Jersey Shore Views...

Money for Nothing...The Recipe for Success?

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:26:58 -0600

ActiveRain members have a lot to say about how we, as REALTORS®, can better our image with the public and be recognized as professionals. Well, we might be fighting an uphill battle!

In one of my local daily newspapers, a headline in the weekly real estate section caught my eye. "Are you ready to become your own boss through real estate?"

I had no problem with most of the article...statements like "Real estate can be an exciting profession..." or "Helping others achieve the dream of homeownership is not only emotionally fulfilling..." Yada, yada, yada!

What really bothered me were the statements about being a REALTOR® New Jersey "...it only take a few weeks and several hundred dollars to get started in real estate."

OK, that can be true, and it might be an "attractive option for the unemployed or individuals who can't afford an expensive two or four year education."

But for this broker to state, "Perhaps the greatest benefit a career in real estate provides is flexibility." Not so bad you say?

This broker goes on this say, "The flexibility also makes real estate a great choice for those who have another career or are pursuing other interests, but would like to supplement their income." HUH?

What other industry advertises employment opportunities by saying, "Our industry is a great choice for you while you continue your current job, and pursue your other interests?"

Until our brokers and fellow agents begin treating real estate as a profession, we're fighting an uphill battle!

..
The Battle of Old Cedar Bridge Tavern, 2009

Since I have the song in my head now...follow this link to Money For Nothing, Dire Straits

Laura Giannotta
Keller Williams Realty - Atlantic Shore
REALTOR-Associate®
e-PRO®, ABR®
609-384-6121
Laura@JerseyShoreViews.com
Representing New Jersey home buyers and sellers in southern Ocean County; Homes in Waretown, Homes in Barnegat, Homes in Manahawkin, Homes in Eagleswood, Homes in Tuckerton, Homes in Little Egg Harbor and Homes on Long Beach Island. You can also contact me about homes in northern Atlantic County; Homes in Galloway, Homes in Absecon, Homes in Mullica, Homes in Egg Harbor, Homes in Mizpah and Homes in Mays Landing.

GET YOUR OWN JERSEY SHORE VIEWS!
(SEARCH FOR HOMES DOWN THE SHORE)

Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor - Little Egg Harbor, NJ February 2010 Housing Market Report

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 08:27:26 -0600

Homes For Sale in Little Egg Harbor - Little Egg Harbor, NJ February, 2010 Housing Market Report

With an average of 388 homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor in February, 2010 there's still plenty of inventory. Here are the figures for homes for sale and sold in Little Egg Harbor.

Little Egg Harbor, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
February 2010	60	21	39	17	125	$225,000

There are promising signs in these figures, even from the January, 2010 Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor Report. Only 9 homes sold in Little Egg Harbor in January, and the number of days on the market for those homes was also greater.

If you really want to be encouraged by the February, 2010 Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor, you need only look to one year ago!

Little Egg Harbor, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
February 2009	79	29	26	8	111	$233,000

While the median sold price of homes in Little Egg Harbor is down in the February, 2010 Market Report compared to last year, it has been inching up of the last few months.

Of the homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor that sold in February, 2 were bank owned and 1 was a short sale. 8 waterfront homes in Little Egg Harbor sold last month.

If you're interested in homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor and need the advice of an Accredited Buyers Agent (ABR®) give me a call. If you are considering listing a home for sale in Little Egg Harbor, or need information on a possible short sale in Little Egg Harbor, let's talk!

What the Blip? Way Too Much Information!

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:22:19 -0600

What the Blip...

I have done my best to keep up with advances in client conact through various social media, but this one step too far. The newest entry into to apparent need for people to share personal information (way too much IMHO)?

Blippy joins Facebook and Twitter.

Blippy is a service that allows you to automatically share your credit card transactions as you make them. This includes the place you made the purchase, the amount, and in some cases, the item. This is all placed in a social stream where other Blippy users can comment on and “like” the various items.

Call me old school, but this is way too much information!

CHECK IT OUT!

Help Us Fight Hunger - REALTORS IN CAPE MAY, NJ

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:29:23 -0600

Take a look at what three south Jersey REALTORS are doing to fight hunger in Cape May County. Please read and contribute if you can!

