A recent question posed via e-mail asked “When is the best time to buy a waterfront property in NH?” and “When can I get the best “deal” for waterfront in NH?”.

When is the best time to buy?

The best time in my opinion is at the end of the summer and into the fall but before the cold freezing days of winter. The reason being that most people who own a seasonal or even a year round water property often times do not live in the home year round.

They may have used and enjoyed their waterfront home during the summer months even while trying to sell but as they are closing up, perhaps winterizing for another season, the motivation to sell is at it’s highest. Also the holidays always arrive with the need for extra money.

Motivation is highest at these times.

Most people will list their waterfront property in the spring as we all know spring and summer is prime waterfront season. Those that have failed to sell during those months will be all the more motivated going into the winter.

An Abundance of choices.

Currently there is an abundance of water property available in every price range. If you’d like more information about buying a New Hampshire waterfront property or about buying a home in general give us a call we’d love to help you find that perfect home you can all your own.

Jay and Monika McGillicuddy, REALTORS

603-548-7685

Seasonal or year round?

Seasonal or Year Round…does it matter?

To most people it would make a big difference. Let me tell you a story… Recently buyer clients wrote an offer on a year round home in Sandown NH. The property was bank owned, had a full blown septic system, well, insulation and heating system. The town records at first glance indicated it was a year round home and as you know with bank owned homes..it is Buyer beware.

Was it experience or intuition?

For some reason I decided to reference the property as a “year round” home in the property description section of the Purchase Agreement and good thing I did. After our offer was accepted the buyers went to the town to poke around and see what they could find out about the house. With bank owned homes there are no disclosures to rely on and they hoped to discover more information about the septic system.

A bombshell and devastated buyers!

The buyer found out to their chagrin that the home was really considered seasonal by the town of Sandown. Although NOTHING on the tax/assessment card indicated that it was seasonal. Apparently, they were told, that the property met all the requirements for year round status but the former owner had never finished the paperwork process. It was a “technicality” they were told and if they paid the fee and filed the paperwork, the issue could be heard at the next ZBA meeting. Since we did not yet own the property (thank goodness) we needed the listing agent to do that. She agreed and was great to work with. Paper work filed on time and we wait a month for the next scheduled ZBA meeting. Everyone assured us this was pretty well a done deal.

A done deal…not!

A month later the property was denied year round status. None of us could believe it. What can be done? Appeal the decision, which could take months with no guarantee. We didn’t have that kind of time. So what’s the big deal? If my buyers had closed… they could not register to vote, register a car or send their young child to school. If I hadn’t put “year round” on the purchase agreement and the Bank wanted to enforce the ” as is” rule, they could have lost their deposit if they failed to close.

Worse Yet … Nothing Else Compares!

Just like the song…nothing compares to you. We’ll keep looking and I know we’ll find a perfect home but in the meantime we learned a valuable lesson. It doesn’t matter what the assessment card does or does not say…doing further due diligences is crucial. Seasonal does not necessarily mean a home has no insulation, heating system, septic and well …sometimes it means something very different.

If you’d like more information about buying a New Hampshire waterfront property or about buying a home in general please give us a call we’d love to help you find that perfect home you can all your own.

Jay and Monika McGillicuddy, REALTORS

603-548-7685

Some towns have beaches that are open to town residents but this list covers only “State” beaches.

Check out my video of Seabrook Beach taken on a foggy day at New Hampshire Real Estate Blogs.com

If you’d like more information about buying a New Hampshire waterfront property or about buying a home in general please give us a call we’d love to help you find that perfect home you can all your own.

Jay and Monika McGillicuddy, REALTORS

603-548-7685

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