Summer home in Cape Cod to rent out for eventual retirement (Boston: renter, condo)

[Seaheart33785]

Hello,

We currently live in Nashville, a great city but too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter for me and too landlocked (for a beach lover like myself!) We bought a condo on the beach in the Tampa Bay Area where we vacation several times a year (and rent out the rest of the time) and plan to retire there but my husband doesn’t love overly hot weather so we are thinking of also having a place in a cooler (coastal) climate for the summers. We have vacationed on Lake Michigan and Cape Cod (Falmouth) and like them both. I grew up in MA so am leaning towards Cape Cod as I love the history and New England vibe and it feels more like home to me. Retirement is a ways off but I have started to do some research and if we purchased early would want to rent the home out in the meanwhile.

Would like a place with closer access to Boston (so probably upper Cape). Falmouth is at the top of my list but considering Sandwich. We would like a place with a quaint but vibrant downtown with good shops and restaurants, very walkable, things to do including active/outdoorsy activities. Would like a place that is walkable to downtown ideally. Any suggestions as to other quaint (but not sleepy) coastal towns we might look at, even in off-Cape MA or other New England states? If Falmouth, what would be the best areas to have a property in terms of rentability? Obviously waterfront/views is desirable but would walkable to downtown increase rental prospects? I’m not familiar with the other Falmouth areas (East, North, Heights, etc) as we stayed close to downtown. I know Falmouth doesn’t shut down in winter like other areas of the Cape but do vacationers rent in winter months? We would probably want to keep at $600k or less.

Any advice or input is welcome. Thanks for reading!

[Dm84]

The Cape isn't really close to Boston, especially in the summer. Unfortunately there is a relatively large volume of traffic on Route 3/93 much of the time. You'll probably find excursions to Boston to be more aggravation than you want to deal with.

[chicagoliz]

Have you considered Maine (or possibly Portsmouth, NH)? I'm not an expert, but it seems like many of the Maine beaches are easier to access than some of the Cape beaches. They might be less expensive, although I'm not certain. You could still reach Boston if you needed it, but if you have access to a city like Portland, ME, there are plenty of ME beach towns that are not far from there. That would provide more of the restaurants and other activities you might want.

[CaseyB]

If you want the Upper Cape with a good downtown then yes, you are probably looking at Falmouth.

I don't think you would gain anything by buying a property close to downtown since most desirable rentals would be near a beach.

I can't see vacationers wanting to rent during the winter months, but you could check with one of our members, Cape Cod Todd who is a realtor there. He'd know.

You may also want to consider Plymouth, off the Cape. Beaches, large downtown and a train to Boston. Some people have summer homes there, but it's become more of a year-round population. You might have more luck renting a house in the off season, not to tourists, but just as a short-term rental.

[Seaheart33785]

Thanks for the responses so far. I have heard Portsmouth,NH mentioned on other threads, I will have to look into that. Also, Plymouth sounds like another good option to investigate. We did a trip to ME a few years ago, flew into Portland and drove up the coast stopping in Kennebunkport and Bar Harbor (which I really loved, but seems too far away to get to and to have a bigger city to visit if desired). I do love Boston, but it is not necessary to go there. I think my husband and I like the idea of a charming small town accessible to a bigger city. Portland would thus be a good option as well. Until we retire, it would help to rent out for income, so off season rental possibilities are attractive too. I’m having fun dreaming about this!

[Seaheart33785]

Originally Posted by CaseyB

If you want the Upper Cape with a good downtown then yes, you are probably looking at Falmouth.

I don't think you would gain anything by buying a property close to downtown since most desirable rentals would be near a beach.

I can't see vacationers wanting to rent during the winter months, but you could check with one of our members, Cape Cod Todd who is a realtor there. He'd know.

You may also want to consider Plymouth, off the Cape. Beaches, large downtown and a train to Boston. Some people have summer homes there, but it's become more of a year-round population. You might have more luck renting a house in the off season, not to tourists, but just as a short-term rental.

I know you’re probably right about being near the beach. In Falmouth we stayed at an Inn walkable to downtown and it was nice to ditch the car. We live in the land of strip malls and the need to drive everywhere. The idea of walking to dinner or to the coffee shop sounds heavenly 😊

[yesmaybe]

Thing about the Cape is that the population is dwindling, and it's only going to get worse as the Boomers die off.

[MrsRosencranz]

Lose Falmouth.

Look into Chatham, Welfleet, Orleans.

Drive up to Ptown and take the ferry when you want to go to Boston.

[jks1985]

Also look into Southern RI. There is commuter rail into Boston from North Kingstown, and I actually like the beaches there better (Narragansett, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown)


Also, you can rent out the place to URI students (if you dare) during the winter.

[Beachcomber4]

You can rent the home to a seasonal renter October through June. Travelling nurse staffing agencies are a great resource to utilize for that. Under $600K near beaches and the downtown area of Falmouth is not all that realistic. More doable in Sandwich but you'll pay more in taxes (Sandwich has a higher percentage of year round residents hence the higher taxes The downtown is quaint- a handful of good restaurants in the village and shops, but not bustling like Falmouth. The public beaches in Falmouth are better than the public Sandwich beaches although Sandy Neck, which residents have access to has a great drive on beach that is very popular.