Nashua Housing Market Statistics in a $30,000 Price Range - A Quick Overview

Market Overview

The Nashua Housing Market as of 8/24/10 in the price range of $250,000-$280,000

Active Residential Listings: 8

Contingent or Pending Residential Listings: 2

Sold Residential Listings (past 90 days): 4
Sold Residential Listings (past 180 days): 11
Sold Residential Listings (past 365 days): 20
(Average Days On Market for those Sold properties was 80)

Based on the average of 1.6 sales per month for the past 365 days,
the current inventory represents about a 5 month supply of Nashua homes in this price range.
(5-7 months worth of inventory is generally considered a balanced market)

Wondering if your local market has stabilized?

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5 Ways to Pet Proof Your Southern New Hampshire Home

If you’re like most pet owners, your pets are part of your family. Do your part to help them out and pet proof your Southern NH home for their safety.

1.     Inspect your yard. As your dog or cat walks through your yard, harmful chemicals from pesticides, herbicides and fungicides can adhere to their fur and get on their paws. Once inside your Southern NH home, your pets will lick their feet and legs clean. This licking causes them to ingest many harmful chemicals.  Keep pets away from the yard if you’ve recently applied chemicals to it,  and be sure to follow manufacturer’s recommendations.  Better yet, switch to pet safe yard products or a natural yard that doesn’t require chemicals at all.

2.    Examine your garage.  Antifreeze has a sweet taste that attracts animals and is deadly if consumed in even small quantities.  Just one teaspoon can kill a seven-pound cat.  Switch to a safer antifreeze. Look for antifreeze that contains propylene glycol, which won’t harm animals if ingested in small amounts.

3.    Secure items. Your pet is curious. Take the time to place medicines, cleaning solutions, and chemicals out of their way. Make sure they cannot open cupboards and cabinets. You may want to install cupboard latches and cover electrical outlets, if you have a smart pet that’s good at opening things.

4.     Guard your food items. Chocolate is poisonous to dogs and cats. While you’re busy, your pets may be rummaging through the kitchen and eating whatever they find.

5.    Beware of breakage.  Broken light bulbs present a danger to pets of all sizes. Glass from a broken bulb may be stepped on, swallowed or inhaled.  Ethylene glycol, the dangerous yet sweet tasting ingredient in many antifreeze products, can also be found in common household items like snow globes.  The ethylene glycol may spill out if the snow globe cracks or breaks.  Keep animals away from broken objects, thoroughly clean up the broken bits and safely dispose of them. 

Looking for a pet-friendly Southern New Hampshire home?  I can help.  Call me today at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com.

4 Reasons to List Your FSBO with a Southern New Hampshire Real Estate Agent

Going it alone and listing your home as for sale by owner can be exciting at first, but there is a turning point where the prospect of losing money makes it necessary to bring in help. Here are four reasons to change your plan and list your home with a Southern NH real estate agent in order to facilitate a sale.

1. Speed:   If your property has been languishing on the market for more than three months, it is no longer fresh. People will avoid it simply because it hasn't sold. A Southern NH real estate agent can give your home wider exposure and get traffic moving through it again.
2. Knowledge:   Fresh eyes on a project are helpful in any business endeavor. You can be too close to your home. You love it and see it in a positive light that can often overlook minor items that will kill a sale. Your Southern NH real estate agent can help you see the problems you didn't even know existed.
3. National Exposure:   As a FSBO (for sale by owner) seller, you are not able to list your home on the official MLS (multiple listing service). That exposure alone can get much faster responses and sales. Additionally, a professional real estate agent markets your home on multiple websites which gives your home a virtual Open House 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
4. An Earthly Advantage:   Many FSBOs price their homes way over market for two reasons.  First, they love their home and see certain aspects of their home as more valuable than they really are.  Second, they don't have extensive knowledge of the real estate market nor do they have the ability to do accurate home price comparisons. You 'might' know what your neighbor's house sold for 5 years ago, but do you know what it is worth now?  And even more importantly, do you know exactly how comparable your house is to that one? A professional real estate agent has access to all that information.

 If you would like to know more about how a professional real estate agent can help you sell your home, I can help.  Give  me a call today at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com for more information.

How Buying Southern NH Real Estate is Like Running a Marathon

It's true.  There are a lot of parallels between buying a piece of Southern New Hampshire real estate and running a marathon.

The Starting Line

At first, there is excitement. The idea of buying a new home pulses in your veins and you can't wait to get started.  You're like a runner in the blocks just itching to begin. Your muscles twitch in anticipation with every piece of Southern New Hampshire real estate you see. That's when the real adrenaline rush kicks in.

Start Out Slowly

Keep to a steady, consistent pace and you’ll make it to the finish line.  There's so much to do before you can get your Southern New Hampshire real estate. Home appraisals, inspections and financing to apply for…

You start to think about all the 'what ifs,' like what if you don't get the financing, what if something goes wrong, what if….. the worry list can go on forever.

Stay Mentally Tough

Don't give in to periods of self-doubt. Remember all that you’ve done and have faith in yourself and your real estate agent. Think about how hard you’ve worked and how rewarding it will be when you’re in your new home.

Hit the Wall

You feel like you simply can't go on any more and the ordeal is never going to end. Your mind hurts from the strain, but you keep pushing onward because it’s the only direction you can go after coming so far.  Remind yourself that you'll get past this feeling.  Keep day dreaming about that finish line.

Breakthrough Bliss

Suddenly things begin to happen.  Home inspection reports come back.  Financing is approved.  You begin to breathe easier, the pain goes away, and you are sailing free and clear toward the finish line.

