Stage Road Junction Office Complex is getting a face lift!  New siding, new windows, new doors a whole new appearance makes this the perfect place to call home for your business.

Unit # 5, 6 Mary E Clark Drive, Stage Road Junction is available for lease.

Unit # 5 is a premium Condominium unit located on the first floor and  is a coveted end unit.  Large windows bring in lots of natural light for pleasant working conditions. Central Air keeps the temperatures regulated and comfortable on even the hottest days. 

You owe it to yourself to take a look. Exterior renovation to be completed shortly, interior freshly painted throughout.

Total square footage of 1100 includes 5 rooms plus kitchen and bath. Ample parking and potential for additional finished lower-level space.  

Don't hesitate call for a private tour or click here for a>>> Virtual Tour. For more information and a tour of the unit fully furnished click here>>>Stage Road Condo 

You work hard and now you need a place to showcase that hard work.  Stage Road Junction is ideally located at the junction of busy routes 111 and 121 in Hampstead NH.

Hampstead is located 15 minutes east of I 93 and 15 minutes north of I 495. Boston a scant 60 minutes away and Manchester airport 25 minutes away.  Busy Salem NH with it's abundance of real estate is just a few miles down the road, you simply can not get a better professional office location.

Tax free New Hampshire is a booming state and Hampstead is the ideal Southern NH location for your business and possible new home.

Jay and Monika McGillicuddy

Prudential Verani Realty

Hampstead NH  603-548-7728

I posted this a few weeks ago and thought I'd add it to this site as well.

After a few mishaps getting to DC I'm happy that I can report that on Thursday May 17th I attended my NAR Professional Standards committee meeting. 

I love being on this committee and am in the second year of my second 3 year term. After 4 years the newness has worn off but this year I was really looking forward to this meeting as I knew Blogs would be discussed.

The first part of the meeting is the Professional Standards Forum, the forum allows all REALTOR members to bring up their concerns about the code and the enforcement process as well as sharing of ideas. 

As we entered the ballroom this funky looking tall guy in a white suit greeted people, congratulating them on being ethical and then poking fun at them! It was funny to see and I knew immediately who he was thanks to AR member Mariana Wagner who posted about how to be a slimy real estate agent, I think the majority of the attendees had no idea who Ted Truitt was. I could hardly contain myself as I watched their reactions!

We spent about an hour and half doing the open forum and then the committee meeting started. 

First off...We passed a new Standard of Practice prohibiting members from misrepresenting their status as members or designees of NAR's Institutes, Societies and Councils. This is a good thing in my opinion. 

Then we tabled the Internet-related issues...blogs to name a few until November.  The sub committee will be be looking at Article 12 to see if we need a broader more encompassing ethical direction guiding all forms of communication. They will also be looking at

1. A clearer definition of communications

2. REALTOR making anonymous comments on other REALTORS Blogs

3. REALTORS responsibility for monitoring/editing their own Blogs

4. REALTORS responsibility for Blogs run by licensees affiliated with them 

5. Disclosure of time lag (hours or days) in posting comments to Blogs. Must the fact that a Blog is not run in "live time" be disclosed?

6. Posting unfavorable/unflattering (but truthful) comments to Blogs 

I can't wait till November to see what the sub committee comes back with. It should be very interesting and being a blogger I have very mixed feelings about some of this.

One thing I learned while in DC is that there are many-many people who have no clue what blogging is and surprisingly people in important positions who do not see any merit in blogging and will not encourage their sales associates to blog!

What do you think? Should NAR look at having guide lines for Blogs? Do we need NAR policing blogs? I think it's going to happen no matter what but am curious as to my fellow bloggers feelings about this.

www.monikamcgillicuddytrainer.com

Not only NH Real Estate Training but customized training programs available at your location or mine.

ABR* Agency* Ethics* New Agent Skill Building* Professional Guidelines* Negotiations* Mediation

By Monika McGillicuddy

Where has the time gone?  I have to ask myself that, as this year I enter my 23rd year in real estate!  Sounds scary doesn't it?

I must be feeling  nostalgic...don't really know why but I am.  I can't help but think of all of those that have come and gone as the Lure of easy money is a mighty pull...and for them the reality really does bite.

I've been a real estate professional for nearly 23 years now.  I've been through many ups and downs...good markets and bad ones....been there... done that and got the T- shirt!

So I can safely say that over the years I've seen many agents come and go...the lure of "easy" money and then the reality of having to really work hard to earn that easy money sets in and poof their gone!

