Steve Clay

This well-maintained ranch home in the Great Harbors waterfront community in East Falmouth, MA has good curb appeal, but the when people entered the house, their attention was drawn to the furniture and a lifetime collection of items and not the house.

We brought in Jayne Pelosi of Renaissance Interior Design to help prepare the home for sale. Jayne spent two hours rearranging furniture, packing knicknacks, and coordinating the relocation of all unneeded items to the garage for storage.

The result was house that allows visitors to see the house and not the "stuff" even though she just worked with the owner's furniture. You can take a virtual tour of the house by visiting the house's designated website www.10halfmoon.com or by just clicking on the picture.

I pay for Jayne to help the owners and me prepare their home for viewing for two hours as a part of my listing service. In some cases, the owners will pay to have her guide them through a more extensive staging process.

Summer in Falmouth is in full swing and there is plenty to do for everyone. Cape Cod is known for its beautiful beaches and outdoor activites including boating, hiking, biking, golf, surfing and almost anything else you can think of.

But there is also a myriad of other activities that provide fun for every member of the family. Theater, music, craft shows, lectures, antique shows, miniature golf, dining of all types, and special festivals. Over the next few weeks, we plan to sample some of these and will report on them here.

Every Monday night in Falmouth, an a capella male singing group called the Hyannis Sound appears at the First Congregational Church at 68 Main Street from 8-10 PM. The cost is only $10 per person and the performances by these college-aged young men are excellent.

There is always a debate in real estate offices as to whether open houses really help to sell homes. I have always been a believer that open houses do generate business, but lately I have had some very well-attended open houses that have modified my approach a bit.

The key to a good open house (in addition to the normal planning) is like real estate sales itself: location, location, location. Houses that are in high demand locations or settings will generate the highest amount of traffic.

I have two waterfront listings that have attracted an average of 20-30 visitors for each open house. The number of leads generated has been exceptional and have resulted in 2 sales to date. Both houses that were featurd in the open houses also have several qualified buyers entertaining offers at the present time.

So now, when I pick a home to keep open, I am focusing on the most attractive listings but share handouts that feature all my listings with visitors.

We were out of bed at 3:15 AM this morning so that we could arrive at the Lexington Green by 4:45 AM to see the reenactment of the Battle of Lexington. As we drove into Lexington under the cloak of darkness, we began to think that 4:45 AM may have been a bit too late. Thousands of people of all ages had arrived before us and thousands more were on their way. Some were carrying step ladders to insure their view of the green.

Fortunately we did get a front row standing spot (although an obstructed view spot - pine tree) and stood with folks from around the nation. Volunteers dressed in colonial clothes worked as "pickets" and made sure that everyone stayed behind the ropes, but several also came by and delivered history lessons. They wanted to make sure that everyone knew the story behind what they were about to see.

At 5:45 AM, the loudspeakers that surrounded the green came to life and the crowd went silent. The speaker once again made sure that everyone knew the background of what they were about to witness. He also introduced some visitors from Lexington's sister city in France and reminded those present that the Revolution might not have been won without the help of the French.

Check out www.battleroad.org and click on "What Happened That Day" to get a brief summary of the events that then unfolded before us. It was surprising how apprehensive we became as the British soldiers approached the Green (and the somewhat disheveled colonial militia men) with their full regalia, fife and drums, and muskets with bayonets.

A very solemn morning for me. I'm glad that my clients and former neighbors Klaus and Sherry Schneller encouraged us to go. The VIP passes, map and directions were very much appreciated.

Happy Patriot's Day!

Monday, April 19, 1775 marked the beginning of the American Revolution. The historical significance of the day sometimes gets lost in the excitement of the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox game, school vacation week, and just the start of nice spring weather.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are reenacted every Patriot's Day and My wife Mary Beth and I will be spectator's at this year's 235th reenactment. It starts at 6:00 am on Lexington Green. We have read about the battles in the past but are looking forward to being there.

You can learn all about it at www.battleroad.org.