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This Weeks News 5/28/2020
Ahhh...Sunset over the Intracoastal Waterway! Nothing compares to a
peaceful summertime sunset!
THIS YEAR'S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND was different from years
past. The traditional summer kick off was successful but subdued; the island
was busy, but not quite as packed. The beach had lots of visitors (between
raindrops) but there was plenty of room for social distancing. Restaurants
offered takeout and stores offered curbside pick up. Traditional Memorial
Day parades were cancelled but a "Patriotic Motorcade" of decorated cars
formed at 81st Street and paraded to American Legion Post 331 in the south
end of Stone Harbor. Avalon produced a special video recalling Memorial
Day's past, and reminding us all of the real reason for the holiday. Check
out the 6-minute video here:
Avalon produced a special Memorial Day video this year in lieu of a
traditional parade and ceremony.
VACATION RENTALS RESUME JUNE 1ST! As New Jersey continues
the process of reopening, short term vacation rentals will resume on June
1st. Check-in procedures have been modified slightly to allow maximum safety
for our staff and visitors. Our office will conduct check-ins via a walk up
window, and non-staff won't be permitted inside our building. Check-in time
will be 3pm to allow extra time for cleaning of properties between guests. A
detailed explanation of the 2020 check-in process was sent to all our guests
in advance. As always, we stand ready to assist in any way we can.
FLOUNDER SEASON HAS OPENED! Good catches of both keepers
and throwbacks have been reported by fisherman and tackle shops, including
some keepers weighing 3-4 pounds. The minimum legal size is 18 inches this
year, with a possession limit of three fish.
BEER WHILE YOU'RE HERE? When you're enjoying a take out
meal on your deck, why not enjoy an award winning craft beer to go with it?
Slack Tide Brewery will deliver your order to your Cape May County location
for $5, with a minimum $30 order. Place your order by 3pm for same-day
delivery! Same-day pick up is also available at their Route 83 location,
just a few minutes from Avalon Boulevard. Check out
SLACK TIDE
BREWING COMPANY for more about this local favorite, or to place an
order!
DID YOU KNOW? Did you know that mortgage rates are hovering
around 3%? What a fantastic time to purchase a shore home, AND lock in
low-cost financing for the duration of your ownership! Not sure how much you
can afford or qualify for? Contact me, and I will put you in touch with
reliable lenders that can answer your questions during a fifteen minute
phone call!
THE MARKET IS MOVING--DONT MISS IT! Not only are interest
rates low, but with ten properties sold recently and many more placed under
contract in the past week, plus twenty listings added to the market, the
island real estate market is moving! Don't sit out the 2020 season--call or
email me so we can discuss your real estate goals, then formulate a plan to
achieve them!
This Weeks News 5/21/2020
AVALON & STONE HARBOR BEACHES REOPEN FRIDAY, MAY 22ND for
traditional sunbathing in chairs or on blankets, and swimming in the surf.
Walking, jogging, surfing, and fishing have been permitted since May 8th.
Group activities and organized sports are still prohibited. Social
distancing must be observed in all cases. Please check below for details on
beach tags for both Avalon & Stone Harbor.
Surfers and joggers were among the first to return to area beaches when
restrictions were eased a couple of weeks ago.
THE MARKET IS MOVING! After a slowdown during the first few
weeks of April, market activity has resumed and there are currently 40
properties under contract in the local market! For a detailed look at the
market see the latest Long & Foster Market Minute report below.
VIEW THE LATEST LONG & FOSTER MARKET MINUTE REPORT |
DOWNLOAD/PRINT
PDF
BEACH TAGS IN AVALON will not be required until July 3rd.
