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

Creating Transactions and Friendships that Stick

Duncan & Diane wanted a weekend home in Mt. Washington Valley badly — a situation real estate consultants live for.  And Diane was not short on stamina as we scoured the web, drove through neighborhoods, and viewed homes with potential.  Not only that, Diane was quick with a tape measure to make certain room dimensions would accommodate her furnishing tastes.

We were having fun but several items thwarted initial purchases: a soured inspection and a lakeside cottage that needed considerable monies to winterize. The emotional roller coaster was deflating for Duncan & Diane and I reminded even myself at times, “A home purchase is a process and our timing will meet opportunity soon enough.” However, the summer screamed ahead and the possibilities felt like they were shrinking.

Alas, we found a three bedroom cottage close to Conway Lake that is ultra efficient and extremely well cared for. Duncan and Diane moved forward but more tense moments played out as we found ourselves in a multiple offer situation. After successful negotiations and counter offers, Duncan & Diane purchased the home.

In the end everything felt right: a place Diane thoroughly enjoyed and a home that wouldn’t require Duncan’s tools.  My daughter Maya, who joined us for several showings, grew quite fond of Diane who had even given her a tape measure of her own, “A girl’s best friend when house hunting.” Photo of Maya and Diane during morning coffee — sweet.

Buddies: Diane & Maya End of the Fall Season

"Is the show going on?" End of the Fall Season

End of the Fall Season

 

 

 

 

 

Conway Cottages Under $175,000 Click Here:

Unsure of How to Start Your Home Search? Contact Ryan@JtRealty.com

October & November Sales Under $175,000 Click Here:

 

 

Here’s to Father’s Day & Children:

When purchasing my first home at twenty four there were many details I ignored, however, I did not ignore the school system, child care, or the surrounding neighborhood (mostly trees in my case). Whether purchasing a primary or vacation home our children are a big part of the equation — I keep this in the forefront when working with clients. Unhappy kids make for unhappy parents.

Recently, I had the pleasure of looking at homes with parents and their young toddler. In short, this lad and I became famous because we had trees and trucks to talk about. We mostly pointed and grunted but we spoke the same language.

The Remains of the Perfect Father’s Day:

The lobsters put up a good battle, but in the end the Mahan’s held their own on this Father Day surprise dinner. Here’s to Dads (while at the same time never forgetting our wonderful wives).

I think the lobster’s showed a good fight.

For families considering relocation and joining a neighborhood in Mt. Washington Valley, call Ryan direct 207-462-3874 or by email Ryan@JtRealty.com

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.

Buying a home or condo is a major financial commitment, so before you sign a Purchase & Sale agreement make sure that you are making the right decision. Here are the major factors to consider:

Price: Yes, you are pre-approved to buy the post and beam home with gorgeous views to Mt. Washington, but are you comfortable with the mortgage payments. Will you still be able to afford your yearly vacation to the Caribbean or Nantucket? You want to be able to own a 2^nd home and still afford all of the other things in life that make you happy. Nobody wants to be “house poor.”

Condition: This factors into the pricing. Would it make more sense to buy a slightly more expensive new home, or are you willing to save on the initial asking price and pay for repairs afterwards? Some “fixer-uppers” can end up turning into money pits way out of your budget. There are a lot of gorgeous older homes in New Hampshire, but keep in mind when restoring an older home, you will most likely need to add 20%-40% on the contractors initial bid (and time frame!) as there are always unexpected items that need attention.

Size & Layout: How many bedrooms do you need? Are you expecting to have a lot of weekend guests? Would an open layout work well for your needs, or do you like to have several stand-alone rooms? Keep in mind when buying a vacation home that your closet needs and living space in general will be significantly different than in your primary home. You might really enjoy staying in a cute and cozy cottage with awesome river frontage that allows you to do some family bonding that you usually can’t, due to hectic real life schedules. A wise trade-off.