Via Joyce Jewell, GRI, ePRO, ASP, ABR (Jewell Real Estate Agency):

Help Us Fight Hunger

March 3rd, 2010

As realtors, we get inside a lot of homes during the course of a year. Sometimes, what we see is appalling. Senior citizens subsisting on Saltine crackers the last few days of the month and financially-strapped families bulking up on white bread and big generic bags of potato chips and cookies, so called "feel good" nutrition-deficient foods.

Three Cape May County, NJ realtors decided to do something about it and formed a non-profit corporation called "The Free Meal Center". The goal is to serve lunch Monday through Saturday, plus breakfast on Saturdays. The double meal on Saturdays is targeted at kids, who often don't have a decent meal after school lunch on Friday until returning to school for free breakfast on Monday.

TFMC takes possession of a 4,000 square foot former restaurant on March 15th, just 12 short days away. We're still $4,000 short. We hope to be open to the public by Memorial Day.

Check out our website at http://www.FreeMealCenter.com . Perhaps you can see it in your heart to make a small donation.

Thank you for caring.

- Mountain Man and City Girl http://www.MountainManandCityGirl.com

The blogsite of Jewell Real Estate Agency, Wildwood Crest, NJ http://www.JewellRealEstateAgency.com

Coastal Navigation at the Jersey Shore

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:44:36 -0600

Learn Coastal Navigation at the Tuckerton Seaport

The US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 77 is sponsoring a basic coastal navigation course at the Tuckerton Seaport this weekend and continuing Saturday mornings through March.

Coast Guard Auxiliary 77

This course is for recreational boaters with a Boating Safety Certificate. The class beging at 9am and runs until 12:30pm on March 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th. The cost is $50 and includes text, a study guide and charts.

Pre registration is requried. Contact Claire LoVoi (609) 296-5942 or Dain Sutton (609) 294-9135 for more information.

..
Tuckerton Seaport

The Jersey Shore's Best Beach...The 2010 Polls Are Open!

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:26:50 -0600

The Jersey Shore's Best Beach....The 2010 Polls Are Open

While the Jersey Shore gears up for another predicted snow storm later this week, take your mind off winter and vote for your favorite New Jersey beaches. The New Jersey Top Ten Beach project has opened its 2010 on line poll and voting will continue through April 30th, with results announced on May 27th.

Think summer, think Long Beach Island!

Last years results had Long Beach Island ranked second and first for the Best Beach for Family Vacations. The overall winner in the 2009 balloting was Ocean City, NJ.

The format of the survey remains the same. In this, the 3rd Annual Top Ten Beach Survey, users vote on line for their favorite beach town in each for four categories; Family Destinations, Day Trips, Eco tourism and Shore Events.

So beat the winter doldrums, vote now for your favorite Jersey Shore beaches.

Snow in the forecast!

The annual Top Ten New Jersey Beach Project is the work of the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium/New Jersey Sea Grant and the Richard Stockton College Coastal Research Center.

This survey is friendly but competitive. So if you're unfamiliar with the best beaches at the Jersey Shore, trust me, vote Long Beach Island across the board!

Click here to vote for New Jersey's Top Ten Beaches!

It Pays to Get Up Early....Speechless Sunday

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:20:19 -0600

After days of clouds, rain and snow today promises to be beautiful at the Jersey Shore! I hadn't planned to go the gym this morning, but had a little extra time. The photo was taken with my phone on the way back home from the gym at 7am, just of Route 72 in Manahawkin, NJ.

I have to make a point of bringing my camera everwhere. The sky was just beautiful when the sun poked through!

Homes for Sale in Tuckerton - Tuckerton, NJ January 2010 Housing Market Report

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:19:27 -0600

Homes for Sale In Tuckerton - Tuckerton, NJ January 2010 Housing Market Report

The number of homes for sale in Tuckerton remained stable in January, 2010 when compared to December, 2009. But when comparing December 2009 to January, 2010 you'll see a substantial drop the median sale price of homes in Tuckerton.

Tuckerton, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
January 2010	14	1	16	5	214	$150,000

But it's good news when compared to the homes for sale and sold during January, 2009.

Tuckerton, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
January 2009	7	3	3	1	163	$151,500

None of the homes in Tuckerton that sold in January were on the Tuckerton waterfront, but half of the new homes for sale in Tuckerton listed in January, 2010 were waterfront. The new waterfront listings in Tuckerton range in price from $229,000 to $399,000.

