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

Your family is cruising Route 302 hoping to get first tracks at Attitash. There is a gentle snow falling but the steady heat from your floor boards, your all wheel drive, and your thrumming coffee inspiration allows you to innocently slip by The Seasons at Attitash without a second thought.

Wait, you didn’t  see this condo development nestled into the National Forest? You didn’t realize that many owners here enjoy cash flow from the on-site rental program? You didn’t realize The Seasons at Attitash enjoys an inside pool, massive hot tub, and fitness facility open to all owners? You didn’t realize this kid-friendly development has been the weekend home for scores of New England families the last two decades? And I’ve only got more to share:

Rest After a Long Day

Ryan’s New Listing 13C with $6,000 Profit from the 2010 Rental Season

A Family Surprise Story at The Seasons

Chris & Joy have been traveling to Mt. Washington Valley ever since their kids were old enough to strap on skis. Accommodations included staying with family, friends, or renting from various North Conway motels. However, as their kids grew and weekend trips became more frequent, Chris and Joy considered a purchase.

In brief, with the help of Ryan the Realtor we found the perfect unit at The Seasons and after a multiple offer situation, we closed without a hitch.

Chris and Joy dropped their teenage kids at Settler’s Green for the closing, and then escorted their kids to what they thought would be another weekend rental. “This place is great,” they responded upon dropping their bags.

“Well, you might as well get comfortable and pick out your rooms, we just bought it.”

For a complete list of Season’s listings, contact Ryan the Realtor today Ryan@JtReatly.com or direct phone 207-462-3874.

The rain sounded on my tin roof all night bringing deep dreams of cascading waterfalls and pin-tight turns as “The River” snakes like a vein through Spruce stands and Cedar trees.

Although we have been blessed with large stretches of cloudless days, little paddling has taken place this summer as rainfall has been minimal and rocks show bare in riverbeds.

Not this morning. Today the river was strong.

Cold and Swfit

A flurry of phone calls to my paddling campaneros resulted in a canoe trip on the Upper Saco in Bartlett: above the trestle to put in and the River Street parking lot to take out.

My friend Eric, a boatman from the Allagash to the creeks of Colorado, paddled from the stern position and I from the bow. The beginning stretches allowed little time for conversation as we maneuvered through small seams and avoided armchair-size-boulders.

A standing curler wave obstructed our channel from the right side of the river. Eric turned our bow to run parallel as the downstream gunnel skirted by the wave and a cross stroke from the bow pulled us back into the main current. Beautifully executed; not one word was spoken.

Our canoe drifted in a slow pool, “Why don’t I live here, next to the river?” I exclaimed to no one in particular.

“You should,” responded Eric, “I mean, paddling, it’s what we do.”

Click for river located homes here

** Note: this popular section of river can be found in any AMC River Guide. Expect this section of river navigable in the summer only after several inches of rain and running swift and cold in April and May.

– Call for Ryan the Realtor for home purchase and recreation knowledge (603) 356-7200 ext. 13
Ryan@JTRealty.com

Historic Site Cleaned by Rainbows

A backpack guitar, matted yellow hair stuffed under a ball cap, and life-filled eyes behind thick frames made this dude an atypical hitch-hiker. I pulled over.

“Headed to your National Forest to pray for peace and welcome soldiers home from foreign wars,” this Jim Morison-looking kid said. This was certainly a unique hitch-hiking presentation, “Hop in.”

Apparently the young lad had hitch-hiked from Seattle under the “Good grace of God and people everywhere.” He was certainly self-sufficient with a small Coleman stove strapped to his belongings, a pair of walking sneakers, and a spirited determination to guide him a long.

I pulled the pickup over at my drive, “Sorry man, last stop I offered.”

“If I’m within 10 miles brother, I can walk” he replied jumping out from the bed of the truck. “You should visit us to share a meal and sing some music.” We waived farewell and for a moment I was envious of this dude’s simple lifestyle and maybe a part of youth I’ve lost? I decided a visit was in order.

Three days later some friends and I arrived at the end of a National Forest road and found a colorful sign high in the trees, “Welcome Home.” For some odd reason I was taken aback, after all, I was the guy standing on native ground but decided to let go of proprietary inclinations when I then saw my Jim Morrison buddy cleaning debris from several riverside fire rings.

“Hey guys, welcome home, we’re cleaning up these fire rings and making one, less mess and more communal.” This rainbow was all right with me and with a sweep of his hand he led us to the trail head and began explaining the basic tenets of a Rainbow Gathering.

1. We pray for peace and soldiers

2. We believe gathering on public land is our right granted under the Constitution of the United States and in the minds of our forefathers.

3. Welcome Home

Our guide then radioed us in to “Rainbow Headquarters?” and described our group as “family.” I supposed this routine was a result of pressure from the National Forest Service or Fish and Game employees. Our walk meandered by dry stream beds and gentle ferns brushed our legs as we passed. The silence was eerie. Maybe I expected drums and partially clad dancers in tie-dye clothes?

To the historic site next episode…..

