I recently showed you an article from Trip Advisor stating that New England is the most pocket friendly ski region in the North East. This week I decided to dig a little deeper. Jackson Hole, Wyoming has a similar atmosphere and charm to the Mount Washington Valley. Both popular ski destinations at affordable prices, they draw tourists looking for a less expensive place to go and ski. Even though both are more affordable than the big name Vail, Aspen or Park City, our beloved Mount Washington Valley stills beats out Jackson Hole when it comes to affordability. Check out this comparison of two luxury trailside homes:

3850 West Morley Drive, located in Teton Village, sits at the base of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It was built in 1992, and has tons of beautiful features such as a gourmet kitchen, hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings, a jetted tub and a large stone fireplace. It has four bedrooms, five bathrooms and is 4,076 square feet. It has an attached 2 car garage and is ski-in, ski-out.

17 Bearfoot Creek, located in the new luxury Bearfoot Creek development, sits on Attitash Mountain Resort, directly next to the Abenaki chair lift. It was built in 2008, and boasts amazing features such as a large open chef’s kitchen, hardwood floors throughout, cathedral ceilings, jetted tubs and 3 fireplaces, two of which are 2 stories tall. It also has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and is 4,553 square feet. It also has an attached 2 car garage and is ski-in, ski-out.

Relatively similar, right? Here’s the kicker. The Jackson Hole location is priced at $2,799,000, which comes out to $687 per square foot. 17 Bearfoot Creek is listed at almost half that price, $1,495,000, which is $328 per square foot. So at Bearfoot Creek, you would be spending 53% of the cost of the Jackson Hole home, and getting a home that is 16 years newer and 477 square feet larger. And this is comparing Bearfoot Creek to one of the less expensive popular ski areas in the US! The choice is clear. When you want the craftsmanship and luxury of a designer ski home at a price that beats the competition by a long shot, you want Bearfoot Creek. Can’t afford the price but can’t imagine your life without a Bearfoot Creek trailside home? Builder packages start at $795,000 including homesite! Call or email Joy today to find out more about this fantastic community.

Absolutely nothing except for devotion for their home turf.

If you haven’t seen this parody “Granite State of Mind,” the spoof is hysterical. This song only goes to show that sometimes, well, stereotypes can be stereotypes for a reason. For those Jay-Z officianados who might be upset by this joke, you can find “Empire State of Mind” the original, here.

Happy 2012 and let’s make it a fun one!

If you have visited the ski mountains here in the valley, you know how great and affordable they can be. Attitash Mountain and Cranmore Mountain are two awesome mountains with loads to do besides just skiing. If you haven’t been here before, check out this great article on TripAdvisor, it shows North Conway as the most affordable ski destination in the Northeast! It also shows New England as the most pocket friendly region in the US. Even more proof that the Mount Washington Valley has it all, at a price you can afford. The article can be viewed here.

For questions regarding Attitash Mountain Real Estate, Cranmore Real Estate, or anything else regarding skiing or vacation homes, contact one of our agents today!

Happy New Year! With 2012 right around the corner (just a few hours away)! I thought it time to think about some of the best ways to engage with the real estate market this coming year.  I came up with 8 great ideas to inspire you to action!

Buy your first home

If you are ready to buy your first home now is the time.  I would even go so far as to say that if you are ready stop reading this article right now and start searching or contact us.  Great prices and record low interest rates combine to make this the very best time to get started on home ownership.  The Buyers section of our website has some great resources.  And searching on JtRealty.com is simple and easy.  Don’t forget to register so you can save your searches and receive the notifications you choose with no obligation.

Become a real estate agent

For the go-getter, there is always money to be made in real estate!  Start now building your contacts and be in position to capitalize on any market changes. For more information on how to start your real estate career head over to the Careers section of JtRealty.com.

Take advantage of a 1031 Tax-deferred exchange

If you have been maintaining your rental property for some time now you may be losing margin.  Put the tax advantages of a 1031 exchange to work for you to acquire a more valuable rental property. Interested?  Check out these NH multifamily units for sale right now.  If you want to learn more about the advantages of a 1031 exchange you can connect with one of our preferred 1031 exchange vendors.

Buy your first investment property

So the 1031 exchange doesn’t apply to you because you don’t own a rental property? Make 2012 the year to change that.  With great prices and a selection of available income properties you can get started letting someone else pay for your investment!

Buy that lakefront property you have always dreamed of

Living in a lakefront home is a goal for many.  Start early and you could be enjoying the lake by summer, just dive in!  Or if you prefer rivers you might try a riverfront property.  With much to choose from you are sure to satisfy that dream.

Buy a ski condo

We just added four Attitash Mountain condos to our best buy page!  There are so many good deals on ski condos right now you have an amazing selection.  Make this the year you can simply ski home at the end of the day! On top of the great real estate available at the local ski areas Trip Advisor just ranked the North Conway as the most affordable ski destination in the Northeast and second in the US overall! Search for Attitash Condos or Mount Cranmore condos right here.

