Find a home in Portsmouth NH, Rye NH, New Castle NH

First Time Buyer Home Loan Tips

Tatjiana Shone — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:01:23 +0000

Buying your first home can be confusing. Securing a mortgage is one of the most important parts of the home buying process. Making sure that you have the right loan and have chosen the right loan officer are among the things a first time buyer has to do to start the process. Here are some more tips on how to ensure a successful purchase:

1. Make sure your deposit is in order. Talk to your loan officer about what amount of a deposit is required for the purchase and type of loan. You will also want to make sure the funds are accounted for and readily available. You can expect deposits to run anywhere between 3 and 20 percent of the purchase price.

2. Plan to have a cash reserve in addition to your deposit. You may want to have a reserve of at least two months mortgage payments.

3. Ask your lender to go over all the fees that apply to the purchase. It is better to be prepared and know how much the actual purchase will cost. These costs are typically added into your loan but there may be some out of pocket expenses too.

4. Consider how much you can comfortably afford not how much you have been approved for. These numbers may vary considerably. Your mortgage costs should not be more than 30% of your household income.

5. The lowest rate is not always the best deal. You will want to look at not only the rate but also the terms and fees associated with the loan.

Condo – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:00:43 +0000

Ideally situated in the heart of downtown this home features luxurious appointments throughout. Professionally designed with no detail overlooked this sun drenched end unit townhouse boasts a gourmet kitchen with Calacatta marble counters, red birch floors, and balconies with views of the North Church steeple. The master suite sanctuary is complete with a luscious spa like bath and provides unobstructed views to the charms of downtown Portsmouth.

This is a Historical District/ Multi Level/ Townhouse style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.04 Acres, and is currently available for $750,000.

For complete details click here.

Single-Family – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:00:41 +0000

This is a End Unit/ Historical District/ Multi-Level/ Townhouse style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.04 Acres, and is currently available for $750,000.

For complete details click here.

Single-Family – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:25 +0000

Beautiful New Englander within a short walk to downtown. This home is perfectly situated on a beautifully landscaped fenced in double lot. The home boasts a large open concept living room/dining room with gleaming wood floors, high ceilings,custom moldings, a large eat in kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths. The sun drenched rear addition is perfect for a home office or playroom. This home is not to be missed!

This is a New Englander style home and features 7 total rooms, 1 full bath, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.18 Acres, and is currently available for $399,900.

For complete details click here.

Create a Warm and Inviting Atmosphere

Tatjiana Shone — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:01:53 +0000

Candles can make a home look inviting, cozy and warm. They can also give a glow to many people’s skin tones. Candles come in many sizes, shapes and scents. Burning of candles during a showing can make the home feel warm and inviting making the buyer feel relaxed and calm. Try to pick out colors like maroon (cinnamon) orange (pumpkin) these scents are soothing and relaxing scents and will help make the potential sellers feel like home. The placing of the candles is very important. The best places to put them are in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen table, window sills, and fireplace mantel.

If you have a fireplace, lighting a fire is a sure way to give that room a warm and welcoming feeling. Everybody loves a fireplace and your buyers will too.

Bake something delicious smelling. The Real Estate experts swear by the just baked smell when showing a home. It makes your potential buyers feel right at home. Things like Apple pie; chocolate chip cookies or fresh baked bread all will create that warm and inviting feeling.

Family photos in the home make your home feel like a house full of love. Potential buyers who see photos of a family having fun, and enjoying life in their home will create a sense of a home that has a lot of memories and love.

Bottom line, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere can help you sell your home.

Condo – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:01:07 +0000

This is a Historical District/ Multi Level/ Townhouse style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.04 Acres, and is currently available for $750,000.

For complete details click here.

Single-Family – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:01:01 +0000

This is a End Unit/ Historical District/ Multi-Level/ Townhouse style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.04 Acres, and is currently available for $750,000.

For complete details click here.

Condo – Hampton, NH 03842 now has a new price!

Tatjiana Shone — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:00:27 +0000

Attention to detail shows throughout this meticulously renovated 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath townhouse. Stunning Travertine tile entry leads you to the open concept kitchen/living area. Granite counter tops, stainless appliances, Fisher Paykel dishwasher, custom tile backsplash, under cabinet lighting and wood floors. First floor laundry/half bath with hip glass sink and seaglass tile accents. Maple stairs, spacious master bedroom with large custom closets and marsh views. 1 car attached garage, private yard space and a back deck. This home boasts tasteful custom accents throughout! Bring your boat and use the resident boat launch or enjoy the beautiful beach just moments away.

This is a Townhouse style home and features 5 total rooms, 1 full bath, 1 half bath, 2 bedrooms, 0.14 Acres, and is currently available for $224,900.

For complete details click here.

If You Don’t Buy Now You May Miss the Boat

Tatjiana Shone — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:02:58 +0000

The bidding wars are back! Buyers have finally realized there is a perfect storm for buying, low rates, supply and an improving economy. Supply is down and buyers and according to this article from The Wall Street Journal are finding that they are now competing for homes.

The number of contracts signed to buy homes in February eased slightly from January but posted another strong gain from a year ago—the latest sign that demand for homes is up from the depressed levels of the previous 18 months.

A report March 27th by the National Association of Realtors showed the index of pending home sales, reflecting deals that have gone into contract but haven’t yet closed, rose 9.2% last month from a year earlier, continuing a rise largely fueled by investors’ purchases of foreclosed properties. The index fell by 0.5% from January.

While buyers are starting to step forward, however, home builders and real-estate agents report an elevated level of contracts falling apart, as buyers run into trouble qualifying for mortgages amid tough lending standards.

Another common complaint: low appraisals that come in below a negotiated value, requiring sellers to cut their price or buyers to put more money down in order to keep a deal from collapsing. As a result, the pending sales figures could be overstating actual sales as buyers sign multiple contracts over the course of several months.

Still, analysts say that housing demand appears to be stronger than at any point in the past year. Low prices are luring investors who can convert properties into rental units and make double-digit returns. More first-time buyers could face added urgency to move as landlords begin to raise rents and mortgage rates rise from record lows.

“We are seeing very strong activity out there,” said Ivy Zelman, chief executive of research firm Zelman & Associates. Buyers are tired of deferring moves, and rising rents “have really pushed people off the fence,” she said. “We’re not ready yet to wave the victory flag and say home prices are going up, but we’re confident they’re stabilizing.”

The report showed that purchase activity was up 18.4% and 19% from a year ago in the Northeast and Midwest, respectively, after an unseasonably warm winter. Contract activity fell by 1.8% in the West.

Real-estate agents in many parts of the country say inventories of homes for sale are declining, leaving more buyers competing for less supply. Shrinking inventories could be a consequence of the decline in home prices, which has left more sellers unable or unwilling to sell their homes at a loss.

Condo – Portsmouth, NH 03801 is now new to the market!

Tatjiana Shone — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:00:27 +0000

This is a Historical District/ Multi Level/ Townhouse style home and features 8 total rooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, 3 bedrooms, 0.04 Acres, and is currently available for $750,000.

For complete details click here.