New Hampshire’s Real Estate Cycle- Up Markets

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TOP TOWNS LAST IN...FIRST OUT

Real Estate in NH Increasing

During the decline of the last real estate cycle I wrote a post about how different towns function in the cycle.  I.E. top towns are the big indicators when the market will start to stabilize after a decline: Top Towns in a Declining Market

Right now we are in a completely different market, but the point remains the same.  Top towns LEAD the UP-cycle, they are a good indicator when prices start to rise. So it’s “First Out” of a declining real estate market.  There are still New Hampshire towns struggling, but most are stable, if not slightly increasing.

Just my thoughts. -Jenn

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Zombie Apocalypse Laser Tag

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Did you know that Pelham NH has a zombie problem?  

Zombie Patrol Central

Zombie Patrol Headquarters

The Pelham Rec Department did, and started the Pelham Zombie Patrol (PZP).  Tour through Veterans Memorial Park, starting with a hayride. Enter the deep dark woods, travel out of the “safe zone” to combat the zombies with laser guns. Quite the adventure!

The Pelham Python Robotics Team are offering goodies for sale: from chili, tacos, kielbasa, sweets, and more. Offerings change nightly!

pumpkin fire log pelhamEvent runs: Friday and Saturday nights from 7pm-10pm until Halloween NIght!

Here’s the Pelham Rec Department site: http://www.pelhamweb.com/pelham-parks-and-recreation/urgent-alerts/are-you-aware-of-the-pelham-zombie-problem

Well done Pelham Recreational Department and all the high school student zombies!!

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Do you want chickens with that new home?

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The new trend is farming at home….corn, chickens, and deed restrictions.  Oh my.  Loved this article on “The Rise of the Backyard Farm” by Meg White for Realtor Magazine.  She covered so much in this article I’m not sure what I could add.

Highlights:Co

  1. Is that chicken coop coming with the house?
  2. The deed restricts livestock and poultry…but the town’s zoning allows for it.
  3. If I remove my lawn to plant food will that devalue my property?
  4. Are the solar panels included, or are they leased?

Well maybe it brings up more questions than answers.  Stay tuned.

Just my thoughts. -Jenn

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What is “HOME”?

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home  noun: the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

HOME: noun, the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.

A prior post I wrote: “The End of the Hometown” focuses on where you would consider your hometown: your birthplace or the town you settled in.  I stumbled upon this #TEDtalk titled “Where is home?” by Pico Iyer which twists and turns as it moves around the subject of what is home.

The definition of home implies permanence, but in today’s mobile society it’s no longer that simple.

“home is not just the place where you happen to be born, it’s the place where you become yourself” -Pico Iyer

I deal with homes in the brick and mortar sense, I see the attachment people have to a location and how people perceive what is home.

-Just my thoughts.
Jenn

 

 

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Do you prefer a walkable mixed-use or big lot suburban community?

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The 2013 community preferences survey from the National Association of Realtors is an analysis on the types of communities people prefer to live in.  On one hand compact, walkable communities continue to have leaps in demand, but detached houses with large yards and lots of privacy are still tops.  You can read all about it in this 51 page slide show: http://www.realtor.org/sites/default/files/reports/2013/2013-community-preference-analysis-slides.pdf

WalkablecommunitiesSplitpieOne of the things I was surprised to see is the breakdown between a walkable, mixed-use community and a conventional suburban one to be very balanced.

Anyway, you should check out the slideshow…good stuff.

-Just my thoughts.

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2014 Empty Bowls Event in Nashua is tonight!

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I cannot say enough how outstanding this is!  Number one, it’s the major fundraising event for the Nashua Soup Kitchen (http://www.nsks.org), and number two, the concept is brilliant!

Filling your free hand made bowl with soups prepared by local area restaurants, while listening to the Nashua High School Jazz Band, is just fun!

A row of beautiful hand crafted bowls you get to choose from.

A row of beautiful hand crafted bowls you get to choose from.

Last years: http://jennifercote.info/empty-bowls-event-in-nashua-nh

Just my thoughts. -Jenn Cote- Everything Real Estate

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Market Update for Pelham, NH

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Pelham, NH 106th Old Home Day Parade

Pelham, NH 106th Old Home Day Parade

It’s about time I did some graphs for Pelham.  After all, I’ve been living here for over 2 years now (time flies).  Since moving here the Pelham market has only just come out of it’s slump at the beginning of this year.

It’s looking solid in the Pelham NH real estate market! Below are 2 graphs I ran on properties for existing single-family homes in the previous 6 years.  Higher end properties have finally started to sell, huge increase in activity, the days on market to sell has gone down, and you won’t catch me saying prices are going up…but, multiple offer situations in entry-level homes have been happening.

That’s a significant upswing in pending home contracts in the last few months.

Look at that obvious seasonal real estate CYCLE!


The next graph shows the decrease in the days on market- the time it takes to sell a property in Pelham.  Seeing the large decrease this year indicates an increase in demand.

The days on market in Pelham have gone way down this year!

