2014 Orleans 'Music In The Park'

This year there is a music concert series being held in Orleans, at the Orleans Village Green at the corner of Rt 28 and Main St. The concerts start at 6 PM and run for about an hour. The 'Music in the Park is sponsored by Jeff Kobold  of Prospect Mortgage.

2014 Windmill Green Band Concerts

The Eastham Visitor's Service Board is again sponsoring the band concerts on Eastham's Windmill Green on Monday evenings this summer. The concerts are held at the bandstand, starting at 7 PM every Monday. The line up is as follows:

• July 7 - "Salute to America" by the Chatham Chorale
• July 14 - Bert Jackson Quartet 
• July 21 - The Brass Connection Quintet
• July 28 - Toast and Jam
• August 4 - Sarah Swain and The Oh Boys!
• August 11 - Kami Lyle Trio
• August 18 - Jazzy Salute to Broadway with Bruce Abbott & Fred Fried
• August 25 - Chandler Travis Philharmonic

These concerts are lots of fun. Join hundreds of folks on the lawn - bring lawn chairs and/or blankets. Or, bring a picnic dinner. These are fun for the whole family.

Eastham's Water System - First Water Is 2016

Eastham's municipal water system, overwhelmingly voted in at the May 5th Town Meeting, now has a timeline and shortly will have detailed maps showing which homes will be able to hook up. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that it'll be spring of 2017 before 'Phase 1' is fully completed.

I met with Sheila Vanderhoef, the Town Administrator, to review the timeline. The path to water is long and arduous. Permitting should be done by this fall, to be followed by the design and build of the water tower. Actual construction is planned to start next spring with a number of components being done in parallel. Only after the tower is built and pipes laid can water flow to homes. She expects the first homes will have town water by the summer of 2016, with completion a year later. 'Completion' includes the many miles of piping throughout Eastham, providing fire hydrant coverage to 80% or so of the town.

Detailed maps will be available at town hall (and on the town website?) shortly.

My July 2014 Market Report Is Available Now!

My July 2014 market report is available now!  This issue has my Eastham market update through May. There is an article on the timeline for the Eastham municipal water system, information on the upcoming Eastham Part-time Resident Taxpayers Association meeting, and a new listing. 

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 July newsletter now.

2014 Hands On The Arts Festival - June 14th and 15th

The Eastham Cultural Council will hold their 16th annual fine arts and crafts show on June 14th and 15th, 2014, at the Windmill Green. The festival runs from 10 AM to 5 PM each day and its free. There will be over 40 juried artists and crafters on the Green for a show and sale including members of the Cape Cod Artisans Guild.  There will be a 'hands on' tent where you can create your own masterpiece. There will be jazz, marionette theater, storytelling, good food, and lots of fun. Did I say 'food'?

Go to the Hands on the Arts website for a complete schedule. This free event is sponsored by the Eastham Cultural Council. 

Boston to Cape Cod Via CapeFlyer - Year #2

Again this year, the CapeFlyer will deliver folks from Boston's South Station to Hyannis. Check out this video from the Cape Cod Times. No traffic - and only 2.5 hours!

Eastham's May Sales - On Track For a Good Year!

Eastham's May 2014 sales continue to show us that 2014 may turn out to be a really good year. There were 13 single family home sales in May, bringing the year-to-date sales to 45 sales.  The details.....

• There were 13 homes sold in Eastham in May.
• Total May sales was $5.1M - with an average sale price of $390K (see chart below) and a median sale price of $383K. 
• There are currently 128 active single family listings in Eastham, with an average list price of $578K and a medium price of $450K.
• The average days-on-market is currently 200 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!

A New Alternative to the Fixed Mortgage

I've always been a 'fixed' rate mortgage kinda-guy. I liked the fact that the rate stayed the same and allowed us to plan out our expenses, month after month. We also liked the 30 year mortgage, since it minimized the required monthly payment. We recognized that a 15 year fixed mortgage provided for a lower interest rate (currently a full point lower), but at a substantially higher required payment. At the time the 15 year mortgage payment was prohibitive.

Enter a new alternative. How about a 30 year loan that's fixed for the first 15 years, then 'adjusts' once (only once!) for the remaining 15 years? How about if the starting rate is just a small increment above the 15 year fixed rate, but still well below the 30 year fixed rate?  Since the average mortgage is held for only about 7 years, this seems a no-brainer.

Of course this loan has some fine print, but doesn't seem to be too unusual. It has a 'jumbo' upper loan limit of $2M. This mortgage is offered by Prospect Mortgage, which as an office in Orleans. Call them at 508-862-6175 for more details.

Photo of the Day - Memorial Day

I was in DC many years ago on business. I was with a business associate who needed to visit the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, known then, and now, as 'the Wall'. He looked for the 7 comrades he lost while he served in Vietnam. Although I never served, I deeply appreciate those who did, risking, for my sake, making the ultimate sacrifice. We remember...

Dr. Beach Picks Coast Guard Beach - Again!

'Dr. Beach' (a.k.a. Stephen Leatherman, a professor from Florida International University) has named Eastham's Coast Guard Beach as one of the 'top ten' beaches in the US. Ratings each year are based on a number of criteria, such as sand, water quality, weather, facilities and crowds. Coast Guard came in as number 8 this year. It's no surprise that the number 1 beach is from Hawaii, with beaches from South Carolina and Florida in the mix. Strange, no California beaches made the list this year. 

Check out the article on Fox News' website. And go to  to Dr Beach's website see all the winners.