New Hampshire Tops Rankings for The Most Livable State
According to the annual Morgan Quitno Press State Rankings for 2006, New Hampshire ranks #1 for the Most Livable State. Scott Morgan, President of Morgan Quitno Press, stated that “Citizens of New Hampshire enjoy low unemployment, low crime rates, high levels of household income and high levels of education. The state has a stellar record in many of the categories we considered for our award.”
Others in the top 5 spot include Minnesota, Iowa, Vermont and New Jersey.
The rankings are based on a criteria of 44 metrics that include economic, educational, health, public safety and environmental factors.
Other Rankings:
Healthiest State: Vermont
Smartest State: Vermont
Safest State: North Dakota
Most Dangerous State: Nevada
Most Improved State: Florida
Labels: new hampshire real estate, real estate news
posted by B. Samii @ 1:59 PM
The Role of the Attorney in Real Estate Transactions
For most persons, the purchase and sale of their homes will be the largest financial transaction that will occur during their lifetimes. As a result, the importance of wholly protecting such an investment can not be overstated. From the day you make your decision to buy your home until such time that you have become the legal owner, there are a number of important decisions you must make which have legal consequences. The following is a brief summary of several aspects of your sale and how your attorney may assist you.
THE REAL ESTATE CONTRACTThe Contract, or Offer to Purchase, is a very important document and should contain all of the terms involved in your purchase, including the purchase price, and how it is to be paid, a description of the property being purchased, and any conditions of the purchase. You should read any Contract or Offer to Purchase carefully before signing it. If you have any questions concerning the meaning or effect of any portion of the proposed contract, you should consult your attorney before signing it. The Contract is a legal document and is binding on the seller and buyer.
TITLE SEARCHIf you are obtaining a loan, your lender will require that an attorney examine the county land records prior to closing. If you are not obtaining a loan, you should still have your attorney examine the records to make sure you are buying what you think you are and the property is free and clear of (1) claims of others, (2) judgments, (3) outstanding deeds of trust or mortgages, (4) unpaid taxes, (5) defective deeds and similar defects. Your attorney will report to you, your lenders, and the title insurance company, if applicable, what his search of the public records disclosed.
TITLE INSURANCETitle insurance insures against hazards inherent in real estate titles, but which may not be apparent from the title search. Your attorney cannot guarantee against certain defects in the title not generally discoverable from a review of the public records. Defects of this sort include forged deeds, missing heirs, clerical errors and the like. However, a typical title insurance policy will protect against defects such as these. Your lender may well require that you protect its investment with title insurance, as you may also do, as owners. Your attorney will apply for the title insurance for you.
CLOSINGPrior to closing, instructions from the lender are sent to your attorney, a survey is completed, pest inspections are made, you will have obtained a home owner's hazard insurance policy and arrangements will have been made for defects or incomplete items. the attorney is responsible for preparing all necessary closing documents, scheduling the closing, explaining all necessary closing documents and having them properly executed and recorded. You will receive copies of most closing documents, including an itemized record of all money paid by you on your behalf.
SELECTION OF ATTORNEYThus, an attorney's role in real estate transactions may include consultation prior to signing of the Contract, preparation of closing documents, the title search and certification, presiding over the closing and recording of the deed and mortgage. All of this work is done in close coordination with the Buyer(s), Seller(s), Realtor(s), and Lender(s). The attorney strives to assure that this complex procedure is carried out in the most pleasing and expedient manner possible. Therefore, choosing an experienced real estate attorney to handle your purchase and the closing is especially important.
SELECT AN ATTORNEY WHO REPRESENTS YOUR INTERESTIf you are paying the attorney fees, you alone should select the attorney to insure that your interests are being represented and not that of the other parties in the transaction.
Labels: Attorney's Role
posted by Attorney Pete Smith @ 6:09 AM
2007 NH Internet Awards
FarsRealtyGroup.com won an award in the Best Real Estate Website category at the 2007 NH Internet awards last night. Our site was among two other real estate site winners including
johnsonia.com and
domistyle.com (overall winner).
Best of Show went to the Merrimack Tomahawks High School Football team.
Also, a shout out to our friends at
Lightfin Studios who walked away with three awards.
Click here for a
complete list of all the award winners.
Labels: new hampshire real estate
posted by B. Samii @ 11:17 AM
Neighboroo – Visual Real Estate Data
Here is a new map-based real esate data site, called
Neighboroo,
that has lots and lots of relevant information potentially useful for both home buyers and consumer marketers alike.
