It’s akin to the feeling you get as a kid when Christmas morning is finally here.  The anticipation has built up for weeks and now you awake to the smells of breakfast and the scene of Santa’s bounty left behind.  Regardless of whether your gift is a pair of socks or that new easy-bake oven you’ve been eyeing all this time, the feeling of relief is the same.

For those of us who spend lots of time traveling, it is that relaxing sensation when you finally arrive at your destination.  After long hours on the road or in the air, when you finally plop down your travel bag and can take a hot shower, fall into own bed and get some overdue sleep or just wash-up and spend some long awaited, quality-time with your couch!  The nerves ease, the shoulders relax and once again you can feel at “home”.

What got me on this kick today is that beautiful white stuff that has finally fallen from the sky and blanketed our beautiful valley!  The ski resorts have done an admirable job of getting their trails in order.  The snowmakers have been spending countless hours making up for Mother Nature.  And the groomers have been “making mountains of mole-hills” in the best way possible.  Now, two weeks in a row, we finally have the pleasure of natural snow for the rest of the area.  I’ll admit it is nice to hit the slopes and enjoy the work of the “machines”.  But more than anything, I enjoy a simple drive through the back roads to take in the quiet beauty of snow covered trees and homes.  What a relief.

It is one of the many reasons we live in this beautiful area.  I love summertime.  I enjoy hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking and just stepping outside of my house without shivering.  Summer offers peepers at night, warm days in the sun and countless activities for all ages.  But winter and snow offer something even more special.  Sure, the temperatures are a little less friendly but the scenes created by nature’s frosting are second to none.  Hiking along a frozen sidewalk in the woods without stumps and rocks to trip over is quite a treat.  And sliding your way back down that trail is a well-deserved reward for your hard work.  There’s a good reason they are called the White Mountains!

Finding that sense of relief can come in various forms.  If you are trying to sell your Jackson, NH real estate, there is nothing better than the arrival of that offer in the amount you were hoping for.  For buyers, when you find that perfect piece of North Conway, NH real estate in which you can envision building your new life, you know your exhausting search is finally over.  For those of us “in” the business, when two people are able to meet in the middle, agree on price and conditions and make their way to the closing table, there is no better feeling.  Not only are you happy you were able to service your seller appropriately and find a buyer.  But, the feeling of helping someone find a place to call home is also something special.

Ask anyone in the real estate industry how the market is going and more often than not, you’ll get an answer with a tone of relief.  While the homes are not “flying off the shelves” like they did 6 or 7 years ago, the general consensus is one of optimism.  Consumer confidence is getting back where it belongs, lending companies are putting together smart loans with appropriate levels of caution, and day-by-day people are buying up homes and getting on with their lives.

Relief can come in many forms.  For some it is the privilege of first tracks on a freshly groomed slope after a long week at work.  Others find solace in an evening with friends and family.  In the warmer months, a quiet morning on a peaceful pond is just the thing.  Still there are those, like myself, that find their rejuvenating relief on the top of Mount Washington and the silence of the snow covered forest along the way.  Whatever your pleasure, I hope you find your own sense of relief this weekend.