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

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.