Yes, men do ask for directions.  Maybe not by pulling into the local convenience store or gas station, but just this week I was stopped by three different folks (2 women and 1 man) and asked for directions in Amherst, NH.  Our little Village of Amherst can be a bit tricky for folks new to the area. I remember VIVIDLY the first two weeks of life here in the Granite State.  I moved from Houston, TX to Amherst, NH in 1990.  Vermont may have more cows than people, but New Hampshire is where those cows defined the road paths on their way up to Vermont.  To me, every road looked exactly the same...2 lanes, twisty, trees on both sides and no street signs...and almost no nighttime street lights.    When I moved to NH, I got lost almost EVERY SINGLE DAY.  In 1990, there were no cell phones, no G... 05/08/2011

If you haven't seen the new issue of Realtor magazine, in the message from Ron Phillips he talks about how home sales plays into the job recovery.  Jobs and real estate are interwoven.     According to the NAR calculation for every two transactions, one job is created.  A single transaction can impact dozens of jobs including tradesmen such as painters, movers, carpenters and of course attorneys, title companies, lenders and more.  Then step back and watch it impact the companies that service our businesses with technology, tools and of course there's a new camera that's needed and you get the picture. They suggest taking sales from 5 million to 6 million a year would create 500,000 jobs!  And these are independent jobs, SUSTAINABLE jobs;  not government jobs that are here today and gon... 05/07/2011

Spring market is indeed heating up in Amherst.  This lovely home was listed and put under agreement in just two days by Anne McNallen in our Amherst NH real estate office. Looking to List your Amherst NH home?  Want to have Brin Realty put a SOLD sign on your property? We need more Amherst inventory.  Give us a call, we can sell your Amherst NH home in 2011!     05/04/2011

Glad to report we are now in the 4th day of May and we have an offer and acceptance on one of my listings and a wonderful Amherst NH  home.     We reported the first day of May that we had a buyer making an offer on a great NH property and now day four of May and I have an offer that is accepted on one of my great Amherst NH homes. This 31 days of May challenge is looking great for Brin Realty Group. Spring market is alive and well in Amherst NH! Sellers, want to sell your Amherst NH home in 2011, call me, we are getting it done! Our Amherst NH real estate agents are Realtors and experts in the Amherst NH real estate market!       05/04/2011

Figuring Out Four-Way Stops and Round-Abouts: Just Whose Turn Is It Anyway?  After You, Oh No, No, After You! Driver's Ed - We all either endured that course, or somehow found the loop-hole that allowed us to skip over the course and advance straight to the actual driving test.  I was a skipper, but that was "back in the day" when, in South Carolina, we got a driver's permit at 15 and a full-blown, no restrictions, Driver's License at 16, no driver's ed necessary.  My 17 year old daughter still doesn't have her Driver's License.  No interest, too few driving hours, whatever, she doesn't have it.  In NH, Driver's Ed is a must, and 40 hours of documented practice-driving hours are also a must before a license can be issued.  With college starting in just 116 days (but who's counting), I'm... 05/01/2011

We had a good turnout of agents today at Brin Realty's Amherst office to support the Kitty Angels Fundraiser. Caroline Devore manned the updesk and we found her sitting on the front porch blogging, answering phones and having a good time. Before I know it she is out there talking to an acquaintance and had reconnected with a local attorney. Caroline  is an excellent Amherst NH Realtor that knows Amherst, the schools, the stores, the best Amherst NH neighborhoods and you should give her a call. Looking to buy or sell in Amherst?  Call Caroline Devore at 603 673-9797. I am proud to have Caroline onboard at Brin Realty.  She is a top notch Amherst Realtor. I also want to congratulate her for landing the #3 slot in Amherst's leaderboard on Active Rain and the #13 slot in Hillsborough County... 04/30/2011

  Finding a veterinarian for your four-pawed family members is important, but finding the perfect vet during an emergency situation is critical.  My weekly “buy local” blogs help folks new to the Amherst, NH / Southern NH region discover fantastic locally-owned businesses.   You don’t have to be new to the area to need recommendations on fantastic local businesses.  Yesterday, I discovered that even long-time “locals” like me sometimes need recommendations.  I delayed this week’s buy-local blog by a day so that I could share an extraordinary local “find” with you right away.  This week’s InSideNH shout-out goes to Ponemah  Veterinary Hospital, 199 Route 101, Building 8, Amherst Post Office Plaza, Amherst, NH;  603-673-5300.          Dr. Jennifer Edwards, Owner of Ponemah Vet and her ter... 04/29/2011

