Special offer

Ocean City, NJ Real Estate News

By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
The "Give & Take" of Negotiating a Real Estate Deal ... Ocean City, New Jersey   How do you compare this to something that someone else might understand.  Of course, if you were ever a Buyer or Seller; you would have had a taste of it ... but not quite the same as being one of the two agents in most real estate negoatiations.  Perhaps we could relate it to a sports event ... for example, tennis.  Now I still play tennis (mostly doubles as I hit my mid-50s), and you reach a 6-6 tie.  Most players like to play a tie-breaker.  Why?  It doesn't happen all that often.  It can be quite exciting.  And you play a point at a time rotating serves after the first person serves once.  Thereafter, it is two serves per player.  You must get to 7 points and win by 2 points (i.e. 7-5 or 9-7).  No matte...
Comments 1
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"The Broker Open House" has changed my Lunch-Time Habits -Ocean City, New Jersey   I'm now in my 21st year in real estate in Ocean City, New Jersey with almost 20 full years in the Northend/Gardens location at #1 Atlantic Avenue on North Street ... that street that divides the Northend and Gardens.  Of course, we had "Broker Open House" days when I was there ... but I tended to only go to those locations in and around my section of the island. By the way, for those readers not familiar with "Broker Open Houses," the idea is that an agent or agency works with a Title Company and/or a Mortgage Person and selects a day where one can visit one or two or more sale properties generally close together ... and along with seeing the sale property, you also can have lunch and possibly a change at...
Comments 2
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"The Paper Parade" in Real Estate ... Ocean City, New Jersey   I thought there was "a lot of paper in the education field" when I was a teacher and high school principal.  And we had to collect paper, file paper, send out paper, etc.  The only useful thing in that field was that we had locations to store paper in filing cabinets all over the school and school district.  It saved the day.  Periodically I would review all of my ongoing paper and throw a lot of it out.  But we also tended to use a lot of the paper over and over so we had to maintain plans, records, information, etc. Now in real estate, the paper continues to flow.  Yes, we can keep and maintain a lot of information online ... but you still need paper around.   And the storage issues in smaller real estate offices tends to ...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Checking out Single Family Sale Listings" - Northend/Gardens in Ocean City, NewJersey   Just back from my "open house" at 913 First Street, a 3BR/2.5BA single family, the third house from the beach with great views from inside and outside of the house.  I was handing out "Listing Information" for the 62 single family sale properties in the Northend (22) and Gardens (40) area of Ocean City, New Jersey.  The "average listing price is $1,106,187, and the "median listing price" is $774,450.   Let's breakdown the numbers for you ... the lowest listing price is $200,000 ... the highest listing price is $3,500,000.  We find the following additional price information: Under $500,000 ... 7 single family properties Under $600,000 ... 11 additional properties   Under $700,000 ... 12 additional pr...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Fall Arrives Sunday" here in Ocean City, New Jersey   For most of us, Fall has been here for a few weeks ... but for those following the calendar, it arrives on Sunday.  But September and October always have a variety of surprises up their sleeves.  So it is always difficult to predict what is, or will be, happening in terms of the weather here on our barrier island called Ocean City, New Jersey. As the shoulder season here on our resort island gets into full swing, we will have a lot going on during the Friday through Sunday weekends.  Plus it is the "Fall Buying Period" which runs from the day after Labor Day until Thanksgiving ... and often into December in terms of closings, etc. On our street in the Gardens we have significant change once Labor Day arrives.  I went out to put some...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"2013 Auto Rally Through Central Region from Tuckerton to Toms River" ... from Ocean City, NJ   So I took a mid-week day off work to join about 18-20 fellow travelers on my second road rally around South Jersey.  I went in 2011, missed 2012, and got going again in 2013.  We met in Tuckerton, got last minute directions, etc., and about 9-10 cars pulled out of the parking area.  We had a leader, a middle car in communication with the leader, and another back of the line as the final connection. This 100-130 mile scenic drive "caravan style" covered about 30 towns and locations including Tuckerton, Manahawkin, Long Beach Island,Forked River Area, and the south and north bank of the Toms River.  We stopped at Barnegat Lighthouse, the Little Egg Harbor and Barnegat Bay areas, and the Toms Ri...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Fall Weather Arrives at the Jersey Shore Early" ... in Ocean City, New Jersey   September is a strange month ... it's summer until the 21st, and fall the rest of the month.  It is often a very warm month ... so that one never realizes that August has come and gone.  But this year we have had a "cold spell" hit much earlier.  Our air conditioning is off ... and often the windows aren't open either ... it's darn cold in the late evening or early morning.  Going out for the morning paper around 6:15 am is now not a barefoot experience ... I'm wearing slippers. September and October are my two most favorite months of the calendar year at the shore.  Before I ever spent a lot of time here, I loved the summer.  But as I got older, started working in real estate here at the beach, etc.; I hav...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
