Posted by Brian Sullivan on Wed, Jul 28, 2010
Aug 14th Gates Open @ 4
Show starts at 7pm
Tickets Online
The Boston Pops event on Nantucket is one of the greatest events of the year. Almost 5,000 people attend this wonderful event located Jetties Beach a grand stage is set up, great music, last year in 2009 they had a laser show, and the fireworks finally can't be beat even by the 4th of July event.
There are many great ways to enjoy this event here are a few tips from my experience. 
If you want to attend the beach - get your tickets NOW! Remember this event is a fund raiser that supports Nantucket Cottage Hospital.
There are 2 types of tickets;
- General Admission - which means on the beach $30 for adults and $10 for children.
- Pops Reserved Seating - there are 3 levels, and all have reserved seatings. Friend - $600, Patron $1,500 and Benefactor $2,500
Getting to the beach early and setting up a spot is very important, I recommend a few things, drop off people and your heavy things early, send a delegate from your party who is willing to wait it out and hold your space. Things to bring - beach chairs, blankets, coolers with dinner, beverages (No Glass), bug spray, bring plastic ware and paper plates so at the end of the evening your cooler is empty and light to bring home. There is really no parking near Jetties the night of the event, but the NRTA does run special shuttles, here is a link to their website. Plan ahead, know that traffic is going to be bad, unexpected traffic delays can ruin a perfect evening.
There are a bunch of great caterers on Nantucket that do special menu's for the Pops event.
I like Lobster Dinner from Sayles Seafood - order and pick up around 5pm lobster is good cold, but the temp does hold for a long time.
The Dancing Pickle and Fresh Nantucket - both do a great job with food, wine and beer.
I have been enjoying the Pops for the last few years from a boat, this is a great way to avoid the crowds and be comfortable with your own group. If you have your own boat know that this year high tide will be at 4 pm and low is about 945, just as the event ends - Don't get to close and find yourself high and dry at the end of the show. If you don't have a boat, open the phone book and try and find a charter available, there are a handful of fishing boats that could take you to see the event. Its not the best way to enjoy the music but it does make the fireworks very intense.
So these are just a few tips for the Pops on Nantucket. I hope you enjoy the event as much as I have over the years.
If you have been and have tips for anyone reading please feel free to share in the comment section.
Brian
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Mon, Jul 26, 2010
51 & 52 Ocean Ave - Waterfront 5 bedroom Sconset home
with 2.33 acres of land with private beach.
For more details or to book an appointment visit -
51 Ocean Ave Siasconset - $7,900,000
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Mon, Jul 19, 2010
Nantucket Real Estate Market thoughts on where we are, and where we are going. Nancy Miller was published in Fortune Magazine today. She wrote a very insightful article about Nantucket and foreclosures. I thought it would be prudent for a follow up, since I have been a student, and active real estate agent in the Nantucket Real Estate market for the last 14 years.
Basically there are 2 real estate markets on Nantucket, year round community and the summer seasonal community. The year round community and real estate prices have suffered the most and I am guessing will continue to a little longer (8 to 15 months). In this year round market property on island is valued around or below $800,000. It is these homes that we have seen the most activity in the foreclosure market. These are the properties that the auctions have actually happened and workouts with banks have not been completed. Having said that there have been a handful of foreclosures in higher priced “vacation” market as well. There were 5 properties I can think of that belonged to 2 different gentlemen who were playing the speculation game and got way to over extended, just those 5 properties and 2 home owners make up 20% of all the island foreclosures. There was one very nice home that sold over $5,000,000 in foreclosure; the man who lost the home was not one of the previously mentioned two men. Most properties that have been noticed in the newspaper for foreclosure don’t end up happening, often some sort of workout ends up taking place. Most of the second home market has the resources from somewhere to work things out.
Please allow me to show you what has happened and how we got here. I stopped into the building department the other day and got a copy of building permits that have been issued in the last 10 years. In the boom real estate and construction years of 03 through 2007 a lot of new homes were built on Nantucket, in that time there were at total of 870 new homes built on Island. Since 2007 the numbers have been dropping rapidly. Last year there were just 43 new homes constructed. Another data point worth considering is renovation to existing structures. These numbers have stayed relatively consistent even in the economic downturn. Like many communities, the year round community on Nantucket is a trade driven. The drop in work as represented in the single family permits has significantly affected the economics of the year round community and the value of that real estate - thus leading to foreclosures in that market. On the other side of the coin the reduction in permits and available lots for building as represented in the decline of single family permits from 06 to now (even prior to the economic downturn) give us another angle to view the market. Land scarcity.
