We recently had the sale of a condo at Sea Oaks in Mashpee, MA fall apart over the condo associations refusal to answer four questions that required an opinion or judgement. The mortgage provider had sent a form to the association's management company, American Properties Team of Woburn, MA. American Properties provided a comprehensive form that failed to answer four questions. Neither the lender or APT would budge. There are several questions that I am attempting to get answered: 1. Can a condo be purchased with an FHA backed loan at a property managed  by APT or any association whose attorneys refuse to allow them to answer questions requiring an opinion? (i.e. is the maintenance reserve adequate?) 2. Do all lenders use the same form? 3. Which lenders will accept the pre-prepared form... 05/28/2009

An Overview of the 2009 Falmouth Condo Market (Through May 15)                                                                   December 31, 2008        May 15, 2009 Units on the market                              56                                   76 Average sales per month                       4.5                                  3 Our absorption rate*                             12.4 Months                     25.3 Months *Absorption Rate: The number of months that it would take for all condos presently on the market to be sold. A balanced market is around 5 months. Sales % of original list price                   85.3%                              85.2% Sales % of list price (at time of sale)      92.7%                              94.57% Median Sales Price                     ... 05/17/2009

I showed a nice colonial today to a great couple!  They liked it and now their current home needs a buyer.  Anyone looking for a great 3 bedroom 2 bath Cape on Cape Cod?!  $319000, pics on my web site. Then I drove down to see the end of the Coast Guard's annual water rescue in Nantucket Sound.  They had just ended when I got there but here is a picture of the beach on Surf Drive in Falmouth, MA.  Come and go for a swim! It is a breezy and cool morning.  The tourists are starting to visit. Shops are open, the food is good, and the sun is shining! Happy real estate-ing!   05/16/2009

I couldn't believe there were so many swans behind my house yesterday.  I counted over 40!  They looked like a flock of snow geese at first. As I approached, they all craned their necks and I thought I'd get attacked, but they turned out to be more afraid of me than I was of their herd. It's a beautiful Day On Cape Cod!   05/15/2009

There are five candidates for selectmen in Falmouth MA.  The election is May 19th.  None of the candidates is running for re-election. Outlines of their positions can be found on the local paper's web site.  (Falmouth Enterprise).  The league of Women Voters had a question and answer session.  Here are their responses to the question: What is your signature issue. John Flannagan (ex Professor Mass Maritime): Good Government with accountability Melissa Freitag (Teacher Cape Cod Community College, politics): Good Government Sheryl Kozens-Long (Small business owner): Accountability David Moriarty (General Contractor): Sewers and Water Quality Robert Volosevich (Small business owner): Increasing public involvement on Town Committees, volunteerism. Study their ideas and vote. 05/10/2009

The EPA has produced a brochure about what radon is and how it affects people that we have summarized here for faster reading. The whole publication can be read on the Environmental Protection Agency web site. This gas comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock (like granite), and water. It is "off-gassed" out into the air. A simple venting system is the most common method of fixing a radon concentration in a property. Should you test the property you are buying? Sure, why not.  But, don't make it more of a concern than other parts of the condition of the property. It could be something that this property needs to have addressed just like a new roof, or a termite treatment, etc.  The tests are inexpensive, and treatment is also inexpensive if you find a higher than accept... 05/10/2009

Yesterday I had lunch with my friend Brian. Brian is a 60 something, 6 ft 2, handsome Irish man ...A tall drink of water, my grandmother would say... Brian is recently blind. Diabetes stole his sight slowly and now he lives in darkness. Brian is taking on his new life like an adventure. You won't hear him be angry, full or self pity or despair. No. Brian is optimistically facing his dark new world with a sense of discovery. He told me how recently a coffee clerk told him his 100 dollar bill was really a 5 and consequently he came home short 97 dollars. He told me of a street performer who sent him down some dark alleys instead of in the direction of the T station. But he said..."Annie, for every negative experience there are 100 positives." Not long ago an Asian woman took him to the T,... 04/26/2009

