About Portsmouth's Market Square

Just read about bankruptcies in NH ~ While some experts see the recession easing, there was no letup in the number of bankruptcies filed in June.

Some bankruptcies were declared in New Hampshire – 412 households and 11 businesses -- 27 percent more than last June, and the most in that month since 1988. That brings the half-year total to 2,475, also a 27 percent increase over the previous first half of the year.

If filings continue to come in at the same pace, that would mean nearly 5,000 New Hampshire households and businesses would have filed by the end of the year, more than any year on record, save when the bankruptcy law changed in 2005, which led to a rush of filings.

What's the bankruptcy news in your neck of the woods?

Please leave a comment.

Patricia Aulson/ Portsmouth nh real estate Hampton NH Real Estate www.patricia4realestate.com

The quick way to gain attention within your local area and go to the top on AR is with some friendly competition.

Another person whom shall remain nameless is neck and neck with me all the time on AR. We constantly, I do mean constantly vie for the second and third spot at the top of our local area . If I'm second one day she'll get right to posting a blog or two and then she jumps to the second place spot.

From day to day, hour to hour we go up and down ~ second place, third place......second place, third place. It's friendly and competitive. It pushed me every day to blog whether I feel like it or not. It might be late in the evening and I'm on AR to see where "we are" on the roster! Ha.....it's fun, it's competitive and it's non-stop. It sure has given me a reason to daily blog away.

Yes content is key, but if you're not at the top of the list, either first, second or third, chances are you won't get noticed.

Ha! I wonder if anyone else is cometing for the top 1, 2, or 3 spots in their local areas. Let me know by leaving me a comment.

I'd love to hear from you. Excuse me now, I have to go blog away.........2nd, third, .....third, second.....second, third...and so on day after day after day. By the way I bet you're wonder about the first place spot...right? We'll it's been taken by someone who started with AR on day #1....Hey, we're give her a run for her money and will be catching up to her one of these days soon.

Patricia aulson/ Portsmouth NH Real Estate www.patricia4realestate.com Hampton Nh Real Estate

What are the sellers thinking?

I showed four homes this morning and two of them were very nice, not brand new but nicely maintained and priced right for the area and neighborhood they are in. One of the homes was beautifully maintained, immaculately clean and neat and nicely decorated. The interior was done in neutral colors and the bathrooms were tastefully updated. The rooms were generous in size and lots of windows which brought in the light. Nice size yard with pretty landscaping in and around the house set it off on the lot.This home was priced "right on." In fact it was priced low, lower than the three others that weren't as nice.

The 4th home was situated on a very large lot, set back from the road so it afforded privacy and it was fenced in. Now it looked ok from the outside but the inside was a mess. The stairway was wobbling and stuck together with duck tape. Most of the rooms were painted an obnoxious color. The appliances were the original, making them over 25 years old and all around the house had issues. It was cluttered and dirty. A real mess of a house.I asked the agent showing the house, "what the heck are they thinking asking this price for this messy run down house!" They've got to be kidding.....

This house was priced 25k over what the other three were asking. Now I ask you what the he____ is wrong with these people. What are they thinking? Well as we went on through the house the listing agent tells us that the sellers are divorcing and that may explain part of it. They don't get along and neither of them want to clean up the house we were told.

As we left, I thanked the agent for his time and wished him a "good luck" with this one. It will most likely be on the market for a very long time. Showing this house only reinforced the price of the other three homes to the buyers and we parted company. I just got back a very nice email saying they are seriously thinking of submitting an offer on the first home that was so beautifully kept.

Patricia Aulson/ Portsmouth nh real estate www.patricia4realestate.com Hampton nh real estate

Realtors are given a "red card" which has the contact number and company that they are affiliated with. This red card serves as an alert to anyone that the circumstances and surroundings seem suspicious. The Realtor, when with someone they feel uncomfortable with simply passes this red card and hope that someone calls to alert the company of this.

When I show a home alone I always have the prospective buyer go in first ahead of me and I keep a distance following.

I am very aware of exits and make sure I'm aware of all doors that lead outside.

I always make cell calls touching base with the secretary/admin at work, or anyone else you can reach by way of cell.

If they see you making calls they know your are in touch with people and may be a deterrent to foul play.

I think it's always good to carry a can of mace just in case, an air horn would be good as well.

If you have any good safety tips to share please leave your comments.

Patricia Aulson www.patricia4realestate.com Portsmouth NH Real Estate Hampton NH Real Estate

I live the "the Live Free or Die State" of NH. You never know what the weather is going to be like. It can change on dime.

It can be sunny one minute and rainy or snowy the next. The expression we all use is, "if you don't like the weather just wait a minute it's change." Well I had an Open House and it rained all weekend long until this morning and it stopped for a bit and actually got a bit sunny for a short time.

The Open House was scheduled for 1:00 so I had great hope that the rain would hole off but it didn't. It began to put as I got to the driveway of the house and continued all afternoon and unfortunately, no one showed up....NO ONE! Yikes was I upset. I walked around the house for a bit and remembered my father telling me "when all you've got is lemons... make lemonade." Interesting how I remembered that today especially being father's day.

I went to the car and got a book I've been reading and sat in the living room with a cup of tea and quietly read. Every now and then I stopped and thought about the good times spent with my Dad when he was alive. It was an afternoon of mixed emotions and not at all what I expected for the "Open House" I'd plan.

It was now 3:30 and time to go. As I was leaving, the rain let up, the sun peeked through and a car pulled up with a couple who by chance was driving by. They asked to see the house and I obliged happily. As I left them we exchanged email contact numbers and made a time to talk further about homes in my area. Funny how things work out isn't it!

www.patricia4realestate.com Hampton NH Real Estate Portsmouth NH Real Estate "Experience isn't expensive it's Pricless!"