Is 2012 the Right Time to Buy?

This is the number one question to ask each individual buyer, seller, and real estate professional we meet in 2012. What drives residential sales is the deep down belief that now is the best time to purchase a home verses “let’s wait and see where this goes.”  There is no perfect time to buy, but let’s look at some of the reasons people are buying or waiting in the year 2012.

In a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors, 33% of home buyers say that they want help understanding financing in 2012. It is no secret that financing is a huge issue today and for 2012. We could argue that financing got us where we are today, but financing could get us out. There is no question that interest rates are at an all time low, and according to some they may continue to stay low.

However, the issue remains the number of buyers who are not qualifying for “conventional” financing.  In New Hampshire, during the first 11 months of the year 2011, just under 40% of home buyers used conventional financing. Compare this to the same time period in 2007 when over 75% of home buyers were using conventional. The gap in lending is being filled in The Granite State by cash (33%) and lending programs such as FHA and Rural Development (23%). This is tracking nationally with the National Association of Realtors saying that in the year 2011, 30% of all house closings were cash transactions. We forecast that lending will continue to be a leading issue in the year to come, with home buyers being creative on how to obtain long term stable debt options.

Valuation is going to be a key in 2012. Home prices have come down in some towns in Southern NH by close to $100 a foot from their all time highs in 2006 and 2007. More so there is inconsistency from town to town and even within towns as to where prices are going. Nationally the recent Case-Shiller index of 20 cities showed that prices have declined nationwide by 3.4% year over year, for the month of October. But much like the weather, real estate is local; in New Hampshire we can look at that same period and say that the total volume of homes sold is up just fewer than 3% with much of that made up by the fact that October saw a 13% spike in the number of homes sold over the previous year. We believe this trend will continue, more homes selling in 2012, with little movement in the overall value of the prices.

What about subjective reasons for buying? Ones that don’t fit into boxes? A Gallop Poll showed 67% of Americans think that now is a ‘good time’ to buy a home. Donald Trump was quoted saying:  “This is a great time to buy a house.” Consumer confidence is implied to be up with Forbes reporting that holiday shopping was up 4.7% over 2010. But home sales are not created by polls or by what consumers purchase around the holidays. 

Ultimately people in New Hampshire shall have to decide for themselves based upon what they are seeing in their personal situations. Our team has seen an increase in volume, closing out the fourth quarter of 2011. With the trends above noted, we see 2012 as a year of increased confidence with increase in volume of sales – And, we look forward to it!

Our Season of Giving

This year our offices chose to contribute to the Toys for Tots campaign and the Soup Kitchen. We are pleased to announce that both campaigns were a great success.  We collected and donated close to 300 new toys to the Toys for Tots and 7 boxes of food to the Nashua Soup Kitchen.  But our campaigns would not have been such a success if not for the generosity of the people who would stop by the office and donate food and toys to these charities.  At a time when the economy is not at its best and many people are struggling to provide for their own families, many will always find a way to give whatever they can so that those less fortunate can also enjoy the holidays.

What we need to remember is that these charities need our assistance year round and not just during the holidays. 

Campaign Coordinators conduct an array of activities throughout the year, which include golf tournaments, foot races, bicycle races, bike rides and other purely voluntary events designed to increase interest in Toys for Tots, and concurrently generate toy and monetary donations.

Like many soup kitchens, lines start forming early in the morning.  For the first time in over 30 years the Nashua Soup kitchen has served more than 250 dinners in one evening, 5 times a week. This does not include the families and individuals who receive non perishable foods each week.

Donors make all the difference in the lives of the men, women and families who depend on these charities. Your generosity not only helps to provide meals and toys, but also hope to those who are less fortunate.

We thank you for your help in support and best for a wonderful New Year.

Giving Back

This Holiday Season, Real Living |The Norwood Group Manager, Thom Nofsinger, office administrator, Sheri Cameron and Realtors, Beth Curran, Donna Giniusz, Tina Latvis, Stella Demetri, and Ann Frigard decided to “adopt a family”. We contacted The Nashua Pastoral Care Center who gave us a family with 3 children.

We had a great time shopping, wrapping and organizing the gifts. It truly is better to give than to receive. We feel that giving back to the community is a small part of what it takes to make Nashua such a wonderful place to call HOME. We all wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a healthy happy New Year!

Nashua Pastoral Care – Changing Lives…One Family at a Time, is a non-profit organization that assists families at risk of homelessness with the basic necessities of life such as rent, utilities, food, transportation and medicine. Their mission is to offer support and provide services to assist individuals and families transition from crisis to self-sufficiency. The “adopt-a-family” Holiday Program has been a part of the Nashua Pastoral Care Programs since it became incorporated in 1987. In 1996, NPCC became a designated administrator of the Telegraph Santa Fund.

Food Bank Donations



Amherst Office Donations



As we prepare for the holidays many of us look forward to family gatherings when we all come together and sit down to our favorite family holiday dishes. Whether it is grandma’s cookies or mom’s wonderful turkey dinner with all the trimmings, if you were to ask people, what is your favorite part of the holidays; many would respond all the delicious food.

Unfortunately there are many people who will not have the traditional holiday dinner or those yummy Christmas treats.  When the economy is down and so many people are out of work and struggling to make ends meet their thoughts are on the simple items such as a loaf of bread, or a can of soup whatever it takes to feed themselves and or their families.

This is why it is so important to contribute to the local food banks and soup kitchens in your community.   Many of these local charities feeds men, women and children in your community —Many of these people are the working poor, elderly, homeless and disabled living on fixed income.

Individuals and families receive non-perishable food each week, like many soup kitchens, lines start forming early in the morning.  

Nashua Office Donations

What we need to remember is that these donations are needed year round, not just during the holidays.  Donors make all the difference in the lives of the men, women and families who depends on their local soup kitchen and food banks.  Your generosity helps provide meals and hope to those who are less fortunate.

Real Living | The Norwood Group is pleased to be a small part of the momentum to help local food banks throughout this holiday season. If you cannot drop items off at a local kitchen or food bank, please stop by our Amherst or Nashua offices with some non perishable goods and we will deliver them to the local food banks.  

150 Broad Street, Nashua, NH

46 Route 101A, Amherst, NH

We appreciate your support.

Help Us In Our "Toys for Tots" Drive



As the holidays approach you cannot help but notice the excitement in every child’s eyes.  Whether you are watching TV, walking through the malls or shopping in the stores it is all around you, the decorations, the holiday music, Santa Claus how can you not get caught up in the holiday spirit. 

But what you do not see are the eyes of the children who have just been told that Santa won’t be coming this year or the parents who are struggling to make ends meet and are worried that they may not be able to put gifts under the tree for their children.

This is why great charities like the “Toys for Tots” program are so important.  The United States Marine Corp created this program with a mission “to deliver a new toy at Christmas, giving a message of hope to the less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and to help them experience the joy of Christmas as well as play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources….our children”.

Although the United States Marine Corp and their volunteers do a terrific job they cannot do it alone.  This is why it is so important for people to help in any way they can.

A small gift or volunteering a couple of hours of your time will help this wonderful charity and most importantly put a smile on a young child’s face Christmas morning.

Real Living | The Norwood Group is going to be a donation site for Toys for Tots this season. If you would like to bring an unwrapped gift, please stop by either our Amherst or Nashua offices. For more information on Toys for Tots, please visit www.toysfortots.org.

Our Drop off Locations Are:

46 Route 101A

Amherst, NH

150 Broad Street

Nashua, NH