Location: You fell in love with the Mount Washington Valley  after years of coming up to ski at Attitash Mountain, Wildcat, and Mt Cranmore. And then you came up for a week in the summer and had an absolute blast hiking the Presidential Mountain Range and swimming in the Saco River. So, where do you want your home base? Is it better to be in North Conway Village, drive to the mountains in the morning and walk to dinner at night, or would you rather wake up on the ski trail or the lake and walk out your back door to recreate first thing in the morning?

All of these are questions that you need to answer, but by choosing an agent from JtRealty Lakefront to Mountainside who is knowledgeable about the different neighborhoods, lakes, mountains, and ski areas in the Mount Washington Valley you have made your first good decision. Our REALTORs© can help you answer questions, but ultimately, you need to decide what your priorities are. Click here to print out a chart made up by the National Association of Realtors that will help you compare your top 3 homes and narrow it down to your 1 favorite.

A couple weeks ago a fellow called me to discuss representing him and his wife in the sale of their vacation condo in Bartlett. They have been owners there since 1996 and have watched me and my business grow and decided that I was the right agent to sell their condo.

First, I mailed our customized Market Proposal, outlining everything that we do to get our listings sold, along with my personal statistics (In our Board of Realtors my List-to-Sell Price Ratio is 1% higher, my Sales Price is 14% higher, and my Days on Market are 30 days shorter than average.*)

 Then I did my due diligence, looking up what they paid for the unit, reviewing the remarks of the listing agent when they bought it, inspecting the condo for improvements, view, location in the development, and finally putting together a Comprehensive Market Analysis (CMA) with data on Sold, Pending, and Active listings at their development. I summarized the sales data, recommended a price, and sent them the package.

And then I didn’t hear from them. Reality is very sobering in this market. A week later I emailed and asked if they had received the info. They had, but were dealing with some personal issues and would get back to me. Then one of the Active listings in their development had a $5,000 price reduction, so I immediately emailed the info to them. A week later they wrote that they had listed their condo with another agent who claimed he had sold more condos in that development than I had.

What they didn’t mention was that he had also taken the listing at $10,000 more than my recommendation.  And with the recent price reduction on another unit, their condo is now more than $15,000 overpriced. Since no buyer in today’s market is going to pay $15,000 more than another similar unit in the same complex, this condo will not sell, and the agent has effectively “bought the listing”.

Remember, it may be a good idea to get 2-3 opinions on pricing from different Realtors, but your eventual decision on an agent should not be based on their pricing recommendation. Once you have the Sold data and see what the competitive owners are asking, you can make an educated decision on the list price, and hire the agent based on their skills, list-to-sale price ratio, and other relevant strengths.

When this listing expires, I’ll contact these folks again. Sometimes it’s better to be second.

Joy

*Based on information from the Northern New England Real Estate Network 1/1/09-12/31/09 for the towns of Albany, Bartlett, Conway, Chatham, Eaton, Hales Location, Harts Location, Jackson & Madison. Statistics are for Joy Tarbell.

Ron Insana, author of “How to Make a Fortune From the Biggest Bailout in U.S. History”,  talks with the Today Show about why the time is right to recapture losses you may have incurred during the economic downturn of the past two years.  With a keen eye Insana suggests investors look to real estate as a great place to put money right now.  Looking at the New Hampshire real estate market, particularly here in Conway. I can’t help but agree with the advice.  Prices are down, and there are many great buys in the region.  Combine great low prices on homes and condos with the Homebuyer’s tax credit and the deal sweetens.

Right now we are offering tours of the best real estate deals in North Conway, Bartlett, Jackson and Western Maine.  If you are interested in seeing just how great some of these deals are call (603-356-7200) or drop us an email.  We will be happy to show you around!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

by Suzie Laskin

You’ve heard the expression, “it’s a buyers’ market”. If you’re a buyer there are some terrific deals right now in the real estate market. You will need to be prepared in advance so that if you want to buy one of these great deals, you’re ready to jump in and immediately make a strong offer before someone beats you to it.  The most important first step you can take, before you even start looking, is to get “pre-qualified”.

