Dear Cape Friends,
If you’re new here, welcome. If you’ve been along for the ride for a while, welcome back. Each week I try to share Cape Cod real estate with a little common sense, a bit of humor, and just enough market insight to keep you ahead of the curve.
Every year on the Cape, there’s a moment when something shifts.
You don’t see it on a chart. You don’t read about it in a headline. You just… feel it. The light lingers a little longer. The air softens. And without much warning, people start coming out of the woodwork again.
This past Saturday - the first full weekend of spring - I was hosting an open house at 20 Jessie’s Landing in Chatham (Take a look here if your curious). It’s one of those special homes that’s been genuinely well cared for over the years. The kind where Buyers walk in and immediately feel comfortable… like they could see themselves there without needing to change a single thing.
As usual, I had a pot simmering on the stove - sliced apples, cinnamon, and water - a trick my wife Nan swears by. Supposedly it makes a home “feel warmer.” I’m not entirely convinced it’s scientific… but at this point I’m not asking questions.
And then there’s the other tradition.
Nan has always insisted - very Italian - that before selling a home, you bury a small St. Joseph statue in the yard. Don’t ask me for the theology… I just follow instructions. As it turns out, the owner at Jessie’s had already beaten me to it - St. Joseph was already in the ground. 🙏
For what it’s worth, we’ve done it many times over the years… and professionally speaking, the track record (now standard operating procedure) is surprisingly strong. Call it batting a perfect 1.000
So between Nan’s simmering pot and St. Joseph working below ground, we had all bases covered. We also had the fireplace blazing – which everyone loved. Everything was in sync - like a symphony… a SEAL Team mission… or just a well-run Cape open house firing with precision on all cylinders. ⚙️
Let’s Get Serious For a Moment
What stood out wasn’t just the house. It was the rhythm. The door kept opening. Not a flood – at least not yet - but a steady, real pulse. Conversations weren’t rushed and people lingered. I didn’t sit down once which, in Real Estate terms, is about as scientific as it gets!
The Market
You never see the market turn all at once. It doesn’t “explode” overnight. But if you’re out there long enough - in living rooms, at kitchen counters, standing by front doors - you start to recognize the early signs, and this surely felt like one of them.
For a little context - over the past couple of weeks, I’ve started to see a noticeable uptick in new listings and showing activity across the Lower Cape. Nothing dramatic just yet… but enough to suggest that people are beginning to move and explore again.
If you’d like to take a closer look at what’s happening right now, you can click into any of the markets below for up-to-the-minute details from my personal website:
• Chatham
• Orleans
• Harwich
• Brewster
• Truro
If you’re curious what this could mean specifically for your home or your plans, I’m always happy to chat. And if you’re around Friday morning, I’ll be back at the Chatham Perk from 8:00–9:00am. As always, coffee’s on me – and yes, we can talk about St Joseph too!
See you around the elbow,
Paul
P.S. If you’re starting to think about buying or selling, PaulBorde.com is a good place to browse listings, catch past newsletters, and stay current on the market - and, if I may say so, please click here and revisit a few of my Pulitzer Prize–level past newsletters. 😄