New Hampshire and Maine Homes and Condos

As a full-time professional New Hampshire REALTOR iin the Portsmouth real estate market, I get asked frequently how the market is, what’s for sale, what’s sold, etc.  The real estate market here in the Portsmouth NH area has been very active for the last few months now, and I’ve been really busy listing and selling homes and condos in the Seacoast NH and Maine areas.

Here’s the June Portsmouth NH Real Estate Market Recap - June 2008

Single-Family Homes in Portsmouth:

*  Homes for sale - 71 homes currently for sale
*  New listings in June 2008 - 17 homes came on the market
*  Homes sale pending in June 2008 - 7 homes went under agreement in June
*  Homes sold in June 2008 - 19 homes sold in June
*  Average sales price - $416,126
*  Average days on the market - 83 days on the market before selling
*  Average list to sell ratio - 96.14%

Condos and Townhomes in Portsmouth:

*  Condos for sale - 94 condos currently for sale
*  New listings in June 2008 - 20 condos came on the market in June
*  Condos sale pending in June 2008 - 12 condos went under agreement in June
*  Condos sold in June 2008 - 18 condos sold in June
*  Average sales price - $304,264
*  Average days on the market - 130 days on the market before selling
*  Average list to sell ration - 98.07%

Multi-Family Properties in Portsmouth:

*  Multis for sale - 6 multi-family properties currently for sale
*  New listings in June 2008 - 2 new multi-family listings came on the market in June
*  Multis sale pending in June 2008 - 1 multi-family property went sale pending in June
*  Multis sold in June 2008 - there were no sold multi-family properties in June
*  Average sales price - 0
*  Average days on the market - 0
*  Average list to sell ratio - 0

Portsmouth NH is a fabulous place to live, and we’re recently been given several distinctive awards because of that.  The residents who live here already know how terrific it is living here in the Portsmouth NH Seacoast area - now with these awards, many more people are finding out about us as well.

Are you thinking about making Portsmouth New Hampshire your home?  Call me today at 603-431-1111 x 3839, or send me an email, and let’s talk real estate!

 
            
   





                                  
  Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
  RE/MAX Coast to Coast
  Portsmouth NH
  ann@anncummings.com
  888-349-5678 x 3839
  Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine                    



                                    

~ ~ This report is based on information obtained from the Northern New England Real Estate Network (NNEREN).

Portsmouth New Hampshire Chosen for Top 20 Best Towns In US

For those of us who call Portsmouth NH home, we already know what magazines and surveys tell the rest of the world - Portsmouth is a GREAT PLACE TO CALL HOME!!

Portsmouth was recently honored with another high accolade, this one being named to the ‘Top 20 Best Towns in America’ by Outside Magazine.  This honor was given based on criteria used to determine the best places in the country that provide ‘the greatest opportunities for living the good life‘.

Sited as a ‘compact walkable city… a magnet for emerging musicians and artists, with eight indie theaters including the renovated Music Hall, half a dozen galleries, film fests, a slow-food movement, and live music seven nights a week‘.  We have all that and much more - those of us who live here in Portsmouth just love it. 

The top 10 of the ‘Top 20 Best Towns‘ in America:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. Chattanooga, Tenn.
3. Ogden, Utah
4. Portsmouth, N.H.
5. Tacoma, Wash.
6. Ithaca, N.Y.
7. Louisville, Ky.
8. Eureka, Calif.
9. Crested Butte, Colo.
10. Columbia, Mo.

Our fair city has received other recognition honors recently - Portsmouth was named the ‘most walkable city‘ in New Hampshire by Prevention Magazine.  The Portsmouth NH area, Rockingham and Strafford Counties, was also ranked as the second safest matropolitan area according California-based Farmer’s Insurance Companies.  Money Magazine had repeatedly named Portsmouth NH as ‘one of the top best places to live in America‘ as well.

Portsmouth NH really is a wonderful place to call HOME!!

Are you thinking about making Portsmouth New Hampshire your home?  Call me today at 603-431-1111 x 3839, or send me an email, and let’s talk real estate!

 
            
   





                                  
  Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
  RE/MAX Coast to Coast
  Portsmouth NH
  ann@anncummings.com
  888-349-5678 x 3839
  Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine                    



                                    

The Art of Living in a Small Space in Portsmouth New Hampshire

Need to use every cubic inch?

Tired of taking care of a large home?

Down Sizing?

Buying a home in Long Beach California means paying a higher price and living in smaller spaces; this is also true in the Seacoast areas of Maine and New Hampshire when buying a home or condo in Portsmouth.  Baby boomers are entering their senior years and are searching for smaller spaces to care for and single story homes.  They are seeking smaller but elegant spaces.  Living in a smaller space has its challenges but that doesn’t necessarily mean that ones style of living needs to change. 

Living in a small space certainly has its challenges and rewards.  A small mess in a large home is a huge mess in small space.  One needs to be a neat freak in small spaces. 

Counter tops need to be kept clear since space is at a minimum; attach those appliances to the underside of your cabinets.  Don’t underestimate the amount of storage you need. An entire wall of closets, cabinets and drawers can go a long way. 

