Realtors often get cast as door openers. They’re just the dudettes who meet you at the house with the key and Vanna White Wave their arms grandly around the house, announcing, “This is the kitchen, this is the primary bedroom, this is the ensuite…”
Ensuite, of course, just the fancy term for the toilet.
And sure, sometimes I do that, sans the high heels and fancy wardrobe.
Bright, simple, surprisingly private–mature lilacs, mixed shrubbery, and trees buffer along the lot line to create a natural screen. One-level living on a 0.21-acre lot. Two huge triple-pane picture windows (installed last year) frame the main living area. You’ll find wood-toned flooring, built-in shelving, and an enclosed porch/sunroom warmed by a pellet stove. Key systems are already handled: furnace and water heater installed two years ago, plus bath and shower updates in 2025. Detached garage, apple trees, wild backyard strawberries, and a chicken coop. About a 5-minute walk to Mckenzie’s Wakefield Farm Stand, a 10-minute bike ride to Lovell Lake, and roughly a 20-minute drive to Market Basket in Rochester. Open House Saturday May 30 and Sunday May 31, 10am to 11:30am. Or schedule your private tour today.
Sometimes, though, a home needs way more, and I’m there for that too. Back in December, I signed an exclusive listing contract with my current clients for a little blue house in Sanbornville, New Hampshire. Yesterday, we finally listed on the MLS, and you can now view the property on Zillow. Except Zillow won’t show you the 45 home-repair warrior weekends of hauling, fixing, cleaning, and devotion poured into this home, stewarded and loved by the same family for the past 25 years.
“This feels like when we first moved here and all the painting and everything else we did. My husband found the house on a bicycle ride and saw the sign in the yard,” my client said, sitting in the only chair left in the living room.
When I first walked the property the pale wood paneling printed with ducks crossing the sky, deer tucked into the brush, bare trees, quiet field edges in faded brown linework, the sepia wildlife motif probably stood out the most to me. Underneath, we discovered orange drywall.
You can see when we started the project by the accumulated snow and the random stack of tires you can see through the window, versus the after-photo’s green grass.
Probably my favorite transformation was removing the popcorn ceiling because you didn’t have to think much. Just scrape, scrape, Zen Buddhist with a putty knife.
I posted the thumbs-up photo to Facebook. A few professional painters asked what I was up to. Some of the drywall face paper peeled right off with the popcorn. We Kilzed, mudded, painted. Then, of all things, we hand-sanded the ceilings smooth, which was exhausting medieval work. Shoulders, neck, wrists: everything ached.
Yeah, I know, power tools exist, but hand sanding is gentler, gives you more control. You feel the ceiling through the tool, and you’re less likely to gouge the joint compound or tear more drywall.
We chose a faded blue denim for the cabinetry to replace the muted pumpkin-spice orange-brown, and added Ajuny ceramic knobs. Installed knotty-pine baseboard. Then threaded the same blue throughout to provide the home with a cohesive continuity. The tool pile kept getting smaller.
Divider walls were knocked down in the enclosed porch, and a fresh coat of paint was applied to brighten the already sunny space.
Not all of this work was done by me, of course. My clients pitched in. Patching drywall holes, emptying the garage, installing trim. Plus, my family showed up for a lot of the yardwork.
Is the house finished?
No.
There are existing issues we did not touch—like roofing and the foundation on one side of the home, but we’ve done a pre-listing inspection through WIN Home Inspections, which potential buyers are more than welcome to peruse—and we’ve priced accordingly. In fact, out of the three currently available homes in Sanbornville, we are the lowest price point. Our open houses are scheduled for Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31, from 10am to 11:30am.
And all of this, by the way, is exactly how I treat all of my clients, but you don’t have to take me word for it:
And holy smokes, has this guy been an absolute force for good!! …Steve shifted in to overdrive. He came to my house and raked leaves, cleaned gutters and moved more items than is really fair! […] Steve (and his family!!) helped us clean and pack up 25 years worth of collections, creations and clutter! He lugged boxes […] He drove the U-Haul to our new place and stayed with my daughter and I unloading until about 10pm. […] I did not know that real estate agents like Steve actually existed!
About this publication.
Coffee with Steve is an independent publication by Steve Bargdill. Views are my own and do not represent Keller Williams Coastal & Lakes & Mountains Realty (“KWCLM”) or any other organization. Each Keller Williams Office is Independently Owned and Operated.
Not advice. Content is informational and educational; it is not legal, tax, or financial advice and does not guarantee results. Talk to a licensed professional who knows your situation before you act.
No agency created. Reading this does not create an agency relationship or agreement for services. Brokerage representation requires a separate written agreement with KWCLM.
Licensure. I am licensed in New Hampshire. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Wire-fraud warning. During representation by Keller Williams, you will never be asked via email to wire funds to anyone, including a title company. Do not follow email wiring instructions. Always verify by phone using a trusted number.
You can reach Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty at 603-610-8500 or Steve Bargdill directly at 603-617-6018.
Steve Bargdill | Realtor & Author | Seacoast NH | Licensed in NH as Stephen Bargdill Jr., with Keller Williams Coastal & Lakes & Mountains Realty.
Pronouns: he, they
