Randy Leiser, Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc., 2997 Dune Drive, PO Box 10, Avalon, NJ 08202
toll-free: 800-967-7796 x212 | local: 609-967-3001 | fax: 609-967-3057 | e-mail: Randy@RandyLeiser.com
| 2012: | Jan. | Feb. | March | April | May | June | July | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
May 31, 2012
I had my 1971 American LaFrance ladder truck in the Avalon & Stone Harbor Memorial Day Parades. For a unique view of the parade along Dune Drive in Avalon, click the video button above.
THE REEDS AT SHELTER HAVEN will open next summer as a 37-room hotel and restaurant at the corner of 96th Street and Third Avenue. The lot remained vacant for several years, but an official ground breaking was held last Thursday, and pilings have been driven to support the new building's foundation. Like the original Shelter Haven Hotel, built 100 years ago, The Reeds at Shelter Haven is expected to become a focal point in Stone Harbor's business district.
TAKE A TOUR of the Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary! Docent-lead tours will be held every Sunday through the month of June, and begin at 10am at the main entrance of the sanctuary. During July and August, tours are held every Saturday and Sunday at 10am.
WARM OCEAN WATER is nice for swimming--especially if you're a dolphin! A large pod of more than 400 dolphins was spotted several miles off Cape May on Monday morning. Dolphins are normally present at this time of year, but began arriving in March, instead of late April or early May. Water temperatures in the 60s, instead of the usual 50s at this time of year, are believed to be the reason large numbers of dolphins arrived so early.
HIGH MILEAGE: migratory red knots fly from South America to Canada each spring, then return in the fall, stopping each way along the Delaware Bay to feed on horseshoe crab eggs; it's an 18,000 mile round trip. One particular red knot was tagged almost twenty years ago, and was just spotted again in Reeds Beach by the scientist who first tagged it. The bird has flown more than 325,000 miles since first being spotted in Cape May County!
THANKS TO BLOOMS FLORIST in Cape May Court House for the fresh flower arrangement adorning our reception area. Call Karin Parker, proprietor of Blooms Florist, at (609) 465-1662 if you need flowers for any occasion!
DON'T DELAY! We're booking rentals at a rapid pace--call or email today to secure your top choice! Call me or MaryAnn at (800) 967-7796 to book the property of your choice!
May 24, 2012
THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON! Who doesn't feel the excitement of a summer season about to begin, especially with Memorial Day upon us? Architect David Bennett captured that excitement in a piece he wrote about memories from his family's shore home in Avalon. The trip to town, Kohler's donuts, that first day on the beach...David's piece will take you back! Read More...
By the way, David's architectural work is great, too! David C. Bennett Architects LLC
WARM WINTER, WARM WATER: a mild winter has helped boost ocean water temperatures to higher-than-normal levels. Surf temperatures along the beach averaged 62 degrees, above the average 58-degree temperature for this time of year. Just offshore surface temperatures are about 64 degrees, while areas of the back bay have reached 70 degrees.
DOWN WITH THE FENCE! Many visitors, residents, and politicians complained when an eight-foot security fence was installed along the Garden State Parkway bridge over Great Egg Harbor Bay, which links Cape May County with Atlantic County. The fence was unsightly, and blocked scenic views of waterways and wetlands. On Tuesday, workers began dismantling the fence so those using the Parkway will once again enjoy uninterrupted views when entering Cape May County. A small section of the fence will remain on the site, while the rest will be removed and used elsewhere.
SHELTER HAVEN GROUNDBREAKING: Pilings are being driven in preparation for construction of the new Shelter Haven Hotel at 96th Street & Third Avenue. An official groundbreaking event will take place Thursday, May 24th, at 2:30pm. The new building will transform the look of the most prominent intersection in Stone Harbor.
MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES: local towns will celebrate Memorial Day Weekend with parades, ceremonies, shows, and other events. Visit the town websites for more details:
Avalon: Memorial Day Parade, proceeds north along Dune Drive at 9am, followed by a ceremony at Veteran's Plaza (fire trucks, floats, antique cars).
Stone Harbor: Memorial Day Parade, proceeds east along 96th Street at 12 noon, followed by a ceremony at the Women's Civic Club (fire trucks, floats, antique cars, Coast Guard helicopter fly by).
Sea Isle City: Memorial Day Service, Veteran's Memorial Park, 10am-11am.
May 17, 2012
STRONG MARKET ACTIVITY CONTINUES! The Cape May County MLS reports that 137 new purchase contracts were written in the local market through April 30th of this year, up 45% over the 94 contracts that were written during the same period last year.
HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE RATES? Mortgage rates are still unbelievably low! Thirty-year fixed rates for loans up to $417,000 are currently about 3.75%, while loans over $417,000 are about 4.25%. Combined with lower prices, it's a great time to make a purchase and lock in your carrying costs for the duration of your ownership!
SEA ISLE SHUTTLE: jitneys will appear in Sea Isle City during Memorial Day Weekend and will operate for the summer season. The jitneys will run from 3pm to 3am along JFK Boulevard and Landis Avenue, for a fare of $2 until 11pm and $4 after. It's the first time the jitneys will operate outside Atlantic City, where they've run since 1915.
SWORDS ON THE DOCK! The sixty-foot commercial fishing boat "Big Eye" landed an enormous catch, including 13,000 pounds of swordfish, 3,000 pounds of mahi, and 2,000 pounds of tuna, at the Lobster House dock in Cape May. The boat, out of Wanchese, NC, was fishing about 160 miles off Cape May, and made its catches over the course of just six days. A similar catch had been landed before, but over the course of 16 days. The "Big Eye" is featured in the Discovery Channel series "Swords: Life On The Line." After unloading in Cape May the crew headed out again for more fishing.
