2009 May | Portsmouth NH Homes Condos Real Estate

Portsmouth NH – Beauty and History in Our Churches

May 31, 2009 By Ann Cummings 9 Comments

If you live here and make your home in Portsmouth New Hampshire, then you’re likely already aware of the beautiful churches all around town.

Portsmouth is an area rich in history, and our churches play important roles in that history as well. Our oldest town churches are right in the heart of downtown, Market Square area. One of our stately historic downtown churches was part of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride to warn of the British coming.

North Church underwent a complete rebuilding of its magnificent steeple that can be seen from many areas of town. North Church sits proudly in the very heart of our downtown Market Square, and has been the subject of many paintings and photographs of Portsmouth.

Enjoy this picture tour of some of the wonderful churches and houses of worship that await you here when you make Portsmouth NH your home!

Would you like information on the New Hampshire or Maine real estate market? Do you have questions about the buying or selling process? Give me a call at 1-888-349-5678 x 3839 or send me an email and let’s talk Portsmouth NH real estate!

Other posts with Portsmouth area tours that might interest you:

The Many Styles and Colors of Portsmouth NH Homes
Portsmouth NH Area Tours
Portsmouth NH Living – Let It Snow
Portsmouth NH – Fall’s Spectacular Show

Servicing the New Hampshire towns of Portsmouth, Newcastle, Rye, North Hampton, Hampton, Stratham, Exeter, Greenland, Newington, Dover, Durham and surrounding areas, and the Maine towns of Kittery, Kittery Point, Eliot, South Berwick, York, and surrounding areas.

Filed Under: Area Tours, Blog, Portsmouth Tagged With: Portsmouth NH Area Tours, Portsmouth NH Homes, Portsmouth NH Real Estate

Would you like information on the Portsmouth New Hampshire real estate market? Do you have questions about the buying or selling process? Give me a call at 1-888-349-5678 x 3839 or send me an email and let’s talk real estate!

Portsmouth NH Homes – Homes Sold in May 2009

May 30, 2009 By Ann Cummings Leave a Comment

Our local Portsmouth NH real estate market has been showing an active pace for the last few months, and we had some great sales this month.

If you’re curious about which homes sold and what the details were on those sales, check out the Portsmouth homes sold information below:

Homes Sold Portsmouth NH – May 2009

1483 Islington St – list price $169,900 – sold price $170,000 60 days on the market
450 Middle Rd – list price $183,000 – sold price $174,000 107 days on the market
261 Raleigh Way – list price $199,900 – sold price $195,000 167 days on the market
32 Mariette Dr – list price $229,900 – sold price $219,900 52 days on the market
16 McDonough St – list price $234,432 – sold price $199,000 126 days on the market
5 Osprey Dr – list price $234,900 – sold price $228,000 194 days on the market
287 Austin St – list price $260,000 – sold price $247,000 160 days on the market
1 Garden St – list price $263,500 – sold price $235,000 105 days on the market
181 Grant Ave – list price $274,900 – sold price $278,500 81 days on the market
77 Burkitt St – list price $319,000 – sold price $304,500 130 days on the market
33 Cliff Rd – list price $324,900 – sold price $305,000 373 days on the market
150 Buckminster Way – list price $414,900 – sold price $396,666 319 days on the market
202 Dennett Rd – list price $419,900 – sold price $400,000 60 days on the market
536 Marcy St – list price $442,000 – sold price $446,000 68 days on the market
281 Sagamore Ave – list price $577,000 – sold price $525,000 124 days on the market

The homes sold in Portsmouth for the month of May had an average asking price of $303,209 and an average selling price of $288,238. The average days on the market on those sold homes was 101 days. Sellers received an average of 95% of their last asking price.

We currently have 57 homes for sale in Portsmouth, with an average asking price of $680,651.

If you’re looking to buy a home in Portsmouth, your dream home may well be for sale now! I’d be happy to send you a list of Portsmouth homes for sale, and as your Portsmouth NH REALTOR I can help you find that special home just for you – I love helping people find their piece of the American dream of homeownership!

