The number of residential sales last month in the towns covered by this Lakes Region market report were up 16% over last October. There were 79 transactions in October 2011 at an average sales price of $300,711 compared to 68 sales October last at an average price of $395,012. For the first 10 months of the year we have had 624 sales at an average $310,684 compared to 651 sales at an average $312,000 for the same period last year. It would be nice if we could have an exceptionally strong holiday season and finish ahead of last year. Maybe Santa will be nice and bring lots of buyers this Christmas season.

Speaking of Santa, Black Friday is here and the holiday shopping frenzy has officially begun. Yeehaaa! Every year I put together a list of home improvement related gifts ensuring that the Mrs. can’t go wrong when she is shopping for her hubby. I consider it one of my many public service announcements. So what would be welcomed under the tree this year? (more…)

Halloween has come and gone and it didn’t scare off buyers looking to purchase waterfront homes on Lake Winnipesaukee. There were eleven sales at an average price of $1.17 million and a median price point of $950,000. That matches the eleven sales last October although the average sales price came in higher at $1.46 million. If there is a any bright spot or consistency in our current real estate market it would have to be waterfront sales on the big lake.

As usual, the least expensive sale (that’s the nice way to say cheapest) in October on Winnipesaukee is an island property. In fact, the three least expensive properties were on islands, but the property at 305 Bear Island in Meredith took the lowest priced honors selling for (more…)

As of November 1, 2011 there were 1277 residential homes on the market in the communities in this Lakes Region real estate market report. The average asking price came in at $516,128 with a median price point of $269,900. Last November there were 100 fewer homes on the market at an average asking price of $559,403 and a median of $284,450. Seems like all the trends are heading in the wrong direction including the weather. The current home inventory represents a 20.5 month supply of property to sell. That’s a lot of work, but maybe it will help keep us warm this winter…

Being a real estate agent means that buyers rely on you for all sorts of important information about (more…)

Last September residential home sales in the towns covered by this report were strong with 91 transactions at an average sales price of $263,411. Sales this September were weaker with only 68 sales at an average price of $213,838. Sixty three percent of the transactions were under the $200,000 mark and only ten percent were over $400,000. With three quarters of the year done we stand at 545 sales so far at an average price of $312,141. That compares to 583 sales at an average of $302,541 for the same period last year.

Real estate revolves around numbers. For example, numbers like the square footage, the size of the lot, number of bedrooms, number of baths, water frontage, road frontage, etc. There are statistical numbers such as days on market, price per foot, median price, and sales price. The sales price is obviously THE most important number to most folks. It represents the value of their home. But how does the sales price relate to the all important appraised value or assessed value?

The sales price of a home is probably the most accurate number we deal with. It is what it is. It’s what the buyer and the seller agree that the home is worth at that given time. Sometimes (well maybe most of the time) it isn’t easy getting to that number without a lot of arm wrestling, negotiations, and a little praying. Assuming that the deal is an arms-length transaction, the value of any home is set by the market place and the accepted deal. Obviously, the housing meltdown flooded the market with foreclosures and short sales and has had a pronounced negative effect on property values. There are $200,000 houses selling for $125,000 while other home owners are trying to sell similar $200,000 houses for the full amount. Nevertheless, recent sales are what are used to determine the value of other homes on the market during the appraisal process.

The appraised value of a home is a pretty critical number. If there is financing involved, the appraised value has to equal or be greater than the sales price or the lender is not going to loan money to purchase it . The lender, through a third party intermediary company, sends out an appraiser to determine the value of the home based on recent, previous sales of similar properties in the same general area. If you are buying your home for cash, then congratulations are in order. But, hopefully, you are still getting an appraisal to ensure what you are buying is worth what you are paying. Many deals today hinge upon the property appraising and it can be tough to find good comparable properties because there just aren’t that many sales in certain price ranges or areas. When a property does not appraise for the agreed upon price the buyer does not get his loan, so he doesn’t have to buy the home. If that happens, the seller needs to decide whether he wants to keep his property or sell it for less than the contract price. Obviously, this can be a point of further negotiation and some give and take between the two parties.