Seasonal tags will cost $25 through June 30th, 2020; as of July 1st, tags
will cost $30. The Avalon Beach Tag booth at 30th Street & Avalon Avenue
will open for the season on Friday, May 22nd from 10:00am-4:00pm, and will
remain open daily. Customers must wear masks to conduct a transaction and
must stand six feet apart while in line. Mayor Pagliughi has also extended
the mail-in program for beach tags through May 31st. You may send a check
made payable to the "Borough of Avalon" for the number of tags that you wish
to purchase at the $25 price. Send your check, along with a self-addressed
stamped envelope to Avalon Tax Collector’s Office, 3100 Dune Drive, Avalon,
NJ 08202 Attn: Beach Tags. You will be mailed a receipt for the tags that
you purchased. At your convenience, visit the Beach Tag Booth with your
receipt to pick up your tags.
BEACH TAGS IN STONE HARBOR are required for all persons 12
years of age and older starting this Saturday, May 22nd. The Beach Tag booth
at 95th Street will be open starting Wednesday, May 20th through the weekend
from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm for beach tag purchases only. Pre-Purchased Tags and
Veterans Tags can be picked up at the 82nd Street Recreation Building
starting Wednesday, May 20th
through the weekend from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.
BEACH TAGS ONLINE: You can also make your beach tag
purchase online via the smartphone app Viply.
DETAILS: GET YOUR NJ BEACH BADGES ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE
CHARTER FISHING AND WATERCRAFT RENTALS resumed earlier this
week, with new guidelines in place to enhance safety. Reduced capacity,
electronic reservations/payments, and no sharing of equipment are some of
the restrictions that charter operations will follow. Watercraft rentals are
allowed to operate following a "curbside pick up" type of business model
similar to other retail operations. Masks are required while aboard the
vessels.
OUTSIDE DINING is still under consideration in many shore
towns as a way to help restaurants cope with capacity limits during the
reopening. Among the many proposals being considered are using sidewalks and
parking areas for dining, and closing streets to expand dining space
further.
DRINKS TO GO: Many establishments are offering "drinks to
go" as part of their take out business. Even if you can't sit IN your
favorite restaurant, at least you can enjoy the food & drinks you love on
your own deck or porch! If ordering takeout or curbside pick up this
weekend, please be sure to plan ahead and allow extra time for your order!
MEMORIAL DAY is upon us and we're looking forward to the
first long weekend at the shore. Most Memorial Day parades and ceremonies
have been cancelled this year due to the pandemic, but let's all take a
moment to reflect upon those who have sacrificed so greatly in order to
preserve the freedoms we enjoy in our nation.
This Weeks News 5/14/2020
A surf fisherman takes advantage of recently reopened beaches on Seven
Mile Island.
REOPENING PLANS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR SEVEN MILE BEACH!
Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi and Stone Harbor Mayor Judith Davies-Dunhour
have been working toward the safe reopening of Seven Mile Beach. See below
for the latest plans as we approach the summer season.
AVALON & STONE HARBOR BEACHES REOPENED last Friday, May
8th, for walking, jogging, fishing, and surfing, from dawn to dusk. Some
activities are still restricted, such as sitting, sunbathing, and swimming.
Social distancing must still be observed even for permitted activities, but
locals and visitors alike are happy to be able to access the beaches!
FULL SEASON RENTALS are now allowed to check in, effective
Monday, May 11th.
SHORT TERM RENTALS, including weekly vacation rentals, will
be permitted to check in
beginning June 1st.
MANY RESTAURANTS are already open for take-out business,
and are exploring ways to reopen for dine-in service at reduced capacity in
order to comply with social distancing requirements. Proposals for outdoor
dining have been discussed in both Avalon & Stone Harbor, as a possible
solution for allowing more dining capacity while increasing the space
between tables. Stay tuned for more information.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF BUSINESSES have differing needs as they
navigate the pandemic and make plans to safely reopen. Hank Flynn of Fox 29
in Philadelphia offers "Hank's Take" on the South Jersey fishing industry as
he interviews Captain Joe Hughes from Sea Isle City and Captain Irv Hurd of
the Miss Avalon, and discusses their hope of getting customers out fishing
again soon:
HANK'S TAKE:
JERSEY SHORE FISHING INDUSTRY EAGERLY AWAITS REOPENING
THE AVALON BOULEVARD BRIDGE has reopened for traffic flow
in both directions after a winter's worth of work to repair the bridge
support structure and resurface the eastbound roadway surface. It will
remain open for the summer season but will be restricted to one alternating
lane again in the fall as the next phase of the work gets underway.
