Water Issue Passed At Eastham Town Meeting

The Eastham Annual Town Meeting was held last night at the Nauset Regional High School. For the most part, it was a very positive affair, with only one item on the packed warrant defeated (see Article 18, below). Here is a summary of some of the interesting articles addressed last night.....

• Article 8 - Municipal Water - this is known as Phase 1 of the ultimate water system, to cover the affected area plus run pipes throughout the town for fire protection. Cost is $45.8M. It passed overwhelmingly with 858 'yes' and 140 'no' votes. It needed a 2/3 vote. Passed.
• Article 17 - Rock Harbor Dredge - a project split with Orleans to dredge Rock Harbor. Passed.
• Article 18 - Rooms Tax - to impose a 4% tax on summer rental homes. This would require the state legislature to approve it prior to any collection of taxes and would have first been applied to 2015 rentals. Defeated. 
• Article 21 - Sign Code - long overdue regulations for signs in Town. Passed.
• Article 22 - N. Eastham 'Overlay' Zoning District - a complicated new zoning district, that will cover the varied area mostly between Rt 6 and the bike path from Arnold's Restaurant to the northern junction of Nauset Rd and intended to encourage innovative development and more 'home town friendly' areas, such as shops, cafes, walking paths, Senior housing, etc. Passed.
• Article 31 - Buy 3.41 acres of Bay-front land adjacent to the Town property at the end on Dyer Prince Rd. The Town had a right of first refusal on the land and voted to purchase it at just under $1.5M. This will expand an area known in Town as 'Dog Beach'. Passed.  
• Article 35 and 36 - Private Road Maintenance and Plowing - designed to provide improved access to areas of town where the private roads are in bad shape. Primarily to provide access for emergency vehicles. Passed.
• Article 38 - Brackett Organic Common Fields - this was a petition to encourage the Town to set aside an acre of land for towns-folk to plant 'victory' gardens. The work would be entirely volunteered. This has been the pet-project of Nate Nickerson, the owner of Arnold's Restaurant, who recalls when that area was completely planted with Eastham turnips. Passed.

The meeting dragged on until shortly after 11 PM, and lacked the unruly nature that recent meetings have had. Very tedious, but civilized. Democracy at work.

Eastham's April Sales - Picking Up Steam!

Eastham's April 2014 sales show that 2014 may turn out to be a really good year. There were 14 single family home sales in April, bringing the year-to-date sales to 32 sales.  The details.....

• There were 14 homes sold in Eastham in April.
• Total April sales was $9.3M - with an average sale price of $665K and a median sale price of $444K. 
• There are currently 110 active single family listings in Eastham, with an average list price of $588K and a medium price of $455K.
• The average days-on-market is currently 216 days.

For more details, graphs, and commentary, download my latest monthly Eastham newsletter -- here. I've been publishing this newsletter for over 11 years with the goal of providing market information to my clients, so they may approach the market from a more informed position. Check it out!

2014 Eastham Town Meeting - May 5th

The Annual Town Meeting will be held on Monday, May 5th, this year at the Nauset Regional High School auditorium. This year the warrant has several articles that you may find interesting. They are...

• Article 8 - Municipal Water - this is known as Phase 1 of the ultimate water system, to cover the affected area plus run pipes throughout the town for fire protection. Cost is $45.8M. I expect it to Pass this year. Needs a 2/3 vote.
• Article 17 - Rock Harbor Dredge - a project that is being split with Orleans to dredge Rock Harbor.
• Article 18 - Rooms Tax - to impose a 4% tax on summer rental homes. This will require the state legislature to approve it prior to any collection of taxes. This could affect 2015 rentals, not 2014..
• Article 21 - Sign Code - long overdue regulations for signs in Town
• Article 35 & 36 - Private Road Maintenance & Plowing - designed to provide access to areas of town where the private roads are in bad shape. Primarily to provide access for emergency vehicles.

The warrant, all 64 pages, is online on the Eastham Town website,.. Here.  I'll try to provide an update on the 'results' of the meeting on my Blog and in next month's newsletter.