The assessed value of a home is what your town thinks your property is worth. Towns hire independent companies to appraise properties to determine their current values and compute the total property value for their town. They can then set the tax rate that will raise enough revenue to cover the town’s operating expenses. Whenever a town does a reevaluation of the properties in their community there are always home owners that feel their properties are assessed too high or too low. Tax assessments are also derived by looking at recent sales of properties in the community, but assessments may not be as accurate as a formal home appraisal. The towns’ tax assessors do not get to see the inside of many homes and the task of trying to fairly assess a whole town is certainly much more difficult than finding the value of a specific property.

Right now, we are seeing many properties selling below their assessed value because we are in a very difficult market. For the most part, if you buy a home below the tax assessed value you probably got a good deal, but many times you have to spend a lot of money to get the home back up to snuff. You have to carefully consider the condition of the home. Conversely, there are many homes that sell over the assessed value every month and with good reason. These homes generally are those that are of high quality, are in nicer condition, have had upgrades not reflective in the assessments, or have intrinsic value associated with views or waterfront properties. It could also be that the assessed value was not reflective of what is really there. Generally speaking, the homes that sold for over assessed value probably have at least one thing in common: they all appraised for the purchase price or higher.

Comparing the assessed value of a home that is for sale to its asking price is a good place to start your evaluation of the property but it should not be the end of it as there are a lot of other factors to consider. Think of the assessment as kind of a base line. Of the 62 sales in September where the current assessed value could be determined, 40 of the sales were under the assessed value but 22 sales were over it. That’s why you need a REALTOR® working with you to advise you based on his knowledge of the market place and values.

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Fall may be here, but there were still seven waterfronts sold on Winnipesaukee last month at an average price of just $714,357. That compares to eight sales last September at an average of $941,938. There were two sales over the $1 million mark compared to three last September. For the first three quarters of this year there have been 76 transactions on the big lake at an average sales price of $1.041 million and a median sales price of $840,000. For the same period last year there were 67 transactions with a slightly higher average sales and median price of $1.16 million and $858,000 respectively. So total sales are up 13% over last year which is great, but there has been a slight but definite trend toward lower priced waterfront sales. There have been 45 transaction under $1 million this year compared to 37 for the first three quarters of last year. On the high end there were three sales breaking the $3 million mark so far this year compared to five sales for the same period last year.

The least expensive sale on Winnipesaukee was at 157 Mount Major Highway in Alton. This home is actually across the street from the lake but has 60 feet of frontage and a dock on the water. This seasonal , two bedroom (plus a loft) cottage has a knotty pine interior, brick fireplace, and a screened porch overlooking Alton Bay. There’s also a waterfront deck to hang out on with a pitcher of icy Margaritas. This little place was first listed way back near the peak of the market in July of 2006 at $389,900, was on the market for a couple of years, and then re-listed in December of 2010 for $250,000. It came back on the market again this past March for $199,000, was reduced to $189,000, and went under contract for $155,000. So all it took was five years and a $234,000 price drop to find a buyer. The current tax assessment stands at $216,300. I’m not sure if the seller is ecstatic or crying?

An older 1964 vintage lake home at 420 Edgwater Drive on Governor’s Island in Gilford also sold after 675 days on the market. This 2,626 square foot four bedroom classic lake home has two full and two half baths, a living room with lots of wood, soaring ceilings and the requisite stone fireplace, a den, large kitchen, and great views of the lake. The 1.7 acre lot is level, has a sandy beach, and a permanent covered dock. The question here is whether it will be used as is or if it will make way for a newer, larger home. This home was originally listed at $2.395 million, was reduced to $1.495 million and sold for $1.15 million. It is currently assessed for $1.56 million.

