In 2002 I passed my sales person's exam.  "Okay", I said to my self, "self, what's the next step?"  With no research of where to begin (my pre-licensing class didn't touch upon, how to go about getting into and doing the business...huh, imagine that) I called the local real estate brokerage in my neighborhood.  They weren't willing to hire me, they weren't willing to take on a newly licensed licensee.  (Sidebar: This particular brokerage has since closed shop about three years ago, NO, I have no maniacal satisfaction to that, well maybe they'd still be open if they hired me, but continuing on and not relishing in the thought)  "Huh?", I said.  This was not the way I expected start.  My next call, for I was determined to get started in this business, was a newly opened independent brokerage about 25 minutes outside of the city I lived in, and I answered a for hire ad in the local paper.  I was the first sales agent in the brokerage.  Looking back at where I started and where I am today, I would NEVER want to relive the experience.  The learning curve in the first year of my real estate career was eye opening, disheartening and lonely.  At this time I was 26 years old and I came from a w-2 employed position.  Team work and direct supervision were the core values I implemented since I began working when I was 15 years old.  Having a real estate career, being an independent contractor and managing your own success were very foreign and opposite of everything I have ever done in the past.

Newly hired, I had no idea of what was a fair business arrangement for an independent contractor.  So when everything was all said and done I ended up with a 40/60 split up to my first million dollars in gross sales then a 50/50 from there.  As a brand new agent in an independent brokerage I had to learn to hunt myself and I ate less than half of what I killed.  No structured training, no brokerage inventory to work with, a competing Broker who had to sell to keep the doors open and the lights on, and every lead that came in to the office was an additional 25% referral fee to the office for the privilege of answering the phone.  Ok, thank you very much, can I have another!  I stayed, I took it, and in 8 months I was at my million dollar gross commission mark.  I liked what I did very much, and because I didn't know any better I would have stayed. 

Around this time my Broker decided that she wasn't competitive as an independent (imagine that) and it would be easier for her to grow and expand if she franchised.  She converted her independent to a Re/Max office that month.  At this moment I was intimidated to hang my license with Re/Max, my Broker explained the Re/Max concept to me and was fully expecting me to join the franchise.  The first eight months of my real estate life, well lets face it I knew I was getting, for lack of a better word, financially screwed, but I wasn't feeling any pressure.  The thought of having to sell to manage a financial break even after desk fees and then additionally to sell to make a profit month after month was absolutely unappealing.  Desk fees, to me, was a financial hindrance disallowing me to focus on marketing and self-branding myself and stole my focus away from selling real estate. 

So...I left 

This blog is the pilot to a multi-part series.  It's sole purpose is to keep me real and focused on what's most important to my brokerage, my business and my agents now and for the future.

Perfect Family Home on 21 Mallard Drive, Hudson, NH

Offered at $399,900 Located at 21 Mallard Drive, Hudson, NH  03051

Maps and Driving Directions - Click Here!

Description

The February storm of 2010 left over 300,000 without power, this Realtor included.  My family and I were refugees away from our home over the New Hampshire February vacation. 

I'm excited to share with you a beautiful piece of property I'm listing on 21 Mallard Drive, Hudson, NH.  Why excited and why start this blog with the worst storm so far of 2010?  Read on, I love this house and you'll soon see why!  The property is privately situated at the end of Mallard Drive in Hudson, New Hampshire, a meticulously maintained cul-de-sac neighborhood.  The drive up to the house emanates peace and quiet yet it's close to the convenience of Route 111 and I-93, this home offers everything you would expect in amenities and comfort.

Let's start with the February storm, and talk about my clients on 21 Mallard Drive, they have a large family, they have no worries about space, there's ample room in this 3300 sq.ft. cape style home.  On this particular week of February 2010, during the week of school vacation, my clients enjoyed the warmth and glow of their two-way wood burning fireplace.  Their dining room table seats ten more than comfortably, they were enjoying a fireside family dinner, laughing and discussing their plans for the vacation week.   Looking over to the kitchen, the ample cabinet and counter space along with the breakfast bar seating add another area for family congregations and meal preparations. 

