She Didn't Owe Us Anything

These are some shots from yesterday's demolition of the old bath house at Corporation Beach in Dennis. As old and obsolete as it was, I can't help but get a little nostalgic about waiting in line to use those smelly bathrooms which fed into a failed septic system, or the fry stench from clogged grease traps, or scratching my head at the fact that less mobile folks had to use a big, hot porta potty at the bottom of the hill...Wait a minute...! I'm not really going to miss those things at all.

The new building comes with a brand new septic system, modern industrial kitchen gear for the snack bar, outside rinsing showers, and additional toilets--including handicapped accessible ones, and an ADA-approved ramp/trail up the hill so EVERYBODY can eat their french fries on the bluff.

Stay tuned for pics of the new construction!

Just for Dennis folks: Town Meeting Tonight, Cup o' Joe on Me Tomorrow

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Let Me Buy You a Cup of Coffee at Buckies!
Tonight at 7 pm there is a special town meeting in Dennis and it hasn't been highly publicized, but there are a lot of articles that my Dennis friends will be proud to show up for. We've got some great things going on in our town! Some of the topics: 

-Sidewalks on Lower County Road
-A solar farm at the old dump
-Keeping our school district together

I personally will be voting YES on all of these, and encourage my Dennis friends to do the same. But regardless of what position you take, just by showing up you will have served your town well.

As a special incentive and thank you to everyone of my Dennis friends for showing up and supporting our town tonight, I will buy you a cup of coffee at Buckies tomorrow. Show up anytime tomorrow at Buckies Biscotti in Dennis Port, show them your yellow voter tag and get yourself a cup of coffee on me!

How to Pay off Your Mortgage Faster

TWEMM Your Yard for Curb Appeal

TWEMM your yard for the best curb appeal.

After location, curb appeal is the most important determining factor for buyers. Even if you've got a brand new roof, freshly painted trim and high-end windows, poorly managed landscape is a huge turnoff!

Fortunately, improvement in landscape is one place where you almost always get your money back. In fact, in many cases you can do most of the work yourself. Here's an acronym that I recommend to my sellers: TWEMM:

Trim: Trim shrubs away from the foundation, tree limbs away from the roof, and any other shrub or hedge that requires shaping.
Weed: Weed all beds, gardens, foundations, driveways, paths, patios, etc.
Edge: A clean, defined edge between your lawn and any planting beds is good for the beds and very easy on the eye.
Mow: Keep your lawn neatly mowed. Use a weed whacker to tidy up the edges of the lawn and around fenceposts, mailboxes, etc.
Mulch: Mulch your beds with the darkest mulch or compost you can find. A nice touch before a showing is to hose down the mulch to make it look darker; it sets off the color in the plantings. Many transfer stations have free mulch and compost for the taking.

Blessing of the Animals and DOGnut Reception

Bring your beastly friends on over to the Dennis Village Green on Sunday, September 18 at 10:00 for the annual Blessing of the Animals at the Dennis Union Church. With all of the various animals that show up (I've seen cows, bees, ducks, chickens, cats, and of course dozens of dogs) it is a great event for the family.
After the blessing I will be hosting a Coffee and DOGnut reception at Drummer Boy Park on Route 6A in Brewster, the best unofficial dog park on the Cape. I hope to see you there! Call or email me for more info.

What Will Your War Story Be?

Here's the deal: we are in a recession. Granted, we are on the tail end of it at this point, but the reality is that our national economy took a face plant, and that's the truth. I've talked to a lot of clients lately who--God love 'em--think that the recession doesn't apply to them. Somehow their house is the only one that held its value from when they bought it in '05. I talked to one client today who has an investment property on which they have a 4.5% mortgage (albeit an interest-only balloon), and they are presently breaking even on it, with the best tenant on planet earth. They were considering selling or refinancing until I broke the news that the property is worth 20% less than they need it to be. Worst case, they sell it in 2 years and break even or maybe make a dollar. That's pretty good I say, in these times. Broke is the new rich. At least you're not in debt!
Compare that to another house that I just sold. A gorgeous, radically renovated beach cottage with all the bells and whistles. We sold it for above market value (go me!), and still the seller came up short at the closing. Yikes. That one hurt.
Listen, friends, nobody is immune from this national crisis. Most of us have already taken it in the shorts in one way or another. If you are one of those, congratulations, chances are you can move on now and rebuild. If you haven't, don't be too smug. It might not be as harsh as a foreclosure or short sale, but if the worst that happens is that you walk away with the shirt on your back, you're doing alright.