Here are some helpful hints for your small space in your Portsmouth NH home or condo: 

• Use empty space under staircases.  Steps can become drawers. 
• Don’t buy a lot of stuff you don’t need.
• Reduce clutter. 
• Use every square inch of your space wisely.
• Build your kitchen cabinets to the ceiling.
• Replace the large bulky fridge with an under counter model. 
• Use the space at the top of your closet, all the way to the ceiling.
• A platform bed with drawers will provide badly needed storage. Or use under bed containers and vacuum seal storage bags to store unused items. 
• Store out of season clothing in unused luggage.
• Pocket doors don’t take up the space a regular door does.
• Over door spaces are wasted.  Add bookshelves. 
• Turn a closet door into a bookcase. 
• Use dramatic lighting.  Recessed lighting and wall sconces pointing up.  Have lighting options, lighting makes a big difference. 
• Glass doors pass light through and make spaces feel larger.
• A combo washer/dryer will save space and can be placed under a countertop in a bath or kitchen.
• Find the highest use for your electronic equipment.  Build in TV & Stereo, or get rid of them and the bulky computer terminal; replace them with a top of the line laptop and stream your TV and music through it.
• Use soft, light colors they open up small spaces.
• Use lots of mirrors, they double light as well as opening up small spaces.

Small spaces save lots of money on construction, heating, a/c and furnishing.  Smaller square footage means smaller property tax bills.  And who doesn’t like a smaller Portsmouth NH real estate property tax bill??

Authored by: Laurie Manny of Long Beach California Real Estate
Thank you Laurie!

Are you thinking about making the coastal areas around Portsmouth New Hampshire or southern Maine your home?  Call me today at 603-431-1111 x 3839, or send me an email, and let’s talk real estate!

 
            
   





                                  
  Ann Cummings, New Hampshire REALTOR
  RE/MAX Coast to Coast
  Portsmouth NH
  ann@anncummings.com
  888-349-5678 x 3839
  Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine                    



                                    

Portsmouth NH and High-Tech - A Perfect Partnership

I am delighted and honored Ann asked me to post on her blog.  She does such a fabulous job painting a visual picture of the NH/Maine Seacoast area through her words and photos and I always enjoy the trip down memory lane I get when I read it. 

I spent my college years in Boston and the weekends (most) exploring the coast.  And very often that meant spending time in New Hampshire.  Back in the day, Portsmouth was my favorite New Hampshire haunt.  Walking along the NH Seacoast, eating at the Blue Strawberry (do any of you remember it?) and taking in the old world character of the city of Portsmouth NH.

I started thinking about what would draw me to New Hampshire and I realized it’s two things: the natural beauty and the vast array of things to do to enjoy it, and the high technology aspect of Southern New Hampshire.  These are probably two good reasons why buying a home and settling into the Seacoast area is a great idea.

I always think of people analyzing neighborhoods and cities to determine where they want to live and why.  Jobs and things to do that enrich the quality of their non-working hours has to be high on the list.  As I sit in my Mid-Atlantic Cleveland home typing this I realize the Portsmouth NH area has what many of us refer to as that ‘What do they want?‘ sense of place.  This article from (of all places) The Union of Concerned Scientists website gives several definitions of the term and the Portsmouth area has this in spades.

When I was a student in the ’70s we read a lot about the technology boom in southern New Hampshire.  It seemed to be the place to be if you were not in Silicon Valley on the West Coast.  Here is an article by The New Hampshire Business Review, written in November of 2007 showing this identification with technology, while going through some changes in the past 3 decades, is still very strong.  This article by Anita Becker discusses Portsmouth, Exeter and general Seacoast area business very well.  Here is an excerpt:

“….Its proximity to Boston, good road networks, proximity to four airports, safe communities, good schools, relaxed pace of life, tourism activities, lack of income and sales taxes, and active cultural and arts community have lured more and more people to the area over the past 10 years…”

Since my branding New Hampshire as a high technology hub started with reading the Boston Globe articles about it, I was delighted to see this Boston Globe article written by Carolyn Johnson about the same thing, and here we are, three decades later.  It talks about how a high powered guy who got his start (and money!) by working for Pay Pal and LinkedIN wound up in New England as a venture capitalist and how New Hampshire is positioning herself to be an high technology entrepreneurial hub.

I mean, here I am in NE Ohio and don’t get me wrong, I love it here.  The iron bridges and the manufacturing industries with their big smokestacks, the natural beauty of Lake Erie, that all got into my blood and stayed.  I came back here at the end of the ’90s and am very happy.  But what we are scrambling to do here, you guys have already done.  We are still in the throes of converting to high technology as a strong job base.  You are already there!  The Portsmouth NH area is a fabulous place to live and work, at least to this outsider with fond memories of your area.

Thanks for letting me stop by….Carole Cohen

Thank you Carole!

Are you thinking about making the coastal areas around Portsmouth New Hampshire or southern Maine your home?  Call me today at 603-431-1111 x 3839, or send me an email, and let’s talk real estate!

 
            
   





                                  
  Ann Cummings, Maine and New Hampshire REALTOR
  RE/MAX Coast to Coast
  Portsmouth NH
  ann@anncummings.com
  888-349-5678 x 3839
  Servicing the Coastal Areas of NH & Southern Maine