mountain man and city girl: Our 10th Anniversary - 01/29/11 09:54 PM
Our 10th Anniversary
January 30th, 2011
Looking back at our beginnings on January 29, 2001, it seems like such a long time ago.  We opened our Wildwood Crest real estate office that day.  We didn't know what to expect.  We had no idea if our "Modern Technology, Old-Fashioned Service" philosophy would work.  Would people even care?  Could we compete with the chain franchises in a decidedly down market?
Well, Jewell Real Estate Agency was a success right away.  The combination of the local vacation home real estate market taking off in 2001 and people really appreciating the personal service of … (5 comments)

mountain man and city girl: One Take on "Avatar" and the Vatican - 01/30/10 01:28 AM
One Take on ‘Avatar' and the Vatican
January 30th, 2010
The movie ‘Avatar" doesn't have enough "curb appeal", as we realtors say, to get us to go pay $12 apiece to see it.  It's just not the kind of movie we like.
So when the Vatican gave the movie a thumbs down, it piqued our curiosity.  This morning we read a Letter to the Editor in the Atlantic City Press by Sharon Hutchinson of Buena Vista, NJ.  Here's her take on the Vatican's reaction to the movie:

"As a nontheist, I am amused at the Vatican's condemnation of the movie … (1 comments)

mountain man and city girl: The Majestic Redwoods - 01/29/10 09:35 PM
The Majestic Redwoods
January 29th, 2010
The Coastal Redwoods are a sight to see.  Ranging along the fog-shrouded California coast from Big Sur to just over the border into southwestern Oregon, these giants can live up to 2,200 years.  There are 137 of these behemoths over 350 feet tall, with the tallest living redwood measuring in at a whopping 379 feet.  The largest redwood girth is a mind-boggling 26 feet across.
The battle between environmentalists looking to preserve the trees and loggers looking at profits and jobs has been going on for a century, and the fight intensified beginning in … (4 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Our Real Estate Market - New Jersey - 01/29/10 09:31 PM
Our Real Estate Market
January 29th, 2010
We realtors can talk all we want about our local real estate market, but there's nothing like good, hard numbers to bring out the true picture.  So here are the numbers for the Cape May County, New Jersey market since 2005.  These statistics are for properties sold through our local Multiple Listing Service and don't include private sales.  They also don't include Ocean City, which belongs to the Atlantic County Association of Realtors and MLS.
In 2005, there were 3,628 properties sold.  The asking price total was $2.01 billion and they got $1.92 … (1 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Teaching Life Lessons - 01/28/10 08:34 PM
Teaching Life Lessons
January 28th, 2010
It's kinda sad that so many "twenty-somethings" in America have no clue about how to manage their lives.  They make bad decisions when it comes to the financial aspects of surviving and thriving.  However, they're not entirely to blame. 
We were both excellent students in school.  We did our homework, got good grades, and didn't cause trouble.  What more could a school expect from us.  We did our part.
But in retrospect, the schools didn't hold up their part of the bargain.  Upon graduating from high school (City Girl in Philly, Mountain Man in a … (0 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Changing Face of Retail - 01/26/10 05:09 AM

My husband, Douglas, wrote the following blog.  Enjoy.
Changing Face of Retail
January 26th, 2010
Many scoffed 20 years ago at projections that internet retail sales would be a major factor in the future.  "I'll never buy anything on the internet," so many of us said.
Well, guess what?  In the third quarter of 2009, US internet sales were $34 billion.  Out of a total of $922 billion in US retail sales, that figure represents 3.7% of all sales being done with a mouse and keyboard at hand in front of a computer screen. 
For someone who knows what they … (0 comments)

