Localism: Bartlett, NH

North Conway NH Real Estate update

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:16:12 -0600

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well we are celebrating the season with a festival of snow! This white gold has been falling over the last few days.

We took a little hike up to Diana's Baths off of the River Road in Bartlett. The Falls were beautiful.

The real estate market in the White Mountains is waiting to see how the economy reacts to the recent problems. Retirement buyers are still looking for deals in the upper range of the market $500k - $900k. But second home buyers, vacation rental investors and ultra high-end buyers are sitting on the sidelines. There are incredible deals to be had, but buyers need confidence that the market has reached the bottom before they come back in. But by the time that announcement hits the cover of Time Magazine it will be to late to get the best deals.

If you want a great deal. Don't wait till Spring. Plan your ski trip and we will see you soon!

Bartlett Real Estate Update

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:44:29 -0600

LET IT SNOW... LET IT SNOW.... LET IT SNOW!

The season has begun and the area ski resorts are working hard to get open for Thanksgiving!

Bretton Woods will be open on Friday the 21st and Attitash will open on the 22nd.

Everyone is looking for discounts this year and there are lots of great deals. With the economy in recession look for "Free" or "Big Deals" this year.

Attitash has a free snow belt for both kids and parents 7 days a week! If you have a little guy just starting out this is the best deal in the valley.

Bretton Woods has a $15 dollar per person to ride the "Learning Quad". A great way to transition from the snow belt and teach the kids to ride a lift. Also Bretton Woods offers locals a $15 full mountain Ticket on Sundays after Noon! The BEST deal in the white mountains!

Cranmore and Black Mountain still rule when it comes to families. If you are looking for value, variety and a mountain able to keep everyone from the Snow Bunnies to the Teen Thrashers happy head to Cranmore. Their low ticket prices and specials like after "2pm ski free the next day" make this the number one mountain year after year!

Black Mountain in Jackson is old fashion skiing with a great value package Two adults and two juniors (Ages 6-17) can ski for $99.00 any day - $79 Midweek! (Non-Holiday Period). Plan on spending at least one day skiing Black this season, you can't beat the price and you will love the experience.

Finally there is Wildcat. They have a great progam for a total of $130, you ski & ride any 3 days you want during the 2008/09 season!

Each Mountain has lots of great deals. So don't give up on skiing this year. Just plan on moving around and trying something new.

www.MountWashingtonResort.com

www.SkiNH.com

or feel free to call the crew at Black Bear Realty www.Black-Bear-Realty.com for our personal favorite trails and deals.

Jackson & Bartlett Real Estate Update

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:26:45 -0500

First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit

The credit is available for homes purchased between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009.
The credit amounts to 10% of the purchase price of the home not to exceed $7,500.
A first-time homebuyer is defined as someone who has not owned a home in the last three years.
Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

The tax credit works like an interest free loan and must be repaid over a 15 year period.

A homebuyer claiming a $7,500 credit would repay the credit at $500 per year. The home owner does not have to begin making repayments on the

credit until two years after the credit is claimed. So if the tax credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return, a $500 payment is not due until the 2010 tax

return is filed. If the home owner sold the home, then the remaining credit amount would be due from the profit on the home sale. If there was insufficient profit, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.

SMILE! you're getting skewered...

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 07:09:51 -0500

I found this article in Realtor.com today and thought it was worthwile sharing with you folks! It does NOT make me feel warm and fuzzy...

Government Takes $250 Billion Stake in Banks

The U.S. Treasury announced plans today to purchase up to $250 billion in preferred stock from the nation's top banks. The move is part of a plan that President Bush says will help prevent recession and preserve the free market.

"Government owning a stake in any private U.S. company is objectionable to most Americans - me included," Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in a statement. "Yet the alternative of leaving businesses and consumers without access to financing is totally unacceptable. When financing isn't available, consumers and businesses shrink their spending, which leads to businesses cutting jobs and even closing up shop."

Nine major financial institutions have already agreed to the voluntary plan. Combined, these institutions will receive $125 billion in capital from the government. The banks are:

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Morgan Stanley
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Bank of America Corp.
Citigroup Inc.
Wells Fargo & Co.
Bank of New York Mellon
State Street Corp.

