What good is solar power when the lines are down in a storm? No sun, no power. Right? But wait --> Tesla has announced a new residential battery pack that can store up to 8 hours of power for your home. The Tesla “Powerwall” is charged by your solar panels and/or windmill. If the power goes out, the Powerwall kicks in and provides electricity to the house. Very cool, even if you have a generator.

The battery has been developed for automobiles, and Tesla feels there is demand for emergency power in homes. Read all about it. And check out Tesla’s new $1Billion manufacturing facility in Nevada:

Tesla batteries power your Cape Cod home

Tesla batteries power your Cape Cod home

Wow. It’s cold! How’s your heating system? We all depend on one, and generally they are very reliable. But how does it really work? And what are the best steps to ensure that it keeps working?

It’s great to come home to a nice warm house. But how about those energy bills? How do you keep rising heating costs under control? What will deliver the most benefit for the least investment? Is that attic insulating project really important? How about the old windows?

What’s the difference between a boiler and a furnace? How do I prevent warm air from leaking out, and cold wind from blowing in? Here’s a short, easy-to-understand explanation of the basics of heating and cooling your Cape Cod home:

Home Heating Guide for Cape Cod Homes

Home Heating Guide for Cape Cod Homes

The housing market on Cape Cod has certainly been interesting to watch over the past decade…and even more exciting to work in every day! As the primary investment for most families, housing deserves a lot of attention. Especially after the housing bust of 2008-2009.

The recession has left many people wondering whether to invest in real estate again. Constantly we field questions about the market, home values, and future expectations. Our Realtor friends are put on the spot by both Buyers and Sellers: Should I sell now? Is this a good time to buy? Although none of us has a crystal ball, we are the go-to professionals for people who are not involved with the housing market every day.

Understanding recent history and knowing where we are now compared to 5 and 10 years ago is very helpful. There is lots of information to analyze, and little time to do it. The Wall Street Journal does a great job of presenting lots of information in an easy to read, graphical format. Have a look at the real numbers for housing since 2005, and you’ll gain some good insight into where we are headed:

The U.S. Housing Market in 10 Charts

The U.S. Housing Market in 10 Charts

Thousands of articles on countless home building and decorating ideas. Fixtures, finishes, gardens, galleries, fabrics and…everything else!

There is so much information. Nobody has time to read it all. The most popular articles obviously are more relevant to more people. So they’re a good bet for investing a few minutes to read.

So which article was the most popular? Here it is: the most popular Houzz.com article of 2014. It’s bound to have relevance for you!

Most Popular Houzz.com Article for 2014

While you're there, Check out REEF Builders and see why we earned Best of Houzz.com 2014:

REEF Cape Cod's Home Builder - Best of Houzz.com

Most Popular Houzz.com Article for 2014

Welcome 2015! The old year must end, regardless of how great it was. And First Night is here! Chatham and Sandwich have notable First Night celebrations, complete with parades, fireworks, and concerts.

There are myriad ways to ring in the New Year on Cape Cod. Visiting your favorite beach at midnight to toast the New Year is a favorite. How about a Polar Bear Plunge??

Here’s some ideas and links to New Year’s info to get you going.

The Team at REEF Cape Cod’s Home Builder wishes all a healthy and happy 2015!

First Night Chatham Cape Cod

First Night Sandwich on Cape Cod

Cape Symphony New Year's Day Bash

Cape Cod Polar Plunge New Year's Day

Spring on Cape Cod is a very special time. The bulbs are peeking out, and people are gearing up for the summer. Our projects are in full swing, and many of the homes we are building will be finished and delivered before the summer begins.

Easter is another sure sign of spring. There are many celebrations around the Cape. Easter egg hunts are very popular for children of all ages. Falmouth is getting ready to celebrate its 28^th Annual Easter Egg Hunt. The whole Main Street is involved! And Mashpee Commons is hosting a special hunt for dogs!

Here are links to some of the special east celebrations around the Cape:

Easter Treat Hunt for Cape Cod Dogs at Mashpee Commons

Falmouth Cape Cod hosts 28th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Cape Cod Restaurants offer Special Easter Menus

Easter Treat Hunt for Cape Cod Dogs at Mashpee Commons

Falmouth Cape Cod hosts 28th Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Cape Cod Restaurants offer Special Easter Menus

What a great story: Husband promises a Cape Cod summer to his Wife as birthday gift…then they buy the home they’re renting…then they replace it with a beautiful new Cape Cod home!  The Cape Cod View magazine loved the story, and the house! It’s a great read.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a home on Cape Cod, REEF can help make that happen. Here’s how:

Cape View Birthday Gift-Captain Dean_Orleans_Ostapchuk.pdf

Cape View Birthday Gift-Captain Dean_Orleans_Ostapchuk.pdf

Cape Cod in the winter? You may not know that the richness of life on Cape Cod and the Islands is celebrated with festivals all year long. We celebrate our clams, chowder and scallops, daffodils and strawberries, fine wines and culinary fare, extraordinary films and filmmakers, along with our seafaring heritage. February must be slow and quiet, right? Well it’s not as buys as July, but there’s plenty going on:

The Magnificent Splendor of Trees Exhibit, Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit; Van Gogh Through the Weaver's Eyes: An Exhibit of Woven Art, Cultural Center of Cape Cod, South Yarmouth; Presidents’ Holiday Antiques Show and Sale, a quality antique show featuring over 30 dealers, including fine and country furniture, Americana, quilts, stoneware, and more; Gershwin, By George!, Highfield Hall, Falmouth; Broadway and Beyond! A Salute to the Oscars, Orleans.

