A McPhee Associates of Cape Cod Quarterly Newsletter | |
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Greetings!
It’s been a busy spring here at McPhee. In addition to overseeing a variety of home building and remodeling projects, which you can read more about below, we’ve been readying the homes of Property Management clients for another Cape Cod summer. To read more about how best to prepare your home for the summer season, check out the below tips from our Property Management team.
In other news, since our last quarterly newsletter, we’ve welcomed a new Marketing & Media Manager to our team. Rachel Arroyo, who has a background in publishing, has taken over for Cathy Shalvey, who will be traveling this summer with her husband and enjoying an early retirement. From all of us at McPhee, we wish Cathy the very best as she embarks on her new adventure.
In case you missed it, you can read about a recent home remodel we renovated and Patrick Ahearn designed in the latest issue of Cape Cod & The Islands magazine – out on newsstands now (read more below). And this summer, keep an eye out for us in the premiere episode of Coastal Lifestyle TV – from the creators of Cape Cod & The Islands magazine—where we give a tour of a Dennis home we recently designed and built. For a project preview before the episode airs, see our Project Spotlight section below.
Also in this newsletter, you will find the latest information on the Cape’s real estate market, insights from our blog and several places and things from our local community that we think you’ll enjoy just as much as we do.
Last but not least, I want to thank you for your continued support. We are so thankful for every project, client referral and kind review we receive. Here’s to having a great summer season and building many more memories.
Sincerely,
Rob McPhee
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You may recognize this new home from our Winter 2023 issue of the Windward Quarterly, where we highlighted the architectural design plans. The four-bedroom Cape Cod-style home our team designed and built is now complete. Some of the home’s standout features include: a covered porch with automated screens, a second-floor deck, recreation room with a golf simulator, and plenty of custom details. The interior design was created by Lark + Soul.
To catch a full tour of the home, tune into the premiere episode of Coastal Lifestyle TV. For a sneak peek at the project, visit our website photo gallery at the link below.
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Progress continues on a new four-bedroom, Cape Cod-style home in Windward Village in East Dennis. Shown above is the rear elevation of the home with decking and stair system nearing completion. | |  |
Above is a view of the living room and the custom built-in storage that will flank the gas fireplace and central TV unit in the same Windward Village home now in progress. | | |
As part of a home renovation project in Harwich Port, our team carefully sets shower tile in place. | | |
Framing has just begun for a new three-bedroom home in Eastham. Architect: Peter McDonald | | |
The above photo, taken just before the owners moved in, shows the exterior of a four-bedroom, Greek Revival home we recently designed and built in Truro. White clapboard and a grand front entrance with sidelights and a transom framing the door are traditional elements of Greek Revival architecture. | | |
The kitchen of the same Truro home has a more contemporary feel with a custom island painted Silver Marlin by Benjamin Moore and topped with quartz. | | |
This is how it starts. Below are two home designs created by our talented in-house architectural design team. We work closely with the client, as well as the towns, to customize each home so it is well suited for the location, the lot, and the needs of the family. This issue we are highlighting two projects that just started construction: a renovation and addition in Brewster and a new build at Windward Village in East Dennis. | |
For this renovation and addition project in Brewster (shown below), our team designed two Nantucket dormers to expand two second-floor bedrooms and bathrooms. We relocated the outdoor shower to the left side of the garage, leaving more space for the backyard patio; created an addition for a first-floor primary suite; and converted the front entrance into a covered porch with columns to tie the original home design and the new addition together for a cohesive look. | |
We just broke ground on a four-bedroom shingle-style gambrel at Windward Village. As part of Windward Village, the new home’s design is in keeping with the neighborhood’s New England-style architecture as shown below. The main level will include a primary suite, office, mudroom, laundry room, pantry, and an open kitchen/dining/great room, while the second floor will feature three bedrooms. | |
Follow us on social media to see progress photos and more McPhee projects. | |
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WINDWARD EAST & WINDWARD VILLAGE
Located on the north side of East Dennis, Windward East and Windward Village are exclusive McPhee Associates neighborhoods. The homes in both neighborhoods are set on pristine, wooded lots and are protected by special covenants that ensure new homes are designed and built to be compatible with Cape Cod and New England styles.
Windward East has sold out. To see our Windward East gallery of completed homes, click here.
In Windward Village, there are just two lots remaining for custom-built homes: Lot 1 and Lot 5. Visit Windward Village for more details.
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Classic Cape Reimagined featured in Cape Cod & The Islands Magazine | |
WE WELCOME A NEW STAFF MEMBER | | |
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We’d like to introduce Rachel Arroyo, our new Marketing & Media Manager.
As a former home magazine editor, she brings a wealth of knowledge about local media, home building and remodeling to the role.
When she isn’t writing McPhee’s quarterly newsletter, planning photo shoots or updating social media, she can be found reading about Cape Cod history and enjoying local hiking trails with her favorite four-legged friend, Frankie Moo.
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Stunning Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor living spaces offer families and friends a place to gather, entertain or just sit under the stars by a fire. From screened-in porches and pool houses to fire pits and outdoor kitchens, we share a variety outdoor living spaces designed and built by our team.
