About Merrimack County, NH

Now that the Home Inspection had been signed off on ....we decided it was possible to see if we could find a new home an an affordable range that our new circumstances dictated.

Since we had a closing date of January 15th we figured we had about a week to find something. If that didn't happen we were going to rent for a while. So armed with our pre-quals...we headed off into the world of foreclosures!

I can't even describe some of the properties we saw. Most were either so old or in such bad shape...they weren't worth fixing up. The others had been "rehabbed" and the work had to be undone before you could....move on!

We had been looking at smaller homes but a Foreclosure with a price reduction came up on the MLS. Situated in the Village of Pittsfield NH, a Victorian Colonial (1865) In this style house the first and second floors are usually a mirror image. This would give us the option of doing over the first floor from scratch for us and making a second apartment for income on the second.

It had high ceilings, hardwood floors,baths up and down a beautiful lot and was within walking distance to the center of town!

We decided to make an offer. I will say I was pleasantly surprised at the quick responses with offer/counteroffer. We had a heating and plumbing contractor check the systems as best he could with all shut off and meters removed. The house had been winterized, but not properly, and there was pipe damage to the tune of $7,000. We felt the cost was worth the final product.

The hang up came with the appraisal. The appraisal came in at about 20 thousand less ($75K) than agreed upon Selling price ($93K).

I sent in an addendum for a commitment extension and a new price plus a copy of the full appraisal.

And so ....the waiting game began!

Concord NH Realtor

Preface: It is hard to believe that it has only been about six weeks since my last entry in this Diary. It has seemed like eternity

As a Realtor I have always found the home inspection to be the most dreaded part of the whole transaction.If something is to go wrong....that is where it will most likely be.

I was not overly concerned about our Home Inspection. I was reasonably sure there would be some minor issues, after all the house was built in '78, but we had just had the septic pumped that Spring and felt we had stayed on top of any repairs. The furnace had been cleaned and serviced, the roof was only about 10 years old and my husband had made pool repairs in the Summer.

As I sat chating with the Buyer's Agent the Buyer and his HI made the usual rounds...all seemed to be going fine. The septic company arrived for their inspection and after about a half hour the guy called us all outside.

The leach field was in failure. I was in total shock. We had had no indication, no sluggishness, no sponginess or gurgling.

The Buyers were very upset. Being on a septic system, to begin with, was a major concern. They had never had one before. The Buyers and their agent started talking about hooking up to the city system but I knew it didn't run down our street. As they left, their Agent said.....they'ed get back to us.

The next day we received our Addendum. The leach field was to be replaced and the electrical in the house and garage evaluated and brought up to code by a licensed electrician.

Up until this point I had been remarkably able to put on my "Realtor Hat" when needed. But all of that was about to change!

We were very anxious to sell....in fact it was imperitive that we did. We decided to swallow the cost of Septic and Electric, rather than risk them walking away.

The cost of replacing our system was $8,000. Because this occured over the holidays, for 6 days we couldn't do laundry and had to limit "flushing".It was loud and annoying, my yard was a mess and the poor dogs had to be walked on a leash.

Strangely enough...the incident that upset me the most...was when they left and pulled out the machine that had been parked outside my dining room window for a week, I saw what they had done to my Hydrangea that I planted 25 years ago. They had asked if they could "trim" it.

It broke my heart!

BEFORE

AFTER

Next installment....looking for a new place!

Concord NH Realtor

Hooksett's recent town wide real estate taxation revaluation is not without dispute. Informal hearings have begun with many homeowners with owners questioning their home's new value along with ammenity valuation. The new tax increase seems ill timed. With the holiday season just ending and with many residents loosing their jobs, the tax increase has met with increasing challenge by owners. The town has reported that more than 500 residents have debated the increase approximately 15% of Hooksett's population. For more information about revaluation or abatment go to www.nh.gov/revenue

Clothes dryers with venting problems are a leading cause of house fires

Manchester, NH--Clothes dryers are a wonderful invention, but they do require maintenance to assure safety in homes. The National Fire Prevention Administration reports over 15,000 fires annually, costing millions of dollars, many injuries and loss of lives. Webb Dickson, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard receives letters and emails from customers thanking him for taking the time to share tips on dryer fire prevention.

Webb Dickson advises all his customers that proper maintenance and installation of dryer vent systems is important. Webb explains, "dryer vents should be as short as possible and contain few bends and turns which can inhibit venting and cause lint to build up and clog the vent." Dryer Vent Wizard does not advise use of sheet metal screws when attaching multiple sections of vent pipe together. They use foil tape instead to eliminate protuberances that cause obstructions where lint can accumulate, eventually leading to a restriction which hampers dryer vent cleaning and allows lint to build up.

Webb also tells his customers that in addition to being a fire hazard, clogged dryer vents cost an additional $18 - $24 per month in energy usage. When drying time is longer than normal, this may be a sign that the lint screen or the exhaust duct is blocked.

Dryer Vent Wizard professionally inspects and cleans clothing dryers for homeowners and in commercially-owned buildings. Poorly maintained dryer vents are fire hazards and cause clothes dryers to cost substantially more to operate. Check http://www.nhdryervent.com for more information or to schedule service.

Contact:

Dryer Vent Wizard

Phone: 978-692-6396

Email: M-E-DryerVentWizard@comcast.net