TURN ON THE HEAT
Once again, it seems that summer ended and after a couple short weeks of autumn, we emerged right into winter.
The story through it all here at the shore has been rain, rain, rain. It seems like we get dumped on with two or three inches of rain, then after a couple day reprieve it rains again.
The bright side is that the bugs are gone, the leaves are raked up, and you can have the beach and Boardwalk all to yourself. Enjoy it!
RENTALS ARE BACK
After being mothballed since 2004, Jewell Real Estate Agency has revived its rental program. If you remember, we scrapped the rentals after the 2004 season upon learning that Joyce had breast cancer. We wanted her to have less stress and be able to devote all of her time to fighting this deadly enemy. It worked and she won!
We are now accepting applications for weekly, seasonal, and yearround rentals for 2010. As always, we answer phones 6am to 9pm every day and you always get a real, live person. We will expand that on summer Friday and Saturday nights until 11pm to handle rental inquiries and such.
Your rental property will be advertised on our website - and others we select - with pictures, descriptions, and a virtual tour, giving your property maximum exposure to a wide audience of potential family renters. Our friendly staff of Chris, Maryetta, and Ashley assist Joyce in getting you results.
WILDWOOD RECALLS MAYOR
The City of Wildwood recall election took place December 8 and voters were heard. Loud and clear.
The first question on the ballot was whether voters wanted to recalled Mayor Ernie Troiano and Commissioner Bill Davenport. Voters ousted the mayor by a vote of 624 to 487. Davenport got booted by a count of 649 to 470.
The second part of the ballot had a choice of six candidates to fill the two seats. With a dozen or so provisional votes not yet counted, Ed Harshaw led the way with 600 votes and Al Brannen garnered 577. They will join Commissioner Gary DeMarzo in now running the city.
Troiano fell short of getting his seat back with 496 votes and Davenport finished fourth with 453. Rounding out the field were Ernesto Salvatico with 45 votes and John Roat with 42.
A week later the commissioners voted amongst themselves as to who would become the new mayor. The winner was DeMarzo, with Brannen getting the deputy mayor post.
The new trio began their reign by appointing Atlantic City lawyer Daniel Gallagher as interim city solicitor, a position held by Wildwood attorney Marcus Karavan. Gallagher was the attorney for the recall committee. Next they appointed former Ocean City administrator Richard Deaney as Wildwood's interim administrator.
They also decided to solicit bids for a new city auditor, presently held by the firm of Ford, Scott, Seidenburg & Kennedy of Marmora, and city engineer, currently manned by Remington Vernick of Wildwood.
The commissioners also decided that their meetings - held the second and fourth Wednesdays - would both be at 6:30pm at night, putting an end to one being in the afternoon.
The new government now has the unenviable task of reducing real estate property taxes. The city has the highest rate in Cape May County at $1.83 per hundred dollars of assessment. Time will tell!
OUR BLOG
The internet reports that there are 30 million blogs out there in cyberspace, so obviously you can't read them all. But if you enjoy our newsletters - and about 10,000 folks do six times a year - you'll absolutely love our blog.
The popular and provocative blog website address is http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com There are several blogs added each week and they deal with everything from real estate to government policies to politics to things that, well, just rub us the wrong way. There's stuff about the Wildwoods, Cape May County, the state of New Jersey, and life in general. It's full of information and opinions that you might not find anywhere else.
Some of our blogs will make you laugh, some will make you mad - maybe at us, but hopefully with us - but all will make you sit back and think a little bit. So if you want to see what we Baby Boomers are gonna say next, bookmark Mountain and City Girl and click in regularly. And feel free to comment on any of our blogs.
WEST WILDWOOD RECALL
Not to be outdone by Wildwood, the Borough of West Wildwood will apparently have its own recall election on January 26, 2010. Maybe.
Recall petitions attempting to take Mayor Herbert Frederick to a recall election were verified by Borough Clerk Dorothy Tomlin on November 20. By law, Frederick had five business days to resign, but he refused.
Instead, Frederick is challenging Tomlin's approval of the petition, which he claims has "deficiencies, improprieties, and irregularities".
Recall petitions concerning Commissioner Scott Golden were also submitted, but Tomlin has not yet ruled on their validity.
In the little community of less than 500 voters, which evokes memories of Peyton Place, the fireworks are far from over. Stay tuned.
HOUSING DEMANDS
Statistically speaking, demand for housing should fuel real estate sales in the near future.
The country added about 2 million new households in each of the years 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2008 and 2009, about a million new households were created each year. That's eight million new households that need a place to live. Many have doubled up with parents or siblings.
There are currently estimated to be 16 million renters who have the income to purchase a home. Many are holding off due to fear of having their work hours reduced or even being laid off.
As the media embraces the recovery from the Recession and gets off the doom and gloom bandwagon, American's fears will be abated and they will step up and purchase their first home. And that begins to the cycle of real estate growth and full employment of tradesmen from builders and masons to framers, roofers, plumbers, carpenters, sheet rock installers, HVAC installers, electricians, tillers, and more. Manufacturing is kick started by demand for lumber, plywood, roofing, siding, windows, doors, appliances, and so forth.
Be patient and think positive. Good times are right around the corner.
JEWELL REAL ESTATE AGENCY
We love to talk about real estate and our island. We're always glad to share our insights, observations, and vision with you.
Stop by our office at 5602 New Jersey Avenue and chat. Or give Joyce or Douglas a call at 609-729-8505. We answer phones 6am to 9pm EVERYDAY and you always get a real, live person. That's service!
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