How to Choose a Contractor in 2024 - The Don'tsHiring a contractor for home renovations or construction projects can be a daunting task. Entrusting your home and investment to someone requires careful consideration and research. While there are many reputable contractors out there, it's essential to be aware of potential red flags that may indicate a less-than-reliable contractor. Here are ten warning signs to watch out for: The contractor wants a large down payment: If a contractor insists on a significant down payment before starting work, it could be a red flag. Reputable contractors typically ask for a reasonable deposit or payment schedule based on the progress of the project. Their agreement for the work is vague: A vague or ambiguous contract leaves room for misunderstandings and... 05/14/2024

Before You Sell - Check Your Falmouth MA Permit Records Yesterday, at the Falmouth MLS Tour meeting, we found out about a new process initiated by the Town of Falmouth MA. They're now requiring any work done on your property that needed a permit to be officially acknowledged through their permitting procedures. Falmouth has become stricter with permit enforcement, so it's crucial to ensure that all necessary permits were obtained and closed, even if the work was completed before you owned the property. For instance, Kevin Klauer from Ament Klauer, LLP in Falmouth mentioned that having a finished basement without permit records could cause delays in closing a deal. He also pointed out that obtaining permits retroactively could take over a month and cost twice as much as getting them ini... 03/21/2024

Wrong Reporting: Real Estate Commissions Unchanged, Terminology ShiftsThe Newest NAR "Settlement" Does Not Universally Change the Amount of Real Estate Commissions as is being widely reported.Commissions in real estate agreements have always been negotiable.The Newest NAR "Settlement" DOESN'T Change the AMOUNT of Real Estate Commissions.BUT, It Does Change How Commission are DESCRIBED and PAID to the Real Estate Brokerages involved in the transaction.There are implications for home buyers and sellers.The proposed and yet to be approved settlement does redefine and re-categorize how real estate commissions are described and explained inside the paperwork of the listing in the MLSs and in the paperwork of the closing.Up to now, no lender has been willing to include Buyer brokerage fees in... 03/20/2024

Do Home Buyers Need Buyer Agents?Or Navigating the World of Real Estate - Your Guide to Agents and AttorneysBuying or selling a house might sound like a grown-up task, but understanding a few key roles can make the process much easier. Let's break it down into simple terms that are easy  to quickly grasp.Listing Agent: The House HelperImagine you're selling your old video game collection. A listing agent is like your big brother or sister helping you find the right buyer. They work for the person selling the house, the seller. The listing agent helps advise how to make the house look attractive, and shows off its best features in pictures and descriptions and at personal showings. The Listing Agent is like a superhero for sellers, making sure their house gets noticed by potential buyers... 03/11/2024

Time to Sell?  The New Job Report Numbers 2024 vs. 2007 and the Real Estate Effects.Thus is a summary of a recent report labeled by Zero Hedge as the "most ridiculous jobs report in recent history".  The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) claimed a blockbuster job growth of 353,000 in the U.S. for the last month. However, as Zero Hedge delves into the data, a different narrative emerges, raising questions about the accuracy of these figures and drawing comparisons to the tumultuous economic periods of 2007 and 2008.Seven Questions:1. Job Growth or Weekly Hours adjusted?    BLS reported an unexpected addition of 353,000 jobs, doubling Wall Street's consensus.    Comparison to 2008 crisis: The last time we saw a 34.1-hour workweek was during the depths of the 2008 crisis.2. Average Hourly E... 02/09/2024

Are property values on Cape Cod going to fall?The obvious factors that could potentially lead to a decline in property values on Cape Cod, are:    Economic recession: IF the local economy enters a recession, it could lead to a decline in property values as fewer people will be able to afford to buy homes.    Inventory: If the number of homes for sale on Cape Cod somehow more than doubles to quickly exceed the number of buyers in the current buyer pool, that could lead to a decline in property values, because sellers would probably need to lower their expectations of value in order to attract buyers.    New regulations: Regulations such as Title 6, the new septic regulations in Massachusetts, could lead to increased costs for homeowners, which could be passed on to buyers in the form of ... 01/27/2023

Does Covid Relief Act Protect from Foreclosure and/or Eviction?Covid Cares - Foreclosure Relief Eviction Relief - Or Not?This week I saw a property come back on the market after it was under agreement. It was a property that some of our buyers had an earlier agreement in place to buy. The property is for sale as a "flip" by an experienced foreclosure buyer. The buyers we were representing  found their home inspection had to many issues so they did not buy the property. When I saw the property on the market again, I called the agent to see why the property came back on the market with the next buyers. The agent stated that a title issue caused the buyers to rescind the agreement this time. When I got the agent talking, they stated that the second buyers' attorney had the opinion that the... 12/11/2022

