2016:

Jan.

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April

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June

July

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This Weeks News 4/28/2016

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BEACH SWEEPS will be held at 72 locations along the Jersey Shore on Saturday, April 30th, including Avalon, Stone Harbor, and Sea Isle City. Volunteers are always needed to help collect trash from the beach; for more information or to register please visit Clean Ocean Action.
 
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: There's something for every budget in our local real estate market! While multi-million dollar oceanfront and bayfront homes make headlines, even a modest budget will buy you a getaway condo with a great rental history! See this Featured Property for more details!
 

Commercial fishing boats line the docks in Cape May Harbor on an April evening.
 
THE STONE HARBOR BIRD SANCTUARY has seen the return of migratory birds including Black Crown and Yellow Crown Night Herons. Various paths in and around the sanctuary provide amazing views of wildlife and the maritime forest. For more on the sanctuary, the visitor paths, and scheduled tours, visit Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary.
 
THE CAPE MAY-LEWES FERRY welcomed the return of the MV New Jersey last weekend after dry-dock work took her out of service for unscheduled repairs to her hull. With the New Jersey back in service there are as many as seven daily departures from Cape May, up from just four when the New Jersey was unavailable. The MV Delaware is expected to return to the fleet in mid-May after a scheduled engine replacement, bringing the ferry fleet back to full strength with three vessels.
 
YANK MARINE, a boatyard in nearby Tuckahoe, will appear in a National Geographic TV series titled "The Yard." The series premiered last week, and Yank is likely to appear in a May episode. The boatyard, founded by John Yank fifty years ago, repairs and maintains commercial vessels from all over the northeast region, including ferries, police, and Coast Guard boats. Yank Marine has recently repaired NY Waterway ferries, as well as the AJ Meerwald, New Jersey's official tall ship.

This Weeks News 4/21/2016

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OUR OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND brought good traffic to dozens of homes across the Island last weekend. Thanks to all who visited--it's just one more way Long & Foster goes the extra mile to help sell your property!
 
81 PROPERTIES ARE UNDER CONTRACT in the local market--meaning 81 families are looking forward to a new shore home! Are you ready? Call or email me to begin your search today! Not quite ready, but want to know more about the market? View Our Latest Market Minute Report.

   Click above to read the latest Market Minute report for Avalon & Stone Harbor!
 
"BACKPASSING" BEACH PROJECT: Avalon expects to begin a "backpassing" project on its beaches no later than April 27th. Excess sand accumulated on the beaches from 32nd to 38th Streets will be moved by truck to the borough's north-end beaches, in order to widen them before the summer season. Up to 50,000 cubic yards of sand could be moved during the project, which the borough hopes to have completed by Memorial Day.
 
CATCH US ON TV! A new Long & Foster television campaign is in full swing across the Delaware Valley region. Catch our ad on CNBC, ESPN, Fox News, HGTV, and the Golf Channel, or simply click here: Long and Foster - Love Of Home (Vimeo Video).
 
GO RIDE A BIKE! The Atlantic City Press recently published a list of great places to ride a bicycle while you're in the area. Among those locations listed were traditional favorites, such as Avalon's boardwalk between 21st and 32nd Street (bikes allowed 5am to 10am, May through September) and Stone Harbor's promenade between 80th and 83rd Streets (no restrictions). Sea Isle City's promenade and the area's boardwalks all made the list. For an off-island adventure check out the 24-hour Middle Township bike path, which runs from the Cape May County Zoo to Martin Luther King Recreation Center in Whitesboro. Of course, if you are mindful of vehicular traffic, the Dune Drive/Second Avenue bike lane runs the entire length of Seven Mile Island and provides a delightful ride at any time of day.
 
ATTENTION RENTAL PROPERTY OWNERS! The 2016 summer season is rapidly approaching, and it's time to put your property in "rental ready" condition! Turn on the outside shower, clean up the yard, perform a thorough spring cleaning, and place the deck furniture outside. Take a few moments to make a to-do list, then make the calls to put things in motion. It's especially important that your cable TV and WiFi service be turned on and checked, since Comcast no longer has an office in Avalon. Call and set up your service NOW, and avoid problems when tenants check in!

This Weeks News 4/14/2016

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OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND: Long & Foster will host dozens of open houses across the Island this weekend! Whether you're interested in buying or just want to keep tabs on the market, view some beautiful shore homes while you're in town Saturday and Sunday! If you'd like a list of all our open houses, please email or call me, or stop by our office!
 