The largest sale for the month was in Wolfeboro at 3 Wyanoke Gate Lane. This 3,600 square foot, open concept, contemporary was built in 1980 and features ten rooms, four bedrooms, three and a half baths, a chef’s kitchen with granite counter-tops, separate dining area, cathedral ceilings and stone fireplace, and views of the lake from almost every room. Outside there is a grand patio and a cabana over the boat house that are perfect for waterside entertaining. This home is located on a well landscaped 1.38 acre lot with 200 feet of frontage on Winter Harbor. It also has access to a private association beach and tennis courts just down the nature trail. This great property was listed at $1.775 million, subsequently reduced in steps down to $1.295 million and sold for $1.188 million after 648 days on the market. This property is currently on the Wolfeboro tax roles at a value of $1.542 million. Sounds like the new owner got a good deal…

Without trying to sound bleak, if you average the last two sales above, it took an average price reduction of $933,500 and 661 days to sell them. For all the waterfronts that sold for over a $1 million in the first nine months of 2011, the average sales price was  $346,000 less than the original asking price and they took 268 days on market to sell.

It just goes to show how long it takes to sell a property that is not priced correctly.

Over on little sister Lake Winnisquam, there were no sales last month and only one last September. I hate getting skunked. But for the first three quarters of this year there have been a total of 17 sales that sold at an average price of $508,254 after an average 99 days on the market. For the same period in 2010 there were 12 properties sold at an average price of $564,104 with an average 135 days on market.

Up on Squam there was just one sale in September and that was at 35 Grapevine Cove in Holderness. This 1974 vintage contemporary was completely and tastefully remodeled in 2003 and has a nice open floor plan. It has 1,536 square feet of lake loving space, three bedrooms, two baths, hardwood floors, stone fireplace, great kitchen with stainless steel appliances, and sliders that lead out to a large deck overlooking Golden Pond. This home sits on a level .32 acre lot with 90 feet of frontage with a sandy beach and permanent dock. This great waterfront retreat was listed at $849,000 and sold for $800,000 after only 102 days on the market. This property is currently assessed at $670,860. For the year to date there have been six sales on Squam with an average price of $1.11 million compared to just two for the same period last year. It’s great to be three times better than last year, right?

So through nine months, the total number of waterfront homes sold in the Lakes Region are up slightly from last year while prices seem to have fallen slightly. Many of the successful sales are coming after long periods of time on the market and usually after some price reductions to bring them down to a point that buyers are able to see true value and potential upside in their purchase.

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The residential home inventory in the communities in this Lakes Region market report dropped from 1,399 properties for sale last month down to 1,336 as of October 1. That total is still 7% higher than last October 1 and keeps us at a 22 month supply of homes. The average asking price stands at $518,193 with a median price point at $264,950 compared to an average $569,141 and a median price of $289,900 last October 1.

I bought a new car a few weeks ago and it reminded me of some parallels in the home and car buying processes. For most people a home is the largest purchase they will make in their lifetime. But the way car prices are increasing and home prices are dropping that could change soon. Anyway, the first comparison I can draw between these two purchases is an old car industry saying that applies to selling homes just as equally. The “G rated” version of that saying is “There’s a derrière for every seat.” Despite how ugly, beat up, worn out, unconventional, impractical, or even unreliable a car is, there is usually someone that will buy it for the right price. Even brand new cars that get poor reviews, ratings, mileage, or are just plain butt ugly also seem to find a certain number of buyers that are willing to ante up hard earned cash (more likely hard earned credit) to own such a jewel. One only need to look back at the AMC Gremlin and Pacer, Ford Pinto, Chevy Vega, and Ford Edsel to see not only truly ugly cars but cars that seemed to rust away on a dry summer day before your very eyes. But people bought them. I have to admit, I had a Chevy Vega. Live and learn.

Homes are the same way it seems. Many times an agent will list a home that seems like (at least to the agent) that there could only be one buyer for it in the entire United States. It could be an architectural wreck, have a totally screwed up layout, functionally obsolete, or cosmetically challenged yet sometimes (just sometimes) this is the home that sells before all of his other listings. Go figure. You can’t sell the nicest house you have, but someone jumps to buy this ugly duckling of home that reminds you of a Renault LeCar (remember those?)

