Sunday FUNday

Fun video - Be glad it not Carrie or I singing!

Have fun everyday!

We are working this weekend and always happy to help! 603-471-3799

Feature Listing Friday: 85 Allen Manchester

2-unit Multi-family

http://carrieandty.topproducerwebsite.com/85allencom.asp

Amazing opportunity to own well built 2 family home with possible single family conversion. In neighborhood with well kept and newer homes. Individual, off street parking per unit, 1 car garage, covered porch & LARGE side yards and back yard. Claw foot tubs, built in cabinets and beautiful hardwood floors add to the charm of this home.

Homeowner Tip Thursday

Easy Energy-Saving Ideas for Spring
Spring is finally upon us, which means things will be heating up in no time...including your electric bill.

In today's economy, it's important to reduce expenses wherever possible, especially those costs related to your home. We have seen how seemingly small steps in home maintenance can yield big results in terms of savings. Whenever working with clients, therefore, we make sure to point out the various ways they can save energy. Not only is it good for the environment, it's good for your household budget as well.

Here are some great energy-saving ideas to look at this spring:

Start at the top. Now is the perfect time to make sure your roof has adequate ventilation. As the weather gets increasingly warmer, heat builds up in your attic and good ventilation is critical to cutting cooling costs and protecting your shingles, as well.

Check your cooling system. An annual inspection is key to keeping your air conditioning system at peak performance. Early spring is the best time to call a local contractor to schedule a check-up. Make sure air conditioning units are free of obstructions inside and out. When embarking on spring clean up, be sure to trim bushes, and clear away leaves and other debris away from your outdoor condenser.

Consider a furnace replacement. You may be using your furnace less as the weather warms up, but if it's an older model, now may be the time to take advantage of end-of-season sales to replace it with one that's more energy efficient.

Landscaping plays a part. Plant trees on the south and west side of your house to provide cooling shade.

These are just some of the ways to help reduce energy costs and also protect one of your greatest investments...your home.

13 Lake Potanipo Brookline - Feature Listing Friday

185 feet lakefront and a whole lot more!
http://carrieandty.topproducerwebsite.com/13lakepotanipocom.asp

Quick & Cheap Room Makeovers - Home Owner Tip Thursday

Quick Room Makeovers on the Cheap

Julie Chrissis - home staging and interior design - www.chrissisandco.com

So you want a new look for a room in your home but you do not have a lot of money to spend. So what can you possibly purchase that will make a difference but not break the bank? Here are some of our favorite ideas at each price point.
IF YOU HAVE $0

Eliminate clutter. I am sure you are thinking that you have already done this. Here is a sure fire way to tell if you have. Take a picture of your room. Now look at the photo. What do you notice? Paperwork, magazines, plastic bins. Think about a model home or an elegant hotel. What might you see there? Go with the rule of three – three items per surface. PERIOD. We work with clients all the time that think they have eliminated all their clutter but have not even come close to scratching the surface. Clutter causes stress and takes away from your personal style.

IF YOU HAVE $30

Replace your hardware on a dresser or on your bathroom vanity. You can purchase packages of drawer pulls or knobs at your local hardware store. You would be amazed at the difference a simple change like this can make. A dresser or a chest can go from feeling out-dated and dull to fresh and modern just by trying new hardware.

IF YOU HAVE $60 



Paint. Without a doubt nothing changes the look and feel of a room faster than paint. For around $60 you can paint an average-sized room. Try taking your neutral beige a shade darker or paint an accent wall. If you are unsure of which direction to go, ask your local paint retailer what his or her best-selling colors are and take inspiration from them.

IF YOU HAVE $100

Pillows are the way to go. Purchasing new pillows for a sofa or bedroom can make a world of difference. Simply layering in brightly-colored solids or something with a fun texture can give new life to a space.

Click on the links below

Atkinson real estate market update and statistics (active/sold - detailed information & statistics)


Salem real estate market update and statistics (active/sold - detailed information & statistics)


We are working this weekend... let us know if you have any questions or need help! 603-471-3799



347 Lancaster Hill RD, Tilton $187,900

Beautifully and completely renovated 3 bedroom home. Enjoy large living/family room with cathedral ceilings, spacious eat in kitchen with beautiful maple cabinets. First floor study, bedroom, full bath and separate laundry room. Tile in entry, kitchen, baths and laundry. Great yard and walkout basement. Minutes from Lake Winnisqaum. This home will not last long, all you need to do in move in!!

