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.

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 Kathy DeMello from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

Prior to entering real estate, Kathy served as president of the Boston Chapter of the International Facilities Management Association. In 2004 she gathered all her skills and embarked on another career path in residential real estate, obtaining her license and hanging it at Keller Williams Realty, in Nashua, NH. In 2010, yet another opportunity presented itself to team up with two wonderful partners and open Reflections Realty Group, LLC, servicing residential real estate needs in Southern New Hampshire. Later she joined The Norwood Group and is now a proud member of Prudential Verani Realty.

Happily ensconced in this great career serving the towns of Nashua and Hollis, Kathy invites her clients to give her a call and talk about their real estate needs!

Born in Chicago, IL Kathy moved to New England with her “New England native” husband, Bob DeMello in 1971. Once established in the Boston area she began building her career as she and Bob raised their three beautiful daughters.

Kathy is based out of the Prudential Verani Nashua Office located at 150 Broad Street in Nashua, NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 816-9911, m: (603) 233-3673 or by email at kathy.demello@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 Tim Leger from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

“Put the Expert to work for you!” is Tim’s motto for clients who want to experience the Tim Leger difference!

Tim brings over 14 years of buying and selling experience from both The Norwood Group and prior to that RE/MAX of Manchester, NH where he was a member of the 100% Club for six years. Serving the towns of Bedford, Manchester and Goffstown Tim’s focus is on helping people market their “hard to sell homes” by using his Certified Distressed Property designation and short sale experience, as well as helping people avoid foreclosure.

A true believer in giving back to the community, over the years Tim has generously donated much his time and energy to the Children’s Miracle Network Charity and the Local Chamber of Commerce.

Tim grew up in Western Massachusetts in the Springfield area and spent his college years in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His degree in broadcasting from Colorado College sent him into the world of radio broadcast journalism and videography before entering real estate. Tim’s two daughters, Samantha and Jessica, are what grounded him here in Southern New Hampshire where he currently resides. Tim can often be seen traveling everywhere with his two infamous Maltese/poodles, Lilly & Penny.

Tim is based out of the Prudential Verani Bedford Office located at 116 South River Road in Bedford, NH. He can be reached at p: (603) 816-9936, m: (603) 860-4474 or by email at tim.ledger@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 Nancy Pomerleau from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team!

Nancy is recognized as one of New Hampshire’s finest real estate professionals. Committed to her profession, she has spent the past 43 years building a successful career based on hard work, experience, and dedication. Her focus and determination to raising the standards of the industry has earned Nancy the respect of her peers and the continued support of her clients and customers.

Beginning her career with The Norwood Group, Inc. back in 1970 as a sales associate, Nancy achieved the title of “Highest Volume Producing Sales Associate” in the history of the company! In 1980, she was appointed as the Amherst Branch Manager, a position in which she has served for over 13 years.

Throughout her career Nancy has taken an active role in a number of national, state, and local REALTOR® organizations. Presently, she is a Director for the Amherst Chamber of Commerce as well as its Chairman for the Educational Task Force. In 1994, she served as the New England Regional Vice President for the National Association of REALTORS® and as a member of its Executive Committee. She has been a member of the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire and National Association of REAL TORS® as well as the past president of the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS®, Greater Nashua Board of REALTORS®, and in 1979 was the recipient of the prestigious “REALTOR® of the Year Award” for the state of NH.

Committed to continuing education within our ever-changing real estate industry, Nancy realizes that accurate, up-to-date information is invaluable. She holds the professional designations of CRB (Certified Real Estate Broker Manager), GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist), and CRS (Certified Residential Specialist.) Nancy has also been a member of the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS® National Honor Society since 1982.

Nancy is a lifelong Amherst resident serving the towns of Amherst, Bedford, and Merrimack. She and her husband Ron have two daughters and enjoy spending time with their two grandchildren. When not helping clients sell homes, she has a passion for overseas traveling, gourmet cooking, and devoting her time to serve on many civic organizations and committees, as well as instituting many effective fund raisers for local charities.

Nancy is based out of the Prudential Verani Amherst Office located at 46 NH Route 101A in Amherst, NH. She can be reached at p: (603) 721-0402, m: (603) 496-4517 or by email at nancy.pomerleau@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 Ed Buczynski from The Norwood Group join the Prudential Verani Team as the VP of Strategic Growth and the Regional Manager of our Amherst and Bedford Offices.