The Finish Line

You sign all the papers at closing and the keys are placed in your hand.  Congratulations!  You’re a winner.

When you’re ready to buy a home, I can help you from start to finish.  Contact me today at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com.

10 Things to Do While Waiting for Your Southern NH Home to Sell

Selling a home is sometimes a long process. You can sit around worrying and wondering when you’ll have a buyer, or you can get busy to help the time fly.  Here are 10 things to do while waiting for your Southern New Hampshire home to sell:

1.  Clean. I’m sure you’ve already cleaned every part of your Southern New Hampshire home to prepare it for sale. Make a game of it this time.  Time yourself to see how fast you can clean one room or one drawer.  Or, take out every type of cleaner you have and use it in each room.
2. Plant a container garden. The best part of a container garden is that you can take it with you. Plant some herbs or easy to grow vegetable plants, like tomatoes or cucumbers.
3. Sort through your magazines. Now you have the time to read all those magazine articles you’ve been saving.  Cut out coupons and recipes.  Send articles to your friends to let them know you’re thinking of them.  Throw out the magazines when you’re finished.
4. Clear the pantry and freezer. You don’t want to take all your excess food with you when you move. Clean out the pantry, and donate supplies to your local homeless shelter or food pantry.  Eat something from your freezer every day until it’s all gone.
5. De-clutter and eliminate.  Clean out your makeup stash. Weed through the kids’ toy box. Do any small task that will lighten your moving load.  Ask yourself, do I really want to pack this item, move it and then unpack it?  If the answer is no, pitch it or give it away.
6. Finish crafts. Go ahead and finish the quilt or scrapbook you’ve been working on. This will help clean out your craft closet and will make packing your craft supplies that much easier.
7. Empty your medicine cabinet. Do you really need that bottle of medication from your surgery 12 years ago? Toss anything that’s out of date or that you no longer need to keep.
8. Save your digital photos to a disk. Choose only the photos you want to keep and save them to a CD or flash drive. You never know when your computer is going to crash.
9. Have a yard sale. You need to clean out your closets anyway. You might as well make some money off the items.
10. Throw a barbeque. Take the proceeds of your yard sale and have a barbeque for you and your neighbors. Think of this as a going away party.

Take advantage of the time you have while waiting for your Southern NH home to sell.
Need help selling your home?  Call me today at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com.

Wish You Could Refinance Your Southern NH Home But Think Your Home Isn't Worth Enough?

If you’re a homeowner who is unable to refinance to a lower interest rate because your Southern New Hampshire home’s value has decreased, there’s hope.

A program called the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) has been extended for another year. This program, intended to help borrowers whose homes have fallen in value, was due to expire as of June, 2010. Fortunately, HARP has been extended and will now stay in effect through June 30, 2011.

How does HARP help?

The program allows qualified borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth to refinance at lower interest rates. It’s projected to help 4 to 5 million homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

If you’re a Southern New Hampshire home owner whose mortgage interest rate is significantly higher than the current market rate, you could see an immediate reduction in your payments. However, some homeowners may not see their interest payments go down if they refinance to a fixed rate and payment. Those include homeowners who:

• are paying interest only 
• have a low introductory rate that will increase in the future
• face a balloon payment

If you are one of these homeowners, you should still consider refinancing because it could save you a great deal of money by reducing the amount of interest you pay over the life of your mortgage.

Who qualifies for HARP?

You may qualify if:

• You own and live in your home.
• The loan on your home is owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. 
• When you apply, you are current on your mortgage payments. 
• The amount you owe on your mortgage does not exceed 125% of the current market value of your property. 
• You’re able to pay the new mortgage payments. 
• The refinance improves your ability to pay your mortgage long term.

If you have questions about HARP or any other questions about Southern New Hampshire homes, please give me a call today at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com.

4 Tips to Help Your Kids Adjust to a New Southern NH Home

Are you moving to a new Southern New Hampshire home or thinking about it?  When you have young children, it can be a dramatic - or even traumatic - event.  Here are a few tips to help your children adjust to a new home:

Tip #1: Share exciting points about your new Southern NH home.
Does the house have a big back yard? Is there a park or bike path close by? Talk about the things you might be able to do together at the new place. Build up excitement, so your kids can’t wait to see where they’re going to live.

Tip #2: Let your kids be part of the packing process, if they’re old enough.
Children like to help when there’s a lot of hustle and bustle going on. You’ve probably noticed this yourself; every time you’re busy, they become your shadow. One way to let them help is to give them a moving box to fill up. Depending on their age, you’ll probably want them in the same room as you, but a little supervised packing can keep them out from underfoot and happy.

Tip #3: Let them chose the packing labels for each room.
Online or at most local office supply stores, you can find several types of packing labels. If you choose different colored packing labels, you can let your child decide which label color or type should be used for each room. While moving in, you can even supervise a “treasure hunt” for each room’s labeled boxes.

Tip #4: Involve them in unpacking their rooms or family areas.
By asking, “Where do you think this should go?” and letting your children choose, you’re also helping them make the new house their own. If you’re worried about an oddly decorated home with a picture of Daffy Duck over the mantle, give them a few choices of places you wouldn’t mind an object being for a while. I say “a while” because if you move the objects, your child will notice, which could make it harder for them to begin feeling at home.

Moving into a new Southern NH home is a big adjustment for anyone, not just children. However, children seem to have a harder time getting used to a new place.  Keeping them involved in the packing, moving and unpacking can help turn your new home into their new home.

If you’re looking for a new home for your family, I can help. Call me at 603-821-1134 or email me at Dave@DaveHeeter.com to get started today.