Find out more...
http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/listings.asp?listing_id=1123722517

Five Spring Fix-it Projects - Homeowner Tip Thursday

It's time to repair and refresh

By Eric Forbes

Forget May flowers, for most homeowners April showers bring rust, clogged rain gutters and all manner of sticky doors and windows. To help you solve these troubles, here are some sure-fire solutions to common spring problems. They're easy enough to tackle in a weekend so you can spend more time smelling those flowers.

Rain gutter repairs
Nobody likes to clean or repair gutters. However, there are a few ways to make the job easier. First, for clogged downspouts, try using barbecue tongs to reach in and pull the leaves out. This doesn't always work but considering the alternative -- using a hose to flush the clog out, getting wet and covered with gutter goop -- it's worth a try.

Second, to repair loose gutter nails try replacing them with extra-long lag screws. The lag screws tend to be stronger, hold better and can easily be installed with a cordless drill equipped with a nut driver bit.

Repairing cracks in concrete
Concrete always cracks, but that doesn't mean you have to live with it that way. For most cracks less than 1/4", applying concrete caulk is a good way to make repairs. Just clean the crack out with a high-pressure hose nozzle, let it dry and then apply the caulk into the crack.

For larger cracks, substitute concrete patch for caulk.

Large cracks or small, repair is necessary because water that finds its way into cracks will soften the ground underneath and cause more cracking. The situation worsens if the water freezes.

Sticky windows and doors
With all the wet weather that spring brings, wooden windows and doors can't help but swell and stick. To repair a sticky door or window, first mark where it is sticking. Next, remove the door or window by taking out its hinge pins, prop it up securely and with a hand plane, carefully remove any excess material. Power planes will work, too, but there is a tendency to remove too much. When the wood shrinks back during the drier, warmer days of summer, the gap will be too wide.

For sliding windows, often the trim around them is the culprit and must be removed and reinstalled to allow for more movement. To do this, carefully remove the trim with a flat bar and pull the nails out backwards that is, grasp the nail point with pliers and pull. If the trim was installed properly with finishing nails, you should be able to do this without damaging the wood. When reinstalling, keep the fit snug but not as tight as it was. If you reinstall the trim too loosely, the windows will rattle when the wood shrinks again.

To keep windows and doors from sticking in the first place, make sure that they are sealed with a good coat of paint, including the tops and bottoms. But dont paint the channels where windows need to slide. Instead, use a light coat of linseed oil as a sealer.

Painting over water damage
The problem with water stains is that painting over them will not make them go away unless you use a primer-sealer first. When looking for a sealer, follow these basic guidelines: First, oil-based sealers usually work better than water-based. Second, choose a sealer that has a high amount of solids. Solids consist of pigments and other elements that do the actual covering of the stain. Paint, hardware and home centers carry primer-sealers (sometimes called sealer-primers) such as Kilz and Zinsser.

One other tip when using an oil-based sealer, consider using disposable brushes and rollers. Cleaning up after using oil-based products can be messy and often requires that you spend more on paint thinner than your brushes and rollers are worth.

Painting and repairing rusty fixtures
It used to be that the only way to do a good paint job over rust was to get out the naval jelly or wire brush and remove the rust first. Thankfully, paint additives are now available to help paint stick to rust while also neutralizing the rust and stopping corrosion from continuing under the paint.

If left untreated, rust will eventually cause your fixtures to lock up. Prevent this by keeping fixtures well lubricated. One of the most common mistakes people make is trying to lubricate outdoor fixtures with light oil or silicon from spray cans. Because these oils are so light, they often evaporate and/or dilute existing lubrication thereby making the problem worse. For fixtures like gate hinges and latches, use heavy grease. It will not evaporate and its heavy viscosity is the best thing for heavy-duty parts. Most auto parts stores have heavy grease.

