Alright, this is truly ridiculous. It just occurred to me that most Granite State residents proudly display their “Live Free or Die” license plates but don’t know the origin of the fiery state motto. Well I’m not proud of my ignorance, and I set off to enlighten myself—and potentially you, the reader. Okay, here’s the scoop: “Live Free or Die” was first uttered by John Stark, perhaps New Hampshire’s most famous Revolutionary War figure. It was actually just a piece of a toast he had written for a reunion of the Battle Of Bennington soldiers (Stark was unable to attend due to poor to health) in 1809. The toast was written as follows: “Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils”. The motto made its debut on non- commercial license plates in 1971 and remains on plates today. Okay, that concludes today’s history lesson. Now some more fun facts: Read the rest of this entry »

It’s later in the season than we wanted, but snow is in the forecast for the next 4 days. If you have been dying to get out and schuss, we recommend taking a sick day on Thursday or Friday. Here are the deals on local ski areas from Liftopia.

With all the powder, unless you’ve been training, your legs will wear out. When that happens, we recommend taking a look at some places to rest your ski-weary body. Here are our top picks:

1) MLS: 4109155                         5 Snow Cap Way, North Conway                                     $177,000                                                4 Bedrooms, 3 Baths

     Cranmore Skiers! Here’s a “more fun for your money” ski chalet close to the mountain and North Conway Village. Enjoy 4 bedrooms (including a master with bath), a total of 3 full tile baths and a great room with woodstove that’s perfect for apres ski. Ample kitchen lets you feed a hungry crowd, and the location is great for summer hiking & fishing, anytime shopping, dining out and enjoying all Mt. Washington Valley has to offer. Excellent rental history shows tenants can pay most of the mortgage!

2) MLS 4067671                     124 Old Bartlett Road, Unit #86, North Conway                         $219,900                         2 Bedrooms plus loft, 2 Baths 

         Take advantage of this affordable opportunity to own a spacious townhouse at Mt. Cranmore. Walk to the lifts or to North Conway village from this terrific 3 level Brookside location. 2 Bedrooms + huge sleeping loft, 2 1/2 Baths, great room w/fireplace, vaulted ceilings, master w/bath and private covered deck, efficient forced hot air heat and patio. The new owners of Mt Cranmore have spent $7 million on mountain improvements,including a quad chairlift, increased snowmaking, a mountain coaster and state-of-the-art children’s center. In addition, Cranmore is now offering numerous summer activities. Pool in summer too!

MLS: 4122153                             M51 Christmas Mountain, Bartlett                                         $199,900                                2 Bedrooms plus loft, 2 Baths

          Privacy, beautiful views and room for a crowd in this affordable and impeccably maintained upper level Christmas Mountain unit. With a great layout for enjoying time with family and friends and updates including newer appliances, newer hot water heater and a warm and efficient gas log stove, here’s a carefree condo from which to enjoy all the fun the White Mountains has to offer. Furnishings negotiable.

MLS 4088197                             26 Top Notch, Bartlett                           $264,900                                 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths

         Stunning views highlight this very well maintained 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 2000 sf Top Notch townhouse. As you enter the condo from the huge mudroom, you immediately notice the bright living room with cozy woodstove. Just off of the living room is the sun-filled dining area with cathedral ceiling and sliders leading out to the deck with panoramic views. Other features include a master suite with separate sitting area on its own floor, 1/2 bath on the main level, family room and full bath in the lower level and a like-new hot tub in its own room. Walk to the slopes at Attitash in the winter and pool and tennis courts in the summer. Seller offering a $4000 credit to Buyer at closing for kitchen updates.                 

MLS: 4069364                        18 Cathedral Trail, Bartlett                                  $299,900                                       3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths               

     Rare Freestanding single unit ski home 150 feet from the trail is a ski family’s dream! Nicely furnished 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, great room, 2 gas log fireplaces, deck and mountain views make this a super comfortable ski house…and the Sports Club ($600/year) adds indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, game room, sauna and more. A four season fun house right on Attitash! Recently refreshed with paint, updated deck, gravel. Ready for winter season.

We are here and are happy to show you any of these listings or other listings in the area. Give us a call (800-322-6921) or send us an email (info@pinkhamrealestate.com). Enjoy the skiing!

Ben enjoyed his home buying experience with Pinkham so much he decided to join the team!
Mount Washington Valley has been Ben’s home for 30 years.  A Kennett High School and University of New Hampshire alum, his prior work experience is in the banking and hospitality sectors.  Ben comes to real estate with a strong “customer first” sensibility and dedication to service.  He is excited to provide prospective clients with a unique blend of New England hospitality and local knowledge.
Outside the office, Ben, and his wife Tara (who teaches at John Fuller Elementary School in North Conway) stay busy keeping up (or trying to) with their twin boys’ academic and athletic pursuits.  Although officially retired from his 15 year softball career, Ben stays active with golf, hiking, snowshoeing, and coaching his sons.
Here at Pinkham Real Estate, Ben will specialize in residential listing and sales and will manage Pinkham’s long term and seasonal rental division. If you are interested in renting or have a property you’d like to rent, you can find Ben at 800-322-6921 x15 or ben@pinkhamrealestate.com.

We are very excited to welcome Ben to our team!

The short, cold days of winter are upon us once again. While those who live here may relish the falling of snow and warmth of a fire during wintertime, the season does present challenges for sellers. Yet winter home sales can and do happen. Here are some tips for getting your home or condo sold during the winter.

1) Turn on the lights. With daylight waning before 4 PM these days, you can’t count on a sunny day to make your home look bright. Make sure all of the light bulbs in your home are working and all of the lights are on (even in closets) before a showing. It may be a little extra electricity, but buyers view well-lit homes much more favorably than dark ones.

