Welcome to the Most Educational NH Blog in the State!

Saturday 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Come join us! Help protect your environment this Earth Day.

Drop off all your old or unwanted electronic devices in the parking lot at Prudential Verani Realty’s corporate office:
One Verani Way, Londonderry, NH 03053

What we can accept free of charge:
CPU’s • keyboards • cables • video game consoles • small printers • remotes • portable music/video players • digital cameras • home & cell phones • speakers • VCRs • DVD players • home & car stereos • fax machines • tape players • modems.

A recycling fee of $20 will be charged for all computer monitors, TVs, & large copiers.

Sponsored by your local junk removal company.
An electronic recycling truck and attendant will be able to assist you in proper disposal of your devices.

Receive a free $5.00 gift card redeemable at Londonderry’s Play N Trade Video Store (located next to Papa Gino’s).

Buying your plants from a local garden club is the perfect way to improve your yard with affordable locally grown plants. Garden Club Members typically donate ‘divisions’ from the robust areas of their own gardens, so this is a great chance to get a healthy and hardy specimen.

Many plants are offered at a fraction of the cost from buying retail, and have just recently been dug from a local yard. These plant sales are often annual spring fundraisers for the local clubs and you never know what you will find. Garden club members are very helpful so feel free to ask about which plants are happy in sunny or shady locations.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Amherst NH Garden Club, Wilkins School -80 Boston Post Rd in Amherst.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Derry NH Garden Club, Masonic Hall – 58 East Broadway in Derry
Milford NH Garden Club, Community House Lawn- 5 Union Street in Milford
Bedford NH Garden Club , Bedford Town Hall – 3 Meetinghouse Rd in Bedford
Rye NH Driftwood Garden Club ( both May 18th and 19th), 163 Central Road in Rye

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Merrimack NH Garden Club, St. James Church – 646 Daniel Webster Highway in Merrimack
 

Congratulations to the following Associates & Teams who were recognized by PREA as the 2011 4th Quarter Sales Professional Award Winners!

	Team Walther Peg & Bob Walther Londonderry Office • 1st Place in NH for Residential GCI • 1st Place in NH for Residential Units		Verani New Homes Team New Homes Division Londonderry Office • 2nd Place in NH for Residential GCI • 2nd Place in NH for Residential Units
	Scott Reiff Commercial Division Londonderry Office • 1st Place in NH for Commercial GCI		Sutton & Wells Team Londonderry Office • 3rd Place in NH for Residential Units

Prudential Verani Realty has done it again… and even better this time!

The REAL Trends 500 is an annual research report which identifies the country’s largest and most successful residential firms as ranked by closed transaction sides and separately by closed sales volume. We are proud to announce that we ranked again on this list and at a higher position!

• #190 out of the 500 Largest Brokers in the U.S. (Ranked by Closed Transaction Sides for 2011)
• #199 out of the 500 Largest Brokers in the U.S. (Ranked by Closed Sales Volume for 2011)

Understanding “Escrow”
If you are about to place an offer on your first home there are many real estate and mortgage terms that you have been exposed to in the past few weeks. The world of real estate seems to have its own language at times and your loan officer will be talking in his own terminology through some of the upcoming process.

One important term to know and something you will be entering into once you sign on the dotted line is “escrow”.

What is Escrow?
When you close on your mortgage your lender typically requires you to have an escrow account that will cover the year’s property taxes and homeowner’s insurance for your new home. At closing you make an initial deposit and then payments to the account every month, which is typically added into your monthly mortgage payment.

When you put money in escrow it is held by a neutral third party (called an escrow agent) who works for both the lender and the borrower. The agent’s role is to carry out the instructions agreed upon by the contract. In other words, the escrow agent releases the funds as your taxes and insurance premiums come due.

Why is this Required?
Escrow funds are collected to protect the lender by ensuring that you pay your taxes and insurance on time. If left to the homeowner, separate from the mortgage, it is possible for these expenses to go into default, which threatens the lender’s investment. If you default on your property tax, for example, your municipality can put a lien on the house, which makes it hard to sell. If you did not pay for the insurance and your house burns down, the lender would be left with no collateral.

Continue reading “What is Escrow?” »

Guest post by Scott Jenkins of http://www.quartz-countertop.info/

If you’re getting tired of the same old same old and are looking for countertop options for the kitchen you’re in luck. You don’t have to have the same countertop that every neighbor on your street has. You can take a look at different alternatives to find the right countertop that blends in with your own personality.

Stainless steel countertops
If you want your kitchen to look like it’s part of a restaurant magazine and have your neighbors ooh and aah every time they enter, take a look at stainless steel countertops as an option. These tops are durable, heat resistant and clean up with a simple wipe. The only flaw with getting one of these countertops is they are expensive and if you aren’t careful with them they can dent.

Concrete countertops
These types of countertops are becoming popular for kitchens with a modern design. Usually the concrete is cast in the kitchen and you will have your choice of colors. This is an unusual countertop that can actually look quite exotic once it is installed.

