I found a new webcam (new to me, anyway) that overlooks Wellfleet harbor. This camera apparently pans and takes a panaramic view of the whole harbor area. Well worth a look-see. Take a look at http://www.mywellfleet.com/.
Bob Sheldon helped us find our dream vacation home on the cape through what I can only describe as patience and perseverance. Bob was sensitive to our price range, showed us a full range of properties in the area we were interested in but most importantly counseled patience in sticking with the place we eventually bought. Since we bought a forclosed house, more went wrong than right in the process with the seller, but Bob stuck with us in making the deal happen. Because of his counsel and patience we got the house we were after.
Although its not for sale, the White House would make a pretty expensive home. Given its size and location (and 35 bathrooms), the White House is valued at $308 million. And, it's not even on the water! Read the whole story on BusinessWeek's Hot Property website. What would the Title V septic system look like if it was in Eastham? Hmmm.
It's no secret that 2009 is going to be a tough year for real estate, even out here on Outer Cape Cod. But, we've seen signs of improvement (e.g. lower inventory, great mortgage rates). That said, HGTV's Frontdoor.com recently published an article providing tips for buying and selling in 2009. It's not rocket science, but it serves as a good reminder of the extra steps (and opportunities?) that these difficult times provide.
The Cape Cod National Seashore is hosting its annual winter film festival at the Salt Pond Visitors Center on Route 6 in Eastham. The films are all on Sundays at 1 PM and are free. You'll notice a theme...All the movies have a maritime theme (duh!) and are free.
Jan 23, 2009 is the 100th anniversary commemoration of the first wireless distress call at sea. The event will be celebrated globally by amateur radio operators, maritime historians, many are former military sparkies, and commercial maritime radio operators.
In a move necessitated by a contract with Major League Baseball, the Orleans Cardinals have changed their name to the Orleans Firebirds. Read the whole convoluted story and learn a bit of history on the College Baseball blog. Fun reading! The Firebirds' first home game will be June 13th.
These figures were shared in a recent speech by the Lt Governor of Utah, Gary Herbert. This doesn't mean we have nothing to worry about, but the current hole isn't as deep as we've seen.
This past week a very rare sighting was made of a porcupine in Eastham, near the bike path, on Locust Road. I say 'sighting' but the animal was actually roadkill. Since porcupines are nocturnal, they 'travel' at night and probably was nailed while crossing the road. Since porcupines aren't known to be on the Cape, how did it get all the way to the Outer Cape? The answer will never be known, but one theory is that it may have been 'bundled' into a load of Christmas trees and delivered here. An involuntary stow-away! This story appeared in Friday's Cape Codder - take a look.
My February 2009 newsletter is available now! This issue features the year-end 2008 sales report. Wow! What a story to tell! Also in this newsletter are 2 featured listings, one oceanfront in Wellfleet and the other an expanded antique in Eastham. To request your copy of the February 2009 newsletter, Click HERE...
The next graph shows current active single family homes in the context of the last 2 years. You'll see that inventory is decreasing. Time will tell us whether this is real or just a slow month in a normally slow season. It could be the beginning of a more balanced marketplace, caused in part, by renewed buying encouraged by the record low mortgage interest rates.
With the rates down at 5% for a 30 year fixed mortgage (or even 4.65% for a 15 year fixed), should you jump to refinance? Maybe not! There are quite a few factors that need to be considered before you decide whether to take the refinance step. As an example - will the closing costs of your new mortgage be more than the savings you'll enjoy with reduced payments? If your home's value has declined, do you need to put up more cash to avoid PMI? If you are thinking of making the call to your mortgage person, you need to read this article from the Fox Business Channel's website.
One of the prerequisites of a house changing hands in Eastham (at a closing), is that existing fuel oil tanks must either be double-walled or must be demonstrably less than 10 years old. Eastham (and other Outer Cape towns) has instituted this new 'rule' to prevent to release of fuel oil into the fragile aqua-system of the Outer Cape.An alternative to installing a new oil tank is conversion to natural gas heating. Many streets in Eastham have buried gas lines, making this conversion a viable option. Although conversion can be costly, the expense can be reduced by taking advantage of promotions offered by the gas company as their way of locking you in as a new customer. Also, sometimes the Seller will grant the Buyer a credit, at closing, since they will not have to pay for the take conversion.
Lastly, buried oil tanks are forbidden and must be removed prior to closing.
If you think the PanMass Challenge is a long bike ride, Truro native Ellery Althaus’s upcoming pan-Eurasian bike trip will strike you as a challenge indeed: 1,000 miles a month for 10 months. And, Althaus is looking for sponsors to help make the trip possible.
The index card on the right is from the blog "Indexed". For the Outer Cape the left endpoint is the off-season and the right endpoint is August 1st.
