Are We About To Dodge A Weather Bullet?

The weather for the next few days looks awful, especially for the Boston metropolitan area and western Massachusetts. It appears that the Cape, and the Outer Cape in particular, will be spared the worst of the upcoming storm, which appears to be ready to dump a foot or more of fresh snow, on top of the several feet already on the ground. Ugh!

Check out the weather map, below, on what is expected. Note that the Cape is largely spared.

10 Great Ideas for Small Kitchen Upgrades

There are many smaller homes and cottages on the Outer Cape that are crying for updated kitchens. Often the smallness of the kitchens make doing serious updates nearly impossible. As a Realtor, I've learned that kitchens sell homes, so the kitchen needs to look good.

The website Houzz.com has put together 10 great ideas that should go a long ways to bringing older kitchens into the new millennium. Check out these ideas here.

Battered Shores, Great Whites & More! The Year In Review

This year has provided lots of ups and downs, when it comes to Mother Nature on the Outer Cape. The Cape Codder has put together their annual year-in-review article.  The article addresses the spring storms, right whales, sharks, coyotes, sea turtles, and more.

The article is ... Here.

Photo of the Day - Hatfull of Potatoes

Who knew that this would be such a big weekend on the Outer Cape? In Eastham we have the Turnip Fest and (tomorrow) the Annual Duck Races. In Orleans we have "Hatfull of Potatoes" day at the Bird Watchers General Store. This is an annual fun event that they put on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I went today as a lark, and came home with a hat full of potatoes. A BIG hatfull. Apparently funny hats are required (see mine, far right).

Outer Cape Population Declines

The 2010 census data very recently was published in the Cape Cod Times.  I found the data surprising. First, the data...

• P-Town - 2010 Population 2,942 - Down 14.3% from 2000
• Truro - 2,003 - Down 4%
• Wellfleet - 2,750 - Unchanged
• Eastham - 4,956 - Down 9.1%
• Orleans - 5,890 - Down 7.1%
• Harwich - 12,243 - Down 1.2%
• Brewster - 9,820 - Down 2.7%
• Chatham - 6,125 - Down 7.6%

In addition to these numbers, the number of school-age children (under 18 years old), was down even further. It doesn't seem to me that we have 9% less folks in Eastham than 10 years ago.

The article provided some anecdotal insight as to why the population has declined so much. The 'reasons' included the lack of job advancement opportunities, and the desire of some retirees to return to where they came from (?). I have a theory that may account for some of the reduction, at least in Eastham. My theory lies in the manner in which the data is collected. I think that many folks, who still maintain a permanent home in Eastham, have chosen to call their non-Massachusetts home their 'primary' residence - for tax reasons.

Read the Cape Cod Times article...Here.

There's a Cape Cod App!

Do you have a smart phone? Either a Droid or an iPhone will do. I discovered that a company named Chimani has 2 different smartphone apps that apply strictly to Cape Cod - mostly the Outer Cape. The 2 apps (a free lite version and a $2.99 'regular' version) provide lots of interesting information, maps, with hiking and biking trails. The regular version adds tide and sunset charts, a photo gallery, picnic areas, restroom locations, and much more.

Check it out on your app store. I bought the $2.99 version and am pleased with the variety and scope of the information. Take a look at their Cape Cod website...Here.

Outer Cape Real Estate - Prices By Town

I recently had a call from a client who asked about the relative prices of homes in Eastham versus the neighboring and nearby Outer Cape towns. Check out the graph, below.  You'll see that Eastham is one of the more affordable towns at this end of the Cape. Eastham is slightly more expensive than Harwich and Brewster, but less expensive than Orleans, Chatham, Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown, based on both the average and median prices for single family homes in 2010.

This chart supplements the information from my March newsletter. Go to http://newsletters.robertsheldon.com/ to download my March newsletter.

My March Newsletter - Available Now!

My March Eastham real estate newsletter is available now! This issue has Part 2 of my year-end real estate results - this time with some stats on neighboring/nearby Outer Cape towns. Go to http://newsletters.robertsheldon.com/ to download your copy.

The home sale prices for Eastham's neighors vary significantly. They show the median prices flat for Brewster, and up 17% in Chatham and Provincetown. Wow!

Another Mid-Week Storm - Really?

The weatherman is promising another mid-week storm this Tuesday into Wednesday. So far, the Outer Cape, including Eastham, has largely dodged these bullets. I'm sure glad that we have been spared the deep snowfalls of the I-95 corridor, including metro-Boston. Check out the map, below.

PS. I wish I was kidding!

Nauset Newcomers

Nauset Newcomers is an organization designed to help new residents of Outer Cape Cod get acquainted with life on the peninsula, meeting others, and doing things together. Founded 34 years ago, they have over 1000 members, mostly from Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans and Brewster. The many activities include such things as golf, bridge, dining out, and travel. The group also helps others through Community Service opportunities.

