Archive for the 'Housing Solutions' Category

Hello all!  A coworker of mine introduced me to a couple of great websites that I think you may find helpful.

The first is www.walkscore.com .  This site ranks how walkable certain neighborhoods are.   What this means is that it approximates the distance from your home to grocery stores, restaurants, schools, hospitals, and more!  Whether you are looking to purchase a home or just want to see how your current home fares, this is a fun way to get to know a neighborhood.

Another great way to find the perfect neighborhood is http://drivescore.fizber.com.  This site is similar to the Walk Score site, however it rates addresses by the proximity to community establishments by driving rather than walking.  This site is another fun way to see how close you are to local amenities and is also great if you prefer driving.

If you are looking to find out what communities like Lebanon, Hanover, Enfield, Norwich, and Hartford have to offer, these sites are nice resources to help you find your perfect neighborhood.

Chris

This coming Saturday, July 17^th, is none other than the Norwich Historical Society’s Home and Garden Tour!  The event will be from 10am – 4pm and is a rare opportunity to check out some beautiful and historic homes and gardens in the Upper Valley.  The self-guided tour will showcase seven gardens and five houses.   Save $5 by buying your tickets early! Tickets for adults will cost $15 in advance or $20 on Saturday.  Tickets can be purchased at the Lewis House, 277 Main Street.  The weather looks like it should be pretty nice, so don’t miss this exciting opportunity to tour these beautiful homes and gardens and maybe even take home some new ideas for your home or garden!

For more information call the Norwich Historical Society at 802-649-0124. You can also check out Wednesday’s Valley News or www.vnews.com.

Chris

Here’s a quick look at the YTD condo sales statistics for Lebanon and Hanover.   These statistics were pulled from the Northern New England Real Estate Network.

The numbers are looking good in Lebanon with 17 units sold, which is an increase from last year’s 14. The average price has increased to $254,382 up from $183,259 last year, a jump of 38.81%!  The average number of days on the market has increased to 195, up from 150.

Condo sales in Hanover, unfortunately, have been less promising and have actually seen a substantial dip in 2010.  So far there have only been 8 units sold, down from 21 last year.  The average price has stayed constant at about $310,000.  The average number of days on the market is also up to 268, up from 199 last year.

Chris

January through May 2010 Real Estate Stats for Lebanon, NH

Good News! As the first five months of 2010 have come to a close, the Lebanon Real Estate statistics continue to show steady improvement and are encouraging for a successful year.  The number of homes sold is up 14.29% from this same period last year with 40 homes sold compared to 35 in 2009. The average sale price has increased from $186,831 to $220,858, which is an increase of 18.21%.  However, the average days on the market has risen slightly to 165 which is up 5.77% from last year’s average of 156 days. Overall, things are looking positive and more updates will follow as the statistics become available.

Specific condo stats coming soon…

Chris

As the real estate season starts to unfold here in the Hanover/Lebanon area in 2010, there are several major condominium developers in the market that are aggressively trying to sell their product.

Carol and I recently met with Kevin and Shannon Purcell who are the developers behind Natures Walk condominiums in Lebanon.   They have sold 50 % of the project thus far and are optimistic the remaining 17 units will be absorbed into the market in the next year or so.  If you are looking for single level living with an on site fitness center and easy access to walking trails, Nature Walk is worth considering.

Quarry Hill is another new condo development in Lebanon that is aggressively looking to move units in 2010.  We have helped a Buyer in 2010 purchase one of their units and we can attest to the flexibility and responsiveness of the Developer.   A particular advantage of working with this group is the opportunity to modify the floor plan to your needs.

Westboro Woods, along with all area developers has suffered the effects of the declining real estate market and economy.  The developer of this project has been steadily dropping prices to accommodate for the lackluster demand in the market.  With these units now priced in the +-$200,000 area I think they are priced well for what they offer.

Gile Hill in Hanover has reached the end of Phase one of their development plan and are now on to phase two with some new products.  They are adding townhomes with attached garages to the mix this year, which I expect will be well received.  They are priced between $300 and $400,000 depending on size, style and location in the complex.  Being “Green Built” and on the access road for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center should continue to draw buyers to this complex.

