Hanover, NH

Grafton County New Hampshire Home Buyer Tax Credit only 13 days left, don't be one of the home buyers that lets the opportunity of a lifetime get away from you and your family!!!


First Time Home Buyer and Move up Home Buyer, you need to have a contract on your dream home by the 30th of April 2010. In order for you and your family to receive up to $6,500.00, and if you are a First Time Home Buyer you can receive up to a $8,000.00 tax credit from Uncle Sam!!!


Grafton County New Hampshire Home Buyer Tax Credit only 13 days left, that is for sure some real money for you to keep in yours and your family's pocket!!!


There are a lot of homes out there to pick from on the market right now, the interest rates are still low on home mortgages.



First Time Buyer and Move up Home Buyer, don't let this money opportunity slip pass you!!!



Grafton County New Hampshire Home Buyer Tax Credit only 13 days left, after you have found the home you want to buy, be sure the contract to buy is contingent on you haven a Home Inspection. Some home buyers worry that a home owner will not sign the home sale's contract if the home is going to be inspected. A home buyer is entitled to be able to arrange to have the home inspected after their offer is signed by the seller.

Link to the Grafton County Commissioners website

Baker Home Energy Audit and Commercial Properties Inspections
PO Box 570
Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603

Office: 603-826-4207

Cell: 603-477-8072

Post 727 - 17 April 2010

Disclaimer: Any of the information herein may come from various sources, some of which
may not be reliable and may change without any kind of notice. Dale Baker does not guarantee or is in any way responsible for the accuracy of the information in this blog and the information provided is without any kind of warranties, either express or implied. The information on this blog represents the opinions and ideas of the author; comments left by others may not express the views of the author. Dale Baker Owner: Baker Home Energy Audit and Commercial Properties Inspections. Copyright 2010 By Dale Baker-all rights reserved.

The Upper Valley has so much to offer because it embraces two states, one large river, and an abundance of great food, culture, adventure, history, and the beauty of our region. The following are some of my family's favorites outings:

ARTS & CULTURE:

Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT - A hands-ON science museum for all ages! Nature trails with native plants grace the expansive property & fun exhibits that change all the time are sure to please - and teach. Open year-round! http://www.montshire.org/

Hood Museum of Art, Hanover NH - Once the kids are all tuckered out you can head on over to the Hood and also enjoy the beautiful Dartmouth College campus - or even better the Hood offers a great "date night" for you and your spouse or loved one! Sundays are family days at the Hood and admission is always FREE! Closed Mondays http://www.hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu/

Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover NH - Take in a wonderful live show or movie at The Hop, also located on Dartmouth Campus and right next door to the Hood. Ballet, African Drummers, Opera - if you want culture, here it is! Visit http://www.hop.dartmouth.edu/

AVA Gallery & Art Center, Lebanon NH - Summer (Beginning June 22^nd) classes & workshops for all ages keeps busy hands - well, busy! Showcases local artists and offers year-round classes for all ability ranges. www.avagallery.org

BEST OF VERMONT

Quechee Gorge, Quechee Vermont - A full day of fun & activities for every age group is available within very short driving distance from the Gorge itself.

Toy & Train Museum, Cabot Cheese & Farmer's Diner are all located in the Quechee Gorge Village, located just before the Gorge. Breakfast at the Diner is always delish or enjoy lunch here and partake in some handmade incredible ice cream! The Toy & Train Museum showcases how toys have evolved over the decades from the 40's on so every generation is sure to exclaim "I used to have one of those!"...and when you do, you'll get a sticker to prove it! Also there is a fantastic replica of the actual train tracks that run through Vermont. http://www.quecheegorge.com/

Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) - Live birds, summer nature camps & wildlife conservation. Visit the nature center for varying exhibits. Open until October 31^st http://www.vinsweb.org/

Simon Pearce, Quechee VT - Watch a glass blowing demonstration & enjoy some of the best food & wine in the Upper Valley. $$$ but worth every bite! http://www.simonpearce.com/

Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock VT - I am pleased to add this destination, one that I just visited (Oct 2009) and thoroughly enjoyed. A full tour of the working farm, fully restored 1890 Farm House, and museum make a perfect 1/2 day exploration or for a full days enjoyment also visit the March-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park right across the street! The ice cream alone is worth the trip!

