BEDFORD, NH – Are You Okay Program sponsored by the Bedford Police Department

The Bedford Police of NH have a telephone reassurance program that is sponsored by the Bedford Police Department.

If you are a senior citizen, disabled, or feel you would benefit from a daily contact call, then the “Are You Okay” is for you.

When you become a subscriber to the program, you decide what time you want to receive your automated phone message. It will ask you to respond by saying you are OK. If your telephone is busy, no answer, the system will call back twice and if there is no answer the police and emergency response is dispatched.

Interested Bedford residents can pick up an application at the Bedford Police Department or at the Bedford Town Offices. Once an application is filed, a member of the Bedford Police Departmenet will contact you to set up a time to meet and officially enroll you in the program and answer any questions you may have.

If you have any additional questions about how this program works, you can contact the Bedford Police Department at 472-5113.

Annual Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby

No need to stay inside during the long winter months this year, just waiting for the sun to come out dreaming about open water and summer fun! Be adventurous, bundle up, get outside, and try fishing in a whole new way – through the ice at the 33rd annual Great Meredith Rotary Ice fishing Derby the weekend of Feb. 11 and 12!

Ice fishing action can be fast and furious with fisherman from all across the country converging on Lake Winnipesaukee to vie for the fantastic prizes. Shawn Marzerka owner of Woods ‘N Water fishing and hunting guide services says “There is nothing like the excitement of seeing the yellow flag go up on your tip-up alerting you to a fish on. You are always imaging that this will be the big catch to get your fish hung up on the wall of fame and winning the grand prize.”

And the $63,000 worth of prizes this year are grand indeed. The 2012 grand prize for the largest Meredith Rotary-tagged rainbow trout is a John Deere XUV 825i Camo, second place pulls in a Polaris 500 Touring ATV, and third place gets an ice fishing package including a portable bob house.

Young anglers and their parents are not left out. The Derby will host a “Let’s Go Fishing” program for kids on Saturday February 11th in conjunction with the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department.

Continue reading “Annual Ice Fishing Derby — Meredith, NH” »

Winter Snowshoe Walk & Tour of Colonel Paul Wentworth House 

Sunday, January 29th, 2012, 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Join the Strafford Rivers Conservancy and co-hosts, and the Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) for a Winter Walk on the “Scoutland” property in Rollinsford. This conserved land is located on the Salmon Falls River and the walk (on snowshoes or boots depending on whether there is enough snow!) will take you along the Salmon Falls River and through the woods to end at the historic Col. Paul Wentworth House. There you can enjoy hot cocoa or coffee, warm cider (with or without rum!) and other goodies provided by ARCH, SRC board members and volunteers. Families welcome.  Admission is $5 and free for children. To register visit www.straffordriversconservancy.org

So you have heard that the real estate market is making its recovery in New Hampshire, but you’re nervous to take the big leap to home ownership? The question you should be looking at now is what are you paying to rent vs. what would it cost you to own? You may be surprised.

Now is the perfect time to buy a home with prices stabilized, and more affordable than they have been in years. Interest rates are at a record low, but are expected to rise in the future and since the market’s inventory is now moving, you could be missing out on the home of your dreams. What if you also knew that you might be paying the same or more for rent as you would for that mortgage and actual ownership?

Depending on where you live, renters on average are paying between $1,100 to $1,700 for their apartment or condominium. Size also plays a role in this equation, so if you have more than one bedroom, or more than one bathroom, your costs are on the higher end of this scale or above it.

But with interest rates at an all time low, you could be owning your home for the same cost per month, have larger living space, have the freedom to paint it whatever color you choose and have a yard to call your own.

Continue reading “Why Rent when You Can Own?” »

In March of 2011, New Hampshire rolled out a new program to not only improve the marketable skills of the state’s unemployed, but to increase their chances of finding a new job. Part of a three-step plan introduced by Governor John Lynch, The Return to Work Program allows people to continue collecting unemployment while receiving up to 24 hours a week training from a potential employer.

Prudential Verani Realty’s very own Lisa Eaton, now a Londonderry Customer Account Manager, was one of those unemployed individuals who learned about this program from the NH Employment Services and saw an opportunity.

“Presenting my participation in the program seemed like it would be intriguing to my job prospects, since I would appear to be a low-risk candidate, already vetted by the State,” Lisa said. “The job-seeker takes all the initiative in this program in finding opportunities, yet through the program, the State provides a great incentive to employers to provide training. It is win-win.”

“It started with a letter from Lisa who introduced herself and showed interest in working for our company. We set up the interview and really liked what she had to say and thought she may be a great fit for our needs,” said Ruth Palitka, Controller. “For the first six weeks we had her in the office doing orientation and familiarizing herself with our company and how we do business, and the State continued to pay her unemployment wages. She was very diligent with her duties so we put together a job description for a Customer Account Manager position and timeline to fulfill her training.”

And Lisa has met our expectations! She has since passed the NH Real Estate License exam and has been working as a Customer Account Manager in Londonderry ever since!

“Verani was willing to take a chance on me and I am so glad the State allowed them to benefit through the Return to Work Program,” Lisa said. “This has been an amazing opportunity for me. The work program helped me get my foot in the door and I could not be happier that I took advantage of it.”

Are you a real estate licensee, an agent, or a Professional Business Owner (PBO)?  What’s the difference?

A licensee is someone who casually sells a house or two a year.  The industry is full of part time licensees.  Not here at Prudential Verani.  We hire only full time real estate agents; people who actively stay trained and regularly pursue the business and often sell 20 or more houses per year!

