Concord NH~Joni~Merrimack County

 It seems not all that long ago that many of us were stressing about the increase in Foreclosures and Short Sales. The accepted strategy at the time....avoid them!

Fast forward a year and Foreclosures and Short Sales have become the norm. Transactions sit in limbo and negotiated rather than dictated terms...are a pleasant diversion.

There are days I worry that I may become hardened to the reality of life and accept business as we now know it. But then as I walk through a house strewn with clothes and toys and children's homework....I recognize how important it is for me, for all of us, to keep foremost in our minds the stories behind the foreclosures. We should grasp tightly to the human side of what we do so that we can help our clients through it with not just knowledge but with compassion!

Not too long ago my friend and fellow AR Blogger William Johnson wrote a thoughtful post about the stories behind the Foreclosures. I thought his idea of putting together a resource list for people in our local area was a wonderful one and have put together one for mine.

Pay It Forward!! 

Helpful Sources

* Shelters (by State)

* Foreclosure Information

* Job Search

* Government Jobs

Local Sources in New Hampshire

* Community Resources

* NH Food Banks

* NH Jobs

* NH Shelters

* Help For Pets

Concord NH Realtor

Our first Membership Meeting for the Riverside Meadows Co-Operative was mainly an informational one!

We accepted the voted on the name (Riverside Meadows).

Following brief discussion, Membership Applications were passed out. Each family is entitled to one Membership and that Membership entitles them to one vote on Co-Operative matters. The Membership fee is $25/household. This becomes the "working capital" for the Board of Directors for initial expenses (postage, fees,filing charges etc.)

Out of a potential 70 households....we have an initial signing of 48..... Off to a great start!

We were charged with the task (for that evening) of discussing, adjusting to our needs and adopting a set of by-laws. We will eventually be writing our own but for now just adjusted the existing ones provided. We were then charged with electing a Board of Directors. Nominations were made by various members. The nominees gave their brief biographies and experience. A ballot vote was taken and officers were elected.

It was made clear that this Board would have the power of negotiating on our behalf, the power to borrow money and would be researching information to present to the Membership regarding our potential purchase.

An empowerment resolution was passed.

Everyone present seemed to completely engaged in the process and eager to see this happen!

The next matter of business will be an open Board of Directors meeting!

(This is what we really look like)                   

Concord New Hampshire Realtor

In 1983 a non-profit organization known as The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund was founded. Their goal was affordable loans and housing for low to moderate income citizens of NH.

Their financing model was established in 1984 when the Sisters of Mercy loaned them $43,000 (at low interest). That money was loaned to 13 families in Meredith who lived in a manufactured housing park and wanted to purchase the park from its aging owners.

This was the first NH Co-Op....one of many to come. They are now known as the Meredith Center Cooperative listen to their story! This milestone meant that the residents now owned the land beneath their homes, they controlled when and if they would move,their rates were stabilized and any sub-structure improvements built more equity in their homes.

 To date the Loan Fund has helped fund more than 90 Co-Ops throughout the State and even in this economy.... they are still lending. In February of this year the NHCLF is investing, in the State of NH, 1.5 million dollars where it will be lent to small businesses and non-profits, people re-financing manufactured homes and co-ops buying manufactured home parks.

In the state of New Hampshire one of the most difficult properties to finance is manufactured housing. If the home is on its own land....there is hope. But if it is in a park and older than 1973....cash is the best option. Even if you can manage to obtain financing....it usually means a larger down payment and higher interest rate. However,if your property is in a co-op....not only may your values be higher....there  are also more lending sources available for potential Buyers.

My husband and I have reached retirement age. And like so many others, circumstances have dictated that we keep working.

We sold our home of 25 years to not only downsize but to reduce monthly payments. Our goal was to buy a place we could still afford to live in when working may no longer be an option. Fortunately we have found a lovely manufactured home in "The Meadows" in Hopkinton NH. It has a 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a sunroom on 1/4 acre lot with a peaceful river in he back. Best of all they are taking steps to go Co-op! And will be working with the NH Community Loan Fund.

Not only is this an improvement financially but as a Realtor I will now have first hand information on the benefits and "inner workings" of the process. This can only help to benefit future clients!

I will be posting Blogs about the proceedures and our progress.....

Talk about good timing!!

Concord NH Realtor

I just read a somewhat humerous but sobering article in my local paper.

 New environmental rules seem to have spurred a flurry of inter-state smuggling.

Last July, Spokane County Washington became the launch pad for our nation's strictest ban on dishwasher detergents made with phosphates. It is well known that phosphates are a heavy water polluter and this is an attempt to reduce water pollution! The ban will become statewide come July 2010 and several other states are expected to follow suit!

Now for the smuggling part: It would appear that "green" detergents do (1) Not cut grease and (2) Don't get dishes clean. Those folks in Spokane County were forced to either wash their dishes by hand, put them through a pot & pan cycle (more water) or head East on Interstate 90 into Idaho....for the real deal! One, unnamed, Consumer says"everyone she knows buys their soap in Idaho". The manager of the Costco in Coeur d'Alene Idaho estimates his detergent sales have increased 10%.

