Tips for First-Time Home Buyers of North Conway NH Real Estate
Like any other life changing experience, buying a home for the first time can seem like an incredible challenge. However, once first-time homebuyers are able to organize their priorities, conduct some useful research and interact with a trusted real estate agent, confusion can quickly turn into excitement. Keeping in mind some of the basic tips outlined below can help pave the way to a successful first-time home buying experience.
Prior to researching the real estate market and hunting for mortgages, you will need to analyze your family’s goals and priorities. Take some time to reflect and determine if it is the right time to purchase your first home. You may also want to ask yourself where you want to be in the next few years and consider how purchasing a home for the first time fits into your family’s long-term goals.
Once you determine you are ready to purchase your first home, you may want to research the details of the home buying process. Though you may not understand everything you read, any insight you gain will help you avoid unwanted headaches further along in the process.
The next important step in the home buying process may seem obvious but is often overlooked during the excitement of purchasing a first home. Very simply, as a first-time home buyer, you need to determine what you can afford. Too often, first-time home buyers underestimate or simply miscalculate the costs of owning a home. Before searching for your first home, ask yourself if your income is both adequate and reliable enough to afford mortgage payments.
There are also upfront costs to consider when buying your NH vacation or primary home. Though the amount required to cover a down payment and possible closing costs will vary, there are usually some out of pocket expenses to incur when closing on your first home. Being prepared for these expenses, as well as any unexpected costs that occur after you have moved in will help your transition into home ownership.
After determining what your family can comfortably afford, you should start shopping around – for both homes and mortgages. By this time, you should have a good idea of what types of amenities you are looking for in a first home and what neighborhoods best match your family’s needs. As your search advances, you may want to attend some open houses in your neighborhoods of interest. Even if you don’t find the perfect home right away, being active in the market will give you a better chance of finding the best fit for your family.
While looking at homes, you may also want to see what types of mortgages are available to your family. If you are able to determine what rates you qualify for and estimate your mortgage payment before actively bidding on a home, you can narrow down your price range and make a confident offer when the time comes.
Though following the previous steps can help a first-time home buyer find the right home, buyers never need to go it alone.After conducting your own research, it is a good idea to find an agent you can trust. Besides being able to assist you when searching for the right home, a reliable real estate agent can help guide you through the home buying process.
If you are patient with the home buying process and do your homework before purchasing your first home, your diligence will most likely lead you to the perfect home for your family.
The staff at Coldwell Banker Wright Realty writes select articles about important topics related to real estate, local events and area news. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit WrightRealty.com today!
NH Bed and Breakfast for Sale - NH Country Inn for Sale
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday July 16th 3PM-6PM Wine and Cheese Served
Sunday July 19th 12Pm-4PM
Please RSVP by July 14th
Enchanting NH Country Inn! One of the finest Inn's in New Hampshire.Spectacular views of Mt. Washington and the Presidential Range.Features 17 uniquely decorated guest rooms w/private bath, some with fireplace, others with views of the mountains.Bridal Suite with breathtaking views.State of the art commercial kitchen.34 seat restaurant.Two owners' quarters.On 9.9 acres
At the recent Inman Connect, the keynote speaker was Gary Vaynerchuk who I personally thought was THE highlight of the entire convention.
Gary Vee (as he is known in the online world) is the founder of WineLibrary TV and is credited for bringing the love of wine to regular folk--you know, the people like you and I who don't necessarily buy $150 bottles of wine normally. In addition to promoting his wine store and wine reviews he has made an even larger name for himself as a social media and online marketing success. The man is brilliant and although he is "rough" at times with his language, he is simply being real and talking straight to you.
Jay Thompson (also a social media and online real estate marketing superstar) posted a video of Gary's speech at Inman. At the bottom of this post I will include that and a prior speech Gary did at a Web 2.0 seminar that originally got me hooked on Vaynerchuk. (That's Gary on the left and Jay on the right)
It seems that the business community is beginning to wake up to the power of social media but unfortunately there are still many in the real estate community that either don't understand it or don't WANT to understand it. That's a shame...and short sighted.
I live in a very small community (12,000 population) tucked away in the White Mountains of tiny New Hampshire. However, through the leverage and connections of social media, Jay Thompson in Phoenix will soon have a new listing because one of my good friends moved from the area to Phoenix and is now looking to move back (he must be missing the minus 29 degree temps we are having today!). My friend wants a referral and doesn't want to pick blind from an agency billboard or postcard.Since I know/follow Jay -through the various social media tools-he will get the referral. That is just a small example and certainly doesn't even touch on the other aspects of social media which is simply being real/authentic and available to your clients and customers. I have plenty more real world situations--as I am sure you all do as well.
