize a room any other way than how you show it to them.It is very important, when preparing a house for sale, to clearly define the space and function of each room. Don't expect potential buyers to try and figure out how to better arrange the furniture because your furniture is not working in the room.If you currently have your house on the market or are planning on selling your house in the near future, then this seven-part series was written for you.Previous Tips:Tip #1  Update Lighting Fixtures Tip #2  Identify Red FlagsTip #3  Pre-Pack Your Stuff  Tip #4  Define Space & FunctionBuyers looking at this room on the MLS have no idea what room it is.  It seems to be a home office for a clock collector.  The dated window treatments an...
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