Click here for listings near National Forests

All listing near the White Mountain National Forest

1. Walk to skiing at Attitash Mountain. By using the underground tunnel you don’t even have to face street traffic.
2. Onsite rental program allows you to rent out your condo while you aren’t using it to earn income while avoiding the headache and work of renting it out on your own.
3. Amazing onsite amenities include: indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, basketball court, playground, hot tub, sauna, and a fitness facility.
4. Matty B’s Restaurant is onsite, so you don’t even have to drive to go out to dinner and have a nice meal.
5. Attitash Mountain has awesome summer activities like a water slide, rock-climbing wall, mountain biking, and the famous Alpine Slide. They are also in the process of building New Hampshire’s only Nor’Easter Mountain Coaster for even more year round fun.
6. The condos come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges so you are sure to find one that fits your needs and budget. Check out our listings for River Run condos for Sale.

If you want to learn more about River Run at Attitash or Attitash Mountain in general please give us a call at 603-356-7200 x11 or email Joy@JTRealty.com.

See you on the mountain this summer!

Two more ‘E’ words set JtRealty Lakefront to Mountainside apart: education and execution. The real estate market in the Mt.  Washington Valley is dynamic; our team shares and develops complementary expertise to provide our clients with a result-based experience. Satisfaction is the job done today, not tomorrow.

Our work does not stop after the transaction is closed. Client feedback is critical for continued small company success. Not only does JtRealty Lakefront to Mountainside “hear” client testimonies but we “act” as well. My most recent testimony was cause to celebrate: a Bearfoot Creek land purchase on Attitash Bear Peak in Bartlett NH, that hit the market four days only. We closed in 12.

“Joy is ‘excellent’ in service performance. She followed up with all details both complicated and simple. Our transaction went extraordinarily well. THANK YOU.” – Drs. Nelson & Debra Pan, Melrose MA

We would like you to become a raving fan too, so review our latest best buys or email me your specific criteria. Your purchase or sale is a testimony away.

We are in the midst of the first snowstorm of the winter with 6 inches of snow on the ground already, and the National Weather Service is predicting that we will get 9-13 inches in North Conway followed by 1-3 inches of freezing rain!

It’s a complete white-out, and the plows are virtually the only vehicles out on the road.  While our White Mountain plow drivers are very skilled at removing snow from the roads, in many storms our For Sale signs end up a casualty.  If we don’t remove or move our yard signs, they usually end up smashed in half, or buried under an 8 foot snow bank, un-retrievable for months. There’s a very high sign-mortality rate in a snowy NH winter!

Luckily, just last week, I went around collecting our real estate signs and replacing them with tree signs, and it looks like I was just in time. It sure is nice to get out of the office for a few hours, get some fresh air and work outside, but there were a few dilemmas to face. Like what do you do with a nice cleared view lot with no trees to put your sign on? You can take your chances and leave the ground sign there, hope that the plow guy will spare it, go back after every storm and try to shovel it out, or just leave it without a sign (not a good option.)

Ah, the trials and tribulations of a real-estate career. But hey – at least it’s never boring, and I’m not stuck in a cubicle from 9-5! Gotta go – the front walk needs shoveling.

Merry Christmas to you! The developers of Beechwoods at Intervale are offering a holiday special. Buy lot 18, currently priced at $59,000 and close before Christmas Day 2009 to receive a $10,000 discount at the closing!

Highwoods at Beechwoods is Intervale’s newest and most convenient address. Here you can enjoy all the seasons have to offer with sweeping views of the Mount Washington Valley while living in a well thought out neighborhood of 33 lots and homes. Build your own home or have the developer do it for you. 15 acres of common land for walking, hiking and snowshoeing are yours to enjoy. Town water and underground utilities. You deserve to have it all!

For more details on this development go to www.BeechwoodsAtIntervale.com.

No, you aren’t dreaming… You can actually buy a buildable lot in Intervale NH for only $38,000 that has underground town water and utiltities, and winter views! PLUS the Developer is willing to pay your first 12 months of mortgage payments for you!

At this price why not buy 2, 1 to build your new home on, and the 2nd to sell when the market turns around!

Come and see us on Saturday, October 10th, call Joy at 603-356-7200 x11 or email Joy@JTRealty.com for more details. Check out the price list, we beg you to see if you can find a better deal than this!

Builders, Vacation Home Seekers, and Valley Residents are all encouraged to stop by!

Ski homes, trailside homes…  With prices down like this the timing is great!

While we New Englanders are finally enjoying August weather in September, some people are planning ahead to ski season. Did you know that August and
September are the busiest months for ski home sales in the Mt Washington Valley? Well that might explain why a wonderful family from Massachusetts
are buying a trailside townhouse at Mountainside on Attitash, and a couple from Rhode Island are in the process of buying a home in Jackson
(with amazing views). And why I got an offer last week on a condo at Partridge Woods, and an offer today on this amazing 8+ acres in Jackson . Not to mention a closing last week for a house in Bartlett, and another closing next week on a view lot in Jackson. Where are all these buyers coming from? Yep — the realization that the market is down down down and the prices are too, has brought buyers out of the woodwork. After all, you can’t always time the bottom of the market perfectly, but how close do you have to get to pick up a bargain?

To get you in the mood for ski season, here’s a video of my son Ace on a training run in Chile yesterday. He’s down there with the rest of the Dartmouth Ski Team and getting some great snow time!

Bargain of the Week: 44 Alpine Village, an adorable 3 bedroom 2 bath home ski home within walking distance to the Base Lodge at Bear Peak and a fantastic deck. Its only $219,000 and we had 7 showings last week, so if you are interested hurry up and see it!

Until next week, your ski and lake home specialist,
Joy Tarbell