I am "preaching to the choir" here because if you are on ActiveRain you are likely already into it all. I just needed to rant a bit because I came back enthusiastic and empowered and have since been deflated a tad. Just a tad. I will watch Gary again and remind myself to keep preaching...even if some of my choir ain't listening! ;)
~Sean
If you aren't comfortable with the occasional cuss word or a drop of the f-bomb then don't watch this one...he is speaking to a different audience here and cut loose a bit more....
North Conway Ski Conditions are perfect after the snowfall we received this weekend (over 12 inches!) and it came at a perfect time as Cranmore Mountain Resort gears up for it's annual Cranapalooza Event.
Cranmore Mountain is getting ready for it’s annual Cranapalooza Event and with all the new powder (and more expected through the week) it is going to be a fun time on the slopes. Here is a brief overview of the activities planned at Cranmore-Visit their website for more details.
Saturday January 17
2pm until 9pm
2:00 Trivia & Tee-shirt toss at the South Chair lift line 3:30 Face painting in the Penguin Den and s’mores with C More the Penguin 3:30-4:30 Bobo T. Clown entertains the kids 4:30 Raffle prizes in Schneider Square 5:00-9:00 Live Music by Dennis & Davey 7:30 Fireworks
Here is a recent video of the Cranmore Ski Report:
North Conway NH Homesare once again covered in a fresh layer of snow from the season's second snowstorm to hit the area. Although some locals may dislike the early snow, we ARE a snow sports destination area so it is good for business and to see the renewed activity on the mountains.
The White Mountains have always been known for it’s incredible skiing but the North Conway area of the Mt. Washington Valley holds a special spot for true alpine and nordic skiers due it’s proximity to all the area ski resorts. With seven Alpine resorts and nine cross country ski resorts, there are plenty of opportunities for the ski fan to explore!
Contact the following Mt. Washington Valley Skl resorts to get the current snow report and enjoy your day on the slopes!
Alpine Skiing in the North Conway New Hampshire Area
Do you remember when there used to be just TWO internet browsers in the world (three if you even knew what browser Apple computers used...)?
Microsoft's Internet Explorer dominated the marketplace and little Netscape (bought by AOL and recently shut down on March 1st, 2008) was always struggling to get marketshare. Today we have MANY browser options to choose from and if you have never tried any of the others you really should take them for a spin as they are all quite distinct and may offer you just what you hoped for in a browser.
I won't elaborate on the features of each browser as I am more curious what people here at AR are using and why.
If you do want more info just click the link to go directly to the site.
Google Chrome is the latest browser to hit the internet world and it already is making a huge splash. It is FAST, very sleek and takes a minimalist approach with none of the gazzilion buttons and search boxes that can end up on IE.
Firefox is the open source choice for many as it offers a huge amount of customized plug-in options for nearly anyone. I personally use this one for all my real estate related online work. The plug in's are great and offer loads of time saving applications.
Safari once exclusively for Mac's it is now available for Winows/PC users as well.This is my favorite browser for home use as it is very fast and intuitive to use.
Flock is the new rage for the social media world and I am curious if ActiveRainer's are playing with this browser due to it's heavy integration with all the social media sites. I find it a bit awkward and confusing but must admit I have only done a cursory review of it.
Opera has been around for awhile but seems to be getting more popular these days. They have a mobile phone version and also offer a social media tie-in relationship (Blogging via SMS even)
SeaMonkey was created by the same people that created FireFox (Mozilla open source) and apparently is trying to be the Swiss Army Knife of all browsers. They even include an HTML editor and IRC chat tools. Probably more of a true Geek-Browser but there is power under that hood.
There are more below but they are the lesser known "fringe" browsers...I have tried the above but can't say much about these below others...
Very well designed and maintained chalet with open kitchen, living area with brick facade fireplace, Anderson windows, Laminate exposed beams. A good quality home and priced right!!Access to nearby beaches and not far from shopping, skiing and other valley activities. Large deck for summer fun. Winter views too!!!
Recently I was visiting a good friend of mine, Dave Soucy, owner of Perfect Fit in Manchester, NH (Fitness Expert and author) and he shared with me this brainstorming tool called 'mind mapping'. Although the concept of mind mapping is not new, it seems to be finally getting mainstream attention in part due to the many software programs that are now available making the process fun and fast.
If you are like me you probably have used or still use planners, notebooks, post-it notes etc to organize your thoughts, to do's and projects. Doing things this way is a very linear approach--meaning each to-do, note or project sits by itself--disconnected from the others. This makes remembering them difficult as well as it being a constant effort flipping back and forth between your notes to try to put it all in context.
Mind mapping uses the right side of the brain and allows you to think without imposed structure or lists. You begin with a central concept and branch out from there building from that central idea. What happens is that you get a FULL PICTURE approach to a project or even a to do list that enables you to get things done faster--a side benefit is that because the "map" is now a visual reference you remember it better--far better in my experience. To the right is an example of using mind mapping to decide which mind map software to buy and below is an example of a basic mind map of using Web 2.0 for real estate:
it takes a little getting used to, but now that I have been doing it for a couple of weeks I find it incredibly helpful. Here are ways I have used it:
I created our company marketing plan as a mind map--this not only helps us understand where we are marketing but also provides our clients with an impressive graphic of all the ways we market their home.