Yesterday was a busy day at the Brin Realty Amherst NH real estate office,  our Amherst NH Realtors were bustling about, listings coming in, deals being written and a general sense of Spring market in the air. I never left the office yesterday, was at my desk for 10 hours catching up, putting out fires, working on two new listings and handling marketing and buyer activity. The best part of the day was stepping outside onto our front porch.  I had started the day out there taking a few photos for my "birds nest blog" and it was drizzling, damp and dew all over the grass.  Yesterday afternoon when I stepped outside it was in the 60's and our pretty white rocking chairs had been taken out of the barn and were sitting happily on the front porch at our Amherst NH real estate office inviting ... 04/28/2011

Birds Nest Trees are made for Prevention, but they're perfect for building nests.  Huh? These birds nest trees are made to prevent birds from nesting in areas of your property where you don't want birds building nests. As you can see, they push up against the wall and birds can't build a nest in that spot. Unless, You put them in the corners and the birds push them around and they make a perfect protection for the nests.  We now have two under our front porch. The birds come back year after year and its wondeful to sit in our offices and watch them build the nests, sit in them (Mom and Dad take turns), feed the birds and the best part is watching them teach the little guys to fly. It happens so fast. We usually get 2 or 3 cycles each year. The birds zoom back and forth across our big fr... 04/27/2011

Explore Real Estate and Neighborhoods in Southern NH through detailed maps, pictures and commentary with Real Estate On The Run™ and the NH Real Estate Guide Let me start with this:  You Don't Have To Be A Runner To Reap The Beneifts of Real Estate On The Run™ Real Estate On The Run™ is a new featured local segment on my “Inside NH"; Blog.   Real Estate On The Run™ will give New Hampshire home buyers a “feet on the street” view of towns and neighborhoods in Southern New Hampshire including Amherst, NH - Milford, NH - Hollis, NH - Nashua, NH - Bedford, NH - Merrimack, NH, and Mont Vernon, NH.  Each Real Estate On The Run™ review will highlight a local neighborhood or area of town with maps, pictures and commentary on local housing, attractions, schools and even interesting hyper-local i... 04/23/2011

Amherst Village NH Home for Sale Second County Courthouse. A late 18th century home that has played a significant role in Amherst's history. Architecturally handsome, with a unique four sided roof and featuring 9 fireplaces, the home has wonderful space for living today's active lifestyle. 4 spacious bedrooms and 2 baths on the second floor. Elegant, formal dining room and living room. A wonderful study and handy utility room are on the first floor. A family room and playroom provide exceptional space. And the heart of the home - the kitchen - offers a welcoming hearth, updated appliances, stunning built-ins and plenty of cozy gathering space. The "Old Court House": Rich in history, charm, and tradition. Call Anne McNallen for details 603 620-5197 04/19/2011

Congratulations Anne McNallen, Amherst NH Realtor,  on A busy couple of weeks! If you have been in the Amherst and Bedford offices of Brin Realty lately you have seen Anne on a full run. Maybe you have seen her in her silver Jeep streaking back and forth across Amherst, Bedford, Hollis and Merrimack putting deals together at a furious pace. In the last couple of weeks Anne has put over $3.1 million in deals together in contracts and closed deals.  And this wasn't done with one big deal, this is over 8 properties.  This takes a lot of skill, hard work and knowledge. Anne has what it takes to get the job done.  She understands the real estate business and how to get her clients that property they want.  She is truly one of the top real estate agents in our area. I am proud of her and off... 04/16/2011

119 Hollis Road Amherst NH home for sale   This is a Ron Rees built colonial with open floor plan, Central Air Conditioning, hardwood floors on the first floor, 3 car garage plus a complete  in law area with living room, kitchen, bedroom and bath. Great community location, easy access to shopping and schools. Hold on to your hats guys, this is priced to sell at $359,000. 119 Hollis Road, Amherst NH home for sale Call Rene for details.     04/16/2011

  Amherst, NH PTA’s Production of Music Man Not To Be Missed April 14 – 17, 2011Souhegan High School Auditorium   TheAmherst, NH PTA kicked off theirSpring performance of The Music Man, a musical Directed byDave Ostrowski and Kevin Linkroum, Music Direction by Jim Emmond, Choreographyby Liz Calabria, Adviser to the Directors - Alan Kaplan, Producers JackieO'Dowd and Rita Piotrowski. The Music Man is a classic comedic musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story byWillson and Franklin Lacey.  The story isabout a con man, Harold Hill who masquerades as a boys’ band leader and trickslocal families to buy instruments and books….then skips town with everyone’smoney.  The prim librarian, Marian, seesold Harold for what he is.  The lovestory unfolds when Harold he... 04/14/2011

