Concord, Nashua: Hot Emerging Housing Markets; Job Recovery; More

CONCORD, NH — If you did not know it already, two New Hampshire cities have made the Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com "emerging housing markets index" list.

This list, issued on Tuesday, posted Concord as the 8th hottest emerging housing market in the nation and Manchester-Nashua in 9th place. Currently, according to the report and real estate watchers, the residential real estate market is one of the most popular investments — with owner-occupied housing in the United States valued at around $32 trillion.

The survey caught the eye of Gov. Chris Sununu, who noted New Hampshire was the only state with two communities in the Top 10 list.

"With a superior quality of life, thousands of high-paying jobs, and no income or sales tax, it's no surprise people are looking to move to New Hampshire," he said.

Anyone who has been looking for a home in the state knows it is a hot market with limited available units and vacancies, prices increasing to unfathomable and unheard of amounts, and not a lot of building going on either, to keep up with the demand. At the same time, many new people have been moving to or buying second homes in the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking of Nashua And Manchester …

WalletHub.com, a personal finance website, listed both cities on its Top 20 most recovered unemployment rate list on Wednesday.

Nashua, according to the study, is 9th on the list while Manchester is 12th nationwide.

The unemployment rate in Nashua last month was 3.8 percent — a drop of more than 5.5 percent since March 2019. In Manchester, the recovery was even more impressive: More than 21.1 percent to 3.8 percent during the same time period.

Watch an overview here:

Read the full study below:

Most Googled Term? 'How Do I …?'

"...file for unemployment."

That's what most people in New Hampshire have been Googling, according to CenturyLinkQuote.com.

New Hampshire, according to the study, was not alone — 14 other states and Washington, DC, were also trying to find out how to file for unemployment.

Read the full study here.

Banks Launch Annual Photo Contest

Meredith Village Savings Bank, Merrimack County Savings Bank, and the Savings Bank of Walpole have launched their annual community photo contest for 2021.

The winning photos will be featured on the websites of the banks as well as the New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp and NHTrust, and community calendars issued each year. Photos may also be selected for holiday cards and note cards.

Winning photographers will receive $100. A maximum of five photos will be accepted per photographer in various categories. Entries will be accepted electronically from May 3 to May 31. Entry information will be posted online on May 3.

This is the fourth year of the contest.

Eversource Offering Payment Assistance

Eversource is reminding its customers that anyone having difficulty paying their utility bills may qualify for state or federal assistance.

One program, the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program covers past-due and future rent payments, utilities and heating costs, and other housing-related costs such as Internet, the company said. There are also other programs such as fuel assistance, temporary hardship status programs, and the Neighbor Helping Neighbor fund. The company has also been working with customers, on a one-on-one basis, to assist them.

"We know that many of our customers continue to face financial impacts and other challenges due to the pandemic, and we want them to take advantage of the programs available to help them with their energy bill like the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program," said Jessica Cain, an Eversource vice president of customer operations. "Customers who've never needed assistance previously may not realize they qualify. With several different programs available to help, we remain committed to working one-on-one with customers to connect them with the best solution in their specific case."

Visit this link for more information.

CommuteSMART Challenge Starts May 1

The annual CommuteSMARTseacoast B2B Challenge begins May 1 — but there is still time to register a team.

The effort encourages alternative transportation options when going to work — biking, carpooling, public transportation, walking, skateboarding, and other commuting options during the month of May.

To register a team, click on this link.

Who Needs Work? 10 Virtual Job Fairs

The state of New Hampshire is hosting 10 virtual job fairs during the month of May in all kinds of sectors and areas of the state.

Employers looking to register their company and job seekers looking for work can register for one of the job fairs by going to virtualjobfairs.nh.gov.

• May 6: Veteran virtual job fair in partnership with NH DMAVS.
• May 11: Student virtual job fair in partnership with Pinkerton Academy.
• May 11: Student and adult education virtual job fair in partnership with Pinkerton Academy.
• May 13: Construction industry virtual job fair in partnership with ABC NH/VT.
• May 18: Great North Woods Region and Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee Region.
• May 19: Seacoast Region.
• May 20: White Mountains Region.
• May 25: Lakes Region.
• May 26: Monadnock Region.
• May 27: Capitol and Southern Region.

New Hampshire Works Jobs Centers will reopen to the public by May 10.

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