No, not this one,

This one!

Price just reduced $10,000

Brand new, high quality ranch

With Winnisquam Beach Rights

79 Sarah Circle, Laconia, NH

MLS #4029780 – Now Offered at $299,000

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This brand new three bedroom, open concept ranch features gleaming hardwood floors, a large kitchen with beautiful bisque cabinetry, center island, and a large pantry closet, a great room with cathedral ceilings and gas fireplace, spacious master suite with large walk-in closet, huge first floor laundry room, a three car garage plus beach rights to Winnisquam at the Lakewood Association beach on Shore Drive! Out back you’ll find a 12′ x 15′ trex deck to complement the low maintenance vinyl exterior. The huge basement could be the perfect space to finish off as your family room as it has nine foot ceilings and is plumbed for a bath. The home also features a high efficiency Slant/Fin Eutectic hot water boiler and hot water superstore! The builder is also including a $5,000 allowance for the appliances of your choice.

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 The number of waterfront sales on Lake Winnipesaukee continued to improve over last year with eleven sales in October at an average sale price of $1.464 million compared to seven last October at an average price of $1.856 million. The total number of sales this year on the big lake stands at 77 with an average price of $1.214 million compared to 64 for the same period last year at an average of $1.36 million. Total sales are up about 20% over last year and the average price is up 17%. Not too bad for being in a bad market!

The least expensive sale on the lake was actually a bank owned island property on Paugus Park in Laconia. This is a post and beam, 1,200 square foot, three bedroom home built in 2005 and is the only home on this tiny .14 acre island. The buyer doesn’t have to worry about neighbors, but the home is solar powered so he might be watching the weather some. This home was originally listed at $299,900, was reduced to $199,900 and sold for $189,500. Considering the current town tax assessment of $436,400, I would say this new owner should be very happy all by himself out there on his island!

The second highest sale for the month was at 65 Spindle Point in Meredith. This home is a 5,699 square foot, twelve room, three bedroom post and beam contemporary built in 2004. The home features an open living area, high cathedral ceilings and stone wood burning fireplace (one of four in the home) in the great room, the requisite master suite, a family room in the walk out basement, radiant in-floor heat, beautiful hardwood floors, screened porch, and even an elevator. The home sits on a wonderfully landscaped 1.39 acre lot with 170 feet of frontage on Meredith Bay and a deep water U-shaped dock. The property was listed at $2.925 million and sold for $2.6 million which was well above the assessed value of $2.055 million. This is a beautiful home in a great location!

The highest sale honors for the month of October go to the spectacular property at 59 Little Road in Meredith. This extraordinary home has 12,933 square feet of living space, 20 rooms, five bedrooms (including a first floor master suite), seven total baths, and a five car garage! This home obviously has all the high end features imaginable including beautiful wood and stone work, massive fireplaces, a gourmet kitchen, soaring great room, an in-law apartment, wine cellar, exercise room, an outdoor kitchen, and multiple decks and patios. This home sits on a 4.31 acre lot that provides total privacy and 830 feet of frontage with great views. This property was originally listed at $8.9 million, was reduced to $6.999 million and sold for $6.839 million after 419 days on the market. The town has it assessed at a$4.466 million. I wonder if these folks are looking to adopt?

There was not a lot of activity on Winnisquam in October this year, or last, as there was only one sale in each month. There have been 13 sales on the lake so far this year at an average price of $583,327 compared to 12 with at an average price of $485,375 for the same period last year. The sale this year was at 212 Black Brook Road in Meredith. This home is a very nicely done 2,200 square foot, eight room, three bedroom, contemporary sitting on a .67 acre lot with 100 feet of frontage. The home features an open concept living area with a large great room with cathedral ceilings, floor to ceiling fieldstone fireplace, a gourmet kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, radiant in-floor heat, a screened porch, and a great deck with broad views of the lake. The home was listed at $975,000 and sold for $814,000 with a current tax assessment of $594,400.

Right now there are over 250 properties available on Lake Winnipesaukee and Winnisquam with prices starting in the $200-300,000 range for island properties. It is a great time to buy your own spot on either of these fantastic lakes!

Click Here for the latest listings on Lake Winnipesaukee!!

Wow! Lending institutions are making free money available to home buyers! Well, maybe not free, but it is about as close to free as you are probably ever going to get! FHA and conventional 30 year mortgages were at 4.375% when I checked the other day. A 15 year fixed rate was an unbelievable 3.75% and a 5/1 ARM was at 4.125%. These are really pretty extraordinary interest rates! It is also extraordinary, in a bad sort of way, that even with the relatively low home prices, buyers are not taking advantage of this great opportunity. You’d have to conclude that buyers are, well, just way too scared to buy anything right now. So where are we headed? I don’t think rates can go any lower. Maybe the banks will follow the lead of stores like Home Depot, Sears, and Best Buy and offer loans with no interest for 12 months if you buy a home before the end of the year! Maybe they can do like GM does, buy a car, try it for 60 days, and if you don’t like it give it back? Oops, buyers are already doing that! I wasn’t in the business when rates were 15% or so back in the 80’s, but I’m told even with rates that high people were buying homes. It is truly amazing how things change.

I searched the MLS for some potential good deals so that you can take advantage of some of this “near-free” money that is available and came up with a few homes that I thought worth a look. I like the property listed at 27 Lincoln Street in Laconia. It is offered at $144,900 which is 82% of the current tax assessment of $175,800. This solid New Englander has been in the same family for 58 years and has been well maintained. It has 1,580 square feet of living space, three bedrooms, two baths and has replacement windows, vinyl siding, a newer roof, newly paved driveway, a nice three season porch, and a one car garage. You’ll find original woodwork and hardwood floors under the carpet. It just sounds like a solid deal to me!