Of the five Tuckerton homes that sold in January, one was a mobile home in a Tuckerton adult community, one a condo in Tuckerton Meadows and two were older homes in downtown Tuckerton that, under current zoning, can also be used for business.

Only one of the homes for sale in Tuckerton that closed in January was bank owned. It's a 3 bedroom, 3 bath home off of Nugentown Road (4th Street) that sold for $176,000.

If you're interested in homes for sale in Tuckerton and need the advice of an Accredited Buyers Agent (ABR®) give me a call. Or if you are considering listing a home for sale in Tuckerton, let's talk!

Paradise Cove, Tuckerton, NJ

Information in this Tuckerton Housing Market Report is based on reports from the Jersey Shore Multiple Listing Service.

The Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor Will Have to Wait Another Day!

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:10:42 -0600

The Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor Will Have to Wait Another Day!

The appointments were set, most of the sellers were cooperative. A busy day, to the office, an appointment to list some vacant land and an afternoon full of showing homes in Little Egg Harbor!

Early this morning at the Jersey Shore it didn't seem too bad. When I got up to go to the gym, it was snowing but it wasn't sticking to the roads. Fast forward 45 minutes, and it was a different story. The roads were covered and a little slippery. Now several hours later, it's not looking good!

Snow again at the Jersey Shore!

February 25, 2010

Homes for Sale in Manahawkin - January 2010 Manahawkin, NJ Housing Market Report

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:48:20 -0600

Homes for Sale in Manahawkin - Manahawkin, NJ January 2010 Housing Market Report

The inventory of homes for sale in Manahawkin increased slightly in January over December 2009, with 94 new listings added to the mix. The median sale price also decreased.

Manahawkin, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
January 2010	94	23	48	21	116	$267,000

Very similar to homes for sale in Manahawkin in January 2009.

Manahawkin, NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
January 2009	83	24	48	15	130	$295,000

Seven of those homes for sale in Manahawkin that closed in January with waterfront homes, one was a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath condo and one was a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath adult community detached unit in Fawn Lakes, according to the Jersey Shore Multiple Listing Service.

If you're interested in homes for sale in Manahawkin and need the advice of an Accredited Buyers Agent (ABR®) give me a call. Or if you are considering listing a home for sale in Manahawkin, let's talk!

Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor - Little Egg Harbor, NJ January, 2010 Housing Market Report

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:34:18 -0600

Homes for Sale in Little Egg Harbor - Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey January, 2010 Housing Market Report

The average inventory of homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor increased in January, 2010 and the median sale price decreased by $2,000 over December, 2009 figures. There is good news in the January figures, there are nearly double the homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor that were Under Contract in January, 2010. In December, 2009 figures from the Jersey Shore Multiple Listing Service showed only 17 homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor as Under Contract.

Little Egg Harbor NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold price
January 2010	78	31	46	9	128	$193,000

The January, 2010 Little Egg Harbor Housing Market Report is much more promising than the market one year ago. While the same number of homes sold in Little Egg Harbor in January, 2009 as this year, last year only 19 Little Egg Harbor homes for sale were Under Contract.

Little Egg Harbor NJ	New Listings	Under Contract	Expired	Sold	Days on Market	Median Sold Price
January 2009	83	19	63	9	132	$214,500

The breakdown of the homes for sale in Little Egg Harbor that sold in January, 2010 is:

2 in Little Egg Harbor Adult Communities (Mystic Shores & Sea Oaks)
1 Little Egg Harbor Waterfront
1 Little Egg Harbor Condo
5 Little Egg Harbor Single Family Homes

Summer in Little Egg Harbor, NJ!

What if Little Egg Harbor Had an Election and No One Came?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:32:31 -0600

What if Little Egg Harbor Had an Election and No One Came?

It happens almost every year on the third Saturday in February. A little known election in being held tomorrow in 79 towns throughout New Jersey. It the annual fire district elections, electing fire commissioners and levying taxes for equipment, buildings and fire fighter gear.

There are only 79 municipalities in the state with fire districts (out of 566), so there not much attention paid to this oddly timed balloting. Here in southern Ocean County, Little Egg Harbor is the only community with a fire district election tomorrow, February 20th.