PROTECTING DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS is the focus of a bill passed by the New Jersey Assembly. The bill bans the harvesting of the turtles, which are commonly found in waterways in coastal New Jersey. During the late spring many turtles are also found along roadways, as the turtles seek higher ground on which to lay eggs. Turtles are often killed by automobiles as they cross roads on their way to or from their egg laying sites. The bill passed by the Assembly now heads to the New Jersey Senate for consideration. For more on terrapins and their harvest, see this Q&A page from The Wetlands Institute: Bill To Reclassify Terrapins As Non-Game Species.
 
SNEAK PEEK: Whether you can't wait for your vacation to begin or simply need a mid-week peek at the ocean, Click Here For A Live View Of The Ocean As Well As Avalon's Fishing Pier. From sunrises and sunsets to blue skies to storms, the view changes around the clock. While you're looking, note the extension of the Avalon Fishing Pier that is currently underway, putting the end of the pier two-hundred feet further into the ocean.
 
PHOTO CONTEST & VINTAGE CAMERAS: The Avalon Historical Society is looking for photographs--old and new! Amateur photographers are invited to submit photos as part of the 13th Annual Photography Contest. Categories for 2016 are: Avalon, Nature, Scenic, and People. Submissions must be made to the Historical Society no later than 2pm on May 31st to be considered for judging. Vintage Avalon photos are also being sought, to be displayed along with vintage camera equipment during the months of May and June. If you have a vintage Avalon photograph you'd like to share, contact the Avalon History Center at (609) 967-0090.
 

Hobie Cats and other sailing catamarans have been a common site at Stone Harbor's south end--but not this year. See below for an explanation.
 
HOBIE CATS and other sail craft have long lined the beach at Stone Harbor's southern end--but not this year. Council passed a resolution to refund sail craft storage fees to those who have already paid them. Damage from recent storms has left that area of the beach unsuitable for sail craft. Mayor Suzanne Walters said the borough looked into using other areas of the beach, but that it "will not work this year."

This Weeks News 4/7/2016

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LONG & FOSTER'S OPEN HOUSE WEEKEND will take place April 16th & 17th. Enjoy spring weather while viewing some shore homes! Watch for more details next week!
 
BEACH TAGS will be reciprocal in Avalon & Stone Harbor once again, with each town honoring the other's tags. 2016 tags will cost $6 daily, $12 weekly, or $27 for the season. However, season tags can be purchased in advance for the discounted rate of $22 until May 27th. In Avalon, advance purchases can be made at the tax office on weekdays, or at the beach tag booth adjacent to Community Hall on weekends from 10am to 4pm. In Stone Harbor, tags are available at Borough Hall on weekdays, or from the Beach Tag Office at 95th & the beach on weekends from 9am to 12 noon. You can also complete and mail a form to reserve Stone Harbor tags here: Stone Harbor 2016 Beach Tags.
 
THE AVALON HOME AND LAND OWNERS ASSOCIATION will host a Community Connections event at Avalon Community Hall on Saturday, April 9th, from 9:30am to noon. At 10am, hear talks on Avalon's Bicycle Safety Initiative, the Avalon Seawatch program, and the county's 911 system. At 11am information tables will be open, featuring a variety of programs.
 

Tremendous progress has been made on Stone Harbor's new library at 96th Street & Second Avenue!
 
STONE HARBOR'S NEW LIBRARY is rapidly taking shape. As construction of the building has progressed, the look of the intersection of 96th Street and Second Avenue has been transformed. Construction is on schedule to be completed by October or November.
 
FREE SEEDLINGS are available to Avalon residents and property owners on Saturday, April 9th, from 9:30am to noon, at Avalon Community Hall, during the Avalon Home and Land Owners Association meeting. Seedlings will come with instructions for storing and planting, but planting within two days of pick up is recommended for best results.
 
COAST GUARD HELICOPTERS will be making more trips along the beach during the next month, as pilot training occurs for newly assigned pilots. In addition to classes, pilots will typically fly two flights per day for six weeks from Air Station Atlantic City. Two search-and-rescue response crews will also fly operation and training missions.
 
TEN REASONS You Know You've Spent Your Summers in Avalon! For a fun look at memorable Avalon icons, click here: 10 Reasons You Know You've Spent Your Summers In Avalon.