New Hampshire Home Stager reveals secrets to selling.  Secrets to selling your house?  Can there be any secrets left?It seems with all the home staging information out there and so many home staging shows popular on HGTV, all the secrets must be told by now. And yet...take a look through your local MLS and see the pictures that people are using to represent their "product for sale."Home staging is still a fairly new concept in New Hampshire and most other parts of the country, and it is obvious that the secrets are not all out of the bag just yet.Over the course of the next two weeks, I will be sharing some of the things I believe to be very important when preparing your house for sale, things that most sellers don't think of.  Every other day, I will post a new "secret" strategy that y... 08/13/2009

TAKE A TARGETED APPROACH TO FINDING THE RIGHT HOME FOR YOU....If you are buying a home, one of the first things I like to  do before taking you on home tours is to discuss with you and try to determine the type of house you want and need. Style, size and number of rooms is important. However, just as important is the type of community you want to live in.  Knowing what your requirements are will help narrow your home search and save time. To expedite the house-hunting process, start by making a list of the dream home factors  the "wish list" as it's called that are most important to you and your family. Consider style, location, proximity to work and schools, yard size, near all major highways, and price. Whether you have children or not, buying a home in a community with good schools i... 07/30/2009

SELLING YOUR HOME FAST IN A DOWN MARKET.... Selling your home fast in a down market takes guts. It usually means you'll sell it for less than you hoped you'd get. However, that's the way it is going west in the real estate market today. To sell your house quickly realistically let it go for 10% to 15% lower than other listings in your neighborhood have sold for recently.  If you need to sell your house fast they take the emotion out of it. Price it at the lowest price point that you are willing to accept immediately, don't wait to see what's going to happen and then reduce. This is detrimental truly.....pick a reasonably/low price and list it there!  People don't want to see a hous that hangs on for months with small price reductions. It gets old fast, very fast. CURB APPEAL IS EVERYTHI... 07/28/2009

What does home staging cost in Portsmouth New Hampshire?  For many New Hampshire sellers the concept of home staging remains a fairly new concept, even though it has become very common in other parts of the country.  Even with all the television shows and media attention, there is still alot of misunderstanding when it comes to the subject.  Many sellers are under great financial stress and truly believe they can't afford this service.   Home staging in New Hampshire is often perceived as expensive, and unfortunately, by some realtors, as unnecessary. In many cases, the perceived definition of home staging is the problem.The most common representation of home staging involves a total remodel - all new furniture and accessories brought in by a team of workers...costing thousands of dolla... 07/26/2009

"EXPERIENCE ISN'T EXPENSIVE....IT'S PRICELESS!"  I love this phrase and it's so true I think. At least for the most part it's true.  When I'm looking for a doctor I always look at his/her experience, how long they been practicing, where they went to medical school, what is their specialty, are they Board Certified and so on.  When I'm looking for "legal advise" I generally feel that those attorneys with the most experience have an edge by virtue of there experience. Years of practical work in court and dealing with the many different leagal cases must give them the knowledge one is seeking for advice. Do those sellers and buyers looking into the real estate market look for Realtors who have years of experience? Do Certifications like Buyer Agency, Sellers Agent, GRI, Licensed in more th... 07/25/2009

MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD HOME /August 2009 Historic Essex Street- Salem, Massachusetts   Where the infamous "Witchcraft Trials of 1692" took place           only a few blocks away I grew up in Salem Massachusetts near “Gallows Hill  where the witches were hung.  As a teenager in High School I worked summers at “ The Witch House” and “The House of Seven Gables.” The hidden stair case always fascinated me. Families would hide in the staircase when the house was raided . Being a tour guide was fun as well as interesting. I met many interesting people from everywhere around the world. One million visitors come from all over the world each year to take in the Historic sights. Salem is a pedestrian friendly city where residents and visitors can walk around downtown to stores, shops, resturant... 07/23/2009

  There are those agents that believe in "updating their voice mail daily. I curious though as to how many agents do this. Changing the voice mail, with the date and time and message seems somewhat repetitive and not needed to me.  Most of us have a voice message that answers any calls and we check for these messages through the day. Do you think that changing the voice message daily allows you to be more in control or not? My updated daily message today might go like this.....    .."  Good morning, this is voice mail for Patricia Aulson @ Prudential Verani.  It  Thursday, July 23rd...At this time I am          unable to answer your call but please, do leave me your name, contact number and nature of your call.  I'll return your call promptly and welcome the opportunity to speak with yo... 07/23/2009