There is a great opportunity in Gilmanton to own a classic center chimney in the historic four corners area. This home was built in 1810 and sits on a nice 3.8 acre lot at 443 Route 140 just west of the corners. There are four bedrooms, two full and a three quarter baths, an updated kitchen (you won’t need to go to the brook for water), three fireplaces on the first floor in case the power goes out, a two car detached garage. The previous owner had the home on the market for $395,000, but is now bank owned and listed at $189,900 which is 56% of the assessed value of $339,900. If you like older, historic homes this is a great deal. I’m not sure if the place has Indian shutters, but you might need them soon.

Over at 96 Parsonage Drive in Laconia there is a single owner, three bedroom, four bath, Garrison style home built in 1986. This home features two separate master bedrooms, one on the first floor and the other on the second, an oversized eat in kitchen, a formal dining room, a large living room with a brick fireplace, and a two car garage under. If you are looking for privacy, this could be for you as it sits on a six acre parcel of land and you can’t see the house from the street which is OK unless the buyers can’t see the forest for the trees. The home does need some updating inside and out but it is priced at $249,000 which is well below the assessed value of $336,400, so you should have some room to do the remodeling. Parsonage Drive is a great neighborhood off Parade Road with easy access to Meredith as well as downtown Laconia.

So check these homes out if you are looking for a great deal in the Lakes Region of NH.  And remember to ask for some of that “near-free” money while the supply lasts…

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Are you looking for an affordable Lakes Region of NH waterfront on a great lake? This year-round waterfront retreat has 52′ of frontage and a dock on beautiful Crystal Lake and is ready for summer fun!

The main level of this updated home features a  huge living room area with a hearth and woodstove, a dining area, large galley kitchen with all new stainless stell appliances, a den/additional sleeping area, and a huge full bath with laundry hook ups. There is also a 9′ x 20′ enclosed porch leading on to a 8′ x 14′ deck overlooking the lake.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a full bath plus another room that can be used as additional sleeping quarters. The master bedroom is large at roughly 20′ x 22′ and looks out at the lake. There is new carpet, linoleum, and laminate flooring throught the home.

Outside there is generous lawn space that leads gently down to the lake and your dock.  So spend this summer (and every summer hereafter) enjoying boating and waterskiing on Crystal Lake which covers 440 acres and is one of the nicest lakes in the region.  This is also a great base for your winter snowmobiling or skiing adventures as well! So call to schedule your showing now!

MLS #2826113    27 Wakeman Rd, Gilmanton, NH 03837

Offered at $239,000

If you are looking for a vacation property in the Lakes Region of NH that offers Winnisquam water access across the street and access to snowmobile trails nearby then the meticulously maintained four bedroom cape could be just for you!

This single owner home was built in 2002 and shows pride in ownership throughout. Two new bedrooms and a 3/4 bath were recently added on the second floor making this a great primary or vacation home option.  There is even a partial view of the lake to greet you in the morning from one of the upstairs bedrooms.  There is a bright, well appointed eat-in kitchen and ample size living room plus two bedrooms and a bath on the first floor.

This home is large enough to offer space for everyone yet it is very economical to heat with an oil fired, forced hot (more…)

 A review of the MLS system this week revealed some owner occupied homes in the Lakes Region of NH that seem like they could be pretty good deals. I really prefer to show my buyers (particularly if they are first time buyers)  owner occupied homes versus bank owned properties. That’s mostly because with an owner occupied home you get a completed Seller’s Property Disclosure that gives basic info about the property condition and buyers are able to get answers from the owners about any concerns they might have. With a bank owned property you get bupkis, nadda, zilch. It is sold “AS IS” with no warranties or disclosures whatsoever. A home inspection will reveal a lot but you have little or no history about the property. However, with bank owned properties you might get some things that you don’t usually get with occupied homes:  filthy carpets, curled up linoleum, broken pipes and cracked furnaces, holes in the walls, lots of surprises in the basement and garage, and my personal favorites: mold and mildew. And you also get a bonus called the Seller’s Addendum which consists of 10 to 20 pages of legal jargon that basically puts all the chips on the bank’s side of the table. But hey, some of bank owned  properties are great deals and a lot of money can be saved upfront if you are experienced, ready to assume the risks, and have Bob Villa on retainer.

Anyway, back to a few potential good deals on Lakes Region owner occupied properties. I like the $229,000 price on the ranch over at 5 Reagan Way in Laconia. This 1,560 square foot, 3 bed, 2 bath home was built in 2007 and sold last year for $259,000. This home has an open floor plan, hardwood floors, cathedral ceilings, farmers porch and a nice deck in the back. The current asking price is 78% of the city’s tax assessment of $294,500. It seems like a winner to me.

For just a little more money you can buy a 3,051 square foot, 4 bedroom, 2 ½ bath, colonial on 3.28 acres with views! This house is located at 88 Phoenician Way in Laconia. This is a short sale and will need lender approval which can be a bit time consuming. This home was listed originally at $389,900 and has been reduced down to $249,000 which is only 61% of the assessed value of $294,500 making it something that you should certainly check out if you are looking for this size and style home.

If you are looking for a Winnisquam waterfront property, check out the 2 bedroom, 2 bath cottage at 118 Gray Rd in Sanbornton. The cottage was constructed by a local builder and needs some drywall and flooring to be completely done but it can be used just the way it is. It sits on a .36 acre lot with 114 feet of shorefront, has a deep water dock, and great views across the wide part of the lake from inside as well as from the 18′ x 20′ deck.. There is also a new septic system in place which is a huge plus. This waterfront get-a-way was originally offered at $449,900 and has been reduced to $329,900 and right now is at 73% of its assessed value.