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
2014: Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

This Weeks News 11/25/2014

KICK OFF YOUR HOLIDAY Island-style! After the turkey dinner is finished, catch Festive Friday and Snowfest Saturday in Avalon to kick start your holiday season. Stone Harbor will also celebrate "An Island Holiday" Friday & Saturday, capping things off with a big Christmas Parade Saturday evening. See below for more details!
 
AVALON'S HOLIDAY BEACH TAGS will be available this weekend! Look for them Friday & Saturday at the Avalon Rescue Squad building at 31st & Dune Drive from 11am to 5pm Friday & Saturday. While supplies last they'll be available Monday through Friday at Avalon Borough Hall from 8:15am to 4:15pm. Stone Harbor's Holiday Beach Tags are available at Stone Harbor Borough Hall Monday through Friday, as well as at select local merchants throughout town.
 
OUR ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE was more successful than ever, with the Long & Foster team donating a carload of turkeys and a carload of food, along with several hundred dollars to the Holy Redeemer Food Bank. 
 
Food Drive
Here's just some of the food that the Long & Foster team donated to Holy Redeemer Food Bank. Another car followed behind with a trunk full of turkeys!
 
NEED A CHRISTMAS GIFT for that special someone? Consider a holiday beach tag from your favorite beach town, or a gift certificate to a local restaurant. If you want to send a taste of the shore somewhere else, Fudge Kitchen will ship fudge anywhere, Uncle Bill's will ship pancake mix and syrup, and Avalon Coffee will ship their coffee and mugs!
 
WANT TO GIVE THE GIFT OF A LIFETIME? Consider purchasing a vacation home in Avalon or Stone Harbor! Your family will thank you - every month of the year!
 
HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and your family! Best wishes for a warm and wonderful holiday season!

This Weeks News 11/19/2014

MARKET STATS: For the latest on the Avalon/Stone Harbor market, see Long & Foster's October 2014 Market Minute Report. Highlights from this month's report include an increase in the median sale price and a reduction in the number of active listings versus a year ago.
 
DREDGE PIPES have appeared in Avalon's back bay as contractors prepare for the start of a dredging project. If you haven't yet seen Mayor Martin Pagliughi's letter to bayfront property owners regarding the dredging of private slips, you can read it here: Dredging Update: Channel Marine Construction To Dredge Private Slips.
 
HOLIDAY BEACH TAGS: Stone Harbor's Holiday Beach Tags are now available and may be purchased at Borough Hall Monday through Friday, from 8:30am to 4pm, as well as from select merchants in town. They make great stocking stuffers!
 
100 YEAR OLD railroad tracks surfaced on Sunset Beach in nearby Lower Township after shifting sand was washed away by a storm. The tracks are believed to be from a sand mining operation that operated along the Delaware Bay from the early 1900s until the 1930s, when they became covered with sand. After more than 70 years beneath the sand, the tracks are surprisingly intact, and can be seen at low tide.
 
Cape May - Lewes Ferry at Sunset
The sun sets over the Delaware Bay on a chilly fall evening, as seen from the deck of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.
 
THANKSGIVING DINNER: If you'll be in town for the Thanksgiving weekend but don't want to cook a holiday meal, several restaurants offer Thanksgiving dinners, including The Golden Inn, The Reeds at Shelter Haven, LaVecchia Fontana, Stone Harbor Golf Club, and Sand Barrens Golf Club. Wherever you choose to dine, be sure to call ahead for reservations!
 
THANKSGIVING WEEKEND: You'll find plenty going on in town over the Thanksgiving weekend, including Avalon's Festive Friday and Snowfest Saturday, as well as Stone Harbor's Island Holiday activities Friday and Saturday. Be sure to catch the parade Saturday night along Third Avenue and 96th Street in Stone Harbor! See below for details!

This Weeks News 11/12/2014

FIVE STARS, SEVEN TIMES! The Avalon Free Public Library was once again recognized with a five-star rating from Library Journal in its November 2014 edition - the seventh time the library has been recognized since 2009! Library Journal evaluates circulation, visits, program attendance, and internet usage to award its ratings. The Avalon Library is open to all. Avalon residents and property owners, as well as Cape May County residents, may obtain free library cards; Avalon visitors may purchase seasonal cards for $20 per person. Visit Avalon Free Public Library for information on library programs.
 
LOST, THEN FOUND: "Brutus," an African grey parrot, was reported stolen from his cage at the Cape May County Zoo, according to the Atlantic City Press. Brutus was later discovered walking along a roadway in Middle Township, and has since been returned to the zoo. Officials are investigating his disappearance, but have already added locks to secure Brutus's cage.
 