To fully understand land scarcity in one of the most constrained markets anywhere we should also consider conservation. The Nantucket Land Bank and the Nantucket Conservation Foundation along with a few other conservation groups already own over 50% of the land on Nantucket protected to be forever wild. I consider this our most charming and valuable asset. Approx 42% of Nantucket is developed, the remaining 8% or so is not and is a race between conservation groups and people wanting summer homes, simple supply demand economics show us prices will continue to go up here on island.
In July 2010 we have been seeing strong sales activity in arms length transactions in the $2m to $20 range, I believe this is the case because many buyers chose to wait out the market in 08 and 09 to see what would happen in the overall economy. Prices have corrected on Nantucket in both vacation and year round markets and buyers are seeing value. They are choosing to get back into assets that are tangible and they can physically enjoy and where they will see long term appreciation.
I have a client who is very well versed in real estate, he works in markets globally, he once said that this market makes no sense, if fits no model, and can’t be tracked. After doing this for 14 years, year round 7 days a week I get it. Now I really get now because my wife and I are having a baby in two months and when I look around the streets what I see is family, safety, memories and tangible moments that are priceless. I understand what truly drives the Nantucket real estate market. As much as real estate is driven by economics it is really driven by emotion and the moments of enjoying ones respective success with those they love in a place they love. (Sappy I know, but its true).
I will look forward to your comments.
Brian
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Thu, Jul 15, 2010
See Nantucket Independent for full report written by Rob Ranney in July 14, 2010 edition.
"If you believed everything you read about real estate on Nantucket, it might certainly drive you mad, too! Generalizations about the ups and downs of any real estate cycle are difficult to make on Nantucket as there are too many “grey” areas. So-called normal real estate models usually do not apply to Nantucket real estate market. It can often take until September or October, or later, to get a feel for how things are shaping up for the year. With the first half of 2010 in the books, what are the numbers telling us about 2010 so far? Let’s take a look.
Looking back over recent years, we see that in the first half of 2009 there were a total of 96 real estate transactions on Nantucket island, as compared to 128 during the same period in 2008 and 193 in 2007. The total dollar amount of real estate changing hands for the first six months of 2009 was approximately $116 million, while in 2008 it was approximately $250 million and approximately $331 million in 2007. By comparison, the number of transactions for the first six months of 2010 was 163, up 70 percent, when compared to 2009. The total dollar volume of those transactions through June 2010 ($246 million), was up 111 percent versus 2009. 2009 seems to have formed the “bottom” at this point, with 2010 numbers, so far, well ahead of 2009’s.
During June 2010, there were a total of 42 transactions, as compared to only 10 in June 2009. In the first six months of 2010, of the 163 total transactions, there have been 96 homes sold on Nantucket, not counting foreclosures, as opposed to only 41 homes sold in the first half of 2009 – a whopping 134 percent increase! Foreclosures and foreclosure related transactions made up approximately 6 percent of the market in 2009, with approximately 25 – 30 foreclosures and foreclosure related sales taking place. This unfortunate statistic continues in 2010, with an estimated 20 foreclosures and foreclosure related transactions, almost double 2009’s numbers, making up about 19 percent of the market so far in 2010.
The average home sale on Nantucket in 2010, is $1.8 – $1.9 million, down 17 percent from the $2.236 million average home sale for 2009. The median home sale for on Nantucket in 2010 is $1.125 million, down 27 percent from the $1.538 million median home sale for 2009. Currently the average and median home sale prices are hovering near “pre-boom” levels, having erased substantial gains from 2005 through 2008.
There were 35 vacant lot sales in all of 2009 on Nantucket island, with an average lot price down 48 percent from 2008, which in turn was down 36 percent from 2007. Vacant land sales started to increase slightly at the end of 2009, a potentially positive sign. However, vacant land sales have slowed once again and as of the end of June 2010, are almost 50 percent less than in 2009. An increase in vacant land sales generally indicates a healthy economic environment, a sign that confidence has returned to the market. In our current market, we are getting strong pre-existing house sale numbers, but continuing weak vacant land sales – a mixed signal as far as market indicators go.
