Pay Now for Good Food — Not Later for Bad Food  

Late nights at the office send me scurrying home with a sense of guilt, “Jeeze, haven’t seen my kids all day etc, etc” but after rationally and methodically hitting up McDonald’s as a means to “save time” and satisfy the gnawing hunger in the bottom of my stomach the guilt doesn’t stop.

“Ryan, McDonalds continues the operation and expansion of feed lots — an environmental and health disaster both.”

“Ryan, McDonalds adds ammonia based meat filler to their burgers to kill salmonilla.”

“Ryan, your waist line NEVER SHOULD INDUGLE IN MCDONALDS FOOD AND WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE A ROCK IS IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR STOMACH?”

So tonight I fought back and decided to leave the office for a dinner pick of Thai food and then return. My health would not suffer, my conscience can remain clear, and what’s further I would support a local restaurant in the slow season before the foliage peepers arrive. Doesn’t this meal below represent real food versus a double-quarter-pounder from McDanks?

Thai Nakonping Restaurant – Authentic Thai Cuisine – North Conway …

VROOM… VROOM… VROOM… the sound of the bikes whizzing past our office day. Yep, its bike week in the Mount Washington Valley.  “Rally in the Valley” week is coming to a close, but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy riding your motorcycle through the White Mountains all summer long. With all of our scenic roads, gorgeous vistas, and plenty of restaurants and shopping,  North Conway NH is the perfect bike weekend getaway town. The Kancamangus Highway, that stretches from Conway NH to Lincoln NH with amazing views and scenery the whole way, is a world famous ride that everyone needs to experience. Once you come visit the Mount Washington Valley, you’ll be hooked, we promise.

Just for all of you bikers out there, I have picked out a handful of homes currently for sale with lots of garage space perfect for keeping your motorcycle safe from the elements and a little added work-space in case you need to do a quick tune-up.  Check them out by clicking here, then give us a call at 603-356-7200 or email info@JTRealty.com to set up an appointment for the next time you are here.

Ride safe and enjoy!

by Suzie Laskin

In their 2009 book The Great Towns of America, An All New Guide to the 100 Best Getaways for a Vacation or a Lifetime, David Vokac and Joan Vokac list North Conway, NH, calling it “the peerless gateway to New England’s biggest mountain playground”.

Many people refer to the entire area as “North Conway” but those of us that live here call it “Mount Washington Valley”.  The Valley encompasses several other towns, including Bartlett, Jackson, Hales Location, Harts Location, Madison, Chatham, Freedom and Eaton. Some people also include the towns of Fryeburg and Brownfield in western Maine.

Mount Washington Valley is nestled at the base of the Northeast’s highest peak, towering over the valley at 6288 feet, and snow-covered most of the year. The unspoiled high country a hiker’s and outdoor lover’s paradise. The Appalachian Mountain Club has a series of huts nestled among the high peaks where hikers may rest for the night before continuing on the next morning. As well, there are abundant pristine mountain rivers and lakes.

Among the area’s many attractions are its spectacular scenery, quaint covered bridges, landmark historic inns, exciting ski resorts, numerous cross-country centers, snowshoe trails and snowmobile trails that go for miles and miles through beautiful white forest lands.  As well, there are many contemporary art and craft galleries, antiques shops, and of course, factory outlets. Shopping in New Hampshire is tax free. And shopping in North Conway is some people’s favorite recreational sport.

Located just 3 hours north of Boston and 1.5 hours west of Portland Maine, North Conway is fast becoming a choice retirement destination for active seniors. Mt. Washington Valley offers a multitude of food and entertainment choices.  There’s a very interesting collection of restaurants, from inns and taverns to ethnic cuisine including Chinese, Thai and Indian. There is wonderful Community Theater, as well as a professional summer stock company, that offers live Broadway musicals during the summer months.

The Memorial Hospital is conveniently located in the heart of town with new doctors’ offices and state of the art equipment. Many Seniors enjoy socializing at The Gibson Center or taking classes at “OLLI”, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Granite State College.

Here is an excellent home for Seniors, with a luxurious first floor master suite and an expansive back yard and garden.

sun drenched living space with first floor master suite

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.

