American Independence Museum Celebrates George Washington's Birthday

On Saturday February 18, 2012, American Independence Museum is celebrating George Washington's 280th birthday at the Folsom Tavern in Exeter, NH from 10am to 2pm. Families are invited to enjoy 18th Century music, learn to dance the Minuet, crafts, games, and of course, Birthday Cake! Special prizes will be awarded for children dressed as George or Martha Washington.

The Museum's Program Coordinator, Stephanie Hewson, has invited a special guest for the celebration, Mr. President himself, who will make his appearance between 11am and 1pm. Find out for yourself if young George actually cut down a cherry tree with his hatchet or if he could throw a silver dollar across the Potomac River. Everyone will have time to ask him questions, pose for photographs and help him blow out the candles on his cake!

Reservations are requested for this event so the staff may prepare for the party. Admission is $7 per person and $5 for museum members. To reserve your space, visit the Calendar page at independencemuseum.org or call 603-772-2622. Folsom Tavern is located on the American Independence Museum's campus at 164 Water Street in downtown Exeter, New Hampshire. It is the mission of American Independence Museum to connect America's Revolutionary past with the present.

If you would like to know why I chose Seacoast New Hampshire to make my home, click here to email me, and I can make a real convincing argument for you to choose it too! Or, if you would like to do your own home search, sign up NOW on my website for our exclusive Home Scout Program.

Exeter NH Homes Sell Faster

We are looking at Exeter NH homes and condos sold data from January to October for the last four years to determine Exeter NH Real Estate market health. In our first graph is the number homes and condos sold. From the high of 2009 at 151, the number of homes sold this year is down 10% to 136. What's interesting here is that on average those 136 homes have been selling four weeks faster than in 2009.

Exeter NH Homes and Condos Sales Prices

In this study, average sales prices were $302,305 in 2008 and have fallen almost 12% to $268,663 today. Median price is the price at which 50% of the sales data is above this price and 50% of the sales data is below this price. Median price is said to be a better indicator of home prices than average price because median price is less effected by an extreme high or low price which can skew the average sales price. So far in 2011, the lowest priced sale was $33,000 and the largest sale was $962,000. Exeter NH homes median sales price was $276,000 in 2008 and is 16% lower this year at $231,767.

Exeter NH Homes Market Trends

There is no doubt that first time buyers are driving this market. They understand that interest rates are at extremely low levels, home prices are low, and the inventory is great. Move up buyers are seeing some great opportunities as well. They have to come to grips with the fact that their homes won't sell for as much as they would like as home prices are down 16% but if they are selling their $230,000 home with a 16% discount to a first time buyer, they are also buying that $350,000 home at a 16% discount too. They are saving more on the move up buy than what they gave up selling their home.

Here is the list of the current 130+ Exeter NH homes and condos on the market => Exeter Homes For Sale

The Down Side Of Interest Rates

Interest rates will go up, we just can't say when. If interest rates were to go up 1/2 of 1%, purchase power falls by about $16,000. Buyers should take advantage of the best opportunity in real estate and sellers should realize that buyers have some great programs for financing which will make it easier for sellers to find buyers.

Is now a good time to buy Exeter NH homes? You bet! That's good news for sellers, too.

About the Author:

Marty Patrizi is a full service New Hampshire Realtor at Virtual Homes, Inc. and his emphasis is on "service". Marty works as a Buyer's Agent and a Listing Agent. Marty is also a building and renovation Contractor since 1988. As a buyer's agent, Marty's extensive construction experience puts him ahead of other buyer agents because he has the ability to determine value and costs related to repairs and updates needed. As a seller's agent, he knows that buyers come from searching on line and how to generate more qualified buyers through maximum exposure of his client's properties on the internet. Marty can be reached direct at 603-781-4099 or by email marty.patrizi@virtualhomes.com.

"A Grateful Nation"...American Independence Museum Program November 12 2011

Did you know that Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November, was declared an annual national holiday by President Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War? Abraham Lincoln finally responded to petitioner Sarah Josepha Hale, a Newport NH native, who lobbied a total of 5 presidents over a 17 year period to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Until that time, "days of thanksgiving" were randomly held by the early settlers of this country like the Pilgrims and the colonists of Virginia who brought the tradition from Europe, to celebrate something to be especially thankful for, such as the end of a drought, a military victory or a bountiful harvest. George Washington declared a Thanksgiving Day in 1789 and 1795, followed by John Adams proclaiming similar thanksgiving days in 1798 and 1799. State governors proclaimed "days of thanksgiving" on a state by state basis, selecting random days throughout the year.

New Hampshire Governor John Taylor Gilman issued Thanksgiving Proclamations during his tenure as 7th and 12th NH governor. A resident of Exeter, NH, John Taylor Gilman's home at One Governor's Lane is now part of the American Independence Museum campus, where his 1804 Thanksgiving Proclamation For A Public Thanksgiving will be on display during the Saturday November 12th "A Grateful Nation" program sponsored by the museum.

"A Grateful Nation" program will feature a museum tour that includes lunch at either 11am or 1pm in the Folsom Tavern, also located on the museum campus, with hearty soups, When Pigs Fly bread and apple cider. Volunteer Carol Welsh will share the secrets of creating a corn husk doll with the younger visitors.