THE 177TH FIGHTER WING of the NJ Air National Guard
performed a flyover salute, circling New Jersey on Tuesday. Several F-16
fighter planes and a KC-135 tanker flew over numerous hospitals and military
installations, in a salute to frontline workers battling the Coronavirus
pandemic. Shortly after noon Tuesday the fighters and tanker could be seen
in the sky over Seven Mile Beach, as they flew toward the coast coming from
the western section of Southern New Jersey. Crossing over Seven Mile Beach
the planes turned southward toward the US Coast Guard Training Center in
Cape May. After turning northward again the planes flew up the coast over
the back bays, toward their final destination of Atlantic City.
TED BURKE has written a children's book titled COVID & The
Queen. In the uplifting story the creatures of the beach and bay are curious
and worried about their human friends, and seek the wise counsel of the
moon. The book will soon be available on Amazon and Kindle, but Mr. Burke
has created a video version that is available now. Children, parents, and
grandparents will enjoy the six minute video, as familiar creatures struggle
to understand what's happening. Enjoy the video here:
COVID & THE QUEEN, BY
TED BURKE
QUESTIONS? I'm glad to help! Email or call me anytime!
This Weeks News 5/7/2020
Ospreys are back and have taken up residence in nests throughout the
area. This one is visible from Avalon Boulevard, with the Stone Harbor water
tower in the distant background.
AVALON & STONE HARBOR BEACHES REOPENING FRIDAY, MAY 8TH!
Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi and Stone Harbor Mayor Judy Davies-Dunhour
announced a partial reopening of the beaches on Seven Mile Island. Beginning
Friday beaches will be open from dawn to dusk for walking, jogging, fishing,
and surfing. Stationary beach activities are still prohibited, and social
distancing must still be practiced, but it will bring great joy to a lot of
people to be able to access the beach again! Read the letter issued by both
mayors here:
AVALON, STONE HARBOR TO PERMIT LIMITED ACCESS TO BEACHES FRIDAY, MAY 8TH
LOCAL AND COUNTY OFFICIALS have been working hard to form
reopening plans so that local businesses may safely reopen as soon as
permitted to do so by the governor. Social distancing, masks, and other new
practices are likely to be incorporated into nearly every type of business,
so even familiar restaurants and merchants will look different for the
foreseeable future. Cape May County businesses, residents, and visitors are
excited about reopening in a responsible manner in order to safely enjoy the
summer season that we all look forward to!
SUMMER RENTALS: Like everyone else, we're monitoring the
latest news and directives closely. Currently, there is a moratorium on
short term rental check-ins, and we have contacted affected tenants and
owners with rental check-in dates up through May 22nd. As guidelines change
and restrictions are extended or removed, we will again contact any affected
owners or tenants.
THE SALE MARKET IS ACTIVE AGAIN! Following a pause when
statewide stay-at-home restrictions were issued, market activity resumed in
mid-April, and numerous properties have been placed under contract since.
Currently there are 40 properties under contract in the local market; see
below for the latest to be placed under contract, as well as those recently
sold!
A LITTLE BIT OF THE SHORE: Check out this four minute video
of dolphins and whales frolicking at the surface! Recorded 49 miles from
Cape May a couple of years ago, a broad expanse of empty ocean suddenly came
alive with dolphins playing in the boat's wake as a group of whales lumbered
along nearby! (Jump ahead to about 3:45 for the best view of the whales!)
I'M HERE AND READY TO HELP! Thinking about buying or
selling? I've got the tools to keep you safe and the experience to help you
achieve your goals. Call or email me today!