8/1/2009 28 Owens Drive, Swanzey- 9:00-11:00 34 Robbins Rd, Fitzwilliam- 11:00-12:30 1031 Rte 9, Chesterfield- 10:00-11:30 15 Base Hill Rd, Keene- 12:00-1:30     8/2/2009   38 Sweeney Rd, Keene- 10:00-12:00 104 Lat Lane, Swanzey- 11:00-1:00 28 Owens Drive, Swanzey- 1:00-3:00 (also on Weds 4:00-6:00) 6 Prentiss Lane, Walpole- 10:00-11:30 07/27/2009

I feel almost sick admitting it, but the truth is I think I love short sale transactions (working on the listing side of course.) They're a challenge, they're a lot of work and time, but I get them and I understand them now and ...of course there is always a level of risk that they won't close YET I still enjoy working with a short sale.  I love the partnership I have working with the sellers on their short sale, and I love the efforts they place into helping me sell their home. This is not easy work for anybody! After thoroughly screening the seller to understand as clear of a picture as I can, I make my decision on whether or not I should list the property. By experience, and I've been burnt before, it's important to say "no" when I see that: 1. Either the seller is not capable of han... 07/22/2009

Some sellers are choosing FSBO over listing to avoid paying a commission. Problem is they often owe too much on their home and are trying to save a dollar. They may choose to pay a flat fee just to be in the MLS, but don't receive any representation from the agent at all. Why are they doing this? Bottom line is "their bottom line" Homeowners are stuck between owing too much on their home and trying to become their own salesperson / negotiation / transaction manager in the meanwhile to try and save themselves money. Keene, NH had a HELP-U-SELL business in it's community 2 years ago and they didn't make it. Sellers were coming to The Masiello Group angered they had spent time, energy and money into listing their home in the MLS with HELP-U-SELL and they didn't get anywhere. Shortly after ... 07/21/2009

Everyone of us knows someone who has been, or has personally been, affected by this recession in some way or another.  Healthcare issues, unemployment rate, salary decreases and people working for lower wages or not able to find work at all. I've been affected personally because housing prices have dropped so my income level has also dropped drastically. The number of hours put into closing a real estate transaction has quadrupled. I've recently tried to refinancing my home and the value has, of course, diminished to a point where the loan to value ratio was "not great"... as many of us have realized recently. As I drove to the bank today I was listening to the Diane Rehms show on NPR and they were talking about, what else, the state of the economy.  It makes me think that this adjustme... 07/20/2009

Am I going through a pre-mid life crisis? Could it be that the inner tugs between what I want for myself and what I think I want for my family are leading to this mini- pre-mid life crisis? This stage I've entered in my life is altogether daunting and exciting. At 33, I have my family, my real estate career is thriving, and I'm where I want to be...but I'm wanting more.  How can I be wanting more in this culture of cutting back, reducing, eliminating waste, and consuming less?  But I do. What is it I could possibly want?  I want a place for my growing children to grow up in a neighborhood (but I have a beautiful rural, private country setting right now...isn't that what I've always dreamt for, with my horses in the back yard and a place to ride?) I'd like to see them with friends and a ... 07/14/2009

Dr. Rob League of League Chiropractic told me the story of his recovery years ago after his car was hit by a train.  He later decided to go into Applied Kinesiology and Chiropractic work because it was what helped him recover from his serious back injuries from the accident.  I went to see Dr. League last week after waking up with a sudden neck pain so severe I could not turn my head, nor could I bend over to pick anything up. His wife, a friend of mine, scheduled my first appointment which gave me 40 minutes of Dr. League's time that very day.  He was precise with his assessment and results  were immediate. The pain diminished rapidly after I left my appointment that day. With every hour that passed, I was capable of doing more and more things and had less and less pain. The treatment ... 07/13/2009

I read this article from Realty Times today on good prospects vs. bad prospects.  If you get a referral from a friend or former clients it's not always going to be a qualified lead, but is that so bad? It is if you're only thinking about the bottom line. Another way to look at this so called "bad" prospect (I'd like to refer to them as "unqualified leads") is that they can be put on a plan. Help them get all their financial information in order. Send them to a reputable lender who can put them on a plan to save or a plan to pay off necessary debt, or a plan to increase their credit score over time.  It's a little time and work up front but in one year you may have a ready, willing and able buyer. Furthermore, this buyer may be a great source for additional referrals. Not every referral ... 07/10/2009