2009 is now the new record holder for the year with the fewest number of building permits being issued since 1972, with a total of 44. Early estimates for 2010, show a continuation of this slow building cycle trend, on par with 2009.
June 2010 was the busiest June since 2006 in terms of overall volume of real estate sales on Nantucket. May 2010 was the busiest May since 2007. On the surface, it appears that we are potentially beginning a “re-bound” of sorts. Foreclosures are still weighing heavily on the market though, and it will still take time for the market to work that out. Overall sales volume and the dollar volume of those sales are both currently up versus 2009, but the average and median sale prices of those sales are down. So, more sales are happening, but at lower prices. We’ve seen some encouraging market indicators of late and hopefully, as confidence returns and takes hold again, we will continue to see them as we go through the second half of the year. Stay tuned.
– A student of the current real estate market, and a licensed real estate salesperson since 1987, Rob Ranney performs real estate appraisals with Denby Real Estate, Inc."
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Sat, Jul 10, 2010
1.A vacant lot on .30 of an acre at 16 East Creek 
Road, Nantucket MA sold to the Nantucket Islands Land Bank of Nantucket, Mass. from Sixteen East Creek Road, LLC of Nantucket, Mass. for $2,650,000. The property is assessed at $1,871,300. The Land Bank exemption is A.
2.A house on .61 of an acre at 15 Columbus Ave, Nantucket Ma. sold to David J. Shea and Carol P. Shea of Weston, Conn. from David J. Kline of Boston, Mass. for $1,200,000. The property is assessed at $2,344,000. The Land Bank fee is $24,000.
3.A house on Nantucket situated on .61 of an acre at 15 Columbus Ave. Nantucket MA sold to David J. Shea and Carol P. Shea of Weston, Conn. from David J. Rasnick, Executor of Estate of George J. Wasserman of Boston, Mass. for $1,200,000. The property is assessed at $2,344,000. The Land Bank fee is $24,000.
4.A house on .78 of an acre at 66 Squam Road sold to Alan L. 
and Robin S. Fuchsberg of Larchmont, N.Y. from Peter F. Maltby and Richard Maltby, Executors, Estate of Lucious F. Maltby, Jr., of Nantucket, Mass. for $1,082,000. The property is assessed at $1,864,100. The Land Bank fee is $21,640.
5.A house on 1.1 acres at 13 Wigwam Road Nantucket MA sold to Mark J. Lebling and Cherly L. Lebling of Hollis, N.H. from Debrah S. Soffen and Edward M. Soffen of Princeton, N.J. for $1,075,000. The property is assessed at $1,696,100. The Land Bank fee is $21,500.
6.A house on 1.2 acres at 47 West Chester St. Nantucket MA sold to Bevis-Nishimura Living Trust of Los Gatos, Calif. from Lily Pad Nominee Trust of Nantucket, Mass. for $900,000. The property is assessed at $1,866,300. The Land Bank fee is $18,000.
7.A house on .46 of an acre at 4 Manchester Circle Nantucket Ma
sold to Scott and Cynthia Nestle of Summit, N.J. from Clifford J. Williams of Nantucket, Mass. for $875,000. The property is assessed at $1,226,300. The Land Bank fee is $17,500.
8.A business on Nantucket situtated on .12 of an acre at 2 Mary Ann Drive sold to Wayne D. Petty of Orleans, Mass.from William M. McGuire and Stephen C. Theroux, Trustees of M.T. Nominee Trust, of Nantucket, Mass. for $672,500. The property is assessed at $887,500. The Land Bank fee is $13,450.
9.A house on .56 of an acre at 14 Kelley Road sold to Shawna Flemming, Steven Pavliga, Kevin Flemming and Eva Flemming of North Seattle, Wash. from Edward F. Vaughan, Executor of the Estate of Caroline F. Corkum of Nantucket, Mass. for $359,000. The property is assessed at $977,800. The Land Bank fee is $7,180.
10. A house at 82A Cliff Road sold to Robert W.Lord and Robin B. Lord of New Canaan, Conn. from RLOR, LLC, of New Canaan, Conn. for $100. The property’s assessed value is unavailable. The Land Bank exemption is J.