The point is that everyone has different tastes and priorities in automobiles and in homes. Some people go for strictly mileage and don’t care that their car looks like a juice box that could only do 0-60mph in 45 seconds on a downhill run. Some folks need something utilitarian and go for the SUV or pick-up truck. Other people go for comfort and don’t care about the mileage. Still others go for exotic and upscale, to heck with the cost. Some home buyers are just starting out and need an entry level home along the lines of a Kia, Hyundai, or Chevy Cruze. Other home buyers are looking for the run of the mill daily driver like a basic ranch or cape. No frills or anything fancy. They just want something to live in that’s their own and something that’s definitely reliable. A Malibu, Taurus, or Camry would be a good fit. Other buyers are extremely picky and want a high quality, custom built home with just the right view. These folks might want to build their own car that is loaded just the way they want it. Vacation home buyers look for something fun, something comparable to a new Mustang or Camaro convertible. Then you have the waterfront buyers that will only buy a home with the quality of a Mercedes, the spunk of a BMW M5, and the classic look of a Jaguar.

Another comparable aspect of car and home buying is the buying process itself. These days the majority of people will likely start their shopping on line for both cars and homes. After all, what else do you do at work? You can research the offerings, “build” it on line, take a 360 degree virtual tour or virtual test drive, find out what the price should be, and determine your monthly payments. But it’s in the real world, where the rubber meets the road, that really matters. Seeing homes and cars in person up close is the only way to make a decision. Viewing a home in person or a test drive of a car is the only way you will know for sure if it is right for you. They have to fit. They have to click.

Buying a home or car is very much about personal choice. It can be impulsive and emotional. Just ask the guy that walks into the show room and sees a shiny, new, candy apple red Corvette that seems to be whispering his name. (It’s happened to me before, several times.) Dealers always put the prettiest and often the most expensive cars in the show room just for you. While home buying may not be quite that impulsive, buyers do generally know when they have found the right home. You can see that same Corvette look in their eyes when they know it’s the one.

So what kind of car is your home? If it’s for sale wash it, wax it, shampoo the carpets, and make it showroom ready if you want someone to fall in love with it. There are too many Gremlins on the market already…

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Residential homes sales in the Lakes Region communities covered by this market report jumped a healthy 23% in August compared to the same month last year. There were 83 sales last month at an average of $330,718 compared to 67 last August at an average of $411,780. A 23% increase in sales is welcome news but one month doesn’t make a trend. On a rolling twelve month basis we are still off last year’s pace…just a bit. For the twelve month period ending 8/31/10 there were 772 sales at an average of $312,389. For the twelve month period ending 8/31/11 there have been 758 sales at an average of $331,556. Hopefully, a strong fall sales season will bring us up over last year’s total numbers.

As usual, about 50% (49.4% to be exact) of the sales were under $200,000. The sale to asking price percentage averaged 93%. One statistic that perhaps tells a little more of a story is the sale to the original asking price percentage. Last month the sales price was 88% of the original asking price which means that there was a 5% reduction on average in the original asking price before the homes went under contract. Sale prices averaged 95% of the home’s assessed value (for the homes reporting the assessed value in the MLS system).

There were a number of quick sales last month and it is always interesting to see what sold and why.The quickest sale, at least according to the MLS system, was a home that sold the same day it was put on the market only it was never on the market. Huh? It was actually a For Sale By Owner, that a quick thinking agent named Jason had in the back of his mind and showed to his client that had exhausted the other possibilities. It turns out that the buyer had always wanted this property and didn’t know it was for sale. This turn of the century Winnisquam waterfront property at 20 Winnicoash Street in Laconia has 1,624 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, a one car garage, and sits on a .31 acre lot with 94’ of water frontage. The asking price was $480,000 and it sold for $457,674 which was well under the assessed value of $523,200.