I often get asked which social media tool one should use over another.  (For a list of common social media sites, scroll down below).   There are so many reasons why it's important to implement several social media tools in your marketing plan, but sometimes too much can be ...well, too much. I enjoy blogging because I've always kept a journal.  My entire life is in 17 little journals I've kept year after year.  It started when I was in Jr. High.  Needless to say, when I have something to say, I enjoy writing it. For others, Twitter is nice because it's short, quick and simple.  You can have quick discussions (though brief with only 140 characters allowed) with several people (anyone who is following you can easily receive your messages) and get answers quick ("does anyone know of a loc... 07/09/2009

I always wondered if the selling bank in a short sale would find it more apealing to have the buyer finance the purchase of the property through them.  Would there be a conflict of interest at the time of purchase? Or would it even matter at all? I was again faced with this today when giving out names of lenders to an out of state buyer. Should this person have the choice of financing with the same bank, or is it in their best interest not to? www.stephaniejacques.com     07/07/2009

Property in Keene, NH are selling rather quick these days, under 31 days is quite common for property under $200,000.  But what are buyers getting for the price in this market? Below is a list of what I've discovered about property in this price range from working with several first time buyers recently:   1. Between $139,900 and $149,900 you can get a decent little home in average to very good condition typically with 2 bedrooms and one bathroom.  What's the catch? Small rooms, small yard, or poor location.  For a single buyer this is often a great value if they are able to wait for the right one to come along and, yes, make a near full price offer.  These properties are very affordable for a large pool of buyers right now so it's important to find out if there are other offers on the ... 07/06/2009

Keene,  NH Homes, Condominiums, Land, Farms, Multi- family Homes for Sale! Keene, NH Real Estate - NH MLS Virtual Homes Real Estate provides direct access to the New Hampshire MLS system and offers various tools to assist you in searching properties for sale meeting your criteria. If you are a first-time home buyer you will be able to obtain information that will educate you to the values offered in the Keene, NH market. New Hampshire Home Search Service - New Listing Alerts! Home search is a web-based real estate software tool that keeps you continually informed of your local real estate market. Daily/real time new listing alerts, advanced search capabilities and addresses with mapping are available. To sign up click on Keene NH MLS Listing Alerts to subscribe to our FREE service. Keen... 07/03/2009

I recently had to deal with a bank on a foreclosure sale and the red tape and duct tape and rules and restrictions imposed by that "seller" made my buyers' first home purchase a roller coaster event.  Everyone knew ahead of time it could be rocky and that the risk is high when purchasing a foreclosure.  I know myself from when I purchased my first foreclosure in 2002.  However...in all fairness to my buyers, the "seller" took a very long time to respond and created such impossibly tight deadlines that my buyers were unable to meet, that we were unable to close on time. To make matters worse, the "sellers" wanted to impose late fees for not closing on time. This is what happens when we deal with a third party who is not a living, breathing entity.  Someone with a heart would understand t... 07/03/2009

I've often handed over my business card this year feeling it just didn't serve the purpose I wanted it to serve. Going online to order new custom business cards I learned that other people are running into this very same thought. It leads me to the concept of the business cards for social media users. And so I begin my quest of plea to Better Homes and Gardens for a template designed for me to add some of the following information: My Twitter handle My blog address My Linkedin account My Website Cell phone Fax number Office address Email address The reasoning behind this is, every time I've handed out my card it's been to someone I'd like to invite to get to know me better.  I've found myself trying to handwrite my social media destinations, or some words to google about me so they can ... 06/29/2009

This is the first year in the 8 years I've been in real estate that I've been inundated with some of my favorite clients, the first time buyer. They are coming out of the woodwork from every angle and tend to share some common traits (though this is a generalization of course) : 1) They are aware, internet savy and have done their homework. They sometimes arrive with so much information received from the internet as they struggle to find solid ground through some of the most challenging transactions I've had to face with first time buyers in 8 years.  It can be so daunting for buyers to take in all that information when it arrives uncalled for at times.  Categorizing the information and tapping into in when needed would be helpful but often isn't possible given they have never bought a ... 06/28/2009

