2009 RENTAL SEASON RECAP

 This summer, like all summers on Martha’s Vineyard, was  gone with what seemed like a blink of an eye.  Rentals were understandably off to a slow start at the beginning of the year due to the state of our economy. My fingers were crossed that the allure of a sun filled week at State Beach or the Agricultural Fair would be enough to bring back old and new visitors alike. Once June came, with only a handful of sunny days, I knew I had my work cut out for me.

What separated this season from previous rental seasons was the amount of inventory that was still available at the beginning of the summer. Also, owners who have never rented in the past were now opening up their houses to rentals.  When the draw of the Island was just too strong to stay away, last minute renters were able to still find a vacation home that would suit all of their needs.  As more and more last minute renters arrived, Martha’s Vineyard was transformed, once again; into the frenzy we call August.

With the Obama’s scheduled visit at the end of August you could feel the excitement in the air. The First Family enjoyed their stay up-island in Chilmark and enjoyed the occasional round of golf or dinner out. Surprisingly, throughout their week visit they maintained an extremely low profile.  With all of the media attention that their trip received, this presidential trip, like others before it, helped put Martha’s Vineyard back on the map.  Overall, 2009 turned out to be a very successful rental season here on the Vineyard.  However, there is no rest for the weary as I am already booking for next season! Whether you are a first time visitor or have been returning summer after summer to this captivating island, I would be honored to help find you the perfect vacation rental home for 2010!

Fall Checklist for Summer 2010 on Martha’s Vineyard

The kids are back in school, the days are getting shorter and cooler…and it’s hard not to start dreaming about next summer on the Vineyard! Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re crazy, I think you’re very, very smart because planning for a fantastic 2010 summer on the Vineyard really does need to start now!

Here’s my checklist to keep you fully on top of things:

1. If you want the house of your rental dreams, book it now! The fall is actually our busiest booking time as folks scramble for primo houses. Our inventory is huge, our site has been updated and is beautiful, and we get new listings every day!

2. Make plans with friends and family as soon as possible. It’s much easier to plan a vacation for two, or even a family of five (who all do exactly what you tell them because three of them are kids!), than it is to plan for your extended family or groups of friends. The sooner you all get your schedules set, the less stress you’ll have. No one should have their summer planned yet – so you’ll be asking them to commit before you have to dance around everyone else’s commitments.

3. Ferry reservations. Yes, I know you can’t actually book your ferry reservations until February, but let me remind you how much less stressful it will be to plan the times you would like to sail (and sync them up with any other travel you need to do to get here) when you aren’t under the gun of opening day on the Steamships Advanced Reservations Line!! I recommend that you plan it out on paper and clip it to your February calendar. On the big day, just go online and book those tickets!

4. Same with the plane. You can book your plane reservations now and they do fill up! Also, unlike the ferry, airline fares are cheaper if purchased in advance.

5. If you’re really eager, create a list of all of the things you love doing on the island – include beaches to visit, restaurants, festivals and stores. This can be especially fun with the whole family as you reflect on the summer of ‘09 and get ready for the summer of ‘10. Then make a big calendar and start jotting down activities you don’t want to miss. You can even decorate it with pics from summers past. When the snow starts to fall, this beautiful calendar and homage to Martha’s Vineyard will be sure to warm you up…

Any other questions, concerns, delightful memories to share? Don’t hesitate to ask me!

Image credit: WillPosh

Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival 2009

On Thursday, September 10 through Sunday, September 13, the 2009 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival takes over Vineyard Haven! All four days will be filled with the best feature and short films from the biggie film festivals like Sundance, Berlin and Cannes – and new films that have yet to be discovered.

This year’s festival films come from every corner of the globe: Palestine, Russia, China, India, Norway, France, Israel, Germany, Spain, Japan, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, and more. Some highlights:

• Rudo Y Cursi – one of the top-grossing Mexican films of all time.
• Waltz with Bashir – an innovative animated drama from Israel that was nominated for a 2009 Oscar for Best Documentary.
• Munyurangabo – awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the American Film Institute festival, it explores the Hutu-Tutsi genocide from the point of view of an orphaned teen and is the first film ever in the Kinyarwanda language.
• Local Martha’s Vineyard filmmaking – lead by islanders Liz Witham and Ken Wentworth of Film-Truth Productions.

Of course, there is more to this Vineyard film festival than movies. An opening night cocktail party on the roof of the Mansion House kicks things off, and there will be nightly parties, art gallery and meet-the-filmmaker gatherings for the festival’s duration. Live music, DJ’s food from top island chefs and open bars round out the weekend.

Visit the website for a full schedule and tickets to films and exciting events.