I drove to work by the beach this morning.  It is a 4 mile drive and a lot of it goes right by Nantucket Sound.  I saw boats going to the Vineyard, and seagulls, and the sun was shining. I also saw license plates from New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and others I can't remember.  All this made me remember, "I live in a resort!"  I have been watching the increased traffic on Main Street in Falmouth all day from my office windows. I was on the Vineyard (Martha's Vineyard) yesterday for an overnite with the family.  Saw friends and a brother-in-law.  And, we got the secret word that maybe the new prez and one of the old prezs will be on the Vineyard this summer in Oak Bluffs. Sometimes I forget that I get to live in a place others only get to visit ... 04/24/2009

Last night my daughter called me from Quissett Harbor excitedly telling me she was looking at dolphins.  I was in the process of adding links to a few AZ real estate sites to REindex.com so I couldn't run right down there.  But, as soon as I was done, I drove the 3 miles from my office to the harbor and got to see them myself!  The sun was setting, but sure enough there were dolphins.  (Quissett Harbor is on the West Coast of Falmouth MA - yes there is a west coast on the east coast!)   I just got back from seeing them again.  On this 60 degree day, my daughter took a video that clearly shows their color, etc.  There were a lot of people there to watch.  Something about dolphins attracts positive feelings. Happy listing and selling!   03/07/2009

We had another winter storm today, and although we did not get the foot of snow that some off-Cape communities received, we got a mix of ice and snow that made the roads quite treacherous. The good thing about a day like today is that it creates some unplanned "free time" to get some nagging projects done. So what project did I get done: I prepared my 2009 Boston Red Sox schedules for mailing. Even with a winter wonderland outside, the home opener is just 34 days, 17 hours, and 35 minutes away (as of this writing). There is hope! 03/02/2009

Here's a great idea!  The goal of a local toy shop in Falmouth MA is to complete an 18,240 piece puzzle in the store by the end of February!  The fastest know completion that Michelle Deutschmann (Kaleidoscope Toys' owner) has found is around 5 months.  It might get done if you drop by and help. ;^) The toy store on Main Street in Falmouth has an energetic staff that has been concentrating on the puzzle all month.  If you are a puzzle aficionado, and think you can add to the success of their goal, stop by and see how they are doing!  You might just fit the last piece in!  (Wouldn't it be terrible if they lost one!?  I hate it when that happens!) While you are here in Falmouth, stroll the other Main Street shops and restaurants.  There are many pleasant opportunities to shop and eat here... 02/26/2009

There is something very important happening in Falmouth that directly affects the owners of a vacation home or visitors who vacation in Falmouth.    The town is considering a new tax on all Falmouth vacation rental properties that could be as high as 9.7%.  We all know what this means! Landlords will need to pass this tax directly on to renters.   Some Cape Cod towns, like Harwich, have already voted a tax like this down.  If it passes, landlords will have another expense to cover when they are renting their properties.  Real estate investors will have to adjust their their operating calculations to include this tax when they make you an offer on property.   This tax is not useful for landlords, bad for vacationers, certainly it is not helpful to the businesses that appreciate tourism, ... 02/18/2009

Well it has been a long time since I saw a 3 bedroom home in Falmouth for under $100,000!  But there it is in today's newest listings.  A 3 bedroom ranch on a 1/4 acre with one bath.  So, if there is a reason to buy real estate in Falmouth MA, here it is!  This one had the pipes burst, so it needs work, but if this isn't the bottom, I don't know what will be. There are other new listings that are good values, too.  I found another one yesterday that is a completely redone 3 bedroom 2 bath for $269K!  It is on a good sized lot, and at the end of  a cul de sac.  The upper end has some deals too.  There are new listings of beautiful homes over the million dollar mark that are very interesting values! If people are waiting for "rates to go down," they may be waiting for a rate that may not ... 02/17/2009

