Sanna has a history in creative interior designing and has served as a staging consultant with a passion for the housing industry. Becoming a real estate agent was the perfect career path for her to combine her interests and talents. Sanna joined Verani Realty because of their reputation in the industry and the quality education programs they offer for new agents.  She is determined to provide excellent service to her clients with their best interest in mind.

Outside of work, Sanna stays busy with the Nashua community and her children’s extra-curricular activities. She was a Toastmasters member where she served as both Treasurer and President. Also, she served 8 years on the Boston Board for Finlandia Foundation where she served as Vice President, President, and is currently Newsletter Editor. Sanna also enjoys traveling and has been to 25 different countries so far!

Sanna is based in the Prudential Verani, Nashua office, located at 175 Amherst Street in Nashua. She can be reached at m: 603-233-0421 and e: sanna.card@verani.com.

A dirty mailbox is the 1st thing potential buyers see

As most Realtors® will tell you, spring is an optimum time to sell a home.  A large volume of buyers head out in the warming months of April, May, and June making it an ideal time to put your home on the market. Once the snow has melted however, your property may be left looking a bit weathered and in need of a good spring clean-up before you start showing it.

• Clean your home inside and out: Muddy or snow covered boots have left their mark, so clean tile (bleach dull grout), clean linoleum and hardwood floors (refinish if needed) and have the carpets steam cleaned. Look for stains and get them removed. Polish wood floors to a shine. Sparkle is free, and sparkle sells homes.
• Clean bathrooms and kitchen: Paying extra attention to any dust or grime left behind. Clean any glassware you have on display and remove all clutter.  Clean your oven and refrigerator and polish any stainless steel.
• Clean the windows:  This means inside and outside. A potential buyer will see the difference if windows are spotless and your mirrors reflect sunlight. Cleaning is the first step to preparing your home for sale.
• Get your yard in order: Rake the yard and trim back bushes. Clean out dead leaves and debris.  Once the grass begins to grow, mow diagonally and edge lawn along your driveway and walkways. Diagonally mowed lawns make your yard appear larger. Transplant tulips and daffodils or buy flowers in containers as soon as the weather will allow.  This pop of beauty and color really says, “welcome”.
• Pay attention to the details: After the windows are spotless look at your drapes, curtains or blinds and clean anything that may be dusty or dingy.  Open windows and let fresh air in.
• Get fresh new decor: For a splash of spring color around your house, light colors like yellows, pale blues, lavenders, and sage greens say spring. Layer towels on bathroom towel racks and place rolled washcloths on the counters in a fashionable pyramid. Be your own home “stager”.
• Place a new doormat outside: Each door needs a mat for cleaning shoes.  It will make each entrance appear well cared for and say “welcome” to potential buyers without the winter-worn doormats.
• Repair any damage to your mailbox: Consider placing a large pot of spring flowers near it. It is often the first thing a buyer sees when looking for your property. Curb appeal (as we’ve mentioned in the past) is a key to selling!

As a follow-up to the interview with Prudential Verani President, Margherita Verani, I asked commercial real estate agent, Cliff Harris for his thoughts on communication from an agent’s perspective. This time, the focus was on whether personalized hand-written or e-cards were still relevant in the industry.

Should you send cards to your customers and clients?

“Yes. As we all are aware, the more our name is in front of our customers and/or clients, hopefully the more real estate activity will come our way. It also allows us to keep in touch with clients beyond the purchase or sales process.”

What kind of cards do you, or should you, send?

“Well, there are a host of opportunities that come our way to reach out and say something to our customers or clients. Sometimes during the first meeting, I caught some information about a birthday, anniversary, child’s graduation, new job, wedding, etc. These are the opportunities that everyone would expect a card with a personal stamp and signature. Key words here are personal stamp and signature. This indicates that someone personally took the time to pick and sign the card.  People expect cards from family, but they’ll get a pleasant surprise when they get one from their REALTOR®.”

What about major, and even minor, holidays? 

“Christmas cards. This is great, too. If you know for certain that someone celebrates holiday seasons in a different way, then you can send them a particular card to represent their personal beliefs and celebrations. Just because their names are spelled a certain way, doesn’t mean you should assume a Hannukah card, for example, should be sent. Get to know the client, and make sure the right one gets sent out.”

We’ve touched on the two big types of cards. Are there ever times that you send another type of card to a client?

“Yes. If during a conversation, you discover something of interest about a client, and maybe you see something in a newspaper or magazine of relevance to them, take the time to cut it out and drop it into a quick note. Say “I thought you might find this of interest.” No need to send a business card or mention real estate because the fact that you thought of them will keep them thinking of you in future real estate conversations. “Personal touch” cards, like these, make a statement about you as a person, and the way you conduct business. Definitely take the time to drop a card.”

Cliff Harris is a commercial real estate agent located at the Londonderry, Verani Office. If you have any commercial real estate concerns or questions, cliff can be reached via email at cliff.harris@verani.com.