Did I mention that their whole neighborhood was without power?  Not so at 21 Mallard Drive!  Forward thinking as my clients are, a few years back they installed a whole house back-up generator.  My clients, during this week of bad weather and no power were comfortable, their kids were happy, and they sat at their dining room table and enjoyed the crackle of their fireplace and their family as the New England snow fell.      

This property at 21 Mallard Drive, Hudson, NH, has 3 upstairs bedrooms, two which are beautifully dormered with half-round fan windows adding amazing light and detail.  Two full baths upstairs, the master bath, comes complete with the bells and whistles of an oversized jetted Jacuzzi tub, double sinks and separate stand up shower.  The master bedroom lays the full front to back width, on the right hand side of the house.  The master closet is the size of a small room, plenty of space for all four seasons of clothes to be comfortable through New England weather. 

The two-story open foyer also features a half-round fan window lending light and warmth to the hallway up to the second floor and to the landing of the main living area.  Hardwood lends hominess to the formal living room and the TV room off the kitchen.  In the TV room, a triple window faces out to the backyard a comfortable and peaceful setting for book reading, home-work completing or Sunday sports watching.

On the opposite side of the house is the cathedral ceilinged bonus room, which enjoys the other side of the two-way fireplace.  The bonus room is an amazing living area, with patio doors to the pool and outside deck.  Summer living here with your family would never be so enjoyable, this home was made to entertain.  The property sits at the end of Mallard Drive, the back yard almost ¾ of an acre is private and safe for kids at play. 

A two car garage under provides easy access into the house with a walk-out finished area being used as a private home office.  Adjacent to the office is a versatile multi-purpose rooms being utilized as the kids playroom.  This home is a must-see and a must have for the growing or extended family.             

 For a personal tour of this home, call Marlene Minemier at 603 396-8906 or visit 21MallardDr.com.

 

Area Information

Hudson New Hampshire is a bedroom community for the greater Boston metropolitan area, of which it is a part. With approximately 23000 residents, it is located next to Tyngsoboro, right over the Massachusetts line. It is also adjacent to Nashua, and about 20 miles from the Manchester-Boston regional airport.

The town of Hudson NH was originally part of Dunstable, Massachusetts. Sixty years later, in 1733, Hudson was separated from the rest of the tract and renamed Nottingham. 

Nottingham's name changed again in 1741, when the disputed border lands, of which Hudson was a part, were granted to New Hampshire. Two more name changes were to follow. In 1746, Nottingham changed its name to Nottingham West. Then in 1830, amid concerns of the name's similarity to the original Nottingham, Nottingham West became Hudson, New Hampshire.

Originally a small farming community; Hudson today features miles of residential neighborhoods alongside commercial and industrial development, with some small retail plazas as well as high-tech companies. 

The Merrimack River has always been an important thoroughfare to the town. The Taylor's Falls Bridge, which connects Hudson with Nashua, opened as a toll bridge in 1826. A second bridge, made of iron, replaced the old covered bridge in 1881, but it had not been built to support the additional weight of trolleys. 

Electric trolleys, which were introduced in 1909, ran from Nashua to the seacoast and needed an efficient point for crossing over the Merrimack River. In 1910, a third structure, made of concrete, was built. ironically, it outlasted the trolleys that it was designed to accommodate. Finally, in 1974, a fourth bridge was placed at Taylor's Falls, and today oldtimers consider that bridge a reminder of the town's heritage. 

Farming and logging were the main pursuits before the turn of the century.

For a personal tour of 21 Mallard Drive, Hudson, NH, call Marlene Minemier at 603 396-8906 or visit 21MallardDr.com.

It's been a while since I offered for sale a wonderful contemporary family home with so many amenities as the one I have for sale on 30 Shasta Drive, Londonderry New Hampshire.  This house offers three plus bedrooms, cathedral ceilings and skylights in all of the bedrooms, Master bathroom and walk-in closet, bright and cheery in every corner of the upstairs.