New Sale Listing ... "845 Stenton Place #2" ... Ocean City, New Jersey   There are eight (8) condominium units at "845 Stenton Place" located on the "800" long beach block in the Northend section of Ocean City about a one (1) minute walk to the beach, a two (2) minute walk to the start of the Boardwalk on this end of the island.  I have sold three condo properties in this building ... and have now listed another one. There are four 1BR/1BA units ... two on the first floor before entering at the front of the building, two others on the beach and bay sides of the building.  There are three other 2BR/2BA units ... two on the second floor and one on the bay side of the third floor.  The last unit on the ocean side of the third floor is the largest one ... a 3BR/2BA unit. These are the only ...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
Occasional Book Review - "Silesian Station" ... Ocean City, New Jersey   I ran across the writer, David Downing, in a recent WALL STREET JOURNAL article where they talked about his most recent book, "MASARYK STATION."  After further reading, I discovered that Downing had written five previous books all dealing with pre-war and WWII Berlin and a character, John Russell, who is a British journalist living and working in Germany.  So I decided to read them in order to catch the continuing and changing nature of the main character and of Germany during this period. The first book was "ZOO STATION" (2007) which introduced John Russell and all of the emerging issues in Germany.  Excellent.  My next problem was where to find the rest of the books.  The second book was not in the Ocean City Lib...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Open House Thinking" ... Ocean City, New Jersey   I had three open houses over the weekend ... "913 First Street" on Saturday for four hours, "824 St James Place" on Sunday morning for three hours, a mid-day lunch break, and "140 Pinnacle Road" on Sunday afternoon for three hours.  All of these sale properties were single family ones ... two in the Northend and one in the Gardens.  I had about 15-20 at "913." another 12 at "824," and about 10 at "140."   I usually average between 15-25, but I have had under 5 and over 50 going several times up to 100 people. I have our Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty office link me to several sites announcing the event.  I also blog on "Active Rain" regarding where I will be.  And I usually tell my Friday newsletter buyers/owners about the sch...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"It's Summer, It's Fall - It's Just September here in Ocean City, New Jersey"   Regardless of the warm summer day, or a cool fall day ... the temperature is just about always right here in our little barrier island just off the coast of South Jersey ... OCEAN CITY, NEW JERSEY. And it's the "shoulder season" which means there something happening every weekend all over the place.  Sure we want you to come to Ocean City ... but you can also take a run down to Avalon, Stone Harbor, or Cape May ... or maybe Atlantic City.  Or simply stay where you are ... that's right Ocean City. Along with everything happening in Ocean City this weekend, you have the Miss America Parade in AC.  This is the way the September and October weekends will be throughout Cape May County.  And one can't forget "the ...
Comments 2
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"An Early Note Regarding 'Open House' Activity for 9/14-15/2013 (Sat & Sun) in Ocean City, New Jersey"   A busy Thursday and Friday has caused me to inform interested Buyers and Owners about "our intended OPEN HOUSE locations for this Saturday and Sunday (September 14 & 15, 2013) in Ocean City, New Jersey. We will be located at 913 First Street, the third house from the beach on the "900" block with great views and a lot of interesting interior spaces, listed for $1,250,000.  This sale listing has attracted a lot of potential buyers including some initial contract offers as well.  So we continue to market this property ... and it is not too late to check it out. Saturday ... 9/14/2013 from 9am to 1pm at "913 First Street" in Ocean City, New Jersey   Our second location will be 824 St Ja...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"The Second Week in September ... in Ocean City, New Jersey   The second week in September (following the first full weekend of September) is alive and well here in Ocean City, New Jersey.  And it has quieted down quite a bit.  I had "open house" efforts on Saturday and Sunday attracting a number of potential buyers walking along the boardwalk in the Northend of the island.  My location was "913 First Street," a great location to attract a lot of people passing by. I also managed a late Sunday afternoon hour plus on the beach.  A hot afternoon with a good many after-the-summer-crowd here at the Surf Road Beach.  I read a chapter in my new book, watched the people walking by, and manged to talk with a few friends going by as well. The streets are now more quiet than busy.  The Boardwalk ...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"September in Ocean City, New Jersey ... The Best Month of the Year"   It can't be said any better than this from THE SUN (By-the-Sea) in Ocean City, New Jersey:  "As is well known to those most familiar with the seashore, September is by far the finest and most equable month at the shore" as reported over 100 years ago by the editor of THE original SUN. So as one quietly goes to sleep on Labor Day evening and gets up on the morning after Labor Day to find that most of the cars on the street have disappeared.  There back in "the real world" at M-F jobs, in classrooms in elementary, middle school, and high school, and also college classrooms.  It's football on Friday nights or Saturday afternoons or evenings (depending where you are).  And, of course, all of that happens here in our corn...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Labor Day Blues" ... "Plus Rain" ... from Ocean City, New Jersey The weather report early in the day said the whole thing ... potential rain storms in and around the Philadelphia area and all the way to the shore.  Although it was fairly hot by 11am, it wasn't a great day.  Many people on our "single family - no rentals" street packed up and headed for their major residence off the island.  Those, who had no where else to go (and our real estate agency was closed today), did some odd jobs around the house.  I also got some solid mystery reading done plus a quick tour of the island by car (not bike this year). The storm finally hit us while out for some last minute grocery shopping.  But our celebrations were mostly Saturday and Sunday nights ... not today (Labor Day).  So the changes i...