We have a subdivision project that we wanted to create a stronger advertising campaign for so I mind mapped what we currently were doing and began to see other areas we had missed out on.
With all the social media commitments in this new Web 2.0 world of real estate, I sometimes get off track and find it has been more than a week since I blogged or a few days since I used twitter. I decided to make a 'tasks list' using the mind map method and I posted it on my office wall. It is a visual reminder to do certain things--far easier than a daily to-do list where each day my list gets longer from the undone tasks the day before! Plus as I mentioned, I remember the tasks better due to the "right brain thing". It is really wild how fast you can recall things that have a visual reference vs. a list.
In this age of info overload and the massive juggling of tasks, I found mind mapping to be a huge time saver and it just feels GOOD to have things organized now.
Here are some resources I played with if you consider trying it out:
FreeMind: Open Source FREE mind map software--Nice but I wanted a few more features it didn't have.
iMindmap.com: I ended up choosing this one...$99 bucks but it has many functions that I really liked. It was also mac compatible. Supposedly the maker of this software, Tony Buzan is the originator of mind mapping.
Mindmanager:A rather robust package here...probably more than the average user would use but if you want it all...this is good.
And not to forget the very new app for the iphone, Mindmaker. Take your mindmaps with you!
Mind mapping may sound "geeky" to you but if you dive in and try it I think you will see it actually appeals more to the creative/visual person and the bottom line is: IT WORKS. Give it a try!
This fantastic home in desirable Rockhouse Mountain in Conway, New Hampshire is an example of fine craftsmenship and attention to detail. Enjoy beautiful views of Mount Washington from this quality built 3 bedroom, 2 bath, custom contemporary home.Classy granite countertops in the kitchen and master bath (jacuzzi tub too!),cherry floors,quality composite decking,fiber cement siding,and real stone facade are just some on the upgrades in this fine quality water access home.You won't be dissapointed!
Although the question of using print advertising is a well worn topic in the real estate community, it is interesting to see the further changes in this traditional medium.
According to the latest edition of private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson's Communication Industry Forecast (USA Today) here is some compelling data:
NEWSPAPERS: Spending on dailies and weeklies will fall 2.4% a year to 55.3 billion by 2012. Digital will account for 14% of the total vs 5% last year. The biggest problem will continue to be Classified Ads moving to websites such as CraigsList and others. Newspaper classifieds will plummet and fall 11.3% a year through 2012 compared to previous declines of 2.3% a year from 2002-2007.
Cable TV and Satellite ad sales will grow 7.3% a year to 188.9 billion.
Music- Digital downloads will outsell CD's in 2010 leading the beleagured industry to an average increase of 0.9% a year.
The Los Angeles Times has ceased publication of its weekly real estate section--born more than a century ago--amid major staff cuts.
Richard Smith, President of Realogy, the largest residential real estate broker in the world ( and parent company of Coldwell Banker, Century 21, ERA, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate and Sotheby's) said that thier budget devoted to newspapers will shrink by as much as 2/3 next year as spending moves online. "it's going to be bloody", Smith said in an interview, " the newspaper industry is going to have to adjust".
Realtor Chris Iversons has a very interesting and compelling article, Are Newspapers Dead? over at 3 Oceans Real Estate blog. He took the time to track the results of newspaper advertising for open houses he conducted in the Palo Alto and Redwood City, CA markets and compared them to the results from online advertising and signs.
The outcome? Out of 52 groups that came through Johns open houses one weekend, none came because of the extensive advertising he had done with local newspapers.
Real estate sellers are becoming more demanding. A glossy magazine ad that has a month or two lead time for publication is likely not going to be the vehicle that will bring a buyer to the home. Neither will newspaper advertising. Both do little other than promote the real estate agent. By the NARs own estimate, over 84 percent of all home buyers are searching for their future residence online.
It's time for us to truly educate our sellers and stop wasting incredible amounts of money and resources on a medium that no longer provides the real estate industry any benefit.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
At the recent 
Gary Vee (as he is known in the online world) is the founder of 
The White Mountains have always been known for it’s incredible skiing but the 
Do you remember when there used to be just TWO internet browsers in the world (three if you even knew what browser Apple computers used...)?
Safari
SeaMonkey
And not to forget the very new app for the iphone, 
This fantastic home 
Although the question of using print advertising is a well worn topic in the real estate community, it is interesting to see the further changes in this traditional medium.
21, ERA, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate and Sotheby's) said that thier budget devoted to newspapers 
;)
;)
