BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/30/2009 - 01/30/09 12:32 PM
Super Bowl "Special" OPEN HOUSE Showings ... Saturday & Sunday, 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM this weekend ... January 31 & February 1, 2009
 
French Real Estate will again have two "open houses" over the weekend ... yes, you can still attend the open house and make it back for the "Super Bowl" Party.  No ... we aren't having a party, but maybe we can cook up something.  Yes, one of us (your truly) was a football official in his early years.  No, not in the pros ... only high school and small college work.  Does he still know the … (2 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/30/2009 - 01/30/09 10:14 AM
Gardens New Construction Single Family
One of the advantages of having a property along Ocean Road on the "200" or "300" block is that Ocean Road starts to make the turn becoming parallel to East Atlantic Boulevard where most of the properties can be found on the side of the street backing up to Ocean Road.  A bit complicated sentence ... but what I'm trying to say is that the back of properties on Ocean Road on "the ocean side of the street" generally have very good ocean views enabling one to have these views from back decks and even interior … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/29/2009 - 01/29/09 11:56 AM
Downtown Ocean City, New Jersey ... 1st Restaurant Recommendation of 2009
 
"Jon & Patty's Coffee Bar & Bistro ... 637 Asbury Avenue, Ocean City, New Jersey (609-399-3377)
Any new discovery in Ocean City is always exciting, but the discovery of a great eating establishment is much more than that ... it means there is another place to go in a very limited assortment of places particularly in the off-season.  First of all, I must give credit to my bro, Sam, who has been trying to get me down there for some time.  Well, I made it down for a cup … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/29/2009 - 01/29/09 10:22 AM
A Lot More About Ocean City, New Jersey ... Notes taken by me from a Presentation on January 6, 2009 by Jim Rutala, City Administrator, City of Ocean city
 
.  14,600 out-of-state property owners with PA (1st), NJ (2nd), FL (3rd), DE (4th), and MD (5th)
.  The only community in NJ to get a beach replenishment project in 2008
.  8th lowest tax rate in NJ ... school, city, and county taxes
.  Community Center Project @ $12 million ... largest public project ... includes library, senior citizens,   fitness ctr
.  Recent Downtown Project @ $2.5 million ... lighting, … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/29/2009 - 01/29/09 08:13 AM
Reading Presidential Biographies
As a history major, and a former teacher of US History in public schools before moving into the principalship (all of this before my favorite career in real estate), I still keep my hand in it by selecting one or two good pieces of fiction to balance out my mystery book and other fictional reading.  My choice in 2009 is American Lion - Andrew Jackson in the White House (2008) by Jon Meacham who is an Editor with Newsweek and moves around some of those MSNBC talk news shows.  
My five favorite Presidents are Washington, Jefferson, Jackson, … (2 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/28/2009 - 01/28/09 01:56 PM
The Importance of Keeping A Journal.
What better place to talk about writing a journal, or posting a blog, using the written word than in this format!
I've maintianed a type of journal ... which could be a calendar with notes, a palm phone with memos, a diary, a day-book, a notebook.  But over the past five or six years it has been a journal.  My entries are quite often, but random.  I'm not compelled to write every day, but sometimes I do for a full month.  Often it can be personal or daily experiences, maybe a problem, often a short … (2 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/26/2009 - 01/26/09 12:58 PM
WINTER BUT WARMER
 
So when is the very best time to purchase a shore property (in Ocean City)?
It's an easy answer:  "A warm winter afternoon in Ocean City in January or early February."
I know ... you want to ask:  when is the next best time?  "Of course, it depends on property type ... but maybe the next best time is right after the summer season is over ... plan to look on summer changeover days and close in mid-September.
Back to "winter but warmer."  You want to look the part and dress the part.  Perhaps the best way … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/26/2009 - 01/26/09 09:52 AM
The Changing Resort Rental Market
It's hard to believe that I've been a Rental Agent here at French Real Estate since 1993.  "The times they have been a-changin." 
I recall starting out part-time worrking Saturdays & Sundays while I did my Monday-Friday real world job.  There were lots of agents here on Saturday; a lot less on Sundays.  There was no internet, and potential rental tenants had to drive down to see the properties.  Or you had to have long telephone conversations to review properties with them.  And if agents didn't truly clarify the plus and minus of a particular … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/24/2009 - 01/24/09 02:32 PM
Reading "Handwriting on the Wall" in the Wall Street Journal (1/24-25/2009) while waiting for potential Buyers to arrive at my "open house."  
I never had good handwriting, but I'm old enough to have endured getting grades for penmanship, but no real efforts to help me improve.  The real question is:  "do you need good penmanship to be a good realtor?  Maybe in the old, old days when everything was written - not typed.  Today, it may look good but ...
I believe most of my change from actual writing to printing came with college notetaking.  I simply could not read … (7 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/23/2009 - 01/23/09 10:52 AM
French Real Estate OPEN HOUSE this Saturday and Sunday ... 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM (January 24 & 25, 2009)
 
