Kingston NH- June 2008 to June 2009

Kingston NH real estate market stats

Kingston NH real estate market snapshot. This one year snapshot includes single family homes and condominiums. While closings are slightly down from a year ago, pendings are up a little which is always a good thing.

*All reports are published Jul. 2009, based on data available at the end of Jun. 2009.
All reports presented are based on data supplied by the Massachussets Real Estate and New Hampshire Real Estate or their MLS. Neither the Associations nor their MLSs guarantee or are in anyway responsible for their accuracy. Data maintained by the Associations or their MLSs may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Why should Kingston NH be my next home…

Last year I asked a long time Kingston resident Kathy Radford what it was that made the town of Kingston New Hampshire so special to her.

I’m often asked by potential home buyers about towns and why they should consider a certain town as their new home. That’s hard for me to answer because our market area covers several southern NH towns

As a New Hampshire REALTOR and a New Hampshire Real Estate Blogger, I find it fascinating to talk to the local folks and get their take on their town.

So when potential buyers ask questions about what it is like living in a town and what better than having someone who lives and knows the town intimately answer that question.

The following is a reprint from the article I wrote last year….

I have written about Kathy Radford and her art in the past. If you missed it you can read it here… Kingston NH Hidden talent (opens in a separate window)

Aside from being a busy artist and photographer Kathy and her husband also own Radford Courier Services, which specializes in rush/same day deliveries.

Kathy has been a Kingston resident since 1970 when she and her husband moved north from Belmont, MA. Her husband she says, being brought up in Sudbury, MA didn’t like city living and they would always go to the White Mountains, one of their favorite places, for vacations each year. Kingston was always was a stop off point along the way.

Kathy explained that back then they would stop at the old Mill Stream Restaurant, which is currently The Pond View Restaurant.

Back in the 70’s, she said it was just a small hamburger stand with old fashioned barrels as tables and chairs.

The Pond View is still owned by the same family, but it has evolved over the years and it is now a wonderful upscale restaurant but still maintained by the original family.

The senior owners were also the towns EMTs and drove the only ambulance in town.

Kathy says that they always enjoyed talking with the locals at the hamburger stand and one day they met Gordon Brown there, who had his real estate office across the street in the A-Frame.

Gordon Brown is a real estate icon…his daughter Barbara also a REALTOR is a good friend of ours.

Eventually, Kathy goes on to say they bought their Kingston NH home through Gordon Brown Real Estate.

When I asked her why she bought in Kingston she told me more than I expected to hear and I quote her.

“We absolutely fell in love with the warm country charm of the town with the town plains dotted with all the historic homes and the wonderful old Church on the Plains, the Town Hall, the bandstand and the majestic old Sanborn Seminary.

Kingston’s proximity between Boston and the White Mountains with the added bonus of the Seacoast area thrown in made for the perfect spot to raise three children in a relaxed friendly community where everyone was your friend.

We were limited to southern NH because my husband had to commute to Norwood, MA every day to work in the family run trucking and warehouse business.

The Town Clerk and Chief of Police knew everyone in town on a first name basis. I might add we are fortunate enough to still have the same wonderful and accommodating town clerk, Betti Ouelette, who is a walking book of knowledge.

Whenever you have a question about something in Kingston, Betti always has the answers. She is the only town clerk, that I know of, that calls local residents near the end of the month to remind them that their auto registration is about to run out at the end of the month.

She is the most caring and giving town clerk I have ever heard of. A pearl comes one in a million and that is exactly what she is to the town, a true pearl. She has given so much to the town over the years; no one will ever be able to fill her shoes.

For many years we have attended the Kingston Carnival Days with its huge bomb fire every year where they would place a car on top and set it on fire to see how long it would take for the car to fall.

This was always the highlight of the year and drew huge crowds from both NH and MA.

Kingston has grown over the years, but I think we have always tried to maintain our quaint little country town quality of life.

We’ve come a long way through the years, from having a high school that had split session classes where half the students went to school in the morning and the other half went in the afternoon, to the sprawling new high school complex it is today.

I hope we never lose our wonderful small town country charm and close community ties that have made Kingston what it has always been and continues today. “

I was so impressed with Kathy’s willingness to share her thoughts and feelings about Kingston that I knew I had to publish her words as she said them. Thank you Kathy for an excellent description of Kingston!

Check out some of Kathy’s art work www.betterphoto.com?kathyinnh or catch her displaying her art at many local craft fairs or holiday bazaars. All photos used in this post are copyrighted by Kathy Radford and used with her permission.

Santa Claus is coming to Kingston NH 2008

How cool Santa Claus is coming to Kingston NH on Christmas Eve.

Santa will actually make his way through town on his sleigh with the help of the fire department and police department and I bet with all the snow we’ve had it will be a spectacular sight.

The plan is that Santa will be at the Central Station on December 24 2008 between 4 pm and 5 pm for photo sessions. So if you want an up close and personal look along with a photo plan on being there.

The Parade will start at 5pm from the Central station and wind it’s way through town. Route details can be found on the Carriage Towne News website Santa Parade Routes 2008

Happy Holidays and enjoy Kingston New Hampshire’s Christmas Eve 2008 Santa Parade!

Rick’s Pond View Restaurant Kingston NH

Recently we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the new Rick’s Pond View Restaurant in Kingston N.H.. We had received a gift certificate for Christmas (2007) from my son Marty which was for the original Pond View restaurant. The original Pond View closed shortly thereafter and I thought I would never get to use the certificate. I also thought it was pretty crappy that my son was sold the gift certificate to begin with since they had to have known that they were closing the doors. Read more

A Pond View…

I was pretty unhappy when I found out that The Pond View restaurant in Kingston New Hampshire had closed. I used to like going there, not so much for the food but for the ambiance. The table settings, where everything was different and unmatched yet somehow all belonged, was a treat to see. The Gazebo overlooking the pond and the lounge that was like taking a trip through Movie land.

I was sad to see the place change and eventually go out of business, not to mention that last Christmas someone there sold my son a gift certificate. One that he gave to Jay and me for our Christmas gift…only to end up being no good. I figured they must have needed the money as they surely had to know they would be closing soon. My fault…we probably should have used it right a way. Oh well!

The good news is that the Pond View was bought by another local restaurant owner, Rick Korn who along with his wife, own and operate Rick’s Cafe and Grill on Maine Street. They plan to re-open as Rick’s Pond View and I for one can’t wait to see what they do with it. Rick’s Cafe is known to have good food so I bet it will be a good mix for the lovely historic building on Rt 125 in Kingston.

Kingston, NH Real Estate Sold Data by Address for 2007

Kingston, New Hampshire is located just east of Plaistow, NH and just North of Newton, NH.

Kingston is a popular town due in part to it’s location. Surprisingly there were 60 properties sold so far from January 1, through the end of November. That is more than in Hampstead NH or Atkinson NH. Our sold data also shows the list price as well as the sold price. Read more

Next Page »