Years ago at a former company...I trained an agent who after sitting through 2 weeks of our company's new agent training program thought he knew it all. I thought to myself...I'll give him a month. His first customer did him in...he showed her four houses and refused to show her more...he thought she should just buy one of the four he showed her and she should be grateful that he had taken the time to show her those four.
  What did she expect that he would cart her butt around until she found something??? He lasted 3 weeks.

Another agent didn't understand why he had to be available to show homes during the customers schedule...he wasn't wasting his weekends with Looky Lou's. 

One guy told me point blank that he couldn't stand real estate agents...he had all sorts of degrees and certainly knew how to sell real estate...he didn't want to waste his time participating in training.  After all he had sold many of his own homes without the help of an agent...what was it that I could teach him that he didn't already know...I wonder what he is doing today? Not selling real estate thats for sure!

Then there was the nurse who left a highly stressful career to do something "easy"...she needed to  remove all the stress from her life and real estate sounded like fun! 

The guy that takes the cake was in his late 50's, he sat through training...a good student, watching everything I did. This was the days of the floppy disks...Bill Clinton was president...remember those days? Anyway after training was complete, he came up to me and gave me a floppy disk labeled "Monica" and told me I left it at his house. I had never been to his house and reminded him of that and that my name was not spelled Monica with a c but Monika with a k. It didn't matter he insisted it was mine and left it on my desk.

Much later I decided to play it and see what in the world it was. I was pretty grossed out as it was full of pornography... an X rated spoof of Monica and Bill Clinton.  It really grossed me out and made me wonder what he was thinking about all those times he sat in class watching me. Yuck!
                                                                                                                                                                                     
The list is endless...and it always bothered me to see someone spend $1,000 plus just in start up money just so they can do real estate and last less than a month.   They were clueless about the reality of being a real estate agent.

What does it take to be a good real estate agent? What would you look for if you were to hire an agent to represent you? Can you describe you ideal agent?

Often I've wondered what special attribute do you have to have...to love this business.

I've never been lucky enough to get rich in this business.
I've missed more family time than I care to remember.  My kids had to learn to accept that mom might jump in the middle of dinner or laugh when they cut into their birthday cake in front of all their friends to find somehow the table spoon got baked into the cake...mom must have had a real estate call in the middle of mixing the cake and forgot about the spoon. 

Just what is that makes us a good agent?

I may not financially be rich but I am rich in many ways...I've helped shape the future for many people...helped them be able to create memories and achieve the American dream of home ownership. I'm a damn good agent...I know my stuff, I'm ethical even when no ones looking and I love what I do.  Is that enough?  I think so.

What makes you a good agent?   What sets you apart ?                                                                                                                                       

Serving Southern NH
Jay and Monika McGillicuddy
Prudential Verani Realty
Hampstead NH

603-548-7728

This is pretty funny...sometimes you just need to look at things a little differently...life is just too short get all uptight and this is really an interesting way to start the new year...I hope you agree.

By Monika McGillicuddy

I pulled up to the house I was showing about 10 minutes early. It was a pretty mild day here in NH and I noticed a big shiny Harley boldly parked in the middle of the drive. I got out of the car to stretch and enjoy a rare warm 55 degree January day...unusual temps for us!  As I did so a woman came out of the garage and approached me. I asked her if I was blocking her in...since I wasn't expecting a co-broker to show up I assumed she was the seller and would be leaving.

"Nope" she said.

She was dressed in jeans, big heavy work type boots, tank top and denim jacket..she had on lots of big silver jewelry and a big heavy looking chain link type belt around her waist. She held a key ring in her hand full of keys...so many keys it makes my hubby Jay's key ring look petite and he easily has 10 keys or more on his...anyway she clipped the keys to her waist and came to stand near me.

I introduced myself and told her I was here to show the house.
She said she knew that and mumbled her name...which I couldn't hear.  I felt stupid for having said something as lame as I'm here to show the house...which is just as bad as saying "This is the kitchen...the bathroom"  blah...blah as if you can't tell it's a kitchen...a bathroom. Talk about dumb things to say.

Me..."I'm a few minutes early"
She.."Yeah...I figured" now I really felt stupid!
Me..."Buyer should be here any minute"
She.."Okay" and light's up a Marlboro and I admire her nose piercing....little cute tiny diamond (looked real) as the smoke comes out her nostrils and nearly goes up mine.
Me..."Sure is a Nice day for a ride"...I'm trying to make small talk as I step back a bit.
She.."Yup...sure don't get many like this... this time of year" I watch as she expertly handles the butt between her fore finger and her thumb....she smokes like my son does. As a former smoker...I notice those things. I also notice to my dismay that close up she doesn't really look any younger than me. Certainly more comfortable but no younger.