mountain man and city girl: A Penny for your Thoughts - 01/12/10 05:07 AM
A Penny for your Thoughts
January 12th, 2010
It's time to abolish the American penny.  Pass the petitions, please.
The American penny has outlived its usefulness.  I think its demise can be directly tied to the end of penny candy.  Nowadays, nothing costs under a nickel, does it?
At our house, we keep a coffee cup near the front door and every time we walk in the door we empty our pockets of those dadgum pennies.  We do this ritual because Joyce says it's a feng-shui thing.  I don't know, something about good karma.  Pennies are so worthless that even … (3 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Catholic Schools reeling in Cape May County - 01/05/10 09:33 PM
Catholic Schools reeling in Cape May County
January 6th, 2010
Just one day after school officials called rumors of Wildwood Catholic High School's closing unfounded, the Diocese of Camden announced that the school will close at the end of the school year this June.  It's just the latest round in the demise of the Catholic church in Cape May County.
In 2007, St. Raymond's elementary/junior high school in the Villas section of Lower Township was closed by the Diocese of Camden, which oversees the Catholic goings-on in southern New Jersey.  Students, parents, and teachers were saddened, outraged, and in shock.  … (4 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Good Realtors have Passion - 01/02/10 02:02 AM
Good Realtors have Passion
January 2nd, 2010
Like all our fellow realtors, we know that there are all different calibers of realtors.  But when you really think about it, what makes a certain percentage of realtors stand above the crowd is PASSION.
My wife Joyce and I opened our first office in 2000, then 10 months later opened a branch office.  Later this month will mark the 10th anniversary of us working six days a week - we try to take Wednesdays off together but often spend half the day on our cell phones - and answering our phones 6am to … (4 comments)

mountain man and city girl: The Demise of "da inglish langwij" - 01/01/10 12:20 PM
 
The Demise of "da inglish langwij"
Maybe it's me.  But I'm really amazed at how the majority of the American public has no sense of correct spelling and grammar.
Since you are reading this blog instead of sitting home on the couch watching Jerry Springer or hanging out in an alley sipping some Boone's Farm Apple Wine and puffing on a cigarette, you are also probably confounded by how the English language is being butchered.
As a realtor, I am actually getting used to the fact that so many people spell realty as R-E-A-L-I-T-Y.  Duh!  Isn't reality one of those … (5 comments)

mountain man and city girl: A Changing World - 12/30/09 10:07 PM
I alway enjoy listening to my husband talk about his life and how times have changed.  Life was much simpler back then.  I, too, had a great childhood with lots of memories.  Being Italian with a large family was a great way to grow up.  But it's now time to look to the future and what's in store for us.
A Changing World
When I was a youngster, I thought everything always stayed the same.  I thought the corner general store would always be there and always be called Percy's.  The same for Al's Barber Shop, and the same for Green's … (3 comments)

mountain man and city girl: There's Technology, then there's Tech-NO-logy - 12/28/09 01:10 AM

My husband is  a rather unique person as you will see from the following blog.   That's why we work so well together.  One half complements the other.
There's Technology, then there's Tech-NO-logy
December 28th, 2009
I'm stubborn, I admit it.  I have embraced modern technology, but only as far as needed to be the owner of a successful real estate agency. 
I've had a cell phone for 10 years, and now 85% of Americans do too, according to statistics.  Judging from my older friends, I think I personally know many of the 15% who don't.
I bought my first … (1 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Jobs, Jobs, Jobs - 12/27/09 09:24 AM
Mountain Man and City Girl
The Blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ 609-729-8505
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
December 27th, 2009
As realtors, we have found that the main factor in whether a family can buy a second home here at the Jersey shore is job stability.  If a family has a solid income that will not be affected by a cut in salary or loss of job, they seem willing - even anxious - to take advantage of the incredibly low real estate prices and interest rates. 
But should their job be iffy, it's better to sit this one out.  … (0 comments)

mountain man and city girl: Banks Don't Like Other's Rules - 12/14/09 05:35 AM

Mountain Man and City Girl
The Blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ 609-729-8505

 Banks Don't Like Other's Rules
December 14th, 2009
Another major bank - this time Citigroup - is paying back its government bailout money because it doesn't like the rules that go along with the bucks.  The main rule, of course, is limiting the pay of top management.
Citigroup was one of nearly 700 banks that received bailout money nearly a year ago via the Troubled Asset Relief Program.  It got $45 billion, with $20 billion to be paid back and the balance of … (3 comments)