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!

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. (more…)

It’s going to be a busy week in western Maine and the White Mountains! The leaves are reaching their peak, fall sports are in full swing, and the Fryeburg Fair is in town. (more…)

by The KCM Crew on April 8, 2011 · http://kcmblog.com/2011/04/08/rental-costs-are-about-to-takeoff/

We are often asked whether it is better to rent or buy in the current housing market. The answer to that question is: “It all depends”. There are certain situations where renting short term probably makes sense. It may make sense if you are retiring to a different region of the country and are not yet sure where you want to set down roots for the next 25 years. It may make sense if you have a one year employment contract which will probably require a move to another place upon termination. (more…)

Our beautiful state of New Hampshire recently made national news when presidential hopeful Donald Trump visited Portsmouth, New Hampshire to gain support from our voters.

While many people connect New Hampshire with the political primary season, I’m here to tell you that our beautiful state has so much more to offer.

Here’s a look at some of our North Conway, NH area real estate markets and why so many people are proud to call this state their home.

Living in the North Conway, NH Area

Here in the North Conway area of New Hampshire, we have a lot to be proud of, including:

• Top notch public schools
• Plenty of winter recreational activities
• Impressive dining and entertainment venues
• Plenty of summer recreational activities, too!
• And so much more!

North Conway, NH Area Real Estate Statistics

Considering all of the amazing amenities that residents can find in the North Conway area, it’s no wonder the area real estate markets are thriving, despite the sluggish national housing market.

Here’s a look at some recent sales data for a few of these beautiful New Hampshire communities:

Conway/North Conway NH Real Estate

• Median sales price for Conway NH homes for sale from Jan 11 to March 11 was $155,000, which was an increase of 7.6 percent compared with the same period last year
• There were 27 home sales from Jan. 11 to March 11, which is a 107.7  percent increase compared with the same period last year.

Jackson NH Real Estate

• Median sales price for Jackson NH homes for sale from Jan 11 to March 11 was $221,300, which was an increase of 20 percent compared with the same period last year
• There were 3 home sales from Jan. 11 to March 11, which is a 50 percent decrease compared with the same period last year.

Relocating to the North Conway, NH Area

If you’ve been thinking about entering the North Conway, NH area real estate market as a home buyer or seller, then contact us, Pinkham Real Estate.

As your New Hampshire real estate expert, we’ll let you know about available listings in the area as well as answer any questions you have.

While you’re looking at North Conway, NH real estate, we recommend that you check out some of our other unique NH communities, including:

• Conway
• Bartlett
• Jackson
• Hale’s Location
• Bretton Woods
• And others!

Each of these communities has its own personality and claim to fame.  The one thing that they all guarantee to residents is an amazing quality of life!

Until next time,

Pinkham Real Estate

What is an APOD?

New product from Apple?

Sorry, Charlie.

Oh! I know.  A group of whales!

Nope.

No? It wasn’t Wales either?

Bad pun AND wrong again.

How about those things in the bottom of the pool in Cocoon?

Give up?

Yeah…what the heck is it? (more…)

-By Kyla Brustin

One of my favorite ways to enjoy Mt Washington Valley is to run it. If you live here or have a second home here, you may have seen me, my husband Josh, and our dog Lucy running through your neighborhood. Though most of our daily runs follow the streets of North Conway, one of my favorite places to go for a change of pace is Jackson. (more…)

Take the Cupcake Challenge!

Who knew that  cupcakes could generate such excitement in Mt. Washington Valley, NH!  When The White Mountain Cupcakery opened its doors in a remodeled turn-of-the-last-century building in downtown North Conway, a dazzling array cupcakes became available to hungry après skiers: chocolate cupcakes, carrot cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, even exotics like coconut, peanut butter, lemon and Boston Cream, all with flavorsome frostings, swirled into beehive domes, some, more decadent, topped with candies. With mouths watering and tastebuds alerted, we ask: are they the best cupcakes in Mt. Washington Valley? Is this the start of the cupcake wars? (more…)

Skiing Cranmore or Attitash or Black? Maybe Bretton Woods? Wildcat? Whereever you ski Mother Nature gave us a snow blessing just in time for the winter vacation. About three inches of new powder on the ledge (Glen) last night. Hope you brought your long johns or knickers. Knickers. There’s a word. (more…)

How is it in the cities and suburbs nowadays? A bit of a hassle, long commute, tired days? Up here our average commute is under ten minutes. And no hassle. Think we’re bragging? Sure. Think it sounds too pricey to join us for a weekend of pure country air? To wake up to the panorama of the White Mountains and the Presidential Range? To take a peek into Tuckerman Ravine from the ski trails of Wildcat? (more…)