Tasked with managing the strategic growth plans for Prudential Verani Realty, Ed will be focusing on expanding our consumer presence throughout New Hampshire, Maine & Massachusetts. Through alliances, expansions, acquisitions and customer satisfaction initiatives he will focus on increasing our business development efforts. Additionally, he will be supporting the agents at the Amherst and Bedford Offices as the Regional Manager.

Ed started his residential real estate career in 1987 when he became the Vice President of Operations and Franchise Consultant for ERA in New Hampshire. From 1992 to 2007 Ed was the President and Co-owner of ERA, The Masiello Group selling real estate throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Ed’s success speaks volumes to his passion and dedication to the real estate industry. He’s managed and overseen over 5,700 closed annual transactions with over 1.75 billion dollars in sales, a mortgage company with $85M in production, a title company with 2,000 closing per year and $38M in gross commissioned sales. He has also been the recipient of several awards from The Realogy Corporation including “The Best All-Around ERA Company” and “The #1 Company for Gross Commission Income.” Over the past few years, Ed has acted as a senior consultant to some of the top producing national real estate companies. Additionally he spearheaded the introduction of Real Living at The Norwood Group throughout Southern New Hampshire prior to merging with Prudential Verani Realty.

Ed is based out of the Prudential Verani Bedford Office located at 116 South River Road in Bedford, NH. He can be reached at p: (603) 816-9931, m: (603) 491- 6618 or by email at ed.buczynski@verani.com.

At an appointment with my chiropractor and former client, Dr. Holly Ruocco in Salem, I found out about a new charter school that just opened up in town. Her 8-year-old daughter, Sarah, is attending the school. I did a little research, and I found out that this new school has some really interesting programs and ideas.

First Charter School in Southern New Hampshire

On September 4th, after a long process of gaining approval from the powers that be, Birches Academy opened its doors. Right away, the academy will create an effect on local youth communities. Starting this month, Salem area youth will have the opportunity to take part in the Before and After School Enrichment Program. This program includes learning and entertainment experiences for children including dance, drama, piano, “Lego League,” foreign languages, crafting, creative writing/thinking, and more.

A Different Kind of Before and After School

The before/after school classes at Birches range in age and type, based on the child’s current level of education. Many of the classes are grades 1-8, but others are more specialized based on where a child is in the stages of development. Here are a few classes:

Drawing

This class is for grades 1-8 and is designed Continue reading “Exciting News for Youth Community in Salem, NH” »

The lazy days of summer, we all enjoy them, but just as summer starts to wind down, there comes a great borage of Old Home Day celebrations throughout New Hampshire.

Every town has a different day as to when they celebrate their Old Home Day, but the philosophy around this celebration is to encourage community involvement, reconnect with friends and neighbors, share the harvest and trade from area townspeople and celebrate town spirit. Old Home Days in most towns were started well over a hundred years ago and the reason they were started was to encourage the town’s young people to stay in the town and attempt to attract back past generations that had moved away for either work or a more financially attractive lifestyle closer to the city. If you have ever worked one of these events or attended one, you will see multiple generations of families coming together for Old Home Day. So looking back, New Hampshire’s town forefather’s had a great idea because it is still being used today to attract back generations.

Most towns have multiple festivities happening during their Old Home Day celebration. Multiple functions are planned to encourage community involvement and participation including: parades, petting zoos, community dinners, ice cream socials, dances, baseball games, prize winning competitions, auctions, tractor pulls, hay rides, face painting, games for the kids… and many more! These events are usually planned over the course of a year by some pretty hard working people who plan, donate and work extremely hard to pull each function together.

If you’re thinking of buying a home in a new community, this is a great opportunity to see what town is right for you and your family. Each town has its own “flare and flavor” so each event has something special to offer. Think of it as your prime invitation to meet the people of the town, hear about its history, see the local harvest, meet local artists and craftspeople and immerse yourself in their pride. People love to share what they love most about their town, so just ask them!

Schedules for Old Home Days can be found on town websites, in local newspapers, circulars and signage placed throughout the town. By attending these events, you’ll get to meet the locals, share in their culture, history and share in some good old fashion hometown fun! But most of all, you’ll walk away with a sense of community pride and counting the days until the next Old Home Day Celebration! So with all that said, I hope to see you there!