Her cell phone rings and she crushes the butt out and excuses herself to take the call....mumbling it was her husband calling and that he was out on his bike and she was joining him. 

While she's jabbering away on her cell my buyers drive up.  Now I didn't catch her name so I figured I'd just quickly wave to her and take the buyers and go inside...

She.."Hey wait up will ya" she hollers.
Me..."Oh okay.. we were just going to go ahead inside"
She.."Naw I'm done...lets go" and she extends her hand to the buyers and introduces herself as the listing agent of the house.  Me...I had all I could do to not crack up laughing.

It was a pretty hilarious showing and I never ever would of pegged her as an agent...afterwards my buyer asks me if she was new or something..or maybe this was a part time job as she just didn't look or act like a real estate agent. I didn't know how to respond.  But Yikes..I thought to myself...how true!  I wanted to ask the buyers just how did they expect a real estate agent to look and act...but I didn't.

So it got me thinking about NAR's Field Guide to The Polished Professional ...because when I first read it I laughed and thought how backwards of NAR to publish something like this...In fact I thought maybe it was a throw back from the 50's or something. I'm still not sure if its not a joke....Did NAR really need to make suggestions on how REALTORS® should dress??

Have you seen the Field Guide to The Polished Professional?? It is an interesting document and well worth the read.

  
National Association of REALTORS® field guide...Pointers for Becoming a Polished Professional.

(the bold is my added commentary)

Keep your wardrobe up to date with age-appropriate and stylish clothes in your correct size.Choose colors that flatter your skin tone and hair color....Good Grief...age appropriate...do I have to dress like my mother did?? Jeez I should even strive to make sure my clothes fit...and are stylish... what a novelty!  Flatter my skin tone and hair color...yikes I just wear what ever colors I like...plus my hair color changes often...I can't afford to buy new clothes just to match it.

 
Enlist the help of a salesperson or personal shopper at your favorite department store.Or, if your budget allows, hire an image consultant...Are they serious ...a personal shopper??? I know the code of ethics says that if I'm not competent I should engage the assistance of someone who is and who can help me  but jiminy christmas... I'm a real estate agent...not a millionaire!

Shoes should always be polished and the heels in good shape; no sneakers or flip-flops while on the job.  No Flip Flops...I have pretty feet even when I don't have a pedicure, I just can't get rid of my flip flops and sandals! They make gorgeous sandals nowadays, I'm just not getting rid of them even if that means I 'm a not professional!!!

Makeup and perfume should enhance, not mask. Get a professional makeover at your local cosmetic counter to find out what best suits you. Is this a joke...I wear make up to hide my imperfections...not enhance them LOL!

Get regular haircuts and keep facial hair well-groomed.  Well okay I agree with that...my hubby has a beard and I like him hairy but trimmed.

Make sure that your nails are clean and manicured. Ummm....I don't need NAR to tell me to do that...do you?

Jewelry and accessories should be modest, not flashy or distracting. I love my Jewelry and my motto has always been the more the better...what fun is it if I have to keep it hidden???

 
Keep your smile nice and white - don't let it betray your age or your habits.  Hmmm...promoting teeth whitening...I think! Does NAR hold stock in  teeth whitening companies too??

Always use proper grammar. Use of slang, profanity or improper grammar shows your breeding and education, or lack thereof. Breeding and Education...oh my...really breeding? I  jus dunno!

No gum chewing or smoking when you're with a client - it's just rude.  I agree 100%...BUT hey how about No answering your cell phone when you're talking with a client..."oh excuse me Mr. client while I take this call cuz he's more important than you are"

 Mind your manners - open doors, extend small courtesies, and say "please" and "thank you". Okay I like it very much when my husband does that...his mom taught him well.

 
Get some exercise. You'll stand taller, and exude confidence. Gimme a break...get some exercise??? Stand Tall..that's my  mom talking..not NAR...is it? She used to tell me stand tall or you'll get grandmas hump....

 
Express your personality in how you dress, but do it subtly. There's no need to be a carbon copy of everyone else, but leave the exotic animal prints and the loud plaids at home. Express my personality...I wish I had taken a photo of that agent...she was definitely expressing herself.  Does that mean I don't have to dress appropriately and wear stylish clothes???Sounds a bit contradictory...no?

Trying to figure out where buyers come from?

By Monika McGillicuddy

It can be frustrating selling a home in this market and wondering just where all the buyers are...so if you're a  home seller this information will be helpful to you.

That National Association of REALTORS® publishes a yearly report on Home Buyers and Sellers, they also break this report down to reflect the individual states.