DINERS, DRIVE-INS, AND DIVES host Guy Fieri has been seen in the area filming segments for upcoming shows, according to Shore News Today No word yet on exactly which restaurants might be included in Fieri's show, though other Food Network hosts have been seen recently in Atlantic City.

Sunset Antares Rocket Launch
On a beautiful fall night two weeks ago small crowds gathered along the beach to witness the Antares rocket launch at Wallops Island, Virginia. The rocket suffered an explosion at liftoff.  Look closely beneath the light post on the Avalon Fishing Pier and you can see the resulting smoke cloud on the horizon.
 
LONG & FOSTER'S AVALON OFFICE is conducting its annual food drive to benefit the Holy Redeemer Food Bank, a tradition that began many years ago at Avalon Real Estate Agency. If you're in the area, drop off some non-perishable food items at our office to help this great cause! We'll deliver everything to Holy Redeemer in time for Thanksgiving.
 
WINTERIZING CHECKLIST: Colder temperatures are upon us, so it's time to prepare your property for winter! Call your plumber and have outside water lines shut off and drained; close crawlspace vents to prevent cold air from freezing pipes; set your interior heat to at least 55 degrees. Consult with your plumber or contractor to address any other situations that apply to your property. 

This Weeks News 11/5/2014

RATES MAY RISE IN 2015: The Federal Reserve has confirmed it will end its program of Quantitative Easing (bond buying). As a result, mortgage rates are widely expected to increase over the next year, with some saying they'll rise from their current 4% level to 5% by the end of 2015. 
 
WHY IT MATTERS FOR BUYERS:  Mortgage rates directly affect your purchasing power. For example, a loan of $1,000,000 at 4% for 30 years requires a monthly payment of $4,780. If rates rise by just one point, to 5%, keeping your monthly payment the same means only $890,000 can be financed - a decrease of 11%. The concept is the same whether you're borrowing just $100,000 or many millions.
 
WHY IT MATTERS FOR SELLERS: Property sellers need property buyers, and if buyers have less purchasing power, it affects sellers, too.
 
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW RATES NOW: If you're a buyer, purchase now to take advantage of maximum buying power - and lock in low financing costs for the duration of your ownership. If you're a seller, price your property correctly to achieve a sale now - before buyers are impacted by reduced purchasing power. In addition, sellers who will go on to purchase a replacement property will benefit from lower rates if they do so now.
 
PRIVATE SLIP DREDGING IN AVALON: Equipment has been mobilized for Avalon's recently approved back-bay dredging project, and work could begin by Thanksgiving. Private slip owners may have their slips dredged as part of the project. For the latest on the project, as well as forms and information about private slip dredging, visit Dredging Update - Information on Private Slip Dredging
 
STRIPED BASS CATCH LIMITS in New Jersey may change for 2015. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission voted to reduce striper catches by 31 percent, by limiting anglers to one fish per day at 28 inches or larger, down from New Jersey's current two fish per day. But the idea of "conservation equivalency" - reducing the overall striper catch while varying the catch limits in different states, has some pushing for New Jersey's limit to be changed to one fish at a minimum of 28 inches, and a second fish at a minimum of 36 inches - a move that would still reduce the overall catch by 25%. Any changes to the official catch limit must be approved by the state legislature before becoming final. 
 
IN JUNE, 1927, things were quite different here on the Island. Small cottages were scattered along dirt lanes, and large parts of the Island remained undeveloped. The Garden State Parkway hadn't yet been conceived, and railroads still played a major role in carrying shore visitors to and from Philadelphia. Two railroads served Seven Mile Beach: The Stone Harbor Railroad collected passengers on 96th Street and took them on a 14 minute journey across the marsh to Cape May Court House, where they could connect with a Reading Railroad train bound for Philadelphia. The West Jersey & Seashore Railroad (owned by the Pennsylvania RR) ran along Second Avenue/Dune Drive, from Stone Harbor into Avalon, then crossed Townsend's Inlet into Sea Isle, where it eventually turned toward the mainland and Philadelphia. Over the next ten years much of the railroad infrastructure would disappear from the Island, as automobiles took over. Today, the "islands" in the center of Dune Drive/Second Avenue are the most visible reminder of the railroad's presence.
 
Stone Harbor Railroad Co. c.1927
This Stone Harbor Railroad timetable from June, 1927 promised a 14-minute ride to
Cape May Court House, where passengers could connect to a Philadelphia-bound train.