Last week a storm whipped through Falmouth briefly. I took this picture of a double rainbow that formed outside my office. It changed in brightness and clarity over the few minutes it was visible. I've seen double rainbows before, but this one was the brightest I've ever seen, double or otherwise. The rest of that week was very pleasant.  This week we have had rain to help all the leaves fall, and to let all the trees get their thirst quenched before the cold months arrive. It is still a beautiful day on Cape Cod! 11/09/2010

Falmouth MA Short Sales - Pre-foreclosure Purchase As a home buyer looking for value in the purchase of real estate you may consider a Falmouth MA short sale as a viable option. Buying a short sale is a difficult and often a frustrating process and should not be confused with a foreclosure. To have success, hire experienced professionals that understand all aspects of the transaction. Utilize the services of Realtors, attorneys, accountants, mortgage lenders and home inspectors as they all provide expert advice. A Falmouth Short Sale Defined Homeowners that have financial hardships may pursue a short sale prior to foreclosure. The property value is less than the outstanding liens on the property (mortgages and insurance premiums) and the homeowner does not have sufficient resources to p... 11/03/2010

Here's the latest from our Falmouth Fire Department in reference to Smokes and Carbon Monoxide detector inspections. (Smoke and CO Inspections). This is from the Falmouth Fire Rescue Department, Fire Prevention Bureau, located at 399 Main Street, Falmouth, Massachusetts 02540. They may be contacted: Tel. (508) 495-2530 Fax (508) 495-2540.  The Fire Prevention Inspectors are:Lt. Mel Trott Firefighter, Michael C. Metell, Fire Prevention Officer Firefighter Boyd W. DeMello.  The department has sent the following information out to all Real Estate Agents and Falmouth Town Residents selling their homes.  Here is the new policy for certificate of compliance inspections: "In an effort to accommodate more inspections and make the ever increasing amount of requests for last minute inspections wo... 10/27/2010

Its A Beautiful Day On Cape Cod! The picture below was taken behind my house. It is the view we get to appreciate here on Cape Cod. Sometimes there are as many as 50 swans hanging out there. Today, there were swans and ducks. There is also a Ospreys and Hawks that hunt this area. With the colors changing and the air cooling, the Cape is a great place to enjoy fall. Come on down to Cape Cod. We have open houses all weekend, and Its A Beautiful Day On Cape Cod! 10/23/2010

Well, the rumors that Cape Cod has blown away have been greatly exaggerated. Yes the winds came. But it is more like a "Winnie the Pooh" blustery day than a storm. The picture below shows a Falmouth beach earlier today, before the sun was completely out. I like living in a resort! I like the idea that we are remote enough for the weather men/women to mis-predict the weather.  So, check here to see a pic every now and then. It is a beautiful day on Cape Cod! 10/15/2010

Falmouth MA Short Sales - Pre-foreclosure Purchase As a home buyer looking for value in the purchase of real estate you may consider a Falmouth MA short sale as a viable option. Buying a short sale is a difficult and often a frustrating process and should not be confused with a foreclosure. To have success, hire experienced professionals that understand all aspects of the transaction. Utilize the services of Realtors, attorneys, accountants, mortgage lenders and home inspectors as they all provide expert advice. A Falmouth Short Sale Defined Homeowners that have financial hardships may pursue a short sale prior to foreclosure. The property value is less than the outstanding liens on the property (mortgages and insurance premiums) and the homeowner does not have sufficient resources to p... 10/09/2010

Falmouth MA Short Sales - Pre-foreclosure Purchase As a home buyer looking for value in the purchase of real estate you may consider a Falmouth MA short sale as a viable option. Buying a short sale is a difficult and often a frustrating process and should not be confused with a foreclosure. To have success, hire experienced professionals that understand all aspects of the transaction. Utilize the services of Realtors, attorneys, accountants, mortgage lenders and home inspectors as they all provide expert advice. A Falmouth Short Sale Defined Homeowners that have financial hardships may pursue a short sale prior to foreclosure. The property value is less than the outstanding liens on the property (mortgages and insurance premiums) and the homeowner does not have sufficient resources to p... 09/04/2010

