Heath's Blog

The Second Annual Spooktacular is happening this Saturday from 2pm to 5 pm rain or shine! Parents or guardians are asked to accompany their kids as they peer into the Main Street shops and businesses in search of jack-o-lanterns and ghosts. All participating ghouls, goblins, princesses, and pirates will meet at the Mullen Hall bus loop and/or in the Mullen Hall cafeteria to kick thins off. 

Please bring a non-perishable food item for the Falmouth Service Center. AND don't forget to bring in your boxtops! There will be "Graham Cracker Haunted House Construction" opportunities and a costume sale!

Some shops and businesses on Main Street will be "hiding" a small pumpkin in their window. Some special shops will have a ghost hiding, too. The goal, besides getting kids to have fun in Falmouth, is to bring families to Main Street so they can stay aware of what shops and services are available in the fabulous Village of Falmouth!

I bet you can guess where one pumpkin will be in a window!

Questions can be emailed to MullenHallPTO@falmouth.k12.ma.us or you can call Lyn Cenzalli 508-846-6297.

On November 18 of this year, the Baybridge Clubhouse is holding a Pasta Diner as a fundraiser. It will be held at the Federated Church on Main Street in Hyannis. The address of the Federated Church is 320 Main Street. The cost of the dinner is $8 per person or $15 for two people.

There are two serving times. The lunch time service runs from 11 AM to 1 PM, and they will even deliver if you'd like. The dinner service will be from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, dine in only.

I have dined at a past Baybridge Clubhouse Pasta Dinner, and I was pleased with the food and the service. Baybridge Clubhouse is operated by the May Institute, and is primarily funded by the MA Department Of Mental Health. The Baybridge Clubhouse holds other fundraisers in Hyannis, like the Chocolate Soiree later in the year.  The Chocolate Soiree is another delicious time to encourage the members of the clubhouse, while pleasing your palate.

If you need more information about the fundraisers, you can call 508-778-4234.

I thought I'd post these thoughts before one of the five women in my family, or one of the hundreds of agents/brokers in town here point me to a site with them:

With her in the car on the way to anywhere, look deeply into her eyes and say, "Let me pull over and ask for directions."

After dinner, when the candles are still burning, say, "I'll clear the table and do the dishes, honey. You go watch ANTM."

Greet her with a cup of coffee in the morning and let her know you have already taken out the garbage, vaccuumed the first floor, and washed and folded a few loads of laundry.

On Sunday at noon say, "Let's go shopping. We should be able to get a good place to park once the football games start."

 

Ok, that's enough. Now back to your regularly scheduled man thoughts.

Have you ever wanted to have a wedding or event in Europe or New York but couldn't afford the logistical expense, or schedule all the participants easily? Now you can!

The developers of Hollywood East have a vision of their sets and sound stages becoming a premier location for special events when the sets and stages are not being used for tv or movie production! Now you can host your party or event in the safety of the US, with all scheduling, services, and even the weather, planned and prepared in one location. Below is a video that explains their creative use!

The planners of Hollywood East have found a way to improve their access road! By redesigning the roadway into the Plymouth Rock Studios, more trees and open space are able to be left in place. This is another thoughful example of the developers' efforts to keep the all the green parts of the project in mind - both the environmental impact and the dollars involved.

Here is a short video explaining their approach for meeting with all parts of the Plymouth population. The time put into preparation and the thought put into the past revisions are building the trust of locals, which in New England - and especially in MA - is not easy to build. Everyone knows that they are building a money making business location, but their effort to do so with the communitys' approval, with correct and thoughtful environmental consideration from the start, and then applying the options to their bottom line rather than the reverse order, is displaying the integrity that is so often missing in a large project.

Find more videos like this on Hollywood East TV

Have you seen this information on foreclosures?

50% of United States foreclosures in 2008 came from 35 counties in only 12 states.
20% of the United States' population lives in those 35 counties.

Eight counties in Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada were the source of 25% of foreclosures.
Existing home sales in the US rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.7 million units in February, 2009, and only 860,000 homes were repossessed all of 2008.

If these things are correct and true, either 20% of the population controls the rest of the US, or the reporting is leading us to believe that they do.

Is the economy as bad in your town as the worst 35 counties?  I know that the Texaplex is positive. Here on Cape Cod, we have thousands of jobs coming in from new development.

 

Have you ever wondered where the 40B (low income) developments are in Falmouth. The list below was provided to real estate professionals recently. The list includes the developer/applicant, acreage, zoning information, number of units, etc.

Some people don't want to be in or near a 40B subdivision. Their perception is that a 40B development is like the infamous "projects" so many cities have. But, this is not correct.

A 40B project is known as a "low income" development. This is not the same as Section 8 income assistance.  In a 40B development, 25% of the properties for sale are made available to buyers who have an income below the average for the area. Those buyers still have to qualify for a loan, with good credit, an income, etc., but they are given a "break" on the purchase price of their property. Often, the discounted properties also have deed restrictions relative to when the buyer can re-sell and sometimes even what profit they can make.

If you have questions about 40Bs and how they affect your property in Falmouth, send us an email capegroup@capegroup.com.

Here's the list.

Best wishes, Heath

 

(While this information is specific to Falmouth, MA, a smart investor will take note and include the information as they research property in other locations.)

In the town of Falmouth, we occasionally have property for sale with "Accessory Apartments".  This means that besides the main residence there is an attached or detached "other" residence on the same property. While there are many Falmouth residences being used as accessory apartments, not all of them are approved by the town.

What does approved have to do with anything? Approved is a protection for tenants, owners, and even lenders. Without town approval, a property may not be able to be insured correctly. This could be a problem for the owner if they need to repair something, it could also be a problem for a tenant if they have a health or safety issue on the property.  Lenders want to keep the property in it's best condition, and they don't want complications with insuring a property they are lending on.

The following lists were provided to real estate professionals at a recent meeting with the Town of Falmouth Board of AppealsZoning Administrator, Sari Budrow.  This list is from 2007, and it is apparently the most recent completed list that the Board of Appeals has.

If you believe you have an accessory apartment on your property in Falmouth, MA, and you do not see your address on this list, I'd call the Board of appeals and see what you need to do to bring the property into compliance.  It could save you some headaches in the future. You can also look at your tax bill to see how your property is described, although the tax department and the other departments do not always communicate well.

Best wishes, Heath

 

Monday November 23rd 7PM the Falmouth High School faculty and staff will exchange their good reputations for your contributions for to the Falmouth Juniors' Class Fund.  It will be held in the FHS Auditorium and all seats are genera admission. Get there early to avoid standing in the back!

Tickets will be available at the door. Admission is either $5 or $4 and a canned good for the Falmouth Service Center. While the Juniors like to support the Falmouth Service Center, they also hope you'll contribute to their class fund which helps with prom and graduation costs.  Come see teachers and staff dance, sing and generally make fools of themselves.

All funds collected will go to support the Class of 2011.  Donations of food will go to the Falmouth Service Center.

The Falmouth High Class of 2012, also known as the current sophomore class at Falmouth High will be doing light yard work on Saturday, October 24th for all town residents who would like to hire them.  From 8:30 AM-5PM the students will do light chores in your yard for a small contribution to their Class Fund.

The rain date is Saturday, November 11th. Please contact ebourgeault@falmouth.k12.ma.us or
crankin@falmouth.k12.ma.us to reserve students to work. The minimum request is 2 students for 2 hours for a contribution of $20. 

Jobs that require climbing ladders are not allowed. There are some other restrictions for safety reasons, too.  Please contact the sponsoring teachers (above emails) for further clarification.