Yesterday the finishing touches were put on the Carriage House office space behind JtRealty Lakefront to Mountainside. It is now complete with glowing wide pine floors, warm and inviting, trendy paint, a new dormer with views head on to Mt Washington, and best off all: JtRealty as neighbors!

The space is officially ready for a desk. If you or anybody you know is looking for a great place to spend your work day give us a call.

To help make this easy I wanted to share a few things that we at JtRealty love about working at the Scenic Vista. I am sure that most of them will be things you’ll love too.

1. The ever-fascinating view to Mt. Washington and the Moats.
2. No cubicles.  No plastic or metal signs of institution, just charming angles and woodwork.
3. Skip traffic by taking Intervale Crossroads and the back way to the village.
4. Walk to the post office.
5. Better still: mail delivery!
6. Easy location for clients to find.
7. When in need of fresh air, open door, sit on bench, and view the mountains in their splendor.
8. Watching thunderstorms roll in.
9. Subway next door.
10. Vista Store pizza slices when you  are over Subway.
11. Watching the Scenic Railroad go by.

 I drove up the driveway off West Side Rd and fell in love. I was completely drawn in by the unique architecture, the delightfully different windows, the privacy, and the beautiful gardens. A home with a huge WOW factor that only got better inside.

Walking in I was immediately impressed with the gorgeous built-ins, a beautiful dining room begging for a dinner party, light streaming through circular and square windows, and fun nooks and crannies that lend themselves to unique decorating.

When I got back to the office I was so excited; it was such a dreamy home. I gave my assistant the file to start work on the pricing analysis and couldn’t believe the number she came up with: $399,000! “No Way!” I exclaimed. This house is amazing, it is architecturally interesting, it has 4 bedrooms and baths, over 3500 square feet, and office with floor to ceiling windows, the perfect location on West Side Road, it’s worth way more than $399,900!

So I took the listing at $465,000. Big mistake.

6 months later and no offers, the seller and I had to face facts: while we both absolutely love this home, and so had every buyer who has seen it (but not enough to buy it) it just isn’t worth $465,000 in today’s market.

So the seller is giving all buyers one last chance to fall in love with this home, and for a $65,000 discount!

Just reduced to $400,000 and worth falling for.

The last 2 months have been so busy it feels like we are working in a hot market again. Just this past weekend I put 3 of my listings under contract, negotiated an offer on a house within walking distance to the Attitash Bear Peak baselodge, and today I am negotiating for a buyer on a really cute house in North Conway Village. If you saw the state of my desk right now you would know it’s all true.

So check this out … the numbers continue to drop but not so much in the 3^rd Quarter, which is traditionally our busiest season. When we compare the stats year-to-date in the Mount Washington Valley, this is what we get:*

Of course the first time home-buyer tax credit expires November 30th and this $8,000 credit is really pushing buyers. It will be interesting to see how the market responds once this amazing promotion is over. 

 If you would like some advice on how to sell your property for more money in less time, send an email to Joy@JTRealty.com.  I just put a condo under contract that was listed September 15, had 2 showings in the first week, 2 offers a few days later, and is now under contract! Further proof that even in a down market if you price your property right, and it shows well, it will sell quickly.

Check back for further updates on the state of the Mount Washington Valley Real Estate market.

Lakefront to Mountainside,

Joy

*Based on information from the Northern New England Real Estate Network for the period1/1/08-10/1/08 and 1/1/09-10/1/09 for the towns of  Albany, Bartlett, Brownfield, Eaton, Fryeburg, Hales Location, Hart’s Location, Jackson and Madison.  

Join the Team Tarbell Terriers and Donate to the Conway Area Humane Society

For the past 12 years Joy Tarbell Realty has been participating in “Bark in the Park” the Conway Area Humane Society’s annual fundraiser. The Team Tarbell Terriers have been the top fundraisers for the past 6 years, and we hope to keep that tradition alive. To visit our donation site click here.

Those of you who have visited our office at the Scenic Vista in North Conway NH know that we are a very pet friendly office. Currently we have 3 resident cats (Hobbes, Polly, and Ginger) and a dog (Skye). Polly, Ginger and Skye are all former residents of the Conway Area Humane Society!