Are home prices falling faster than in 2006? Locally?I just read an article in Fortune that is titled, "Home prices are falling faster now than in 2006—Redfin’s CEO just revealed why". It is a relatively long read as articles go. And, it has some big names included in the interviewee list. But I think the last sentence is more honest than the title, "Simply put: Home price outlooks are all over the place."Why not make the last sentence the starting point? Why not say that all real estate is local, and although there are some areas that are seeing corrections, there are many areas that are doing very well - still. Oh I know why - negative news sells - duh.As a graduate of the Suffolk University Economics department with a citation for academic excellence from Dr. Tuerck, I know first han... 11/03/2022

Will Interest Rates Go Higher?Will Interest Rates Go Higher is one of the most pressing questions in real estate circles. Everyone from buyers and sellers to banks and brokers are looking for detailed info to provide the answer. In a presentation to our company, National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun provided a series of graphs and explanations to provide some real estate data and info.Mr. Yun provided 19 different graphs in as part of his presentation. The first of those is below. He began with an explanation of how mortgage rate resistance points are markers of the direction and stability of interest rates. And, how understanding where the resistance points are, can help see where interest rates may move or stabilize.In this graph of interest rates, you can see... 10/19/2022

Daily Conversations with God: A 30-day devotional to deepen your relationship with God, is an interesting guide to develop your self awareness. Everyone has an awareness of where they are currently. Here's an effective way to evolve further.In this divided world, you can decide who you are and whose you are.These devotionals are focused on developing God as a friendly father that you can rely on more realistically than you may currently be. Sometimes church and history have boxed people in to a set of rituals, rules, and / or requirements. These "Conversations with God" can help provide a path to get more real and personal as you continue to acknowledge / allow for / expand / accept / develop who you are and whose you are.If you are looking for gentle suggestions to further your depth, ... 10/12/2022

Interest Rates, Price Crash, Recession? There a opinions all over the media, social media, and in conversations with these three concentrations. Everyone has an opinion and most of us are along for the ride because the focus is National or Global.Sometimes an article has a catchy enough headline to make me go beyond the surface, and read it. One such article was recently on HousingWire.com and was written by By Logan Mohtashami. His article is titled: "Why the Fed’s housing reset risks a global recession."In the article he dissects the actual sentences of the FED Chairman, Jerome Powell, and he interprets what he (Logan Mohtashami) sees are the actual inferences that the Chairman is making. Logan provides his explanation of where the housing market is and where it is likely heading - wh... 10/02/2022

Housing Bubble? How to know in 2022 - Update 8-3-22.The first place to look is in your own real estate market. Ask the business people who are listing and selling property most often. Holly and I call them the ASR real estate agents and real estate brokers - those who Actually Sell Real estate.6 Questions to ask your favorite "ASR":A. Are the numbers of listings increasing?B. Are there more price reductions happening?C. Are properties staying on the market longer?D. Are properties in distress by foreclosure pre-ceedings/processes on the rise?E. Is average price still increasing?F. Are you seeing fewer cash transactions?UPDATE: G: How many Price Reductions are there in the local market?This is an update so I'll cut to the chase, however, if you haven't read the original blog info, it is ... 08/03/2022

Housing Bubble? How to know in 2022.The first place to look is in your own real estate market. Ask the business people who are listing and selling property most often. Holly and I call them the ASR real estate agents and real estate brokers - those who Actually Sell Real estate.6 Questions to ask your favorite "ASR":A. Are the numbers of listings increasing?B. Are there more price reductions happening?C. Are properties staying on the market longer?D. Are properties in distress by foreclosure pre-ceedings/processes on the rise?E. Is average price still increasing?F. Are you seeing fewer cash transactions?Why A? Because if the number of listings are increasing, then sellers may not have as much control over pricing as they have up to now.Why B & C? Price reductions and/or a higher "Days O... 06/09/2022

Pianist Sergei Novikov will perform two concerts on Friday May 27 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Cotuit Center for the Arts,4404 Falmouth Rd, Cotuit, MA. From Tchaikovsky to Phantom and from Ellington to Joel, the performance will delight the audience, all with a good sense of humor. Part of the profits from concerts will be donated to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to help assist Ukraine.Sergei has performed for such luminaries as President George H.W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, President Joe Biden as well as Billy Joel, Reba McEntire and Paul Newman. He opened a program for first lady Barbara Bush. Sergei received official recognition from the Queen Mother of England for his music. He performed a solo concert in the same WCRB Classical Concert series as th... 04/23/2022