The Shining Sea Bikeway in Falmouth, Cape Cod -----Doesn't that name just speak to you? How could anyone NOT want to enjoy this Rails to Trails pathway? While we don't have a Sea to Shining Sea trail here on the mid-Peninsula or in the Silicon Valley, we do have some wonderful places to ride, both by the bay and in the hills. Ask, and I'll point you in the right direction to a trail that's right for you. The delightful Falmouth trail gets its name from the words of Falmouth's famous resident, Katherine Lee Bates, who wrote the poem, America the Beautiful. It is a 10.7mile pathway that goes between North Falmouth to the ferry terminal at the fishing village of Woods Hole, home to several major research institutions. It passes through salt marshes, cranberry bogs, ponds and woodlands, and... 08/28/2010

The reports of rain on Cape Cod are once again creating an opportunity! If you are wondering WEATHER or not you should let the CLOUDY reports of anti-BEACH sky DAMPen your travel plans - wonder no longer! There are a few gray areas still, but the SUN is starting to dominate! It is interesting how often the forecasters in Boston and Providence, the area tv stations, get the weather on this side of the bridges, wrong. We often have bright sunny days when there are storms just across The Canal. If you are wondering if you should wander down, wonder no longer! Falmouth has more waterfront than any other town in the US. Stop in and ask about waterfront properties and where the "hidden" beaches are! Here is a pic of Main Street that was taken early this morning. The gray is now SUNNY! See you... 07/24/2010

This well-maintained ranch home in the Great Harbors waterfront community in East Falmouth, MA has good curb appeal, but the when people entered the house, their attention was drawn to the furniture and a lifetime collection of items and not the house. We brought in Jayne Pelosi of Renaissance Interior Design to help prepare the home for sale. Jayne spent two hours rearranging furniture, packing knicknacks, and coordinating the relocation of all unneeded items to the garage for storage. The result was house that allows visitors to see the house and not the "stuff" even though she just worked with the owner's furniture. You can take a virtual tour of the house by visiting the house's designated website www.10halfmoon.com or by just clicking on the picture. I pay for Jayne to help the own... 07/21/2010

Summer in Falmouth is in full swing and there is plenty to do for everyone. Cape Cod is known for its beautiful beaches and outdoor activites including boating, hiking, biking, golf, surfing and almost anything else you can think of. But there is also a myriad of other activities that provide fun for every member of the family. Theater, music, craft shows, lectures, antique shows, miniature golf, dining of all types, and special festivals. Over the next few weeks, we plan to sample some of these and will report on them here. Every Monday night in Falmouth, an a capella male singing group called the Hyannis Sound appears at the First Congregational Church at 68 Main Street from 8-10 PM. The cost is only $10 per person and the performances by these college-aged young men are excellent.   07/18/2010

There is always a debate in real estate offices as to whether open houses really help to sell homes. I have always been a believer that open houses do generate business, but lately I have had some very well-attended open houses that have modified my approach a bit. The key to a good open house (in addition to the normal planning) is like real estate sales itself: location, location, location. Houses that are in high demand locations or settings will generate the highest amount of traffic. I have two waterfront listings that have attracted an average of 20-30 visitors for each open house. The number of leads generated has been exceptional and have resulted in 2 sales to date. Both houses that were featurd in the open houses also have several qualified buyers entertaining offers at the pr... 07/18/2010

Here in Falmouth, Kevin and Beth Juaire have a great shop that is fun to browse and remember in! It is called Blast From The Past and it is full of just that - memories. They have one of the best selections of nostalgic memorabilia that can be found. They have Comics, Tin Signs and Lunch Boxes , Collectible Figures, Lunch Boxes, Die-Cast Cars, Reproduction Gas Pumps, Coke Coolers, and Retro Diner Furniture to name a few things! Kevin knows his business and the items in his shop, too. If you ask for a "whatchamacallit", he either has one or knows where to find it. Boston TV stations have been to Falmouth just to interview him and ash him questions. You can find normal requests for things with Marilyn and the Beatles, or Lucy or Superman. Then there are the more unusual things like a full... 07/17/2010