Success in the business of real estate can be found in building and maintaining of relationships, and good communication is the foundation of any solid relationship. Methods of communication have rapidly evolved over the last few decades and though potential buyers and sellers can get information quicker, it is vital to be dealing with reliable, trusted sources that offer face-to-face, trustworthy advice.

Margherita Verani, President of Prudential Verani Real Estate and a licensed Broker since 1972, says that though she has seen communication technology change dramatically in her 40 years in the business, one thing remains top priority in forming relationships with clients. Here’s a conversation with Margherita, regarding communication in the real estate industry:

What are your initial thoughts on modern communication in your industry?

“Our ability to communicate has changed dramatically and honestly what I think still matters most is having that face to face handshake you can trust. We have come so far in communication with cell phones that do everything, email, websites, and social networking.  Clients can reach you anywhere at almost anytime, but first and foremost they have to trust you as a person working for them with knowledge, skill, and experience.”

With so many years in the business, Verani has worked with no cell phone, with a giant cell phone held in a bag, to present-day where most information, as well as phone calls, are a touch away.  Is it any easier?

“I don’t know if I’d say it was easier.  Marketing in the old days was mailing out ads and newspaper listings. There were so few venues to get the word out about your company and what you were offering. Now the MLS [Multiple Listing Service] is on the Internet and everyone has a website. So, there are more communication avenues, but those streets are lined with not just you, but with your competition.”

Prudential Verani remains very well recognized in the industry. With nearly 100,000 visitors every month, Verani.com delivers detailed home descriptions, photos, and visual & guided tours- pioneering the first online home tours in New Hampshire. The website offers the “Showing Time” program, an innovation that allows online appointment requests, “Virtual Agent”, which allows buyers to set up a profile to save searches and request e-mail updates that fit their criteria.  Other helpful information includes school system reports and community profiles. 

But what about the personal contact that every client craves and any good agent strives for?

“I think clients want instant answers to their questions nowadays.  We are so used to being connected. It is important for our agents to provide quick response but also personal attention. I think it is our duty to make that communication personal, and one that mirrors the old days of that trust-filled handshake.  With the new technology we can do both.”

How has Prudential Verani Realty been successful in helping its agents reach the goals that you’ve talked about regarding instant communication?

“Verani Realty tries to be the leader in communication technology, for example our own ‘e-lead system’ to manage potential clients. Where most REALTORS® handle Internet leads the old fashioned way, which can leave people waiting 48 hours for a response, the Verani system gives agents immediate access to buyer inquiries. Agents are often in contact with clients before they have a chance to log off.”

What does all this mean for Prudential Verani Realty agents?

“It is just one of many ways communication has moved to the ‘instantaneous’ response. Times have changed and though we have to keep it personal we also have to use the technology to give us the communication edge. With this system, we don’t lose potential buyers, instead we earn lifetime customers!”

A Solid Market Recovery

The signs of a recovering housing market continue to show themselves in several promising ways, including the recent report that home construction went up 15 percent in September. The increase was a four-year high, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. When you look to the future, a clear indicator is construction permits, which are required for future home building and those figures have jumped by 12 percent. This translates into an astounding 93.4 percent increase (year over year), and the largest yearly gain in 20 years.

Combine that with record-low mortgage rates, rising consumer confidence, and rising home prices and we can safely say we are in a modest to aggressive recovery trend in our real estate market.

There is no doubt that the extremely low interest rates (below 4 percent for almost this entire year) are helping drive the increase that REALTORS® are seeing in home sales. This type of long-term savings for home buyers causes Continue reading “More Good Market News!” »

As part of the recent news announcing Prudential Verani Realty and Real Living | The Norwood Group merging their two residential companies, we are pleased to have Susanne Kimball from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

As a licensed NH Real Estate Agent since 2002, Susanne covers many Southern New Hampshire towns from Concord south, east to the Exeter area and west to Wilton. Her personal goal as a REALTOR® is to provide the best service she can. Susanne states, “It is so important to be able to trust and communicate effectively with your real estate agent. I make it my top priority to listen carefully to understand my clients’ real estate goals. I work with them to provide the most current data on market conditions so they can make the best choices along the way. Together, with enthusiasm and a positive attitude, we will get it done.”

Throughout the years, Susanne has built a loyal client base through hard work, honesty, commitment, and a strong focus on what matters most – her clients.

Susanne is certified for relocation services in Southern New Hampshire and is a member of the Greater Manchester Nashua Board of REALTORS®. She is married with two children and a cocker spaniel named Bear.

Susanne is based out of the Prudential Verani Bedford Office located at 165 South River Road in Bedford, NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 816-9933, m: (603) 533-4447 or by email at susanne.kimball@verani.com.

As part of the recent news announcing Prudential Verani Realty and Real Living | The Norwood Group merging their two residential companies, we are pleased to have Sheri Cameron from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team as the Nashua Office Administrator!

Sheri grew up in a military family with a birthplace of Columbus, GA.  Her family moved 14 different times due to her father’s career, primarily throughout the Southern states and PA.  In 1985, a marriage brought Sheri to NH.  What a culture shock to live in New England, and to live in a home for more than just a year or two!  But over the many years, New Hampshire has become her home.  She currently lives in a Colonial she purchased 7 years ago in Manchester, which she has remodeled over time, drawing on the design/build experience she obtained while working for a premiere seacoast home builder for over 15 years.