Why so few houses to buy in 7 short points.1. After the last "housing market downturn", many construction workers (tradespeople) found other jobs.This exodus from the trades has still not reversed. 2. The building slump in America has continued thru today, and hasn't recovered to the needed levels to increase new home availability.Finding enough skilled workers is still a problem for builders who are making an attempt to grow their inventory of projects.3. The pandemic hit and slowed everything down.With the government paying people to stay healthy, and with the fear of catching something awful, workers stayed home.4. As part of the latest slow down, supply chains became broken and sporadic.We've all seen the ships in the harbor waiting to unload, and many people have heard stories of h... 04/05/2022

Real Estate Seller Tips :1.  How has selling real estate changed since you last sold? The changes can be surprising. There can be scores of steps before the closing.2.  Once you decide to sell, understand that your property is an asset rather than your home. Let go as best you can, and enjoy the process. Deciding to sell starts the adventure.3.  Choose an experienced professional to guide and advise as to what are normal requests, forms, clauses, and business procedures. Real Estate has become more specialized than you may remember.4.  Rely on your active professional for honest information about how buyers will look at your property. Be receptive and consider their experience useful.5.  Location Location Location has morphed into varying degrees of Location Condition Price, with all be... 03/28/2022

The Top Vacation Home Counties in the USA:According to the most recent NAR Vacation Homes Report (https://cdn.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2021-vacation-home-counties-report-06-15-2021.pdf), the top 1% of vacation home counties were in 16 states. North Carolina had four vacation counties (Swain,  Alleghany, Macon, Watauga); there were three each in New York (Greene, Sullivan, Hamilton), Vermont (Windham, Bennington, Windsor), Massachusetts (Dukes (Martha's Vineyard), Barnstable, Nantucket), and Michigan (Oscoda, Alcona, Clare); there were two each in Florida (Lee, Collier), Missouri (Hickory, Camden), and Maryland (Garrett, Worcester). Oklahoma, Maine, Arizona, New Jersey, Georgia, New Mexico, Delaware, and Minnesota each had one vacation home county that landed in the top ... 03/24/2022

Falmouth MA Real Estate Market in March 2021 Cape Cod The Falmouth MA, Cape Cod, Real Estate Market in March 2021 is busy and crazy. Falmouth has limited inventory and rising prices. The pictures below show some of the data that we see in 2021.With over 20,000 properties, Falmouth is one of the largest real estate markets on Cape Cod. As of this writing, there were 44 available properties in Falmouth in February 2021, and on the 29th of March there were only 35 homes not under agreement. Inventory is a real problem for our customers and clients who are trying to get their year round home and summer vacation homes settled.Experienced real estate professionals like Holly and I are resorting to using "real estate wish lists" for specific buyers. Then we look for those properties and see if... 04/03/2021

Real Estate Bourne MA, Cape Cod Market in March 2021Bourne MA, Cape Cod Real Estate Market in March 2021The Bourne MA Real Estate Market on Cape Cod in March 2021 is busy and crazy. Like the rest of the Massachusetts' real estate markets, Bourne has limited inventory and rising prices. The pictures below show some of the data that we see.With around 5,000 properties spread out on both sides of the Cape Cod Canal, Bourne is an average Cape Cod real estate market in terms of possible properties to buy. As of this writing, there were 27 available properties in Bourne in February, and today on the 29th of March there are only 19. Inventory is a real problem for our customers and clients who are trying to get their year round home and summer vacation homes settled.Holly and I are resorting t... 03/30/2021

Are there Ups and Downs in the Cape Cod Real Estate Market?Are there Ups and Downs in the Cape Cod Real Estate Market? The short answer is yes, like all real estate markets. More specifically, there are ups and downs each month, as well as the ups and downs that happen in the real estate cycles over a decade or so.The chart below shows the ups and downs over a 17 year period for Barnstable County Real Estate. The data is from the Cape and Islands MLS which is one MLSs that we are a part of.  And interestingly, it provides the answer to the age old question, "How's the real estate market? on Cape Cod"In this case, for all price points and including all 15 Cape Cod towns, the answer is a resounding, "H M M M M M M M ... let me think about that." Each year is an M with most activity in the... 03/29/2021