Feeding America: Help Tornado Victims - One of the many ways - Working Together Wednesday

Come from a place of contribution and love... focus on simplicity

Feeding America: Help Tornado Victims - One of the many ways!http://carrieandty.topproducerwebsite.com/feeding-america.asp

National market update and events/dates for this week

• National supply at the current sales rate fell to 7.3 months from 8.2 in FEB.
• The MAR index of pending home sales rose 5.1% to 94.1.
• Mortgage rates continue to hold steady and keep the affordability index low.
• See more of the market recap and important dates/events at: http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/weekly-market-recap.asp

Sunday Funday

Amherst & Milford Market Update - Saturday Real Estate Market Update

Click on the links below

Amherst real estate market update and statistics (active/sold - detailed information & statistics)

Milford real estate market update and statistics (active/sold - detailed information & statistics)

We are working this weekend... let us know if you have any questions or need help! 603-471-3799

55 Lawrence Derry NH $250,000 - Friday Feature Listing

7 Tips for Decorating on a Budget - Homeowner Tip Thursday

7 Tips for Decorating on a Budget

In today's economy, homeowners are watching their money more closely and going out of their way to give their home a fresh look by working with what they already have.

We have access to many great home improvement resources. Home decorator Lee Evanwood offers the following advice for homeowners who are looking to decorate while staying in budget:

Rub down and stain or repaint old wooden furniture. Take advantage of that old furniture you have sitting in your basement. Simply add new drawer or door handles to achieve a new look.

Can't afford a new sofa? Have the old one recovered. With plenty of fabrics in a wide variety of colors and patterns to choose from, recovering an old sofa is an easy and inexpensive way to create a new look.

Choose rugs. If the floor is already in good shape, you can get it refinished or try area rugs instead of carpeting. Not only are they chic and stylish, but they cost less, too.

Paint with a plan in mind. Try a neutral color on three walls, with a splash of color on the fourth. That splash of color can give you a starting point for further decorating.

Go with soft goods. A few new pillows or cushions that pick up the color on your accent wall can transform the look of a room. Add some inexpensive curtains, draperies or valances to help tie it all together.

Add some accents. Give a room a homey look by using baskets, vases and other small accessories to hold books and magazines, fresh flowers or craft projects.

Finish with artwork or mirrors. A pretty, framed print or two can help finish a room. Keep in mind that a mirror of any size on one wall can add depth and make the room appear larger.

These are just some of the many ways you can transform your home while staying in budget. Feel free to contact us for more ideas and please forward this on to anyone who can use a few inexpensive ways to create a new look in their home.

Blood Drive this week - Work Together Wednesday

Folks, did you know NH hospitals rely totally on the American Red Cross for a safe and sufficient blood supply?

     Have you ever waited anxiously in the emergency room wondering if a loved one would survive?  Imagine the reason someone you love didn’t survive was due to a lack of available blood supply. 

     Honor your Mom this Mother’s Day and the memory of your loved ones, this Thursday, April 28, for your Annual Manchester/Nashua Board of Realtors Blood drive, held 11:00 am to 6:00pm, at the American Red Cross Donor Center, 425 Reservoir Ave. in Manchester. 

PLUS

     Register to win Red Sox/New Hampshire Fisher Cats Tickets, and receive coupons for free oil from M.L. Halle Oil.  We’ll be serving delicious Lasagna from Belmont Hall Restaurant, finger sandwiches and other goodies!

Your time is valuable to us-please call 625-1951 to make an appointment for your donation for quick in and out service! 

      Can’t make it on Thursday?  You can also donate for this drive any day this week Monday to Friday 11am to 6pm to Saturday from 7:30am to 12:30pm

Tuesday Town Snapshot

Derry $200,000 - $400,000: Actives, recently solds and town specific market statistics
http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/derry-mkt-update.asp

You can sign-up for personal reports for all New Hampshire towns/price ranges (as many as you like)!

Monday Mortgage Market Update!

 April 25, 2011

Mortgage Market Recap

• RE/MAX reported that home sales increased by double-digits in March from February in all but one of the 54 U.S. metropolitan areas it covers. This represents a complete reversal from January, when none of the 54 cities saw even single-digit monthly sales increases.
• The National Association of Realtors corroborated Re/Max's bullish report with one of its own. The NAR's data show that March was a decent month for existing home sales, with sales up 3.7 percent to an annualized rate of 5.1 million units. Prices also firmed slightly, up 2.2 percent, to a median reading of $159,600. More homes were on the market, 3.55 million, but the solid rise in sales dropped the supply to 8.4 months.
• See more of the market recap and important dates/events at: http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/weekly-market-recap.asp

This Newsletter is for informational purposes only. The information contained herein may not be applicable to every situation or jurisdiction and we urge you to consult your professional advisor prior to acting on information contained herein. The content, accuracy and opinions expressed herein are not verified or endorsed by the sponsor hereof.