Most sellers expect the people that are walking through their homes to be pre-approved by a lender. That means that if they are going to open up their home to total strangers who will look in their closets and inspect every nook and cranny, they require the buyers to be qualified to buy.  And, if you’re a buyer, would you want to fall in love with a property, and then find out later that you’re not qualified to purchase it?

You can easily avoid that scenario by speaking to a lender before you even start looking at properties so that you will know what you will be qualified to purchase. You’ll avoid the disappointment of falling in love with a home you can’t buy, because you won’t have wasted your time looking at anything that’s out of your price range.

Getting pre-qualified by a lender takes only about 15 minutes and can be done over the phone very easily. The lender will ask you some questions about your income and debt, how much money you have for a down payment, will do a credit check and then will let you know very quickly what you are qualified to borrow. The lender will issue you a “pre-approval” letter which you will submit along with your offer to purchase a property. This way the seller is assured that if they agree to take their home off the market to sell it to you, you will be approved for financing. Many sellers will not even entertain an offer unless the buyer has that pre-approval letter first. And you will have the peace of mind knowing that your offer will be taken seriously.

Talk to your Realtor. We work with some outstanding lenders in this area who can help you take that initial first step and get you on your way to becoming a happy homeowner with very little hassle. For more reasons why you should get pre-qualified check out this article written by a local lender.

A Change of Season in Mount Washington Valley

The coming of fall in the Mt. Washington Valley marks a time of change.  I’ve located my winter slippers, most of my firewood is split and stacked, and slipping towards October has allowed me to reflect upon the oncoming winter. Of course there will be additional chores such as turning over the vegetable garden, putting plastic on the north facing windows, and cleaning out the flu of the wood stove.
However, I also reflect upon our upcoming family traditions with Nicole and my children: the early morning walk on the first snow of the year, playfully tagging the Evergreen trees that dumps the white stuff behind our collars, the first lopsided snow man, the tracks of various sledding courses that wind between Oak and Beech trees, and hot chocolate next to the whispering wood stove. These are the stories we collect. This is living in Mt. Washington Valley. This is what makes me rich.

Seeking Mountain Views and Home in North Conway

I recently spent a Sunday with clients who were chasing similar dreams: a cabin with a view facing the mountains, a place to stash skis and boots forever, and a place to build memories with their two children. And just maybe on cold, rainy days in November this cabin becomes a place to nap, read, and play board games. A place to step away from the work-a-day lives we all maintain.
Well, this is very possible in Mt. Washington Valley. Private mountain views do exist and there are enough choices to make the numbers work and carefully select a restful location so you can begin building your own stories with your friends and children. East of the Mississippi, where are you going to find mountain views as spectacular as Mount Chocorua,  Cathedral Ledge or the Moat Mountain Range? Right here in the valley.  If you want to see the best mountain views the valley has to offer please contact me today.

Yours,

Ryan

Always wanted to invest in real estate, but don’t know where to begin? This is the perfect property to start with…

Your tenants will love living on the water, skating on the pond in the winter, sitting on their private deck enjoying the views while BBQing, and being able to walk to Conway Village and its restaurants, the library, Conway Elementary and Kennett Middle school. You will love earning passive income by renting out both of the units and gaining equity in the property as the market stabilizes and prices begin to rise in a few years.

I took my kayak over there yesterday to take some photos of the house from the pond and the reflection of the clouds in the water was so stunning I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures. It is hard to imagine that you can find such peace, tranquility and beauty right in the heart Conway Village!

We would be more than happy to provide you with a broker’s projection sheet, and if you are a first-time landlord we can give you lots of great advice on tenant applications, qualifications, and leases. Send Joy an email with any questions you have about this listing or how to get started investing in real estate. Joy invests in local real estate herself and is always eager to help people do the same. To see all of the other multi-family properties on the market in the Mount Washington Valley click here.

Just reduced to $199,900 this is a fantastic investment opportunity for you