Among the other States considering a like ban are our sister states of Vermont and Massachusetts.

For years our border businesses in NH have benefited from tobacco and liquor pricing and our lack of sales tax......do we have another potential source of revenue? On which side will the Legislative debate land? Will we too go green or encourage non-green sales benefits? 

Boy....Kermie was right! It's not easy being green! 

Concord NH Realtor Area  Information

This morning on my way into the office, I was listening to my FAVORITE radio station (NHPR). They were interviewing an author, Emily Yellin, about her newest book "Your Call is (not that) Important to Us: Customer Service and what it reveals About Our World and Our Lives"

She was discussing the observation that in these challenging and economically competitive times....many businesses were having to "re-visit" how they were spending their image and Marketing $$$$$. Many are reaching the conclusion that instead of telling people how good you are....you should show them, in an area where it really counts...Customer Service.

This concept applies equally to Real Estate.

In this Market....hanging on to a Customer is where it's at. People are looking for knowledge and instruction from their Agent. They are looking for someone who can guide them through what has increasingly become a frustrating, time consuming, stressful and often discouraging process. They need a counselor, a cheering section and a dispassionate voice of reason.

Our office has always stressed Customer Serviceand follow-thru such as monthly newsletters, frequent phone calling, monthly reports on listed properties and Buyer reality checks. This attitude has helped us build a loyal customer referral system.

I'm betting that many of us are finding that getting back to basics is what is keeping us in business these days. Investing of yourself, your time and your knowledge.

Good old fashioned Customer Service....the customers are passing the good word and coming back for more!

CONCORD NH REALTOR

This morning I received an email from a Client who is very involved with Dog Rescue Organizations (Ridgeback).

When I first met her she and her husband had taken in two female Rhodesian Ridgebacks that had been used as "Breeders" in an unscrupulous puppy mill. They had known no life outside of their crates and their only purpose was to have litters. When I would show my Clients property no one even knew they were there because they were so un-socialized they laid "statue like" in their crates as we walked through.

To date one has been socialized enough to be given to a good home,the second is on her way and they have now taken in a new "foster child".

She asked me to pass the word about anABC special tonight on Nightline. They will be doing an expose' on puppy mills in PA.

Hopefully there will be information on how interested party's can get involved!

It would seem that people are still finding it profitable to sell these puppies. It is up to us as Consumers to research not only the puppy we are buying....but where we are buying it from.

~~~~~~~~~~

This is the original email....reprinted with permision of the author.

Subject: Fwd: "Nightline" 3/27 Puppy Expose! Please Crosspost
To:
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 2:00 PM

                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
  Permission to cross-post.                                                         
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
   =============                                                                   
   To: Rescue                                                                       
   Cc: Petland protest                                                             
   Subject: Fwd: "Nightline" 3/27 Puppy Expose! Please Crosspost                   
   Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 10:10:27 -0500                                           
                                                                                   
   FYI!                                                                             
                                                                                   
                                                                                   
    The cat is out of the bag - or should we say the dog out of the                 
    hutch!  This Friday night, March 27, ABC's Nightline will be                   
    investigating puppy mills!                                                     
                                                                                   
    ABC Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi and investigators from Nightline               
    travel the byways and back roads of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania -           
    visiting numerous puppy mills and filming Main Line Animal Rescue's             
    volunteers as they rescue breeding dogs and puppies from Lancaster             
    County's notorious Amish commercial breeding facilities.                       
                                                                                   
    This promises to be a very special program.  If you are involved in             
    rescue, advocate on behalf of the millions of puppy mill dogs                   
    interned in our nation's commercial dog breeding facilities, or if             
    you just simply love animals, you will not want to miss this.                   
                                                                                   
    Sharyn Alfonsi interviewed, on camera, an Amish breeder while touring           
    his facility - a first for network television.  With approximately             
    500 dogs housed on his property, this commercial breeder speaks                 
    openly about an industry cloaked in secrecy and suspicion - the cruel           
    factory farming of man's best friend.                                           
                                                                                   
    PLEASE tell your friends, your family, your coworkers - ABC Nightline           
    investigates puppy mills - this Friday at 11:35 pm (Eastern Standard           
    Time).  Please take the time to forward this to all the rescues,               
    shelters, and legislators in your area.                                         
                                                                                   
    It has been almost one year since Oprah's puppy mill show aired.               
    That program received the highest viewer response of any Oprah Show             
    in years.  Now we need to spread the word about this very special               
    Nightline.  Only by educating as many people as we can, will we be             
    able to help these animals.  And after you watch the program, please           
    don't hesitate to contact ABC and Nightline to thank them for casting           
    such a strong light on the plight of our nation's puppy mill dogs.             
                                                                                   
    Bill Smith                                                                     
    Main Line Animal Rescue                                                         
                                                                                   
    Friday's airing of Nightline's investigation of puppy mills is                 
    subject to breaking news.  If for any reason it is not shown, it will           
    air the beginning of next week.  Please check listings for your time            
    zone.                                                                           
               

~~~~~~~~

Let's do what we can!!                                                                     
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                    
                                                                                   
.                                                                                  
                                                                                   

Concord NH Realtor

Christmas was a less than elaborate celebration!  