2) Make sure driveways and walkways are clear. Talk about a bad first impression! If a potential buyer slips and trips walking into the house it’s unlikely they will want to see the positive features of the exterior of the home or walk through the elements to a detached garage.

3) Clean entryways and (for condos) common areas. Make use of coat racks, boot trays, and hooks to keep winter clothing organized. In condos, cleaning the entry way will give the appearance of a well-run association.

4) Keep wood burning stoves and fireplaces neat and tidy. Everyone loves to sit and watch a warm fire. However where there’s fire, there’s ash, sawdust and dirt. Emphasize the romantic side of burning wood by keeping the area around the wood stove dirt and ash free and by making sure the fire is burning brightly when the buyers come through for a showing.

5) Clean and deodorize. Cooking  and pet smells have nowhere to go during the cold months when we keep our doors and windows closed. Unless they are the smells of freshly baked cookies, it is unlikely they will contribute positively to a showing.

6) Show buyers what the house looks like in fairer weather. Leave a photo album or some other type of display showing the home and landscaping in the summer and fall months.

Homes and condos can and do sell during the winter months, and if you are currently trying to sell, hopefully this advice will help. For a free market analysis, please contact us here at Pinkham Real Estate. We are happy to chat with you and will work hard to sell your home. Think snow!

Want to sell your business faster? Want to improve your profits and potentially increase traffic to your business listing? Companies can “go green” and make money doing it. Replacing aging assets often pays for itself quickly and adds value to the business and its marketability. I would recommend taking some time to investigate the benefits of equipment upgrades to your operation. This will likely result in greater efficiencies and lower costs. There are a number of programs sponsored by companies and non-profit organizations in New Hampshire.

Converting older, less productive equipment will save money and pay for itself reasonably quickly. Replacing an old furnace with a newer, more efficient model will reduce heating costs dramatically-sometimes by half. Buy a gas furnace over an oil burning furnace to reduce emissions and purchase one with a high annual fuel efficiency rating for optimum performance. In addition, the government offers a tax credit if you purchase it before the end of the year.

Most people would balk at doing something like this prior to selling their business but let’s look at it as a selling feature. You increase the value of the property by installing a new asset, you have reduced costs which will improve your balance sheet and you receive a tax credit. Sounds like a good a very good move to me.

Precision controlled fans, energy efficient light bulbs, better windows and siding and automatic light switches are all things that will reduce your costs and  your carbon footprint while improving your property’s worth. Paying for these upgrades can be daunting but there are programs to help secure funding and some grants to offset initial costs and studies. Call me today to talk about how we can increase the value of your property and set it apart from other businesses on the market.

Greydon Turner

Pinkham Real Estate

PO Box 543

North Conway NH 03860

(c) 603 387 6081

(w) 603 356 5425

(f) 603 356 8357

greydon@pinkhamrealestate.com

Mount Washington Valley offers a wide variety of choices for the the enthusiastic diner. People enjoy a local offering of entrees from over 100 choices of establishments all nestled into a beautiful landscape. A lot of folks dream of moving up here to escape the rat race and open a little place of their own. It can be done! Read the rest of this entry »

Have we started on the upturn in real estate? We have in North Conway. And Bartlett. And Jackson. As you know, all real estate is local, so what’s happening in Palm Beach , Chicago or Cucamonga could be up, down or sideways to us. We do know that inquiries at Pinkham Real Estate here in Mt. Washington Valley, NH turned the corner in June and have increased every month since then. How much an increase? Well, Google says our September inquires were more than double July’s. Our sales have shown the same trend, though percentage wise, at a higher rate. Read the rest of this entry »

Honk if you see this dynamic duo driving the Pinkham truck around Mt Washington Valley!

www.pinkhamrealestate.com

800-322-6921

Properties for lease are prevalent and plentiful in Mount Washington Valley. From Conway to Bartlett there are numerous commercial spots available. It seems that there is a place for almost any size business along the business district in North Conway. Some would say that the amount of vacancies are an eyesore and it is a shame that there are so many vacant storefronts. I disagree. I see it as opportunity and possibilities that offer the wise consumer a multitude of choices.

Consider that the open store fronts  in town used to house many different outlets offering deals and discounts to the savvy shopper. Outlet shopping, the Internet and lower margins by larger companies to gain market share have all had an impact on our area. Many places have moved into malls where they feels shoppers gravitate and spend a large amount of time and money. This formula has worked well for some shopping centers and they have indeed managed to bring companies from the main drag to a spot with less car traffic and more foot traffic.

However, there is a change in the air. Small businesses and start ups can now afford to be front and center in the shopping district. This means greater exposure for those who have a new business and want to move it into a highly visible space. A retail area that traditionally was out of reach at $20 per sq/ft is now hovering at about $10 per sq/ft. What a deal! Your occupancy costs are less expensive than they were years ago. That does not often happen and there are those who are taking advantage of this to make their move into a new space. Small business growth is essential to the economy locally and globally.

Perhaps this the right time for you to consider your options for growth. I can help you by listening to your ideas, discussing your potential market and offering ideas on how to position yourself strategically as well as guide you to resources for funding and counsel. Wherever you are in your business plan, be it the beginning stages or a successful company looking for new territory, please give me a call to help you become more profitable and achieve your goals. I can reached at anytime and look forward to talking to you.

Greydon Turner

Pinkham Real Estate

PO Box 543

North Conway NH 03860

(c) 603 387 6081

(w) 603 356 5425

(f) 603 356 8357

greydon@pinkhamrealestate.com