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Sunday Funday!

Create An Outdoor Oasis for Less Than $1,000

A concrete patio is turned into a Mexican-themed outdoor room.

BeforeThis small patch of concrete is an eyesore that needs some design attention.

After
Vivid color and creative seating make this patio inviting, exciting and livable.

Plants and Pottery - $290

• A collection of terra-cotta pots hold various cacti. Sheinkopf enhances a pair of pots with an aged finish made of stain, varnish and paint thinner. Turpentine is splashed on over the finish to give it an aged look. (pots and plants: Mainly Seconds; pot: Crate & Barrel - 05155150875549; chimnea and outdoor Pots: Pottery Etc.)

Accessories - $261

• Create a shade awning out of a drop cloth. After cutting it in half  attach the ends to the house and lets one curtain fall down the side of the house to hide the meter. The other half is stretched out over the patio and secured via grommets to a pair of poles anchored in pots with concrete.

• A custom fountain becomes the focal point in the area. Make the piece out of lightweight fiberboard, which is painted with rubber paint and coverd with copper foil. Stack the pieces so that when the water cascades down the sides it will create a ripple effect. The base is lined with slate. After hooking up the irrigation system, spray an aging patina on the copper to tone down the shine.

• Use bamboo thatching on the wrought-iron fence to give the space more privacy. A pathway to the patio is defined with white landscaping rocks.

Furniture - $243

• The low concrete wall is made functional for seating and stepping with a two-level redwood bench.

• A new table and a pair of chairs provide a spot for dining. Pillows in striped outdoor fabric add comfort to the chairs and bench. (fabric used for cushions: Jo-Ann Fabrics - 6647416/Sage/Terracotta/Sand/Outdoor Fabric; outdoor table: Target - 009010904)Incidentals - $113

Paint and Supplies - $86

• The concrete is painted turquoise and the half-wall is painted a terra-cotta color. (paint: Behr - Greensleeves - 490D-7; Mojave Sunset - 220D-7)

Project Total - $993

Saturday Snapshot!

Today's Featured Town Is

Goffstown, NH 03045

To Check On Your Town

Visit

http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/market-info--update.asp

Friday's Featured Listing

13 Lake Potanipo
Brookline, New Hampshire 

03033

$379,900



Brookline NH Real Estate: Fantastic lakefront/waterfront home on Lake Potanipo, 185ft frontage w/private beach & area for dock/slip. Enjoy waterviews from living room, 3-season porch and bedrooms. 2-car garage with large finished room above. Great kitchen with island. Wood stoves in living room & kitchen. Extra space for guests in 4-bed bunk house. Covered storage on left side of garage with shower. Fantastic large yard.

Features

Single Family Property Status: Active County: Hillsborough Year Built: 1970 2 total bedroom(s) 1 total bath(s) 6 total rooms Approximately 1162 sq. ft. Type: Modified, Ranch Style: Modified, Ranch Master bedroom is 9.5 x 15.5 2 car garage Attached parking

Parking features: 2 Parking Spaces, Auto Open, Direct Entry, Paved Driveway Heating features: Hot Water, Electric, Oil Fuel, Wood Fuel Interior features: Dishwasher, Range-Electric, Refrigerator, Finished Above Grade SQFT: 1162, Bedroom 2 is 9.5 x 12.0, Bedroom 4 is 20x9 3-seasonPch, Water Heater: Oil Exterior construction: Wood Frame, Clapboard, Concrete Foundation, Crawl Space Foundation Waterfront property Waterfront features: Lake Lot features: Landscaped, Level Approximately 0.5 acre(s) Lot size is between 1/2 and 1 acre Zoning: Residential Utilities present: Sewer: Private School District: Hollis-Brookline Cooperative

Thursday Tips For HomeOwners!

5 Steps to Owning a Home Again After Foreclosure

By: Barbara Eisner Bayer

Foreclosure is just a one-time event—with discipline and perseverance, you can get a mortgage and become a homeowner again.

