One of our favorite Cape Cod walks just happens to be down the road from our office here in Truro. Just drive down to the end of North Pamet Road and you'll see a large white building which was formally a life saving station and now houses our youth hostel - just to the right is a parking area with signs and a map of the various tours. The best tour (in our humble opinion) is across the street which leads up to a large glacial dome (basically a big hill) known as "Bear Summit" which has two terrific look out spots allowing you to look out to the ocean to the east and out over the Pamet River Valley to the west. You can continue walking down the trail and go to the right which will take you to the beach. From here you'll want to turn right and return South, (unless it's a bit warmer than this post is being written, in which case you'll want to hang out on the beach). The first right takes on a narrow path that ultimately leads to North Pamet Road and your car. Click here to see a very informative on line brochure from the National Park.

FINALLY

by Anne Daignault Hartman

People have been asking for before and after pictures of my new, formerly old home in Truro. A large part of the story can be told in pictures.  Behind the photos, however, are many hidden renovations, such as a new roof, an entire new heating system, ten new windows, the repair of a porch that was falling away from the building, the removal of trees that had overgrown the house, two entirely new bathrooms, as well as the cosmetics you will see below. Next, some landscaping.

At 3Harbors we love all of our listings but sometimes we play favorites and all of us have a crush on this new listing on Lieutenant's Island in Wellfleet.

Once you drive over the bridge you've practically arrived and once you are inside you are a world away.  All of us remarked at how you really can't see any other houses and the view immediately makes you forget the world's pressures.  If ever a house could lower your blood pressure, this is it! Here's the view that greets you:

Designed by renowned architect, Paul Kruger, the house features a wonderful master suite that boasts a lovely view, an office area, gorgeous master bathroom and a large vaulted bedroom.  It provides loads of privacy from the guest room wing and living areas.

The living room is a real treat too.

The kitchen and dining areas are open and perfect for informal entertaining.

Here's the screened in porch where you'll spend the afternoon once you've left the beach:

 

Check out the full details for the listing here on our website.

 

Famed local architect, Charlie Zehnder, designed this home before his untimely death in 1985.  Zehnder, a follower of Frank Loyd Wright, studied industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and after serving in the Marine Corps, moved to the Cape and started his practice in Wellfleet. 

We've sold a number of Zehnder homes here at 3Harbors and we have all marveled at the variety of styles he used.  Two things are constant though: an ingenious use of building materials and the ability to design homes that don't overwhelm their site.  You can read more about Charlie Zehnder here: http://www.ccmht.org/zehndergips.html.

This home in Provincetown exemplifies the Zehnder style.  The unimposing front doorway is found at the top of a wooden decked platform.  The entrance draws you in and you immediately are welcomed by a fantastic view of the Provincetown moorlands.  The house is elegant and the use of fir boards on the walls of the living room and dining room is exquisite for both its simplicity and warmth.  Of particular note are two smaller rooms to either side of this level: a corner office to the left which provides surprising seclusion and the screened porch to the right which has a stairway to a platform allowing for tremendous views.

Downstairs hosts the master bedroom suite and two guest rooms, all with nice views and lots of light.  Interesting woodwork is found throughout the house, particularly the ingeniously constructed stair bannister.

The home has been maintained meticulously and everything is in tip top shape.  The newly renovated kitchen is a beach house dream and there's a brand new half bath that's near the entry.  This house doesn't boastfully advertise itself, it whispers it.

 

 

Right now, at this very moment, there are six people working on my new house. Two carpenters, a roofer, two electricians, a man cutting out a place for a door into the garage and a guy putting up scaffolding on the back of the house in preparation for replacing a second floor window. Every day there are more decisions for tomorrow or the next day.

Apparently, this remolding project is a part of a national trend. The remodeling industry, hit by the economic downturn, appears to be recovering rapidly. Homeowners, sellers expecting to sell as the sales market improve and buyers like me, are expected to increase the market by 20%, according to a recent study release by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. 

Since March, I've chosen roof tiles, at least a dozen different paint colors for inside and out, knobs, handles, tiles, sinks, kitchen cabinets and appliances, bathroom fixtures, a washer and dryer, lighting fixtures and two storm and two garage doors. My head is spinning.

Karen Pratt-Mills at Supply New England in West Yarmouth and I have designed a new kitchen and two new bathrooms. Like all professional wizards, Karen is knowledgeable, confident and a joy to work with.  

Every day, I visit the house and delight in the progress. Perhaps it's somewhat like a dog owner, who loves her new dog; even if everyone else can see that it's an especially stinky, little mutt. That may be too harsh an analogy, but the house isn't ready for www.houzz.com. Yet!

 

When we're not selling real estate in Truro, Wellfleet and Provincetown, chances are we're at the beach or the woods taking in this gorgeous place we call home.  Give us a call and we'll help you call the Cape "home" too.

http://youtu.be/2IATY35vN9A

 

Okay, okay we know this term is over-used and we ourselves have probably used it too many times.  But in this case, "cute as a button" is just spot on.  This small studio is in the center of Provincetown but set well away from the hustle and bustle within a small waterfront condo community, surrounded by gardens and the sea.  Lovingly restored and beautifully maintained, the studio has a place for everything.  There's a great rental history and a deeded parking space.

See the listing here: http://www.3harborsrealty.com/realestate/detailview/55//21304066/?_v=1365081524463&utm_expid=34031698-1&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3harborsrealty.com%2Four-realestate-listings%2F

 

Okay, we're a few days past the official start of Spring.  We went on our usual drive down to Longnook Beach before we start on our work to buy and sell real estate here in Truro, Wellfleet and Provincetown.  It's a beautiful thing to see the snow all around but really, couldn't we see this at Christmas time?

http://youtu.be/4g08hf4K5Rw

Here's what a Spring drive should look like:

http://youtu.be/yMPN3FpFOOQ

 

Folks in the know have always been aware of the special charms that Provincetown has and now more and more people are getting to know it too.  Fodors, the well respected travel adviser, has named our little town as one of the country's best.  Check out their article here: Fodors 10 Best Small Towns

So now's the time to call 3Harbors and find your home in this gem of a town!  Call us before everyone wants to move here!

 

A lunar high tide pushes loads of seawater into the Pamet River.  Look for photos and videos of the flooding at down town Truro soon after.

http://youtu.be/sS2TKQo3Jqc

http://youtu.be/yLRc1ljRJOM