Buy that Cape house soon.... (Plymouth, Yarmouth: short sales, real estate, 2013)

[Beachcomber4]

Business: Cape Cod property sales improving | CapeCodOnline.com

[Boston_Burbs]

And drink that pharmaceutical filled ground water.

[Parsec]

Beachcomber: That was my plan until the wife decided she wanted to "move up" instead of buying a 2nd home. And to think, my current house plus a house on the Cape would still be cheaper than moving up.

[pennyone]

We looked at a few last year, when the market was really down, and we saw some real possibilities. One was in Eastham, and one in Orleans (but both had septic and I prefer town sewer). I also liked the one in Wellfleet, but it was so run down and yet still pricey. There is a nice colonial n Truro that I really liked, but it's literally right by the side of an intersection. Great as a fun summer getaway, but It needs a lot of work. Love the Cape/hate the traffic...

Sagamore Bridge getting renovated/scraped this sumer, and traffic will be a horror show.

[MikePRU]

Real estate prices are really recovering nicely all around the state. I put two properties under contract this weekend and both went for well over asking. I can't remember the last time I saw a house sell for under list price.

[raveabouttoast]

Originally Posted by pennyone

Sagamore Bridge getting renovated/scraped this sumer, and traffic will be a horror show.

Did they recently do this to the Bourne Bridge?

I made the mistake of trying to get down to southern Plymouth from 495 last summer.. on a Friday. Traffic was backed up to the Rte 44 exit in Middleboro! Unfortunately the tourists know about all the backroads too

The Cape is nice in the fall though!

[Cape Cod Todd]

I live on the Cape and I own my own Real Estate company since 2006. During the recession we were never hit as hard as the rest of the state when it came to foreclosures, short sales etc.... Due to many of the homes here are owned by retirees or they are second vacation homes. Also the prices didn't really dip that badly though there were deals to be had most of the properties if priced right and not needing a ton of work didn't sit on the market long. Today there is certainly a rebound and a buzz of excitement in the Spring air. Houses are selling quicker and for closer to the asking price than in years past.
Eastham and Sandwich are the 2 towns with the biggest water quality concerns due to the military base and private wells. There is no town water in Eastham. Few towns have town sewer but some like Chatham and Eastham are working on it.
As far as the bridges go the Sagamore does have a lane restriction getting off Cape during the day but will be open this coming weekend for the holiday. Yesterday I heard there was a 20 minute delay in travelling off. Do come on down though it is smooth sailing coming down and plan your trip to go home after dinner when the restrictions are lifted.
The work will be done before the Summer gets here so don't worry.
There is a lot to LOVE about Cape Cod and now is a great time to come and explore before the Summer rush.
Todd

[Beachcomber4]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

I live on the Cape and I own my own Real Estate company since 2006. During the recession we were never hit as hard as the rest of the state when it came to foreclosures, short sales etc.... Due to many of the homes here are owned by retirees or they are second vacation homes. Also the prices didn't really dip that badly though there were deals to be had most of the properties if priced right and not needing a ton of work didn't sit on the market long. Today there is certainly a rebound and a buzz of excitement in the Spring air. Houses are selling quicker and for closer to the asking price than in years past.
Eastham and Sandwich are the 2 towns with the biggest water quality concerns due to the military base and private wells. There is no town water in Eastham. Few towns have town sewer but some like Chatham and Eastham are working on it.
As far as the bridges go the Sagamore does have a lane restriction getting off Cape during the day but will be open this coming weekend for the holiday. Yesterday I heard there was a 20 minute delay in travelling off. Do come on down though it is smooth sailing coming down and plan your trip to go home after dinner when the restrictions are lifted.
The work will be done before the Summer gets here so don't worry.
There is a lot to LOVE about Cape Cod and now is a great time to come and explore before the Summer rush.
Todd

Sorry CCTodd but while I am sure, based on the great information you offer about the lower Cape, that you know your sales area well. I spend a good deal of time in Chatham. It (like another town I spend a lot of time in- Hingham) are like the lands the recession forgot. The building, home sales and renovations that have been going on during this entire recession are mind boggling.

However, you are mistaken about those areas you don't know as well. The Cape, as a whole, has been hit hard by foreclosure.

. Cape Cod Foreclosure Rate Way Up - CapeLinks Cape Cod

Home prices were hard hit in some areas- I was fortunate to have sold in an area that had not yet hit bottom and buy a distressed contractor's property in an area that had. So did many others. My home, in a few short years has seen a 15-20% increase in value. As I said, you know your area well but there are entire areas and pockets that have seen tremendous price fluctuations in the past 5-7 years.

In regard to water and the base. There are many parts of Sandwich that are 10 miles from the base in the opposite direction of the movement of the plumes. The area of highest concern has always been Forestdale. There are also parts of Sandwich that have town water services. Not everyone lives next to the base or has a well in town. To say "the town of Sandwich" has water problems is very misleading. I can't comment on Eastham as I do not know the area.

[Cape Cod Todd]

Beachcomber I don't want to mislead anyone. I didn't say that the towns of Sandwich and Eastham had water problems I wrote they had concerns since it is true that sections of the town do but not the whole town.
As for the foreclosure rates I should have been a bit more clear. It has been my experience that sections of the Cape that I am familiar with, part of the Mid, the lower which includes Chatham and the outer Cape were not hit as hard with the recession and foreclosures as areas off Cape that I am familiar with. It is true that spots in Hyannis and Yarmouth had their fair share of foreclosures.
Some of my comments were generalisations but in my experience true. I'm glad you came along to clarify some of the points. I still believe that Cape Cod is a jewel and a great place to live, work, visit, and enjoy.
The work on the Sagamore bridge will be suspended this weekend for the holiday and work should be finished in 2 weeks. So come on down!

[MustangMommy]

Originally Posted by Morris Wanchuk

And drink that pharmaceutical filled ground water.

Try ordinance filled water... My husband was out there for a year cleaning up unexploded ordinance on Otis. If I'm not mistaken there are sill people out there cleaning up the old bombs and ammo.