By Adam Leech
Portsmouth Herald
PORTSMOUTH — Dozens of residents, business owners and affordable-housing advocates attended Monday night’s public hearing on an ordinance that would provide incentives for developers to create affordable housing. Read the rest of this page »
PETER J. CLEARY
Sentinel Staff
In the latest modification of a downtown Keene redevelopment, two proposed buildings grew up a bit. The Keene Planning Board gave the okay Monday for fifth stories on two buildings the Monadnock Economic Development Corp. plans for the city’s former railroad property east of Main Street. Also Monday, the board considered two proposals for senior-citizen housing. Read the rest of this page »
Freeman Klopott
Sentinel Staff
JAFFREY - Another lawsuit is now looming even as Robert Van Dyke’s plan to build 36 houses in the protected zone around Mount Monadnock takes small steps forward. A group of 20 Jaffrey residents and the Society for the Protection of N.H. Forests have filed a petition for a rehearing with Jaffrey’s zoning board. Read the rest of this page »
By Nicholas Retsinas | December 6, 2006
Soon Children will be re enacting Clement Moore’s ritual — hanging stockings on the fireplace mantle and hoping that a portly fellow in a red suit will squeeze down their chimney with an oversized bag of stuff. Certainly hundreds of thousands of children live in homes with fireplaces: 55 percent of new homes today have one fireplace. In another 5 percent of new homes, children have more than one to choose from. If Santa has to go to the bathroom (after all that milk, all those cookies), he will be in luck. Over 95 percent of new homes have at least two bathrooms; over 50 percent have more than two bathrooms (compared with 15 percent of homes built in 1971). Read the rest of this page »
Tux Terkel
Maine Sunday Telegram
PORTLAND, Maine — The foundation is in and workers have begun framing the first home in Gray Goose Estates, a new subdivision in Westbrook. It’s a 1,400-square-foot cape with a base price of $204,000, roughly $50,000 below the median home price in Cumberland County. That price point is no accident. The builder, Windham-based Custom Built Homes of Maine, had initially planned “move-up” homes, with garages, paved driveways, gas fireplaces and other extras that would sell for $270,000 or so. But as the housing market slowed and potential customers had trouble selling existing homes, the builder redesigned the project to make it more affordable for first-time homebuyers. Read the rest of this page »
Heading for Home Business Leaders Breakfast, 7:30 a.m. Friday, November 3, 2006, Heberton Hall (next to Keene Public Library), Keene
Learn about the economic impact of housing trends in our region and receive an update of the local real estate market.
Speakers:
Dick Anagnost, Principal, Anagnost Companies, NH Workforce Opportunity Council;
Chris Masiello, CEO ERA/The Masiello Group.
Sponsors: Connecticut River Bank, NA and The Mayo Group.
For more information and to register to attend this free Business Leaders Breakfast, email us at home@headingforhome.org.
by Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
October 26 2006: 12:04 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — New home prices took their biggest hit in more than 35 years in September, the government said Thursday, the latest sign that builders are struggling to unload a glut of unsold homes as the nation’s real estate market cools.The lower prices may have worked, as the annual pace of new home sales climbed 5.3 percent to 1.08 million last month, according to the Census Bureau report. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a reading of 1.05 million, which would have been flat with the initial August reading.
But the median price of a new home tumbled 9.7 percent from a year earlier to $217,100. It was the sharpest drop since December 1970, when prices posted an 11.2 percent decline, and was the fourth largest year-over-year decline on record. Read the rest of this page »
Bedford, NH - New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority on June 21, 2006 released the results of its annual survey of residential rental costs in New Hampshire. The survey results demonstrated that actual rents, particularly in the southern part of the state, were essentially unchanged from 2005. However, the overall cost of rental housing increased and the element that has caused “gross rents” to elevate are utilities, which have been driven by increased energy costs. Read the rest of this page »
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
PETER J. CLEARY
Keene Sentinel Staff
Plans to put housing for low-income, senior or disabled people on Emerald Street are on hold for now, as a building Southwestern Community Services was looking at has been sold to another buyer.
Read the rest of this page »
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Keene Sentinel
JEANNINE AVERSA
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The go-go days for home prices are over, but Mike Pietrafesa thinks it is still tough for people to buy their first slice of the American dream.
“There are lots and lots of houses for sale that seem as though they are priced ridiculously and they aren’t selling,” said Pietrafesa of Nassau County, N.Y. “I certainly think that the old standard of having 20 percent of your house value as a down payment is really out of the window these days. I definitely think it is harder, in that respect, for first-time buyers.” Read the rest of this page »