Hollywood East, also known as Plymouth Rock Studios, is starting to provide free acting classes.  From the brief parts shown of the latest, it appears that they are preparing people to be extras.  The class that their daily video (called what else, "The Series") depicts shows a large crowd being coached on cheering at a football game. Other information is presented to prepare people for the reality of shooting scenes like, "Ok, now we want you to do that 20 more times, and it is cold and snowing."  I think they are smart to prepare a local source of extras.  They can train them with a fresh look and can prepare them with the realities of acting in a movie.  With a fresh group of faces and a clean slate of trainable masses, they may find working here refreshing.  Nevertheless, movies are... 02/14/2009

When I dropped my daughter off at school this morning I noticed a news crew at the front entrance.  After I passed them, I turned around and asked the lady reporter if there weren't some good news she could focus on as well as the recent mistakes of a few kids.  (An 8th grader that was sent a picture in a text message on his phone, forwarded it to some other people's phones.) She asked if I'd like to be interviewed about the issue, and after thinking about it I said ok.  I said that I thought the boy knew what he was doing, but didn't understand the consequences of it.  I also said that it was caught by parents because this community has great parent involvement.  The VIPS (Volunteers In Public Schools) here is very strong, and parents in general take a strong interest in the schools. I... 02/11/2009

Now that 2008 and the elections are behind us, we are all trying to determine how best to deal with the challenges that now face us. As is always the case, the challenges differ for each of us and the actions that we must take differ as well. This is never truer than in real estate. It is safe to say that everyone now agrees that we are in a buyer's market. The debate, however, is whether this is a good time to be a buyer. The answer is "it depends." It depends on the buyer's personal goals and financial readiness. There is no question that the large inventory, the drop in prices, and the low interest rates point to "yes." There are three questions each buyer must answer before even thinking about buying:  1. How strong is my credit history? 2. Do I have sufficient cash to cover a down ... 02/06/2009

  The good news for condo sellers on the upper portion of Cape Cod, MA (Falmouth, Mashpee, and Bourne) is that more units were sold in 2008 than were listed. This is a positive trend when compared to 2007. The bad news, however, is that prices have dropped. The following chart shows the listings/sold comparison for both the upper Cape and the Town of Falmouth for both 2007 and 2008.                                                                   2007      Upper Cape          Falmouth           Listed Sold Listed Sold       January 8 17 2 3       February 0 11 0 2       March 11 21 2 7       April 18 15 12 3       May 17 17 2 2       June 11 27 2 10       July 20 13 3 1       August 19 18 5 5       September 24 16 6 4       October 47 14 10 4       November 14 20 2 7       December 16 ... 02/04/2009

Here is a helpful link to our Virtual Homes Website that gives you access to the MLS in Falmouth, Massachusetts.  It is free and  is map based driven so even if you don't know the streets you can zoom into different locations in Falmouth: Please click on:   http://www.virtualhomesmls.com/realestate/MA/Falmouth/foreclosure   If you have any questions feel fre to give me a call or email me back:   Laurie C. Bailey-Gates RE/Max Innovations 508-265-6722     01/13/2009

Well we are having another snow storm.  This isn't bad if you like snow.  It is supposed to change to rain by tomorrow.  In any case, I thought I'd take time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope that 2009 is Fine!  May your new year bring lots of cheer!  May all your real estate deals be great! Here is me and my Family Jumping for Joy! We were on the beach in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard to take this picture.  One of my cousins was with us and took it.  My girls have a thing for pictures of them all in the air, so we did one as a family. Joy to your World! Happy Listing and Selling. 01/10/2009

This is a local post.  I love to watch hawks for some reason.  As a kid I read about them and watched them fly.  I have always loved to watch them soar. Yesterday, as I went to an appointment in Falmouth, I ran across the one below and I had to stop an take a pic.  I walked up very close and he just turned his head to inspect me.  The pond he was watching has ducks and varmints around it so I'm sure he was planning lunch. This isn't a real estateentry, but I enjoyed the encounter and so I post it here.  I get to live in a fun place.  (Kathrine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" when she lived in Falmouth MA). Happy listing and selling! 01/08/2009