This typically reveals some very interesting facts about today's New Hampshire home buyers, and since Jay and I sell real estate right here in Hampstead NH this type of information is fascinating to us and we thought to you as well.  Southern NH is typically a hot market due to it's proximity to Boston but like the rest of New Hampshire this market has cooled.

Some of the details from this report:

For example did you know that the average buyer purchases a home 15 miles from their previous residence... I didn't know that!  That means that people really don't move very far and that the potential new owner of your house could be living in the same town as you do.  All the more important is that yard sign of yours. Make sure especially as snow approaches that your sign is clearly visible from all angles. Please...please keep shrubbery trimmed around the sign...nothing is as frustrating for the REALTOR® professionals and potential home buyers as a hidden for sale sign! You want your house to Pop...don't hide the sign!  While I'm on my rant about signs make sure yours is in good condition and clean...nothing irks me more than a dirty faded yard sign or one that is falling down. If your home is on the market currently take a good look at your yard sign...does it need some sprucing up? Call your REALTOR® Professional and have them come take care of it.

Did you know that 89% of New Hampshire's home buyers purchased their home through a REALTOR® Professional? 89% now that's a huge percentage if you ask me...of course I'm probably a little prejudiced since I am a REALTOR® Professional..but I still think that's a huge percentage! Hey don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't try to sell on your own if that's what you want to do but consider the facts...89% that means that 11% came from some other source...maybe from your For Sale By Owner sign or maybe not?? Oh by the way out of that 11% something like 4% are people you already know.

So now think about this...28% of the home buyers learned about the home they purchased through a REALTOR® Professional and 47% learned about it through the Internet...that means that you need to be sure your REALTOR® Professional has a strong company website...47% of your buyers found their home on the net and then contacted an agent! Wow!

Folks you need to check out your real estate companies website...don't let anyone fool you about this one. Yes the personal touch is still needed..Thank goodness for us...remember 89% bought their home through a REALTOR® Professional BUT 47% found their home on the Net! You betcha...a solid web presence is crucial to your success!!!

Lets look at the rest of the story.
We know that:
28% of the buyers found the home they bought from a REALTOR® Professional.
47% found the home they bought from the Internet.
12% found the home they bought from a yard sign.
AND get this 2% from print newspaper advertisement.
6% from a friend, relative or neighbor.
3% directly from the sellers.
1% from the home builder or their agent.
1% from a home book or magazine.

So where do you think your buyers are? I bet their surfing the web, watching and waiting but I do think that while this market has been very slow here in New Hampshire...2007 will  be a good year in real estate.

Prices will be much more affordable and that means that maybe your children will be able to afford to buy a home in the town/area they grew up in and that I think is a very good thing! 

Need more information about New Hampshire's real estate market e-mail me or search homes available.

Monika and Jay McGillicuddy

603-548-7728

copyright Monika McGillicuddy 2006

Rolling the Dice...with Title Insurance

By Monika McGillicuddy

Are you rolling the dice...taking a chance with Title Insurance?

Twenty Two years in the business and I still have a hard time making buyers understand the importance of Title Insurance…most think it’s a big waste of money. I know that someone makes money from selling title insurance…but so what. How does that compare to having piece of mind???  I’ve heard horror stories from far away…but local New Hampshire stuff? Not  very often.  

So if you’re wondering “Do I really need Title Insurance?”  or  wondering how to make your buyer understand the importance of Title Insurance…take some time and read the following written by Karen F. Kelley, President of Broker’s Title & Closing, LLC Bedford N.H.  Reprinted in part below with her blessing.

*************************** 

Let me arm you with some examples of how title insurance saved the day.  These are not horror stories from California or Texas. These title claims occurred right here at Broker’s Title within the last 6 months.

A Milford N.H. property closed with Broker’s Title paying off the 2 seller mortgages. The payoff statement for the second mortgage to Champion came from the “work-out department”. Closing went smoothly; deed and mortgage were recorded; everyone was paid; buyers moved in.  Ten days later, the payoff check to Champion was returned with a form letter indicating that Champion was not accepting the check “due to foreclosure”.  WHAT??!! Many calls later to Champion, their attorneys, our attorneys, the title insurance attorneys revealed that there was indeed a foreclosure on the property a couple of weeks prior to the closing with a successful bidder who was soon to receive a deed to the property.  Because the deed was not yet recorded, there was no way for Broker’s Title to know about the foreclosure.  The title insurance attorneys immediately took control and persuaded Champion to unravel the foreclosure and accept the payoff.  The buyers, who had in fact purchased an owner’s title insurance policy, never knew that their title was in such jeopardy. 