Filed Under: Portsmouth, RE Market Reports Tagged With: Ann Cummings NH REALTOR, Homes in Portsmouth NH, Homes Sold in Portsmouth New Hampshire, Portsmouth Homes, Portsmouth NH Homes, Portsmouth NH Real Estate Report

Rye NH Waterfront Homes – Come Live the Dream!

May 25, 2009 By Ann Cummings 1 Comment

Rye New Hampshire Waterfront Homes –

Dreaming of Homes on the Water

Rye NH is a beautiful little seaside town along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The next town south of Portsmouth, it has an entirely different feel. Parts of Rye are quite country-like feeling, parts of Rye are on the ocean and offer stunning views and beaches for summer fun, and there are beautiful estate-like settings scattered all throughout Rye, and we have everything in between as well.

To me, when I drive through Rye, I get a peaceful serene feeling inside. The roads and scenery just make you want to take your time and soak in all the beauty around you. All of our towns here in the Seacoast areas of NH offer incredible beauty, and all are slightly varied in their town personalities.

Homes in Rye are priced from $280,000 for a small 3-bedroom home that needs some work to $5,377,000 for a stunning 7,000 square foot home with fabulous views of the ocean, Little Harbor, Wentworth-by-the-Sea Marina and hotel, Wentworth Golf Course, and more.

If you’re interested in Rye New Hampshire homes with water views or waterfront homes, here’s a sampling of what’s currently for sale:

$625,000 – 2 bedroom contemporary home with panoramic views of the ocean and the Isles of Shoals from wonderful rooftop deck, quiet location yet steps from the ocean.

$659,000 – ocean views from beautiful 2 bedroom Arts and Crafts style home with 2 master suites just steps from the ocean and beaches.

$750,000 – enjoy lovely views of the Isles of Shoals and Atlantic Ocean from most rooms in this contemporary ranch with private pond.

$995,000 – ocean views and steps to sandy beach from this 4 bedroom 2-story home, potential for in-law living if needed.

$1,150,000 – 14 room Victorian-style home across the street from the ocean, ocean and marsh views, duplex or single family living – you choose!

$1,175,000 – great ocean views from most rooms in this charming seaside completely remodeled Victorian-style home.

$2,950,000 – gorgeous 10 room 2-story home with awesome views of Wentworth Marina and Golf Course, Little Harbor, Atlantic Ocean, and more. Luxurious 6,300 square foot home loaded with every type of space for today’s living.

$3,195,000 – oceanfront estate setting for this renovated 2-story home right on the sandy beach. Almost an acre of beachfront living, fabulous views, vacation right at home here!

$3,350,000 – 6,000 square foot Victorian shingled seaside home, across the street from sandy beach and Rye Beach Club, amazing ocean views, luxurious appointments.

$3,500,000 – right on the sandy beach and the ocean beyond, completely renovated cape-style custom-built home, fabulous condition – fabulous location!

$4,500,000 – beautiful contemporary home offering views galore of Little Harbor, Atlantic Ocean, Wentworth Marina, Wentworth-by-the-Sea historic hotel. 6,500 square foot 2 story contemporary home.

If Rye NH Homes are what you’re looking for, look no further – we’ve got just the right home for you. Give me a call or send me an email and let’s go find YOUR new Rye NH home!!

Filed Under: Blog, New Hampshire Information, Rye Tagged With: Homes in Rye NH, Rye New Hampshire Real Estate, Rye NH Homes, Rye NH Oceanfront Homes

Memorial Day – Honor and Love of America

May 24, 2009 By Ann Cummings 4 Comments

To many, Memorial Day means the start of summer and the long holiday weekend means barbecues, parties, family gatherings, etc. It seems that the true meaning of Memorial Day seems to be losing its real significance. I truly hope that never happens, but it feels like it is…..

I read a couple of blog posts on Memorial Day written by friends of mine, and I thought I’d share the links to their posts, as well as a few quotes and reminders from them.

“Memorial Day and A Moment of Remembrance”, written by my good friend in California, Kathy McGraw. Kathy reminds us of the original purpose of Memorial Day – honoring Civil War soldiers who lost their lives while fighting in that way. She also reminds us of The National Moment of Remembrance, signed into law in 2000 by President Clinton. I had forgotten about this, so very much appreciate Kathy’s reminder to all of us about pausing to remember all those who serve and have served to protect our freedoms.

