Photo of the Day - The Answer - Where In Eastham?

I took this photo, and the 'Pants' photo below, a few days ago, when it wasn't raining. Today was pretty bleak with a cold, steady, rain. Ugh.

The 'Pants' photo was of the front porch of the Eastham Coast Guard Station at Coast Guard Beach. Apparently, some visitors had damp pants (freshly washed?) and wanted them to dry in the sun. Check out the photo..

Blue Whale Spotted Off Provincetown

Blue whales, the largest mammals on earth, were once thought to be extinct since they were hunted so fiercely up to 1976. Their numbers today are somewhere in the 10s of thousands, mostly in the way northern waters, seldom coming as far south as Cape Cod. But, recently, one was spotted near Provincetown. This whale was somewhere in the 75-80 foot range. A very unusual bonus for the folks on the whale watch that afternoon. The boat's captain, who has been on 6500 such whale watches, has seen only 4 blue whales.

Read the Cape Codder's article on the blue whale. Fun!

Photo of the Day - Pants Drying - Where in Eastham?

I was driving around Eastham today, looking to take a few photos. It was a cool, clear, cloudless, day. Wonderful!  Anyway, while shooting within the Seashore I found this strange sight. These pants were found drying in the sun. Where in Eastham was I?

2011 Oyster Shuck-Off Competition

Wellfleet's Oysterfest was a huge success this year. Part of the festivities, and the success, is the annual oyster shuck-off.  This video gives you an idea of the competition. Enjoy! Congratulations go to Camden Holland, this year's winner. Camden worked this summer at Mac's Seafood, in Wellfleet.

Foreclosed and Sued - The Double Whammy!

Did you know that forty-one states (Massachusetts??) and the District of Columbia permit lenders to sue borrowers for mortgage debt still left after a foreclosure sale? The banks are simply responding to the serious losses they have had to eat  due to today's battered housing market. This is true because foreclosed homes seldom fetch enough to cover the outstanding loan amount, both because buyers financed so much of the purchase price—up to 100% of it during the housing boom—and because today's foreclosures take place following a four-year decline in values.

The Wall Street Journal covered this phenomena on its online Homes section. Go check it out.

My 3Q2011 Eastham Report is Available Now!

My November 2011 report is available now! This issue of my newsletter has the sales results through the third quarter (ie through the end of September). You'll also get my "looking forward" commentary with my predictions for 2011. Additionally, you'll find articles about being sued after a foreclosure and about Eastham's Turnipfest.

This newsletter has been published every month for almost 9 years. My aim, with my newsletter, is to provide accurate sales and market information about the Eastham housing marketplace, to add commentary and opinion (as appropriate), and to keep it interesting. Download your copy of my November newsletter now.

Eastham Active Listings At Five Year High

The number of 'Active' listings in Eastham varies widely over the course of the year, typically peaking in September or October. This year the peak (if you believe that we're at the peak) is about 21% above where it was last year (see chart below). Said differently, we have about a 16 month inventory of homes for sale, calculated from running-year sales (12 months, Oct 2010 to Sept 2011).  We haven't seen this many active listings since 2006.

This makes it a great time for Buyers since we have maximum choice in all price ranges. Coupled with low, low mortgage interest rates, and a desire of most sellers not to hold onto their homes through the winter, makes for a great time to buy, buy, buy.

For more Eastham market information, and my market commentary, download a copy of my monthly newsletter ... Here.

New Listing - Large Ocean Side Contemporary Cape

This like-new large Contemporary Cape has 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a huge kitchen, enormous living room w/fireplace, a full-length screen porch, first floor laundry, natural gas, and much more. Wonderfully landscaped. Detached garage. Property convenient to Nauset Regional High School and the National Seashore's Nauset Light Beach. Exclusive.  Listed at $629,000.

Go to http://260queenanndr.robertsheldon.com/ for more photos and a Virtual Tour.

2011 Wellfleet Oysterfest - October 15th & 16th

This year will be the 11th annual Wellfleet OysterFest. The weekend (and the village) will be filled with fun things for the whole family to do and see. There is a 5K run, arts & crafts, an old fashioned spelling bee (both adults and kids), educational presentations at Preservation Hall, and the all-important oyster shucking contest (amazing!).

Go to http://www.wellfleetoysterfest.org/ for more information, a schedule of events and for instructions on how to shuck an oyster.

Chicago Tribune - Author Loves Oysters (& Wellfleet)

Mayo Beach - Antique Postcard

Christopher Borrelli, a travel reporter from the Chicago Tribune, spent Labor Day weekend enjoying the sights, smells, and tastes of Wellfleet. He, apparently, loves oysters. The author reviews a number of Wellfleet restaurants, including one of my favorites, the Bookstore, overlooking Mayo Beach.

It is nice that the author mentions the upcoming Wellfleet Oysterfest, October 15th-16th. Read the Tribune article...Here.

September - By The Numbers

Eastham's September's sales were up a from last month, but still on a pace that's significantly below last year. This year's sales lag 2010 by about 8%, year-to-date. The details....

• There were 16 homes sold in Eastham in September, up 7 from August's 9
• Total sales were roughly $7.3M - the average home sale price was $460K
• The median sale price in September was $382K.
• There are currently 129 active single family listings in Eastham, with an average list price of $549K and a medium price of $448K. The average days-on-market is currently 198 days.

For more details, graphs, and commentary, subscribe to my monthly Eastham newsletter. I've been publishing this newsletter for almost 9 years. Check out my sample newsletter, Here.