Tile countertops
Ceramic tiles can be used as a countertop and they are a flexible option to work with. Tiles are available in any color under the sun and in various patterns. Don’t rule out tile countertops just because your grandmother may have had them. Ceramic tiles have come a long way and there are beautiful designs available that can add a lot to any type of kitchen. Tiles are also available in copper or aluminum if you’re searching for a completely new look. You’ll have your choice of smooth or brushed textures and you can also choose the size and pattern you want to use.

Continue reading “Countertop Options for the Kitchen” »

If you are thinking about selling your house, your first step is to choose a Realtor to represent you and your interests throughout the entire selling process. Once you have selected an agent, the next step will be listing your home and agreeing on an asking price. Your Realtor will complete a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) that will gather a list of similar properties in your area that have recently sold and compare and contrast the list of features to determine where your home should be price in the current market.

But what features hold value in a home? Some of the answers may surprise you.

Curb Appeal
Every home’s value begins on the outside because what initially attracts a potential buyer is curb appeal. Your Realtor and potential buyers will be taking into account how attractive and well maintained your home and its landscaping is. You can increase this value by keeping the exterior maintained, a well-manicured lawn and attractive bushes and trees on the property.

Kitchen Appeal
High on the list of what gives a home extra value is having an appealing, up-to-date, user-friendly kitchen. Kitchens have become a magnet for today’s families and the center of activity for entertaining, eating meals and even homework. Buyers want the latest appliances and the must-have style of today…not the 70s, so this room can increase or lower the value of your home depending on how many updates you have made.

Continue reading “Top Features that Hold Value in Your Home” »

Guest post by Cristine Burke, owner of PuroClean

With the arrival of spring comes warmer more humid temperatures – the perfect environment for the growth of mold. The best way to control the growth of mold is to prevent moisture from entering an indoor environment. When moisture is present – through a leak, spill or flood – it should be removed quickly and all affected materials completely dried as soon as possible. This will limit the growth of mold and any subsequent damage.

Mold needs only three things to grow:

1. An organic food source such as wood, paper, fabric, leather, wool, and so forth.
2. Sufficient moisture that can come from a plumbing leak, a spill, seepage, or high humidity.
3. An agreeable temperature range between 68 and 86 degrees.

Mold causes property damage because it digests or destroys the organic food source it is using. This results in decomposition of building materials, furnishings and other items. In addition, mold spores and byproducts can cause a wide range of adverse health effects including allergy-related reactions such as sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, headaches, skin rashes, chronic fatigue and other ailments.

Continue reading “Preventing Mold in Homes” »

Click to View Photo Album

Recognizing that real estate agents are highly social people, and that an office full of agents thrives because of the high energy levels, Prudential Verani Realty sought the help of S.P.A.C.E. Planning and RED THREAD to redesign and remodel our Londonderry office.

This will accomplish three goals:
1) Design a space that is not only modern and attractive, but also technologically advanced.
2) Create an environment that facilitates better work and leverages technology to connect our physical world to the digital world.
3) Allow agents and consumers to leverage technology to improve the home buying/selling experience.

A trend in the real estate industry is that more and more agents are finding it possible to work from home because of advances in technology. With that comes and extreme amount of freedom and flexibility. But what’s the cost? Across the nation companies have found the energy level in their offices has declined as more and more agents choose to work from home. Productivity has also been on the decline. Why?

Real estate is a very social business. Sales people, in general, thrive on social interaction. When business is up, their energy level is high. When business is down, the opposite is true. But this tends to impact individuals at different times due to the ebb and flow of their personal productivity. In a real estate office with many agents, the ebb and flow of the business is less noticeable as each agent’s business ebbs and flows differently. Therefore, an office full of agents thrives because the energy level is always near a peak state. The energy of the office naturally lifts those agents whose business has waned back to a slower state.

Continue reading “Londonderry Office Remodeling” »

UPDATE: This story was just published in the Windham Independent. View the article here.

Just a few days ago Hollywood celebrities made one of Verani.com‘s exclusive listings their film set! Joss Whedon is well known in the Hollywood community.

According to IMDb.com, his accomplishments include creating television series’ such as “Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and “Firefly”, writing for “Roseanne,” and producing the screeplay for “Toy Story.” He also wrote and directed, “Serenity,” as well as “The Avengers”.

Now Whedon has teamed up with Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey to film “In Your Eyes,” a sci-fi/romance, in Windham NH.

The motion picture also features notable Hollywood names such as Zoe Kazan, Michael Stahl-David, Mark Feuerstein and Twilight’s Nikki Reed.

The filming took place this week at the prestigious estate of 25 London Bridge Road in Windham, NH. This home is a breathtaking masterpiece which clearly impressed the Hollywood executives.

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The home, listed by Mary-Jo Driggers, is available with a list price of $1,400,000 and features over 11,000 sq ft of grandeur, six bedrooms, ten baths, rich woodwork one would find in a European Castle. The stone terrace leads you to the gunite pool and cabana. This home is remarkable and grand yet warm and comfortable.

We will all be watching for the release of In Your Eyes!