Avalon Fire Department's new ladder tower raises the flag in honor of the Police Unity Tour as it proceeds south along Route 9.
GET 'EM READY: rental property owners, it's time to make last minute preparations for rental properties. Is the cable on? Are the carpets clean? Does the toaster work? Check out each aspect of your rental property in order to deliver a quality product to your tenants. If you need recommendations on contractors or other service providers, email or call me!
WHY NOT JOIN THE FUN? Whether you'd like to visit for a week, or you want your very own shore home for your family's enjoyment, there's no better time! Email me at Randy@RandyLeiser.com, or call me at (800) 967-7796 x212.
May 10, 2012
THE NEW YORK TIMES reported on the Jersey Shore real estate market in an article titled Partly Sunny at the Shore. The article touched on markets in Avalon and Margate, plus other towns from the northern part of the state. I was interviewed and quoted in the article.
CHECK YOUR C.O. DETECTORS! Any home with gas-burning appliances or a fireplace should have carbon monoxide detectors installed for the safety of occupants. A recent incident in an Avalon home serves as a reminder: a chirping C.O. detector alerted the home's occupants to the presence of high levels of carbon monoxide. The fire department responded and confirmed the high C.O. levels. Further investigation revealed that the heater had malfunctioned, and was pumping C.O. into the house.
Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless--which makes functioning C.O. detectors even more critical.
CURIOUS ABOUT The Wetlands Institute? If you've wanted to visit but were afraid your kids would be bored, think again! An article about The Wetlands Institute appeared in the Spring 2012 issue of Cape May Magazine. It was written by a mom, and her humorous take on how her kids enjoyed their visit to The Wetlands makes for a quick and enjoyable read! Learn More...
BEACH TAG ALERT! The summer season is drawing near, but there are still a couple of weeks left to purchase your seasonal beach tags at pre-season prices.
Avalon's season tags can be purchased for $21 through May 31 by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope along with a check to: Avalon Tax Office/Beach Tags, 3100 Dune Drive, Avalon, NJ 08202. Make your check payable to: Borough of Avalon, and indicate how many seasonal beach tags you are ordering. You'll receive a receipt by mail; on your next visit to Avalon, redeem your receipt for the number of tags you ordered.
Stone Harbor's season tags can be purchased for $21 through May 31 by completing and mailing an order form (pdf) along with a check. Avalon and Stone Harbor season tags will cost $26 after May 31. Weekly and daily tags cannot be purchased through the mail.
As in previous years, Avalon and Stone Harbor will honor each other's tags.
DOCUSIGN IS HERE! As we complete the transition to our new rental platform we've begun to use Docusign for our leases. Instead of printing, mailing, or faxing leases, they can be Docusigned by tenants and property owners, vastly speeding up the process. Combined with our ability to accept credit card payments for rentals it has given us the most advanced rental platform in Cape May County!
May 3, 2012
SUNDAY'S HEADLINES: The Press of Atlantic City's Sunday Real Estate Section was filled with articles describing the improving real estate market, both nationally and locally. Here are the headlines, plus a link to each article:
Home affordability better than ever before. The Press described the combination of reduced prices and low interest rates as appealing to buyers.
Banks make mortgages a little easier to get. For those with good credit and verifiable income, obtaining financing is easier than it was a couple years ago.
Sales of vacation and investment homes rise nationwide, locally. The increases described in the article mirror the 29% increase in purchase activity in our market during the first quarter of this year.
THE GARDEN STATE PARKWAY traffic light removal project may soon be moving forward again, after being delayed due to wetlands mitigation issues. Finding an area to create new wetlands in order to replace those destroyed by construction of new ramps and overpasses proved difficult, but officials have reached a tentative agreement to use an old railroad bed that crosses the marsh to West Wildwood. Final details have not been worked out, but a signed agreement is likely. The project, first proposed in 1961, could finally begin in early 2013.
BE ALERT as vehicle and pedestrian traffic increases on the Island. Traffic lights which have been blinking during the quiet season switched back to their normal green-yellow-red pattern this week, and "right turns on red" are no longer allowed at many intersections.
9/11 MEMORIAL: Avalon will erect a September 11th Memorial along Dune Drive one block north of Veteran's Plaza. The focal point of the memorial will be a 1,800 pound steel I-beam recovered from the Ground Zero site at the World Trade Center in New York City. The artifact will stand 9'-11" tall, and will lean 9 degrees, 11 minutes toward Manhattan. Discussion of the conceptual plan will occur at the Avalon Planning/Zoning Board meeting on May 8, with bidding and construction expected to occur over the summer, followed by a dedication on September 11, 2012.
The conceptual design for Avalon's September 11th Memorial will be discussed at the May 8 meeting of the Planning/Zoning board.
THE HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS will return to the Jersey Shore this summer at the Wildwood Convention Center from August 8-11. The team is holding a presale this week with savings of 25% off! Go to Ticketmaster, Harlem Globetrotter Tickets and enter the password "GLOBIE" for your savings. The same discount also applies at the Convention Center ticket office (plus there are no ticket fees) Saturday, May 5th!
THERE'S STILL TIME! Looking for a shore place to call your own? There's still time to find one and complete a purchase in time for summer! Search Sales Listings or call me at (800) 967-7796 x212!