Comments 1
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"The 1st of September, 2013" ... Ocean City, New Jersey It's my second day at 913 First Street in Ocean City, NJ where I am having my second day of "open house" activity here during the Labor Day Weekend.  It has been a great day for open house visitors with about 30+ on both days.  It has included a number of people returning a second day bringing other members of their family.   The largest number to come at once has been five happening at least twice during the two days.  I also had another potential buyer who has submitted a contract for sale on said property who spent about an hour here completing some measurements inside and outside of the house. Of course, I was sitting on the front porch (a raised porch) which provided me great views of the boardwalk and the beach and ocean.  Ea...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
OPEN HOUSE ... Saturday, Sunday, Monday - "913 First Street" ... Ocean City, New Jersey   Northend Single Family, built in 1985 on the "900" Long Beachblock ... "the third property from the beach," and on the right side of the street (ask if you don't know what that means), great views from the front porch, 2nd floor porch, and interiors on both floors, 3BR/2.5BA 2-Story w Well-Designed Floor Plan, 1st Floor Bedroom, Large attractive modern open kitchen, Living Room with Gas Fireplace, Large Dining Room, Lovely Back Patio, Downstairs "Bonus Room"with half-bath, 2-Car Attached Garage, A perfect location for the Beach, Boardwalk, and Views all over the place. This Northend 2-story has potential above and beyond. The two central air conditioners are both new.  The roof facing Corinthian Av...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Have a Wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!!" ... from Ocean City, New Jersey   At this time of year here on our lovely barrier island just off the coast of Somers Point in Atlantic County, Ocean City is once again starting to celebrate our Labor Day Weekend ... that Friday through Monday that celebrates all the things we always celebrate and many more special things each year.  It always reflects on fleeting time thinking back that "Memorial Day" was just around the corner, but it really was "95 days ago."  As they say, time flys when you are having fun."  Or as I often think about it ... "time certainly flys when one lives on a barrier island as opposed to the real world ... maybe not quite as fast, but fast enough." So I'm wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.  Do something special some ti...
Comments 2
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"Building My Fall Reading List" here in Ocean City, New Jersey   I did some good solid reading over the summer, but with the summer rental business, the visitors to Ocean City in general and to our house in particular, I never get caught up.  I also get a bit more involved in reading books that aren't always "my style" as my wife and I participate in the Ocean City Yacht Club Book Club which we suggested and organized now in its third year.  We only read a book a month from May through September (5 books) because the yacht club is only in operation during that time frame.   That also causes me to do something that I never do the rest of the year ... read some books that are definitely not my particular interest or style.  But it has tended to be an interesting experience for me. The Fal...
Comments 0
By Dustin A. Peters, Your "Northend & Gardens" Contact in Ocean City!!!
(Goldcoast Sotheby's International Realty)
"New FEMA Maps have been Released" ... Ocean City, New Jersey   These FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) maps were released in late August.  FEMA considers them "the best available flood hazard data."  The preliminary work maps represents another step in the process toward updating  FEMA's flood insurance rate maps following the damage as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Maps will be released to the public at www.region2coastal.com by this time. The next step will involve FEMA having meetings with community officials and other meetings with the public to review the work and ask related questions.  Following these meetings will be a 90-day appeal process ... with the maps finalized and a six month compliance period before formal map adoption. The base flood elevation is a measurement...
Comments 0