There are three fire districts in Little Egg Harbor, and there is very poor turnout for the balloting even though hundreds of thousands of tax dollars are approved or denied annually on the third Saturday of February.

Just how bad is the turnout? Well in the NJ Legislative elections last November a total of 4,469 Little Egg Harbor voters cast ballots in the 9th Legislative District. The most recent election returns I could find for Little Egg Harbor's three fire districts was 2006, when just 131 voters turned out! That's a combined total for all three fire districts!

On top of the odd date, the snow birds down south and the coldest month of the year the fire district elections are NOT subject to the same uniform standards and oversight that other govern other elections in New Jersey.

The Boards of Fire Commissioners have total control of the election operation. And, you guessed it, they have a vested interest in the outcome.

The Commissioners decide how the ballot will be printed and who will staff the polling places. And unlike other elections in New Jersey, there are no state or county attorneys or judges standing by to mediate disputes.

There have been bills in the state legislature to hold the fire district elections on a day when other elections are held to cut costs, or by leaving budget approval to the local governing board. Fire district lobbyists have successfully held up these efforts.

Polls are open in Little Egg Harbor tomorrow (Saturday February 20th) from 2pm til 9pm. You must vote in the district where you live.

West Tuckerton Fire District in Little Egg Harbor (District 1) Operating budget to be voted on $339,406

+ West Tuckerton Volunteer Fire Company covers Route 9 in West Tuckerton, communities such as Cranberry Creek, Holly Lakes and Mystic Shores, Great Bay Boulevard, Radio Road south to Mathistown Road, and Route 539 to Warren Grove. West Tuckerton splits coverage of Route 539 to Warren Grove with Parkertown Volunteer Fire Company, which covers the opposite side of Route 539.
+ West Tuckerton Fire District 1 has two three-year terms up for election. The candidates include two incumbents, Alfred W. Bailey of Marigold Lane and Lawrence E. Burd of Nugentown Road. Also vying for the two seats are Daniel Curley of Oak Leaf Avenue, Tom Bramhall of Gifford Road and Robert Shaninian of Springate Court.

+ Little Egg Harbor Fire District 1 voting is at the West Tuckerton Fire House at 505 Route 9.

Mystic Island Fire District in Little Egg Harbor (District 2) Operating budget to be voted on $430,900

+ Mystic Island Volunteer Fire Company covers Mystic Island, Osborn Island, and Radio Road south of Mathistown Road.
+ Mystic Island Fire District has two, three-year seats up for election on the board of fire commissioners. Two candidates are running unopposed.
Incumbent William K. Maguire of Crystalbrook Drive is running for his third term. Michael Caronia of Sherwood Drive, who previously served on the board, is returning to the board and running for his third term.

+ Little Egg Harbor Fire District 2 voting is at the Mystic Islands Fire House at 827 Radio Road.

Parkertown Fire District in Little Egg Harbor (District 3) Operating Budget to be voted on $285,913

+ Parkertown Volunteer Fire Company covers Parkertown, Route 9 south to Tuckerton and north to Eagleswood, Sea Oaks and shares Route 539 and Warren Grove coverage with West Tuckerton, with West Tuckerton covering one side of Route 539 and Parkertown covering the opposite side.
+ Two incumbents are running unopposed. Both George Garbaravage of Frog Pond Road and John J. Pisano Jr. of Birchwood Drive are running for a third term.

+ Little Egg Habor Fire District 3 voting is at the Parkertown Fire House, 830 Railroad Avenue in the Parkertown section of Little Egg Harbor.

New Jersey Real Estate Commission Releases Memorandum on Buyer Rebates

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:59:35 -0600

The New Jersey Real Estate Commission (REC) has released its promised memorandum regarding implementation of the new law, enacted by former Governor Corzine, allowing buyers brokers to offer a rebate to buyers.

The REC has not promulgated the rules to implement the law yet, but since it took effect immediately upon signing buyers rebates are legal in New Jersey. Up until January 5, 2010 the Commission prohibited rebates to buyers.

Until the rules are adopted, the REC is urging compliance with the language of the law on who may provide and receive a rebate, conditions concerning the providing of a rebate, limitations on the nature of the rebate that may be paid and requirements on the advertisement of rebates.