By April McBriarty-Weismann, VP of Business Development & Communications
Holt Proctor McBriarty Insurance Agency

Summer is finally here in New Hampshire so many people are looking forward to some time away. Whether you are planning a weekend camping trip in the mountains or an extended summer holiday, don’t let your vacation get ruined by an unexpected crisis at home.

The risk management team at Holt Proctor McBriarty Insurance Agency in Milford New Hampshire has seen many clients file a claim following a vacation. Because many of these claims could have been prevented, we compiled a useful guide on what to do to prevent a claim from happening in the first place.

1. Stop mail and newspaper delivery
   It is pretty obvious that no one is home when there is a mail sticking out of the mailbox or newspapers piling up on the driveway. Be sure to have these deliveries stopped before leaving. You can stop the mail by filling out a form at the post office or on-line by visiting the US Postal Service’s web site.
2. Have someone check on your home regularly
   Hiring a pet or house sitter is the best way for your home to continue to look occupied. (Be cautious of hiring a teenager you do not know well as your home could inadvertently turn into “party central.”)

   If a house/pet sitter is not an option have a friend or neighbor check on the house daily. Even if the mail and paper are stopped, anyone from the Avon Lady to the Boy Scouts is known to hang things from a mailbox. Be sure that you ask your neighbor to remove them.

   It is also a good idea to give this person your contact information including your cell and hotel contact information (as cell phones do not always work). We also recommend that you provide this person with the name and number of your insurance agent or company in case of an emergency. Given privacy issues, we also recommend that you contact your agent in advance so it can be noted in your file that it is OK to talk with the specified person in your absence.

3. Continue reading “How to Protect Your Home While Away” »

According to a national market analysis completed in May, national home values rose for the third month in a row, climbing 0.5% from April to May. And that trend continues at a much more impressive pace at the local level, with home values either holding relatively steady or on the rise in many areas of New Hampshire. In fact, real estate in the Granite State is truly on the move.

In May, Portsmouth real estate sales experienced:

• Unit sales are up 58.3% to 19.
• Median price in May was $315,000. This is up 19.2% from $264,250 in May of 2011.
• Price per square foot is up by 5.1%.

No other town in Rockingham County performed better. And as far as communities go, Portsmouth offers a lot in terms of a safe, walkable friendly city for a family to settle in and call home.

In the city of Manchester, real estate news includes:

• New listings in May up 9.9% from May of 2011.
• YTD sales/list price ratio is up 1.2% to 97.1%.

And in Other Towns In Hillsborough County:

• Unit sales in Pelham are up by 62.5%.
• Average days on market in Goffstown are down 45.1% to 62.

This means more and more people are becoming home buyers. Want to learn more about Portsmouth, Manchester or other N.H. communities before you begin your own search for a new home?

Prudential Verani has taken the initiative to make “community shopping” simple and interesting for today’s buyer who wants to make an educated decision about where to shop for a home. Town profiles are a part of Verani real estate websites including: portsmouth.verani.com, exeter.verani.com, manchester.verani.com, nashua.verani.com and many, many other towns and cities throughout the state. There you will find not only listings of homes for sale in the community, but you will get a feel for the history and cultural attractions, how many people live there, and the structure of their school system. You will learn where it is nestled within the state and how long your commute to work, neighboring communities and the airport will be.

Continue reading “New Hampshire Home Sales Rising!” »

Click to Play

Barry Bagnato, CBS News Radio Correspondent, covered a feature story last weekend discussing New Hampshire’s Return to Work Program, a program that pays job seekers’ benefits while an employer trains them for specific job openings.

Featuring our very own Lisa Eaton, Londonderry Customer Account Manager and Giovanni Verani, Vice President, Barry spoke about the NH program and how it benefits both the employer and the job seeker. Lisa noted, “I was using the program as a little differentiator as part of my cold-calling spiel – I wanted to make sure I stood out.”

As part of an effort to rebrand Business Development, Giovanni added this new position and took a chance on Lisa. “I’m glad we did! Lisa had all the skill sets that we were looking for. It allowed us the time to find out whether or not the skill sets we saw in Lisa were actually there.” said Giovanni. “The program itself paid her salary for six weeks which allowed us the time to try her out.” he added.

Click on the picture to listen to the entire interview.