According to the New Hampshire associations of Realtors this past week, home sales in NH saw a slightl rise in June transactions, another increase in the past four months. June sales numbers recently released by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors showed the number of residential unit sales in June was up 0.5 percent over June 2008 — from 1,145 in 2008 to 1,151 in 2009. While this may be be a huge increase it is some good news . There appears to be a declind in NH housing inventory and a decrease in foreclosures statewide. Also the news shows that the home sales overall in NH is up some. This is some encouraging news to read on a Sunday... For those of you who are interesting in property in seacoast NH can go to my website @ www.patricia4realestate.com and search the entire MLS fo... 07/19/2009

STRAWBERY BANKE MUSEUM....                   History Happened Here...there is lots of wonderful places to tour if you are in Portsmouth NH but one of my favorites is Strawbery Banke Museum which is located at 14 Hancock Street, Portsmouth NH  You are taken back in time when you stroll about marveling at the way people lived back in those days. You can experience four centuries of American life at this wonderful place in Portsmouth New Hampshire's oldest waterfront neighborhood. Lots of newly added exhibits and expanded buided tour options await you. Open Daily at 10:00AM-5PM during May - October For more inforation-check out their website @ www.strawberybanke.org For Portsmouth NH real estate check out my website @ www.patricia4realestate.com 07/19/2009

It is not all bad news out there.  There are houses selling, there are buyers buying.Many of the Realtors that I know are very busy, the busiest they have been in a long while.  Others, are finding it difficult to survive.  I have a hard time accepting when a Realtor blames the market and suggests another price reduction as the only option for their clients. Please don't misunderstand, many times price reductions are warranted. I'm certainly not saying all agents resort to this practice, but too many times cutting the price is suggested by agents who know no other way.The key to their marketing plan is to reduce price rather than increase the perceived value of the property.  Many will reduce the price before a home staging consult is even considered.  These realtors aren't familiar wit... 07/18/2009

Remember the saying...."it's not what you say but how you say it?" I have found when dealing with reluctant sellers you need to be firm about lowering the price to get the exposure it needs.I don't meet with them at the house. I ask them to come to my office where I can discuss with them the plan for getting the home more exposure in a professional atmosphere.  Taking them out of the house takes away the emotional element at home. I let them know that I have a plan that will give the home more exposure. At this time I point out the need to lower the price to encourage more qualified buyers who are looking at homes. Pointing out that the price of the house is key to getting the house sold.  Now is the time to reduce the price and get the attention it needs to get the house sold. While t... 07/16/2009

Well 2 plus years with active rain here is where I rank in the state of NH , county of Rockingham, Town/city of PortsmouthBlog Posts:220Rank in New Hampshire:8 /856Rank in Rockingham County:3 /229Rank in Portsmouth:2 /64 (Featured!)Featured Posts:1Comments Received:1,003Comments Left:3,528Blog Subscribers:17Blog Subscriptions:28It has been a fun and interesting ride so far and I want to thank the Active Rain community for supporting me as a fellow member. Those people at the top of  Active Rain have always been there for me when I needed them. The information I've received and the help is not only appreciate but helpful. I would encourage anyone to join AR.Thank youSincerely,Patricia Aulson/Portsmouth Nh Real Estate 07/15/2009

  I wonder if any of you Realtors have gone through a situation where you have shown, or sold a house where a murder has taken place. I was new the area where I showed a home and my buyers love it . Immediately putting in an offer that was accepted, they closed six weeks later. Some time after the closing and the buyers moving in, I meet a person at a gathering who brought up a conversation about a murder that had taken place at that house two years prior. Well, immagine my surprise!! I nearly dropped my drink and jumped in with questions about this. As it turned out, the man had killed his wife in the living room of the house and was appealing his case in court that very week. Hello.....I had never heard anything about this from anyone while showing or going through the home inspection... 07/14/2009