Obama arrives on Martha’s Vineyard

Whether you like him or not, it’s pretty darn exciting to have the President of the United States staying just down the road this week. The ’summer White House’ for 2009 is a private estate in Chilmark, Blue Heron Farm. Yesterday afternoon around 3:00 several helicopters, including Marine One, flew over the island and landed at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. From there, they drove up South Road and into Chilmark in the motorcade – the streets lined with people, young and old, hoping to catch a glimpse of the first family, including Bo, the first dog.

The Secret Service and news trucks (even though Obama specifically told the journalists to just have fun this week) cover the long dirt road that leads to Blue Heron Farm, and islanders and summer visitors alike are curious about where the Obamas will go and what they’ll do. Rumors abound and are debunked just as quickly. The girls didn’t go to the Ag Fair on Saturday and Obama says he won’t be playing golf with Tiger Woods on our shores. But, will they go to the Farmer’s Market or Artisan’s Fair in West Tisbury? Will they venture down to the Flying Horses in Oak Bluffs? Will their staff run out for Mad Martha’s or will Barack, Michelle, Sasha and Malia stroll the streets of Vineyard Haven?

The plan seems to be ‘no plan’ – so, I think we’re going to all just have to keep our eyes peeled for any sightings! In the meantime, Plum TV’s Alex Friedman put together a great video that shows Blue Heron Farm and the beauty that is up-island Martha’s Vineyard. Enjoy and let me know if you see anything in the video that you can’t resist! I know we’ll be able to find you a vacation rental close by, you know, one that will let you live the dream you envision!

Last minute vacation rentals on Martha’s Vineyard

We all know the economy has been funky since last fall 2008 – that’s not news. And while it hasn’t been all good, it hasn’t been all bad either – especially in the Martha’s Vineyard real estate and vacation rentals market. Last fall, when the market first dropped, we saw a slow down in bookings. But by January through to the summer, things have gone at a normal pace.

Still, that drop last fall, has left us with some nice availability of rental houses across the island and we’re experiencing a strong buyer’s market. It began with home sales, but has now filtered down to the rental market.

Renters are also taking advantage of last minute bookings. And while the renters are eager to negotiate rates, many of the landlords are taking them up on their offers as the season marches forward. Renters are looking to get the most they can for their dollar and the owners are showing flexibility in the range of 15-20% adjustments – depending on their property.

If you’ve been thinking about a beach vacation this summer, but didn’t think you could afford it, I encourage you to give me a call or send me an email. Depending on your budget, I’ll help you find the right house…and with these last minute rentals, it might just be 20% more house than you thought you could afford!

Image credit: jazzylolo

Is Obama Coming to Martha’s Vineyard or Not?

There is so much speculation surrounding President Obama’s summer plans. Will he come to Martha’s Vineyard? Will Michelle, Malia and Sasha spend a month here and will the girls go to camp? Will they stay in Edgartown or on East Chop? Is Washington saying ‘no’ because they’re trying to keep it a secret? Or because he really isn’t coming! Soooo many questions!

When President Clinton and his family visited our island there were a lot of benefits for our community:

• We saw a rise in travel to the island
• This included tourists but also the security and press that follow the Pres…
• Which led to increased sales for our local economy
• It created a wonderful rejuvenation for the Island
• By putting us ‘on the map’ and in the forefront of people’s minds.

So, will Obama hop on the ferry? That remains to be seen, but it sure would be great for Martha’s Vineyard if he decides to come see us.

The Martha’s Vineyard Vacation Rentals Market, 2009

Have you ever noticed how we all get caught up in what the news media is telling us and forget to check in with what’s actually happening?

In the case of the current vacation rental market on Martha’s Vineyard, the truth is much brighter than the fiction.
Yes, there was some fall off in rental sales last fall, immediately following the stock market’s dive. This made perfect sense as the world paused to regroup and figure things out – especially in light of the close presidential race.

But when 2009 began and the Steamship Authority, our wonderful car/passenger ferry service opened up their summer reservations, we saw a jump in activity. Dollar for dollar and rental for rental, it hasn’t been quite as busy as last year, but our year-to-date is pretty comparable. For example, if you looked at the years side by side and had no idea that there was a recession in progress, you wouldn’t say, ‘Whoah, what happened here!’

I’m predicting a lot of last minute activity and strong rental season. We’re expecting a 15% price reduction from our home owners and, you know, when the sun comes out…no one can resist a little Martha’s Vineyard sand ‘tween their toes!

Image by Clearly Ambiguous

Looking For a House on Martha’s Vineyard? Yeah, We’ve Got That.

In a time of rapid change in the economy and the real estate industry, I’ve been thinking about how lucky I am to be part of a real estate firm that values and demonstrates two things: reliability and ingenuity.

There’s something to be said for the fact that this will be Sandpiper’s 40th year on Martha’s Vineyard.  We have a solid reputation, and an on and off island community that knows us – just like we know them. Being part of this group of full time real estate agents, makes me feel confident about our future – because our past and our present is so strong.

