Super Cute Pondfront Condo - Just Listed at $249,000

EASTHAM - This is the pondfront jewel that you have been waiting for! This completely renovated condo has 2 bedrooms, vaulted ceilings, a fireplace, and harwood floors. Get fabulous water views and wonderful family recreation with the condo association's private beach & dock on Minister's Pond. This condo also has clear views of Schoolhouse Pond. The condo has been a great rental property and is listed at $249,000. Go to http://nausethaven.robertsheldon.com/ for more information & photos.

Cape Cod Maritime Days

Lighthouse tours, kayak trips, boat building demonstrations, historical films, and much, much more. There are events almost every day in May. Go to the Cape Cod Maritime Days website..... Here.

There are quite a few events at the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitors Center in Eastham.

Wellfleet Drive-In - Top 10 "Retro" Escapes

Travel+Leisure Magazine just posted their America's Top 10 Retro Escapes for 2009. The Wellfleet Drive-In theater made the 'cut' as one of the most fun escapes. The drive-in opened in 1957 (over 50 years ago!) and has pretty well remained as it was since then. Be sure to check out the slideshow and see all 10 of the retro escapes.

I remember taking my family to the drive-in movies in the mid-1980's when we first came to the Cape on vacation. We had a pop-up camper and stayed at Maurice's Campground, practically across Route 6 from the drive-in. The fact that our pop-up leaked when it rained ultimately forced us to rent homes when we came out. We rented homes for about 10 years. Who knew that those rentals would lead us to buy and then move to Eastham?

New Listing - $285,000 - Short Sale - Just 100 Steps to Beach

Short Sale - This super-cute 2 bedroom condo is only about 100 steps to the stairs at the end of Eastham's Campground Beach Rd. This cottage has been totally re-done, with newer roof and flooring, cathedral ceiling in the living room & kitchen, and a large screened-in porch. This cottage is being priced 20% under the 2009 assessed value for a quick sale. Being sold unfurnished, as-is.

Check out http://735acampgroundbeachrd.robertsheldon.com/ for more photos and a Virtual Tour. Call me @ 508-237-9545 for an appointment.

Want to check out ALL the Eastham listings?? Go to http://mls-listings.robertsheldon.com/.

Eastham Town Meeting - Will Be Another Hot Debate!

Eastham's annual town meeting, scheduled for Monday, May 4th, at the Nauset Regional High School, will once again be the site of a number of hotly debated articles. This year we'll 'debate' windmills (both 'personal' and commercial), water, and rental home room taxes. The Cape Codder has a fairly detailed article ... Here.

Missing from the Cape Codder article was information about the above mentioned room tax. I discussed this article in this Blog...Here.

Stimulus Bill Changes Home Energy Tax Credits

In February President Obama signed a stimulus bill (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) that made some significant changes to the energy-efficiency tax credits. The bill extnded the tax credits into 2010 and included added and improved tax credits for a number of energy related home improvements. Go to the NationalGrid newsletter article for a better overview and links to more details.

Right Whales Continue in Cape Cod Bay

About 70 of the endangered right whales continue to feed in Cape Cod Bay, off the Eastham and Wellfleet coasts. The right whale is one of the earth's most endangered species, with only about 300 to 400 animals still thought to exist. Go to the Cape Cod Times story. Great Earth Day news!

Nantucket Sound Windmills Get OK

The U.S. Interior Department announced new rules yesterday that will allow the first offshore wind turbines to go up in Nantucket Sound, rules that the Kennedy family famously opposed. This development was part of an Earth Day speech by President Obama. I don't think we've heard the last of it, but these new rules should move the project at a faster pace. Go to the Discover Magazine 80beats blog for this important article.

Modernist Wellfleet House Gets New Lease On Life

The Cape Cod Times reported that the Cape Cod National Seashore has announced a new 20 year lease on a "Cape Cod Modern" Wellfleet house to the non-profit Cape Cod Modern House Trust, for the purpose of preserving a valuable piece of architectural history. The house, designed by Charles Zehnder, is known as the Kugel-Gips House, and is located within the Cape Cod National Seashore. Go to the Cape Cod Times article to read the entire story.

I've been fascinated (maybe I'm getting old) by this style of homes, built mostly in the 1950's, but seems to have been popular into the 1970's. The Kugel-Gips House was built in 1970. Check out the Cape Cod Modern House Trust on their (very interesting) website.

What Is A Short Sale?

In a short sale, a seller facing the threat of foreclosure enters into an agreement with their mortgage lender to accept a price for the property that’s less than the amount they actually owe on it. The seller makes no profit on the sale but avoids many of the problems that would come from a foreclosure. But, short sales have their own set of advantages and dis-advantages for sellers and buyers alike. Go to this article on AOL's real estate pages for the 'whole story'.

Short sales and foreclosures have been fairly rare on the Outer Cape, particularly Eastham. That said, look for a few over the next few weeks.