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Trade-Offs, Part 1

September 21, 2016 by Nadine

I often say that every home – even the most expensive – comes with trade-offs. Here are some current examples:

#21606219
32 Jeffrey Lane, Falmouth
$279,000

Not a tiny house, but a small house – 908 s.f. The bedrooms are decent-sized, the closets are good, the house is younger (1994) and nicely built and maintained, the lot is 12,000 s.f., and there’s a good buffer of trees in back. The street is a nice cul-de-sac of similar homes. For under $300K, it’s probably the nicest house in town. Trade-off? No garage.

#21605721
5 Roberta Jean Circle, Falmouth
$369,900

Here’s a cute, 1,296 s.f. ranch with 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a one-car garage, central air, hardwood floors, gas heat, irrigation, and a private yard that’s just the right size. And it’s in great condition! The trade-off? It’s a corner lot, and one of the streets is Old Meetinghouse, which gets quite a bit of traffic. But this is on the garage side of the house, so it’s invisible, and even the sound is buffered by the garage. I was not aware of the traffic when I was inside the home. So maybe this is an easy trade-off. The home is certainly well-priced, and offers good value.

#21606539
21 Pine Street, Falmouth
$539,900

This is a young, 3-bedroom, 3-bath, 1,799 s.f. condo that’s nicely built and in a nice location. It has that much-wanted first-floor bedroom suite, as well as 2 bedrooms and a loft upstairs. The living-dining area is a little tight as a result of the first-floor garage. The trade-off for this unit is that the location within the complex is such that views are of the street or the house to the rear.

Income Producers

September 16, 2016 by Nadine

Coincidentally, this week I’ve also seen a few homes that offer solid income potential. Each is a little different, but here they are:

#21606888
25 Wohelo Drive, North Falmouth
$448,000

This is a younger split entry in North Hill, a favorite family neighborhood. The lower level is an illegal apartment currently lived in by an older parent. It would probably rent for $1000-1200 a month. The downside is that it is open to the rest of the house, and the house itself needs some sprucing up. This would be ideal as an in-law, or separate quarters for someone connected with the owners.

#21606746
28 Heather Lane, North Falmouth
$459,900

Also in North Hill, this is a 2,306 s.f. Colonial with a completely separate first-floor apartment, currently occupied by an active single woman in her 60’s who would like to stay. She pays $1200 a month rent, so this house will appeal to anyone who wants to reduce living expenses substantially while still retaining privacy and having comfortable spaces of one’s own. I picture this as a second-home owner, here on weekends. What a great opportunity!

#21605156
49 Silver Beach Avenue, North Falmouth
$549,000

Here’s your grandparents’ beach house, complete with natural wood beadboard, narrow staircase and hallways, vintage kitchen and baths, and entry through the sunporch that runs the length of the front of the house. No central air, but New Silver Beach is a quick walk, and the house generated $20,000 from one July 1 – September 1 rental this summer. That’s a pretty good return on investment, one that’s hard to match with most investments!

All In A Week’s Work

September 15, 2016 by Nadine

I spent a good part of this past week with a couple from Florida, here to buy a summer home. Much to the woman’s surprise, they flew home today with the most charming house just off Sippewissett solidly under agreement to them, and with the inspection accomplished as well.

How’d we do this? To begin with, they’ve been online for what seemed to be 18 hours a day for at least the last month. After basic familiarization with neighborhoods and prices, it stopped being productive, because you really just have to put your feet on the ground and see the neighborhoods; assess your reaction; evaluate your priorities (in this case, kayaking vs. biking; away from town vs. being near downtown); and figure out what trade-offs you’re willing to make. Because there are always trade-offs!

The first day, we looked at 20 homes, either by drive-bys or going inside. It was an exhausting day, but by the next day, there were only a few homes that made the short list to see again. Here are some:

#21606802
211 Great Bay Street, Falmouth
$975,000

What a sweet house, so “beachy” and with glorious views! But on the second day, surrounding homes not consistent with the quality and value of this one took it off the list.