Keep reading
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Latest Coastal Lighting Trends
Our Selections Coordinator, who works hand-in-hand with clients on selecting home finishes, weighs in on the top coastal lighting trends she is seeing in Cape Cod homes right now.
Keep reading
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The Essential Cape Cod Outdoor Shower
Outdoor showers are a quintessential home fixture throughout Cape Cod and coastal New England. Whether you’re hosting summer guests, seeking a natural escape, or adding a functional design element, these showers captivate with their unique charm.
Keep reading
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TOWN WATERING STATUS
There’s an upside to all the rain we’ve had on Cape Cod over the last several months: Barnstable County’s drought level is 0/ normal, so there are no active town water bans or restrictions at this time. Between May 1 and Sept. 30, however, the town of Orleans continues to request that all non-essential outdoor water use be limited to two days per week and only before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. The town of Yarmouth has a similar policy asking residents who have in-ground irrigation systems to voluntarily limit their lawn watering to before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on an odd/even day schedule based on house number.
A good reminder, established vegetation only needs about 1” to 1.5” of water per week from watering and/or precipitation. Edible gardens, new lawns and other new plantings, however, require more water to establish healthy root systems.
Fun fact: This March was the eighth wettest March on record, over the past 130 years, for Barnstable County.
GETTING READY FOR SUMMER
It’s that time of year again! With spring in full swing, it’s time to prepare for another Cape Cod summer. To get your household ready for the season, our Property Management team recommends these routine home maintenance tasks:
- Yard and garden clean-up: Remove off-season debris, dead grass, leaves, pinecones and weeds from your lawn and planting beds.
- Activate your lawn irrigation system, once soil has thawed and a spring frost is no longer expected. A spring frost can freeze and crack irrigation pipes, causing them to burst.
- Clean, repair and re-install window and door screens.
- Reactivate winterized outdoor showers and sillcocks (outdoor faucets).
- Clean, repair and set up outdoor furniture.
- Wash windows, inside and out.
- Clean air conditioning system and change the filter to reduce allergens and maximize airflow.
- Identify and repair damage from any pests, such as raccoons, rodents or birds.
Over the coming months, our Property Management team will be completing spring home services for PM clients. If you are a PM client and have questions about the scheduling and timing of spring services, please reach out and we’ll be happy to help.
Memorial Day Holiday Schedule
McPhee Associates will be closed on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, May 28.
Your home means everything.
Let us help you protect it.
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REAL ESTATE MARKET NEWS
National Home Sales Stats
In the latest National Association of REALTORS® report, existing home sales were down 4.3% month-over-month in March and fell 3.7% year-over-year (compared to March 2023). Meanwhile, median sales price rose for the ninth consecutive month, reaching the highest price ever for the month of March - $393,500. On a national level, housing inventory grew 4.7% MoM in March, resulting in the equivalent of a 3.2 months' supply of inventory, which remains below what’s considered a balanced market level. According to the March report, properties spent 33 days on the market until sold, up from 29 days in March of 2023.
Barnstable County Home Sales Stats
Barnstable County home sales share many similarities to national home sale trends. Year to date (Jan. through March), Barnstable County has seen a decrease in home sales and an increase in median sales price as well as inventory. Unlike national home trends for March, however, the days a home spent on the Cape market has decreased year to date (see stats below), due in part to still low inventory levels.
Real Estate Report Highlights for all of Barnstable County (YTD)
(January through March 2024 in comparison to the same time period in 2023)
- Closed Home Sales: 500 (-6.7%)
- Median Sales Price: $699,500 (+3.6%)
- Cumulative Days on the Market: 48 (-7.7%)
- New Listings: 736 (+18.5%)
See full report
(Note: All highlights are Single Family home sales only.)
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While Del Mar Chatham Bar & Bistro is not a new restaurant, it is a longstanding favorite among locals and visitors alike. The popular dinner-and-drinks spot, located on Main Street in Chatham, is known for its fresh, local seafood, wood-fired pizzas and specialty drinks. Reservations are a must, especially during the summer.
Visit website
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Mark the beginning of summer with a trip to Truro Vineyards. In addition to wine tastings and tours, the family-owned and -operated vineyard and distillery hosts food truck pop ups and regular events, such as their Wednesday Wine & Dine, where guests can enjoy a night filled with local food, art and music.
A fun fact: Edward Hopper immortalized the property’s 1830s farmhouse, now used as a wine tasting room and gift shop, in his painting “Rich’s House” (1930).
Visit website
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If you are looking for unique home goods or a thoughtful gift made by a local artist, check out Adorn Cape Cod in Orleans.
The colorful boutique, run by a mother-daughter duo who grew up in Orleans, carries local fine art and jewelry, housewares, textiles, ceramics and more. You can often find co-owner and daughter, Molly, crafting wearable works of art at her onsite jewelry studio.
Visit website
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At McPhee, we truly believe that our clients are the heart of our business. Our goal is to consistently provide the best service possible, and in doing so, we would love to receive feedback from our clients.
We would be incredibly grateful if you would take a moment to leave us a Google review. This will help us let others learn of the value of our service.
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WE LOVE TO SHARE OUR WORK |
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