Another extremely quick sale was at 44 Driftwood Drive in Moultonborough. This Winnipesaukee waterfront home was built in 2000 and has 2,924 square feet of living area, a master bedroom suite, three guest rooms , three full baths, cathedral ceilings, gas fireplace, and a two car garage on a .63 acre lot with 100 feet of frontage with southern exposure. This property was listed for $859,000 and sold for $825,000 after just two days on the market. The town’s current tax assessment is $943,000. Good deal, quick sale, happy seller, and happy buyer!

Over at 26 Hunter Court in Belmont an older 70’s vintage two bedroom, two bath, 1416 square foot ranch with a two car garage on a 1.11 acre lot also found a quick buyer. This property was listed at $134,900 and got a full price offer after only five days on the market. This great entry level home is currently assessed for $193,600.

Another ranch at 104 Waukewan Road in Center Harbor also sold for well under assessed value. This home was built in 1979 and has 1,536 square feet of living area with three bedrooms, two full baths, hardwood floors throughout, and a two car garage. It sits on a sunny 1.15 acre lot near the Waukewan Golf Course so I hope the new owners like to chase those little white balls around. This home was listed at $199,900 and sold for $187,500 after only 8 days on the market. The assessed value is $287,900. Are you beginning to see the trend?

A great little cottage with access to Hills Pond at 197 Alton Shores Road in Alton also sold in just 9 days. This four room, two bedroom, 680 square foot get-a-way is cute as a button and sits on .56 acres with two lots of record. The property is seasonal, but at only $93,500 it makes a great little summer vacation property. Perhaps you can go there to hide from the Mrs. or vice versa. The town’s current tax assessment is $117,1000.

So there you have it. Five quick sales; two waterfronts, two small ranches, one water access, and more accurately, five good deals.

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August was a great month for sales on Lake Winnipesaukee.

There were:

• Eighteen waterfront sales at an average price of $827,589.

• They sold at an average of 97% of their assessed value

• They sold at an average of 91% of the asking price.

• The highest sale was $1.669 million.

• There were 6 sales over $1 million.

Last August there were 14 sales on the big lake, but the average sales price was bit higher at $1.1 million. Six of those sales were over the $1 million mark as well but a $3.1 million boosted the average sales price. Anyway, it is good to see waterfronts selling well given the lackluster sales for the rest of the Lakes Region Market.

The least expensive sale was at  300 Cow Island  in Tuftonboro. Cow Island is sometimes called Guernsey Island as it was once used to quarantine cows brought from Europe (so the story goes). This property was a 1954 vintage, four bedroom cottage that was in great shape and had been owned by the same family since those cows were still there. The fully furnished cottage has been completely updated and has a new wrap-a-round deck. There’s also a separate furnished guest cottage and a workshop. There are two lots of record with 150’ of frontage, a large U shaped dock, and stunning views. This property was on the market for 837 days starting at $450,000 and had been reduce to $349,900. It may have been on the market a while, but it only took 7 days to close the deal after the happy new owner came ashore to look. The sales price was $329,000 which is just under the tax assessed value of $335,100.

The most expensive sale on the lake was at 76 West Point Road in Moultonborough. This 3,826 square foot, like-new Adirondack home was built in 2002 . It has four bedrooms, four baths, a great room with the requisite floor to ceiling stone fireplace, lots of wood, and a wall of glass for viewing the lake. There are master suites on the first and second floors and the lower level walkout has two bedrooms, a huge family room, and a pub where you can watch the ballgames. The detached three car garage has a finished second floor that can serve as additional guest space or an office. The home sits on a 1.5 acre lot with 200’ of frontage, a dock, and sensational sunset views. This home was listed at $1.769 million and sold for $1.668 million after only 113 days on the market. The town’s tax assessment value is $1.63 million.