I couldn't see the point of unpacking a whole bunch of stuff only to have to pack it up again!

We hired a professional mover. We figured 25 years in the same house there was a lot of accumulation in the attic, cellar and second floor of the garage! More than our ancient bones could handle! The Mover had a 10 day free storage policy that we figured would work out well if we didn't close on time on our purchase. All we had to do is find a motel that would take the dogs!

I was exceptionally proud of the "system" I came up with. I wanted to cut down on the time it took the movers so I not only labeled the boxes for content ....I color coded them for where they went. Green tape Garage, Red the shed, Yellow the   living room and Blue...upstairs.

As time went on it became obvious we weren't going to close on the new house on the 15th. We were going FHA and that part was all set, the Foreclosures Seller agreed to the reduced price. but, now the MI company was reluctant to insure the loan. Our Broker researched another Company and still no go because we had been late (in the past two years) on one Mortgage payment. So we decided to go with 20% down so the insurance wouldn't be an issue.

The increased costs meant we had to cancel the professional mover so we hired a local guy and a helper....disaster!!

It was totally overwhelming....the stuff, the trash, the running out of boxes, the running out of bags, the having to rent a second storage unit, the pure exhaustion!! It was obvious that we weren't going to be able to be out by 11:00 the next day. The Sellers offered an extension till the next evening. If we weren't out we had to give them $725.

Well....you guessed it...we were an hour and 1/2 late getting out. And had to forfeit the money. I can look back now and see all the woulda, coulda, shouldas I should have done! but..working as my own agent I was just too close to the situation, too tired and too emotional to make good decisions!

Next Installment.....on to the Red Roof Inn!

Concord NH Realtors

Now that the Home Inspection had been signed off on ....we decided it was possible to see if we could find a new home an an affordable range that our new circumstances dictated.

Since we had a closing date of January 15th we figured we had about a week to find something. If that didn't happen we were going to rent for a while. So armed with our pre-quals...we headed off into the world of foreclosures!

I can't even describe some of the properties we saw. Most were either so old or in such bad shape...they weren't worth fixing up. The others had been "rehabbed" and the work had to be undone before you could....move on!

We had been looking at smaller homes but a Foreclosure with a price reduction came up on the MLS. Situated in the Village of Pittsfield NH, a Victorian Colonial (1865)  In this style house the first and second floors are usually a mirror image. This would give us the option of doing over the first floor from scratch for us and making a second apartment for income on the second.

It had high ceilings, hardwood floors,baths up and down a beautiful lot and was within walking distance to the center of town!

We decided to make an offer. I will say I was pleasantly surprised at the quick responses with offer/counteroffer. We had a heating and plumbing contractor check the systems as best he could with all shut off and meters removed. The house had been winterized, but not properly, and there was pipe damage to the tune of $7,000. We felt the cost was worth the final product.

The hang up came with the appraisal. The appraisal came in at about 20 thousand less ($75K) than agreed upon Selling price ($93K).

I sent in an addendum for a commitment extension and a new price plus a copy of the full appraisal.

And so ....the waiting game began!

Concord NH Realtor

Preface: It is hard to believe that it has only been about six weeks since my last entry in this Diary. It has seemed like eternity

As a Realtor I have always found the home inspection to be the most dreaded part of the whole transaction.If something is to go wrong....that is where it will most likely be.

I was not overly concerned about our Home Inspection. I was reasonably sure there would be some minor issues, after all the house was built in '78, but we had just had the septic pumped that Spring and felt we had stayed on top of any repairs. The furnace had been cleaned and serviced, the roof was only about 10 years old and my husband had made pool repairs in the Summer.

As I sat chating with the Buyer's Agent the Buyer and his HI made the usual rounds...all seemed to be going fine. The septic company arrived for their inspection and after about a half hour the guy called us all outside.

The leach field was in failure. I was in total shock. We had had no indication, no sluggishness, no sponginess or gurgling.

The Buyers were very upset. Being on a septic system, to begin with, was a major concern. They had never had one before. The Buyers and their agent started talking about hooking up to the city system but I knew it didn't run down our street. As they left, their Agent said.....they'ed get back to us.

The next day we received our Addendum. The leach field was to be replaced and the electrical in the house and garage evaluated and brought up to code by a licensed electrician.

Up until this point I had been remarkably able to put on my "Realtor Hat" when needed. But all of that was about to change!

We were very anxious to sell....in fact it was imperitive that we did. We decided to swallow the cost of Septic and Electric, rather than risk them walking away.

The cost of replacing our system was $8,000. Because this occured over the holidays, for 6 days we couldn't do laundry and had to limit "flushing".It was loud and annoying,  my yard was a mess and the poor dogs had to be walked on a leash.

Strangely enough...the incident that upset me the most...was when they left and pulled out the machine that had been parked outside my dining room window for a week, I saw what they had done to my Hydrangea that I planted 25 years ago. They had asked if they could "trim" it.

It broke my heart! 

           BEFORE  

                                                                    AFTER      

Next installment....looking for a new place!

Concord NH Realtor