June Review:
June led to some interesting market outcomes. Obviously much of the real estate market, and society, continues to be influenced by the reality of COVID-19. This has, however, impacted the Cape Cod market in an unusual way. According to the [...]
May Review:
The May market felt continued pressure from COVID-19 resulting in uncharacteristically low new listings, closings and inventory. With so much pressure on the supply side, median sales price increased 6.4% from this time last year. Fortunately, Governor Baker's transition into phase 2 of reopening on June 8th has made both [...]
April Review:
April certainly was a little unusual. When the Spring market should have been in full swing much came to a grinding halt instead. Closed sales were down 22% from April 2019 and saw a decrease from March 2020, which is unusual as well. We expect the trend of low sales to continue into May since the lagging indicator of number [...]
We don't know what this summer will bring exactly, but we are hopeful that it will look somewhat normal. Here we'll keep you up to date with the latest news and information about vacationing on Cape Cod. We would also like to take a brief moment to express our thanks to those essential workers who are putting themselves at risk to keep us all safe and healthy. If you can give, here are some guidelines on giving wisely.
Update 6/8: Short-term rentals are now open as a part of phase 2 of the governor's reopening plan. See here for more information on the lodgings regulations --HERE--
Update 5/18: The governor has included short-term vacation rentals in phase 2 of his reopening plan. This may start as soon as June 8th. View our available vacation rentals here
Update 5/14: We are awaiting firm guidance on whether short-term vacation rentals can proceed. We expect this information to be released on May 18th
Please see our page with links to each town on Cape Cod as well as the local chambers of commerce and Barnstable County. These websites are updated frequently with town specific information and guidelines. In addition the local Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors has a very helpful page on short-term vacation rentals --HERE--.
In addition to the general state level guidelines the local State Representatives and Governor's Office, in conjunction with a number of Cape Cod healthcare and business partners, put out helpful guidance to our seasonal visitors on the Cape. The original can be found --HERE--.
The CDC has a lot of useful information, updated frequently
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It’s May! Usually by this time, the Spring real estate market is well underway as everyone wants to be settled into their dream Cape home by the summer. Flowers are blossoming, I’m yelling at people doing the Bloom Run (don’t worry, it’s my parents), and all of my buyers are patiently enduring my lecture about putting in competitive offers [...]
Well, life looked a lot different in March than we are used to and we can only assume that any changes the Cape Cod real estate market felt in March are merely the beginning of a trend line that we do not yet have a full view of. Some good news is that Gov. Baker has deemed real estate an essential service so we are still able [...]
We hope this finds you all hale and hearty in these trying times! We are thankful to still be open for business and meeting the real estate needs of our clients, for a little more detail on how we are managing this please see our previous blog here. Today we wanted to share the first of a few ideas for how to improve your home to add value (since you may have spare time these days), whether you are thinking of selling this year or in the future.
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e always recommend that you undertake upgrades that will make you enjoy your home more! If you can afford it, don't wait 20 years to replace a bathroom you hate, improve and enjoy it now while you are living in your home. Some sellers stress about doing these improvements just before selling and often don't reap monetary benefits as a results (see our blog about recouping investment on upgrades here). You can even undertake very inexpensive projects that improve the overall look and livability of your home that - while mostly intended for you - also make your home more appealing when selling. See the after and before photos (before has the mess of wires on the right) of a quick organization of home electronics. This makes your home more livable for you and, by being tidy and neat, can improve buyers' first impressions. A visibly clean and orderly home with very few 'punch-list' items implies that the owners are taking care of larger, invisible maintenance items -- this can have significant positive impacts by attracting higher and earlier offers when selling
If you are considering listing your home, please give us a call to put two generations of tradition and three decades of experience in your pocket. For some more tips for homeowners check out our blogs tagged here.
Buyers are looking for homes that sparkle. Some homes for sale on Cape Cod have been recently renovated and benefit from fresh paint, new floors or carpets, and updated appliances in the kitchen, bath or both. A home with newer updates is definitely more appealing to buyers (but worth it? Please see our thoughts here) and with our simple trick you too can make your home look its best without spending thousands of dollars.
Ready? Vinegar, warm water, elbow grease. No kidding. Too often we see homes that are, quite simply, dirty. Many sellers do a decent job cleaning their homes by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping floors. What so many people miss are the walls! Spend a little time with some diluted white vinegar and wash every surface in your home. You will be amazed at how much grime can appear on a rag from, what you thought was, a 'clean' flat wall. Spend a little extra time by beds, furniture, paintings, and anywhere that people touch (light switches, around door knobs etc...). Haven't you noticed that light discoloration on the wall when you move the bureau? When your home is empty and that bureau is gone, every potential buyer walking through will notice it as well. Another great tip: use a 'Magic Eraser' or similar product for larger marks, but be careful, these can change the texture of paint which is very visible in certain light.
If you are trying to squeeze every ounce of potential value out of your homes consider this inexpensive way to make it more appealing to buyers. When someone walks in and can see everything that is wonderful about your home without the distraction of dirty walls, you give yourself a great shot at a higher sale price!
If you are considering listing your home, please give us a call to put two generations of tradition and three decades of experience in your pocket. And to see a few houses that don't need this treatment take a look at some of our listings here. Or for some more tips for homeowners check out our blogs tagged here.
We get a lot of questions from folks interested in the issue of housing affordability here on the Cape, so we thought we’d give a quick overview of the issue and some of the potential solutions being discussed. [...]
Are you interested in the health of the Cape Cod real estate market? How it compares to Massachusetts' real estate trends? We have had some time to review the market data from 2019 and have some interesting findings to report. We'll take a few key points and break them [...]