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

Valley Quest - Hike, treasure hunt & learn about the unique Upper Valley region for all ability ranges and ages. Visit www.vitalcommunities.org/ValleyQuest for quests and more information

Cardigan Mountain, Canaan NH - A local favorite hike, easy enough for grade school children and provides an incredible panoramic view of the Valley. Take Route 4 to Route 118, follow signs

Appalachian Trail - The Upper Valley is also blessed with the Appalachian Trail meandering right through our area with many trail heads and outlets. http://www.appalachiantrail.org/

ON & AROUND THE WATER

Mascoma Lake, Route 4A Enfield NH - Public boat launch (and beach) available for motor boats, water skiing, jet skiing, etc. While here, visit the Shaker Village, LaSallette Shrine & if you are a gemstone lover, go to Gemstar Gemstone at the head of the lake for some incredible jewelry making and gemstone buys. LaSallette is a favorite winter location when they dress the shrine up with wonderous Christmas decorations but is viewable year-round.

Lake Sunapee & Mount Sunapee, Sunapee NH - Cruises available (with dinner served) on the lake or in the winter enjoy some great skiing. http://www.newlondonareanh.org/ While visiting the Sunapee area, I also recommend The Fells, Newbury NH - Historic estate & gardens is beautiful and fun to tour. Open seasonally http://www.thefells.org/ and Philbrick-Cricenti Bog, New London NH - Completely flat, easy walk made up of a few loops that display some of the most unique native plants in the Valley such as Pitcher plants (carnivorous) http://hikenh.netfirms.com/TDPCBog

ROUTE 12A DRIVE

Follow Route 12A from West Lebanon to see these amazing attractions:

Saint-Gaudens, Cornish NH offers art, incredibly kept historic estate and gardens as well as walking trails following a beautiful brook, definitely worth a stop! http://www.sgnhs.org/ Across the Road, you will notice the Cornish Arts Colony, part of the earliest art colonies in the US and was home to painter Maxfield Parrish, writer Winston Churchill and scores of others

Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge - The longest wooden bridge in the US and the longest two-lane bridge in the world! It connects Vermont and New Hampshire by spanning nearly 450' across the Connecticut River.

FIRST THING'S FIRST:

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the acronym "NNN" it refers to the term Triple Net which is a Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charge for commercial properties. This is an additional cost to Base Rent and includes pro-rata shares for expenses of the property such as real estate taxes, insurance, grounds maintenance, rubbish removal, common electricity, etc.

NNN RATES ON THE RISE IN THE UPPER VALLEY:

As having now completed our CAM reconciliations for 2008, it is clear that the cost of living is on the rise in the Upper Valley. I will provide an overview of the actual increases as well as explain what we are doing as owners and managers to keep these costs down.

Lebanon and Hanover have both seen dramatic increases in the cost of living, primarily in real estate taxes and heating fuel however, with gasoline having climbed as high as it did, this drove every other service-related cost up as well, especially grounds maintenance (the added stress of having a big snow year also contributed to this expense). Moreover, the cost of electricity unexpectedly doubled in July last year and there was a huge increase of the cost of water and sewer services.

Lebanon at a glance: 2007 Rate/ft² = $8.60 2008 Rate/ft² = $8.91

Expense	2007	2008
Electricity	$9,700	$10,200
Grounds	$12,700	$19,700
Heat	$22,600	$32,800
Taxes	$59,900	$64,500
Water/Sewer	$1,050	$2,200

Hanover at a glance: 2008 Rate/ft² = $6.51 2008 Rate/ft² = $8.32

Expense	2007	2008
Electricity	$31,800	$35,100
Grounds	$20,700	$41,000
Heat	$23,500	$27,700
Taxes	$98,700	$105,200
Water/Sewer	$7,300	$10,200

So what's a commercial property owner/manager to do? The global economy has put enough stress on every business, even those in the "sheltered" Upper Valley, so increasing NNN rates doubles the pressure. With NNN rates so high and market value not high enough, that means owners have to lower their base rent prices, driving the market value even lower. High NNN costs hurt Landlords and Tenants, it lowers marketability and stresses already stressed tenants to the brink of move-out.

