Stephanie's Blog

October 24, 2008

Dear Residents of the Monadnock Region,

In the coming weeks you will see a new yard sign around town.  Effective November 15th, our buyers, sellers, and customers will be receiving significant additionaly marketing exposure and services through our new relationship with Better Homes and Garden, a well known media outlet. 

The www.BH&G.com offers buyers and sellers much valuable information and services relating to home, lifestyle and now real estate.  Our current website will be upgraded and you will still be able to access all MLS listings through www.masiello.com with the benefits of using "Homescout" to send you the daily listings within your search criteria. 

NOT ON HOMESCOUT?? Looking for real estate?

Here's how to register for Homescout:

1. Go to www.masiello.com. Select "Homescout".

2. Enter your search criteria and enter an agent name (if you're not working with an agent, you may choose an agent you know, or if you'd like to engage me in your next real estate transaction, enter me: Stephane Jacques-Keene office)

3. You will be sent a link by email. Click on the link to complete your registration.

**Now you never have to enter in another search again.  Enjoy receiving free, daily listings as they hit the market!

If you have any questions for me or comments, please use the comment space below.

Have a wonderful Pumpkinfest weekend!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Jacques

Associate Broker

The Masiello Group

How's the market? I'm often asked that as conversation opener. Well, it's doing swell. 

WE ARE THE 3RD LEAST VULNERABLE MARKET IN THE COUNTRY! 

What are the figures for residential sales in Cheshire County, NH?

From 1/1/08-10/24/08, Realtors closed on 533 in Cheshire County, just slightly lower than the 586 sold during the same time period in 2007.

From 1/1/08-10-24-08, 485 residential homes expired from the market, just slightly great than the 437 homes that expired during the same period frame in 2007.

During the past 90 days, 218 residential homes closed in Cheshire County, almost exactly the same as last year during that same time period.

Click Here for the Entertainment Schedule for this Year's Pumpkinfest!

Keene started this event 18 years ago. Several cities across the country have joined in on the challenge, and we were actually beat by Boston, with 30K+ jack-ol-anterns decorated and lit during their annual pumpkinfestival.

This is a great event, and really unites our community. There is a children's tent with free activities, games, and prizes. At noontime there is a children's costume parade. The event in it's entirety lasts from 10am on Saturday October 25th to 9pm, ending with fireworks.

Fall foliage here in southwestern New Hampshire peaked two weeks ago and more than half of the leaves have already fallen. No matter what it looks like outside, you can't beat an evening out on a crisp, cold fall evening with well over 20K happy or frightful jack-o-lanterns looking at you, all carved by local children, families and adults hoping to add to the wonderful display of jacks on this very special day.

My four year old daughter will once again be dressed as Cinderella and our 9 month little boy will be a puppy dog riding in my backpack carrier.

The fact that they close down Main St. to traffic for this very event, an event which draws tens of thousands of people each year- is huge! I'm not from here originally, but have been here since 94. It's the place I call home.

I've been in the region since 1994, with a brief leave from 1998-2000, though I've come back to stay with my growing family...and my horses!

Our region has become more and more diverse and I believe that is partially due to the wonderful Cheshire Horse Tack Shop in Keene, NH.  They sell everything you need for your pets, not just for horses. Their staff is very knowlegable, and can help you with most all of your equine questions related to feeding, care, and riding.

Miracles in Motion is a therapeutic horseback riding facility, also located in Keene. Though they don't have a website, they provide horseback riding lessons for individuals with disabilities.  They need volunteers to help with horse handling, leading and sidewalking.

This photo was taken at Southmowing.  Southmowing Stables, though not in Cheshire County but over the border, is a great facility for boarding, lessons and training.  They have wonderful trails in the woods with jumps for every level rider. They also hold horse shows for all levels of riders competing in 2 and 3 phase eventing.

Swanzey Stables is located off Homestead Hwy in Swanzey (Rte. 32). Emily and Marty Goodell operate this large facility where there is ample turnout, great stall sizes and a nice, newer indoor riding arena.

One of the best trainers for the aspiring eventer that I know around the region is Jess Systo. She is at a barn in Hinsdale with a brand new 100x200 indoor arena and also has great turnout, some new stalls, and excellent horse care.

If you're a beginner rider (english or western) or a western rider looking for a place near Richmond, Lisa Leclaire owns a boarding, lessons and training business approximately 20 minutes from Keene. She is excellent for beginner riders and takes them to horse shows at the Cheshire Fairgrounds every year. Her stables are a casual place, and she lives on the premises. It's a very comfortable place to ride and there are trails all around her property.

Reiners, a great place is to go to Tory Hill on Glebe Road in Westmoreland. Cheryl Fletcher lives on the property and offers training, lessons and boarding with beautiful pastures or individual turn out, as well as an indoor or outdoor arena.

If you would like to add to this list or if you would like to contact any of these people, please email me at stephaniejacques@masiello.com or cal 603-283-1948 and I will connect you with other horse people in the region, including farriers, vets, a natural hoof trimmer, or other local facilities.