On Thursday evening my wife and I attended the Falmouth Artists Guild fundraiser. We were there with other agents and friends from Robert Paul Properties. There was good food, dancing, music was provided by Four Guys In Tuxes, and there was a lot of art and goodies to bid on at the auction. We had a very nice evening. One of the activities was an open call for donations toward the installation of an elevator at the new Falmouth Artists Guildbuilding on Gifford and Dillingham. The guild web site begins with, "The Falmouth Artists Guild is dedicated to the visual arts, providing educational and exhibition opportunities on a year-round basis.  We welcome students of all ages and abilities and all those who enjoy and appreciate art. We offer a full roster of classes and workshops." The only... 07/17/2010

The Falmouth Street Fair was held today. Between showings and meetings I snapped a few pics. The weather kept many visitors away, but there was still a steady throng of shoppers and eaters. The pictures below are outside the Robert Paul Properties Falmouth Office, looking up Main Street east toward the harbor, and looking southeast across the library lawn and Main Street. A drizzle has started now at 4:15pm so many of the shoppers are starting to head to their cars and home. Just one more fun thing to do on the Cape when you come visit! Best wishes,   07/14/2010

Bank of America has an online manual that may help agents and homeowners with a short sale. It can be found and copied by clicking on the link below. The first pages of the 40 page document show agents of a homeowner how to set up an account, and the how to utilize the BOA system - this is for the BOA system only. Keep in mind, you still have to know what you are doing! If you haven't done a short sale before, you might set up an account, read all the steps, use a search engine to study what the components of each step are made up of (like a HUD1), and then you MIGHT try it. There are qualified professionals who have experience, so it is usually better for you to leave this type of sale to them. Mistakes can be costly. I have posted the "BOA short sale manual" as a reference ONLY. You m... 07/12/2010

Robert Paul Properties Here's Your Invitation to the Open House at our new Falmouth Office!   You're invited to attend our    Falmouth Office OpeningEnjoy Good Food & Drink andCelebrate The Beginning of Summer With UsFriday July 9th - 4 pm to 7 pm 279 Main Street, Falmouth508.540.9800  click to add Heath Coker to your contacts  click to add Holly Coker to your contacts Forward as an email Robert Paul Properties | PO Box 622 | Osterville | MA | 02655 07/08/2010

Here is a note I received from the Falmouth Volunteers In Public Schools (VIPS). If you or someone you know loves sailing, buy a pizza tomorrow! Print and present the coupon below to help the Falmouth Clipper Sailing Team! The request and information I received is as follows: Hi friends! Falmouth High School has a good sailing team! One problem: It is the only team in the league that does not own their own boats. Despite using rental boats that are in poor condition, they still came in 2nd in their division this year!  The 420 boats are expensive, and they have taken on a big, but achievable goal: Our student captains have set a goal to raise enough money to purchase some new "420" racing boats! In support of their efforts, one of the local Papa Gino's resturants has offered to donate 2... 07/06/2010

Trend in Home Sales in Falmouth MA - Improving, or...? Home prices in Falmouth are on the rise! They've increased by 9.7% since May of 2009. The current average listing price of homes for sale in Falmouth MA is $715,348, up 2.9% from a month ago. Compare this to the current median sales price of $482,500 - where half of sales are above this amount and half below it. 2 and 4 bedroom homes are selling for more while 3 bedroom homes have fallen slightly in price. Below is a chart of the trend of median prices of homes for sale in Falmouth MA over the past year through May 2010: Falmouth Recently Sold Homes The number of sales have risen for all styles of homes in the past 3 months, but down from just a month ago: Falmouth Recently Sold Homes So what does all this mean? Well, if you're look... 07/06/2010

Here is some housing market data for Falmouth MA. It shows that there have been twice as many properties coming on the market as have been sold. And the current inventory is almost 1 year. This chart is for Non-Waterfront properties only. While Falmouth has more waterfront that any other town in the country, there are many more homes in Falmouth that are not on the water. The average list to sale price shows 95%. The only problem I have with that nymber/percentage is that is relative to the listing price at the time it went under agreement. This does not take into account that the property may have been on the market at a higher price. Buyers can be misled to think that 95% of the listing price is what they can expect to pay on average. However, that is only true for a correctly priced ... 06/28/2010