Rockingham County Real Estate Market Report

By now you’ve heard the news…. NH Home sales Are On The Rise!  In fact, January 2012 has had the most sales since 2007 and that sounds pretty good to me.   Rockingham County which includes the Seacoast Area had a huge 36% increase in units sold and saw a 2.5% gain in Median Sales price.  All this really looks good but ONE Month does not make a trend.  Currently there are 1836 Active Listings in Rockingham County and I can’t stress it enough…if you’re on the fence about buying a home you better jump off fast.  Need help finding that dream home or exploring your home ownership options … please give us a call at 603-944-9172!  Don’t risk looking back and thinking you missed your opportunity!

NH Market Report reprinted below with permission from the New Hampshire Association of REALTORS

New Hampshire January home sales highest since 2007

January residential unit sales in New Hampshire were ahead of the prior January for the third consecutive
year, as 656 single family homes were sold in the Granite State last month.

According to MLS data released this week by the New Hampshire Association of Realtors (NHAR), that
number represented a 20 percent increase over the 549 homes sold in January 2011.

The median price of those homes, meanwhile, continued to lag slightly behind, having dropped 4 percent,
from $207,000 in January 2011 to $198,500 in January 2012.

“Although it’s human nature to look for that one defining month that signals to everyone that the recovery
in the housing market is afoot, that’s just not the nature of this economy,” said NHAR President John Rice,
a 40-year veteran of the real estate industry and an agent with Tate & Foss Sotheby’s International in
Portsmouth. “As we continue to hear from economists, we’re probably in the early stages of a slow
upward climb.”

Rice said he was encouraged by the fact that the 656 January sales were the most since 2007, but he pointed
out that this mild winter, particularly compared to last year’s frigid and snow-caked January, has likely played
a role in the uptick.

“We’re happy to report positive news in terms of the market, but we also need to be clear about the
context,” Rice said, “and right now the context is that we’ve had positive conditions compared to last year.”

The drop in median price continues to be influenced by the foreclosure market. The New Hampshire Housing
Finance Authority reported 368 foreclosure deeds recorded in December 2011, the highest December
number since NHHFA began its reporting in 2005.

In terms of local markets, eight of the state’s 10 counties saw unit sales increases in January compared to a
year ago, including a 108 percent jump in Sullivan County, 45 percent in Belknap County and 36 percent in
both Cheshire and Rockingham counties. The state’s largest county, Hillsborough, witnessed a 14 percent
sales increase.

Median price, meanwhile, saw increases in four of 10 counties, the largest of those being 22 percent in Coos
County.

With inventory still relatively high, interest rates low and prices competitive, Rice said he would not be
surprised to see an excellent spring in terms of sales.

“No predictions, but the market is certainly ripe for a continued increase in activity,” he said. “Those looking
to buy a home have excellent opportunities right now.”