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.

Summer in NH…waterfront living

I love summer in NH. I love our rocky coastline and our wonderful lakes. Awhile back we started a blog for our waterfront listings and it has morphed into a site that covers not only some NH waterfront listings but also some NH Lakes and Pond information. If you haven’t stopped by…check it out here http://nhwaterfronthomesforsale.com/ It’s still a work in progress but we’d love your suggestions and or opinions.

Kingston New Hampshire…A peek inside

I recently asked a Kingston local what it was that made the town of Kingston New Hampshire so special to her.

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.

Many times 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.

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.

Read more

Kingston New Hampshire A Special Place

I just love discovering local talent and posting about it.

We all live in communities that are special to us or at least they should be special if you call them your home. Sometimes it takes going out and exploring your community to discover what makes it special or maybe getting involved in town events. If you look you’ll find it!

Kingston NH, while not my home town is a town I like very much. I’ve written about Kingston and I also did a virtual tour of Kingston last fall that you can see by clicking on the take the tour tab.

Kingston is a lovely small NH town rich in history and rich in people…after all it is not the towns themselves that make a community a special place, but the people that make a community special.

Last week I discovered a very talented local artist who calls Kingston her home. When I say talented I really mean it. Let me tell you about Kathy Radford, Kingston, New Hampshire’s hidden local talent.

Kathy has lived in Kingston since 1970. Prior to moving to Kingston, Kathy and her husband would vacation in NH and always stopped off in Kingston.

I asked Kathy what made Kingston so special to her and she told me and I quote that they” 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. Plus 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.”

Kathy shared with me so many nice things about Kingston and its history that I believe anyone thinking of making Kingston their home should hear Kathy’s words. Because they are so touching I really feel a second post needs to be written… stay tuned for an insider’s peek into Why Kingston NH is so special. Meanwhile enjoy Kathy Radford’s Art…she is one special lady!

Kathy has been taking photos since she was 8 years old. Her Grandmother bought her, her first camera a Brownie camera (I have no clue what that is) and Kathy has been a shutterbug ever since.

Kathy started selling her photographs about 2 1/2 years ago after a close friend who saw her photo album encouraged her to go public with her work. Boy am I glad she did!

Kathy took oil painting lessons for many years and she used to take pictures with the idea that she might do oil paintings from her photos.

After awhile she stopped painting but continued to take photographs for her personal enjoyment. She has taken many photographs throughout New Hampshire and Kathy like many of us is using a digital camera…hers is a Konica Minolta. Just like me she a draw full of undeveloped rolls of film. Someday someone will develop them and find a true treasure.

You can see some of Kathy’s work at the Kingston Days in August in the Art and Antique section or in July and August in Manchester Artists Association Art Gallery at 1528 Elm Street Manchester NH.

All the photographs used in this post belong to Kathy Radford and are copyrighted.

Four of the photos I have included in this post were picked as Artist of the Month this past year at the Manchester Artists Association.

1. The white barn in the snow, taken on Rte. 111 in Kingston near the Exeter line.

2. Cardinal on Ice taken on a bush in Kathy’s back yard this past winter during an ice storm. 3. Broken window of an old barn on Rte. 16 in Ossipee, the house and barn were vacant and up for sale and 4. Milkweed Pods blowing in the wind were taken at the same place, they were in the field out behind the barn.

I absolutely love the Milkweed pods!

Jay and I are a bunch of shutterbugs ourselves so I can relate to Kathy’s love of photography and admire the talent she has for seeing the beauty around us.

Kingston New Hampshire is one lucky town!

Check out Kathy’s art on her website by clicking here>>> Kathy Radford