New stats I just came across from our office meeting. A RealtyTrends newsletter provided us with some insights on where people first saw the house they now own. Here are some interesting findings:

2007:

From their agent-34%

Internet 29%

Yard Sign 14%

Home builder 8%

Friend/Relative 8%

Newspaper Ad 3%

Directly from Sellers 3%

Book or Magazine 1%

Other -

How many of your offices have greatly reduced paper print ads? Has this reduced your business?! It goes to show that satisfying a seller's request to advertise in all local papers is a great waste of resources. These statistics come from homeowners who are actually giving the locations of WHERE they found the home they actually ended up BUYING.

I see this as an important trend to follow, and wonder, now, if there is an increase in the number of homes sold through social networking? Any stories to share about this?

Cell phone numbers went public last Friday, unless you were on the Do Not Call list. Here's how to get off this list, it must be done once every 5 years:

Call 888-382-1222 and follow simple instructions

You MUST be calling from the number you wish to remove from the registry.

This morning I awoke to frost. I went out to feed the horses, let out the chickens, and take a breath of that quiet, fall morning air. It's back...I thought. It felt great.

I feel this is a time of year when we, in New England, are reminded by Mother Nature to take a moment to relax, take a breath, look at what's changing around us. So much is changing, though oftentimes it's easier to observe the visual changes than to feel changes elsewhere.

Last weekend I attended a neighborhood cider making gathering. Friend and neighbors brought their own apples from their trees. As imperfect and bruised as they all were, some with black circles and little worm holes in them, the apples produced the most wonderful, sweet tasting apple cider. I brought several jars and filled them up to freeze them so that I could be reminded of the time we all gathered together to make apple cider. I'll remember watching my four year old daughter was spinning around the apple press, making for the very first time, her own cup of cider. Donuts, a small bonfire, good music and great people. Surrounded by fall foliage, the smell of a damp forest with only a slight opening for the 200 + year old colonial home behind us. No neighbors, a dirt road winds around the property leading us from Sullivan, NH to the small village center of Nelson, NH. A road where so many people have stopped by the house to ask, where are we? We're looking for Nelson village, but this can't possibly be the main road that leads us there? "Keep going" we urge with confidence that they will eventually get there, after taking the most beautiful drive of their life- Apple Hill Road, Sullivan, NH.

On another day, I take the drive from Keene, NH to Jaffrey, down Rte. 124 where I stop, every year, to look at Mount Monadnock in the fall.  We have pictures from year to year from this very same spot. Each year the colors are vibrant and I feel at peace.

This is the time I take a moment to  slow down. Working with my clients is more relaxed, more comfortable than ever. They feel it too.

Take the time to enjoy! Happy Fall.

My husband just sent me this article about the winning bidder on a home in Siganaw, Michigan! What a way to sell the home, what a way to take a loss! I bet we'll see more and more of this. It leaves me to believe that some homes you'd even have to PAY people to buy! I have many buyers who leave a fixer upper and make that very comment!

SEE ARTICLE

When listing a property, I speak with my sellers about whether all showings will be accompanied by myself or not (as listing agent). The buyers always come with their agent, but is it always necessary for the listing agent to be present?

I feel that, in some cases, no, and in other cases, yes...I don't feel it's always in the seller's best interest if their listing agent is one who hovers over the buyers at a showing. I've received comments from buyers that they would prefer to view a house without the listing agent around, that it's more comfortable and they can relax as they look.  Oftentimes there is nothing a listing agent can do or say to make a buyer want to buy a property, and at times, there are things the listing agent shares that they can actually be liable for, such as the comment that the basement is dry... If a buyer takes their word for it, buys the house and the basement ends up moist or wet the next season, who's liable?

I think requiring accompanied showings can sometimes be a detriment to the seller, though not it all cases, and so take this as a general statement. Most of my showings are unaccompanied. I don't want my schedule to hold up a potential buyer's ability to view a property, and what about when agents have several listings, he or she may not be able to attend all showings at once.

Are accompanied showings common practice in other areas of the country, and what is your experience with them? As a seller, what do you see as benefits and detriments to this arrangement? At least there is one fact, homes have been selling either way.

So often I work with First Time Buyers. I love these people. They are so interested in the process, they ask the right questions, and they are fun to work with. After years of working with First Time Buyers I've come to the conclusion that it's better to prepare them to be prepared to be prepared to be prepared...

Huh? What do I mean by this? Most specifically, I run into these scenarios so frequently that it should go down in the books. The buyers see a wonderful property and they haven't looked at enough to determine that this really is the best one for thtem. OR The buyers are uncomfortable with taking the next step (making an offer) because they have never done this before, and another offer comes along too quickly before they decide to make an offer. This is painful.

While balancing between not wanting to push a new buyer and being honest about these possibilities, I find myself needing to be quite blunt about it. I can't hold back, these buyers need to know the reality that, even in this market, properties are selling in under 30 days still, especially if it is a home as desirable as the one they've just fallen in love with.

So my approach to this has changed over the years to: the more the buyers know about the possibilities, their options, the various scenarios that can play out, the better informed they can be and the better the chance it is that they will not lose out when they come upon THAT home.

As their agent, it is my job to take them through this process in a way that is transparent, without hiding anything. The experiences I've had add value to what I offer as a Buyer's Agent to the First Time Buyer. It's something we all need to be assertive about because this is what we're hired for.