Our Brin Realty Group signs have evolved over several years and are bold and professional.     When I launched Brin Realty Group I ordered signs and I had the idea that they woud be dark blue because I felt that was professional and a splash of red for the red, white and blue effect. I ordered signs and had a delivery of over $2000 of signs...I put them out there and thought they just didn't have the look that I wanted. I re-ordered the signs, changed the color, added a white border, changed the frame and invested another $2000 in signs! We were using metal frames and was pleased with the result. THEN, my husband stepped in.  He built a special frame that was a 4X4 post and our custom signs were launched. I received calls from our competition that asked where we were purchasing our awes... 04/11/2011

Amherst NH 1st Quarter Sales Statistics As much as we are seeing a marked decline in current inventory, pendings and closed are also down for the first quarter.  The big picture for us in Southern NH is to see what happens in the 2nd quarter as weather is such a factor in the early part of the year.  This past week has seen a strong sales activity, we'll see if that improves with the weathr and longer days.   Date 1/10 2/10 3/10 4/10 5/10 6/10 7/10 8/10 9/10 10/10 11/10 12/10 1/11 2/11 3/11 For Sale 131 142 152 167 168 182 185 179 186 166 135 114 99 106 114 New Listing 45 28 41 40 31 35 31 20 37 19 13 10 26 21 40 Sold 6 9 7 15 16 14 11 14 7 9 7 20 13 7 3 Pended 14 7 23 16 7 16 14 9 10 19 15 8 11 9 16 Months of Inventory (Closed Sales) 21.8 15.8 21.7 11.1 10.5 13 16.8 12.8 26.6 18.4 19.3... 04/09/2011

Amherst New Hampshire Real Estate Market Report 1st Quarter 2011 Single Family Homes In the 1st quarter of 2011 there were 21 homes that closed in Amherst New Hampshire. This is a increase of 2 homes, as there were 19 homes that closed in the 1st quarter of 2010. The median list price for the homes that closed in Amherst for the 1st quarter of 2011 was $299,900. The median list price for the homes that closed in Amherst for the 1st quarter of 2010 was $289,900. The median sale price for the homes that closed in Amherst for the 1st quarter of 2011 was $299,900. The median sale price for the homes that closed in Amherst for the 1st quarter of 2010 was $281,000. The median market time for the homes that closed in Amherst in the 1st quarter of 2011 was 115 days. The median market time for t... 04/07/2011

Local Bread Baker offers Award-winning fine Artisan Breads, Cakes and Pastries in Milford, NH. InSideNH focuses this week's "Buy-Local" blog post on Artisan Bread Makers.  Our shout-out goes to The Good Loaf at 75 Mont Vernon Road, Milford, NH 03055. Tel: 603-672-1500. Have you ever walked into a store, café, or restaurant and just known from that first step through the door that this was something special?  When you visit The Good Loaf, that feeling starts when you open your car door in the parking lot!  The faint smell of freshly baked bread twirls in the air saying, "Come closer, come closer."   The shop door swings open and your senses are filled with delicious sights and smells that are so completely amazing, they take your breath away, and make your mouth water.   Ok, you're thin... 04/07/2011

Souhegan High School Theatre Club Brings The Stage To Life!Review by Caroline DeVore Amherst, NH:  This week-end the Souhegan High School theater ensemble presented Fiddler On The Roof, a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and book by Joseph Stein.  Set in the small village of Anatevka, Russia in 1905, the story is largely based on Tevye, the father of five daughters who struggles to maintain family and Jewish tradition on the eve of the Russian Revolutionary Period. Bravo, bravo to this amazing cast, nearly all of whom are Souhegan High School students, on an outstanding production!  I was lucky enough to catch the final performance; the snow-date make-up for the cancelled Friday night performance.  My daughter has been a member of the theatre crew for the last... 04/04/2011

April Fool's in Amhest, New Hampshire   April 1, 2011 - School was cancelled after a moderate Spring snowfall.  Great!  We had some outdoor playtime to enjoy. Helena (18 mos) had fun with her friends Oxo (Bernese Mtn Dog)and Clicquot (Golden).     When moving to Amherst, NH from other parts of the country, clients often ask about the weather, specifically about the snow.  I moved here from South Carolina 20 years ago and wondered how in the world I'd survive.  Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else!  I think the secret to a successful move to any new area is finding the essence of what makes that place special and embracing it.  When in Rome?  Maybe.   In New Hampshire, we truely have four seasons and each sweeps in to refresh and renew the soul.  Just when you're ready for a change ... 04/01/2011