Anyone planning a Cape Cod vacation this summer? Our very own Mid Cape Rentals team can find you the perfect rental property! Prices are comparable to hotels but offer much more privacy!

www.MidCapeRentals.com

Phone: 508-362-8844

The time has finally come to bid winter farewell and welcome spring with open arms. A switch in seasons is the perfect opportunity to step back and get a pulse check on the state of the housing market. Good news – we’ve done our research and want to share some key findings with you:

It’s not just the weather that’s heating up! With scarcer home listings and high buyer demands, there’s expected to be hot competition in the market this spring. Why? According to a recent REALTOR Magazine article there are three main contributing factors that have Americans flocking to housing: an improving job market, growing consumer confidence and the threat of rising mortgage rates.

Since November 2016, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has risen by more than half a percentage point. The Federal Reserve’s recent vote to increase its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point has many thinking there are more increases ahead. For buyers, this is instilling a sense of urgency, and for the industry, high housing demand. As quoted recently via CNBC, Redfin crunched the numbers: according to Redfin’s recent Housing Demand Index (based on Redfin customers requesting home tours and writing offers,) homebuyer demand was up 23 percent compared to January 2016, led by a 26 percent annual increase in homebuyers requesting tours and an 18 percent increase in buyers making offers.

As an agent, how can you prepare? Here are some tips:

• Do some spring cleaning – Busy season can be a lot less daunting when you’re prepared. Organize your work space, update any outdated materials and get rid of anything unnecessary. Do the work ahead of time for smoother sailing once the winds pick up.
• Educate your clients – No one knows the market as well as you do. Being the expert, take the time to inform home buyers and sellers on the state of housing and the best next steps for them.
• Don’t assume – Just because buyer demand is high doesn’t mean every house that hits the market will be an automatic sale. Remind your clients to take the time to think through the process, from listing price to general aesthetic, to ensure the most successful transaction.

Do you have any tried and true tips for conquering the spring housing market? Share them in the comments below!

Original article here

BARNSTABLE – The Barnstable County Register of Deeds reports that real estate sales volume and total value dropped in April, but are still up for the year to date.

The volume of real estate sales was down 6.7 percent from April of 2016 and the total value of sales was down 2.3 percent over the previous year.

The median individual property sale value was up 4.2 percent from April of 2016.

“It doesn’t always correlate – value and volume – but we had a little uptick in value which is going along with where we have been moving on the positive side on individual sales value,” said John Meade, the Barnstable County Register of Deeds. “Volume has been up and down though.”

For the year to date the volume of sales is up 3.5 percent over last year and the total value of sales is up 4.5 percent. The individual sales value is up 7.6 percent.

“We’re moving in the right direction overall and that’s an indicator of where things stand,” Meade said. Month to month totals can vary based on the number of business days in the month compared to the year before. Those kind of things happen.”

Meade said the positive trends are that the volume, value and individual sales value are up for the year.

The median sale price for the month of April was $350,000.

“We’ve been in the mid-$300,000 range fairly consistently for the last seven or eight months,” Meade said. “We’re starting to see values overall working in the right direction if you are a seller.”

The amount of mortgage activity fell 10.6 percent from levels in April of 2016 and is down 1.9 percent for the year to date.

May is a busy month historically, especially for 2^nd home buyers.

“We’ve got a lot of business days in May so it’ll be interesting to see what happens there,” Meade said. “It’s going to be big for us if we have a strong May and it’s going to be an indicator that the year should be pretty good.”

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

http://www.capecod.com/newscenter/real-estate-volume-and-value-dip-in-april-still-up-for-year/

Cape Cod is one of the most popular tourist and vacation spots around. There's plenty of events and functions happening to keep you entertained! The May 2017 lineup consists of the following: 

May 5th-7th
The 31st Annual Brewster in Bloom Festival.
Call 508-896-3500 or visit http://bit.ly/2qJI6mN for more information.  
Enjoy the 2-days fine arts and crafts show, arts and antiques excursion, closest to the pin contest, annual 5-k Bloom Run, Kid Fest at Drummer Boy Park and the town parade. Businesses hold open houses with special offers. Most events are free.

May 6th 
Trad-Stroll Woods Hole.
Call 508-548-2892 or visit http://bit.ly/2pLK3C3 for more information. 
The Stroll begins at Community Hall with a lecture and demonstration on Morris Dancing.  It then shifts to the top of Water Street and moves along through the village where you will hear a dozen traditional music groups play.  Have a bite to eat then end the day taking to the floor of the Community Hall to twirl to the music of the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra.  All music is free. The schedule of performances will be on posters and post cards around town and available at the event.  

May 17th - 21st
Nantucket Wine Festival, Nantucket Island
Visit http://bit.ly/2qwGH6L for more information. 
Located on the island of Nantucket, this boutique experience of world class wines and award winning food will forever change you. Over the past 21 years, the Nantucket Wine & Food Festival has become one of the most celebrated wine and food events in the country.  

May 26th - June 4th
Rhododendron Festival, Sandwich 
Visit http://bit.ly/2paYwU7 for more information. 
Thousands of world-famous rhododendrons in over 100 varieties and an explosion of color cover 100 acres with spectacular blooms. Enjoy a peaceful walk surrounded by walls of flowers, learn more about Heritage’s storied rhododendron legacy, participate in activities with horticulture experts, and take one of these signature plants home with you from the special plant sale.