  Just my thoughts.  –Jenn  


Contact Me At: 603-821-8285 or Jenn@TopNHhomes.com
____________________________________

www.TopNHhomes.com

www.JACoteAppraisals.com

RE/MAX Properties – 169 Daniel Webster Hwy Nashua, NH 589-8800

J.A.Cote Appraisals, LLC – 142 Lowell Rd Hudson, NH

Real Estate in Pelham, Nashua, Salem, Merrimack, Amherst, and Windham.

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Negative Environmental Influences in Real Estate

We’ve all heard the saying that when buying real estate it’s about location-location-location.  Houses in some towns have higher predominant values than others, the same with some neighborhoods, but what I’m talking about is more specific: negative environmental influences.

An appraiser looks at surrounding lots to determine the uses and influences that would affect the subject property.  It could be a positive influence like conservation land or a park.  In many cases there can be negative influences such as commercial or industrial businesses, high-tension power lines, or even contaminated or Superfund sites.

What is a Superfund site?  It’s a site where toxic waste has  been dumped and the Environmental Protection Agency has designated the site to be cleaned up.  Typically the area has restricted access and is fenced in.

A more detailed explanation on the differences between a Superfund site and a Brownfield site can be found on this post: www.jennifercote.info/superfund-or-brownfield/

The typical buyer wouldn’t know how to begin a search on site influences other than what they see driving by.  Would your typical real estate agent know this information?  If they know, they should be disclosing it to you, but they don’t always know.   The appraiser would be reporting site influences in the appraisal report…you need to read that report thoroughly.  Unfortunately, by the time you get a copy of the appraisal you will be near your closing date, or worse, you find out after you move in!  In many cases these sites have been cleaned up, but it could affect the marketability long-term.

Whether it be buying a house, stocks, or even a Doctor’s diagnosis, you need to be your own advocate.  Do your own due-diligence.  Research, research, research…takes time and practice but the more you do it the better you get.  I happen to do it for a living, and my endless curiosity pushes me to take extra steps in researching a property…be it for an appraisal or a client.

The reason for this post is because I did an appraisal on such a property in Nashua, NH.   The state owns the property behind this lot, the tax records do NOT indicate it’s a Superfund site, but town has the owner as the State of NH, Dept of Environmental Services.  Hmmm, so I went on the EPA site and found out it indeed is a contaminated brownfield.

contaminated site in Nashua NH

A well labeled site in the picture to the left is very obvious.  The Mohawk Tannery Site is located in a neighborhood close to downtown Nashua and adjacent to the Nashua river. 

The EPA defines a brownfield site as: “the redevelopment or reuse which may be complicated by the presence, or potential presence, of a hazardous substance…”

 

Check it out to see what’s near you. EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/index.html

Just my thoughts.  Jennifer Cote- Everything Real Estate

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Market Update in NH – Real Estate

Time for another market update.  What’s going on?  I decided to expand my data to include all of Hillsborough county, NH.  Some of the towns in Hillsborough are: Amherst, Bedford, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Manchester, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua, and Pelham.

Hillsborough County 2 year Real Estate Trends

Hillsborough County 2 year Real Estate Trends

May and June are the busiest months in New Hampshire.  This chart shows 3 years of June activity.  What’s real interesting is this year and 2010** are similar in sales, but pending listings have jumped up this year!  That means in the next 2 months you are going to see a large increase in closed sales over the last 2 years.

This is great news for the real estate market!  The market has stabilized, many towns in this area are experiencing multiple offer situations, marketing times have decreased, and interest rates are crazy low!

Percentage Change in Real Estate

Percentage Change in Real Estate – click to enlarge

**Let’s not forget, 2010 was the year of the tax credit for new buyers which artificially inflated the activity that year.

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USDA No Money Down Programs

The government has a sponsored program that can assist households purchase a home with a low or even no down payment.  One of my favorites is the Rural Development Loan program.

SOME KEY POINTS:

  • Property must be in a USDA designated rural location.
  • 100% mortgage LTV which is based on the APPRAISED value
  • Zero down payment and low interest rates.
  • No limit on seller concessions or gift.
  • 30 year fixed rate
  • USDA approved lenders only.

Rural Development Loans are available in these New Hampshire communities: Atkinson, Hampstead, Amherst, Windham, Pelham, Bedford, Brookline, Hollis, Litchfield, Lyndeborough, Mason, Mont Vernon, New Boston, and Wilton.  For a full list of New Hampshire towns, and income requirements, read the FACT SHEET.

The ineligible area list for NH is far smaller: Concord, Derry, Hudson, Keene, Nashua, Londonderry, Manchester, Merrimack, Portsmouth, Rochester, Salem,parts of Goffstown and Hooksett.

Not all lenders can do Rural Development loans.  Contact me for more information.

More information:

Federal Site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/

Local NH/VT office: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/vt/

State by State: http://www.topnhhomes.com/FinanceAgencies

 

-Just my thoughts.

Jenn

www.TopNHhomes.com www.JACoteAppraisals.com

*Information is from the rural development government websites listed above.  I am not a mortgage professional.  This is for informational purposes only and you should do your own due-diligence.  This is a government funded program that needs to be funded yearly.

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