Now that 2008 and the elections are behind us, we are all trying to determine how best to deal with the challenges that now face us. As is always the case, the challenges differ for each of us and the actions that we must take differ as well. This is never truer than in real estate. It is safe to say that everyone now agrees that we are in a buyer's market. The debate, however, is whether this is a good time to be a buyer. The answer is "it depends." It depends on the buyer's personal goals and financial readiness. There is no question that the large inventory, the drop in prices, and the low interest rates point to "yes." There are three questions each buyer must answer before even thinking about buying:  1. How strong is my credit history? 2. Do I have sufficient cash to cover a down ... 02/06/2009

  The good news for condo sellers on the upper portion of Cape Cod, MA (Falmouth, Mashpee, and Bourne) is that more units were sold in 2008 than were listed. This is a positive trend when compared to 2007. The bad news, however, is that prices have dropped. The following chart shows the listings/sold comparison for both the upper Cape and the Town of Falmouth for both 2007 and 2008.                                                                   2007      Upper Cape          Falmouth           Listed Sold Listed Sold       January 8 17 2 3       February 0 11 0 2       March 11 21 2 7       April 18 15 12 3       May 17 17 2 2       June 11 27 2 10       July 20 13 3 1       August 19 18 5 5       September 24 16 6 4       October 47 14 10 4       November 14 20 2 7       December 16 ... 02/04/2009

Here is a helpful link to our Virtual Homes Website that gives you access to the MLS in Falmouth, Massachusetts.  It is free and  is map based driven so even if you don't know the streets you can zoom into different locations in Falmouth: Please click on:   http://www.virtualhomesmls.com/realestate/MA/Falmouth/foreclosure   If you have any questions feel fre to give me a call or email me back:   Laurie C. Bailey-Gates RE/Max Innovations 508-265-6722     01/13/2009

Well we are having another snow storm.  This isn't bad if you like snow.  It is supposed to change to rain by tomorrow.  In any case, I thought I'd take time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope that 2009 is Fine!  May your new year bring lots of cheer!  May all your real estate deals be great! Here is me and my Family Jumping for Joy! We were on the beach in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard to take this picture.  One of my cousins was with us and took it.  My girls have a thing for pictures of them all in the air, so we did one as a family. Joy to your World! Happy Listing and Selling. 01/10/2009

This is a local post.  I love to watch hawks for some reason.  As a kid I read about them and watched them fly.  I have always loved to watch them soar. Yesterday, as I went to an appointment in Falmouth, I ran across the one below and I had to stop an take a pic.  I walked up very close and he just turned his head to inspect me.  The pond he was watching has ducks and varmints around it so I'm sure he was planning lunch. This isn't a real estateentry, but I enjoyed the encounter and so I post it here.  I get to live in a fun place.  (Kathrine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" when she lived in Falmouth MA). Happy listing and selling! 01/08/2009

Yesterday we got "some" snow.  Today the sun is shining and we are off to play soccer!  Indoor soccer that is. A clean blanket of snow on a bright sunny day makes the world look fun.  The temp is colder than I prefer, but for the few days the snow will stay, I can enjoy bundling up too. Enjoy the pics.  Woods Hole harbor before the storm, Main Street during the storm, and from the deck this New Year's day. We are looking forward to a great year in real estate! 01/01/2009

Cape Cod is a magical place in any weather. Here is a view from the clubhouse deck at FalmouthPort on Saturday, December 20. By the way, this is a color photo. Less than a week later, the snow is gone and this is the view at Falmouth Heights Beach on Christmas morning. May the spirit of Christmas - Faith, Hope, Joy and Love - be with you today and throughout the coming year. 12/25/2008

Starting the day after Christmas, attention will focus on the new year. With this, both resolutions and predictions move to center stage. Since the market has slowed lately (both seasonally and economically), I have been spending a great deal of time preparing for 2009. New technology, a new "niche" website and blog, a new contact management program, adding a new "farm," a new education/coaching program, and developing some new twists on old marketing schemes are all figuring into my 2009 plan. I have also been analyzing what worked in 2008 to determine whether it stays or goes in 2009. But I'll write more about these items over the next few weeks and hope that you will share your plans as well. I'm also going to save my Predictions and Resolutions for later. Frankly, the writing over t... 12/22/2008

I have attached 2 pictures of downtown Falmouth from noon today.  We did get some inches of snow.  Of course it will be leaving by wednesday when the 50 degrees comes back.  It is hard to want it to stay as the pleasant white, clean carpet it is, but there are still people without power in New England.  Some may not get power back until after Christmas. So in their stead, I hope for a Florida weather Christmas this year.  But today the snow is fun.  (And if you look to the left in thse pictures you can see my main street office!) 12/20/2008

Well, the snow storm is still coming, so I went through the Falmouth Christmas Parade pics I took on Sunday and put them on a web page.  There are 105 because I tried to get one of every group that passed my Main Street real estate office.  The FalmouthChristmas Parade is the largest in Southern New England.  (And Falmouth MA has more waterfront that any other town in the country.) I had only one daughter in it this year.  Hadlee plays clarinet in the Lawrence Middle School band.  She was waling with her friends and yucking it up.  It was a sunny clear day in the 40s.  We had good eats and cheered all the participants.  Click the pic to see the other 104. 12/19/2008

Click on Falmouth Foreclosures to view MLS foreclosed (bank owned) listings and short sale opportunities. Single family, condominiums, multi-family and land listings will populate a map in Falmouth, MA.    Visit the Falmouth, MA Virtual Homes web site at www.falmouthmarealestate.com/ To search foreclosures in Barnstable County visit Cape Cod Foreclosures.  Buying a bank owned home with no money down and low interest rates is easier than you think.  If you are looking in other areas of Massachusetts, use our tools in Massachusetts Foreclosures to find values. To view foreclosures in other Massachusetts communities: Click here and the Virtual Homes MLS Map Search map will appear. Type in a town in Quick City Search.  A map of the town will appear with all properties listed shown on the ma... 12/14/2008

