Portsmouth NH Real Estate Agent - Rebecca Skane, Realtor®, e-PRO®

My number one rule for selling a home would be cleaning.

(this would be AFTER pricing it correctly, of course)

My Nana always kept a house that "Mr. Clean" himself would be proud of. Her husband, my Papa, was a renowned minster, and they always entertained company every day. Some were senators and congressmen, others were even famous actors and actresses, but the majority were their everyday parishioners, neighbors, colleagues and friends. Unless my Nana was serving the afternoon tea, you would most likely find her with plastic gloves on, a mop in one hand and a scrub brush in the other. She was never satisfied unless you could achieve the "white glove test" without the faintest scrap of dust revealing itself.

She may have been a fanatic, but she never had a tough time selling her home.

My grandparents built many churches in different areas of the country and were, therefore, forced to move constantly. In any move and during any market, they never experienced a tough time selling their home. Why? Because they took care of the home and kept it so clean that it would be the first home sold in every neighborhood they lived in.

She used to tell me:

Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

or, my favorite:

There is a big difference between a messy home and a dirty home.

Many of us realize the great messages that can be passed down from generations or simply from the older and the wiser. Well, this is true even when they comes from a simple minister's wife. And they can certainly be translated into messages for the real estate business.

You don't have to have the biggest and best home to be able to sell it in this market. But you DO have to have a clean home! I know, I know, I can hear you sighing already. But instead of considering putting thousands of dollars into that big kitchen upgrade, think about putting one week's worth of elbow grease into deep cleaning your home, getting rid of excess clutter and revealing the original beauty that once was your home. Don't be embarrassed to admit it if your home needs a good thorough cleaning, we are all human and we all let life get in the way!

A good cleaning could potentially yield you a higher selling price (and faster!) than an expensive upgrade, it all depends on your current situation.

Take a look around. You want your home to look a chic hotel room. Spotless, inviting, a retreat! Does it look that way now? Would people want to move in right now with their suitcases to spend a week resting at your place? If not, consider revamping your home to prepare for selling.

One good week of cleaning could make all the difference between SOLD and PRICE REDUCTION!!

pssst......MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

New Hampshire Accepts Designated Agency

Recent legislation passed in New Hampshire in the form of House Bill 1384. New Hampshire, a "dual agency" state, is making the switch to "designated agency" effective January 1st, 2009. Dual agency will still be allowed and it will remain up to the real estate offices to decide if they will practice dual agency or designated agency.

How Does This Affect The Consumer?

First let me explain a little bit about the differences. Currently, when you, the client, have a real estate agent from firm XXX list your home, every single agent within firm XXX becomes your fiduciary and represents you, not just the listing agent. Sound great, right? Well, the problem exists when another agent from the same firm XXX brings in the buyer for your home. When that happens, you just entered into "dual agency" if you give your consent. Both agents represent both the buyer and the seller. Dual agency then must be disclosed and neither agent can represent you to their full extent, as they would wish to do, without breaking their fiduciary responsibilities to the other client. In my opinion, it really never has made much sense.

On January 1st, if an office chooses to do so, "designated agency" will be used. Now let's take the example from above. When you list your home with an agent from firm XXX, that sole agent will be your designated agent. And if an agent from the same firm brings in the buyer, that agent will be the designated agent for the buyer only. And the two agents, although under the same agency, will be able to act seperate from each other and give both clients FULL fiduciary responsibilities and better representation.

The consumer wins!

Dual agency can still occur in the same office, however. This can occur, for example, when your listing agent brings in the buyer him/herself. For the real estate transaction to be able to take place, the consumer must accept the dual agency and give consent. The consumer still holds the power to decline consent.

Keller Williams Coastal Realty in Portsmouth will be practicing designated agency. If you need any more information on agency relationships, please give me a call. I would be happy to help. 603.610.8944

♥ ♥ Surgeon General's Warning: ♥ ♥

This is so sweet, you may just get a sugar rush.

This is the picture of Baby Joshua we selected for our Christmas Card!

We are a little late to do this, but NH is recovering from an ice storm and we are all behind!

Happy Holidays from your Portsmouth, NH Real Estate Agent, Rebecca Skane, and Family

Governer Lynch has declared a State of Emergency in NH. I woke up this morning with no power and the temperature was steadily dropping. At about 1am this morning I flew out of bed when I heard a loud crack and then a deep THUD and the whole house shook. I turned the outside lights on and I saw the tree in the back yard, a HUGE tree, had come crashing down. The freezing rain we received last night encased all of the trees in a thick layer of ice. The heavy trees came down last night all over NH taking out the power lines on the way down. It may be up to a week before we get power back, and more importantly HEAT. You can see all of the pictures here:

http://www.wmur.com/index.html

I have a small child so when I woke up without heat I was worried. When noon came and still no power I went out to my car to charge my cell and called the Portsmouth Police Department. I was informed that it may be up to a week before power came back on, but there were shelters nearby. Also, I knew some towns did have power.

Before I succumbed to going to a shelter, I knew I still had time to find a hotel room in the areas which managed to have power. Luckily, I got the last two rooms at the Ashworth in Hampton for my family and my sister's family. So here we are, hunkered down at the Ashworth, with room service of course.

Because no one had power, I believe many people do not realize how long we are going to be without power and they STILL may be waiting for that heat to come back on. As as the temperatures fall, those homes will not stay warm.

If you have heat, electricity,

a generator, fireplace, etc, please

check on neighbors especially

those with small children and the elderly!

If you can read this, you probably have power so this might not do much good, but here are the list of shelters available in the area:

Concord - Green Street Community Center - 39 Green Street (Behind City Hall)

Deerfield - Deerfield Community School

Derry - Londonderry High School - 268C Mammoth Road - Residents who need transportation or have questions can call 845-5522.

Dover/Somersworth/Rochester - Rochester Middle School

Durham - Oyster River High School - 55 Coe Drive

Exeter - Exeter High School - 1 Blue Hawk Drive

Farmington - Farmington High School

Goffstown - Mountain View Middle School - 41 Lauren Lane, Goffstown - Call 624 4307 for assistance

Henniker - Henniker Community School

Hillsborough - Hillsborough Methodist Church - Henniker Street

Hudson - Hudson Community Center - 12 Lyons Avenue

Kingston - Sanborn Regional High School - 17 Danville Road

Laconia - Woodside Building on grounds of Taylor Home - 435 Union Avenue - Call 524-6881 to get transportation to the shelter

Londonderry - Londonderry High School - 268C Mammoth Road

Manchester - Southern New Hampshire University Athletic Complex, - 2500 North River Road

Milford - Milford Elementary School - 80 Heron Pond Road, Milford

Nashua - Nashua High School South - 36 Riverside Street

Pittsfield - Pittsfield Elementary School - 34 Bow Street

Portsmouth - Portsmouth High School - Andrew Jarvis Drive

Raymond - Iber Holmes Gove Middle School - 1 Stephen Batchelder Pkwy

Rochester - Rochester Middle School - 47 Brook Street

Strafford - Strafford Police Department - 34 Rollercoaster Road

Washington - Camp Morgan Lodge

Call me if you would like more information on any of these properties or would like to schedule a showing. 603.610.8944