Kathie Redmond Realtor

10/13/2026

Thinking about downsizing in New Hampshire? The numbers matter, but so do your time, relationships, and peace of mind.

My new blog, “The Value of Downsizing Beyond the Financial Statement,” explores how to evaluate your next home around the life you want to live, including the activities and connections you want to preserve.

If you’re considering selling and buying your next home, locally or out of state, call 603-490-5114 to start a conversation.

Life is short, and where you live matters.

10/12/2026

Mortgage & Finance Guide for Home Buyers in 2026

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions many people make. Understanding how mortgages work, what lenders consider, and how financing affects you

10/09/2026

I've never won the lottery. But I bought a condo on a pond with my hot husband, and honestly? It feels like kind of the same thing.

This is a crisp fall morning here, the fog rolling off the water, the whole pond putting on a show the way it does in every season. Spring, summer, fall, winter, it's never the same twice, and I never get tired of it.

Here's the part I didn't fully understand until we made the leap. When we downsized, I thought we were giving something up. Less house, less space, less to take care of. What we actually got was more.

More mornings like this one. More time on the water. More of the life we actually wanted, with the person I most wanted to live it with.

Turns out the jackpot was never the big house. It was the view, the water, the seasons, and the guy on the pontoon boat.

Life is short. Where you live matters. And so does who you're lucky enough to share it with.

10/09/2026

Here's something most sellers don't realize until they've been through it: the outcome of your sale is shaped long before the sign is installed in the yard or an offer ever arrives. It's shaped in the preparation.

This was me at a recent listing. Taking notes, yes, but also walking the home with my phone, capturing the video I'd later edit into the marketing that brings the right buyers through the door. At the open house, visitors actually told me they saw my reels and loved one of them (the coffee time one). That's the marketing doing its job before anyone even steps inside.

But the part you don't see is where the real strategy lives.

Good marketing isn't one-size-fits-all. The photos that open a listing on one platform aren't necessarily the ones that should lead on another, because the audience is different and what stops their scroll is different. I think about the order, the story each image tells, and who's on the other end of the screen. A home shown thoughtfully, to the right people, in the right way, draws stronger interest. And stronger interest is what gives you leverage later.

I'm also thinking ahead on your behalf. What questions will a buyer ask? Where might they push? I'll often suggest gathering contractor bids in advance, so if something comes up, we already have the answer in hand instead of scrambling for it.

When a home is prepared this carefully, priced right, and marketed with real intention, the strong offer with the terms you want tends to follow naturally. There's simply less to fight over when the work is done up front.

That's what preparation really is. It's me carrying the weight of the details so you can focus on your next chapter.

If you're thinking about selling and you want someone who does the strategic work long before the sign goes in the yard, let's talk.

10/05/2026

Real Estate Marketing Strategy That Builds Visibility and Trust

Real estate marketing is about more than posting property photos or creating occasional social media updates. Buyers often research locations, property types, p

09/28/2026

Homeownership Tips That Can Help Protect Your Home and Budget

Owning a home comes with more than a monthly mortgage payment. Regular maintenance, thoughtful improvements, and careful budgeting can help protect your propert

09/27/2026

"Why is my online estimate so different from my town's assessed value?"

I get this question all the time, and it came up again recently with a Salem homeowner. The short answer: your home has three different "values," and they're not measuring the same thing.

Your assessed value is the town's number, used only to figure property taxes. It is not your sale price.

Your online estimate, like a Zestimate, is a computer's best guess from public data and nearby sales. It's a starting point, but it can't see your condition, your updates, or your street's quirks.

Your market value is the real one: what an actual buyer will pay today. It reflects everything a formula and a tax record both miss.

So when these three numbers don't line up, nothing is wrong. They're answering three different questions. And when you're thinking about selling, market value is the one that counts.

If you'd like an honest, human read on what your home is actually worth, I'm always glad to help. No pressure, just clarity.

09/27/2026

When people go looking for a home, they focus on the house. The kitchen, the closets, the square footage. All of that matters. But there's something people forget to look at, and it ends up shaping their days far more than the countertops ever will.

What's within fifteen minutes.

This trail is about five minutes from my front door. So getting outside, moving, being in nature, isn't something I have to plan. It's just part of my day. And that one thing has made an enormous difference in how I feel.

After I downsized and stepped away from a demanding career, I wanted my days to be easier and to make room for the things I love. So when we chose this place, I paid attention to the whole radius, not just the house.

Within a few minutes: more trails, a grocery store, a gym, a pharmacy, the hardware store, restaurants, the post office, a bakery, a gift shop. Off the beaten path enough that there's no traffic, but still half an hour from Manchester and the airport, the Massachusetts border, and all the shopping in Salem and Plaistow. And I'm on a pond, so I can kayak, swim, fish, and skate right where I live. I bump into neighbors and have real conversations almost every day.

None of that shows up in a listing photo. But it's the texture of my whole life here.

So here's my advice if you're looking. Don't just ask whether you love the house. Ask what your ordinary Tuesday would look like from its front door. What's easy to get to? What would you actually do? That answer matters more than almost anything on the spec sheet.

It's a big part of why I love where I live. And it's exactly the kind of thing I help my clients think through.

09/26/2026

If you own a home in Salem, NH you probably just got a letter with a new assessed value, and for a lot of people, it was a jolt.

I had a homeowner call me this week, worried their taxes were about to jump because their new town value came in higher than their online estimate. It's a completely understandable fear, so I want to walk through what's actually happening, simply.

Salem just completed a town wide revaluation, which New Hampshire requires at least every five years. The last one was in 2021, and the market has risen since.

So these new values are the town catching up to what homes are really worth as of April 1, 2026.

But here's the key: your assessment is not your tax bill. Your taxes depend on the town's budget and the tax rate, and the new rate hasn't even been set yet.

When values rise across the whole town, the rate generally adjusts downward. Your bill only moves meaningfully if your value changed a lot more, or less, than the town average.

The town says it plainly: don't apply the old rate to your new value to guess your taxes. Wait for the final rate this fall.

If you're feeling uncertain about what any of this means for your home or your plans, reach out anytime. Sometimes one clear conversation is all it takes.

Sources: Town of Salem 2026 Revaluation, salemnh.gov/159/Revaluation-Information; Town of Salem News, news.salemnh.gov/understanding-salems-2026-property-revaluation

09/21/2026

Mortgage Rates What Buyers and Homeowners Should Know in 2026

Mortgage rates continue to play an important role in the housing market. For buyers, even a small change in the interest rate can affect monthly payments, purch