Decisions, decisions !

Making the decision to buy a home is humongous ! So many decisions to make...where to buy, when to buy, what to buy. There are so many levels of decisions. It is interesting to watch customers go through the process. Everyone handles stress in a variety of ways. Some people are calm and logical as they proceed to make one of the biggest decisions of their life. Some people turn gray, chew their nails and pace. Others seem almost joyful, excited and happy as they go through the process.  One of our goals at Weirs Beach Village is to insure that our customers have a relatively stress-free home buying experience.

Once you have made the decision to buy a home at Weirs Beach Village your stress level is greatly reduced. Our team of professionals are prepared to walk you through the entire process from choosing a lot, a home design, home color, flooring, appliances, fixtures, financing and all of the other decisions that must be made. Having a professional by your side makes the process that much easier. You will also be reminded to take a deep breath and smile.


Having made the decision to build your dream home at Weirs Beach Village was one of the smartest decisions you could have made. You will next have to decide which lot your dream home will sit upon. At this writing Phase I is close to being 50% sold out. We anticipate moving into Phase II by the Fall of 2011. The views from so many of these lots are phenomenal as you look out at the Ossipee Mountains, Gunstock and Paugus Bay. As you look out over the mountains you are reminded how small we humans are and how important it is to take the time to enjoy the view.

All of our homes are stick-built by professional builders. Once you decide which model best fits your needs, construction can begin.  Are you going to have lots of visitors?  Do you need lots of space for entertaining? Is this a cozy hideaway where you will escape to and no one will be able to find you?
Is this a home where you envision warm family memories being created as you all gather around in front of your fireplace after a day of skiing at Gunstock? Do you dream about relaxing on your deck with your favorite beverage in hand, soaking up the sun and cherishing your quiet alone time ? You know which home best suits your needs.

Maybe the 'Center Harbor' with its spacious layout and loft area best meets your needs ?  With its open concept, entertaining would truly be a breeze. The following pictures of the 'Center Harbor' give you an idea of what it has to offer you ~

The 'Meredith' is a single floor home with two bedrooms and large open area between the kitchen, living room and sunroom. Just imagine how your furniture would look in this home ~

The first home we sold at Weirs Beach Village was the 'Gilford'. A comfortable single floor home it invites you to come right in and sit right down. Glance at the following photos and you'll understand why it soon had a SOLD sign on the lawn.

So it is my hope that this photo tour will make your decision making process just a wee bit easier. Come up to Weirs Beach Village soon, meet with our Real Estate Professionals and make a decision about which one will be your...

Surround Yourself With Good People Who Are Only Going to Lift You Higher

From the beginning of this project we have used a team approach for getting the work done. We are well aware that there is no "I" in team and we believe in the power of synergy. We have surrounded ourselves with motivated people who have similar goals and beliefs. Positive attitude, self motivating and hard working are just a few of the qualities we demand from our team members. Bonnie Gravel brings all of those qualities, and so much more, to our team. A Realtor with Prudential Verani, Bonnie and her team came on board with Weirs Beach Village one year ago. Bonnie understands and respects our needs and our goals. She is not afraid to get her hands or feet dirty. She can be found giving tours of the model homes, vacuuming occasional dust bunnies, shoveling snow, and was recently seen serving apple crisp at our ribbon cutting ceremony. But working with our customers is Bonnie's true calling. She is honest, direct, and a straight shooter with a sense of humor that can soften the most difficult discussion.

 I decided I wanted to interview Bonnie so that people can truly understand the caliber of people working on the Weirs Beach Village team.  It was challenging to pin Bonnie down long enough to ask her a few questions. Did I mention that Bonnie is very active with an exhausting energy level ? I tried to keep up with her to ask her a few questions and needed a nap at the end of that day.

1. How long have you been involved with the world of real estate ? How did you get started in RE and why ? Almost 20 years and I love it!! I was going to college to  work with people in Cardiac Rehab  while bringing up two young children and managing in a health club and teaching aerobics. I met a wonderful couple, Chris and Bill Dowd, that use to take all of my exercise classes. One day Chris, who was a Real Estate Trainer, asked me if I ever thought of getting into real estate and that a realtor in her office needed a high energy assistant to help him with customers. I accepted. I did finish and graduated from college, with my husband and two children cheering me on. I did however become very busy in real estate and it is history from there. I do feel like I help make peoples' hearts happy especially when they receive the key to their new home or they have sold a home and moved on to the next stage of their life. It is pretty cool and most of the time brings tears to my eyes.

