Cape claims colossal COVID comeback
ilies being able to room together — from grandparents on down due to the coronavirus vaccines — and fear of traveling abroad has renters turning to the Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
More people can work remotely and that’s also setting up a sizzling summer from Sandwich to Provincetown. Because the Cape is within driving distance for 15 million people from Boston to New York City, supply just can’t keep up with demand.
Dennis real estate agent Jody Sylvia said renters are also looking for pools so they can socially distance and roam the beaches once the crowds thin out. Sharks, she added, are also not a problem on the bay side of the Cape, making any houses up for rent there hot commodities.
She also said mid-cape beaches — away from the shark hotspots in Truro, Chatham and Wellfleet — are the most popular anyway. Visitors, others report, are also drawn to the shark craze — with the locals knowing where and when to stay out of the water.
“The prime weeks are gone. We’re going to have a very crazy summer,” Sylvia told the Herald. “People are panic calling, but the inventory is just not there.”
She said small cottages are going for $2,000 a week and houses up to $10,000 or more per week.
Some agents estimate 10,000 to 12,000 cottages, condos and rooms are usually up for rent on the Cape and islands each year.
Jim Reese, COO of weneedavacation.com, said people already lucky enough to have a second home on the Cape are working down there already to enjoy the spring. That, he added, is adding to the mad dash for rentals.
“Demand for multiple weeks is also up,” Reese said. “People can’t go anywhere, so why not stay close?”
All the agents said the revved-up rentals will also help restaurants, cleaning services, landscapers and other workers who have suffered like their counterparts all over the country during the lockdowns during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tourism may take a hit elsewhere, but all signs point to a revival this summer on the Cape.