If you are looking for a condominium in the Hanover/Lebanon area, give us a call, we help people buy them all the time.

Matt & Carol

Real Estate Stats for Lebanon NH

The Lebanon NH real estate market is showing some interesting stats for the 1^st part of 2010.  The following statistics are taken from the Multiple Listing Service.

In the 1^st 2 months of 2010 the number of single family homes sold in Lebanon NH are down by 22% from the same period in 2009 ( 7 in ’10 – 9 in ’09). The good news is that the average selling price was up 25% ($257,625 in ’10 – $190,700 in ’09). The average days on market was up 44% (161 in ’10 – 90 in ’09).

As of the 28^th of February there had been no condo sales in Lebanon. In 2009 there had been 8 sales.

More Later!
Carol

Real Estate Stats for Hanover NH

The Hanover NH real estate market is starting to show improvement in the first couple of months of 2010.  The following statistics are taken from the Multiple Listing Service.

In the 1^st 2 months of 2010 the number of single family homes sold in Hanover NH are up by 65% from the same period in 2009 ( 9 in ’10 – 4 in ’09). The other good news is that the average selling price was up 30% ($580,825 in ’10 – $402,000 in ’09). The average days on market was up 11% (112 in ’10 – 99 in ’09). The challenge continues to be in the homes over $1,000.000.

In the 1^st 2 months of 2010 the number of condominium sold in Hanover NH was down 25% from the same period last year (6 in ’10 – 8 in ’09).  The average selling price in down 18% from ’09 ($304,167 in ’10 – $372,898 in ’09). The average days on market was up 15% (339 in ’10 – 287 in ’09).

More later on Lebanon Home & Condo sales!

Carol

The Hanover NH real estate market continues to be challenged by current economic factors.  That said there does seem to be a light at the end of the real estate tunnel. The following information was taken from the Multiple Listing Service.

In the 4th quarter the number of single family homes sold was down 14%from the 4th quarter of ‘08 (21 in ’08 – 18 in ’09). The good news is that the average selling price of homes was up 13% in the 4th quarter ($544,799 in’08 – $635,668 in ‘09).  Average days on market in the 4th quarter shot up to a whooping 162 in ‘09 from 91 in ‘08.

Year end numbers look a bit different……… sales of single family homes for the year was down 17% from ‘08 (115 in ‘08 – 95 in ‘09).  Average selling price was also down 17% from ‘08 ( $618,133 in ‘08 – $514,883 in ‘09)
Average days on market for ‘o9 was 155 and in ‘08 124.

One of the statistics which stands out most in the Hanover housing market is that the number of homes sold over $500,000 is down substantially (23 in ‘09 – 35 in ‘08) – in which the $500K to 1M group took the biggest hit ( 19 in ‘09 – 30 in ‘08).

More on condo sales in Hanover to come!

Carol & Matt

A client of mine called the other day with some interest in a to be built home listed at the Prospect Hills development in Lebanon.  Having read in the Valley News about the difficulties the Moulton family had encountered with their bank,  I called Melissa Robinson of Lang, McLaughry, Spera Real Estate who is marketing the project to see what the situation is today.   Melissa lives in the original Prospect Hills neighborhood and is a strong advocate for the development.  She was very open and informative, basically it boils down to the project is in bankruptcy and the judge handling the process understands that the best way to resolve the situation is to build and sell homes to generate funds for payment to creditors.   A Buyer might perceive some risk in a circumstance such as this, but as with all risk, there is often opportunity as well.  It will be interesting to see how things unfold at Prospect Hills over the next few years.

More later ……… Matt

Recently I spoke with Miro Weinberger about phase two of Gile Hill project now under construction and targeted for occupancy in early 2010.  Miro is one of the principals of the Hartland Group and has been the driving force behind the development. Gile Hill is located in Hanover, New Hampshire on Medical Center Drive which is the access road for the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.

It was interesting to hear from Miro how the Hartland Group has adapted their plans as the economy and housing market have changed over the past year.  The most significant change is that Estes & Gallop of Lyme NH has replaced Trumbull Nelson of Hanover NH as the general contractor for the project. Miro indicated that rebidding the buildings in 2009, along with a better understanding of what consumer’s value, will help them deliver a better product well suited for the market in 2010. (more…)