Three of my Sale Listings will be featured this weekend at Open House Showings in the Northend & Gardens.  The three properties selected will be:
915 Second Street 1st Floor
818 Fourth Street
507 Battersea Road 2nd Floor
We will also have a working arrangement that any of my other sale listings could also be shown at that time.  So take a look at these listings at www.FrenchSales.com and/or stop by one of our open house showings and review … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/23/2009 - 01/23/09 07:52 AM
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) ... Properties Listed for Sale in Ocean City
 
A regular ongoing feature is a review of the complete MLS totals for all of Ocean City plus a breakdown of those property totals for the Northend and Gardens Only.  Please take a look at this information which obviously changes all of the time.  The present review shows a reduced sale property inventory for Ocean City when compared to some of the very high inventory years in 2006 and 2007 and even the first half of 2008.  The present MLS figures for Ocean City show a return to … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/22/2009 - 01/22/09 12:12 PM
Northend Neighborhoods ... The "800" & "900" blocks ... A Primer
 
Part III
 
We continue and conclude this 3-part posting of the Northend streets in the "800" and "900" beachblocks.  We have moved up the street from Sixth Street to Pennlyn Place in the last posting.  We have seven additional streets to review as we reach the end of the Northend.  Let's continue our trip.
Second Street  This is another with one side having a back alley (north side), but not on the south side.  Therefore, you have two different types of configurations.  There remains a lot of single … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/22/2009 - 01/22/09 09:38 AM
Northend Neighborhoods ... The "800" & "900" blocks ... A Primer
 
Part II
The "800" and "900" blocks are prime summer rental territory ... close to the beach and boardwalk, a short walk to the beginning of the commercial section at Sixth Street, generally a lighted and active section and safe for walking into the late evening hours.  Obviously, the closer you are to Sixth Street the closer you are to the main activities of the Boardwalk.  And the higher your "800" property number the closer you are to the beach.
Some of the streets are a bit wider … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/22/2009 - 01/22/09 08:27 AM
Northend Neighborhoods ... The "800" & "900" blocks ... A Primer
 
Part 1
 
The are 14 streets on the "800" and "900" long and short beachblocks in the Northend extending from Atlantic Avenue to the beach.  All but two of them cross Corinthian Avenue which ends at Brighton Place.  There are eight "name" streets called "Place and six "number" streets.  The "800" starts at Atlantic and increases in number until Corinthian Avenue where the "900" begins and again increases in number until the boardwalk or beach.  The "even" number street locations are on the south side; the odd number … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/21/2009 - 01/21/09 11:10 AM
A New President, Continuing Lower Mortgage Rates, and "What Else"
 
The National Association of Realtors has been saying for some time:  "It's a good time to be buying a house."  In Ocean City, we've been saying:  It's a good time to being buying in Ocean City."  I've been saying:  "If you are considering a purchase of a shore property in the next three-to-five years, do it now!
All of the above comments continue to be heard.  And during the last couple of months we see the ever so slow, but ever so consistent movement to lower mortgage rates.  Rates were't … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/21/2009 - 01/21/09 09:17 AM
Two Additional Condominiums For Sale ... One in the Northend, the Other in the Gardens
 
What difference does a location make?  Everything ... Maybe Nothing.  The Northend has a variety of condominium opportunities going across the island from the beach to the bay from north of Sixth Street to south of North Street.  That's the Northend location ... a much more varied condominium location ... from the more expensive and highly rentable ones on the "800" and "900" beachblocks ... known by the locals as "the long beachblock (the 800)" and "the short beachblock (the 900) to further back … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/18/2009 - 01/18/09 10:32 AM
Two More Gardens Sale Listing in Ocean City, NJ
 
As most of you know, all the "Avenues" in Ocean City change to "Roads" when you cross North Street.  For example, Ocean Avenue to Ocean Road, Wesley Avenue to Wesley Road, Central Avenue to Central Road, and Asbury Avenue to Asbury Road.  Now some of the above mentioned streets (or are they avenues ... or roads) only run for one block ... Central Road and Asbury Road only run from North Street to Battersea Road.  Others run much further ... Wesley Road and Ocean Road.  We're going to focus on Ocean … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/17/2009 - 01/17/09 02:22 PM
Four Gardens Beachblock Condominiums Listed for Sale or Rental (Ocean City, NJ)
The Gardens, that section of the barrier island in that runs from north of North Street to the end of the island at the Longport Bridge, is a wonderland of single family residential homes; but one can also find some interesting investment properties as well.  This part of the island also tends to not be laid out in "a straight line" format ... instead you find streets spinging off at angles in different directions.  
One example of this is right at the southern most point where the Gardens … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/17/2009 - 01/17/09 09:09 AM
Two Northend Single Family Sale Listings in Ocean City ... A Tale of Two Listings
Two great single family sale listings are in the Northend area of Ocean City.  One has been both a year-round home and later a summer weekly rental property (the latter because of its location on the "800" long beach block).  The other had also been a year-round property one owner ago, but it is now a second home for the Seller.  Note the multi-uses of properties in this resort community.  This happens and changes quite often to many properties over the years. 
Both properties have … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/16/2009 - 01/16/09 03:02 PM
So What's the Value of Doing an Open House?
 
