It’s Garden Time!

Hi friends.  Long time, no writing… I know, I know.  But we’ve been busy!  The market is picking up, we’re in the process of moving homes (more about that later…), and the weather is just awful.  Was nice last week, this week, not so much.

And even though the weather is gross, it’s time to start thinking about what to put in my garden this year.  Now, I’ll confess, I, Sam the office girl, live at home with my parents, or my roomies as I affectionately call them.  Listen, the economy is rough, and if I was paying rent right now, I’d probably have to live off ramen noodles for the next year and a half, and I mean, do you even know what ramen does to the body??  So much salt!  So I live at home, the rents cheap, don’t have to pay for laundry, get a home cooked meal, and I have my own bathroom.  But if anyone else asks, again, I live with the roomies.

Back to the garden… My backyard is huge and we have a great sized garden that last year failed miserably.  We got behind in weeding, and it was all downhill from there.  Mind you, the year before, our cucumber and squash plants over took half of the garden, and it was intense.  I was out picking 4-5 cukes a day.  Out of control.  So I’ve been trying to brainstorm what plants are the easiest and low maintenance to grow.  Here’s my list thus far :

-Tomatoes (to include Sunsweet tomatoes, which are the absolute best tasting cherry tomatoes!)

-Green Beans

-Summer squash/Zuccini

-Basil

 

That’s it.  We tried watermelon last year, nothing.  Didn’t even flower.  Had kale one year, which was awesome because it grew into November, and we’re a big kale loving family.  So I’m not sure what else to get!  Any help out there??  And any suggestions for some organic pesticides?  The beetles attacked my tomato plants last year, and I HATE bugs.  Ask anyone here in the office…

BTW how’s this for a new office view?  Lot better than the other photos I posted right???

 

More about that next week!

-Sam

 

Almost paradise, we’re knocking on heaven’s door

QUICK!  Name that lyric in the header!!!  Can’t figure it out?  Google it!  Or look at the bottom of my post…

I just can’t help but write about this article.  I will admit, I am an MSN fanatic.  I am on there every day, multiple times a day, browsing their healthy mix of pop culture and world interest articles.  They have every thing and anything you could ever look for.

They also have a kick-butt real estate section.  This section features some really neat home decor ideas, what and what not to do while buying or selling your home, and you can look for listings right there.  But this slideshow, this one takes the cake.

Top 10 Best Home Views

My favorites?  Obviously the Cape Cod one, the Hawaiian Oahu picture, and the penthouse Ritz-Carlton in Dallas terrace view.  And since this is my current view :

the dreaming starts in 3…2…1…

-Sam

P.s. They lyric is from “Almost Paradise” from Footloose.  Haven’t seen the recent redo of the movie, I’m partial to Kevin Bacon.

Crafting, and crafting, and crafting!

It’s almost March, which means it’s almost time for some spring cleaning!!  Almost time to freshen up your house, start new, and wait for all the pollen to fill your home!  But, I guess the snow has to stop first for spring to come, and who knows when that will happen!!  Every weekend, snow, the rest of the week, snow!  I’m getting a little snow crazy!  The only bright side to snow is that shoveling is a great substitute for traditional exercise!

Anyway, if any of you know me, you probably know I have a severe addiction to Pinterest, and more specifically, crafting.  Not that I actually do any of the crafts, but the ideas alone just excite me!  And when I saw this article from MSN, Home Decor Craft Ideas, I almost died.  A shelf made out of a skateboard?  How cool and what boy wouldn’t love that in their room?!?!  Check out the article, it’s pretty cool and it links to a few other slideshows that could distract you from a whole day’s worth of work!

Also, we have a new listing!  96 Bagdad Road in Durham is now for sale!  It’s a beautiful home, located within walking distance to the Oyster River Schools!  Go to our website Allenfamilyrealestate.com and check out the virtual tour of the home!

As always, have a wonderful day and don’t forget to prepare yourself for the snow storm!  (But that doesn’t mean running to Market Basket and stocking up on frozen dinners!)

Sam

It’s Only Thursday…

*Happy New Year!*

It’s officially 2013, yet I’m still writing 2012 on everything!  I have got to snap out of it and get into 2013.  We at Allen Family have a big year ahead of us, which was hinted to in our first post.  Sorry, can’t let you in our secret just yet, but don’t worry, it will be worth the wait!  And if it’s not, free Breaking New Grounds coffee on me!

Today, I am compiling December’s Market Watch, aka everything that was put on the market and sold in December 2012.  If you’re new to the real estate world, market watches are incredibly useful.  They allow you to get a broad idea of what kind of houses are selling or being put up to sell, how big, how many rooms, bathrooms, and how much they’re going for.  If you’re thinking of selling your own home, take a look at what’s on the market first, and where your home would fit it.  If you did all that, congratulations, you just did a mini comparative market analysis.  Call Michael and Gen, and they will do a full scale comparative market analysis, free of charge, and answer all of your questions, but only because they’re so nice. 

Since December’s market watches are not done yet (sorry, I can only do so much guys!), I attached November’s Market Watches, as well as our Market Statistics for 2012.  Check them out, and let us know what you think.  Obviously, if you have any questions, Michael and Gen are more than happy to answer them for you.  They are extremely knowledgeable and wicked friendly! 

Documents are at the bottom, and are all PDFs so you can keep them forever and ever!

Have a wonderful Thursday 🙂

Sam

—————————————————————————————————————————————Market Statistics2012

PortsmouthMW1112

OysterRiverMW1112

DoverMW1112

 

A New Year, A New Beginning

Welcome!

2013 is about to be our biggest year yet!  The market is looking up (FINALLY!), and we have a few things up our sleeves to share with you when the time is right!  For you, our readers, and potential clients, it’ll feel like its Christmas all the time!

This blog was created to provide you a first hand look at what we’re doing here in the office.  Both Gen and Michael will be updating the blog with posts on their experiences, vlogging about their listings, and giving you the inside scoop on the New Hampshire Seacoast real estate market.

Keep checking back here for weekly updates, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.  We’re attacking social media full force and you don’t want to be left out!

-Sam (aka the Office Girl/Marketeer)