Annie Hart Cool, Cape Cod Real Estate Specialist

My god daughter and I are writing the book of Life. No, really we are. You see, she and I took the Mules into the Grand Canyon when she was 10 years old and spent the night on the side of the Colorado River... What an adventure! During that trip we started the "Book of Life". Every page has a different lesson. We pass this book back and forth between each other at our Birthdays. It then becomes our gift to each other and hopefully we have added some words of wisdom to it when we pass it on. She is 16 now and you can imagine the entry's are getting more thoughtful then the first ones when she was 10. Here is one of the entries in our book...

The Man in the Glass

Author unknown

When you get what you want in your struggle for self

And the world makes you king for aday.

Just go to a mirror and look at yourself

and see what that man has to say.

For it isn't your father or mother or wife

whose judgment upon you must pass;

the fellow whose verdict counts most in your life

is the one staring back from the glass.

Some people may think you a straight shootin chum

And call you a wonderful guy,

but the man in the glass says you're only a bum

if you can't look him straight in the eye.

He's the fellow to please, never mind all the rest

For he's with you clear up to the end

And you've passed your most dangerous, difficult test

If the man in the glass is your friend

You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years and get pats on the back as you pass

but your final reward will be heartaches and tears

if you've cheated the man in the glass

Write your own "Book of Life", share it with another Author... it's a lot of fun.

I have seen this condo in many different stages. When it was first listed I showed it ... Empty, with every imperfection showing... the dings in the paint, scratches on the hard wood, marks where paintings used to hang...

Today as I sit here ...none of those things are apparent. The listing agent, Steve Clay, struck a brilliant partnership with Barbo's, a local Furniture Store, and had the place staged.

What was an empty loney condo with imperfections is now a brightly decorated summer beach side get away with Sailboats and seashell fabrics, blue and mocha colors and almond painted furniture.
Neighbors have commented on "this place never looked so good" and asked if they could buy the furniture when the property sells.

Now this is working together in a difficult economy. Barbo's makes an impression with every person that comes thru this door. The seller presents a warm and inviting property... it is a win win.

From what I gather, the seller pays a rental for the furniture and the buyer has the option to purchase the furniture with the condo at a reduced rate. Not a bad idea given that a large degree of homeowners in this Condo complex are second home owners. This is a value added partnership that helps this condo stand out against the competitors.

I am enjoying the comments. The little ladies who want to rip the tags off the furniture... NO DON"T DO IT.... Unless you want to buy the condo... then rip all the tags you want!...
I have an offer form right here....<

Yesterday I had lunch with client and friend Brian. Brian is a 60 something, 6 ft 2, handsome Irish man ...A tall drink of water, my grandmother would say... He and his wife are selling their lovely oversized Cape and moving to a place where there are sidewalks. Sidewalks are important to Brian... you see...Brian is recently blind. Diabetes stole his sight slowly and now he lives in darkness.

Brian is taking on his new life like an adventure. You won't hear him be angry, full or self pity or despair. No. Brian is optimistically facing his dark new world with a sense of discovery.

He told me how recently a coffee clerk told him his 100 dollar bill was really a 5 and consequently he came home short 97 dollars. He told me of a street performer who sent him down some dark alleys instead of in the direction of the T station. But he said..."Annie, for every negative experience there are 100 positives." Not long ago an Asian woman took him to the T, rode with him to his next stop and delivered him to his destination. All the time he protested and told her she did not have to go out of her way...and she said "I have the time,no problem". She gave him the gift security and sight for 45 minutes. Then there was the older woman (he presumed this by the way she moved and spoke) who took him to Govt' Center and then to South Station after asking her companion to take her packages home. She told him of the story of her Father having diabetes late in life and she would have hoped someone would have shown him kindness when he was in need. Pay it forward.

Brian says he does not refuse help anymore because he wouldn't want the person offering to be discouraged and not offer to another person with a disability. I am selling Brian's home and he is buying a home with sidewalks to town... He wants to give his wife some relief from driving him and he needs to renew his independence.

I am inspired by his "glass half full" mentality. I challenge you to reach out to people. You could be helping my friend Brian.

And Oh, Stop your Bitching... Life is Good. Ask Brian.

I I sat in the wallpapered dining room of a moth ball scented ranch with beautiful hardwood floors, simple 70's cabinets and big newly installed replacement windows...and thought... this is a dying breed of home owner. Born in 1920 in Ireland, this 90 year old seller has taken care of everything... the roof, the windows, the hot water heater... all updated.

The wall paper, shag carpet, and moth balls however, speak to the importance placed on the inner workings not the aesthetics of the property. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Isn't it true that the depression era baby had a different take on home ownership. They are not from the disposable era. They don't redo things because they can... but because they have to. They are not homeowners who change the house on a whim, but keep it functioning at tip top shape...even if that means living with the orange shag one more year. After all, it is not worn...except maybe in the hall outside the bathroom which is adorned in powder blue porcelain. No, there is no frivolous expenses in this age group of homeowner... but you can be sure the mechanicals are in great shape.

The sweet stories of a life spent in the Summer House. The matriarch who has out lived her husband and friends, now ready for an in law apartment attached to a family members home... waxes poetic about the 11 kids who spent their summers playing in that very back yard, or the time the racoon came into the chimney and ran thru the house, or why she had her sprinkler system installed...because her grass needed to be as green as the grass in Ireland...

I love these people who have put some miles on the earth. Who have seen more Presidents in and out of office than me and who don't treat their homes or their lives as disposable.

It's your turn to build what you want on this lovely piece of land in the heart of Falmouth ... minutes from the beaches and down town.... an acre of FArm Land for 199,000 to build your Cape Cod Dream home...

this is the first lot in a four lot subdivision off of Carriage Shop Road. Will be great for the garden enthusiast. Next to Tony Andrew's Farm and behind the Cape Cod Winery.

Seller is motivated and looking for buyer who will love the land.