Trade up

With so many properties on the market right now, many people feel it is the wrong time to sell their home.  This may not be true at all.  While many properties are available, the right property at the right price will always move quickly.  If you have been in your home for a few years you may be able to take advantage of all that is available on the market right now.  At the very least it can’t hurt to look! Start your search today.

Renovate

This is the approach I often take.  Renovations add not only financial value to your home, they also add enjoyment value.  No matter how long you have been in your home, there is always something on the wish list.  In my house right now the wish is new countertops.  Whatever your wish, if you put a plan together now, you can start sooner.  Winter is a great time for many renovations as contractors can be less busy, giving you more attention and possibly a better price.  If you are the handy sort then break out the tools while the weather is cold. You can check our preferred contractors for a start on your project or look into other JtRealty preferred vendors under the About Us section above.

Just released is our exclusive November 2011 NNEREN Report for the Carroll County Market! There was a noticeable increase in residential sales activity compared to the same period last year, while overall residential prices went down over 6%. The condominium market saw a slight decrease in sales activity, but overall prices show a small gain. Despite lingering economic challenges, we are encouraged by the performance of our housing market and will continue to follow it closely. To view the report, please contact one of our agents!

Ryan the Realtor Explains it All —

Many homes in the Mt. Washington Valley do not have the luxury of public sewage and clients often have genuine questions surrounding the systems that keep a happy home. Forgive the crude expression, but “it” really does flow down hill, 1” per linear foot to be more precise. Understanding your septic system is important because neglect can become costly and environmentally unpleasant.

From Underneath the House to the Ground

I am fortunate to have intimate knowledge of my plumbing and crawl space – I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemies. However, curious home owners should note the 4” PVC discharge pipe that collects both black and gray water that exits from the house. What then? Does it go straight into the ground? Well yes it does, but not exactly. See the image below of a standard 1,000 gallon concrete tank for a 3 bedroom home.

Common Misconceptions:

Septic tanks are buried 1’ – 2” below the ground and not difficult to locate if you can find your discharge pipe. Standard tanks have three lids or openings to access the contents and remove. See below misconceptions that surround a working septic system.

1.  You should see effluent water in your tank because new water replaces the old as it moves into the drain field. A proper system is never empty.
2. Solid material does decompose via bacteria and nitrogen but not at the rate a 3 -5 person household will produce – your home or vacation home should be pumped every two to three years to be
   safe.
3. Grease and / or laundry detergent, such as Tide, will compromise the effectiveness of your system and natural break down of solids.
4. Putting your septic system under a driveway is a bad idea – avoid if at all possible to keep heavy trucks from crushing your drain pipes.

Where does the effluent go?

After leaving your septic tank through a baffle, the liquid enters a series of perforated pipes that leaches the waste into the ground. Underneath each pipe is a layer of crushed rock and sand to assist in the drain process. See image below:

 Need Septic Installation, Repair, or Upgrades? Contact Ryan@JtRealty.com  for a list of local service people who can install, repair, and or maintain
your septic system in Mt. Washington Valley –

Quiet anonymity is a life path some choose and fully embrace. I suppose that suit has never fit me just right and is perhaps why real estate and teaching have been my first career instincts. You know, for brief moments in my work I have a captive audience. And it’s not feeding the ego but rather the interaction that is rewarding. Figuring out what motivates a student, a buyer, a seller is all very fascinating in a world of social animals and a  smile at the end of a day keeps me on the return when this market is full of lumps, bruises, and near misses.

Do I dare say this is my art? Do I dare suggest business can be something more than the passing of paper and documents? Ryan me dear fellow I think you’ve got something here!

Because this business is gently informing a Manahatten client we lost the purchase to someone with more cash — his retirment home would have to wait.  Or sharing deep emapthy with a client who lost his wife to cancer and never sat at the table when we closed. Or connecting a client with dependable contractors after a purchase meant necessary home improvements. This is all a part of what I do and service Ryan Mahan provides. I provide service; please do not confuse what I do with sales.

A house is a house is a house but the real match making is fitting personalities with a house. A house has no spirit without people, laughter, or the natural song and pace of a human day. Being able to see a family or a couple mesh with a house is important — no worries, I don’t practice tarot cards. I recently visited this house for a client (not my listing) and felt a cabin-like quality with the full space and comfort a modern house provides, a unique combination. The home is located between Attitash and Cranmore skiing. Email Ryan@JtRealty.com with any questions and remember, we are more than the motions we go through.

Cheers

Gorgeous.

It is officially ski season here in the Mount Washington Valley. Several mountains have already opened and more are opening soon. You can check out the snow report for Attitash Mountain here,  and see if the conditions are to your liking, and then head on out to the slopes!