The title to a Kingston N.H. property we recently closed was littered with private mortgages, tax liens, IRS liens and a ten-year messy divorce with 8 Court files to be reviewed.  I worked for weeks to clear title and we finally closed after I was satisfied that all liens were paid and that the seller did in fact have “good title”.  Six weeks later I received a call from an attorney representing an attaching party, asking why we had not paid off the $45,000 attachment at closing!  A careful re-review of the title file showed no mention of this attachment by our very experienced and thorough title examiner.  It was later determined that she made a decision that the attachment had no bearing and chose not to mention it.  Title insurance attorneys are now negotiating the release of this attachment with no cost to the buyers.

Not all claims are for such large sums, but they do represent monies from the buyers’ pockets if they do not have an owner’s policy.  George called me 6 months after he closed on his condex to tell me that a surveyor had knocked on his door to notify him that his above-ground pool and shed were too close to the lot line and would have to be moved.  This is not something Broker’s would have uncovered so I sent him away several times because I really didn’t know what I could do for him.  When he called yet again, in frustration I gave him the telephone number for the title insurer, even though I did not feel his policy would cover such an event.  I was wrong.  Title insurance paid him over $3,000 to cover the cost of moving the shed and the pool, and George was a happy man!

So the next time you are asked your opinion of title insurance, remember these case studies.

                                                         Broker’s Title & Closing, LLC

e-mail: kkelley@brokerstitlenh.com

www.brokerstitlenh.com

 Aruba sunset at the Flying Fishbone restaurant photo by Jay McGillicuddy

Did you know that over 70 million US citizens have a valid passport which is just about a quarter of the eligible population?  Don’t be one of those stuck with out a passport when the new regulations take place!   Imagine the crunch as everyone rushes to get one… besides getting a passport takes time this day and age especially with all the Home Land Security issues.

If you don’t already have your passport you still have some time before the new requirements take effect.  

Jan 23, 2007 is the date that we’ll all need to show a valid passport to enter the United States when traveling by air.  

That includes arriving from destinations like Canada, Mexico and my favorite Happy Island located in the Caribbean!

It looks like we have a little more time before we’ll need to show a passport when entering the United States by land or sea.  Estimate time frame for that is sometime in January 2008.

Want a head start and an application?

Questions about the new requirements?

Whose Time Are You wasting???

Whose time are you wasting???

I stumbled across a blog  on another site asking how many homes does the buyer look at before they buy?  And it got me thinking.

Just how many homes does the average buyer look at before they buy?

So I looked it up and found out. Typically in the Northeast they looked at 8 homes, in the Midwest they looked 11 homes, down south and out west they looked at 9 homes.

I also found out courtesy of NAR based on the ‘05 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (06 will be out any day) just how long the average buyer looked before they bought.

In my neck of the woods ...of course they spent more time looking here than anywhere else ...NAR states that buyers in the Northeast typically searched for 10 weeks before they bought a home and typically searched for 2 weeks of that time before contacting an agent to help them.

 Midwest typically searched a total of 8 weeks with 3 weeks of that time prior to contacting an agent.

South typically 6 weeks with 2 weeks of that spent prior to contacting an agent.

 West typically 7 weeks with 2 weeks of that spent prior to contacting an agent.

So this tells me that on average most buyers have been involved in the research stage for a few weeks before they even contact an agent.

By the time they get to the agent they have an idea of what they want and what they can afford.

Now it's up to the agent/REALTOR® to make a difference. One way to do that is to conduct a Buyer Counseling Session.  Effective buyer counseling will in most cases shorten the search time and help both the consumer and the agent understand each other much better.

Spend an hour or so meeting and counseling the buyer before you go and show...build trust and rapport and ask effective questions but most importantly listen to the answers they give you...these answers will help you determine motivation, expectations...both realistic an unrealistic, spend time exploring their wants and needs.  You must listen with your mind as well as your ears and really hear what they are telling you. 

Remember when showing homes the buyers have selected to focus on benefits...not just the features of the home.  Convert those features to benefits the buyer can feel because people buy a lifestyle not just a house.

Isn't this a wonderful business!

monika@monikamcgillicuddy.com

http://www.monikamcgillicuddytrainer.com

Cool tools...check out the guide to the home buying and selling process !

I was cruising the NAR website, which by the way is one of my favorite places to visit and noticed that they just released the first official  NAR  guide  for consumers on the home buying and selling processes!  I’ll tell you it looked great. Has any one ordered them yet?

Check it out here….

http://www.realtor.org/prodser.nsf/pages/hbspages

This will be a great addition to your Buyers Tool Kit or your Pre-Listing Sellers Tool Kit.  I love the NAR consumer handouts, especially the ones you can download and customize.

I think the NAR website is way under utilized.

monika@monikamcgillicuddy.com