List of Beaches Protected by Lifeguards on Memorial Day Weekend      The Department of Fire and Rescue Services announces that the Ocean City Beach Patrol will be guarding the following beaches for the 2016 Memorial Day Weekend. Beaches are guarded from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. weekends and holidays and from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.   Beginning Saturday, May 28, through Friday June , 2016  the following beaches will be guarded:   Stenton Place St. Charles Place Brighton Place 8th Street  9th Street                                 10th Street                                           11th Street  12th Street 26th Street 34th Street 58th Street                                             The Ocean City Beach Patrol strongly urges bathers to swim only at guarded beaches.  ... 05/24/2016

Homes for Sale Ocean City NJ Market Trends January 2016Single FamilyHomes for Sale in the Ocean City Real Estate Market showed mixed results for January. January saw a 22% increase in new listings coming on the market over January 2015. 50 newly listed single family homes where introduced to the market.Sold properties in November where down 11.1% with 16 sold single family properties. Combined, the total number of new listings of Ocean City NJ Homes for Sale and total inventory versus the number of properties being sold has allowed the months supply of inventory to decrease to 10.2 months. This still denotes an extremely strong Buyers Market but is a 1.9% improvement from 10.4 months last January.Average Days on Market is up 17.2% to just under 5 months. Days on Market only reflects the... 02/23/2016

Homes for Sale Ocean City NJ Market Trends November 2015Single FamilyHomes for Sale in the Ocean City Real Estate Market showed mixed results for November. November saw a 60.9% increase in new listings coming on the market over November 2014. 37 newly listed single family homes where introduced to the market.The number of newly listed Ocean City single family homes for sale in the year to date period ending November is up 13% over the previous year to date period.Sold properties in November where down 10.5% with 17 sold single family properties. This brings the current total of sold properties for the year to date period to 232. This represents a 10% increase over the 2014 year to date period.Combined, the total number of new listings of Ocean City NJ Homes for Sale and total inventory ... 12/21/2015

Homes for Sale Ocean City NJ Market Trends August 2015Single FamilyHomes for Sale in the Ocean City Real Estate Market continue to show signs of improvement for August. August saw a 22.5% increase in new listings coming on the market over August 2014. 49 newly listed single family homes where introduced to the market.The number of newly listed Ocean City single family homes for sale in the year to date period ending August is up 8.4% over the previous year to date period.Sold properties in August where down 39.3% with 17 sold single family properties. This brings the current total of sold properties for the year to date period to 151. This represents a 2% increase over the 2014 year to date period.Combined, the total number of new listings of Ocean City NJ Homes for Sale and total inven... 09/30/2015

Summertime ... And the Living is Easy - Ocean City, NJ The "Spring Buying Period" started a bit slow, but it began to perk up by mid-April. Coninued strong in May and into June with only a few remaining weeks before the buying period ends at the same time the "summer rental season" begins.Now we will be looking at about a 10-week summer rental schedule with the major weeks being from mid-July through mid-August.  Remember, we are a Saturday-to-Saturday rental week here in Ocean City, New Jersey.So it will be "rental activity" for most of the agents during the long hot summer ... but also with ocean breezes to cool us down.  But the "fall buying period" is only a hop, skip, and a jump away starting the day after Labor Day ready or not.Our population tends to jump from about 10-12,000 dur... 06/04/2015

Rereading a great mystery writer ... John D. MacDonald - OC/NJ Somewhere a long time ago, I ran across a number of paperback mystery books written by John D. MacDonald who had a great character, Travis McGee.  We're back in the 50s, 60s and 70s as I reference these works.  I read them all ... sometimes ahead of the assignments for several of my history and literature classes in college.Well, I'm rereading some of these books for the third time.  Great writing, but a bit dated. But great plots and a good story.  What got me going back again was the reading of was the reading of a books about "Donald E. Westlake - The Getaway Car," which went into great detail about his writing life.  I must say that I never read any of Westlake's work, but I may get around to it.Some of the great joys in... 05/07/2015

Homes for Sale Ocean City NJ Market Trends March 2015Single FamilyHomes for Sale in the Ocean City Real Estate Market showed signs of improvement for March. March saw a 43.2% increase in new listings coming on the market over March 2014. 50 newly listed single family homes where introduced to the market.The number of newly listed Ocean City single family homes for sale in the year to date period ending March is up 28% over the previous year to date period.Sold properties in March where up 50% with 18 sold single family properties. This brings the current total of sold properties for the year to date period to 49. This represents a 53.1% increase over the 2014 year to date period.Combined, the total number of new listings of Ocean City NJ Homes for Sale and total inventory versus the num... 04/22/2015