The interface is a very usable and includes a simple layout with a search field to enter a zip code or location, as well as zoomable google map.
There are 16 search metrics to choose from and the results are displayed in a color-coded map making it very easy to cut through large amounts of data very quickly.
I see a lot of potential with this concept and many possiblilites to leverage this with other tools outside of real estate. Cheers to the neighboroo team.
Labels: real estate technology
posted by B. Samii @ 4:07 AM
Seacoast NH Luxury Listings
Properties of Distinction -- here a few homes that are worth checking out...
$3,200,000 Waterfront North Hampton estate for sale. This
luxury home sits on 3 acres of private land with great views and over 380 feet of frontage on Mill pond. It includes a spacious floor plan with 9,740 finished square feet including 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and 35 ft. cathedral ceiling. There is also a knotty pine bonus room and a home theater.
Did I mention the custom pool overlooking the pond?
The property is listed by Ned Tate of Tate and Foss.
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$2,495,000 Stunning home overlooking Rye Harbor in Rye, NH. Includes several viewing decks and lots of windows with fabulous views of the Atlantic and Rye harbor.
This home boasts a 4,000 square foot layout with 3 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.
The property is listed by Lorraine Wheeler of RE/MAX Coast to Coast.
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$3,500,00 Waterfront condo in New Castle with views of Little Harbor. Just steps away from Wentworth By the Sea, this property sits on a secluded half-acre, beautifully manicured lot and includes 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and a deck with magnificent views. Low maintenance living in a luxury watefront property.
The property is listed by Suzanne Hamblett of Tate and Foss.
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$7,850,000 This is a big one -- a total of 17 rooms for this Rye beauty. The property has 7 bedrooms 9 bathrooms for a total of 9,547 square feet of finished living area. Just steps to the beach, this is a true
luxury home with beautiful views of the Atlantic ocean, in-ground swimming pool and patio.
The property is listed by Allan Rogers of Bentely By the Sea.
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$5,500,000 Absolutely
stunning property in New Castle. Tastefully designed, this three-story property includes an incredible list of amenities (game room, wine cellar, gazebo, hot tub) in a dreamy 7.6 acre landscaped setting. A total of 5 bedroom, 9 bathrooms and 7,700 square foot layout.
Oh, and there is also a sauna.
The property is listed by Lorraine Wheeler of RE/MAX Coast to Coast.
Labels: luxury home, new hampshire real estate
posted by B. Samii @ 3:01 PM
NH Real Estate Market Conditons - February '07
Hot or not? There are lots of indications that the market is beginning to stabilize and is on a steady path to recovery. The overvaluation of the red hot market in 2005 has been offset with price corrections throughout most of last year (2006), resulting in a much healthier market where homes have become more affordable and priced to sell, as we are seeing now. In addition, after a quiet holiday season, there has been quite a significant buzz of active buyers in the past two months (and continuing) fueled by a rather mild winter.
What does the Spring have in store? Things are looking relatively optimistic as long as interest rates maintain (we'll have to keep a close eye on the
implications of the recent stock market meltdown and what Bernake does at the next Fed meeting).
Condominiums:
The following is data regarding NH condomium sales activity:
NashuaNumber New condos - 48
Number Sold condos - 36
Average Days on Market - 94
Average Listing Price - $195,650
Average Price Sold - $192,308
Manchester
Number New condos - 77
Number Sold condos - 38
Average Days on Market -56
Average Listing Price - $156,867
Average Price Sold - $154,602
Portsmouth
Number New condos - 11
Number Sold condos - 6
Average Days on Market - 62
Average Listing Price - $389,767
Average Price Sold - $379,800
Concord
Number New condos - 20
Number Sold condos - 8
Average Days on Market - 81
Average Listing Price - $111,288
Average Sales Price - $103,938
Single-Family Homes:
The following is data regarding NH single-family home sales activity:
NashuaNumber New homes - 66
Number Sold homes - 27
Average Days on Market - 91
Average Listing Price - $312,811
Average Price Sold - $302,363
ManchesterNumber New homes - 82
Number Sold homes - 50
Average Days on Market - 85
Average Listing Price - $262,038
Average Price Sold - $258,890
PortsmouthNumber New homes - 10
Number Sold homes - 13
Average Days on Market - 94
Average Listing Price - $263,331
Average Price Sold - $255,338
ConcordNumber New homes - 23
Number Sold homes - 15
Average Days on Market - 134
Average Listing Price - $256,037
Average Sales Price - $247,151
Labels: new hampshire real estate, real estate market
posted by B. Samii @ 11:57 AM