It won’t be easy to obtain a mortgage after foreclosure. But with enough time, discipline, and desire, you can own your own home again. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Stick with a job after foreclosure

Did you fall into foreclosure because of the lack of a steady job? If you did, the first step toward homeownership after foreclosure is finding and holding one. And if you already have one—stick with it, unless you can move to a better one. Note that potential lenders will require stable employment before they’ll give you a new mortgage loan after a foreclosure. Even if it means taking a lower-paying job, it’s worth it.

2. Rebuild your nest egg after foreclosure

Establish a safety net. Financial planners generally recommend three to six months of living expenses in a liquid account, but since you’re coming out of foreclosure, six is a minimum to show stability and that you’re able to pay your bills—including your mortgage—for an extended period if you lose your job.

 

3. Raise your credit score after foreclosure

This is the hardest and most time-consuming part. After foreclosure, your credit score, according to myFICO, probably dropped by about 150 points. You’ll need to raise it back up with perseverance.

Pay bills on time and keep your credit card balances below maximum levels. The foreclosure will stay on your credit report for seven years, but if you prove your money management skills have matured, it will become less of a red mark as years go by.

Tip: Consult a housing counselor. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers free housing counseling for distressed homeowners with a foreclosure in their past. A counselor can help you with money management and budgeting. Counseling works—an evaluation of a program in Indianapolis discovered that credit scores greatly improved because of education and counseling, and increased average borrowing power by $4,500 per family.

4. Reduce your waiting time for a mortgage after foreclosure

Normally, you would have to wait seven years after foreclosure before you can apply for a new mortgage under Fannie Mae rules. (Fannie Mae changes rules frequently. You can check the latest rules at Fannie Mae’s site.)

However, you might wait only three years if you can show extenuating circumstances for your foreclosure, which are defined as “events that are beyond the borrower’s control that result in a sudden, significant, and prolonged reduction in income or a catastrophic increase in financial obligations.” These include:

• Losing a job
• Getting divorced
• Having unexpected medical expenses

There’s one last alternative if waiting isn’t your thing—you can obtain seller financing, essentially bypassing the traditional mortgage. If both parties are amenable, you can enter into a lease with an option to buy, or take a mortgage directly from the seller. You’ll most likely have to show some hefty reserve funds, but if you’ve turned around your financial situation quickly after your foreclosure, it’s worth a shot to deal directly with the seller.

Keep in mind that sellers may be motivated to agree to this if they need to sell and the potential buyers they’ve met with can’t obtain a conventional mortgage—perhaps because they’ve been through foreclosures, too.

5. Be honest about your foreclosure

When you’re ready to apply for your new mortgage, don’t try to hide your foreclosure. On the contrary, be proactive and reveal the steps you’ve taken to remedy the problems that led to your foreclosure.

Tip: Try a mortgage broker, who can work with a variety of lenders to find you a loan. When you work directly with a retail lender, like a bank, they have a limited pool of loans to offer you. But a good mortgage broker—one with a vast network of lendersóhas many options, and may be able to find a mortgage solution if the foreclosure in your past is creating challenges in obtaining one.

If you stay disciplined and positive, the American dream—obtaining a mortgage and owning a home of your own—can, indeed, be yours again. Even after foreclosure

Work Together Wednesday!

Boost Your Neighborhood’s Walkability

By: Sacha Cohen

You can’t move your neighborhood closer to shops, restaurants, and offices, but if you can improve its walkability, you might make it more valuable.

The more walkable your neighborhood, the more valuable your home, studies say. To boost your neighborhood’s walkability—how quickly and comfortably you can walk to stores, schools, restaurants, offices, and parks—you can either get more close-by amenities, or make it easier to walk to what you’ve got.

How much is that walkability worth?

Having shops and gathering spots like schools and restaurants located within a quarter-mile to one-mile from the homes in your neighborhood can add from $4,000 to $34,000 to home values, according to “Walking the Walk,” a study from CEOs for Cities, a nonprofit that works to improve cities. The increases were largest in large cities like San Francisco and Chicago and smaller in smaller cities like Tucson, Ariz., and Fresno, Calif.

What are walkable communities?

Dan Burden, founder of Walkable Communities, defines them with his a 12-step checklist, which includes:

• Great public places to get together and socialize

• Speed-controlled key streets

• Pedestrian-centric design

• A town center with a wide variety of shops and businesses

Maybe you’ve been to one of the communities he says has high walkability, like:

• Bethesda, Md.