Registration for this event is required. Admission is $15 per person and $12 for museum members. To reserve your space call 603-772-2622 and pay by credit card or visit www.independencemuseum.org to learn more about the program and pay using PayPal.

In keeping with the theme of "A Grateful Nation," the museum will be collecting items for our overseas troops by hosting the Pease Greeters at the Folsom Tavern that day. Visit the museum's Calendar Page and click "More Details" to learn about specific needs for the men and women serving our country.

"A Grateful Nation" is presented by the American Independence Museum, located at One Governor's Lane in Exeter, NH. Occupying two historic buildings, the Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern on the same campus, it is the mission of American Independence Museum to connect America's Revolutionary past with the present. The museum's regular tour hours are Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 4pm ending on October 29th, but lectures, programs and school tours are offered throughout the winter and spring.

If you would like to know why I chose Seacoast New Hampshire to make my home, click here to email me, and I can make a real convincing argument for you to choose it too! Or, if you would like to do your own home search, sign up NOW on my website for our exclusive Home Scout Program.

American Independence Museum Outdoor Theater...Ghosts of Winter Street Cemetery

For a clever blend of Halloween spirit, anecdotal history and entertainment, attend the American Independence Museum outdoor presentation of Ghosts of the Winter Street Cemetery in Exeter NH.

At 4pm on October 29th at the Winter Street Cemetery, explore a bit of Exeter, NH history with a one-time only 90 minute outdoor theater production created by Wendy Bergeron, curator of American Independence Museum. Researching the history of the cemetery, Bergeron has discovered some very famous and interesting dearly departed Exeter residents have found their final resting place at Winter Street Cemetery.

Scattered among the many Revolutionary War veterans buried there, are the remains of "a former NH Governor, John Taylor Gilman, his mother, Ann Taylor Gilman, his first wife, Deborah Folsom, tavern keeper Elizabeth Emery Folsom and Jude Hall, a former slave who fought at Bunker Hill and Valley Forge. These people led extraordinary lives and were witnesses to so much of our early history," says Bergeron.

Local actors will play the roles of these famous five and each has the opportunity to tell a bit about their lives as the tour progresses through the lantern-lit graveyard.

Reservations for this event are required. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for children under 12 and $8 for museum members. To reserve your space call 603-772-2622 and pay by credit card or visit www.independencemuseum.org to learn more about the program and pay using PayPal.

Attendees for this 90 minute outdoor historical theater are reminded to go directly to Winter Street Cemetery, located in the triangular common area formed by Front Street, Railroad Avenue and Winter Street in Exeter, NH. Parking is available on the adjacent roads. Particpants should wear appropriate clothing for the seasonal temperatures and proper footwear.

Ghosts of the Winter Street Cemetery is presented by the American Independence Museum, located at One Governor's Lane in Exeter, NH. Occupying two historic buildings, the Ladd-Gilman House and Folsom Tavern on the same campus, American Independence Museum's mission is to connect America's Revolutionary past with the present. The museum's regular tour hours are Wednesday through Saturday 10am to 4pm closing seasonally on October 29th. Both guided and self-guided tours are available.

American Independence Museum Marketing and Development Director, Julie Tiebout, center, with museum guides Dot Fisher and John Kane

If you would like to know why I chose Seacoast New Hampshire to make my home, click here to email me, and I can make a real convincing argument for you to choose it too! Or, if you would like to do your own home search, sign up NOW on my website for our exclusive Home Scout Program.

Exeter NH Real Estate Market is ripe for the picking. Let's look at the market trends by studying the homes sold data for the last six months of this year compared to the last three years. There were 67 homes sold in 2008 at the beginning of the Great Recession and in 2009, 81 homes were sold. 2010 shows 80 homes sold and 2011 shows 78 homes sold.

The best news relates to the average selling price. In 2008, the average selling price was $341,272 and fell 21% to $272,353 in 2009. 2010's average sale edged up slightly to $278,877 and then fell 9% to $252,775 so far here in 2011. The asking price to selling price ratio over the four years for homes in Exeter NH is 96%, 95%, 97%, and 95% respectfully.

If we look at the asking price to selling price ratio, it looks as if seller's are more willing to deal in this last period but when we look at the average days on market, we see that the days on market is decreasing. This translates to an increase in demand and no wonder...prices have come down almost 26%.

Interest rates are as low as they are going to go, prices are down 26% from four years ago, and there are 138 condos and homes for sale in Exeter NH and 30 units contingent or pending. So it looks like NOW is as good a time to buy as any. Exeter NH Real Estate is ripe for picking.

What does this mean for sellers in Exeter? Looking at the number of homes sold, the buyers are out there and they are hungry. If your home is in top condition and priced right, it will sell quickly.

About the Author: Marty Patrizi is a full service New Hampshire Realtor at Virtual Homes, Inc. and his emphasis is on "service". Marty works as a Buyer's Agent and a Listing Agent. Marty is also a building and renovation Contractor since 1988. As a buyer's agent, Marty's extensive construction experience puts him ahead of other buyer agents because he has the ability to determine value and costs related to repairs and updates needed. As a seller's agent, he knows that buyers come from searching on line and how to generate more qualified buyers through maximum exposure of his client's properties on the internet. Marty can be reached direct at 603-781-4099 or by email marty.patrizi@virtualhomes.com.