Posts in category 'Homeownership'

As the days get warmer, summer lake house season approaches. You`ll get the itch to lounge by the lakeside, but so will tourists looking for a spot like your property. 

If you have a cute cottage on the water and want to start renting it out, there are some things to consider before listing your home and opening your doors for the season. 

Register for the Legal Basics, Like Insurance and Taxes 

First, when you are renting out a home to visitors, you will want to make sure that you are abiding by the rules and regulations surrounding taxes in your jurisdiction. For example, in...

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The warm weather has finally decided to make its debut these past few days, and suddenly I've found myself checking the forecast to see how it will align with the short amount of time I have to complete some outdoor cleanup projects at my house. This has felt very out of character for me; I am not one to garden or dillydally in the yard ever or at all. In fact, I don't think there is a lot I enjoy doing less than working outside in the heat with the bugs. However, it occurred to me the other day—as I lugged rocks that have needed to be moved from one side of the yard to the other for the better part of two years—that yardwork is simply part of homeownership. I can kick and scream about it all I want, but it still has to be done, one way or another.

As...

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May is when New Hampshire finally exhales — mud season is behind you, the ground is firming up, and summer is close enough to plan around. The agents at Badger Peabody & Smith Realty know that this narrow window before the busy season is exactly when homeowners should be taking stock of what winter left behind.

What NH Homeowners Should Tackle Before Summer

Start Outside: Read What Winter Left Behind

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Allow me to set the scene: I am home alone, on my day off, doing some cleaning. It's the end of the day, with the sun hanging on for maybe another thirty minutes or so, and I decide to start a load of laundry. It's a bit windy outside, but nothing too wild or crazy. No rain, no thunder.

I head downstairs into the basement to start my laundry, and as I'm filling the washing machine, the lightbulb in the lamp above my head starts to flicker. I think to myself, I really hope that bulb doesn't go out; I don't think I have any extras. But, I am not too worried about it, as the light that illuminates the rest of the basement is just fine—or so I think.

As I'm loading the last part of my laundry into the washing machine, everything suddenly goes dark. I...

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It's springtime in northern New Hampshire, which means finding water in my basement as the ground thaws and the rain moves through. The sump pump is the real MVP this time of year and always seems to do its job and clear out the water as it makes its way in. I recently came across a TikTok someone posted about their first experience owning a home in early spring in New England, and it involved a wet basement. They were panicking in the video, and although finding water in the basement of my house isn't my favorite experience, it's one I've come to terms with as long as it's not excessive and the sump pump is taking care of it.

I opened the comments to see what people were saying, and one in particular caught my eye. This person said...

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