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Sue Meservier

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Universal Design

09-07-11
Sue Meservier

If you are thinking of updating or remodeling, you may want to consider adding Universal Design elements to your plan. Universal design focuses on buildings, products and environments that are accessible to all people, with or without disabilities. Curb cuts or sidewalk ramps, essential for people in wheelchairs but also used by all, are a common example. You might consider cabinets with pull-out or pull-down shelves, kitchen counters and bathroom sinks at several heights to accommodate different tasks and postures, curb-less shower stalls, easy-access bathtubs or drop-down seats in hallways. As our population ages, these modifications may prove essential in coming years.
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Two easy ways to save energy:

07-27-11
Sue Meservier

Use light-colored roofing made from recycled materials. This helps to lower the “heat island” effect of your home, keeping it cooler in the summer. A cooler roof will save on air-conditioning costs! It’s also possible to reduce your annual cooling costs by up to 25% by: planting leafy shade trees, building extended eaves, constructing an arbor, or installing awnings to shade the south or west-facing sides of your home. For the statistics on how much money this can save, check out “The Green Book,” by Rogers & Kostigen.

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Who to Notify Once You've Moved!

05-27-11
Sue Meservier

Once you've moved in to your new home, it's time to notify everyone of your address change.
Use this list as a starting point:

  • Department of Motor Vehicles
  • Post office, bank (don't forget to order new checks), voter registration
  • Human resources and payroll where you work
  • Insurance companies, doctors offices, schools, places of worship, gym memberships
  • Cell phone company, magazine subscriptions
  • Credit card companies, loan companies
  • Personal and professional clubs, licensing boards, organizations, and memberships with benefit plans (like AAA for your car)
  • Lawyer, financial advisor, accountant
  • Regular deliveries (such as restaurant delivery places or CSAs)
  • And don't forget all your friends and family!


Save time if by doing it online if possible; check out a company's website first.

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What is the PHSI?

05-16-11
Sue Meservier

Each month I study the Pending Home Sales Index, issued by the National Association of Realtors. The index is based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed.
The NAR uses a large national sampling to come up with their report. It ties the level of monthly contract activity to the level of sales that will occur in the following two months. An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001 (the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales), and it coincides with a level that is considered historically healthy.
The most recent index report for March looked positive: It rose 5.1% to 94.1, up from 89.5% in February. The index is below the 106.2 in March 2010. It's important to note that March & April 2010 activity was at an elevated level in order to meet contract deadlines for the home buyer tax credit.

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To rent or own?

05-02-11
Sue Meservier

I just received some information from Trulia’s second quarter “Rent versus Buy” index, and it backed up what I’ve known to be true: It is usually more affordable to buy then rent in 78% of the cities studied, compared to 72% last quarter.

The study compared the cost of buying and renting a two-bedroom apartment, condo, or town home in the 50 largest cities in the country.

They noted that rising rental costs, falling home prices, and low mortgage rates have made home ownership make more financial sense in most areas of the country. This is true for most people in Androscoggin County, too, and I expect this trend to continue.

The report stated the cities where renting was a less costly option than home ownership were in New York, Fort Worth, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo.

One good reason not to move away! Call me to help you analyze the differences in cost, specific to your individual situation.

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