WSJ Says Now's the Time to Buy Vacation Homes

The Wall Street Journal has taken note of the increase in activity in upscale vacation homes like those here on the Cape. But their advice, and mine, is to go into it with a long view. In the early 2000's as the bubble peaked, it was a safe bet that if you needed to in under 5 years you could unload a piece of real estate and get all your money back and then some, but we're not seeing that kind of irrational appreciation today.The market is improving, but if you don't have a confident view of your own future over the next 10 years or so, it's best to wait until you do.

June Was a Busy Month!

Good grief, I can't believe I didn't publish a single post in June! It was a very busy month for my family and for Cape Cod real estate. Actually, judging by the real estate stats you wouldn't think I had much of an excuse. According to the Barnstable Registry June 2011 Recording Statistics that came out today, June was actually down  from May. However, this was preceded by three straight months of growth, a trend we haven't seen for two years. Still, we have fantastically low interest rates and bargain prices. With that and the summer population more than double that of the off-season, I'm predicting a busy July.

Recap: Top 10 Signs of Spring on Cape Cod

10. Roadkill
9. Birds!
8. Crushing Disappointment
7. Cadbury Eggs
6. Levitating Mulch
5. PEEPERS!
4. My Birthday!
3. Right Whales in the Bay
2. My Husband's Annual Poison Ivy Attack
1. THE HERRING ARE RUNNING

Signs of Spring on Cape Cod. Sign #1: THE HERRING ARE RUNNING!

I'm posting this a few weeks late. This is just the most fun and amazing sign of spring for me. The Brewster herring run by the grist mill is one of the most magical places on earth, much less Cape Cod. I swear fairies live there.
Every April during my many frequent trips by the herring run I keep an extra eye out for seagulls lurking about the run. There is a direct correlation between the density of hovering gulls and that of the migrating herring. It's awesome!

Mayflower Beach Named Top 10 for Families by Parents Magazine

A Shore Thing: 10 Best Beaches for Families Plus 10 Runners-Up

Sign #2 of Spring on Cape Cod: My Husband's Annual Poison Ivy Attack

My husband gets poison ivy like it's his job. Right on schedule, every spring the evil weed seeks out Mark's skin, and I think lymph nodes too. He's one of those people who gets a tiny little spot that within hours morphs into a blistering, oozing patch of itchy hamburger. By day he stoically soldiers on, dutifully applying prescription ointments and popping his prednisone, not so much as touching a spot, much less scratching. It's torture for him. But by night in the vulnerability of sleep, the bed shakes as he rakes at his flesh. I feel so bad for him. This year's attack was less overwhelming in its reach, only showing up in a couple of spots. However, it made up for its sparseness with its appearance in the most unfortunate areas...poor guy!

Happy Feet!

10 Types of Home Flooring: Flooring Styles: Architecture Coach: REALTOR® Magazine

Signs of Spring: Sign #3: Right Whales in the Bay

A right whale fluke on Cape Cod Bay as seen from a Dolphin Fleet boat yesterday by my friend Laura. Wish I was there!

Top 10 Takeaways from Enterprising Women 4/14/11

These were the top 10 gems for me from yesterday's fantastic conference:

1. Don't cry.
2. Play nice with the other girls.
3. Don't apologize.
4. Go to church.
5. Get over yourself.
6. Listen to your gut.
7. Pick good partners, in love and work.
8. Give yourself options.
9. Be brave.
10. Tell the truth.