11. A house on .15 of an acre at 119 Main St. sold to Vanessa L. Green of Littleton, Conn. from Burges M. Green of Littleton, Conn. for $10. The property is assessed at $232,600.The Land Bank exemption is C.
12. A house on .15 of an acre at 119 Main St. sold to Allison C. Green of Littleton, Conn. from Burges M. Green of Littleton, Conn. for $10. The property is assessed at $232,600. The Land Bank exemption is C.
13. A house on 1.2 acres at 29 Coffin St. sold to Willard J. Overlock, Jr. Qualified Personal Residence Trust, Willard J. Overlock, Jr. and Katherine S.Overlock, Trustees, of Greenwich, Conn. from Willard J. Overlock, Jr. of Greenwich, Conn. for $0. The property is assessed at $3,275,800.The Land Bank exemption is D.
14. A house on 1.2 acres at 29 Coffin St. sold to Katherine S. Overlock Qualified Personal Residence Trust, Willard J. Overlock, Jr. and Katherine S. Overlock, Trustees, of Greenwich, Conn. from Willard J. Overlock, Jr. of Greenwich, Conn. for $0. The property is assessed at $3,275,800. The Land Bank exemption is D.
15. A house on .22 of an acre at 9 MacLean Lane sold to Jeannine Veinot-Amendola and Armand S. Amendola of Guilford, Conn. from Jeannine Veinot-Amendola of Guilford, Conn. for $0. The property is assessed at $625,000. The Land Bank exemption is C.
16. A vacant lot on 19.9 acres off Hawthorne Lane sold to Samuel Sichko, Trustee of Millbrook Trust, of Boston, Mass. from Samuel C. Sichko, Trustee of Frost Nominee Trust – 1999, Alison E. Frost, Eliot P. Frost and Samuel C. Sichko, Trustees of Eric Frost Family Trust – 2003, of Boston, Mass. for $0. The property’s assessed value is unavailable. The Land Bank exemption is D.
17. A house on .11 of an acre at 6 Evelyn St. sold to Strome Alexanderr McNair Lamon (son) of Morrestown, N.J. from Strome B. Lamon (father) of Wilton, Conn. for $0. The property is assessed at $1,319,600. The Land Bank exemption is C.
18. A house on .23 of an acre at 13 Appleton Road sold to Louis E. Guarnaccia of Nantucket, Mass. from Kimberly and Louis Guarnaccia of Nantucket, Mass.for $0. The property is assessed at $664,800. The Land Bank exemption is K.
The Nantucket Islands Land Bank gained $123,270 in transfer tax fees for the week ending June 19. To date in the year 2010, the Land Bank gained an estimated total of $4,206,623 in transfer fees. Land Bank income is derived mostly from the collection of a two-percent transfer tax on real estate transactions, subject to certain exemptions. Visit www.nantucketlandbank.org for more information on the Land Bank’s exemptions.
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Fri, Jul 09, 2010
Nantucket has over 55 miles of spectacular beach and they all seem to be a little diffrent. Each has something special and unique, I'll do my best here and expalin some of the highlights as I see them (I'm not a local but I have lived her full time for 15 years, and I try and get to the beach everyday year round).
Nantucket has North shore and a South Shore (East & West too) the South Shore are Ocean beaches all of these have waves and strong current which can make it difficult for young children who are not strong swimmers, the sand on South Shore beaches of Nantucket is finer and softer then most of the North Shore. (See Google Map for locations and brief descriptions)
View Nantucket Beaches Part 1 in a larger map
The North shore beaches of Nantucket are on Nantucket Sound, and the depth change from beach to water is very gradual so these are excellent for children, the water temp here tends to be a little warmer throughout the summer too. Lets move across the North shore and touchbase on some highlights -
- Lets start with Kids - (cuz they are fun) My friend Colton who lives on Nantucket year round and is 4.5 says his favorite beach is Madaket Harbor - because it has baby shrimp, crabs with pinchers that he can catch, lots of cool shells,
- 40th Pole - is a favorite of mine for a full day at the beach, the sand is soft to touch and the setting is Spectacular, you can drive on this beach if you have the proper sticker from the Town, anyone can get a sticker you just need to visit our local police station and pay for one, I believe they are $100. I like to pack the car with everything including the BBQ and plan to stay at this beach for more then a half day, it is espeically nice for sunset, actually one of the only places on the East Coast of the United States you can watch the sunset into the ocean unobstructed by any land - pretty cool. It can be very busy here on a really nice summer day so plan to get there before 1pm to get set up.