2. What jobs did you have before you became a realtor ? Oh my...that is a long list, so here you go.

Like most girls...babysitting first. At 15 I use to take a bus to a lawyer's home and worked as a paralegal.

At 16 when I got my license I worked for three lawyers, and had a job at 'Grover Cronins' in Waltham as a shoe salesgirl.  At 17 I worked as an administrator for a Dynamics Company. After graduation, I worked for Digital equipment as a dispatcher. This is where I met the love of my life. I then became a computer technician for Digital for a couple of years then had our beautiful children.

My favorite job was motherhood but while I was doing that I worked at Shaw's a couple of evenings a week and Sundays. I also sold Princess House Crystal at home parties to help with household bills.

Then as mentioned I went back to college, managed and taught aerobics in a health club while the kids were in school. Then real estate......



3. Any pets ? Tell us about them. I have had pets my whole life and can't image life without them. My mom said we had a cat that use to sleep in the crib with me when I was a baby and that is true today. Actually when I met my husband..I said to him if you do not like animals then it won't work. He is still here and we have our 12 year old rat terrier Ginger who sleeps with us every night...which I know can be a pain.



4. What makes a successful realtor ? Compassion, understanding, listening and understanding the needs of your seller and buyers... not what you think they need. Mostly be a true Professional.



5. Tell us about the Prudential Verani team ~ how is your team different from other real estate teams ? I feel Prudential Verani as a whole company is a family with great values and commitment to their customers and to their employees and agents. Our New Homes Division is top notch with more support that I have ever had in any real estate company I have worked. The team at Weirs Beach Village ~ Janis, Gene, Pete and Kristin ~ are very experienced agents that are very excited about the community and love the homes.

6. What are you feelings about WBV ? I love the whole concept that the developer/builder has created. The sense of community is astounding and is what the buyers are feeling and what they like. Personally, I am so happy after selling new construction for over 15 years, and my gained knowledge from that has now allowed me to be picky in choosing where I want to sell and who I want to sell for. I am blessed that it has brought me here to WBV.

7. What do you do in your spare time ? Spare time...what is that in real estate?  But when I do have spare time..I love hanging with my family and good friends.

8. Any words of advice to people looking to buy or sell their homes ?   Find the right realtor!!!!

9. You have a very optimistic outlook ~ how do you stay so positive ? I believe a person is happy if they believe they are happy and that shines through in how others see you too.

I had a few more questions for Bonnie but she was off and running to her next appointment. We are fortunate to have her on our team and hopefully you will have the opportunity to sit down and talk with Bonnie or any of the Prudential Verani team about your  dream home at Weirs Beach Village. They are only a phone call away from making your dream become a reality. All you have to do is dial 603-434-2377 ~ it is that easy !

Celebrations and Congratulations and Big Changes !

As many of you may know, we had been waiting for many months for final approval from the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. It was impatient, toe tapping waiting. But one bright and sunny Wednesday morning we received the call we had been waiting for from our attorney ~ Weirs Beach Village is officially a Homeowners' Association ! We didn't even know what to do first. Crack open the champagne ? Hug and kiss ?  Pinch ourselves ?  Call everyone ? Send out emails ? It was rather chaotic in the office for awhile but then the news sank in and we realized what needed to be done ~ organize the troops and start building more houses !  There was no time for dancing with wild abandon and singing from the roof tops. There was work to be done.

So the dust has settled and the work has begun. Non-binding agreements are being rewritten as purchase and sales agreements. Work has begun on new houses. Foundations are poured, framing continues, and Phase 1 will soon be all sold out.  Furniture is being moved out of models as closings begin and customers move into their homes.  We love thinking about the models being transformed into homes for families. Homes where so many memories will be made.

And my work continues. To keep spreading the good news...Weirs Beach Village is a Homeowners' Association...officially.  Let the celebrations begin !

And then there were Eleven !

It is hard to believe that two months have passed since our last blog post. How could that be? What is going on here?  What is happening at Weirs Beach Village? 

As was written in an earlier post, we are going through the process of changing from a condominium association to a Homeowners' Association. We are still waiting for the NH Attorney General's office to give us final approval. Can you hear our toes tapping and the impatience with which I type ?  At this point we are allowed to take non-binding agreements on the homes. We currently have eleven non-binding purchase and sales agreements. We should be hearing any day now from the Attorney General and when that happens, closings will occur and people will be moving into their new homes, excited to begin this new chapter of their lives.

