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Start living the live you deserve….This home is in a 365 day a year recreational community…NO MORE EXCUSES! It’s up to you to live your life…

454 Winterbrook Road, Campton, NH 03223, USA – 454 Winterbrook Rd. Campton, NH – real estate listing.

First-Time Buyer Tips-Courtesy Realty Times
by Phoebe Chongchua

Maybe you’ve been eyeing the real estate market and you think that you’re finally ready to purchase your first home…if so, read on to be sure you’re in the best position.

The rules have drastically changed in the real estate market. At one time, getting a mortgage seemed to require little more than just simply stating your income on paper. Today, the credit tightening continues. Banks want extra documentation that you can truly afford the home you want to buy.

But don’t let that scare you. Your dream of becoming a homeowner is still a viable option. Here are a few tips to help you achieve your dream.

First take a good look at your credit. It’s sad, but true, many people have no idea how their credit reports look. They can’t remember if they’ve ever seen their report and they don’t know their credit score.

Unfortunately, that puts buyers in a poor position. If there are errors on their credit reports, those must be handled before you try to purchase a home. Sometimes there are marks that truly shouldn’t be on your credit. Other times there are knocks against your credit that you may be able to get removed.

Check your credit score at least three to six months before you apply for a mortgage. This will give you time to address any issues.

Start saving now. These days a downpayment for a home doesn’t come easy. You may need as much as 20 percent down. However, there are still some loan programs that will allow you to put down much less.

Make sure you are working with an experienced team of real estate professionals. This kind of purchase requires lots of information, education, and knowledge. Having a team of industry professionals to guide you through the first-time home-buying experience will make the process so much easier.

When you’re preparing to buy a home, if you haven’t already, make a budget and start watching where every dollar goes. It’s amazing how few people do this. It’s even more amazing to see how much money is wasted. Those extra trips to the coffee shop, the donuts in the morning, the manicures, or shopping sprees, all are areas where you can likely cut back to save for your downpayment.

Picture your home. It might sound silly but you need to envision the home you want to buy. This will help you tremendously once you start your search. Start looking online, in magazines, and around your chosen neighborhoods.

You can even use online tools like Pintrest.com to pin images and videos you see on an online storage board to refer to later. This is a great tool for collecting photos of home decor.

The point here is to make sure you have an idea of what is important to you in a home. Since you’ve been renting, this might not be crystal clear at first. But as you make your list and explore homes with your agent, you’ll begin to see which things are deal breakers and which things are a must-have.

Buying a home is like looking for the right relationship. It can be exciting at first, frustrating at times, and so comforting once you’ve finally found the right one. Happy house hunting!

Published: March 23, 2012

Valentine’s Day may be over but “love” happens every day of the year. Where do you want to be?

The Best Day Of Fishing Ever!

I’ve heard of salmon jumping into boats, but never anything quite like this…

Tom Satre told the Sitka Gazette that he was out with a charter group on his 62-foot fishing vessel
when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat.

“Once the deer reached the boat, the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us. We could tell right away
that the young bucks were distressed.

I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years
fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it!

Once onboard, they collapsed with exhaustion, shivering.”

“This is a picture I took of the rescued bucks on the back of my boat, the Alaska Quest.

We headed for Taku Harbour. Once we reached the dock, the first
buck that we had been pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back
as if to say ‘thank you’ and disappeared into the forest.

After a bit of prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a little more help.

This is me carrying the little guy.

My daughter, Anna, and son, Tim, helped the last buck to its feet. We didn’t know how long they had been in the icy
waters or if there had been others who did not survive. My daughter later told me that the experience was something that
she would never forget, and I suspect the deer felt the same way as well!”

Are Homeowners Glad They Own?

It might come as a surprise but a whopping 72 percent of surveyed homeowners nationwide are satisfied with owning a home. The other 28 percent, not so. They say they’re dissatisfied and that’s likely due to the devaluation of their homes.

But surprisingly, of those who were satisfied with owning a home, only 24 percent said it was because of home appreciation. The majority, 76 percent, had many other reasons they were happy to own their own home including the one that proves the American Dream is alive and well: pride of homeownership. Following closely behind were the freedom to control their home improvements and upgrades. All this according to HomeGain’s 2012 National Home Ownership Satisfaction Survey.