- Dionis Beach - Very similar to 40th but no cars, there is parking close so this beach is easy to go to for just a few hours or a quick swim, often not too busy but will have some crowds on a hot summer day. There is a bicycle path that leads to Dinios Beach so a nice spot for an adventures family.
- Water Tower Beach - I can't tell you much becuase this one is my favorites and I don't want to see too many crowds there. If you buy property on Nantucket from me (I promise I will show you this beach in person!).
- Steps Beach just off Linclon Circle, just a few minutes out of Downtown, this beach is similar in sand, water and experience as the others mentioned great spot to watch sunset and one of the best locations on Nantucket to see the 4th of July fireworks, but go early and don't plan on parking close, best to park and walk.
- Jetties Beach - Jetties is very popular, it has one of the largest parking lots on island, it is the closest large beach to Historic downtown Nantucket, there is a restaurant serving lunch and dinner (great place for kids), very easy atmosphere. There are rest rooms, a "beach shop", and a childrens playground. The sand on this beach is course and there are lots of shells so its important to have your "summer feet".
- Hulbert Ave - Not a great place for hanging at the beach, but to watch boats com in the harbor or for the scalloping in the Fall in this location is excellent, fly fishing here at low tide for striped bass in low light (sunrise or sunset) is also excellent.
- Monomoy beach in the harbor, again not a great beach to hang for a day at the beach - but (BUT - thats a big but) its really nice at low tide to go exploring to see sea creatures, birds and more. At high tide in low light it is another great Nantucket fishing spot. (one last secret - shhhh - this is an excellent spot to watch the 4th of July and the Boston Pops fireworks from the distance without the crowds.
I wanted to get this blog post about the beaches on Nantucket up, I realize there is more to describe, so part two will come. Until then see the map and click the thumbnails for a breif bio on each Nantucket beach.
Hope to see you out there, and if you want to know which Nantucket beach is best for your family for a Nantucket vacation rental or which one to purchase your Nantucket home on or near, please contact me.
Brian
Posted by Brian Sullivan on Fri, Jul 02, 2010
Vacation on Nantucket means so many things to so many people, there are many families that enjoy their time on island and this blog entry is desginated to them. When the day ends and Mom and Dad want to find some quite time with one another where do you turn for find a reliable person to help with your family - Nanny Tucket is your answer.
NannyTucket is an online resource whose mission is to 
provide Nantucket families with the ability to book pre-screened, qualified babysitters online. Eliminating the endless phone calls and increasing the precious time and activities that Nantucket Island offers.
Their services allows families to clearly communicate your Family Rules, Expectations, Allergies, Directions and other important information. Your Family will enter this information ONCE into their system and the babysitter will receive it each time a booking is made...again, allowing you more time for "the other things".
Here are some thoughts from the Founder of this wonderful Nantucket babysitting service. Founder, Heather McGraw spent five years as a live in nanny for a high profile Senator, traveling on two Presidential Campaigns and coordinating childcare through services such as White House Nanny’s. Heather McGraw has become an expert in childcare agencies.
Jed (Heathers Husband) and Heather met on the island in 2002 and realized the need for a quality babysitting service on Nantucket.
- NannyTucket LLC is licensed by the state of Massachusetts and nearing its third year in business.
- With over 200 registered sitters, NannyTucket has quickly become the island’s premier babysitting service.
- Jed and Heather’ agency is used by used by elite concierge services, premier hotels and over 400 registered families.
- NannyTucket is uniquely different than most agencies because their website displays each of the sitters’ profiles!
- Each sitter has been interviewed in-person, carefully screened and individual background checks have been performed.
Frequent travel and busy schedules make free time hard to find. Parents often spend endless time on the phone communicating to the agency and then to babysitters oftentimes exchanging voicemails only to find out that a babysitter was not available.
Heather thought in the internet era people ought to be booking babysitters online. The rest is history. She founded NannyTucket: an online resource of readily available, pre-screened, qualified babysitters waiting for you to book and get back to enjoying your day on the island!
Check them out!