Six homes are completed and construction has begun on four more homes. The heavy equipment has been digging foundations and moving dirt around ~ even during this heat wave. Phase I will be half complete once these homes are finished. The excitement among our Realtors, our Project Manager, customers and all of us behind the scenes is mounting. We have a vision and to see it becoming reality is cause for celebration.

We are working on designing our permanent signage, taking care of a multitude of details, and completing reams of paperwork. So much goes on behind the scenes when building a project of this size. We pay attention to the small stuff because as we all know ~ the small stuff is the important stuff. So just because you don't SEE things happening at the project, be assured that we are working hard on our project on a daily basis, 24-7, with many sleepless nights, and countless long days. We are dedicated to our customers and to our vision. And we welcome you to call our Realtors today at 603-434-2377 to make an appointment and come see for yourself what is happening at Weirs Beach Village.

Spring has arrived at Weirs Beach Village !

The Lakes Region comes alive in Spring. The snow has melted with only the tops of the mountains still glistening in the sunlight. The Rites of Passage for Laconia real estate is evident as all the seasonal activities begin. Boaters take their boats and remove the shrink wrap as they take them from storage and prepare them for the cold waters as they dip in for their first voyage around Lake Winnipesaukee to explore their hidden coves. Summer residents return to their cottages; homes and condominiums do their spring clean up and get ready for their visitors or their tenants. Gunstock Mountain puts away their ski groomers for next year's season and hopes for early snow. The concert series that have been scheduled throughout the winter at Meadowbrook and include Sheryl Crow; Heart; Suglarland and Reba MacIntire are released and ticket sales begin.Beaches are raked and cleaned in advance of the throngs of bikinis; beach towels and chairs that will fill each inch. Hiking trails in the area state parks are cleared of fallen limbs and brush that are remnants of the cold and snowy winter. The Town of Laconia prepares for its 87th annual Laconia Motorcycle Week for June 12 through the 20th and the daily activities and its hungry visitors. Neighboring Tanger Outlets welcome more shoppers as the Spring into Summer season opens up and more bargains abound.

Walking distance to Weirs Beach is a welcoming community of homes that offer quality and affordability at one address. Weirs Beach Village offers a neighborhood of quality built homes with hardiplank cement board siding; interior trim packages that would be considered upgrades anywhere and a selection of high quality stick built homes. No need to worry when you lock your door as all homes are connected to the Fire Department. A custom look with a great price with homes beginning from the $130's. Some home sites offer views of the lake and all are sited carefully to afford more privacy and the community has a planned clubhouse and small pool. These are four season homes in a four seasons community! Weirs Beach is a perfect distance from Boston and points north with about a 1 1/2 hour drive. Give yourself a break and slow down in a great location to enjoy the Lakes Region.

Dual Broker Open House ~ April 21 !

The Necessity of Change

In the beginning, Weirs Beach Village was originally structured as a development which would consist of 85 detached condominiums on leased land. The City of Laconia gave us the green light. We built four models ~ the Gilford, the Wolfeboro, the Meredith, and the Alton. People were curious. We landscaped, we paved, we began our marketing strategy. People became interested. We signed contracts, we courted a variety of financial institutions. We waited.

All around us, the economic climate was shifting dramatically. The government was responding by demanding strict changes in banking and lending institutions guidelines. The new Fannie Mae guidelines put severe restrictions on condominium financing. We watched and wondered what this meant for our project.

"Your success in life isn't based on your ability to simply change. It is based on your ability to change faster than your competition, customers and business." ~ Mark Sanborn

Skip Kelley, the developer, the brain and the heart of Weirs Beach Village, did what he does best ~ he problem solved. He investigated. He calculated. He knew there had to be a change at the project. He figured out what that change had to be and he then made that change. And that is why he has been so successful in the NH Real Estate scene for the past 25 + years.

So we have made the decision to abandon the condominium concept. Weirs Beach Village is becoming a Homeowners' Association.  We have begun the process of making the necessary legal changes through the NH Attorney General's Office and have been given permission to accept non-binding purchase and sales agreements. We expect to have all final approvals in place within the next 45 days.

The change was necessary. And the people are excited. All six of the homes which we have built are under agreement (non-binding). Prudential-Verani have had to add more hours and more staff up at the project to handle the calls and visits from customers. But there are some aspects which have not changed and will not change ~ we are still building high quality, affordable houses in the Lakes Region. Customer satisfaction is still a priority. It always has been and it always will be ~ some things never change.