Our company, Lebanon Property Management has taken the following actions to help ease some of this NNN tension, and we would recommend any other Owner/Landlord to discuss their options with their Property Managers to see if any of these options are viable for you if you are in a similar situation. (The following does not appear in any special order but are all options that we have tried)

•· NNN cap for one year (or more)- This provides for a ceiling on cost of living increases. Often this option is exercised on Base Rent increases but can certainly be used for NNN as well. You can exercise this option in two ways: The first is to say that NNN will not be increased more than X% over the prior year. The second option is to say that NNN will not go above $X per square foot.

•· Renegotiate the lease (early) - This may be a less desirable alternative as you would likely be reducing your Base Rent (or NNN) rates. Be aware that by reducing Base Rent, you will be affecting the value of the building (both for tax purposes and marketability) so you will want to consider this option carefully before exercising. You could also consider extending the term in turn for reducing the base rate, in this case at least you will have a tenant for a longer period during this time of uncertainty.

•· Reducing specific expenses - In this case you would outline specific expenses that you are willing to take a hit on, most often management fees, legal & professional fees, wages, taxes, or other fees are the expenses that you would be willing to consider reduction on, if at all.

•· Proactively reduce expenses - For us, grounds maintenance had doubled in one year, so we took it upon ourselves to find a new service provider that would perform the same services for less AND we signed a contract stating such. This is an area you have to be very careful about as you do not want to compromise the quality of services being provided but in certain instances you can find a situation where you won't have to compromise anything AND still save money just by changing providers. This won't change the past year but it will show your tenants that you care and give you a lower projection for next year.

In closing, we as owners/managers understand the pain that tenants are feeling right now. High NNN costs not only hurt existing businesses (which of course we don't want to loose) but it prevents new business from entering certain market areas. When new businesses choose a lesser visible area due to the fact that they cannot afford the area of choice, they are unable to draw the traffic they need to grow their business and they grow stagnant as well. NNN rates are on the rise and we as professionals should know how to advise our clients to negotiate so that everyone can wade through this tough time so that we can all make it to calmer waters!

Knowledge is Youe Power For The Freedom of a Worry- Free Home!

Hanover, New Hampshier - Houses, Townhouses and Apartments details

The mean prices in 2007. All housing; $550,087, Detached houses; $595,228, Townhouses and other attached units; $600,597, Two-unit structures; $1,116,134, Three to four-unit structures; $447,375, Five or more unit structures; $380,304.

Folk's that live in Hanover

• White Non-Hispanic 83.6%
• Hispanic 3.2%
• Black 2.3%
• American Indian 1.2%
• Chinese 3.3%
• Japanese 0.6%

Folk's ancestries

• English 20.9%
• German 15.7%
• Irish 15.0%
• Italian 6.9%
• Polish 5.2%
• Scottish 4.3%

Hanover, New Hampshire was incorporated in 1761

Hanover's Home Sales from 2003 to now.

How are things go-en in your area?

I hope you and your family always have a fun and safe day!

All views and opinions expressed here in this post by Baker Home Inspection and Consulting, and those that are kind enough to leave a comment, after visiting are just that.

When buying a home in Sullive County, New Hampshire, or Windsor County, Vermont, or nearby Counties. Call ( Cell ) 603-477-8072 or E-Mail Baker Home Inspection and Consulting to take care of your Home Inspection.

Coming off the most beautiful time of the year - majestic days of long shadows and inspiring foliage, the 4 weeks from mid November until mid December can be a bit of a letdown! Gray skies replace the blue and those beautiful leaves sit in soggy drifts. Terrible, right? Depressing, right? Not really! The snow will be here soon enough and weekends will be packed with skating, skiing, sledding and great nights spent indoor with close friends and hot cocktails.

This is the time to slow down, enjoy the peace and take care of the 10,000 little things that slipped down your priority list over the summer. This week I'll call the plumber that I was supposed to call 6 weeks ago, change the insurance coverage that should have been done in February and devote an extra hour or two t getting fit for skiing. When you don't have to fight traffic on a regular basis or figure out which restaurant you can get in to this weekend then you can spend a little more time smoothing life's rough edges and there is NOTHING wrong with that!