The first floor has a great modern, contemporary appeal, the contrast of the black appliances in the white kitchen are striking featuring a Sub-zero refrigerator, Thermadore double oven and a glass cook-top.  The really neat part of the first floor is the solarium living room overlooking the backyard.  The owners currently have it set up as a breakfast nook and informal living-room combination.  It is such a welcoming area.  In addition on the first floor, there's an office/den that's so warm and inviting, it surely suggests wanting to sit and snuggle with a good book. A half bath has been beautifully remodeled with glass tile floor, pedestal sink and a tranquil blue color on the walls. 

I really saved the best for last, the downstairs walk-out has been completely remodeled with a style and flair that can only be described as, "WOW".  Ceramic tile through-out, a full bath, and European cabinetry over the fully applianced wet-bar is the ultimate entertaining space.  Easily convertible into an in-law or teenage suite, the space is a wonderful retreat from the grind of the day to day.  From the walk-out triple sliders the Gunite pool and spa offers summertime fun and relaxation.  The grounds are mature and meticulous, this home is waiting for a family to move in to it and enjoy!   

I am a very focused individual, especially in the morning on my way into the office.  I have a routine, I visit my local over crowded gas station that houses my coffee shop and I buy my extra large coffee, double shot of espresso with extra cream and 3 sweet n' low (sugar makes me hyper), and on a daily basis I am amazed at the over-abundance of people seeming to run in reverse that just can't seem to get out of their own way.  I then proceed to exit the gas station attempting to turn left crossing over three lanes of heavy morning traffic.  I really don't notice any of this experience because I'm usually pre-occupied thinking about the rest of my day.

This morning, NH's 90th inch of snow graced us with its presence.  My local, over crowded gas station/coffee shop wasn't plowed as I pulled in and I had to park at one of the pumps at the farthest end of the parking lot.  Wearing 3 inch heals tenderly trying to step through the tire tracks and the muck...this is where my story gets to the point...a gas station employee, a true gentleman twice my age was shoveling the walkway trying desperately to keep the yuck and muck from reaching inside the store.  He made a cute comment that I looked like I was tip-toeing through the tulips and then proceeded to say he would shovel a path directly to my car to make it easier for me to navigate the parking lot.     

Now, at this point I smiled and said thank you, not really expecting a path shoveled to my car and I proceeded to wait in line for my morning pick me up.  I left the gas station/coffee shop and there it was as beautiful as the yellow brick road, a clear path to my car right to my door.  My cuffs on my black dress pants were never so happy.

I took this experience today and I incorporated it into my business, I telephoned four clients whose houses closed with me this year and I asked if they were all set with their driveways and/or walkways from this last storm.  I had two clients who truly needed help, and I contracted the work to be done. I felt so satisfied to go the extra distance and assist those clients that haven't had the opportunity to coordinate their snow removal before this last storm.  The gas station employee's customer service didn't end when I got the change back from purchasing my coffee and it reminded me my service to my client's doesn't stop at the closing table.   

My over crowded, inconveniently situated gas station/coffee shop has a patron for life and my clients will never work with any other real estate agent.       

I'm wondering has anyone out there tried to coordinate a REO buyer bus tour?  What were the ups, downs and sideways of the experience? 

I am excited to announce the Exit Realty Mega Auction being held on February 29th, starting at 4pm at the Sheraton Colonial in Wakefield Massachusetts.  This event is the first of its kind which successfully hybrids the best of what Realtors and professional auctioneers have to offer.  Several of the Exit offices in Massachusetts have combined forces to talk with our sellers and offer them an alternative way to sell their homes.  It's time to get REALLY excited about real estate again!  What an event we are going to have, currently we have over 100 properties being available for sale in one amazing evening!  I'll keep you posted as to how the process unfolds and the sales statistics to the event! www.exitmegaauction.com Come check it out!