100 Days of Summer

Ocean City, NJ - It happens every year - Suddenly it's Labor Day weekend and I realize we need to cram a few more boardwalk visits and beach sessions into the summer before the sun sets on Monday.

Having six kids between the ages of 6 and 21 you can imagine the variety of activities we get involved in ! Of course, there's the "normal" shore activities - little league, crew camp, summer jobs and lots of afternoons at GrandMoms house.

"Summer Vacation" for us means a trip AWAY from the shore - Central and Eastern Virginia for a visit to Jamestown and Yorktown (a history lesson during the day and a dip in the pool at night) and a few Civil War battlefields. Locally a Sunday trip down Route 9 to Historic Cold Spring Village could ALMOST deliver the same lessons - if you like history and have never visited them you should add it your list of things to do - they host a few Civil War weekends and Encampments, a revolutionary weekend and a lot more - even a model train weekend - you'll find them online at http://www.hcsv.org.

Another great way to spend an afternoon is to visit the Cape May County Zoo -our 6 year old never tires of the place. It's less than a half hours drive from Ocean City, down the Garden State Parkway.

We launched the kayaks (4) a few weeks ago and made a few trips exploring the streams near the 34th Street bridge - next year we'll go more often and try our hand at crab traps.

Julie (6) got a REAL kick out of a visit to Cowtown one Saturday night - it's a bit of a hike but well within a reasonable drive from the shore.

Of course, for us natives, September and October have a lot to offer - cooler weather, sales in the shops, warm water, and a lot less traffic.

The fall is a great time to visit Ocean City, maybe spend a few nights at a B & B and enjoy the weekend activities and find a new place to dine.

Tuesday night after Labor Day is shaping up as a Miniature Golf and Go Cart night, with a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl almost a guarantee.

Now if the Phils can just made the playoffs, like the AC Surf did, it'll make for some more great memories of the summer of '07.

The Ocean City NJ Real Estate Market (Feb 2007)

Ocean City, New Jersey – If activity the past few weekends is any indication of where the real estate market is in Ocean City 2007 should shape up to be better than 2006. Better for buyers anyway – SELLING prices are back to levels we haven’t seen in several years, and Sellers who have grasped the reality of the market and made adjustments in their pricing are seeing offers and getting contracts.

Potential sellers holding onto their pricing based on ‘wanna gets” instead of “can get” may have a long wait – there’s enough inventory out there today to last almost two years according to the volume of 2006 transactions.

Properties that are properly priced and in GOOD condition, ( particularly under $600,000 ) are seeing the bulk of the activity – which is confirmed by the feedback we’re getting from Title Agencies and Mortgage Companies.

… and there’s a GREAT selection of property under $600,000 !

Beware, however, that potential sellers that think that this translates into an appreciating market may be missing the point – Buyers want validation in their purchases and prices need to plateau a while to rebuild confidence in the real estate market.

The GOOD news is that interest is building, and Ocean City offers a community that prides itself on family amenities and family values – where better to spend a week, a month or a lifetime building memories than at the South Jersey Shore.

For a search of Ocean City real estate available visit http://www.beach4sale.com/