Sheri has a biology degree, and an art background, but it is her love of homes and home building that ultimately made her decide to obtain her real estate license.  The license is currently inactive because she found that working for a real estate office, assisting brokers with their businesses was really what brought  a sense of accomplishment and joy to her life.  She was pleased to first become an administrator with The Norwood Group two years ago, and now with the merger of the two companies, she has found a home with Prudential Verani.

She has a 24 year old daughter, who is an accountant with a local Nashua firm, and who is also an accomplished equestrian.  She has her loveable 6 year old chocolate lab, Sadie, to greet her at day’s end.  Sheri is a member of a ladies book club, an avid cyclist who rides all summer and spins all winter, she has volunteered for Friends of Stark Park, The Manchester Marathon, and donates to the local animal and food shelters.  She loves to cook, garden and ward off the squirrels on her deck that devour the bird food intended for the variety of birds that come there to feed.  Don’t worry; her neighbors are used to it!

Sheri is based out of the Prudential Verani Nashua Office located at 150 Broad Street in Nashua NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 889-1875 or by email at sheri.cameron@verani.com.

As part of the recent news announcing Prudential Verani Realty and Real Living | The Norwood Group merging their two residential companies, we are pleased to have Deb Hanson from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

Deb combines Real Estate expertise and her unique Interior Design background to create a winning experience for her clients.

Both buyers and sellers have the advantage of Deb’s expertise in maximizing their home’s value with critical advise, often by investing minimal expense = a maximum return in this ever changing market. Customers can rely on her knowledge in their home search as she has managed over 330 successful transactions from corporate relocation, first home buyers, builders, sellers, investors and those fun waterfront properties.

Deb knows the area! She has become one of New Hampshire’s top negotiating sales agents in a market that requires hard work, excellence and determination.

Deb started her career as an Interior Designer for Ethan Allen which lead to designing interiors for corporate businesses for 15 years. Real Estate was a natural transition with design build expertise and attention to detail while always focusing on people.

“One of the largest and most important purchases of your life should be enjoyable while making informed and wise decisions.” notes Deb.

Deb is a true New Englander, growing up on the coast in Hampton, NH. She attended UNH and Mount Ida College in MA and enjoys spending family time in Maine. She enjoys navigating the coast of Maine and creating art in her spare time.

Deb is based out of the Prudential Verani Bedford Office located at 165 South River Road in Bedford NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 494-4023or by email at deb.hanson@verani.com.

As part of the recent news announcing Prudential Verani Realty and Real Living | The Norwood Group merging their two residential companies, we are pleased to have Denise Egerton from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team as the Amherst Office Administrator!

Denise grew up in Waltham Mass, where she graduated from Waltham Senior high school. She went on to attend college at Mass Bay Community College in Wellesley, Mass where she received her Associates Degree in Business Administration.

In 1999 she moved to New Hampshire and bought a home in Brookline where she raised her son who graduated from Hollis/Brookline High School and joined the military. After moving to New Hampshire Denise worked as a Marketing Coordinator for Brevan Electronics for approximately 5 years.

In 2005 she took a position as an Administrative Assistant for Carlson GMAC of Amherst and began to learn the business of Real Estate. In 2008 after Carlson GMAC closed their offices, she went to work for The Norwood Group in Amherst as an Office Administrator. Today, we are delighted to have Denise join the Verani family.

Denise works out of the Prudential Verani Amherst Office located at 46 NH Route 101A in Amherst, NH. She can be reached at (603) 721-0400 or by email at denise.egerton@verani.com.

As part of the recent news announcing Prudential Verani Realty and Real Living | The Norwood Group merging their two residential companies, we are pleased to have Beth Curran from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

Beth has worked as a full time Realtor® for more than 20 years serving clients in the Greater Nashua area, specializing in single family homes, condominiums, relocation and first time home buyers. As a Nashua resident for over 35 years she is very familiar with all of the schools and neighborhoods in the area.

Consistently honored as a top producing agent in real estate, Beth’s primary market is Nashua as well as Hollis, Amherst, Merrimack and Hudson. (She will sell and list real estate anywhere in New Hampshire if you ask her to!) She is also a member of the Massachusetts multiple listing service which allows her to input her listings and perform searches in the state of Massachusetts – a very beneficial feature to her clients seeking services in both NH and MA.

Prior to moving to Nashua, Beth grew up in Towson, MD. She and her husband Peter met at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, MD and have been married for over 34 years. Together, they have three children who live across the country from Arlington, VA to San Diego, CA to Nashua, NH. When she’s not traveling the country visiting her children, Beth’s hobbies and interests include skiing, tennis, curling, reading, cooking and visiting friends and family.

Beth is based out of the Prudential Verani Nashua Office located at 150 Broad Street in Nashua, NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 816-9905, m: (603) 966-6666 or by email at beth.curran@verani.com.