I've had my Keene,NH region real estate website up for almost one year now. I set it up through Realtysoft last year and have been adding to it, modifying, and gathering stats all along. The question I have to ask myself now, as resubscribing time is drawing near, is "What does my website bring me and how do I measure it's success?" To answer this question, I'd have to track the number of leads I receive from buyers and sellers. Furthermore I'd have to determine how many of those convert into an actual client who then closes on a property. But there's more to it that keeps me interested in renewal for another year. My website is a portal for the multitude of web presences I keep, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Ning, and my Activerain blog to name a few. Then there's a demo of a Youtube vi... 06/28/2009

I recently attended REBarCamp in Boston, MA where I was finally surrounded by other Realtors who are "getting it" or at least, trying real hard to "get it". What am I talking about? Social media of course. My favorite break out session of the day was on Twitter. Presenters were Twitter's "Twitterqueens" who gave a great basic introduction and examples of how Twitter can be applied.  I left there with a new perspective on using Twitter.  After the presentation I decided to qualify who I follow a bit better, and to seek out people from my region more proactively through searches. I learned about hashtags and began thinking about how I might use them in real estate: 1. The announcement of open houses could be provided with a link and the hashtag as a regional phrase such as "MasielloOpenHo... 06/25/2009

The following is a list of our upcoming open houses for the weekend of June 27-28, 2009 for the Cheshire County, NH Region. For additional listing information please visit The Masiello Group Listings  and enter in the MLS number listed beside the property below. Saturday 6/27 9-11pm: Forest View Estates, 28 Owens Dr. Swanzey $147,000 MLS 2779999 11-1pm: 210 Fourth St. Rindge $449,000 MLS 2779018 10-11:30: 97 Highland Circle Swanzey $379,900 MLS 2780045 11-12:30: 23 Green Acres Rd. Keene $169,900 MLS 2780201 11:30-1pm: 149 South Lincoln St. Keene $199,900 MLS 2745370 1-3pm: 41 Streeter Hill Rd. Chesterfield $269,900 MLS 2781427 39 Base Hill Rd. Keene $239,500 MLS 2776689 1:30-3pm: 153 Dean Farm Rd. Jaffrey $199,900 MLS 2755489 29 Highland Dr. Rindge $189,000 MLS 2774257 1:30-3:30pm: 72 T... 06/24/2009

In this culture shaped by a desire for quick access to information how many agents are doing CMA's (Comparitive Market Analysis) with the sellers in their homes? I began doing this last year and have been able to speed up the process of the listing appointment. This eliminates the gap caused when the agent leaves the home to "research" the property. The appointment still could be a two stop listing appointment, or it could become a one stop very simply. If sellers are interviewing other agents and you want to exemplify to your sellers your timely response time and transparent methods of working, than it's a great way to show this to your potential sellers, since we have nothing to hide when carrying out a CMA! The facts are all there in front of us! Transparency is one area I'd like to ... 06/22/2009

I've recently begun working with several new first time buyers looking to take advantage of the tax credit. It's nice to know this section of the market is still active and engaged. If the tax credit had been available to more people, even if just for a limited period, just think about what this could create? As a result of the government pushing FHA loans, the already limited FHA certified appraisers in our region have become so busy our financial commitment dates must be extended back sometimes 2 more weeks. FHA's ability to process the loans in time for financial commitment has also needed to extend, as more jobs are created to fill the gap and help things run smoothly again. I'd say this is a great sign and something long awaited by many. I get asked all the time "How's the market?"... 06/08/2009

"Rise" ...for Baby and Family is a local non profit located at 147 Washington Street in Keene, NH. They provide early support services (speech, occupational and physical therapy) to families of children under the age of 3 as well as operate a childcare center.   Last night I attended, as a member of the board, the annual fundraising event for "Rise".  The event is called "A Spirited Taste of Summer in the Shadow of Monadnock" (otherwise well known as "The Wine Tasting") held at the Keene Country Club. The evening brings together some of the region's finest restaurants (Blue Trout Grill, Brown House Bakery, E.F. Lane Hotel & Thyme to Dine Catering, Elm City Brewery, First Course Catering, Keene Country Club, Kristin's Bistro & Bakery, Luca's Mediterranean Cafe, Margarita's Mexican Restau... 06/05/2009