“What are You Talking About Around the Picnic Table?” , was written by a friend of mine from Ann Arbor Michigan, Missy Caulk. Missy also reminds us of the origins of Memorial Day, and includes some wonderful quotes from President Ronald Reagan that I thought were so important for us to remember.

These poignant quotes came from President Reagan’s farewell address, and I’ve included some here:

“An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?”

“So, we’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important–why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. ”

And from another speech of his:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same”.

My dad, Harold Cummings, served 29 years in the Air Force, my grandfather, R. Oakley Seaver, served in the Army, and my mom’s brother, Charles Robert Seaver, served in the Air Force.

I am most thankful to them for having served our country, doing what needed to be done to protect America, and fighting for our freedoms that we often take for granted.

My deepest thanks and appreciation to all who have served, all who currently serve, and all who will some day serve – thank YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Filed Under: Blog, Miscellaneous Info Tagged With: Ann Cummings NH REALTOR, Memorial Day

US Companies Failing At Customer Service BIG Time!

May 23, 2009 By Ann Cummings 4 Comments

I don’t usually use my real estate blog to rant about things, but today that’s just what I’m doing.

This week, in just the last 3 days, I’ve had the ‘opportunity’, and I lose that word quite loosely, of having to try to get some customer service from 2 companies. The first company was one that I thought was local, LOCAL, like right here. Until recently, I had always been able to make a call, get a real person to talk to and then be transferred to another person in the office here in Portsmouth NH. Not anymore!

I dialed their phone number, got the same person who always answered, and then was transferred to the ‘department’ that was going to help me. When the person came on the phone, I could tell right away I had ended up off-shore somewhere. I asked the person on the other end of the phone where they were, and that confirmed what I suspected.

The second ‘opportunity” was just today, which set me off on this post. I had purchased a major appliance earlier this year, and have had need to have repair technicians come out several times to get it to work properly. Well, once again it’s not functioning properly so I called to schedule a service call. They were supposed to come out today, sometime between 1pm and 5pm. Yep, that infamous time window – you know full well they can narrow that down a bit more, but they don’t even try. Anyway, 5pm came and went, and no service person. At 6:15pm, I called the service line, asking when the technician might be showing up, if at all. Lo and behold, I found I had traveled time zones and countries to another off-shore servicing center.

Why does that continue to happen? Do American companies think that’s better servicing for their consumers? No doubt it’s cheaper for them, and it undoubtedly provides jobs in the off-shore countries. But at what cost?

When you try to get help from those so-called ‘service centers’, they really can’t help you at all. If you ask something that isn’t on their script, they’re lost. They go right back to repeating their script, and that’s just flat useless to me, the consumer on the other end of the phone trying to get help regarding the product I plunked a lot of money out for.

I wish there was some way that would allow you to know in advance that the ‘service center’ for whatever company you’re thinking about doing business with is here or ‘over there somewhere’. If I could know that in advance, I would think long and hard about whether I really wanted to buy that product or those services from that company, or not.

In real estate, we’re all abuzz about transparency. How about the same thing in the general marketplace of regular goods? I think that’s only fair and right – for my money, I want to know who’s going to help me when/if I need help, and what kind of rigmarole (sp?) I’m going to have to go through just to reach someone who really can help me.

Off-shore servicing centers – BIG-time FAIL!!

What’s been your experience with servicing centers? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.

Filed Under: Blog, Miscellaneous Info Tagged With: Ann Cummings NH REALTOR, Portsmouth Homes, Portsmouth NH

What People are Saying

Ann Cummings: Thanks Melissa – I love lighthouses too and we’re fortunate to have several of them here in...
Melissa Grant: New Hampshire is such a beautiful place. You capture the most amazing photo’s of Portsmouth and...
Melissa Grant: Ann – I love these photos ! I have always stood in such awe of lighthouses especially. You live...
Ann Cummings: Thanks Carole – I agree that we have an amazing coastline, and I love how New Hampshire’s...
Carole Sanek: We have an amazing coastline here in our country and while I live in the southern most state with...

Portsmouth NH – Beauty and History in Our Churches