It's finally here!!  Wildwood's West Side will have an exciting new project to be proud of.  K. Hovnanian has announced its plans to build 298 homes on the back bay. 

The homes, which are set to be built between Baker and Garfield Avenues, will be laid out in small clusters and all will have water views.  Initially, the plan was also set to include a marina, but that will be confirmed at a later time. 

The announcement could not come at a better time for the city of Wildwood.  There has been much talk of large companies investing in the city.  My hope is that with a company as large as  K. Hov breaking ground on the West Side, others will follow. 

More information will follow......

Hello out there from Wildwood, NJ.  Attention all boardwalk lovers:  Morey's opens this weekend!!  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to get my son on the rides and watch him have a great time.  Morey's does such a great job on Easter.  Last Easter, the bunny was on the boardwalk and children could pick an egg for a prize. 

If you are planning on coming to Cape May County for the holiday - make the boardwalk part of your weekend.

I was surfing around online the other day researching 55+ communities in South Jersey.  I was expecting either Beazers or another large builder to pop up first - but oh no.  Guess who I found?  Well none other than AR member Lawrence Yerkes. 

 It's true.  This is the perfect example of the power of AR membership and blogging.  Think about how many consumers search for 55+ communities in South Jersey.  I would think it is a fairly popular topic. 

Good job Lawrence......   way to get your name out there!!

Ahh....  the weather is here, wish you were...      You see where I am going with this.  This week was the perfect Spring week in Wildwood with very mild temperatures (dare I say warm) and plenty of sun.  It was one of those weeks when you can really appreciate living by the beach and having this amazing location year round.

On Tuesday, I cut out of work early (shh.....   don't tell anyone) and headed down to the beach in North Wildwood.  There were surfers out and couples walking their dogs, people were out and about the island.  It felt so great to be out in the sun.   Hey Wildwood locals, we are pretty lucky!

I don't know what your towns are like, but Wildwood Crest, NJ is making it very difficult for an agent to sell a home.  As of this week, each property is allowed to have only one sign.  Think about it, in a building where there are multiple units, that one property is only allowed one sale sign.  What if there are multiple units for sale that are listed with different companies?  How do you swing that?

Apparently, it is up to the agents to work it out amongst themselves.  Can you imagine having a conversation with an agent from another office and coming up with an argument for why it should be your sign instead of their's?  Right now I am having such a hard time coming up with a way that multiple companies could work together. 

What about your sellers?  How are buyers supposed to know that the property is on the market?  Many weekends, tourists drive around the island looking to see if anything jumps out.  Hmm...  I am off to see if I can think of any creative way to get around this obstacle.

Hey mom and dad, do you know that now is the time to stock up on tickets for the piers in Wildwood.  Moreys is having their annual ticket sale and for those of you who have small children, the savings are huge. 

Just a reminder, Mariner's Landing Pier is opening up on Sunday.  Stop by the boardwalk in North Wildwood for the Easter Egg Hunt and then head on down to the rides.  It makes for a great kids day.  I hope to see you all there!!!

I know, I know.  You want to be close to the beach, right?  You want to be able to unload your car and walk the rest of the week, right?   Well, it is nice to be close to the boardwalk and in the center of things when you are renting or if you have children and don't feel like packing them up for a day in the sand. 

But if you like true shore living and a slower pace, then take a look at all the west side of Wildwood has to offer.

If you haven't noticed, there are some great projects going up all over the west side.  Both Tacony St. and Dock St. were at one time lined with small fishing shacks.  Not anymore!!  Take you pick from the many luxurious townhouses and condos that are packed with upgrades.  These streets offer the best of both worlds - - a recluse from the noise that comes with being too close to the boardwalk and a great water view.  Here you can park your boat and enjoy a lazy day in the sun. 

This is my big thank you to AR and all of the members who have truly helped me grow my business.  I have learned so much from the site and have gotten so many great ideas on different unique ways to market myself and have heard new strategies for dealing with difficult buyers and sellers.

Why is this site so important to me.  Well, this has been a tough year in Wildwood, to say the least.  I am fairly new to the industry, and as I have heard from co workers, the first year is a learning experience.  I think one of the main reasons that I have been able to keep my head up is because of AR.  Instead of getting frustrated and walking away from the profession, I took what energy I had left and soaked up as much as I could. 

Because of AR I met great agents like George Tallabas.  George thank you so much for all of your great ideas. Thank you for sharing your winning strategies with a "newbie."  Thanks to Sarah Cooper  for having such a warm and welcoming spirit, for making me laugh. 

I feel as if I have made so many new friends, friends who I might never meet, who have impacted my career.  That is great stuff - that's the stuff AR is made of.

I started working with Jane a few months ago.  She and hew husband are looking for a single family home in the Wildwoods and as any agent who practices on the island can attest to, that can be a hard find.  Jane has grown children and she needs a home large enough to accommodate the grandchildren when they come to visit.  The home must also have a bedroom on the first floor.  Jane has MS and has difficulty climbing stairs. At some point she knows her difficulty will become an inability. 

She and her husband live in the Philadelphia area, so she has about a two hour drive down the shore.  Her husband is a firefighter and works very long hours.  In short, she has a hard time viewing listings. 

When I see something new that looks like it might work for her family, I shoot her out an email and see if there is any interest.  If Jane gives me the green light, I go to the home and snap a bunch of pictures and report back.  It works well and Jane doesn't waste her time. 

Today I received a message from Jane that made me think about the agents she used in the past.  She thanked me for all of my work, for continuing to keep her in mind, and for going out to preview the homes.  When I spoke to her on the phone, she again thanked me for doing all of this running around, basically she thanked me for doing my job. 

Aren't we supposed to gather as much information as we can and make the process as easy on our buyers as possible?  If that isn't it, then why do we get paid?

I received an email about 2 weeks ago from Paul Lamach who works on the website Localref. for Wildwood, NJ.  He contacted me to let me know that he wrote an article about local agents who blogged.  I thanked him for the shout out and he suggested that I continue to write articles that deal with Wildwood. 

When I decided to post the article on the need to change the face of downtown Wildwood, I decided to contact him again and see if maybe he would be willing to help me spread the word.  He said he would read the blog, and then post a similar article telling his readers to first check out what I had to say. 

I just logged on to the page, and sure enough, Paul has my AR article up.  To me, that is so huge and I appreciate the additional avenue that Paul has provided. 

I am working on putting together a letter that I will send to city hall.  I will include my AR article and any and all feedback I get.  My next step will be to try to form a concerned citizens group and see if we can stir something up.  I want what is best for my town.  I want to help get the ball rolling. 

Hey Paul, here is your shout out.  Thanks!!!