Playing Cards with your Parents or your Children - Ocean City, New Jersey The times do change with televisions all over the house, the internet everywhere, and the lack of family socialization much of the time.  Now I'm giving away my age a bit, but I recall the black and white small screen television.  A few years before when I was listing to the radio (no tv as yet in our house) you had to visualize the story.  I also recall later playing a great deal of table tennis (ping pong) and pinochle with friends my age and often with the father or mother if we needed another player.  It was a different time of life.My father and my uncle (I was an only child) played pinochle almost weekly where I learned a great deal of things besides how to play the game.  I haven't thought as much about all... 04/08/2015

It's usually the weather, the realtor, and the buyer or seller - (Ocean City, NJ)   ... And not necessarily that order. Let's use the "spring buying period as our example.  The season can start as early as late February or early March ... but "weather" plays a significant role in whether or not the buyer, or even the seller, will be down here. Obviously, the Jersey Shore weather plays a significant role in "how and when" buying or selling activity will take place.  We, the realtors, tend to be around ... but the rest of the crowd can be a question mark. If we are able to establish a meeting time, it is almost always here at the shore.  I recall making two home visits when I still owned a property back in Lancaster County.  But that is a very unusual situation. "Resort real estate" is ju... 04/02/2015

Single Family Sale Listings in the Northend/Gardens in Ocean City, New Jersey   There are 64 single family sale listings throughout the Northend (north of 6th Street to south of North Street) and Gardens (north of North Street to the Longport Bridge. Throughout Ocean City (NJ) we find 187 single family listings.  That means that the Northend/Gardens has 29% of the total single family sale listings throughout Ocean City (NJ). 25 of the total 64 single family sale listings have a sale price over $1 million which suggests a very high price tag with the average listing price for single family in the Northend and Gardens being at $1,272,525 and a median listing price of $877,000 8 sold and 12 pending, or a total of 20 under agreement in the Northend and Gardens with a total of 85 throughout ... 03/31/2015

2015 Official Visitor's Guide for Ocean City, New Jersey ... Printed & Available   "More than a Vacation ... It's a Tradition" ... Yes, the "2015 Official Visitor's Guide" is out and about ... www.oceancityvacation.com is the web-site and 1-800-BEACH NJ is the toll-free phone number. The Ocean City Visitors Guideis published by the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce every year.  It is packed with all kinds of details including up-and-coming events, beach locations, amusements, watersports and fishing, historic walking tours, an events calendar, real estate info, church locations, city history, and a  member directory. On a hit or miss basis, you might run across almost anything or everything you will need during your vacation in South Jersey ... that's Ocean City, New Jersey!!! Loo... 03/30/2015

I'm working with a "Certified Health & Wellness Coach" ... Ocean City, NJ   So why did I decide to go in this direction as I enter my 7th decade?  A good question ... and hopefully a better answer.  My main reason was because I had already formed a somewhat working relationship with "the coach" ... who happens to be my daughter-in-law.  And, at various times, we talked about some questions that I asked her.  Recently, I decided to move along into a more formal relationship. It is completely handled via a telephone, emails, and an occasional mailing.  I elected to do a six-month plan to improve my eating habits, adjust to some minor health issues, to decide to lost about 15 pounds getting me to a desired weight.  So I am handling the exercise goals by continuing to play "doubles tennis" ... 03/27/2015

"March in like a lion ... out like two lions" - Ocean City, New Jersey   There are very few locations where "real estate" is so closely linked to the weather as it is here in South Jersey in general, and Ocean City in particular.  The "resort market" is always linked to the weather ... too hot, too cold, to far away, too closely linked to the ocean impact on the town, too much this and that, too much flooding, and more. Well, we continue to squeak by here in early spring knocking out some sales, a lot of rentals, etc.  However, we are not as active as one hopes as we reach the end of March.  Hopefully, the month of April will be a much more active one for sales here in the #1 location in Cape May County. Where can you find a barrier island anywhere with a great family athmosphere, a lib... 03/26/2015

