Monday, April 26, 2010

SHOP LOCALLY INCLUDES BANK LOCALLY


As reported in The Laconia Daily Sun (2/27/2010), three of the Lakes Region’s community banks had strong results for 2009. The banks include Meredith Village Savings Bank, Franklin Savings Bank and Laconia Savings Bank.
Although twenty-four other banks headquartered in New Hampshire posted losses in 2009, the three Lakes Region Banks showed a profit.
All three community banks have branches throughout the Lakes Region and Central New Hampshire offering convenient locations for customers. Congratulations to Meredith Village, Franklin Savings and Laconia Savings Banks!
The read the entire piece, go to www.laconiadailysun.com.
Meredith Village Savings Bank: www.mvsb.com
Franklin Savings Bank: www.fsbnh.com
Laconia Savings Bank: www.laconiasavings.com
*NH Real Estate Weekly is written by Terra Appraisal Services, a licensed New Hampshire real estate appraisal company. For more information on Terra Appraisal Services, please click the “about” link above.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Encroachments and Easements – The WOW Trail

A Portion of the WOW Trail, LaconiaDailySun.com A plan developed in the early 1980’s addressed creating a walking trail along the old B&M Railroad track between Belmont and Meredith. It has been a long process as funds are limited. The trail has been dubbed WOW: Winnisquam-Opechee-Winnipesaukee Recreational Trail.

Now comes along South Down Shores. Although there is documentation indicating one of the requirements for Planning Board approval of South Down was to include a “Bike Path Easement” along the abandoned railroad, the current property owners are less than thrilled to have strangers walk/ride through their gated community. For those of you unaware of the railroad easement, it runs directly along the shorefront. Representatives from South Down are working with the Board of Directors of the trail to seek alternative routes. It will probably be several years before the WOW trail reaches this section of the walkway, however, it may become a concern in the future. There was also some talk a few years ago indicating the State of NH (owners of the easement) would start to charge higher fees to property owners using the easement and/or restrict moorings and docks.

This is a good reminder to check out your deed and any Home Owners’ Association documents. Deeds for properties in most counties in the state can be found at: www.nhdeeds.com.

To read the entire story, go to The Laconia Daily Sun, April 15, 210 laconiadailysun.com or www.wowtrail.com

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Ossipee Lake Shorefront Owners

image The State DES (Department of Environmental Services) has set the high water mark of Ossipee Lake at 410 feet above sea level making many shorefront property owners nervous. The previously identified mark was 407.25 feet. Although this doesn’t seem to be a big deal, if you are a property owner along the shores of Ossipee Lake, it could greatly impact what you can and can’t do on your site.

As reported in the NH Union Leader on 4/14/2010, “the issue came to the forefront last summer when state DES denied applications for shoreline work sought by the Westward Shores Campground and Ossipee Bluffs Association, saying the proposed work was below the 410 foot level and on state property.”

Harry Merrow, a local Realtor and Selectperson from Ossipee, is concerned about property values, taxes the lake front owners pay as well as a sales of Ossipee Lake waterfront properties until the disputed high water mark is resolved. As an Appraiser, this issue must be considered when appraising properties along Ossipee Lake.

For the complete article, read the NH Union Leader (4/14/2010) or to pay for the on-line article.