As part of the voluntary program, the government will buy stock "on attractive terms that protect the taxpayer," according to a joint statement by the Treasury, Federal Reserve, and FDIC.

The shares will be non-voting, unless the matter directly affects the government's rights as a shareholder. Banks that agree to be part of the program will accept restrictions on executive compensation while the government is holding the stock.

Paulson said taxpayers should expect a "reasonable return" from the stock and said the government will also receive warrants to buy additional stock from institutions participating in the program.

"The actions today are aimed at restoring confidence in our institutions and markets and repairing their capacity to meet the credit needs of American households and businesses," Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in a statement.

Source: U.S. Treasury, Wall Street Journal

Developing Your ABS!!!!! (Advanced Business Systems)

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:43:31 -0500

So much of media hype these days centers around having perfect bodies! Everywhere you turn there are diet books, exercise programs, and fitness guru's. What about your business health???? After authoring a satirical blog on Botox, a fellow-blogger Michael Sahlman suggested that I write something on developing your abs...here it is Michael! (If you're inclined, check out Michael's Website).

The state of the market has made it imperative to try new approaches (or old ones revisited). With that in mind, here are my tips for developing your ABS - Advanced Business Systems:

#1 - Activity: EVERY day that you work you must create result-oriented, focused ACTIVITY. Gone are the days of donut-munching and newspaper reading (or aimless web surfing!) (NOTEl DO NOT DO THIS!)

WHAT IS RESULT-ORIENTED, FOCUSED ACTIVITY? A typical day of focused activity might look like this- couple of hours of prospecting (I know, I hate to do this one too!). Prospecting is any activity that is made with the end result of making contact with people who may either be buying or selling real estate.

I am a Buffini graduate. The Buffini course is designed to start with your SOI (Sphere of Influence) and blossom out so that each day at least 5 people are contacted by you (preverably through the old-fashioned method of handwritten notes). For more info go to their website: www.buffiniandcompany.com

Then the activity could shift into following up on listing activity. I call or email agents who recently showed my listings to get feedback; this way I know if a price adjustment or other activity is in order for the listing. If you are a buyer's agent, today's buyers are very internet savy and they expect a lot from their buyer's agent. I contact all my buyers consistently...via emails highlighting new listings on the market, or contacting them when previously-shown homes had a price reduction!

#2 - You need a Business Plan! My rationale is simple: how do you get what you want if you don't know what that is???? And how to get there? (I've been in this business 21 years! How many business plans? You guessed it: 21). A business plan doesn't have to be complicated; mine is only one page. But it must be specific!

Business plans could include the following:

(a) General Goals - whether they be financial, educational or logistical. My goals are usually how much money I intend to net a year, how many transactions I will list and sell, and what educational goals i will achieve.

Last year's goal was to find a new job ( I was working at RE/MAX and really wanted to "jump out of the balloon" as one blogger put it, and within months two partners and I found the perfect opportunity! We bought Coldwell Banker Wright Realty, an existing realty company in Conway, NH (www.wrightrealty.com)

(b) Marketing Goals - These goals are designed to match activity with planned growth. Some ideas might be to set up databases for consistent mailings; our office sends inexpensive "Just Listed" and "Just Sold" postcards. Another thing we do is virtual tours for all our listings over $300K. I suggest that you allocate a marketing budget for the sole purpose of marketing! I've found that systematic, consistent marketing works best! And yes, blogging is considered marketing!

These marketing goals work hand-in-glove with the Buffini program; i use some marketing dollars for implementing referrals and client-contact (eg. notecards and "freebies" for clients)

(c) System Goals - I call these "system" goals for lack of a better word but really what it means is putting systems in place that support your business; this year I had "Buy a Flip video camera" on my systems list...it has turned out to be an awesome investment!

#3 - System Implementation: All of the above ideas will do nothing if they are not implemented. As part of your business plan, include timelines or "by when" you will achieve certain milestones...I also encourage people to educate themselves, whether through your local board association or going online to www.realtor.com. There are many opportunities to better yourself and to

grow your business!

Finally, we live in a world where we may find ourselves as realtors obsolete because of the information channels offered by the internet. Therefore the more value you give to your clients the more indespensable you will become to them.

HAVE A HAPPY AND PRODUCTIVE WEEK!