Ask a variety of real estate agents, or even a number of Sellers; and you will get a number of different opinions regard the value of an open house.  Some Sellers will say that all it does is get the Agent more Buyers.  Some Agents will say that they never do open houses ... it's simply a waste of time.  Well ... since it's my particular blog, I'm going to give you the opinion that counts ... at least on this particular blog.  But I invite points of view for those … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/16/2009 - 01/16/09 08:37 AM
A Cold Weather Blog from Ocean City, NJ
 
As I battened down the hatches last evening in anticipation of the colder weather arriving in Ocean City for the next few days, I couldn't help thinking of some of the advice that I always give to "new Owners," particularly those who will not be down here that much over the cold winter months.  Clearly, there are two or three times during the year when you, as a out-of-state homeowner at least a few hours from Ocean City (NJ), want to rely on "your local real estate agent" for some ongoing attention.  … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/15/2009 - 01/15/09 02:21 PM
The 2009 Rental Season in Ocean City, NJ
 
As my Broker, Robert French, always says:  "Every Owner in Ocean City was once a renter."  Sure, you might say:  "Not every one."  But I doubt that you'll run into many who have not first rented in Ocean City before becoming the familar "Rental Tenant/Buyer" which is clearly a different sort of animal.  They walk the walks all over town searching and spotting "for sale" signs.  Those that catch their attention cause them to drift around to the back, ask people on the porch what the interior is like, etc.  Indeed, once … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/15/2009 - 01/15/09 08:31 AM
More Information about "the Gardens" in Ocean City, NJ
 
In a recent blog I spelled out the general layout for the Gardens area, that section north of North Street.  And we did discuss the limited number of single family homes under $1 million.  Let's be a bit more specific in this blog.
We find only 55  sale listings throughout the Gardens as of today.  That's 36 single family, 4 multi-family, and 15 condominiums.  Obviously, that limited number suggests how difficult it often can be for Buyers to find what they might be looking for in this area.  Let's break each … (2 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/13/2009 - 01/13/09 01:26 PM
THE GARDENS ...
 
Continuing from a previous blog that reviewed "the Northend" section in Ocean City, New Jersey ... this blog highlights "the Gardens.
 
The Gardens is the entire area "north of North Street running to the end of the island and the Ocean City/Longport Bridge.  This is quite a large section of the island and just like the Northend; it runs from the ocean to the Bay and all of the inlet area connecting these two water sections.  Generally, the Gardens can be described as the largest section of single family residential land area in Ocean City (but … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES from Dustin A. Peters, Ocean City, NJ ... 1/11/2009 - 01/11/09 10:52 AM
OPEN HOUSE NOTES
 
In a resort market like Ocean City, New Jersey with such a wide variety of sale listings, with many different properties capable of appealing to Buyers at any specific time; being at "the right place at the right time" is very important even if not possible.  That's why I like "open house" showings ... you control the location, the hours ... the (hopefully) right place at the right time.  And one way to make it that is to be consistent in getting the job done on a regular basis.
When the national economic impact across the country … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES ... 1/9/2009 - 01/09/09 09:35 AM
Northend/Gardens ... My area of Interest & Expertise
 
The Northend (Ocean City, NJ)
The Northend begins on the North side of Sixth Street and continues north to the south side of Northend Street going east-to-west from the ocean to the bay.  There are really three different areas in the Northend:
      ... the "800" & "900" blocks known by "the locals" as "the long beachblock" (800) & "the short beachblock" (900) both being significant summer rental areas during the summer months.
    ... the area from Atlantic Avenue to Asbury Avenue which includes Atlantic/Ocean/Wesley/Central/Asbury in that … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES ... 1/8/2009 - 01/08/09 07:51 AM
So it's January in a small resort community on a barrier island in South Jersey.  When I first arrived here and spent my initial winter in Ocean City, I often said to myself:  "what does everyone do after 5PM?"  But I have certainly spent my share of winter months here, and I must say it has grown on me making it one of my favorite times of year. 
Reading a book by the fireplace with a good bottle of wine.  Taking a 4PM walk just before it gets dark.  Even a bike ride on a sunny weekend ... on the … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES ... 1/6/2009 - 01/06/09 10:40 AM
OPEN HOUSE CONVERSATIONS ... 1/3-4/2009 overheard at 818 Fourth Street & 7 Central Avenue in Ocean City, New Jersey 
 
(The questions represent a composite of all the ongoing types of questions/comments asked to me by Buyers in the past sixteen years.  But the answers are certainly my  own and entirely up-to-date for January, 2009.)
 
1st Visitor
Q/C ... "We're just looking" (meaning don't bother us, let us see te place, and get out without telling you anything)
R ... (My favorite type of potential Buyer.)  "Welcome, I'm Dustin A. Peters, French Real Estate.  Here is the flyer for the … (0 comments)

BEACH NOTES ... 1/2/2009 - 01/02/09 10:32 AM
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