Cute Eastham Cottage - Near Cooks Brook Beach

EASTHAM - New Listing - This 2 bedroom ranch is the quintessential Cape Cod summer cottage! This cottage is just a short walk to Cooks Brook Beach and is on a quiet sand road. This cottage has been completely updated with new roof, floors, windows, new vaulted ceilings with ceiling fans, updated bathroom and kitchen, new appliances, gas furnace, new well and new septic. There is even a new loft area for storage, or as a play area. This has been a great rental. This cottage will come completely furnished - just bring your beach toys. Listed at $319,000.

For more photos and a map, go to http://25OquamoshodRd.robertsheldon.com. If you'd like to see a Virtual Tour, go ... Here.

My May 2014 Market Report Is Available Now!

My May 2014 market report is available now!  This issue has my Eastham market update through March. My 1st Quarter report.  There are also a number of recent articles that you should find interesting, including a summary of the articles to come before the upcoming Town Meeting.

This newsletter has been published every month for over 11 years. My aim, with this 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 May newsletter now.

What You Need to Know About Mortgage Rates for 2014

There's no time like the present. It's impossible to know much of the future, but some things are fairly predictable. One of those 'things' is mortgage rates.

The good news is that rates are still attractive. The bad news is that rates will continue to rise. How high they rise depends on the Federal Reserve and the economy. How these factors interact is the subject of an article from the Improvement Center. Read the article ...Here.
The conclusion? The conclusion is that there's no time like now to buy your Cape home. As rates go up AND home prices go up, your Cape dream home gets further away. So, act sooner than later.

Eastham New Listing - Pristine Oceanside Ranch

Eastham - New Listing - Pristine and easy! This 2 bedroom, 1 bath home has been wonderfully updated with beautiful quartz counters, hardwood floors throughout, wood burning fireplace, new screened-in porch, new roof, and large bedrooms. This beautiful home comes nicely furnished (with just a few exclusions) and ready to enjoy this summer. On a quiet cul-de-sac and close to the Seashore and the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Listed at $379,000.

For more photos, a Virtual Tour, and a map, go to http://250CandlewoodDr.robertsheldon.com, This home is easy to show - just give me a call for an appointment.

New Listing - Cute Bayside Antique Cottage

Wellfleet - New Listing - This cute antique cottage has lots of charm and a great location just up the hill from Pleasant Point Landing where you can put your boat in, or just enjoy the Bay (shellfish, sunsets,etc). We have an updated kitchen with dining area, two large bedrooms (one up, one down) and a good sized living room. This home has been lovingly maintained. Listed at $369,000. Come see!

This house is fairly easy to show - just give me a call. For more photos, a Virtual Tour, and a map, go to http://36HighlandAve.robertsheldon.com.  Enjoy!

Eastham's March Sales - Back to Normal

Eastham's March 2014 sales seemed to get us 'back to normal'. There were 8 single family home sales in March, bringing the 1st quarter of 2014 to 18 sales.  The details.....

• There were 8 homes sold in Eastham in March.
• Total March sales was $5.8M - with an average sale price of $731K and a median sale price of $449K. 
• There are currently 101 active single family listings in Eastham, with an average list price of $580K and a medium price of $466K.
• The average days-on-market is currently 230 days.

For more details, graphs, and commentary, download my latest monthly Eastham newsletter -- here. I've been publishing this newsletter for over 11 years with the goal of providing market information to my clients, so they may approach the market from a more informed position. Check it out!

Photo of the Day - Cape Cod Shingle Art

Every once in a while I come across something that's a bit different and deserves to be displayed. Over these last few years I've noticed some 'shingle' art on the sides of homes and garages. This form of art uses the 3D aspect of cedar siding with clever cutouts and natural wood shading variations to create dramatic images. Check out the handiwork of artist Roger Dumas of Eastham. He calls his business 'Jolly Roger Woodworking'. Click on the photo to get a closer look.

Roger's studio is here in Eastham, on Cole Rd. Check out his Facebook Business Page for more photos and for his contact information..  Fun!