Badger Peabody & Smith Blog

Some things are better-appreciated first-hand. For the past couple weeks, I've been "trekking" my way up to 17,598 feet above sea level. At one point, we ventured up a nearby peak that topped us out at 18,514 feet. The lung-busting lack of oxygen is simply (and literally) breathtaking. We moved at a snail's pace and even that was exhausting. All that said, the hundred or so miles hiked to and from Everest base camp were filled with trials, challenges, illness, excitement, and relief.

I say all that simply to say (in a not-so-subtle segue) that those things that challenge us and push us to our limits are very often worth the extra effort. We have talked before about the challenges of selling a

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With any luck at all, you got yourself outside this past weekend and enjoyed, not just the spectacular string of perfect weather we had, but some of the best foliage we have witnessed in many years. I was biking, hiking and fishing across northern New Hampshire on Sunday and Monday and found myself stopping to "smell the roses" on frequent occasions. During one of these pauses, it occurred to me that "these" are the views that people talk about. These are the scenes that are captured on countless cameras. These are a few of the many reasons we love to live here.

As I was enjoying the surroundings and the warm weather, I couldn't help but think about how this intangible and ethereal feeling we get, when overcome with that sense of wonderment, has a direct impact on the value of our

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Chances are good that there are lots of Holiday events happening around town this weekend. Get out there and enjoy the festivities. If nothing else, this is your best excuse to chow down on bite-sized candy bars. Remember, if you can fit the whole bar in your mouth in one bite, it eliminates the calories and fat! That's just science. We're actually getting spoiled this weekend with amazing weather, so get out there and have some fun. If you find yourself, like me, stuck at home though, I wanted to share a few ideas for keeping yourself busy and preparing for the coming winter and the coming festivities.

Something often overlooked this time of year is all of our outdoor "stuff". Last weekend I finally put away our deck chairs and table. I had stored the umbrella weeks ago simply because it got a b...

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While living in a tiny cabin (~300 sq. feet) over in Lincoln, my bathroom was literally in between the living room and bedroom. Needless to say, privacy was not on the menu when I had visitors. Convenient escapes out to the kitchen (or my truck) offered a little more of a buffer and made the space tolerable. For the price I was paying, it was worth the hassle. Today, I have 4 bathrooms to clean and I'm (sort of) lamenting those simpler times.

While a bathroom is not the most prominent room in your North Conway NH home, there's no reason it can't stand out (in a good way!). We've all had small, large, cramped and expansive bathrooms in our lives. Today I'd like to explore a...

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There is a lot of discussion about the current state of housing affordability for both first-time and move-up buyers, and much of the narrative is tarnished with a negative slant. However, the truth is that housing affordability is better today than at almost any time in our history.

The naysayers are correct in the fact that affordability today is not as good as it has been over the last several years. But, we must remember that home prices collapsed during the housing crash, and distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales) kept home values depressed for years. When we compare affordability to the decades that proceeded the crash, a different story is revealed.

Here is a graph of the National Association of Realtors™ Housing Affordability Index. The higher the graph, the more affordabl...

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