Portsmouth NH Homes Condos Real Estate » Portsmouth

Sell Your Portsmouth NH Home Faster and For More Money

Ann Cummings — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Trying to sell your Portsmouth NH home or condo?

If you are, then you know competing for today’s buyers is quite challenging, to say the least.

Want to increase the chances of those buyers wanting to make your Portsmouth home theirs!

You need to go the extra step or two to make your house as welcoming and inviting as you can, and that means from the curb to the inside.

In a recent article in the Portsmouth Herald, an article “Staging Helps Home Sale Speed and Price”, the author talked about the benefits of making sure your home is properly presented to potential buyers, and ways to go about doing that. Be sure to check out that article for more detailed information on the staging process and how it can help in the home-selling process.

Getting your Portsmouth NH home sold in today’s real estate market….

….means working with your experienced professional NH REALTOR – setting the proper price and setting the right presentation of your home.

For buyers in today’s market, it’s the EXPERIENCE they feel when they view your home, and you want that to be the very best it can be, from the first moment they lay eyes on your home from the street. That exterior curb appeal has to be such that it makes them want to come see the inside of the home. Once they’re inside, you want your entryway to speak to them and beckon them in further.

Getting things right from the start – price and presentation – will help your home sell quicker than the competition and typically for the most money the market will bear. It’s all about attention to detail and the experience!

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!

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.

Scarecrows of the Port | Portsmouth NH Homes

Ann Cummings — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:09:00 +0000

If you make your home in Portsmouth NH, or have been visiting and wishing you had a Portsmouth New Hampshire home, you’ve most likely seen all the endearing scarecrows that have popped up all around the downtown area.

Some just kinda sneak up on you, and others are right out there and easily spotted.

These Scarecrows of the Port are the brainchild of volunteers from the Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce, and various businesses around town added some scarecrows of their own this year. “The Scarecrows of the Port began last year when the submarine USS New Hampshire was commissioned. It was suggested that the scarecrows would be a good draw to the city and give the submarine event another perspective of Portsmouth.”, quoted from The Portsmouth Herald.

Take a drive around the downtown Portsmouth area and see how many of these fun scarecrows you can spot! Every time I drive through town, I see another 1 or 2 that I hadn’t seen before. And to make sure you’re not missing any, make sure to check out the video and map available at the Scarecrows of the Port website.

Don’t wait too long to see these scary but lovable Portsmouth NH Scarecrows – they’ll only hanging out around town until November 1st…… if you miss them, you’ll have to wait until next fall to see them again….

Portsmouth NH Home to Tall Ships Festival

Ann Cummings — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:02:34 +0000

Those of us who call Portsmouth NH home know that we have all kinds of great things that go on all year long. One very special event that has been taking place for the last 10 summers is our Tall Ships Festival, put on by the Piscataqua Maritime Commission. The folks on that commission do a fabulous job bringing in Tall Ships for us to enjoy each year.

This year, the first of the four ships visiting for our Tall Ships Festival began arriving a week ago. The Tall Ships Boat Parade was Friday morning, starting out at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor. I watched them come into the harbor in Newcastle, and then I followed them through Newcastle and then down into the downtown area where they tied up at the State Piers downtown.

These ships are so majestic to see – just beautiful!

If you want to see more beautiful pictures of these Tall Ships, please check out Philip Case Cohen’s Photo Blog – The Daily Portsmouth. His photographs are just beautiful!

Images © 2009 Ann Cummings Portsmouth NH REALTOR
NH Coastal Living – Portsmouth NH Photo Blog

The Scenes of Home in Portsmouth NH

Ann Cummings — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:52:13 +0000

Calling Portsmouth NH home means so many different things to different people.

It can mean the closeness of family and friends. It can mean the closeness of all the water in and around Portsmouth. It can mean the beautiful historic homes and rich history we’re surrounded with here. It can mean the beautiful parks scattered all about town.

It can mean the wonderful brick buildings that make up our downtown area. It can mean sitting outside downtown at any number of outdoor cafes and restaurants.

To me, Portsmouth NH as my home means so many things, some of which are the iconic scenes that so many associate with this fabulous town……

….. the beautiful soaring steeple of the North Church, the Moran tugboats that navigate the river and harbor with grace and dignity, the bridges that connect Portsmouth NH with Kittery Maine, our beautiful parks ……….