Three homes changed hands on Winnisquam last month at an average sales price of $685,891. In August 2010, there were two sales at an average of $723,125. The largest sale on Winnisquam last month was at 98 Swain Road in Meredith. This 3,549 square foot, three bedroom, four bath home in Waldron Bay has an open floor plan with a custom kitchen, beautiful great room with cathedral ceilings and stone fireplace, lower level family room, first floor master with a gas fireplace and private deck, and an enclosed porch overlooking the lake. There are great lake views from every room. This home sits on a nicely landscaped .88 acre lot with 193 feet of frontage that has a sandy entry and dock. This home was listed in 2009 for $1.17 million, relisted this year at $999,950, and sold for $935,000 after just 36 days on the market. The property is currently assessed for $788,500.

Once again, there were no sales on Squam last month which is a little discouraging. There have only been five sales on Golden Pond so far this year. There are currently 24 properties available on Squam that have been on the market an average of 294 days. Maybe, someone has to make another movie up there…

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According to Dictionary.com:

con•cede  [kuhn-seed] verb, -ced•ed, -ced•ing. verb (used with object)

1. to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit: He finally conceded that she was right.

2. to acknowledge (an opponent’s victory, score, etc.) before it is officially established: to concede an election before all the votes are counted.

There are many times in life that you need to make compromises. You’ll find that you may have to give something to get something. You may have to concede something in order to succeed in something. It is no different in a real-estate transaction. Sometimes a home seller can lose sight of the fact that his goal is to actually sell his home. A seller may think he is losing and the buyer is winning if he makes concessions. It is kind of ingrained in our psyche. I think it started in grade school on the ball field. No one ever likes to concede the game…

But in a business transaction, making concessions is part of the deal making process. And in reality, selling a home is just that; a business transaction. It is not about who is right or wrong or admitting defeat, it is about compromise, and the art of making a deal work. The most common “seller concession” is a contribution toward the buyer’s closing costs. This has been common practice for many years particularly for first time buyers who have good credit but not all of the cash necessary to purchase a home. In an FHA loan, for example, the buyer has to come up with at least a 3.5% down payment but is allowed to get a contribution from the seller of up to 6% of the purchase price to cover closing costs. These costs include items such as the title search, appraisal, tax stamps, etc.

A contribution toward the buyer’s closing costs obviously is really a reduction in what the seller will net on the sale, so it should be looked at with respect to the other terms of the offer. If the buyer has made a low ball offer then he’s not likely to get a concession for closing costs, too. The seller may also feel that he does not want to accept what would be essentially a 6% reduction in his asking price, especially if his home is really (and truly) priced correctly. These days, most sellers realize that they will have to give up something so no deal should be lost over a seller concession for closing costs. Buyers are too hard to come by! If the seller really doesn’t want to contribute all that is requested, he could counter to see if the buyer could come up with part of his closing costs. If the buyer truly needs a seller contribution, all or a portion of that amount can be added on top of the purchase price so that the seller nets an amount that is acceptable to him. The property, of course, will need to appraise at the slightly higher purchase price. The buyer also has to be approved for a loan for that slightly higher amount. This can be a win win for both parties.

After the initial deal is made, other concessions may be asked for to correct defects in the home found as a result of the home inspection process. Many times there are items that arise that the buyer would like to have fixed before the closing or have another seller concession so that he can fix them later. They may, or may not, be big issues to correct. Sometimes they get blown out of proportion by either the buyer or the seller. The buyer should be aware that he might not get all, or any, of the home inspection issues corrected if he has received a large seller concession up front to make the deal happen. The buyer can also opt out of the deal and not purchase the home if the issues are too big to resolve. At that point the seller has another decision to make. He can concede something and succeed in selling his home to the buyer or put his home back on the market and hope to find another buyer. He must remember though, all the defects found in the home inspection have to be disclosed to any future potential buyer. Sometimes making a few concessions can go a long way to getting you where you want to be…

