You’ll feel warm and cozy in this classic New England Farmhouse with beamed ceilings, wide pine floors, raised panel doors and more. Wonderful original features throughout. Level, open lot with established gardens and apple and pear trees. Was $424,000., now offered at $375,000. For more photos and details, visit www.27ShakerSt.com.
Monthly Archive for April, 2011
Sales of existing-home sales rose in March, continuing an uneven recovery that began after sales bottomed last July, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing home sales which do include condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.10 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.92 million in February, but are 6.3 percent below the 5.44 million pace in March 2010. Sales were at elevated levels from March through June of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, expects the improving sales pattern to continue. “Existing-home sales have risen in six of the past eight months, so we’re clearly on a recovery path,” he said. “With rising jobs and excellent affordability conditions, we project moderate improvements into 2012, but not every month will show a gain – primarily because some buyers are finding it too difficult to obtain a mortgage. For those fortunate enough to qualify for financing, monthly mortgage payments as a percent of income have been at record lows.”
NAR’s housing affordability index shows the typical monthly mortgage principal and interest payment for the purchase of a median-priced existing home is only 13 percent of gross household income, the lowest since records began in 1970.
“Although home sales are coming back without a federal stimulus, sales would be notably stronger if mortgage lending would return to the normal, safe standards that were in place a decade ago – before the loose lending practices that created the unprecedented boom and bust cycle,” Yun explained.
“Given that FHA and VA government-backed loan programs turned a modest profit over to the U.S. Treasury last year, and have never required a taxpayer bailout, we believe low down-payment loans should continue to be available for those consumers who have demonstrated financial responsibility and are willing to stay well within their budget. Raising the downpayment requirement would unnecessarily deny credit to many worthy middle-class families and veterans,” Yun said.
The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $159,600 in March, down 5.9 percent from March 2010. Distressed homes – typically sold at discounts in the vicinity of 20 percent – accounted for a 40 percent market share in March, up from 39 percent in February and 35 percent in March 2010.
NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said some renters are looking to home ownership as a hedge against inflation. “The typical buyer today plans to stay in a home for 10 years, while rents are projected to rise at faster rates over the next few years,” he said. “As buyers gain more financial security, the advantages of home ownership become more obvious. Rents will continue to trend up, especially in comparison with a fixed-rate loan which provides financial stability and gradual accumulation of equity over time.”
Total housing inventory at the end of March rose 1.5 percent to 3.55 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.4-month supply at the current sales pace, compared with a 8.5-month supply in February.
Single-family home sales rose 4.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.45 million in March from 4.28 million in February, but are 6.5 percent below the 4.76 million level in March 2010. The median existing single-family home price was $160,500 in March, down 5.3 percent from a year ago.
Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 3.9 percent to an annual level of 800,000 in March but are 12.1 percent below March 2010. The median price in the Northeast was $232,900, down 3.0 percent from a year ago.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
Source: The National Association of Realtors, Washington, DC, April 20, 2011
Picture perfect antique village cape in a charming historic area of Wilmot. Quaint, comfortable and in excellent condition. Attached former artist’s studio offers potential for a variety of uses. Beautifully landscaped yard. For more information and photos, visit www.HistoricCape.com
Published: March 25, 2011
Plan to conduct a radon test in your home, if you haven’t already. As the second leading cause of lung cancer, concentrated radon gas is nothing to ignore.
Radon test: Levels to look for
Radon is a naturally occurring, radioactive gas that’s emitted as uranium decays in water, soil, and rocks. In the open air, radon gas dissipates harmlessly. Allowed to seep into your home where it builds up, however, and it becomes dangerous.
Excessive radon levels may be found anywhere that your home contacts the ground, such as a first level on a concrete slab or in a basement—especially near sump pumps, cracks in the foundation, and gaps in framing.
If your test results indicate radon gas levels at or above 4 pCi/L (picocuries per liter of air), you’ll need to explore options for reducing radon gas. You can view a map of possible radon gas levels in your area.
Home radon test kits
If you are radon testing to evaluate potential risk, a home test kit will do the job, says Brian Hanson, radon specialist at Kansas State University.
Look for test kits online or at home centers and hardware stores, with prices ranging from about $9 to $40. You can also contact your state radon office to find out if they offer a low-cost or free test kit.
Follow instructions carefully for use of the test kit. Typically:
- All doors and windows should be closed for 12 hours prior to testing.
- Place the detector in the lowest livable area of your home and leave it undisturbed for 48 to 96 hours.
- After the appropriate time period, immediately send the detector to its lab, which will deliver the results back to you.
Professional radon test
If you’re in the process of selling your home or want confirmation of radon levels detected by your home test kit, select a professional radon testing service. A testing service ensures that procedures are completed by an impartial professional who’s nationally- or state-trained and certified. To find a qualified company, contact your state radon office.
If testing is done as part of a home inspection, expect to pay an additional $150 above the home inspection cost. If you opt for a radon test separate from the home inspection, you’ll pay about $250 and up.
Counter intelligence
Recently, it’s been noted that some types of granite countertops emit unacceptable levels of radon. You may want to test any areas of your home where stone countertops are present.