Here’s a great Cape and Islands Event Calendar to help you plan your year. You’ll be plenty busy!

Cape Cod Event Calendar

Here is another update on Eastham and Outer Cape Real Estate from our friend Bob Sheldon in Eastham. Looks like 2012 was a very strong growth year for Cape Cod Real Estate and 2013 just might be even better! If you are thinking of, Buying Land on Cape Cod,  Building a New Home, or Remodeling or Renovating your Existing Cape Cod Home, CONTACT US today!

Bob's Eastham Newsletter Bob Sheldon, REALTOR®, 508-237-9545 January  2013  -  Special Edition  BobSheldon@remax.net  www.RobertSheldon.com Blog: http://BobsEastham.blogspot.com RE/MAX Classic - Eastham   Eastham 2012 Year-End Preview

This Newsletter - Nine Years (& Counting)! I have been doing this newsletter for over 9 years.  I publish an expanded version of this newsletter monthly, roughly mid-month, primarily as an E-Mail newsletter. Don't miss the monthly Eastham real estate highlights, and lots of other Eastham news and "fun stuff". You can subscribe, without any obligation, on my website, www.RobertSheldon.com or by calling me at 508-237-9545. Eastham Highlights: November had 12 closings of single family homes, with an average sale price of $411.958 (and a median of $390,000). There are a total of 104 single family homes for sale in Eastham, with an average list price of $625K and a median price of $447K. There are 22 homes currently under agreement. The 104 number is  15.4% lower than a year ago. At the end of November, the YTD average sale price of a single family home was $443,122 down 4.2% from the full year 2011. The median sale price was $409K, up 0.8% from 2011. There were 122 homes sold through 11/30/12, up 32.6% from the same period in 2011, with an average sale price of $443K and a median sale price of $409K. There are 26 parcels of residential land on the market, ranging from $125K to $899K (this parcel, on Rt 6 has commercial possibilities). There were two sales of residential land in November, at $170K and $295K.   There are currently 10 condos for sale in Eastham, ranging from $139K to $419K. There were two condo sales in November, at $217K and $379K.   Commentary: Sales this year have been significantly ahead of 2011's 'under'-performance. The average sales prices have, however, lagged behind 2011 by about 4.2% while the median (a better measure) sales prices are essentially flat (plus 0.8%).  I expect December sales to be about the same as November's, which will not change the year very much. Inventory levels are seasonally down (see chart above), with mid-December at the same level as mid-November and at 2012's lowest levels. We continue to be in a Buyer's market.    Looking Forward - 2012 Year-End Preview I expect that the full year will close out 30-35% ahead of 2011's levels in terms of sales volume. Average and median prices will (I predict) show 2012 levels to be flat, compared to 2011.  As for 2013, I am personally bullish on both sales and prices. With the interest rates continuing in the 3%-4% levels, the economy continuing to recover (let's hope!), and with some pent-up demand from recent years, the marketplace might just return to pre-2005 levels. We made great progress in 2012, but the onset of new taxes (a sure thing - ugh!) may dampen demand, hopefully to be overpowered by economic optimism. Here's hoping!   November's Eastham Sales Details             The following table provides the details for the homes sold in Eastham in November, 2012. The "Original Price" is the beginning list price for the listed home. The "Listing Price" was the list price at the time of the accepted offer and reflects any price reductions the home may have taken. The "% List" is the Selling Price divided by the Listing Price (x100).   Street Address Original Price Listing Price Selling Price %List Listing Date Selling Date 695 Nauset Rd $359,000 $359,000 $345,000 96.1% 08/27/2012 11/02/2012 6 Brenda Ln $450,000 $435,000 $405,000 93.1% 04/09/2012 11/06/2012 30 Bradford Ln $529,000 $519,000 $510,000 98.3% 06/26/2012 11/07/2012 95 Queen Ann Dr $499,900 $365,000 $350,000 95.9% 08/16/2010 11/09/2012 20 Beverly Rd $383,500 $383,500 $370,000 96.5% 04/23/2012 11/15/2012 15 Cedar Ln $495,000 $439,000 $439,000 100.0% 10/07/2009 11/15/2012 40 Billingsgate Ave $675,000 $625,000 $540,000 86.4% 02/10/2012 11/16/2012 30 Split Rail Rd $399,000 $399,000 $375,000 94.0% 04/29/2012 11/27/2012 575 Great Pond Rd $349,000 $325,000 $325,000 100.0% 02/15/2012 11/28/2012 260 Summit Ave $489,500 $489,500 $479,500 98.0% 09/07/2012 11/28/2012 2 Kingfisher Rd $420,000 $399,500 $365,000 91.4% 06/18/2012 11/29/2012 125 N. Sunken Meadow $479,000 $449,900 $440,000 97.8% 06/17/2012 11/30/2012     Buying ? / Selling ? Will 2013 be your year to buy or sell Eastham property? Allow me to step through your options as your real estate agent. Call me at 508-237-9545 or send me an E-mail at BobSheldon@remax.net. Would you like to know what your Eastham home is worth in today's marketplace? Call me for a no-obligation market analysis review of your property. Please disregard the promotional content of this newsletter if your property is currently listed with another agent.

This email was sent to: mteague@capecodbuilder.com This email was sent by: Bob Sheldon at REMAX Classic 3 Main St, Unit 6 Eastham, MA, 02642 Go here to leave this mailing list or modify your email profile. We respect your right to privacy. View our policy.