My "Dustin@BeachNotes.net" is back   So where have you been ... my "dustin@beachnotes.net" personal and business email, which I have had for about 15 years.  It's a long, slow story ... so I won't take the time today. However, I owe a lot to our son, Nick, who solved most of my problems.      So the one month time frame which has resulted in many problems, lost emails, etc. But the reality is that I also lost a good bit of valuable contact email addresses.  But I still have a lot of this information in my "Constant Contact" files.  Overall, it could have been worse. So I am back in business with a bit more of a significant understanding about what goes right and wrong in the technology department. Clearly, I knew just enough to be able to handle most issues with my computer ... just not... 03/25/2015

What can go wrong in our business? ... Ocean City, New Jersey   Almost anything.  There are a thousand stories in the big city, or even the little town (when it comes to real estate).  Working with a buyer,  or a seller.  A misunderstanding about almost anything.  And on and on. I came from a public school teaching role plus 17 years as high school principal.  I clearly know what can go wrong in that particular business ... both a teacher as well as a principal. Having said all of that, let me share the most difficult problem that I have ever had.  There may have been more serious problems before (particularly in my high school principal days).  But this is a technology issue ... unlike any other technology that I have had. About 18 days ago in the morning I discovered that Yahoo was no... 03/13/2015

Occasional Book Review ... Ocean City, New Jersey   I'm a very steady reader often reading two books at a time:  a good mystery and a non-fiction piece as well.  Often the non-fiction tends to be much longer so I like to shift around to maintain interest.  The mystery book tends to be my personal favorite, and I must have far more writers than I need .... while the non-fiction books tend to arrive more slowly. Here are two interesting writers for your consideration:   THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (2014) by Paula Hawkins (her second book and the first one using her real name).  It takes place in England and is written somewhat in the GONE GIRL style. But it is a highly entertaining novel which follows this divorced woman who rides the train past her housing project where she observes people in ... 03/10/2015

The Last Snow of the Winter ... 4-6 Inches in OC/NJ   It isn't the most important aspect that we talk about, but it does have some relationship with selling "shore property" with potential buyers from about one-to-four hours away.  It would appear that another slow weekend is ahead for us.  I did an "open house" last Saturday for three plus hours without anyone coming ... but I did knock out a good bit of paper work during that time. My "spring buying period" time frame (which obviously hasn't arrived as yet) is a time for Saturday and Sunday open houses (which I do every week unless I have customers or clients arriving to check out real estate.  I will continue that arrangement, as I have for almost 20 years, into mid-June just before the rental season get moving.   One of the great ad... 03/04/2015

Attention Readers ... The Best Magazine You Can Buy ... Ocean City, NJ   About 5 to 10 years ago, I discovered a very interesting magazine ... BOOK MARKS ... For Everyone Who Hasn't Read Everything ... published every other month (6 issues per year.  If you can find a location, you can also buy it at a local bookstore (is there a local bookstore much of anywhere these days?) There is always an "Editor's Column" followed by "Bookmarks Selections," and "Coming Soon" with a number of books and short summaries, "Now in Paperback" again with reviews of books, a "Have you Read?" column from a reader of the magazine again with brief reviews, and a personal favorite - "Book Groups" which again is sent to the magazine by a book club somewhere across the country or further yet (a goal of mine is ... 03/02/2015

March, 2015 in Ocean City (NJ) ... "From Winter to Spring"   A few days ago I thought winter would be forever.  I was out pushing the snow around.  I was cold.  Sitting by the fire, I wondered what would be next.  I was getting tired of arriving home realizing that it was simply too cold to get out again.  I was watching more television ... I wasn't into my reading schedule as I had been earlier in the new year.  I guess if I had to define it:  "I'd been winterized!!!" March, 2015 arrived even with a mix of rain and snow and ice.  It's not a great deal of difference between February and March, but there is ...  The difference is that winter is still here, not unlike February with one exception.  We all know that the end of March will be a far cry (or a hallelujah chorus) of differences ... 03/02/2015

Locking up a Sale Listing before the start of the Spring Buying Period (Ocean City, NJ)   It doesn't happen all of the time; but when it does happen, it certainly brings a smile to one's face.  I had a sale listing start in early February just after my return from a lovely Florida vacation.  We had talked about the listing with the owners so I knew it was coming up.  They decided not to put a sign up as yet because no one was around anyway.  We had some early showings ... about three of them which included some serious buyers.  And licky-stick (hopefully spelling correctly), we had a fairly strong offer.   It took another week to lock this one up ... but it would appear that another two months of solid activity would not get us a better selling price.  For this one, we did not need the ... 03/01/2015