But, we haven’t been around for 40 years because we’ve done the same old thing. Learning, changing and growing. It’s what makes my blog so much fun for me – I get to be myself (the same person I am with clients) but online.

It’s funny, though, because the blog let’s me get so detailed about the Vineyard and what it’s like to live here and vacation here…all the island has to offer. So, sometimes I forget to mention that we have over 600 Martha’s Vineyard houses in our inventory. To remind you all that we probably have exactly what you’re looking for – to rent or buy. All you have to do is ask! I’m all ears…

Plum TV Martha’s Vineyard

Have you ever heard of Plum TV? Plum is located in incredible spots around the U.S. and helps those of you who don’t live somewhere like Martha’s Vineyard, Aspen, Miami Beach or Telluride get a dynamic bite of what’s happening around town. I talked to Tina Miller, the General Manager of Plum’s Martha’s Vineyard branch about all things Plum and Vineyard. Here’s the scoop…

Anne: What is PlumTV?
Tina: Plum is Hyper local TV in some of America’s most treasured locations.

Anne: What types of thing do you feature?
Tina: Plum’s local morning show features the Island’s diverse year-round and summer residents. Plum has great local programs as well as the shared content from our 7 other stations (Aspen, Vail, Telluride, Nantucket, Miami Beach, Sun Valley and The Hamptons).

Anne: Do you create videos all year long? or just seasonally?

Tina: We create content all year long, Plum is a year-round business.

Anne: Why is the Vineyard such a perfect setting for Plum TV?

Tina: The Vineyard is perfect for Plum because of the people, the beauty, the arts and the optimism.

Anne: Who have been some of your most famous guests?
Tina: There have been so many! Tony Shaloub, Dan Aykroyd, Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Carly Simon, Arlen Roth, Bill Murray, Keith Lockhart, The Neville Brothers, Geraldine Brooks, Jim Belushi, Cam Neeley, Norman Bridwell, Charlane Hunter Gault. I could go on and on!

Anne: Care to share one of your most interesting guests or stories?

Tina: I’m going to have to go with Dan Aykroyd speaking about UFO’s check out plumtv.com (clip at bottom of the post!)

Anne: And, your favorite thing about the Vineyard?

Tina: The community. We simply wouldn’t be what Plum TV without this outstanding community of people – the people we highlight on the show and the viewers. It’s the people that make the Vineyard so special.

The State of the Housing Market on Martha’s Vineyard

This week, I decided to stroll over to the other side of our Sandpiper office and talk to my colleague, Elaine Miller, about the state of the housing marketing – buyers, sellers, on the Vineyard and across the U.S.

Anne: What’s your take on the national housing market?
Elaine: The housing market escalated in a short period of time to extremely high values.  It was realistically necessary for it to plateau and moderate as it did before and as the same cycle in the stock market needed to be corrected.  The economic crisis exacerbated the downward motion of the real estate market and followed the spiral of everything else.

Anne: And the market on the island? Is it different or the same? How?
Elaine: We are a second home market and no one needs our product.  It is a luxury item and the easiest item a potential buyer can remove from their wish list.  On the other side of the coin is the fact that the majority of our owners are not financially required to sell their property and will either resort to renting it or waiting out the current low market.  Though we have a large inventory, our average reduction in value is approximately 15% whereas the balance of the state is experiencing a 30% to 40% value reduction.

Anne: What do you predict will happen with the market on the island this summer?
Elaine: I have increased the size of my crystal ball and it is still not providing me with concrete answers.  I do however feel that once the confidence level in our economy is stabilized, buyers will realize that they are experiencing the best values with the lowest interest rates that they may see again for a very long time, and that this is the time to make a purchase.  The low value reduction of 15% in one of the worst economic crisis the country has seen in several decades is a further indication of the strength of making an investment in real estate on Martha’s Vineyard while enjoying all the benefits of your investment.

Anne: We’ve all heard the rumor that the Obama’s will be joining us this season – either for the entire summer or just for a visit, do you imagine that will have an impact on the island’s economy?
Elaine: The Clinton’s constant visits to the Island gave it global panache.  When they left, some of that public awareness went with them.  If the Obama’s return to enjoy the pleasures of our great Island, their visits will highlight the beauty and desirability of Martha’s Vineyard.

Anne: Any advice for folks looking to buy or sell a home right now?
Elaine: If you are planning to sell your home get a realistic Opinion of Value from a real estate agent, have confidence in the office and agent representing you and be patient. If you are a buyer, this is the moment.  The inventory provides for a broad selection of wonderful homes and don’t let this opportunity pass.

Thank you, Elaine!

If you’re interested in buying or selling a home on Martha’s Vineyard, I’d be happy to connect you with Elaine!

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