Buying a home is a huge accomplishment, but also a big responsibility. Just as you planned and worked hard to save money for a down payment, you will need to continue to plan and save as a homeowner.

Life is unpredictable and you will likely face issues or events throughout homeownership that require you to be financially prepared so you can always fulfill your obligation to pay your mortgage. Some of the most common unplanned events include: unemployment or curtailment of income, a sudden Illness in your family,Home maintenance and/or repairs, divorce or separation or steep and unaffordable increase in your mortgage payment.

Budgeting and saving for these emergencies is key to being financial prepared and to successful homeownership.Start saving today and work toward setting aside between three and six months of living expenses as an emergency fund. Build and follow a spending plan making sure that you budget for new expenses you’ll face as a homeowner such as property taxes and insurance, repairs, utilities and maintenance. Think about non-essential expenses you can cut if necessary, such as entertainment.

The more financially prepared you are for life’s uncertainties, the more successful you will be as a homeowner.

Home sales activity in the Granite State saw a February increase of 13 percent compared to February 2011, according to data released recently by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR).

Realtors reported 661 residential sales last month, compared to 585 in February 2011. It marked the third consecutive year to see a February increase and was the most February sales since 2007.

The median price for statewide home sales, meanwhile, fell nearly 3 percent for the month, from $185,000 in February 2011 to $179,900 in February 2012.

Year to date (January and February), unit sales were ahead of last year’s pace by 16 percent, while median price for that period was down 6 percent.

“We still have more inventory than you’d find in a balanced market, and that’s continuing to keep prices down,” said NHAR President John Rice, a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry and an agent with Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International Realty in Rye. “As sales increase and inventory decreases, we’ll gradually move out of this decidedly buyer-friendly market. We’re still in the early stages of that process.”

In terms of local markets, all but one of the state’s 10 counties saw unit sales increases in February compared to a year ago,including a 23 percent jump in Hillsborough, the state’s largest county.

And despite the overall February decrease in median price, six of the 10 counties saw increases, including a 5 percent uptick in Hillsborough County, from $190,000 in 2011 to $200,000 in 2012.

Another year has flown quickly by, and it is time to share with you the Summary of New London Sales for 2011. Note, that in order to include non-MLS transactions, we draw statistics from The Registry Review, as well as MLS.

There is some good news in the market’s performance of 2011: condominium sales began a nice recovery, including 4 sales at The Seasons; the number of waterfront/access property sales increased; and total transaction numbers actually eked up about 4.5%. MLS stats for condo and residential sales show an increase from 60 to 73, and an increase in the listing to selling ratio from 90% to 92%. The average days on the market increased from 178 to 206, however, I believe this is a function of older inventory selling. Conversely, more homes sold for <$300,000 in 2011 (26), than in 2010 (16), creating a drop in average price; and total dollar volume inched further downward, despite the increase in number of sales.

While this marks the 5th straight year of the decline of total dollar volume since the highs of 2006, it is telling to note that, after the first big drops of 2007-2008, the subsequent decreases have not been dramatic. A couple more sales in the over $300,000+ range, and these decreases could have been washed out. It is also the case that one or two large sales can skew the market. Therefore, I have not included the sale of a single family home for $2,450,000 or the $15,000,000+ commercial sale of the New London Shopping Center.

My optimism that 2011 would be the year of change didn’t prove true. There were signs, but just not enough momentum. I do believe 2011 will be the last year of the downward trend. Many forecasting services are predicting constant or rising home prices in 2012. Nationally, buyer and seller traffic was up in late November and December (we were really busy!), which is also a very good sign. The commitment to keeping interest rates low seems to be there. I do believe that, if the news continues to be good, and buyers have reason to feel more confident, many of them, who have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the “right” moment, will chose to buy a home in 2012.

Coldwell Banker Milestone had a very successful and productive year in 2011, proving that our consistent performance continues to yield good results for our buyers and sellers. As always, your referrals are gratefully received, and you can be assured that “The Best Team in Town” will deliver extraordinary service and results.

2011 New London Stats Summary

Marilyn Kidder is Broker/Owner of Coldwell Banker Milestone Real Estate. Feel free to give her a call for professional advice on any of your real estate needs – 603-526-4116.

Many people say it is the kitchen and bathrooms that really sell a home.

Buyers prefer that both are clean and in move-in condition. They want to unpack their dishes and glassware as well as their toiletry bag and feel comfortable in their new home right away.

Many homeowners, however, do not have the time, energy or financial resources for major kitchen and bathroom renovations. Perhaps during their time in the home, the seller focused on turning the basement into a media room or making necessary roof and siding repairs. When it is time to sell, how can a cash-strapped seller appeal to buyers who want – even expect – an upgraded kitchen and bathroom?

Here are three affordable, quick, easy tips for sprucing up your kitchen and bath right before going on the market.

