Newport RI Real Estate Blog - Newport News

Tips from an Insider: Newport Beaches

Newport RI is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in New England. Though they all make for a great day by the water, not all of the beaches here are the same. Some provide a more exciting atmosphere with volleyball and surfing, while others make for a quiet place to nap or read a book. To ensure you get the beach experience you are looking for here is a breakdown of the seven major beaches in the area and the local lingo that will help you find them.

Public Beaches

Easton’s Beach- More commonly known as "First Beach", Easton’s is lovingly named “The Tourist Beach” by the locals. It's the first beach you see along the main drag of Memorial Boulevard. It also has tons of parking, a snack bar, a small aquarium and a jungle gym, making it very…

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Newport, RI: Tips from an Insider

I grew up in Newport and moved to Boston a few years ago for school. Though the frequency of my visits now resemble those of a tourist more so than a local, the tricks I’ve learned from living here make my trips much richer than the recommended guide book version. In this series of blog posts I will share my secrets to help visitors and those looking to buy a home in Newport get the most out of their time in this great town.

I came back to Newport during the busiest part of summer, making the topic of my first post pretty easy to decide on: Getting Around Town. Every Friday Bellevue Ave floods with cars coming off the bridge. Thames St. is a nightmare with standstill traffic for miles. Parking is also pricy and hard to find. Newport is not a place…

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Newport, RI: Tall Ships Challenge 101

Tall Ships come to Newport July 6-9, 2012

It seems everywhere I go these days I overhear people chatting in eager anticipation of the Tall Ships arrival to Newport this summer. The buzz generating around this maritime festival is quite contagious, and I too have caught "the bug". I have quickly come to realize if I'm to call myself a Newporter, I must be in the know about such a highly acclaimed event and what it means for the city. So, I did some digging, and here's what I found.

Newport last boasted official host port to the Tall Ships Challenge in 2007. The festival at that time drew an estimated 200,000 people to Rhode Island creating an enormous economic impact on the state. As 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, organizers of…

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The Magic of Newport in Winter

Newport Winter Festival 2009

It's no secret that Newport, RI with its lovely seascapes, upscale shops and warm weather attractions is an enormously popular summer destination. Bustling boulevards from Bellevue Ave. to Thames Street are evidence of its summertime appeal. If you were to ask the locals the best time to enjoy Newport, however, you might be surprised to hear them say, "Winter."

True, Newport offers ample entertainment for all ages in the summer months, but while warm weather attracts tourists, the off season is a time to celebrate the natives. Popular winter events include mansion tours, ice skating at the Newport Yachting Center and the infamous St. Patty's Day Parade, which happens to fall directly on St. Patrick's Day this year. What…

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Sell What you Love - Newport, RI's Most Recent Convert

Hogan Associates, 129 Bellevue Ave. Newport, RI

I can't believe I'm typing from a desk in the window front of an office overlooking Newport, RI's most famous street, beautiful Bellevue Ave! After a year with Landmark Realty Group of Wakefield, RI, I have made the infamous transition from mainland to island, and I'm happy to report that life on Aquidneck is amazing!!

My name is Stephanie Johnson, and I am a small town girl who has always had a taste for adventure the latest of which has been laying down roots here in the ocean state. Having grown up landlocked in West Rutland, Vermont, population approximately 2,400, I have developed a childlike appreciation for all that Rhode Island and Newport especially, have to offer! Boasting some of the most…

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Shopping Local in Newport, RI

The Shops on Bellevue Avenue, Newport, RI

When it comes to saving money, having a Newport office among Bellevue Avenue's lovely, one-of-a-kind shops is more of a curse than a blessing, but as an incentive to shop local it is simply AWESOME!  

I am an incurable one-for-them-one-for-me kind of holiday shopper, and I confess to doing more than a little damage to my pocketbook this year buying things for myself as I shop for the people on my list. In the process, however, I made a few new friends and I hope I did a little to help preserve the character of Bellevue Avenue's very special retail businesses.  

My newfound "enablers" include Dan MacDonald, exquisite jewelry dealer / manufacturer at Three Golden Apples, watch collector and jewelry expert, Ray…

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Leaving Las Vegas

Last weekend I returned from a tech summit for real estate webmasters in Las Vegas. It  wasn't easy to squeeze into the schedule, but the meeting was great, I have an 18-page list of new ideas. The experience also reinforced my conviction that nothing - not even insanely great technology - trumps a face-to-face meeting.  

I had several terrific conversations with successful, generous, talented brokers and tech professionals who shared stories about building businesses, managing web sites and improving support for clients and agents in the process.  Among these were Dave Abernathy of  Waterfront Properties, Palm Beach, Ed and Cindy Knight of Rooms Realty in Macomb County, MI and Eric Blackwell of Eric on Search who shared some inspiring ways to "pay…

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America's Cup World Series a Boon to RI Real Estate?

Newport, RI will be the final stop of the 2011-2012 America's Cup World Series from June 23 - July 1, 2012. Developed to expose millions of people to competitive high-performance racing, the new America's Cup professional circuit will conclude here in Newport bringing with it extensive international publicity, a welcome boost to the local economy and wonderful exposure for sellers of area real estate.

Unlike previous America's Cup races held off shore, current plans call for the Newport races to stay inside the Harbor with the start/finish line just off the shoreline. Spectator viewing areas will provide front row seats as world-class sailors compete in 9 state-of-the-art AC45 wing-sailed catamarans. The AC45 can achieve speeds over 35 mph, but is…

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The Latest Addition to the Hogan Associates Family!

William Sanford Hadfield, June 11, 2011

Welcome, Willy!

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Secret Newport, RI Short Cuts: What your GPS won't tell you.

"Isn't it just awful getting around here in the summer?"

When I bring buyers to see homes for sale in Newport, RI, I always get this question: "Isn't it just awful getting around here in the summer?"

I live in Newport, right downtown, and the truth is, it's NOT hard to get around in the summer, and by and large, traffic congestion is limited to weekends and the last two weeks of August when vacationing seems to reach its peak. That said, there are times when knowing your alternatives can save time and aggravation. Here are a few essential Newport short cuts. (Warning: share with discretion!)

SHORT CUT #1 - Bellevue / Memorial Intersection Work Around

We locals would never dream of going through the intersection of Bellevue Avenue and Memorial…

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