If you hadn’t guessed already, it helps to be an animal lover to work in our office. Aside from our adopted office pets (well they are actually Joy’s) several of the agents in our office have also adopted their pets from the Conway Area Humane Society. Suzie Laskin is a member of the Board of Directors for the Conway Area Humane Society, and her “Ella” is CAHS alumna as well.

Ginger is the feisty little 6 lb sweetie that we adopted on New Year’s Eve 2008, after being in a cage at the shelter for 7 months. She didn’t get along with the other cats so couldn’t be allowed in the cat social room. She’s doing fine with our cats now, though they all have their own “territories”.

Polly is our Gemini Twin from the constellation “Pollux”, though her brother “Castor” died of a tumor awhile ago. She’s the kisser and loves to be held close to your face.

Skye was the first dog adopted from the dog house, 2 weeks before the dog shelter opened. She was left there at 8 weeks old and Joy came down and took her home that night. That was 5 years ago! Graduated at the head of her class in Obedience School.

Here’s Ella after her graduation from Obedience Training taught by Brian Ahearn of Four Your Paws Only. Ella was adopted from CAHS after she was transported here from a shelter in Kentucky where she would have been euthanized. Ella went to her forever home with Suzie Laskin where she’s been happily living with sister, Abby, a big black shaggy dog.

Adorable Bucky adopted by Rona Ahearn from the Conway Area Humane Society

Cute little Abbycat is the newest addition to Bob and Rona’s family. She’s another CAHS alum, 8 months old. She loves Bucky and everything that sits on a countertop!

All of these animals, and countless others, are living proof of what an amazing job the Conway Area Humane Society does to rescue pets and find them new loving homes and owners.

We really hope that you can help us raise money and awareness for the animals by donating to the Conway Area Humane Society. It is really easy to do, and will only take you about 1 minute! Click on this link to get started: www.FirstGiving.com/TeamTarbellTerriers

And of course, you are always welcome to join us at the Bark in the Park “Walk for the Animals” at Schouler Park in the Village of North Conway on Saturday, September 26^th! For more information visit the CAHS website: www.ConwayShelter.org

Presenting a pops-style concert on the festival stage at the base of the north slope at Cranmore Mountain Resort, host sponsor. A spectacular fireworks display will be the grand finale. An early concert by area performers, Jonathan Sarty and the White Mountain Boys is at 6 PM, the Symphony takes the stage at 7:30 PM.

$5 suggested donation, ages 12 and under free.

http://www.cranmore.com/info/events/calendarevent.artsjubilee.item.asp

July 3^rd is looking like a very good day. The sun finally broke through the clouds after who knows how many days of rain in the Mount Washington Valley, and the first half of the year real estate statistics are much better than I was expecting!

Here is a look at the first half of 2009 and how it compares with the same period of 2008.*

As you can see, the number of Sold listings is the same! Sold volume is down, but not nearly as much as it was in the first quarter (click here for 1^st quarter stats). The average days on market is decreasing, always a good sign, and the number of new listings coming onto the market is rising. All of these are indicators that the single family home market in the North Conway NH area is starting to stabilize. What a great way to kick off the summer, our busiest season of the year.

The condo market continues to lag behind the single family homes market in the Mount Washington Valley. However these numbers are a serious improvement over the 1^st quarter numbers. (Click here to see them). If you remember, condo sales in the 1^st quarter were down 50% and sales volume was down 63%. Although prices and sales are still declining, they are not declining at such a drastic pace. This is definitely positive news, and hopefully the “upward trend” will continue through the summer months.

Extremely low interest rates and the benefits of the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit are definitely helping to turn the Mount Washington Valley real estate market around.  Now, if we could just get this weather to turn around, we will be in really good shape for the summer!

As always, feel free to email me with any questions, comments or for any specific data.

Happy Independence Day!

Joy

*Based on information from the Northern New England Real Estate Network for 1/1/08-6/30/08 and 1/1/09-6/30/09  for the towns of Albany, Bartlett, Conway, Eaton, Hales Location, Jackson & Madison.