Falmouth Waterfront Homes | Falmouth Real Estate | Oceanfront | Beachfront | Condos | Properties   Falmouth|Falmouth Heights|Quissett|Sippewissett|Wild Harbor|Woods Hole|Waterfront Homes|Real Estate  click on any photo to see Falmouth Waterfront Homes & Real Estate for Sale Todd Bazarewsky 774-269-2752Contact Us    MLS Quick Search  12/08/2008

It has been a challenging year and every Realtor has had to put out extra effort just to keep up. Every sale this year has been unique and many have required something that would normally not be considered part of a Realtor's job. Here are the highlights of my list: Helping an elderly seller burn off the gas in an undergroud tank so that it could be hauled away before the closing. Replacing rotted floor boards and painting a deck for an elderly client. Removing a stump (at the buyer's request). Raking leaves and cutting the grass to make a "distressed" property look better. Hauling away trash (on several occasions). Conducting a combined open house and art sale Conducting a combined open house and antique sale And this does not take into account that the average buyer is looking at 18+ ... 12/05/2008

The other night my wife watched part of a television special on the brain.  She said they had the viewer do a fascinating experiment while watching the show.  The TV screen was full of small, active, blue dots.  Then three larger stationary yellow dots were placed in the center of the screen forming a triangle.  The viewer was told to focus their attention on the center of the triangle and on the blue moving dots.  Within a very short period of time the yellow dots started to randomly blink and disappear.  However, when she shifted her focus off the moving blue dots to specifically look at the yellow ones, the yellow dots were actually still there.  They were not really blinking or disappearing.  Apparently, because her vision was so busy focusing on the active blue dots, the yellow one... 12/05/2008

People keep asking me whether this is a good time to buy. I am presently with over 20,000 of my colleagues at the National Association of Realtors Convention in Orlando and that topic has come up in numerous sessions. David Knox, a well-known real estate expert, speaker and coach said it this way: "In three to five years, people are going to look back on this time period and say ‘I wish I had bought back then." Here's why: Inventory is high Prices are low Interest rates are historically low Sellers are motivated There is abundance of bank-owned property Banks ARE making loans to qualified buyers For first-time homebuyers, there is a $7,500 tax credit from Uncle Sam As for Cape Cod, this time of year is especially favorable for buyers. Many sellers have decided to sell and do not want to... 11/08/2008

I have just finished the first day of the Accredited Buyer's Representative classthat I am taking as a preliminary activity to the National Association of Realtors convention that gets under way officially on Friday. Last year in Las Vegas, the NAR convention served as a springboard to what has been a surprisingly good year. Needless to say, I'm hoping that this year's event is equally helpful. I am taking the ABR class for two reasons. First, having the certification will add more credibility to my marketing efforts. Second, and more important, is the fact that over 60% of my sales this year have been with buyer clients. This is the exact opposite of what my business plan called for. Since I believe that 2009 will be much the same as 2008, this class should be helpful to me. "Knowledge... 11/05/2008

How many people get to:Drive their kids to school every morning so you can start their day with a laugh and positive comments?Drive by the beach and watch the sunrise every morning?Occasionally take a heated, enclosed ferryboat to an island, where there is a comfortable house and more beaches?Look for seals, watch the gulls, see the colors in the trees surrounding a picturesque New England shoreline? Falmouth, MA is reputed to have more waterfront than any other town in the United States.It is one of the largest towns on Cape Cod, and I think it is the best year round town to live in or visit.You can get a great meal year round, shop, and stroll the beaches. Lately, I have been reminding myself that I get to live in a place that people come to for vacation.It has all that a big city has... 10/28/2008

In July I posted the statistics that demonstrated the current health of the Condominium market in Falmouth, MA (Cape Cod). Here is an update of the same statistics:                                                                                           July                  October Units on the market                                                       55                       55 Average sales per month                                               3.7                      3.4 Our absorption rate                                                     15.3                    16.2 (The number of months that it would take for all condos presently on the market to be sold) A balanced market is around 5 months. This is down from 18 months in May.) Sales % of original list price             ... 10/15/2008

The chart below is a visual representation of single family home sales in Falmouth MA over the last 10 years.  As can be seen, there was definitely a peak in 2006.  Since that time there has been a steady decline in the number of sales. Well, is this good news?  Many real estate analysts say that real estate works in 10 year cycles.  So it the peak was in 2006, we must be at or near the bottom of the downturn.  When you add in the lowest interest rates in awhile and the availability of foreclosed properties, there are some opportunities to buy at good values - even in the current turmoil.   So if you are considering Falmouth as an investment or as a place to settle down, now is the time to get a good real estate broker, or an agent if you can't find a broker, to "bird-dog" for you.  I r... 10/09/2008

Falmouth Waterfront Homes|Falmouth Real Estate| Falmouth Heights|N. Falmouth|Sippewissett|Woods Hole  click the Logo/link above to visit my website If you are fortunate enough to be looking for a Waterfront home in Falmouth, Ma, the good news is that in a down market, exclusive homes take the biggest price hit. If you are looking in the $1 Million-$5 Million price range, There are currently 30 homes available in Falmouth, Ma in that price range.  You can click the link below to view them all ! click HERE to view Falmouth Waterfront Homes for Sale If you see a home, 2 or 3, that you like or would like to see, need more info, you can contact me easily using the link above. Aside from helping you locate your new home, I can help you evaluate it and negotiate the lowest possible final sales... 09/18/2008