I'm forging ahead with cautious optimism with an offer . Why you ask? Well this has been so easy from day one when I met these buyers, they were ready to go forward if they found what they wanted. Well, guess what?  They did find what they wanted. It was the very first home of four we previewed that very first day we met. They submitted an offer, it was countered and my buyers accepted without hesitation. In the area this home has a lot to offer and the price is reasonable. The house met the criteria listed on there wish list.  OK....so I'm thrilled to say the lease but wondering why things are moving along so smoothly.... Next came the home inspection one week to the day later. The home inspector couldn't find anything wrong with the house. He was hard pressed to come up with anything ... 07/12/2009

  "When we choose not to focus on what's missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I love quotes...some of them are so poinent and really hit the nail on the head so to speak.   I saw this quote the other day and thought I'd send it along to show the AR community today. Only the day before I read an articl about how the number of homeless people had risen drmatically. This quote  especially hit home with me.  The tough economy makes us all vaunerable. Uncertain times are scary. Those of us who are fortunate enough to have a home should be so greatful each and every day for what we do have. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home....       Have you... 07/12/2009

IF YOU LOVE TO BE NEAR THE OCEAN... YOU'LL LOVE SEACOAST NEW HAMPSHIRE....... You've heard  the adage "location is everything" and it is.......  Why? Because location is the single most important factor that determines value . This not only applies to the home you buy, it applies to the location that you chose to live. The Seacoast of New Hampshire is the absolout best  location! City and rural lifestyles coexist among the changing seasons of New England - the fiery colors of the autumn foliage, the soft pastels of spring flowers, the lush green grass and sandy beaches of summertime, and the blanket of white snow glistening in the winter sun.  The immediate area offers fine dining, theater, biking, fishing, boating, festivals, and great tax-free shopping. Each town, like Exeter, Hampto... 07/11/2009

HOME WARRANTY......I can't remember the last time I had a buyer interested in buying a home warranty. It's like life insurance, if you die it's sure nice to have. Not all things or items are covered in the basic plan. One needs to read thoroughly that is covered and see if it's worth it to them. Home Warranty covers the repair or replacement of many of the most frequently occurring breakdowns of home systems and appliances, but not necessarly the entire system. Like everything there are options. Many different plans from which to choose, some include service plans some don't. Some are seasonal and some are not. Make sure you speak to the company representative and ask questions before signing on the dotted line. The company I work with insists we put this in among all the other paperwor... 07/11/2009

Located at the edge of the Piscataqua River and across from Strawbery Banke Museum, Prescott Park was donated to the city of Portsmouth around the turn of the century by two sisters, Josie and Sarah Prescott. The popular waterfront park features extensive flower gardens, including large demonstration beds where many varieties of flowers are shown each summer. The park also is the site of one of New England's most popular outdoor summer events, the Prescott Park Arts Festival, which during July and part of August presents a musical and dozens of performances by musicians and theater groups. Since 1974 the festival has drawn more than 9 million visitors for productions from "Annie" to "The Wizard of Oz." Location: Marcy Street, Portsmouth, NH map Web site: Prescott Park Arts Festival Come... 07/11/2009

Home shopping is an emotional process dominated by gut reaction to visual stimuli.   Buyers go to real estate sites to look at photos   They enjoy looking at photos. Pretty pictures = joy.   The smallest detail in a photo (wall color, fireplace, flowers in a garden) can trigger a strong, even illogical conviction: “If I don’t see any trees, something’s wrong”.   Photos are the first thing participants look at and the most influential   Bad Photo Equals Bad House Participants feel few and/or poor quality photos mean “Don’t bother to look, move on, nothing to see here” The agent or seller is lazy, not trying very hard or hiding something There is nothing worth photographing; the house is ugly, dilapidated Something is wrong, start worrying This house isn’t ready to be shown or sold   GOOD... 07/09/2009

        Boston’s history stretches beyond the land to the sea. Boston has a wealth of maritime history – both past and present. Bostonians welcome crews and cadets from all over the world to their harbor on a continual basis as part of the Sail Massachusetts Visiting Ship Program and are gearing up to greet the return of the Tall Ship fleet for Sail Boston 2009!Known as America’s Walking City, Boston is home to many historic sites that date back to the American Revolution. Visitors to Boston are encouraged to stroll the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile red brick walking trail that passes sixteen nationally significant historic sites. The Freedom Trail begins at Boston Common and ends at Bunker Hill, near the Charlestown Navy Yard and the home of the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned s... 07/08/2009