With four home renovations to her credit, Jan Soults Walker is a devotee of improvements, products, and trends for the home and garden. For 25 years she’s written for a number of national home shelter publications, and has authored 18 books on home improvement and decorating. Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.
It’s All Over, Folks!
By Dave Anderson
It’s All Over Now, Folks!
Trust me: we’ve got this winter beat!
Welcome April! The calendar heading doesn’t lie despite a recent snowfall. Late season snow is heavy and wet: a back-breaker. What’s worse for those who prematurely flipped their mental switch to “spring,” it can be a spirit-breaker too.
Late snow is “poor man’s fertilizer.” It packs a slug of slow-release atmospheric nitrogen just before lawns green-up and long after the winter snowpack washed out to sea via gutters and storm drains. Folksy “fertilizer” wisdom is slim solace for those who’ve packed the winter gear and are itching to take golf clubs to a local driving range.
In the southern tier, homeowners and landscapers had begun to shovel the last vestiges of snow onto dark pavement, kicking winter to the curb to melt away faster. In haste to trade shovels for rakes, gardeners attack retreating flanks of dirty snow banks with vengeance. Those who washed cars and rolled top-down on I-93 face a new assault of road salt and the six to twelve inches of fresh snow which fell across some regions. Spring is a see-saw battle, fitful and not for the faint of heart.
In the Lakes Region, hopes for an early ice-out faded. Friday was Opening Day of open-water fishing season on the landlocked salmon and lake trout-managed lakes. New Hampshire Fish and Game manages 14 lakes for landlocked salmon: Big Dan Hole Pond, First and Second Connecticut Lakes, Conway Lake, Lake Francis, Merrymeeting Lake, Newfound, Ossipee, Big and Little Squam Lakes, Sunapee, Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam and Nubanusit Lakes. Salmon season is the true start of spring for many New Hampshire anglers. Happy April Fools Day! Trout ponds open April 23 – ice out or no.
In the Monadnock to Kearsarge highlands, Red Sox fans listened to their Opening Day first pitch vs. Texas Rangers on Friday accompanied by the rumble of snowplows clearing local roads. It’s enough to make a grounds-keeper weep.
Meanwhile in the Great North Woods, snowmobile trails will likely continue to support riders for a few more weeks. Snow coverage remains extensive. Similarly with the state’s ski resorts: an excellent base is likely to last into mid-April and even May at northern areas. Problem is: once golf clubs and lawn rakes come down and snow shovels and skis go back up on countless garage walls of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the ski season is doomed. Spring skiing locals with discount coupons or late season deals aren’t sufficient to entice small ski operators to continue to run lifts. Traffic drives the ski industry despite the fact that some of the finest sun-drenched skiing arrives now at the end of the season. Better to have six inches in Hartford or Boston than six feet up in Pinkham Notch!
Certain signs of spring include new returning migratory birds: woodcocks, geese, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, redwings, grackles, starlings, brown creepers. Growing aggregations of migratory robins are held back in the southern tier by a stubborn northern snowpack. Tree buds are swelling. Maple sugaring season ends when sap yellows and tastes “buddy.”
The lingering after-effects of a long “old-fashioned winter” results in two opposing mindsets now: residents are equally divided between “good riddance” and a desire for “just one more week” to snowmobile or link turns on snowboards and skis.
To those who lament a cruel April Fools Day snowstorm joke, it was ever thus. Always best to wait until tax day (or maybe blackfly season) before letting down your guard.
On our tree farm, I leave the big Ford snow-blower on the John Deere until May. That old expression “out like a lamb” is useful enough when remembering lambs born breech or presenting sideways with one leg folded back. Considering the calamities of sheep midwifery during the April lambing season, I’d say spring is just as fitful; fraught with peril. Out like a lamb indeed – a backwards lamb!
Forgive me my temerity: I now declare winter is hereby ended!
One final caveat: the difference between the March 20th alleged “first day of spring” and the “first spring day” is three to four weeks either way!
Naturalist Dave Anderson is Director of Education and Volunteer Services for The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. His column appears once a month in the New Hampshire Sunday News. E-mail him at danderson@forestsociety.org or through the Forest Society Web site: forestsociety.org.
You’ll love the pretty mountain views and privacy on your own 4.4 acres. 3-4 bedroom colonial with 2.5 baths is only a mile to Andover Village, schools and Proctor Academy. Plenty of space for entertaining. Was offered at $299,000, now $265,000. Visit www.192BeechHillRd.com for more photos and details.
An exceptional property at an exceptional price! Nicely sited and beautifully landscaped, this home is in the country, yet convenient to the highway, shopping and schools. Many upgraded features throughout. Come take a look–you won’t be disappointed! Offered at $298,800. For more information and photos visit www.43RobyRoad.com.
Handsomely restored Federal Colonial offers tranquility on 38+/- acres. Four fireplaces, beehive oven, Indian shutters, gunstock corners. 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, large historic barn. A wonderful horse property. Was $511,000, now $499,900. Visit www.363ChaseHill.com for more photos and information.
Attractive 3 bedroom home within walking distance to New London’s shopping, elementary school and amenities. Take a summer walk and catch a show at the Barn Playhouse. Well cared for and at the end of a cul-de-sac. Visit www.33PrescottLane.com for more information and photos. Offered at $268,500.