Of those who were unsatisfied with owning their home, 63 percent blamed depreciation as the root of their dissatisfaction. However, the cost of owning a home, such as paying for property taxes, homeowner’s association fees, upkeep, and routine repairs, also sucked the joy out of homeownership and led this group of 37 percent to be unhappy about homeownership.

On the bright side, most – three out of four – are very happy with homeownership even in spite of such rocky real estate times where declines in home values have crippled some homeowners severely.

The survey polled homeowners all across the country. So you might be wondering is there a connection between where you live and how satisfied you are with owning a home?

The highest percentage of satisfied homeowners comes from the Northeast where there is 77-percent satisfaction, according to HomeGain. Pulling in at a close second is the Southeast at 73 percent satisfaction. The West and Midwest were at 71 percent and 68 percent, respectively.

Those who purchased their homes within a timeframe of the past three to eight years were the least satisfied. If they bought more than eight years ago, they tended to be more satisfied.

The higher-end market was the least satisfied with owning a home, especially if they paid more than $800,000 for it. This group’s dissatisfaction rate was 69 percent. But those who purchased homes for under $75,000 are cheering. This group’s satisfaction rate was 77 percent.

Of course, a lot of homes are sold through foreclosure and short sale, which, depending on the side of the sale you’re on, can leave you satisfied or very dissatisfied. Those purchasing a foreclosed or short sale had the highest satisfaction ratings; 79 percent and 83 percent, respectively.

New and existing homes didn’t fare so well with homeowners. They were fairly dissatisfied and showed it in a 73 percent and 71 percent rating, respectively. Most seemed to have expected an increase in the value of their home and when depreciation hit, this highly disappointed them, making this the primary reason for their dissatisfaction.

An interesting statistic may reflect the need for freedom from being tied down to a home and its maintenance as well as other costs. Homeowners ranging from 18 to 25 were the least satisfied (45 percent) with owning.

On the other end of the spectrum, those homeowners between 55 to 65, were the most satisfied with their homeownership. This group’s satisfaction rating was 76 percent.

HomeGain collected some comments from some of the surveyed homeowners. Here’s how one satisfied homeowner summarizes homeownership, “Just knowing I own it. I rented a house two times after owning a home for 16 years, and I do NOT like relying on, and dealing with, a landlord! I also feel pride in owning my home. I just bought a house 8 months ago and am very happy!”

Written by Phoebe Chongchua
January 27, 2012

Wondering What Your Home Is Worth? — Let me show you-click instantly.

Fall Fixes for the Home for my Bridgewater Homeowner friends….

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot

Fall is a welcome reprieve from the oppressive heat of Summer. It also offers homeowners all across the country a chance to ready their homes for cold weather, hard rains, and all that cold seasons have to offer.

As the seasons change, once again it’s time to perform some home maintenance. Here are 9 yearly tasks that will help keep your household in working order when the temperatures drop.

1. Clean Gutters: Do so frequently. Clogged gutters can result in standing water and roof damage. Plus, if you clean them frequently, you’re less likely to have to deal with decomposing leaves.

2. Mow and trim: It seems counterintuitive, but Fall is a wonderful time to both fertilize and reseed your lawn. A maintained lawn improves a home’s value and saleability. Use this time to trim shrubs and grass one last time so that your yard stands out, even in a dormant season.

3. Prune trees: With Winter comes ice. With ice comes broken limbs. Take advantage of nice weather and cut back or remove precarious limbs. It only takes one heavy snow or ice to weigh down a limb and damage property.

4. Powerwash: Driveways, sidewalks, decks, and patios can get quite grimy during the summer months. Invest in a powerwasher and you’ll be surprised how clean you can get them!

5. Outdoor Living: Some furniture is made to be stored during rainy or snowy seasons. Clear a place in your garage or shed for the items. Consider covering them with a tarp and storing cushions in vacuum seal bags.

6. Heating Systems: Check furnaces and change filters. Not only will it boost efficiency, but it will also save you money in the process.

7. Check for Leaks: Recaulk around windows and doors to help prevent heat from escaping.

8. Fireplace: You don’t want a chimney fire. Be sure to have your chimney swept or cleaned each year.

10. Piping: Check pipes for insulation to prevent freezing and bursting.

Every season holds different responsibilities for a homeowner. Be sure to stay on top of tasks each season to maintain your home’s value!

Written by Carla Hill-

Realty Times – Let it Shine, It’s Not Just Paint Color That Counts.

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