Navigating(?) Cape Cod

If you find yourself a little lost while visiting Cape Cod, take heart. It’s not you; it’s us. The Cape is already geographically irregular. Add to that the meandering nature of yankee settlers, and you start to think that the mapping of the area might have been designed specifically to sort out the locals from the washashores. And you’d be partly right.

We’re a pretty proud bunch here on Cape Cod, and have a love/hate relationship with tourists. On the one hand, when our population explodes in the summer, it really mucks up the works for those of us just trying to go about our daily business. On the other hand, tourism is our biggest industry. And we actually enjoy the same things that visitors do: great restaurants, beautiful beaches, shopping, etc. So while we welcome tourism enthusiastically, we also tend to make it a little challenging for you to ‘get here from there’. But I’m here to give you a little inside scoop. 

Upper-Lower-Mid-Outer

(image courtesy of Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce)

Logic does not play a significant role in how we designate areas of the Cape. The Upper Cape actually looks ‘lower’ on a map. The Lower Cape is low, but only compared to the Outer Cape, which is actually the ‘highest’ on the map. The Mid Cape is the only one that makes much sense at all.

North-South-East-West

Image courtesy of Town of Dennis

The thinking is: How lost can you really get? You’ll hit water eventually. So for example, in the town of Dennis, West Dennis is as far south as you can get, and South Dennis is smack in the middle, and East Dennis is all the way North. Hyannis Port and Dennis Port are on the south side, but Yarmouth Port is on the north side. And in spite of Brewster’s rich sea captain history, there is no Brewster Port.

Route 28

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

This is probably the most confusing part. Route 28 actually starts in Orleans, goes south into Chatham, travels west along the south side of Cape Cod, then in Falmouth takes a sharp turn toward the north and travels over the bridge due north all the way to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. So technically it is a South-North highway. But for most of your time on 28 you’re actually traveling East-West, and for a good stretch from Orleans to Chatham, your compass will read due south while the highway signs will declare that you are traveling 28 North. Sorry.

This Business Ain't for Sissies

Most people in business know the mantra, Under-promise, over-deliver. Another brilliant iteration from Joe Niego of Buffini & Company is The root of all conflict is unmet expectations. Amen to that in all parts of life, not just business.

Real estate clients like to know what's coming, for better or worse. Any surprises along the way ought to be pleasant ones ("Hey, we got an offer sooner than we thought we would! Wow, Katie, you're the best!"). But despite our most careful planning and preparation, bad things happen that we could not have predicted.

The whole reason Realtors exist is to provide professional, neutral representation to someone who is entering one of the biggest financial commitments in their lives. Under the best of circumstances it's a big emotional event for the client. The point in a business deal when things start to go south is a critical crossroads. Stakes are high for both you and the client, and emotions naturally spike. As they say in the sports world, this is when **** gets real.

When you see your irate client's number come up on your phone, you will want to reject it with every bone in your body. Answer it. In fact, as soon as you get wind of a problem, beat them to the punch and call them. Communicate relentlessly, even if you have no new information. Your client might just need to blow off some steam. Don't take any abuse, but if they need to talk, you should be ready to listen.

In the end, if you do it right, that troublesome transaction is apt to yield the most loyal clients. Martin Luther King, Jr. summed it up well:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."