• Jackson, Wyo.

• Madison, Wis.

• Savannah, Ga.

How do I make my neighborhood more walkable?

To have great walkability, you have to have something worth walking to, such as restaurants or parks, and a critical mass of people living around those amenities. To make a difference, get your neighbors together and go talk to local officials. Your group can push the planning and zoning board for changes that make your town more walkable, like putting multifamily housing to the town core or allowing home owners in nearby neighborhoods to build a rental apartment in their home.

All those new residents will want to mingle somewhere. So plan to lobby for more welcoming public spaces where you can mix and socialize (think library, park, coffee shop) to increase your neighborhood’s walkability.

How does walkability affect drivers?

To heighten walkability, make the streets kinder to walkers and, possibly, crueler to drivers. Put these items on your city planning list:

• More and wider sidewalks

• Lower speed limits

• Pedestrian-friendly laws, like New Hampshire’s rule that drivers have to hit the brakes for pedestrians in crosswalks even if the light is green

Try applying peer-pressure power to get drivers to ease up on the gas pedal. Pedestrian safety advocates persuaded 6,000 Atlanta home owners to put up yard signs asking drivers to slow down.

If you’re serious about increasing walkability, gather neighbors and town officials for a walking audit, where the group walks along a particular route and stops periodically to discuss how to improve the walking experience with landscaping, safety improvements, or accessibility improvements.

If mixing it up with politicians and planning committees isn’t your bag, try these much easier tips for improving walkability from John Wetmore, producer of Perils For Pedestrians Television:

• Trim shrubbery that’s blocking the sidewalk in front of your house.

• Pick up trash and litter as you walk along.

• Support initiatives in your town to build new sidewalks and repair existing sidewalks.

• Be polite to other drivers and pedestrians when you drive.

And maybe the best walkability tip of all? Just get out and walk

 

Work Together Wednesday!

Making Fair Housing Laws Work for Your Neighborhood

By: Sue Mellen

By ensuring that your neighborhood adheres to fair housing standards, you can build a stronger, more vibrant community and protect property values.



The nation’s fair housing laws protect groups who often suffer housing discrimination in a range of ways. They may be buyers or renters who are sometimes steered toward or away from particular neighborhoods, or existing residents seeking services from homeowners associations (HOAs) to help them live with their disabilities. But fair housing laws protect everyone in a community, making it important to actively promote fair housing in your neighborhood.

 

How fair housing protects property

It can happen faster than you can say “segregation.” Suddenly, your once-integrated, multi-ethnic neighborhood is becoming monochromatic. Should you expend your energy working to fight for integration of your community? Absolutely. When your neighborhood is diverse and welcoming, you ensure the widest possible pool of potential buyers for each house that goes up for sale. That helps keep property values high.

“It’s hard to believe that blatant housing discrimination still exists, but it does,” says Shanna Smith, president and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance, a non-profit fair housing advocacy group. All it takes is one housing-related professional making statements about a neighborhood being bad or one insurance company with different underwriting policies based on the racial makeup of the neighborhood to negatively impact property values, she says.

What you can do

As an individual or member of an HOA, there are several things you can do to protect your neighborhood:

Report suspected discrimination. You can do that through HUD, either online, by phone, or by mail. Or you can seek help from HUD’s local Fair Housing offices.

You can also contact the National Fair Housing Alliance, a national umbrella organization for fair housing advocacy groups nationwide. It can refer you to a local fair housing group that may be able to help.
Arrange an educational program in your community. Ask your HUD regional office or the National Fair Housing Alliance to send someone to your neighborhood for an informational meeting. Plan it as a potluck supper or neighborhood get-together, and include neighborhood association members and local real estate agents. Planning the event should take no more than 20 hours, including issuing the invitation to neighbors, asking around to find out which real estate agents are active in your neighborhood, and finding a speaker.

Make sure your community association’s bylaws and its covenants, conditions, and restrictions follow Fair Housing Act guidelines. When residents ask an HOA to make changes to accommodate a disability, for example, widening common-area doorways for a resident using a wheelchair, the association must follow federal fair housing laws. Fair Housing Accessibility First can help your association understand its responsibilities

“Fair housing is the gateway to equal opportunity in education, jobs, and quality of life. It’s up to all of us to protect these rights in our neighborhoods,” said John Trasviña, U.S. assistant secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

Tuesday Town Snapshot!