1. Paint the kitchen cabinets.

It would be too costly to go out and purchase new cabinets just before you sell. But you and your real estate agent despise the old knotty pine or dark grain cabinets from 20 years ago. A quick fix is to paint them white. It will make the kitchen appear lighter, brighter and cleaner. A fresh coat of paint will give the appearance of new, which will appease many buyers. This can be done in one or two days time for just a few hundred dollars.

2. Put some new hardware on the kitchen cabinets.

After you’ve brightened up the kitchen with some new paint, throw on some brushed nickel cabinet door hardware. This hardware with the new white paint in the backdrop will make the kitchen pop. Buyers’ eyes may be drawn away from the older counter tops or appliances. And, given that the cabinets are at or just above eye level, the hardware may be the first thing they notice in the kitchen. You can buy new hardware for just a few dollars and install them yourself

3. Re-grout or clean the bathroom tile and grout.

Bathrooms should be sanitary places and a new buyer wants to feel comfortable with their new bathroom. Nothing is more of a turn off than a bathroom where the grout is dirty or moldy or full of soap scum. At a minimum, spend an hour with a toothbrush and some bleach and scrub that grout. This is something you can do on your own in just a half a day. If the bathroom is too far-gone, you may want to spend the money on a tiler to regrout the tile. This will make the bathroom pop, giving a new, clean feeling to this important room

There may be other, more important projects for which you’ve budgeted. In many cases, your real estate agent has suggested painting some of the rooms a more neutral color or spending some money on storage for excess furniture. Staging and home preparation are unique for every home. But, given the focus buyers always put on kitchens and bathrooms, these three tips should be seriously considered as you prepare to go on the market.

DATE:FEBRUARY 17, 2012 | AUTHOR:BRENDON DESIMONE |Zillow Blog

It goes without saying to sell your home fast you will want an assertive and experienced seller’ s agent,one who is knowledgeable about selling houses quickly and most importantly is committed 100% tomatching your efforts to sell your home. I would not recommend settling on the first realtor you call up,but rather ask around for other’ s opinions; interview realtors yourself over the phone or in person andcall a handful of them. As soon as you make the decision to sell your home you want to start looking at it from a buyer’ sperspective. You may want to take a video pulling into your driveway, walking into your house andwalking around your house. Next, sit down with someone that is brutally honest and let them give youtheir first impression of the tour. This will increase your chances of selling your home quickly, becauseremember, this is your cozy home to you but probably not someone else with all of your stuff in it. First impression is everything! In addition to having a very clean, fresh smelling and uncluttered home,do a thorough tidy up of your driveway entrance, the lawn or area around it, and flower gardens,vegetable gardens, and of course any junk piles, garbage or eye sores of any kind that are seen frompulling into your driveway ‘ all the way to pulling up to your house and walking inside. Landscapeimprovements that will be seen driving in and leaving are nice inexpensive attributes, think curb appeal! De-personalize your home. Take down family photos, personal hobby collections and neutralize yourcolorful walls. Add a fresh coat of paint as this will be more beneficial to a wider audience of buyers.One of the first things noticed when your house is being shown is the paint on the walls. It could makeor break the deal; yes something that simple has a dramatic effect. Allow the buyers imagination towork’ this is important! In addition, the carpet or flooring is another huge make or breaker for buyers.Consider taking up old carpet and replacing with an inexpensive floating floor, or at least shampoocarpets and do-odorize them from any pet stains or mildew. Repair or replace broken items or fixtures before listing your home. This step is imperative to competeagainst a slow market. This little bit of maintenance ads to the first impression of the visit and doesnot go unnoticed when comparing to other houses. If the buyer viewed a very similar home to yoursbut didn’ t have broken locks, door hinges, cabinet handles and the like, their probably going to go withthe house that the sellers paid a few bucks here and there to fix little things. You should essentiallybe aiming towards making the buyer feel like they don’ t have any extra liability apart from buying thehouse. Make sure to lighten up your home. Pull back your curtains to allow as much natural light in as possible,and make sure to replace broken light bulbs and/or older inefficient bulbs. Clean the light sources; it’ samazing of what a difference it can make. Getting back to your curtains, if they are old and less modern,I recommend spending a little bit of money to get some new ones put up, or simply take the old curtains down. Price your house appropriately. Pricing your home can for some sellers be the biggest hurdle inthe selling process. Your realtor will do the comparative market analysis but you are ultimately thedecision maker on the listing price; although you must price the house realistically. Being realistic intoday’ s market will be something in the lines of setting the price as the same, if not a little below thecomparisons that have sold in the last three to six months, because remember, you want to sell yourhouse fast, right! The bottom line is this: If you’ re serious about selling your home in a buyer’ s marketand slow economy, you need to either list your real estate at a competitive price either by offering alower rate, or by having a better house than the one down the street similar to yours in price, or both. By ,Jeremy Battis