There were 1,399 residential homes for sale in the towns in this Lakes Region report at the start of September, 2010. The average asking price was $521,155 and the median price was $269,000. The inventory level is up compared to last September when there were 1,318 homes on the market. The average price then was $553,314 and the median was $285,000. The current inventory level represents a 22 month supply of homes on the market, oil is about $90.00/barrel, and unemployment is at 9.1%. But, football season is starting. So you see, there are always some bright spots…

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According to what I have read on-line, the most popular house color, not surprisingly, is white. All you have to do is look around good old New England  and you can see quaint villages full of white houses, churches, and town buildings. According to one article, 37% of homeowners would choose white as the predominate color if they were to repaint the exterior of their home. I’d say white is pretty popular here in the Lakes Region, but does one color home sell quicker than another? I found that people don’t really shop for a particular color home as it can always can be repainted. But, I do think a great paint job in the right color or combination of colors can make a difference in the home’s curb appeal and can sometimes make the sale. Buying a home is a very visual process. Some style homes look better painted one color versus another. You know, that little red cape on the corner might not look as good sky blue.

I thought I would take a look at what has sold since the first of the year in the twelve Lakes Region communities I track to see if there is anything that can be learned about what colors are most popular, which color home sells the quickest, and what other mostly useless or profound info I could gather. So here goes. As of this past Monday there were a little over 440 homes sold. As expected, white appears to the winner with 63 homes. The second most popular color appears to be grey or gray (is there a difference?) with a total of 59 houses. There were 34 beige homes sold, 46 tan, 9 cream, 7 clay, 4 taupe, 1 putty, 1 slate, 1 pebble, and 2 sand colored houses. You could infer that a lot of home owners don’t take chances on color and kind of like to be neutral. There were also 34 brown homes sold and 1 “light brown”…could that really be a chocolatey gray? There was also 1 mocha home sold (a Dunkin Donut’s inspired paint theme).

There was 1 “maple” colored colonial home sold that looks like it could be taupe, cream, or some kind of tan to me. I get a little colorblind on these shades, but all I can think of is maple flavored oatmeal. There was 1 gold colored home that sold cheap so that color didn’t help. There was 1 peach colored waterfront cottage sold that was kind of peachy so that color really fit.

Getting back to more basic colors, there were 19 yellow homes sold. I think yellow looks great on certain homes and makes them really pop. There were 14 blue homes sold and 1 “light blue”. Red houses generally have a real appeal to some buyers and there were 11 of those sold along with 2 burgundy. There was 1 lavender Victorian sold and the pictures of it look of it looked great. There were 14 green, 3 sage, and 1 “evergreen”. Do you think “evergreen” means you never have to repaint?

There were 12 natural colored homes sold. “Natural” usually means a clear stain on redwood or cedar shingles. Or perhaps they were too lazy to paint the place at all? There were no “unnatural” ones unless you classify that lavender or peach as such. There were also 4 “cedar” colored homes sold and 4 “log” colored homes. I don’t think “log” is a color, do you? The house could be a natural wood color or maybe one of those rare albino white birch log homes? One home’s color was listed as “brk/wht” which turns out to be a brick house with white trim. There were 8 homes whose color was “TBD” which is a shade yet to be determined. Finally, the remainder of the homes sold had no color listed at all. I suspect in those cases the agent inputting the data was perhaps a bit colorblind like me.

The most expensive home sold was brown, followed by a sage, a TBD, a natural, and the lone “evergreen” which actually looks grey-blue (or is it gray-blue) in the pictures. Out of the quickest 20 sales, 5 homes were white, 4 grey, 1 red, 1 cedar, 1 tan, 1 yellow, 1 clay, 2 “TBD”, and there were 4 homes with no color listed.

So it looks like homes of just about every color sells. I would bet that the main thing regarding the paint color is that the paint is in good condition and is appealing. If you are going to repaint your home before you sell it, look around and see what colors and color combinations look good on homes like yours. Professional painters can also give you some great ideas on colors and color combinations that are appealing and in style today.