Sep. 27, 2007 - FALMOUTH HAD A GLACIER ONCE!

Falmouth's Glacier!
Everyone loves Cape Cod as the summer traffic demonstrates, but most people are not aware of how Cape Cod came about. It's fascinating, reading about the geology of our area. The book that I have is 'A Geologist's View of Cape Cod' by Arthur N. Strahler. It's probably our of print, but there are editions by other authors in the bookstores. For example, did you know that the glacier over Falmouth was about a mile thick and that it covered Cape Cod a mere 10,000 years ago. When it melted and receeded north the dirt, sand, boulders, and gravel contained within the glacier actually formed the Cape and created all the ponds and kettle holes that you see. The glacier originally extended as far as Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and formed them about 13,000 years ago when it first began to melt. It continued to receed for a while, stopped during another cold spell then formed the Cape as it melted northward. At that time, the ocean was about 300' lower and was out of sight if you looked out from what is now Woods Hole. Try to learn more, you'll fascinate your friends when they visit you in Falmouth. - DAVID

Copyright © 2007 By David F. Kelley, Falmouth, MA.
All Rights Reserved.

Sep. 27, 2007 - PREPARING YOUR HOME TO SELL

It All Begins At The Curb.
A home need not be a ravishing beauty to attract - to sell. It need not shout, it should invite, a look, a pause, a let's go see. We've all seen homes with good "curb appeal." Everything looks right, the grass, the bushes, the trees, all cared for. The trim, the siding, the roof, well maintained. No clutter, nothing out of place, making a great first impression. If the outside looks this good, then so should the inside.

Unrealistic? Maybe a little, but really, you're trying to sell a home and want to invite home hunters inside. Potential buyers are guests and you want them to feel comfortable. You want them to look at your home from top to bottom, inside and out, and you want them to say "wow, this may be the place for me," and seriously consider making an offer. But in order to do get this far, it begins at the curb. Do prospective buyers want to come in, or more on to the next house? It's up to you.

To continue, please click on http://www.capecodspecials.com/preparing.to.sell,html - DAVID

Sep. 21, 2007 - INCREASING HOME VALUES IN FALMOUTH

Home Values Have Soared

This is an interesting chart as it shows the increase in home values for single family homes
in Falmouth over the past 15 years. It just zooms up without blinking for 9 straight years,
then falls back last year and regains a little this year so far. What does it hold for the
future? Do you see it wobbling for a few years, falling back to the 2000-2001 level or
picking up steam again and breaking into the 600K level?

It's your call. Let's hear what you have to say. Remember though, no one could have
believed that his home would double in value over the next few years, but it did and
it could again - but we'll see won't we!! - DAVID
Copyright © 2007 By David F. Kelley, Falmouth, MA.
All Rights Reserved.

Sep. 20, 2007 - TIPS FOR HOMESELLERS.

Overpricing Doesn't Work.

"Let's try this higher price for a while. We can reduce it later if we get no action."

- Many homesellers like to try this strategy and many realtors go along with it to get a listing, but it is not the way to sell a home. Buyers are always waiting for a home like this to be listed and if priced right, will probably buy it. If overpriced, they will ignore it and the house will miss the market and lanquish. - DAVID
Copyright © 2007 By David F. Kelley, Falmouth, MA.
All Rights Reserved.

Sep. 18, 2007 - THIS IS FALMOUTH ON CAPE COD

Sep. 16, 2007 - WHERE IS THE MARKET GOING?

With all the fuss and speculation

Sep. 8, 2007 - ARE YOU CONFUSED BY 'BUYER AGENCY?'

Dual-Agent - are you a spy?
All you want to do is to look at houses and all realtors want to do is to read you your rights. Explaining buyer agency is one thing, but 'Dual-Agency!!' - give me a break. I know, it's a pain and it's confusing and you're not interested in hearing about it at the time, but it's important - besides, we are required to explain our relationship to you in this situation be it as a representative of the seller, a buyers agent, a dual-agent or facilitator.

It makes more sense to understand the difference before you ever talk or meet with a realtor. This way you can both concentrate on your main concern - looking at houses. For a full explanation of the different relationships, please click on this link to my website: http://www.capecodspecials.com/buyers-agent.html. It is critical that you understand this and that you are properly represented with a good realtor working for you and not the seller. A big mistake that buyers make that do most of their homesearches on the internet, is to seek out the listing agent for a home because that agent knows more about the home. They do know more, but they are working for the seller, not you. The only modification to that role is for them to become a disclosed dual-agent and in that situation, they represent neither party.

Considering the importance of the situation, please seek our a good 'Buyers Agent' as they will be working for you and only you. David

Copyright © 2007 By David F. Kelley, Falmouth, MA.
All Rights Reserved.

Sep. 6, 2007 - WHAT'S HAPPENING IN FALMOUTH?

Welcome back to my blog.

Well here I am only a few days late only because it has been a very busy summer. I'm chairman of the Falmouth Artists Guilds public relations committee and we had a lot happening. That included a great fund raising auction held at the Coonamesset Inn - very elegant with a Great Gatsby theme with everyone dressing the part of the 'Roaring Twenties.' Gloria Lieberman was the auctioneer and did a great job. You can see her on Antique Roadshow, is an expert in her field and works for Skinner's auction house in Boston. I won a prize for my outfit as a 20's tennis player holding my fathers antique racket.

The Artists Guild has been raising money for sometime and we are getting close. We need $1,400,000 altogether with about $300,000 more to go before we can start building our 'New Community Art Center.' What a joy that will be for everyone in Falmouth and surrounding towns in the Upper Cape. Our 2.2 acre building site is at the corner of Dillingham and Gifford Streets and we encourage people to visit it as they can see the outline of the building and rooms drawn in white on the ground. For more info about it and the Guild, please contact me.

Everyone seemed to be very busy this summer as it was more crowded than usual with the beaches, streets and restaurants bussling with activity, but hor-ray, its ended. The kids are back in school, the crowds are gone, the streets back to normal and now we have two beautiful autumn months to enjoy. We also have the second busiest real estate season of the year up until about Thanksgiving - so if you're thinking of selling, now's the time to list provided the price is right - and if you're a buyer, you have lots of choices. In either case, do not take it lightly. Buying or selling a home is not like shopping for a loaf of bread - get informed, know what you are doing, be realistic and get good professional help. If you are new to homebuying, you'll find very helpful guidance on my website by clicking on http://www.capecodspecials.com/home-buying-guide.html.

Here's a great real estate book that 'everyone' should read: 'Ripping the Roof Off Real Estate" by Mollie W. Wasserman. It's published by Gabriel Publications and can be ordered at your local bookstore. Mollie is a smart woman and knows what she is talking about so I think you will be well informed, entertained and will approach real estate with a totally different and realistic mindset after reading her book. David

Copyright © 2007 By David F. Kelley, Falmouth, MA.
All Rights Reserved.