Signs of Spring: Sign #4 My Birthday!

This year I was late for my own birthday. I'm probably too old having any business bothering with such silliness, but nonetheless, I do care. Birthdays are awesome. In fact, until I earned rights to Mother's Day, my birthday was the greatest day ever. Well, after Christmas. Christmas is always pretty good. But my birthday has always been one of my favorite signals that spring would finally be here. Yay! Happy to me!

Sign #5 of Spring: PEEPERS!

Peepers are by far my absolute most favorite sign of spring. I don't know what it is, but the first evening I hear that chorus of tiny little screes, I just have to smile. Listen to them here.
For those of you who live west of the Mississippi, peepers are little frogs whose mating call gives them their name. They congregate by the hundreds in wetlands during their spring mating season and make that peeping sound all night long. Across the street from my house there is a pond that must be some sort of peeper Vegas. Tonight they were carrying on like frat boys in Panama. Yee haw!

Buying Your First Home: A Reality Checklist

Check out this presentation. What a fantastic resource!:

Buying Your First Home: A Reality Checklist

View more presentations from Audie Chamberlain.

Sign #6 of Spring: Levitating Mulch

I LOVE this annual reminder of the power of LIFE.

True Confessions

Mothers more likely than men to feel guilt, stress over after-hours work communications

How on earth would I get featured in an article like this??? Hmmmm....

Signs of Spring #7: Cadbury Eggs

Do You Like Wine? Fantastic Kids? LIFE?

My dear friends and clients started out 2011 with the devastating news that their amazing son had leukemia. Bennett Hartley has ALL but has been a rock star throughout his grueling treatment. His prognosis is as good as you can hope for with his diagnosis. So far he's been lucky that there's been sufficient donated blood to meet the needs of his (so far) 3 transfusions. There are so many other kids and adults right now, as you read this, who depend on people like you and me to donate our healthy blood.

This Friday, March 25 at Cape Cod Bible Alliance Church on route 6A in Brewster from 11:30-5:30 Children's Hospital will be holding a blood drive in Bennett's name. For every one of you who donates, I will put your name into a raffle for two bottles of wine (one red, one white). Just send me an email after you donate. The winner will be announced on www.katieclancy.com, facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (and of course email to the winner!).

Goodbye Mr. Stewart

How can it be that someone with so much life be suddenly gone?

John Stewart Obituary: View Obituary for John Stewart by Nickerson Funeral Home, Orleans, MA

2011 Rebound: Affordability High, Investors Back

2011 Rebound: Affordability High, Investors Back This article from Realtor Magazine confirms what Cape Cod has already been seeing: bottomed out prices, cash investors, and the re-emergence of spec building.

The Top 10 Signs of Spring. #8: Crushing Disappointment

On Cape Cod when hot, sunny weather shows up unannounced in September, we call it 'Indian Summer'. We grab the shorts out of storage and run down to the beach. But in late February, when we've had but two or three  spring-like days and then get a light dusting of SNOW, we call it blasphemy. Happens every year. Do we ever learn? Noooo. If we took those kinds of thing in stride, what on earth would we have to complain about? We've already grieved the Patriots' humiliating defeat in the playoffs, and the Red Sox are just warming up their let-down game. In February, whining about snow is all we've got!

Top 10 Signs of Spring: #9 Birds!