#21605741
55 Seashell Lane, Falmouth
$900,000

This house is so similar to mine that I’m positive it was designed by Walter Yarosh, the same Falmouth architect who designed my house. (He was busy in the 90’s; I keep seeing variations on the theme.) This one is still original, but because I’ve just done a major renovation that included reconfiguring some spaces, it was easy for me to help my buyers envision what the house could be. The setting, directly on Great Pond and facing west; and with a neighborhood dock, is superb. But in the end, the prospect of managing a project of this scope long distance also took this one off the list.

#21607478
11 Place Road, Falmouth
$650,000

This is the one that rose to the top. The location is superb in every way, with a neighborhood trail to the bike path; a short half mile to glorious Woodneck Beach; and less than a mile to the activities and pleasures of Main Street, Highfield Hall, and Beebe Woods. The price was fair, and because the buyers had seen so many homes, they had a solid sense of value and understood that. The space was just right, not too big but not too small. The trade-off is that yes, it does need a new kitchen and the addition of central air. The buyers would have loved to have found a house that had these already, but they have a contractor they trust, and once the work is done, they’ll have a wonderful Cape house (with a spectacular kitchen!) in exactly the spot they wanted. A great week!

They Say…

June 6, 2016 by Nadine

“A friend of ours gave us Nadine’s name and she was great! When we first started working with her, we were not sure of anything: where we wanted to buy and eventually retire, what we wanted from the town, the type of home, and even the type of neighborhood we wanted.

Nadine was outstanding! Her expert knowledge of the different towns and neighborhoods was obvious and helpful.

She really does “go above and beyond”; she met with us several times and understood as we changed our minds throughout the process. I trusted her and believe she will always be a good friend. She is smart, patient, and funny, and thanks to her we found the perfect place!”

~ Colleen & Jeff C.

Thanks to You!

April 25, 2016 by Nadine

A couple of weeks ago, I was captive at a seven-hour brokers’ meeting at Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors. Not being accustomed to sitting still for so long, by hour five my attention began to wander.

I know I’ve been really busy the last six months (and the market is really strong), so I became curious if it was just my business or everyone’s that was so strong.

I took advantage of a restroom break and went into the MLS office to check out the stats. To my surprise and delight, I discovered that I am the #1 agent in Falmouth for closed transactions! I’m thrilled, and profoundly appreciative that enough of you wanted to work with me to make this happen.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much. This honor won’t last long, but my commitment to my clients and killer work ethic are forever! Please stay in touch and think of me when you or your friends need a great agent. As you who have worked with me know, my standards are high and I get the job done.

I thank you again with appreciation and humility.

Now read on to see what I’ve been up to lately:

Some people swear by the information in market reports. I usually don’t. I think they are a useful indicator of what’s going on, but a nice house in a good location at a fair price is always going to sell. However, the current market is nuts! Here are February statistics:

Pending sales for Falmouth single family properties in February 2016 were up 144.4% over February 2015! At the same time, the inventory of homes for sale went down 24.2%. The conclusion is obvious: We are in what is probably the strongest Sellers’ market in a very long time. This is great for Sellers but very difficult for Buyers as you can well imagine. In addition, it takes only a few weeks of a Sellers’ market before prices start climbing.

Buyers need to be well-prepared with an iron-clad pre-qualification letter; a flexible schedule to see appropriate new listings as soon as they hit the market; and the ability to make a quick decision and the fortitude to stick with it through the ups and downs of the first few weeks of an accepted offer. People who lack even one of these probably won’t get a house in this market. Then prices will go up, and they’ve missed an opportunity.

On the other hand, if you’re a Seller, your timing couldn’t be better. Call me! My listings are selling quickly, at or very close to full price, and often with multiple offers.

CALL TODAY!

617.921.7552
508.457.7552

Trade-Offs, Part 1

Income Producers

All In A Week’s Work

They Say…

Thanks to You!

Buh-Bye Winter!

An Old Silver Winter

Winter Beach Walks