Radon Advisory: Buying or Selling You Home

Radon has always been a hot topic in NH since there is so much granite bedrock in the State.

Radon is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that occurs naturally.  It is a radioactive gas that is normally found in bedrock.  NH home wells are often drilled into the bedrock so it is very common to test for radon levels at the time of buying a home.  Dug wells normally aren’t a problem and have very little to no radon.  36% of NH residences have a private well.  Radon released from building materials is usually inconsequential.  Radon can seep into a basement through cracks in the foundation if the house is built above granite ledge.  Radon can move to the air from the water source in your home through showers, humidifiers, etc.

According to the DES, “Radon is the leading environmental cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers.”  There is also an increase in stomach cancer from radon in drinking water.

Formerly, the Department of Environmental Services recommends that homeowners and buyers test the indoor air for Radon and consult with radon mitigation companies when radon exceeds 2,000 picocuries per liter in well water, the lowest advisory level in the U.S. 

Now, as of 3/14/16, the DES advises to look into treatment if there is more than 10,000 picocuries of radon per liter in well water. 

“There are no federal or state standards for radon in drinking water. However, there are public health advisories for radon in drinking water, including that issued by USEPA. NHDES recommends the following:

·         For private wells with radon concentrations at or above 10,000 pCi/L, the treatment of water is recommended in conjunction with mitigation of indoor air radon. Homeowners should consult with radon mitigation and water treatment providers.

·         For private wells with radon concentrations between 2,000 and 10,000 pCi/L, the treatment of water may be advisable if air concentrations in the home exceed 4 pCi/L.

·         When radon in well water is below 4,000 pCi/L, you should retest air and water every three to five years.”

For more information visit http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/dwgb/documents/dwgb-3-12.pdf .

Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group (Licensed Agent in NH) – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com

Bob LeRette – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group (Licensed Agent in MA & NH) - 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell:  603-438-2550  email:  ralerette@comcast.net

Solar Panels: Buying or Selling a Home through Fannie Mae

Who doesn’t want to save some money and help save the planet too?

Solar panels are hot right now (pun intended).  They are designed to absorb the sun's rays as a source of energy for generating electricity or heating.  One solar panel only produces a limited amount of energy, so most homes have multiple modules.  Solar panels can now be purchased or leased, but all, or at least most, are installed on your homes roof.  That’s where you have to think about what is right for you.

Are you planning on living in your home for the long-term or will you be selling five years down the road?  Fannie Mae mortgages will purchase or scrutinize a mortgage loan on a property with solar panels.  If the property owner owns the panels then standard eligibility requirements apply.  If the panels are leased there is a lot more to be aware of.

• Your investment in solar power will not be included in the appraised value of the property.
• The monthly lease must be part of the debt-to-income ratio.
• The lease agreement must include that all damage caused by the installation, malfunction, manufacturing defect and removal of the equipment is the responsibility of the owner of the equipment and are obligated to repair damage.

For more information, as always, your Real Estate Agent can guide you in the right direction to get all the information you need.

Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Licensed Agent in NH - Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com
Bob LeRette - Realtor® Licensed Agent in NH & MA – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 438-2550 email: ralerette@comcast.net

GBAR 2013 Good Neighbor Award

For three years now, I have been truly honored to represent Boston Globe Media and present the Greater Boston Association of REALTORS’ Good Neighbor Award at their annual awards ceremony.  This year it was held outside at the Museum of Science in a tented pavilion along the banks of the Charles River, an absolutely beautiful venue.

Each year, I get to describe to the association membership how much one special REALTOR has given back to their community.  I am always in awe of their generosity and volunteer work with non-profit organizations.  I leave inspired by their example to help out much more in my own community.  But then I get busy with my long work week, my long commute, and overall life just gets in the way of good intentions.  That’s what amazes me the most about Good Neighbor Award winners – life doesn’t get in the way – their giving back becomes a way of life.

The Good Neighbor Award was created in 2008 and is modeled after a similar award presented by the National and Massachusetts Associations of REALTORS®.  The award recognizes real estate professionals who have made a commitment to improving the quality of life in their communities through volunteer work.

This year’s Good Neighbor Award winner was Joel Pratt of JL Pratt REALTORS in Canton, MA.  He has been working with MatchingDonors.com for 9 years. Whether he is with another REALTOR®, a prospective buyer, or a closing attorney, he uses his real estate career to also provide information about his organization, and he has saved lives in the process. How could that happen? Well, when a busy father with four adopted special needs children needed a kidney transplant, his future wasn’t looking so good. But his father, a real estate instructor, met with a real estate accountant, who had received a business card from Joel for matchingdonors.com, and almost as quickly as he could register on the site, a donor match was made, and that father of four now lives a happy, healthy life.

Joel’s goal is to save at least 1,000 people in need of organ transplants. He has personally paid the $595 membership on MatchingDonors.com for patients that could not afford the fee. In the last 18 months alone, he has volunteered 2,400 hours (30 hours plus a week), personally donated $50,000, helped raise $1,250,000 and has indirectly helped over 250,000 people.

Joel takes donations such as cars, boats, real estate, and corporate surplus and turns it into cash; raising millions of dollars for MatchingDonors.com. As the Director of Business Development for MatchingDonors.com, he and his team have been recognized by Governor Patrick as well as the State Senate and House of Representatives, and they were selected as the “Nonprofit of Choice” at the Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills earlier this year. 

GBAR’s Award Winners knows what it takes to be a Good Neighbor, always focused on how to help those who have lost all hope.

Along with winning the GBAR 2013 Good Neighbor Award, GBAR awarded a $2,500 grant to Joel for MatchingDonors.com. 

Joel Pratt from J.L. Pratt REALTORS® in Canton the 2013 GBAR Good Neighbor Award winner.

 

Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com

Bob LeRette – Div. Sales Manager/ Real Estate – Boston.com & The Boston Globe,  617-929-2104 email:  robert.lerette@boston.com   & Realtor® - Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063 

Where have all the houses gone?

Where have all the houses gone?

Nope, not the name of a new country song but it could be.

Why is the inventory of existing homes on the market so far down compared to last year?

·         The flood of foreclosures and short sales has all but disappeared, processing all the way through the market.  There is not another wave of of foreclosures of any meaningful size that is on the horizon.

·         New construction is just ramping up.  There are fewer new home developments with a surplus of homes built and ready to go.  Custom builders are seeing an increase in business because there are so few existing homes move-in ready.

·         There are still quite a few owners that are upside down on their mortgages – their home value is less than what they owe the bank.  Over the long run, prices need to go up to make these homes viable for sale.  Unfortunately, it takes time for prices to rise and there aren’t enough sales happening right now to speed up the price increase.  Back in the day, if a homeowner was upside down, they only had to wait a few months for the market to catch up to them.  Not anymore.

So for now, even with interest rates at historical lows, we can still expect inventory to stay low.  As prices inch up over time, we can expect to move towards a recovery with an increased inventory of existing homes.

PS – This is great news for those of you who are selling that are not upside down on your mortgage versus home value.  You will sell quickly and be at or above the current market value.

Sandy LeRette – Realtor® ABR – Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063  cell: (603) 661-7301 email: slerette@masiello.com

Bob LeRette – Div. Sales Manager/ Real Estate – Boston.com & The Boston Globe,  617-929-2104 email:  robert.lerette@boston.com   & Realtor® - Better Homes & Garden Real Estate / The Masiello Group – 436 Amherst Street, Nashua, NH  03063