Today's Featured Town Is

Windham  NH

To Check On Your Town

Visit

http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/market-info--update.asp

Monday Market Update!

Sunday FUNday!

9 Easter Decorating Ideas

Welcome spring to your home with fresh flowers, cheery colors and playful touches!

Shabby and Chic

Combine rustic elements like a perfectly weathered twig bench, willow wreath and a salvaged window for a charming Easter display.

Dogwood and Poppy Wreath

Banish winter blahs with this colorful and easy-to-create spring wreath. 

Sit a Spell

A cozy porch swing is the perfect spot for unwinding on a warm spring day. Design by Rate My Space user MoonlightandMagnolias.

Colorful Pick-Me-Up

Dogwood branches add a happy pop of spring color



Cheery Welcome

Bright colors and a lovely spring wreath make this entry bench a welcoming sight for Easter guests

Harbinger of Spring

Grape hyacinths, in a handmade stoneware vase, add an exuberant spring touch to any space.

 

Easter Tree

 Decorate any area with pastel colors and traditional Easter touches.

Vintage Appeal

Graceful cherry branches in a period urn complement this room.

Get Your Glitter On

Shimmering eggs in a nest of excelsior make a lovely Easter centerpiece.

Saturday SnapShot!

Today's Featured Town Is

Merrimack, NH 03054

To Check On Your Town

Visit

http://www.carrieandtyhomes.com/market-info--update.asp

FRIDAY'S FEATURED LISTING!!

69 Martin Road

 Weare, NH

03281

$289,000

Charming country home on 4.94 private acres. Fantastic living room with cathedral ceiling, skylights and wood fireplace with insert. Well equipped kitchen with adjacent dining area. First floor master bedroom w full bath & jetted tub, plus sliders that lead to wrap around deck, Screened porch and large back yard. Tinker in 3 story, heated garage. Quick close available.

Features

Single Family Property Status: Active County: Hillsborough Year Built: 1990 3 total bedroom(s) 3 total bath(s) 1 total half bath(s) 7 total rooms Approximately 1764 sq. ft. Style: Cape Basement Master bedroom is 18 x 13

Basement is Bulkhead, Full, Unfinished 2 car garage Parking features: 2 Parking Spaces, Gravel Driveway Heating features: Hot Air, Oil Fuel Central heat Interior features: Dishwasher, Dryer, Microwave, Range-Electric, Refrigerator, Smoke Detector, Finished Above Grade SQFT: 1764, Bedroom 2 is 14 x 10, Bedroom 3 is 14 x 13, Water Heater: Electric Exterior construction: Wood Frame, Clapboard, Wood, Concrete Foundation Lot features: Landscaped, Wooded Approximately 4.94 acre(s) Lot size is between 2 and 5 acres Zoning: res Utilities present: SEWER: 1000 Gallon, Private

Thursday Tips For Homeowners!

7 Smart Strategies for Bathroom Remodeling

Here’s how to get the bathroom of your dreams without making your budget a nightmare........

• Dream about a bathroom that’s high on comfort and personal style, but you also want materials, fixtures, and amenities with lasting value. Wake up! You can have both. A bathroom remodel is a solid investment, according to Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report. A $16,600 bath remodel will recoup about 64% of those costs when it’s time to sell your home, and a more extensive $53,800 job returns about 57%. In addition, you can maximize the value of your investment by using these smart strategies, which will create a stylish yet budget-friendly bathroom.

1. Stick to a plan

bathroom remodel is no place for improvisation. Before ripping out the first tile, think hard about how you will use the space, what materials and fixtures you want, and how much you’re willing to spend.

The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) recommends spending up to six months evaluating and planning before beginning work. That way, you have a roadmap that will guide decisions, even the ones made under remodeling stress. Once work has begun—a process that averages 2 to 3 months—resist changing your mind. Work stoppages and alterations add costs. Some contractors include clauses in their contracts that specify premium prices for changing original plans.
If planning isn’t your strong suit, hire a designer. In addition to adding style and efficiency, a professional designer makes sure contractors and installers are scheduled in an orderly fashion. A pro charges $100 to $200 per hour, and spends 10 to 30 hours on a bathroom project.

2. Keep the same footprint