Those provisions are summarized below.

Who may provide/receive a rebate and conditions concerning the providing of a rebate.

+Only a real estate broker may provide the rebate. A broker-salesperson or salesperson may not provide a rebate.

+A rebate may only be provided to a purchaser of residential real property. A rebate may not be provided to a seller or to a lessor or lessee.

+The broker and the purchaser must contract for a rebate at the onset of the brokerage relationship in a written document, an electronic document or a buyer agency agreement.

+The document or agreement must specify the terms of any rebate to be credited or paid by the broker to the purchaser. The broker must provide the document or agreement to the purchaser at the outset of the brokerage relationship.

+The broker must comply with any State or federal requirements regarding the disclosure of the payment of the rebate.

+The broker must recommend to the purchaser that the purchaser contact a tax professional concerning the tax implications of receiving the rebate.

+The broker must disclose the payment of the rebate to all parties involved in the transaction, including any mortgage lender.

The nature of the rebate that may be paid.

+The rebate must be in the form of a credit to the purchaser and reducing the amount of the commission payable to the broker paying the rebate or a check paid by the closing agent made at the time of closing; and calculated after the purchaser negotiates the rebate commission rate with the broker paying the rebate.

+The rebate must not be paid to an unlicensed person for any act that requires licensure; contingent upon the use of other services or products being offered by a broker or an affiliate of a broker; and based on the use of a lottery, contest or game.

Here is a full copy of the memorandum by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission on the Rebate of Real Estate Commissions.

Can Your Clients Afford Elimination of the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction? Do Something About It!

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:07:31 -0600

It's back...President Obama has again called for limitations on the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction. Lenn Harley has been telling us about this for quite a while.

This IS a big deal, so contact your congressional representatives and share your opinion. If you don't know how to contact them click here.

Here's the letter I just emailed to my representatives. Feel free to use it all or in part.

An Open Letter to Senators Lautenberg and Menendez & Congressman Adler:

As a REALTOR® and an Accredited Buyers Representative® working with home buyers in southern Ocean County, I'd like to call attention to a portion of President Obama's budget message that is cause for concern.

The President's budget proposal includes changes to the Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction. This proposed change only effects families earning over $250,000, but it could be the first step toward total elimination of one of the primary benefits of home ownership.

President Obama doesn't target the Mortgage Interest Deduction directly, rather he wants to cap the rate of all itemized deductions for couples or families over that $250,000 ($200,000 for individuals) earning limit.

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR®) claims enactment of this proposal will set off a new round of home price depreciation, creating a new housing crisis.

I'll leave the depreciation arguments to NAR®. What I do know is my first time home buyer clients cite the Mortgage Interest Deduction as the major reason buying rather than renting makes financial sense.

Don't underestimate the importance of first time home buyers. The Consumer Confidence Index by the NAR® Research Division in December 2009 indicated 43% of the homes sold were purchased by first time home buyers.

Enactment of President Obama's limit of Mortgage Interest Deductions could have a chilling effect on these first time home buyers and buyers at all economic levels. Consumer doubt and uncertainty is not what our Country's economy needs as we struggle toward recovery.

Please oppose any changes to the Mortgage Interest Deductions.

Sincerely,

Laura Giannotta
Manahawkin, NJ

Snow in the Rain - The Jersey Shore's Latest Winter Storm

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 08:05:12 -0600

New Jersey is in the midst of it's second major winter storm. The snow began last night. This is what it looked like at 8am.

There is a blizzard warning in effect, and it's expected we'll have accumulation of up to 25 inches. The worst of the storm will hit early this afternoon with increasing winds up to 40 to 50 miles per hour, out of the north-northeast. That's not good news for long Beach Island, already suffering severe from fall and winter beach erosion.

The National Weather Service has also posted a flood warning for the coastal areas of the Jersey. High tide this afternoon is expected to bring the most widespread tidal flooding. High tides today will occur between 1:30pm and 3pm. The high tide occurs later in the coastal wetlands and lagoons. The wave action during the high tide is the cause of beach erosion.

There's not much to do now, it's snowing too hard to even think about digging out, so we'll sit back and enjoy the ride!

February 6, 2010 9am Manahawkin Time!