211 Great Bay Street, Falmouth 

55 Seashell Lane, Falmouth 

This is the one that rose to the top. The location is superb in every way, with a neighborhood trail to the bike path; a short half mile to glorious Woodneck Beach; and less than a mile to the activities and pleasures of Main Street, Highfield Hall, and Beebe Woods. The price was fair, and because the buyers had seen so many homes, they had a solid sense of value and understood that. The space was just right, not too big but not too small. The trade-off is that yes, it does need a new kitchen and the addition of central air. The buyers would have loved to have found a house that had these already, but they have a contractor they trust, and once the work is done, they'll have a wonderful Cape house (with a spectacular kitchen!) in exactly the spot they wanted. A great week!

25 Wohelo Drive, North Falmouth 

28 Heather Lane, North Falmouth 

49 Silver Beach Avenue, North Falmouth 

Here's your grandparents' beach house, complete with natural wood beadboard, narrow staircase and hallways, vintage kitchen and baths, and entry through the sunporch that runs the length of the front of the house. No central air, but New Silver Beach is a quick walk, and the house generated $20,000 from one July 1 - September 1 rental this summer. That's a pretty good return on investment, one that's hard to match with most investments!

32 Jeffrey Lane, Falmouth 

5 Roberta Jean Circle, Falmouth 

Here's a cute, 1,296 s.f. ranch with 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a one-car garage, central air, hardwood floors, gas heat, irrigation, and a private yard that's just the right size. And it's in great condition! The trade-off? It's a corner lot, and one of the streets is Old Meetinghouse, which gets quite a bit of traffic. But this is on the garage side of the house, so it's invisible, and even the sound is buffered by the garage. I was not aware of the traffic when I was inside the home. So maybe this is an easy trade-off. The home is certainly well-priced, and offers good value.

#21606539

This is a young, 3-bedroom, 3-bath, 1,799 s.f. condo that's nicely built and in a nice location. It has that much-wanted first-floor bedroom suite, as well as 2 bedrooms and a loft upstairs. The living-dining area is a little tight as a result of the first-floor garage. The trade-off for this unit is that the location within the complex is such that views are of the street or the house to the rear.

#21606308

This is a charming home, one I describe as a "sophisticated farmhouse". What's that? A simple home, with exposed beams and nice detail; an updated kitchen and bathrooms; an unusual floor plan that includes entry through a screened porch; and orientation to the 2 acres of grounds with heated pool and hot tub. What's not to like? Probably the sound of traffic going by, which included the rumble of lots of construction trucks the day I was there. But also, there's no garage or central air, and the house is set sideways on the lot, without much curb appeal. This all would be an acceptable trade-off at a lower price, but I feel there are better choices in this price range.

#21605527

Going to the other end of the price spectrum, here's a good example of an expensive house that still has trade-offs. The good: It's young, built in 2011, so has a super floor plan, nice detail, fabulous kitchen and baths, and lovely expansive views of the water from the living spaces and the decks and patio that run the entire length of the house. The trade-offs: The next-door house is really close. In addition, the bedrooms are, well let's just say, not large. Not small, but smaller than what we usually see in this price range. Also, there are three bedrooms in the main house, and the other two are part of a suite over the (3-car) garage. This could be good, or not, depending on the buyer.

#21605646

This is among the most expensive homes currently on the market, and the reason is obvious: It's two homes, on two separate waterfront lots. One home is young, large, gracious, on two acres and with a lovely sandy beach on Waquoit Bay. The day I visited, there were a couple of clamdiggers in front. The other home is a small guest house, very cute, clean and comfortable on its own acre and with an in-ground pool. This smaller home would probably sell in the million-dollar range (although the listing agent estimated $1,800,000). Either way, is the other home and property then in the $4,000,000 range? We'll see, but seems high to me. There is no dock and Waquoit Bay is shallow. In my experience, it's the boaters who spend the bucks on expensive waterfront properties, and this one wouldn't be conducive to keeping the boat at home. At least, if the boat is bigger than a kayak or a dinghy!