Steve Clay

A sure sign that summer is coming is when the community calendar on the Falmouth Chamber of Commerce's website starts to fill up. In addition to the fact that Falmouth has more miles of shoreline than any other town on Cape Cod, the wide variety of daily activities and special events make it an incredible place to vacation or own property.

Check the following link to see the schedule as it stands today:

http://www.falmouthchamber.com/more/calendar/local

It won't be long before this pastoral scene at Old Silver Beach in North Falmouth is once again playing host to people from far and wide who come to enjoy Falmouth's beautiful sandy beaches.

• There are 60 units on the market today (May 12, 2008).
• We have been averaging 3.3 sales per month for the past six months.
• Our absorption rate (the amount of time that it would take for all condos presently on the market to be sold) is now at 18 months. Since a balanced market is around 5 months, this strongly favors buyers.
• Condominiums are selling for 86.7% of their original list price.
• Condominiums are selling for 92.14% of the list price at the time of sale.
• Buyers are more demanding the longer a unit is on the market.

Here are some statistics by price range:

0-299,000 300,000-399,000 400,000-499,000 500,000+

Listings 19 18 10 11

Sold (6 mo) 9 1 4 6

Pending 1 5 4 4

Avg Days on Mkt (sold) 184 605 176 306

What is selling?

•· New or significantly renovated units.

•· Units with garages.

•· Units with first floor masters.

•· Units with washer and dryer in the first floor.

•· Walking distance to shopping and restaurants is popular (gas prices?)

•· Units that are priced appropriately according to the reality of the current market.

Conclusion: The condo market is slow and strongly favors buyers. Sellers need to be aggressive in their pricing, especially if their condo does not have some of the amenities listed above. Sellers need to be realistic about the current market or decide to stay in their current unit until the market turns.

There is a lot to like about Falmouth, MA, but tonight I appreciate one aspect of living in this seaside community on the upper part of Cape Cod.

Yes, it's easy to like Falmouth because it has more miles of coastline that any other town on the Cape, it has great beaches, a vibrant business community, a rich arts scene, or an outstanding school system. But the aspect of Falmouth that I am appreciating at the moment is its location on the upper Cape and its proximity to off-Cape cities like Boston and Providence.

An evening in either city is just over an hour away. It's great be able to enjoy the "big-time" amenities that can only be found in large cities, and then escape the hustle and bustle by driving over the bridge and returning home.

A few years ago the Chamber of Commerce launched a campaign to promote the town that included bumper stickers proclaiming: "Isn't Falmouth Nice?"

I would have to answer "yes."