Holy cowbird! This morning my kids and I were getting ready for the day and we heard a sound we haven't heard in months--birds. There was one call in particular ('fee-bee') that made both my daughter and me stop in our tracks and say 'Spring!'. So for the first half hour at the office today I did not contact clients, work on offers or even make myself a cup of coffee. I went straight to the computer and researched bird calls. Finally, I landed on it: the Black-Capped Chickadee. I never knew that they made any sound but the one that gave them their name. As if they weren't likable enough in their cuteness, now I have another reason to love this little bird. Click on the link below to hear the same beautiful spring song that we did:

Black-capped Chickadee, Identification, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The Top 10 Signs of Spring: #10 Roadkill

"...Deaaad sku-unk in the middle of the ro-oad..."
I don't know why I remember this as a song from my childhood, or even if there are other lyrics to it. But I do know that when we start to see (and smell) flat black and white (and red, let's be real) pavement pancakes, it means that winter is winding down.
Skunks, which are plentiful here on Cape Cod and all over New England, are very quiet all winter. They don't quite hibernate in the cold winter months, they just kind of take a post-Thanksgiving nap that lasts about til Easter. But as soon as even one warm day hits, they start to get the munchies and even start looking for a date. On this balmy Valentine's Day this spring harbinger was probably doing just that. Poor guy. He may have given his life to do it, but today my smelly speedbump friend also gave me hope.

If You're Fond of Snowdrifts and Salty Roads

Gross. Yuck. Ew. This has been one of the stormiest, sloppiest winters I can remember on Cape Cod. #Tim Kelley, my childhood neighbor and NECN meteorologist, says that this month we're in for a storm about every 5 days or so. (We used to be friends... Although blaming him for bad weather is like blaming me for a bad market, so I guess I'll go easy on him.) 
The buyers who buy this month are either brilliant visionaries or very brave, slogging through slush to see a frigid, dormant beach cottage. It's hard to believe that in 6 months we'll be dancing tippy toe across molten beach parking lots and hermetically sealing potato chips against oppressive, crunch-killing humidity. 
I'm not really complaining, though. The rhythm of the seasons on Cape Cod for better or for worse always keeps our view of other times more rosy. Sure as shootin' there we will be in July, a flaccid compress on our sunburn, waxing poetic about this past winter's crackling fireplace, colossal snowmen and  maniacal runs down the sledding hill. It doesn't get any better than this. 

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

No Kidding, Buyers. It's Time.

Prices on the Cape up 9% in six months.

We've all been hearing that now is the time to buy, but still people are holding out waiting for 'the bottom'. Well, folks, the bottom has come and gone. We are now on our way up, as evidenced by the rising of both interest rates selling prices. In six months Cape Cod has gained a half percent in rates and 9% in prices. The Wall Street Journal just named the Cape as one of the Hot Spots for buying vacation homes in 2010.

Let me spell it out for you: A lot of you have been shopping since this summer. If you were looking at a $500k house then, you could have gotten an 80% mortgage for under $2000/mo. Today, that same house is valued at $545k, and if you want that same $2k payment you'll need to come up with about $168k (or 30%). Summer 2011 will bring even more growth.

Don't get me wrong, this is still a very auspicious time to be a buyer. But the low interest rates, low prices and relatively high inventory were all symptoms of an unwell economy. As we recover, the rare opportunities that are in front of you now will fade. Get off that pot.

What do the changing interest rates really mean to ME?

With all the talk of interest rates going up or down and who benefits and who pays, it can be confusing to know how these economic changes affect you as an individual. In real estate here's what it looks like:Let's say you have been looking at houses since this summer and at that time your bank told you that you were pre-qualified for $280,000 on a 30-year mortgage with 20% down at 4.375%. That means that you could spend up to $350,000 on a house. This would give you a monthly payment of about $1400. However, today's 30-year rate is 4.875%, a full half percentage higher than it was in August. To keep the payment the same on a 30-year mortgage at today's rates, your house budget just shrank to $329,000.

If you are the seller with the $350,000 house, it's pretty easy to connect the dots from here. Your house just dropped $21,000 in value. If you want the house to stay marketable, you would be wise to reposition the property so it gets in front of the people who can afford it, or make enough improvements to it so that it is worth the extra $21k. Chances are if your house was on the market for any length of time at $350k, it might have been a little overpriced to begin with. Time is money; don't waste any of it waiting around. If you aren't getting this information from your Realtor, find it somewhere or hire a new agent. There are hard decisions to be made in this market and those decisions should be informed.