Their meetings are held the second Wednesday of each month from September through May at the Wellfleet Cinemas, on the Eastham/Wellfleet town line. Check out their website at http://www.nausetnewcomers.org/.

It's Deja Vu - Midweek Snow Again!

It seems like we are on a bi-weekly snowstorm routine. This time it's coming tonight, into tomorrow and into Thursday. Check out the snowfall chart, below. Last time, the Outer Cape didn't get too much snow. Let's hope!

Wall Street Journal - Vacation Home Markets Are Up!

Today's Wall Street Journal ran an article that highlighted the fact that vacation home areas are experiencing a rebounding marketplace. This is, of course, what we've been seeing here in Eastham and the Outer Cape (see prior article, below). As discussed in the article, vacation and second home markets react differently from 'normal' markets. Very few folks have to sell, and very few have to buy - providing a bit of stabilization to the market.  Check out the article...here.

The article points out that across all of Barnstable County (a.k.a. Cape Cod) sales volume was up 9%. Eastham saw a 31% increase.

Fort Hill Trail (& an Outer Cape Slideshow)

Yesterday, my wife & I took a short walk. We went to Fort Hill, overlooking the Town Cove and Nauset Marsh, and took a short hike on the Fort Hill Trail.  This trail descends from the hill (yes - Fort Hill is a hill!) to the marsh front then loops back around a quiet meadow before climbing back up the hill to the parking lot. I took the following photo of the backside of the Coast Guard Station at Coast Guard Beach.

I found a wonderful slideshow of photos of the Outer Cape, taken this summer, by Jonathan Lurie. Check out the slideshow... Here.

My 500th Blog Post

Although it's taken me a couple years, I finally got to a major milestone in Blog-dom, my 500th post. Since late August, 2008, I've managed to find and/or create articles that interest my readers, mostly folks that love Eastham and Outer Cape Cod. I hope you'll continue to find this blog interesting, informative, and worth the few minutes that it takes to see what's on my mind, and what's happening on the Outer Cape.

Golfing the Cape - The Outer Cape is Rough Golfing

The Boston Globe ran an article highlighting the three public courses on the Outer Cape. The story was about the Highland Links in Truro, Chequessett Yacht and Country Club in Wellfleet, and the Chatham Seaside Links in Chatham. Although they are all only 9 hole courses, they represent 27 of the toughest, roughest, and most challenging holes just about anywhere. The courses all sit overlooking the water, 'suffer' from prevailing winds, and have roughs that could hide small children. I've played all three courses, Chequessett many times, and greatly enjoyed the floggings they delivered. Read the article.... Here.

Bedrooms And Septic Systems - Oh My!

As we look for a home in Eastham (or anywhere on the Outer Cape),  I, as your Realtor, will constantly be talking about the number of bedrooms and the number of LEGAL bedrooms. These two numbers aren't always the same. Although the listing agent should have done their homework to ensure that the number of bedrooms in a home is not misrepresented, it's not always the case. The installed septic system is usually (but not always) the key to the number of bedrooms.  I will personally ensure that the home you choose to buy will be properly (and legally) described as far as the bedrooms is concerned.

Read this article about the relationship of bedrooms and septic systems... Here. This article is from Bill Gassett of RE/MAX Executive Realty of Hopkinton, MA. 

Yankee Magazine - Spring on the Outer Cape

I love it when the Outer Cape is featured in a national magazine. This time it's Yankee Magazine's March/April edition. Yankee ran an article highlighting the Outer Cape's wonderful off-season early Spring. The article starts it's journey in Orleans, with Rock Harbor and Nauset Beach and ends in P-Town, touching Eastham at the National Seashore Visitors Center and the Nauset Trail, and ending at P-Town's MacMillan Pier. Read the article, entitled "The Cape Wakes Up" ...Here.

A Great Outer Cape Slideshow

Every once in a while I come across an exceptional set of photographs. It's particularly exciting when they were take on the Outer Cape. A set by Ed Steinerts from Milford, CT, caught my eye and I've gotten permission to highlight it on my blog. Check out his slideshow...Here.

Ed has quite a number of photo sets on Flickr.com. Check them out.

The Outer Cape - From the Air

I came upon this really neat slideshow of photos of the Outer Cape, from Chatham to P-Town. These photos were taken by Meredith Baker, of Boston. See if you can figure out what some of these photos are... go here for the slideshow. The photos were taken last fall. Enjoy!

Vermont Moose Visits the Outer Cape

While exploring the far corners of the web, I encountered the adventures of a traveling moose, named Moose (seems fitting). The whimsical website follows the whereabouts of Moose, taking photos in front of local landmarks. Well, last summer Moose came to the Outer Cape, as evidenced by the following photos. The first was in front of the Highland Light in Truro. The second appears to be at the top of the stairs at Nauset Light Beach in Eastham. It also appears that Moose doesn't like to get wet - he stayed in the car while it rained at the Highland Light. Hmmm.

Follow Moose at http://www.avermontmoose.com/. He'll be back this summer.