However, there is another level to this business that many in the industry only dream of obtaining, but just don’t know how.  Recently, Deb Gallant, VP of Sales and me, John MacGilvary, Regional Manager for Prudential Verani Londonderry, were certified by Buffini and Company to mentor agents through its new Peak Producer program. This program is designed to skyrocket production and take business to a new level, transforming each agent into a PBO.  A PBO is an agent who has the habits, attitude, skills, and mindset of a business person; an agent who meets the relational and transactional needs of their clients versus just the transactional; an agent who focuses on a long-term relationship rather than short term income; an agent whose focus is to create an advocate rather than cashing a check.

“Our goal is to create a whole team of Peak Producers”, said Deb Gallant. ”We will take our first group of 30 agents through the 12 week program beginning on January 16th.”

If you or someone you know practices real estate and would truly benefit taking their business to the next level, contact me (John MacGilvary) direct 603-845-2201 or email john.macgilvary@verani.com.

You may also want to view our career website to understand all the benefits of becoming a Prudential Verani agent.

Take your business to the next level today!

LIVING OUTSIDE THE BOX!

Beaver Brook Association, with conservation lands in Brookline and Hollis in New Hampshire, is a non-profit educational organization that offers a multitude of programs to the local Southern NH communities, and has recently constructed a yurt.

What is a yurt you might ask? It is a portable eco-friendly solar panel structure. The Beaver Brook yurt, located in Maple Hill Farm, Hollis, NH, is a 30 foot White Mountain lighted and heated classroom that will be used for Beaver Brook programs.

Yurt living is magical and “outside the box” because while inside you can still hear all of nature singing and at play as the natural Earth surrounds you. It is also practical living for many as a seaside retreat or mountain getaway because it is economically priced, environmentally sound, and a sustainable choice that is extremely versatile.

A yurt can be great for a little vacation getaway on your land, an eco-friendly retreat, artist’s or writer’s studio, cozy guest house, or a simple hiding place you can call your own. Yurts can be tailored to your specification, and best of all, if you want to move it from New Hampshire to Maine, it’s no problem!

For more photos of the Beaver Brook yurt, you can visit their facebook album.

Images of Home Featured in Winter Gallery 6 Show
January 10th to March 4th

Visit Gallery 6 at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire in Dover, NH to see artists’ responses to the question, “What is Home?”

The show will feature the work of artists from diverse backgrounds – young, old, immigrants, amateurs, professionals – working in a variety of media, as well as poetry from Mimi White’s Poet Laureate project. Each artist offers a different insight into the concept of “home,” creating an opportunity for Museum visitors to react and reflect on their own ideas of “home.”  The Gallery is open during regular Museum hours.

6 Washington Street Dover, NH 03820
(603) 742-2002

According to recently published statistics by the National Association of Realtors, more home sellers are seeking the expertise and professional services of a real estate agent to sell their home, rather than trying to sell it on their own.

Over the last decade, the share of home sellers who used a real estate agent or broker to sell their home increased from 77% to 87%, while people who tried to sell their own home (For Sale By Owner or FSBO) decreased by 9%.

Why are more and more sellers using real estate agents to help them sell their homes? Well, first and foremost, selling a home is not always simple or quick, especially when you are trying to do it without the marketing tools and contract knowledge that an experienced Realtor has. Realtors can list a home on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), which puts it on the market to all the other Realtors in the region who are representing most buyers. Nobody selling on their own can reach the same number of potential buyers as the MLS provides. A Realtor also uses their skill to sell the house in a reasonable timeframe, to market the home to potential buyers, and to price the home competitively.

It is true that some people are able to sell their own homes without the services of a real estate agent, but they are the exception, not the rule. Here are five reasons why FSBO sales are challenging and sellers are turning to Realtors to get the job done.

1. A FSBO can not get their home listed in the MLS because it is open only to members in the Real Estate industry who are licensed real estate brokers and agents. FSBOs do not appear in many home search engines and Web sites. A FSBO can put a “for sale” sign in their front yard and place a few ads in newspapers, but their ability to market the home is very limited.
2. Continue reading “More People Turning to Realtors to Sell Homes” »

Game on!
Pawtuckaway Ice Golf Tournament and Chili Competion:
Feb. 4th, 2012 Pawtuckaway Lake –
Tee Times 8 am to Noon

Jay Swymer,the founder of Freds Fund.org, a non profit 501 C3, has taken over the organization and management of the Pawtuckaway Ice Golf Event for 2012! His story of his son’s passing and his subsequent creation of this charity is best told on this article in the NH Chronicle.

All proceeds collected go to the Pediatric Care division of Friends of Dartmouth Childrens Hospital (CHaD). Sign up now to play! Just go to FredsFund.org to book a tee time (on the right-hand column).

Jay has asked me to help with sponsorships for the event, with all proceeds going to the charity. Last tournament, we raised over $4000 for Families In Transition! We offer sponsors signage at each tee and green on the course, advertising handouts to all the players, and inclusion of the sponsors’ names in all pre and post promotions on the website! These can be corporate or family sponsorships! We are asking $150 from each sponsor for the advertising package. Call Tom Duffy at (603) 303 – 3039 or email tom.duffy@verani.com with your intention of sponsorship or more details.

Ice golfing	Chillin’ with chili

Continue reading “Pawtuckaway Ice Golf Tournament and Chili Competition” »