Lower Your Energy Bill and Save Mother Earth

According to the American Almanac, Americans consume approximately 26% of the world's energy supply (while only accounting for only 5% of the world's population) and use about 15 times more energy per person than a typical developing country.

Everyday, our energy usage increases and so does our need to import energy resources from foreign countries. So here are a few ways to reduce home energy consumption, cut your costs (= save money), and help Mother Earth.

Before you take action, let's look at the main energy consuming monsters in your home:

• Space Heating: 32%
• Water Heating: 13%
• Lighting: 12%
• Air Conditioning: 11%
• Refrigeration: 8%
• Electronics: 5%
• Clothes Dryers: 5%

Take note: almost one third of the energy used is due to heating a home. So here are some strategies that can help make a difference...

1. Find leaks and seal them. Use caulking to seal leaks and any gaps or cracks around windows and doors.

2. Replace old windows. If you have older or leaky windows, consider replacing them with newer windows (double pane are a plus).

3. Turn down your thermostat to 68 degrees. Wear warmer clothing and lower the thermostat to 68 degrees. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60 - 70 degree range, you can save approximately 5% on heating costs.

4. Get a routine maintenance of your heating system. Also, check your furnace's air filter monthly and replace or clean as needed. Your heating system will work more efficiently and last longer with proper maintenance.

5. Make good use of light. Take advantage of sunlight as best as possible and use compact fluorescent lights (CFL) in place of conventional incadescent light bulbs. CFL use 1/4 less wattage than conventional bulbs.

6. Turn off appliances when not used. This is especially important for electronic appliances such as computers, printers, photocopiers, and TVs. Also, unplug appliances that aren't used on a regular basis.

7. Keep the refrigerator closed. You lose about 25% of the cold air evertyime you open the refrigerator so try to reduce the amount of time the door is open. Also, clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator to keep them working efficiently.

8. Wash your clothes in cold water as much as possible. Also, consider air-drying your laundry on clothes lines or drying racks instead of using a dryer everytime. If you do use a dryer, make sure to clean out the lint filter after every load to improve air circulation.

Also, if you are planning on buying a new home appliance (washer/dryer, dishwasher, A/Cs, etc.) you should always look for the energy-efficient models with the ENERGY STAR tag. For more detailed information about increasing energy efficiency take a look at the U.S. Department of Energy 'Energy Savers' web site.

Labels: energy conservation, mother earth, new hampshire real estate

posted by B. Samii @ 4:44 AM 2 comments

NH Real Estate Market Conditons - December '06

To empower our customers with some more useful information (and whoever else that likes cutting through real estate data and statistics) we are going to provide a monthly overview of NH market conditions for four select real estate markets. This should provide a good overview and some raw, hard numbers for you real estate junkies! --

Condominiums:
The following is data regarding NH condomium sales activity:

Nashua
Number New condos - 22
Number Sold condos - 27
Average Days on Market - 73
Average Listing Price - $221,969
Average Price Sold - $216,396

Manchester
Number New condos - 40
Number Sold condos - 36
Average Days on Market -112
Average Listing Price - $148,828
Average Price Sold - $144,810

Portsmouth
Number New condos - 12
Number Sold condos - 9
Average Days on Market - 203
Average Listing Price - $224,978
Average Price Sold - $213,209

Concord
Number New condos - 12
Number Sold condos - 17
Average Days on Market - 55
Average Listing Price - $139,379
Average Sales Price - $137,418


Single-Family Homes:
The following is data regarding NH single-family home sales activity:

Nashua
Number New homes - 40
Number Sold homes - 37
Average Days on Market - 115
Average Listing Price - $285,859
Average Price Sold - $278,705

Manchester
Number New homes - 36
Number Sold homes - 43
Average Days on Market - 91
Average Listing Price - $269,881
Average Price Sold - $268,033

Portsmouth
Number New homes - 10
Number Sold homes - 11
Average Days on Market - 83
Average Listing Price - $347,473
Average Price Sold - $332,427

Concord
Number New homes - 27
Number Sold homes - 10
Average Days on Market - 98
Average Listing Price - $270,875
Average Sales Price - $273,123

Labels: concord real estate, manchester real estate, nashua real estate, new hampshire real estate market, nh condos, nh homes, nh real estate, portsmouth real estate

posted by B. Samii @ 10:02 AM 0 comments

The Most Expensive Property For Sale in New Hampshire

The price tag for the most expensive property for sale in New Hampshire is still set at $9,500,000.

Reduced from an original asking price of $12M, the private estate situated on 7.7 acre Shapleigh Island (Portsmouth, NH) is a massive 5 bedroom/8 bathroom property with 14,000 total finished square feet.

The property features a variety of amenities including: in-ground pool, pool house, 6-car garage, wine cellar, sunroom, in-law apartment, and home gym -- just to name a few.

The property is listed by Tate and Foss.

To view more pictures of this property: please click here.

Labels: luxury home, nh real estate, portsmouth, portsmouth nh real estate

posted by B. Samii @ 2:07 PM 0 comments

NH Real Estate Statistics -- Average Days on Market 2006

Days on Market (DOM) is a reflection of the number of days a property is on the market (from the day it is listed on the MLS to the closing) and is a good indicator of market health.

Very simply, when properties take a long time to sell, the average DOM will be high, usually indicating a slow market. A healthier market will tend to have more activity and will usually denote a lower average DOM.

The following graphs show DOM of condos and single-family homes in four New Hampshire real estate markets including Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Concord for the year of 2006.

(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)

Labels: new hampshire real estate, nh real estate

posted by B. Samii @ 9:04 AM 0 comments