…..these and some much more are home to me, home here in Portsmouth New Hampshire.

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!

Tall Ships Are Coming to Portsmouth NH

Ann Cummings — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:01:14 +0000

If you live in or around Portsmouth NH, you know we always have lots of things going on that are centered around all the water we’re so lucky to have all around us!

Another fabulous event going on this week is our Portsmouth NH Tall Ships Festival, which is brought here to us by our Piscataqua Maritime Commission.

We’ve been fortunate to have had Tall Ships visit us for a number of years now, and visitors and residents alike just love our summer Tall Ships Festival. This is our 10th annual festival.

This year, we’ve got 4 ships coming in: the US Coast Guard Eagle, the Kalmar Nyckel, the Spirit of Massachusetts, and the Spirit of Carolina. These ships have begun arriving in Portsmouth Harbor. The Spirit of Massachusetts is already in port, having arrived on Sunday. The others will be arriving on the 5th and 6th. During the week, these ships will be sailing up and down the river – great picture-taking opportunities.

The Tall Ships Boat Parade will be held the morning of August 7th, starting at the mouth of Portsmouth Harbor, going upriver to the docks in downtown Portsmouth. Once the ships are docked, the official festivities will begin – tours, entertainment, day sails, and more.

This is a wonderful event to take part in – plan a day here in Portsmouth NH and see these beautiful ships! I watched the boat parade last time, and got to see them at the docks. They are beautiful ships for sure!

If you’re here and make Portsmouth NH home, or if you’re in the area or are close enough to take a day trip here, come see these magnificent Tall Ships – well worth spending a day here to see them and enjoy all that downtown Portsmouth has to offer.

Portsmouth NH Strawbery Banke Community Day

Ann Cummings — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 12:35:11 +0000

For those of us who make Portsmouth NH home, we get to enjoy all kinds of great community activities going on year-round. One such fun event is today’s Strawbery Banke Community Day.

Community Day offers free admission with a donation of a canned food item, more than one would be awesome. All the canned foods collected will benefit local food pantries, which sorely need donations at this point.

Come check out all the fun things going on today from 10am to 5pm, Saturday August 1st, 2009. Children’s games, garden tours, house tours, and more. And of course, you must check out the hot air balloon rides from 10am to noon! One of the world-famous RE/MAX Hot Air Balloons will be at Strawbery Banke for tethered rides.

Great fun for family and friends – what a beautiful day today is for this Community Day in Portsmouth NH!

Portsmouth NH Homes For Sale

Ann Cummings — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:40:34 +0000

Are you thinking about buying a Portsmouth NH home?

We have some nice homes currently for sale in a variety of locations around town.

Portsmouth NH Homes – Jan. 1, 2009 to July 21, 2009

There are presently 65 homes for sale in Portsmouth, and they range in price from $229,900 to $8,500,000. The average asking price is $678,091, with the average days on the market being 93 days for those homes currently for sale.

Portsmouth has 59 homes presently sale pending, with most of those due to be sold/closed in the next 30 days. The average asking price for those homes sale pending was $340,119, average days on the market was 110 days.

There have been 67 homes in Portsmouth that have sold/closed since January 1, 2009. The average selling price of those sold Portsmouth NH homes was $326,144 and the average days on the market for these homes was 110 days. The sellers of those homes that have sold since the beginning of the year received, on average, 95% of their last asking price.

How do this year’s sold homes stack up against last year’s Portsmouth NH real estate figures?

Portsmouth NH Homes – Jan. 1, 2008 July 21, 2008

We had 67 homes in Portsmouth sell/close in this same time frame last year, and the average selling price of those homes sold was $366,103, and the average days on the market last year was 109 days. This time last year, sellers on average received 96% of their last asking price.

So, we’re seeing the same number of homes selling this year as last year. The average selling price this year is a little lower than last year’s average selling price, by about $40,000. The average days on the market is the same, and the list to sales ratio is a percent different. Prices are a little bit lower this year, so it really is a good time to be buying a Portsmouth NH home if you’re giving some thought to getting into the real estate market.

Is buying a new home in Portsmouth NH something you’re thinking about? If you’d like to have an experienced professional Portsmouth NH REALTOR on your side in your search, send me an email or give me a call at 888-349-5678 ext. 3939.

I’d be very happy to talk with you about making your dreams come true!

