Mortgage Rates Drop to Lowest Level on Record

I'm not sure who keeps the 'official' record book, but CNBC is reporting that 30 year mortgage rates have dropped to the lowest level EVER!  The mortgage rates fell to 4.69% for a 30 yr mortgage with no points.  Read the story on  CNBC's website.

A Live Whale in Chicago??

There was a scheme to capture and drag a live whale to the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, known as the Chicago Columbian Exposition, where it was to be installed in a large tank to be viewed by the fairgoers. This strange story had it's origins in Provincetown, where Captain Amos Chapman was going to capture a whale live, then tow the creature through the St Lawrence River and 4 of the Great Lakes to Chicago.

Thankfully, he couldn't find (& capture) a whale in time.  Read this bizarre story in the Barnstable Patriot... Here.

Big July 4th Weekend Ahead!

This coming weekend, anchored by the 4th of July, on Sunday, is a big weekend on the Outer Cape. Check out these activities...

Orleans -

• Friday - July 2nd - Fireworks at Rock Harbor (rain date July 5th). These fireworks will be easily viewable from Skaket Beach and First Encounter Beach (Eastham)
• Saturday - Parade - 10 AM - from Eldredge Parkway to Main Street

Wellfleet -

• A complete weekend of fabulous activities - antique car parade, 5-mile run, dancing on the pier, and a 'regular' parade through town.  Check out their weekend on the Wellfleet town website....Here.

Provincetown -

• Sunday - July 4th - Parade at 11 AM on Commercial St
• Sunday - Fireworks at dusk

Working Remotely - From the Beach!

Bloomberg Businessweek ran a story this week about working from the beach. With the aid of the internet and appropriate additional technologies, many knowledge workers can work from almost anywhere. This story puts it all together.  I see many folks who have relocated to the Outer Cape to, essentially, work from the beach. Read the BBW story... Here. 

The photo to the right was taken from the website of the Cape Cod Beach Chair Company. Go check out their wonderful products...Here.

Blessing of the Fleet & Portuguese Festival

This coming weekend is the annual Provincetown Portuguese Festival and the Blessing of the Fleet. In fact, this will be the 63rd annual "Blessing". There is a complete weekend, starting Thursday, June 24th, through Sunday, June 27th, with the Blessing of the Fleet.

The highlights are an all-you-can-eat clamfest (Friday at 5PM), a parade on Commercial Street on Saturday (at 3PM) and the Blessing of the Fleet at 1PM on Sunday.  Go the the Festival's website for a complete schedule. This annual festival has many fun events for all ages. Go see!

Sharks On Cape Cod This Summer?

Will we see sharks on Cape Cod this year?  The following video, courtesy of the Cape Cod Times, is an interview with the state's shark expert, Greg Skomal, on that very subject. Watch this video as he outlines the recent past, last year's tracking efforts, and this year's prognosis. (I'll give you a hint .. the answer starts with a 'y'.)

Also, you need to see this photo of a sand shark pulled from the surf in Wellfleet.

Eastham Solds - Another Chart

The chart below didn't fit in my latest newsletter. This chart is a histogram of the homes sold so far this year (through 5/31/10). What this chart shows is a more 'normal' distribution of sales than we saw last year, with it's almost total void of homes in the $500K's and $600K's.

Madison & Morgan - 1 Year Old Today

Today we drove to Lynn to attend my twin granddaughters' first birthday party. They are so fun, even when the room had more adults than seats. The girls were overwhelmed with friends and family.  Check out the photo below of Maddie just beginning to devour a small birthday cake. Also, check out my daughter's blog, called The Mischievous Lives of Madison and Morgan.

My July Eastham Real Estate Newsletter Is Available Now

My July Eastham real estate newsletter is available now. This issue has the Eastham results through May and includes my mid-year preview, and a new listing - directly on the bike path. So far, the market seems to be improving, both in terms of sales volume and sales prices.

Download your copy of my July 2010 newsletter ..Here.

Would you like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter? Simply .. Click Here.

Eastham's Hands On The Arts Festival - June 19th & 20th

The Eastham Cultural Council will hold it's 12th annual fine arts and crafts show on June 19th and 20th at the Windmill Green. There will be over 30 juried artists and crafters on the Green for a show and sale including members of the Cape Cod Artisans Guild and Eastham Painters Guild. Go to their website for an overview of the schedule (National Marionette Theater, music, food, etc).