Before starting here at JtRealty, I knew that our area was a big tourist draw, but I was unaware of all the options for vacation homes for skiers and snowboarders. Since starting, I have learned about dozens of second home options, some of them even trailside! I can’t imagine anything better than being able to ski or snowboard directly from your vacation home. Just ask Joy! No lines, no parking, just bliss. Exploring all of the different options available to those looking for a more permanent Attitash area second home has been really cool. From affordable Grand Summit Hotel or Seasons at Attitash, to more luxurious trailside options such as Bearfoot Creek or Mountainside on Attitash, there truly is something for everyone.

If you can’t get enough of the atmosphere brewing up here in the valley, contact us to schedule some time to view some of our amazing Attitash Mountain vacation home options.

Have a great season!

-Emily

Why NH Waterfront Property?

Ryan the Realtor readily admits I could not adapt myself to city life: the incessant motion, the artificial lights and sounds, yet mostly the lack of  space and true quiet would turn me tighter than your industrial screw soon to explode and sprint madly through the streets pulling my hair and screaming savagely. Perhaps this a touch of dramatic but mostly true. I consider myself closer to the cave than my other primate cousins.

Did you float down a mild-winter-river this December? Did you step into your wooded lawn, lay down and peer at familiar constellations and still wonder like a curious kid? Did you start a cooking fire from last year’s brush and prepare a meal in tin-foil because you didn’t feel like going indoors for supper and no one on the bloody planet could stop you? I did.

Moments like these are simply soul maintenance — a moment when a man (or woman) can relax and breathe without considering the day’s tedious responsibilities or tomorrow’s tasks growing like a dessert storm.

Purchasing a second home is not a necessity, but finding internal peace and external solitude is. We can tend to our lives and become better people as a result. 49 Little Shore Drive on the shores of Pea Porridge Pond may just be the space for you.

Call Ryan the Realtor to schedule a visit today — (207) 462-3874.

My father has owned a Christmas Tree Farm for as long as I can remember. I know what you are thinking, that we must have had the most beautiful, full, lush tree every year. WRONG. Those are for paying customers! Much to my mother’s chagrin, we spent several Christmas Eves rushing out to the yard to see what was left for us to set up and quickly decorate before Santa made his way down the chimney. After I left home and set out on my own, I learned fast that in the real world, trees aren’t free. So what does any spoiled daughter do? She asks Daddy to ship one to her tiny Rhode Island apartment! This worked out for a few years until I decided I wanted a tree taller than the UPS box limit of 5 feet. I set off to Home Depot with some rope and dreams of a 7 foot tree. When I saw the prices, I admit, I thought about purchasing an artificial tree (a sin punishable by death in my family) so I wouldn’t have to do this every year. I changed my mind when I realized it just wouldn’t feel like the holidays without that amazing real tree scent! Does the thought of spending money on something that grows naturally have you thinking about alternate routes? Please read on to see why natural is still the way to go:

In the words of the National Christmas Tree Association:

• Artificial trees are a petroleum based product that consume vast resources during fabrication. A burden to the environment, artificial trees aren’t biodegradable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal. The average life span of an artificial tree is only six years.
• Real Christmas trees are a benefit to the environment from the time they are planted until after the holiday season when they can be recycled.
• Real Christmas trees provide oxygen to the atmosphere while they are growing.
• Every acre of Christmas trees grown produces the daily oxygen requirement for 18 people.
• Christmas trees are biodegradable – the trunk and branches can be used as mulch for gardens, parks or in animal stalls. The mulch provides a protect barrier for the roots of other plants and vegetation while preventing weeds from growing. The mulch then decomposes, providing the nutrients plants need to thrive.

And here are some tips for choosing and caring for your real tree:

• Do a freshness test. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Very few needles should come off in your hand if the tree is fresh. Shake or bounce the tree on its stump. You should not see an excessive amount of green needles fall to the ground.
• Once you’ve chosen your tree, keep it in a sheltered, unheated area such as a porch or garage to protect it from the wind and sun until you are ready to decorate it.
• Before you set up your tree, make a fresh, straight cut across the base of the trunk (about a quarter inch up from the original cut) and place the tree in a tree stand that holds a gallon of water or more. I also like to stir sugar in to the first water I give the tree.
• A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water or more in the first 24 hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter. Water is important because it prevents the needles from drying and dropping off and the boughs from drooping. Water also keeps the tree fragrant.
• Keep your tree away from heat and draft sources like fireplaces, radiators and television sets. Test your light cords and connections before hanging them on the tree to make sure they’re in good working order. You don’t want to use cords with cracked insulation or broken or empty sockets. Also be sure to unplug the lights before you go to bed or leave the house.

This holiday season, in continuation with my quest to educate you on the benefits of “Going Green”, I encourage you to skip over the artificial and get real! Not sure what to put under the tree this year? How about the keys to a gorgeous second home? Contact us today!