Summer Fun Begins! Portsmouth City Pool Opens

Ann Cummings — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:24:01 +0000

Every summer in Portsmouth NH, kids of all ages look forward to the city pool opening up for the season. This year’s season for the Peirce Island Pool begins today, June 29th, and remains open through August.

If you live in Portsmouth’s Little Harbor area or the South End area, you’re lucky enough to be able to walk to the pool and other fun things in the area. There is parking, so if you have to drive, no worries.

If you’re a town resident, use of the pool is $1.00 for adults and free for kids as long as you have proof of Portsmouth being your home. If you don’t live in Portsmouth, you can use the pool for a $2.00 admission for adults and $1.00 per child.

For a full schedule of the city pool hours, swimming lessons, etc., check out this City of Portsmouth Pool link. Portsmouth also has an indoor city pool, which residents are welcome to use as well.

Buying A Home and A Community – Portsmouth NH Homes

Ann Cummings — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:32:42 +0000

I had a client say to me the other day that they’re not just buying a home in Portsmouth, they’re buying into the Portsmouth community as well. And that part of what they’re buying is very important to them.

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Portsmouth NH, or any other community, you’re buying into whatever that community has to offer. That’s part of what you’re paying for. You could take the basic 4 walls of any house, and plop them down in a variety of communities, and that 4-walled box will have a different value in each community. Part of what goes into the value of each community is what that community has to offer.

And here’s what Portsmouth New Hampshire has to offer those who call Portsmouth home:

we have a fabulous downtown area, loads of shops, galleries, restaurants, museums, and more
we have a beautiful waterfront park, Prescott Park, where we can watch plays, hear concerts, take part in a variety of festivals, art shows, and more
we have Saturday morning Farmer’s Markets from May through November where you get all kinds of locally grown produce and locally made products, and meet old and new friends
we have a gorgeous huge new library with all kinds of programs open to all residents
we have great schools, 3 elementary schools, a middle school and a newly renovated and expanded high school
we have beautiful churches throughout the town, many with historic roots
we have lovely parks scattered all around town and have been awarded a “Tree City USA Award”
we have a wide variety of homes in Portsmouth, choices in styles, ages and price ranges to suit everyone
we’re right here on the Atlantic Ocean and the Piscataqua River – awesome waterfront and a working port
we have a fascinating outdoor living history museum – Strawbery Banke.
we have loads of history all around us here, so if you love history, you’ll feel right at home
we have THE best seafood ever
we have loads of things to do in and around the Portsmouth NH area
we have great city festivals and fairs
we have super friendly residents who love living here and will help you learn all about Portsmouth NH living
we are in a super location for commuters – easy access to highways going north, south and west
we’re only an hour or so from great winter ski areas
we have lots of fun antique stores in the area
we have a great walking town to call home – sidewalks in most places with friendly neighbors calling out greetings as you pass by
we have glorious springs, spectacular falls, fun-filled summers, and winters that can bring snowy winter scenes

Can you tell how awesome living in Portsmouth New Hampshire really is?? Come check us out – you’ll want to make your home in Portsmouth, too!

The Sounds of Home in Portsmouth NH

Ann Cummings — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:24:51 +0000

Have you ever listened to your hometown? I mean REALLY LISTENED to see what you can hear?

I have, and I realized that all the sounds of being home in Portsmouth NH can tug hard at your heart……

if you just listen…..

…. the crack of a baseball hitting a bat
…. the cheering of friends and family from the stands
…. the ringing of bicycle bells
…. the barking of dogs playing outside
…. the friendly hellos from porches
…. the click-click-click of lawn sprinklers
…. the clip-clop of horse-and-buggy tours
…. the sound of lawns being cut
…. the symphony of birds singing
…. the sounds of fishing boats heading out to sea
…. the sounds of drawbridges being raised for boats to pass down the river
…. the toots and horns of tugboats
…. the hum of chatter at outdoor cafes
…. the soft clanging of bell buoys in the harbor
…. the water flowing into the North Mill Pond at high tide
…. the honk of a car signaling hello to neighbors
…. the calls for kids to come in for dinner
…. the friendly exchanges at the Farmer’s Market

These are the sounds of the neighborhoods of Portsmouth New Hampshire, the wonderful town I call home. And what glorious sounds they are……

Does this sound like the kind of place you’d like to call home? It can be! And I can help you do just that – call Portsmouth NH home…..