May 28th
Annual Johnny Kelley Race, Hyannis
Visit http://bit.ly/2pKVpEc for more information.
Join us on Sunday, May 28th for the annual tribute to Cape Cod's Marathon Man, Johnny Kelley. Although Johnny's name is synonymous with the Boston Marathon, he also represented the United States as a member of three Olympic teams. At the young age of 18 in Nazi Germany, he ran with another legend, the great Jesse Owens, in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. He was the only American to cross the finish line, finishing the race in 18th place.

May 31st - June 6th
Wellfleet Restaurant Week
Visit http://bit.ly/2qJXwaI for more information
Visit Wellfleet from Wednesday May 31st through Tuesday, June 6, 2017 and experience the unique specials that participating restaurants are offering. Participating eateries are free to choose their own "restaurant week special" - from prix fixe menus, to evolving nightly specials to entering to qualify for special rewards.  Please check this website frequently or call participating establishments to learn more about their individual restaurant week special. Come try a new restaurant or enjoy one of your favorites.

112 Nottingham Drive, Yarmouth, MA 02675

Luxurious home with pool and modern kitchen

Located on Nottingham Drive in beautiful Yarmouth, Massachusetts, this gated home offers luxury and privacy for its residents. The kitchen is recently renovated with gorgeous granite counter-tops and a breakfast bar. The open living room has hickory flooring and a stone fireplace. There are 6 bedrooms including a master suite with fireplace, as well as 5 bathrooms and a finished basement.

112 Nottingham Drive is listed by Deborah Reddington of ERA Cape Real Estate. Deborah is intimately familiar with the Yarmouth housing market and offers unique in insight into the local real estate opportunities. Contact Deborah today for more information.

View the complete listing for 112 Nottingham Drive.

2 Barkentine Circle, Yarmouth, MA 02664

Lovely oceanview home in Yarmouth

This tasteful home is located in the Gateway Isles neighborhood of Yarmouth, MA, just a short walk from the beach. The outdoor deck and patio offer beautiful views of the water. With 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, in addition to a great room and modern kitchen, this property makes for a great vacation home or year-round living space.

This listing is brokered by Dick Martin of ERA Cape Real Estate. Dick and his team are the real estate leaders in Yarmouth and the surrounding towns and they know what it takes to get you into the home of your dreams. Contact Dick today.

View the complete listing for 2 Barkentine Circle.

This week was a celebration of our Mid Year Top Producers!  Lisa Griffin, Liz Green, Maryanne Geary, Doug Campbell, Steve Silva, and Sue Dean had all reached the goal of 2 million or more in gross sales volume by July 1st!  What a night- we began with cocktails at the Wequassett Pool with a vew of Pleasant Bay at sunset.  Then we moved up the hill to the infamous 28 Atlantic for a dinner that was truly an event!   Appetizers of lobster filled raviolis, grilled octopus, or the favorite- Hudson Valley Foie Gras.  Everyone tried something different for dinner ranging from herb crusted lamb to the butter basted lobster or even their very own Family Farms tenderloin of beef.   The presentation and celebratory atmosphere was very special - next year we expect to have even more of TEAM ERA be a part of our mid year Top Producer Celebration. 

ERA Cape Real Estate will be the only company on Cape Cod benifitting from Realogy's recent purchase of Zip Realty.  That purchase brought with it - ZAP (Zip Agent Platform).  This innovative and technologically advanced program for leads and lead management will give ERA Cape Real Estate the "leading" edge!!.  Our agents will receive inquiries from all over the world on our listings and on all Cape Cod listings- giving us the opportunity to better serve the consumer and our clients!   We will be attending seminars and training sessions over the next two months in preparation of the roll out! 

http://www.frontdoor.com/houses/finding-a-cape-cod-retirement-dream-home

Realtor Susan Dean helped her clients find the perfect Cape Cod retirement home with vintage charm, secret rooms and a large garden.

After spending vacation time in a tiny seasonal cottage on Cape Cod, Terry and Lynne Dunn knew exactly where they wanted to spend their retirement. The 544-square-foot house was perfect for quick weekend getaways but wasn't large enough to accommodate visiting grandkids, so they tasked ERA Realtor Susan Dean with finding their dream retirement home. She was also given the task of selling their New Jersey home as well as the beloved cottage.

Susan Dean scoured the entire Cape from Sandwich to Orleans. Then, the perfect house was discovered in Dennis: a beautiful antique with all the charm and finishes that they were looking for, plus a few fun features for the grandkids. One found a secret room in the back of the front hall closet, while another slept in the upstairs nook, which is the perfect spot for a small child when there's too much company.
 

What was at the top of the homebuyers' wish list?

The home had the character they were looking for with lots of vintage charm. They wanted several fireplaces, larger rooms, extra bedrooms for their adult children to visit, and a room for Lynne’s crafting. They also wanted beautiful gardens, but most of all, it had been very well taken care of by the previous owners and was pretty much move-in ready. The desired location was the mid-Cape area. Terry wanted a garage for an antique car.

How did you go about fulfilling the buyers' needs? What were your biggest challenges?

Pricing the seasonal cottage correctly, getting the maximum cash return and getting it sold in a timely manner were the key elements for attaining my clients’ retirement goals. I did preview quite a few houses before taking them out. One of the biggest challenges was finding some homes that were in good shape. A lot of the homes I saw were in disrepair, and the owners had not performed overall maintenance. The fixtures and mechanics were outdated. Even though Terry had already retired from his teaching job, Lynne was still working as a hospice nurse. So our tours of possibilities resulted in daylong tours when they had time to visit the Cape.